The Little Red Bird and the Big Black Bat

After leaving Selina in the study, Bruce made his way down the corridors. The silent bat moved quickly though the place that both was and wasn't his home. He needed to find his boys. That included Jason. But where would they be? This question caused the man to halt in his steps.

Frowning, the Dark Knight took a moment to think. At this time of day, they could very well be anywhere in the manor. Though since Alfred made cookies, it was most likely Dick was int the kitchen. Looking about, Bruce noticed he was near the many bedrooms. The kitchen was a ways off, so he would investigate there later.

Blue eyes spotted a plague that red Tim's name, causing the vigilante to pause before approaching the door. There was a decent chance for the young man to be in his room. And it was with this thought that he knocked upon the wood. Though there was silence as his response. With a small frown, he turned the knob and opened the door, his eyes searching for any sign of the genius.

They finally landed on the bed, where the form of Tim laid upon. Silently, the man entered the room and made his way towards the bed. "Tim." he said quietly, a bit of guilt filling up inside him for having to wake the lad.

"Mhhnnn..." Tim's body had alerted him to the fact someone was in the room, his mind was exhausted as was his body.

"Tim..."

The Ex-Boy Wonder knew that voice from anywhere, he pulled the covers tighter to his body as he tried to curl away from it.

"Five mhn... minutes... patrol later..." The exhausted Red Robin mumbled out, trying to get his body off of alert. It was just Bruce, they could patrol later. Right now he just wanted to sleep the headache away.

"Five mhn... minutes... patrol later..."

Bruce almost laughed as the sleeping boy mumbled those words. Memories of their patrols together back when the other was just Robin flashed through his mind. But those days were over. Tim was older and Red Robin. Though there were times they did patrol together, the other was much more independent. Much like Dick.

"We're not going on patrol Tim." he spoke out, his voice gruff but quiet. "We need to talk." he hoped this wouldn't be difficult. Waking up a tired bird was not a fun thing to do. There's so much that needs to be said. he thought as he awaited for the other to register what was going on.

Tim groaned, trying to just get rid of the pounding in his head. Did Bruce have to be so loud?

"Why no patrol? We..." Tim blinked open his eyes, memories rammed into his pounding skull like bullets. He sat up, slowly but surely to look bleary-eyed at his ex-mentor. He just looked at him before rubbing his face with his hands.

"How'd... Get... You?" The sleepy Robin mumbled out.

Bruce merely lifted an eyebrow as Tim opened his eyes, asking about patrol before silence left his lips. The Dark Knight awaited for the other to gather his thoughts, no doubt confused to see the tall silent man. If the roles were reversed I'd think I was still in our Gothem as well. he thought as he watched the other sit up.

At his question, Bruce sighed quietly to himself. "I was investigating a cry for help when something shot out and latched to my throat. An electrical surge filled my body, knocking me unconscious." he informed, a frown forming on his face. He didn't really like to admit to that, but he wasn't going to lie to the other either.

"Now we need to talk."

The Red Robin sat there, blinking a bit dumbly before his mental gears started to roll. He rubbed his temples, his headache was still oddly there. He'd ask Alfred for Aspirin later.

"Talk 'bout what? How screwed we are?" Tim stated, looking down at his lap. He didn't want to look up at Bruce and let him know how much of a failure he had train.

"We're going to die here, Bruce..." Tim whispered out, tightening his hands into fists. He didn't want to die, he didn't want his new relationship to just be tossed out the window. But he knew he couldn't kill. He didn't have the ability to do so. Neither did Dick... and he wasn't sure how Bruce had held himself back all those years... he knew the man wouldn't either.

Blue eyes looked down sadly upon his ward, the young man refusing to look up at him. With a sigh, he rubbed the back of his neck before moving to sit upon the bed. "Tim..." he began, stopping as he tried to think of what to say. How could one tell the person they raised that the one rule they had always been taught to not break no matter what could go flying out the window?

Were his boys even capable to do such acts? "I know what you're going through..." he decided to start with, his hands clenching into fists as he looked at the wall across form the bed. "This place... to survive here eventually we would have to brake that one rule I made for us. The one rule that kept us from being just like the murderers and sociopaths we fought against every night." Another sigh left his mouth as he tried to collect his thoughts. He never felt so loss of words before. but this was a tough topic.

"Alfred told me that I- the other Bruce, broke that rule on the same day the invaders came in. Fighting to keep earth safe and avenge the lives of fallen heroes." he avoided mentioning how it wasn't until after Nightwing died saving him. Alfred sad it wasn't just because of that, but Bruce has a feeling it was a strong factor. "I had created that rule, and yet in just that one day I had broken it. I don't know if that Bruce struggled with that option like you and I are here but-" This was so hard to say, so hard to truly decide on. how would Tim take it?

"But no matter the case, we need to survive Tim. And to do so, we will have to break that one rule." he said at last, looking down at his hands. Shame filled him as he awaited in silence. What did Tim think of him now? How could he possibly look his ward in the eye? he felt like such a hypocrite.

Tim felt Bruce sit on the bed as the man began to talk. His words stabbed through him like knives. Bruce was... okay with the killing? No. That couldn't be right. Bruce had always said he'd rather die than break his rule. Tim felt confused and unsure of himself. But something snapped inside of him, he felt all of this sudden anger coursing through his veins.

"How can you say that? The only rule. THE ONE RULE, you drilled into our heads as Robins was not to kill. Never kill under any circumstance! And now... and now because another YOU did it you're okay with it? WHAT THE FUCK, BRUCE." Tim never looked up but felt his body shaking in silent sobs and rage. God, how could Bruce do this to him? To Dick? This didn't make sense!

Part of Tim felt oddly betrayed but the moral shift of Bruce's but the other knew the logic behind it. He was smart and a bit empathic but... he couldn't bring himself to kill. He just couldn't.

Though his body remained still, internally Bruce flinched. Tim had every right to be angry. He deserved the lashing out, the anger, the hatred. To even make the decision to kill, he had turned his back on everything he stood for and condemned himself to the hatred of his peers.

"And now because another YOU did it you're okay with it?"

That caused him to snap his head up as anger took hold of him. "I'M BY NO MEANS OKAY WITH IT!?" he yelled, standing up from the bed. His muscles flexed in his anger as a heated glare filled his eyes. "How could I?' he asked, his voice gruff and deep. The anger left his eyes and was replaced with sorrow as his shoulders sagged. "God Tim how could I be ok with what awaits us?" Images of all those he disappointed from choosing to kill filled his head.

Bruce brought his hand up and covered his face. I can never seek forgiveness from the people I care about for this. he thought with despair. "To take you down that dark road, I would rather try anything else than resort to it. But I don't have any other options Tim." he said, his voice broke slightly. "I know what I've said before in the past, and I can never justify what I'm telling you now. But- But I can not possibly live with myself if you boys died."

He placed his hand back down, revealing his face. He nearly looked broken. "I know you must hate me for saying this. And I don't blame you Tim. I don't except you to ever forgive me either. I can't even forgive myself."

"You don't understand." Tim whimpered out, rubbing his eyes with his arms.

"Y-you just don't get it." Tim let a sobbing noise escape his throat. He stayed silent for a minute just sitting there, letting his eyes leak their only proof of sorrow onto his bed. He took a shaky breath, choking on his words.

"Conner came to me, told me I should kill so I don't die. Everyone's telling me what I should do." His voice was broken and it was getting harder and harder to understand.

"I k-know... I know... It's... I can't. You can, I... I know you can. I see... I see you hold back. All the time. I... I just... I couldn't bring myself to be like that... I can't kill someone's brother or sister... o-or even their mother or father... o-or their son or daughter... I just... I just can't!" Tim's voice completely cracked as he pulled his knees to his chest. He deserved Bruce's anger. The man wasn't okay with it, he knew. He over reacted but the Robin knew his mentor could do it. All it took was a large push...

Like a threat that killed all of his sons.

"Bruce... This world's Bruce... killed because they kill all of.... us, didn't he?" Tim's voice was small, but it was obvious he knew. There was a reason Ra's au Ghul called him the detective.

If there was one way to describe what this conversation turned into, it was this: heartache. Plain and simple. Only not. There was nothing simple about their predicament, of the utter despair that coursed through both the Dark Knight and the Red Robin. Though how they showed it was different. Bruce's emotions, though visible, were more held in. Something the tall bat had a long old habit of doing. While Tim, the young vigilante was more open. At least in the privacy of him and the ones he held close.

Bruce stood there as he watched silent tears run down his ward's face, his heart clenching at knowing he had failed to protect the other from having to make such decisions, failed to protect him form being in this never ending live or death world. He failed as a guardian, he failed as a mentor. He just failed the other. The older man barely registered the mention of the clone, though he did take note of it once he did. Conner is his best friend. His opinion matters to the boy, so I can only hope he chooses to live. he thought, though even as he though that he took in a shaky breath, knowing what it would mean.

Silently, Bruce made his way back to the bed, sitting down next to the ex-Boy Wonder. He had not spoken a word since Tim began to break down, but his eyes gleamed with sadness, nearly ready to let his own tears fall had it not been the fact it had been so long since he last had.

"Bruce... This world's Bruce... killed because they kill all of.... us, didn't he?"

Bruce took in a deep but sharp breath as he closed his eyes. Without a word, he reached out an arm, part of his cape following with, and wrapped it around the younger man's shoulders. He gently pulled the other towards him as he gave his one armed embrace, all the while taking a moment to gather his thoughts. "He killed to keep the earth save from invaders, to prevent them from taking over." he began, wet eyes starring at the wall. "But- your deaths were a large factor in it all." As he spoke, silent tears fell from his eyes. Just the mere images of Dick, Tim, and Jason lying lifeless upon the ground brought forth a sorrow like no other. These were his boys. And he failed them.

Tim wiped his eyes, trying his best not to seem weak in front of the Dark Knight. But it was impossible, Bruce had been there the night his father bled to death in his arms. He was there when he revived the news his mother had been poisoned and died. There was no way he could hide his soul from the man that had 'adopted' him as a Robin.

Tim hadn't expected the Bat to hug him though. Arm around his shoulders as he buried his Dave into the Kevlar armor, breathing in the familiar scent of safety and home. The cape added to their moment. The cape of protection with the chest of safety. He could get through this, he just needed to be logical. The Dectective.

"played a large factor in it..."

Tim could only imagine what the man was going through. He was the only one that saw Jason after he died, Dick had been injured and on Tamaran with Kory when it had happened and he, himself, had been to worrying over stupid things to care. He moved his arms around the bigger man and clung desperately to the larger body as he tried his best to offer mutual comfort for whatever the man was dealing with.

No matter what they were all a family. A fucking messed up to shir one, but they called it home.

The two sat there in the silence, comfort being sought and given through embrace as silent tears fell. Bruce continued to hold his ward as the other clung to him. I'm sorry. he thought as he pulled the other a little closer. I'm so sorry Tim. But no matter how sorry he was, reality remained the same. His precious family would have to forsake all they know and become something they thought as horrid, or loose their lives.

And Bruce had failed them.

After some time in the silence, Bruce cleared his throat. "I need to find Dick." he told the other, though he kept his arm where it was. If Tim still needed the comfort, he would remain where he was and search for Dick later. But it was left for Tim to decide that. He didn't want the other to feel abandoned. [Though it might be too late for that. he thought in shame.

Tim just clung to the man that saved him from hell. He didn't know what to think, what to do.

"I need to find Dick."

He heard Bruce speak, It hurt him but he knew Bruce loved Dick more than any of them. He took a breath letting go of Bruce.

"I need to find Kon." he mumbled out, moving from bed. He moved to his closet to grab a jacket.

"Last time I saw him he was heading to the training room."

He pulled out a jacket, pulling it tightly against his body as he walk out of the room.

Always been second best, he suddenly knew what it was like to be Jason.

Bruce watched as the other pull away, a stab of pain in his heart. It looked as if the other wasn't quiet ready to end their moment, but yet he backed away. Perhaps he shouldn't have said anything at all. The detective could tell a mood change when he saw it, at it occurred after mentioning Dick. The raven-haired man almost. After discovering how the other Bruce reacted over Dick's death he had come into light of his apparent favoritism of the older of his wards. Had it been obvious to the others?

It's no wonder why Jason seems to have so much venom towards me. he thought, flinching as he thought of the second Boy Wonder.

At the mention of the hybrid clone, Bruce gave a stiff nod before standing up himself. ".....Alright." he said as he watched with sad eyes as Tim left the room without so much as a goodbye. Why did he fail so much as a parent? With a small sigh, he rubbed his face, banishing all the tears that managed to fall before leaving the boy's room. He would have to deal with it later. He needed to find Dick and have a similar conversation with him. It's going to be a long day.