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Bart never liked seeing people cry.
Look, he was literally raised in a video game, OK? His idea of a person crying has, he now realizes, been based on telenovelas and action stories where the heroes never shed a tear.
And Robin’s one of the strongest heroes he’s ever met.
Which is why Bart feels every single cell in his body go entirely still when a croaky voice comes over the communicator on a random day in the middle of a random week. It’s not the end of the world. Presumably.
The sky’s the same colour it’s ever been and Bart feels like he would know if the world was about to end.
But he’s starting to doubt that as Robin’s voice comes over the little plastic comm sitting on his desk.
Bart’s eyes go wide and his speed-clones echo him, all of them sharing a look faster than anyone but his fellow speedsters can see before they all become one in an instant.
“Is anyone there?”
The voice is small. Fragile. Bart almost doesn’t recognize it but it’s impossible not to.
Robin’s been their leader for years now.
Maybe Young Just Us isn’t what it once was anymore. Maybe they all split to go their own ways. But that doesn’t mean they lost contact.
Even with Bart, Tim, Kon and Cassie going on to form the Titans, they still keep in contact with Greta, Cissie and Anita as much as they can.
Bart wishes that they could keep up with Slobo as well. That their friend hadn’t been a lesson in grief so early.
But his thoughts had gotten away from him.
There’s a sob over the communicator as no-one answers and Bart is….
Gone.
Bart only knows where he’s going because of Bedlam and his world without grown-ups and for that, Bart will, for once, thank the mysterious purple genie that had tried to kill him with a Nazi Dinosaur. Just this once.
He also only remembers one way to the Batcave. Cause, speedster or not, impeccable memory or not, he still does not know Gotham.
Not that it matters, in the end.
He may not have Kon’s hearing, but he can hear the sobbing from the entrance to the cave clearly. A cave with some rocks and other objects scattered around and tracks leading into the darkness. But that’s not what he’s here for.
Robin had called for help. Rob never calls for help from anyone. Had almost killed them when they tried to help with the No man’s land issue. But Rob had called for help.
And Bart was here. Here to help.
He was just expecting, you know, Rob. He was not expecting some kid. A kid in civilian clothes. A kid huddled to the side of the cave, knees drown to his chest and fists clenched like he can’t decide if he should be angry or sad. A kid with Robin’s build. A kid…with black…hair…
“Rob?”
Bart’s breathless.
He can run for days without his breath even taking the smallest hit. He can sprint at the speed of sound and not feel anything in his throat.
Right now, Bart is breathless.
The kid turns from where his face has been hidden in his arms, folded over his knees. The motion is quick and sudden and borne from paranoia that Bart knows well.
He throws up a hand to shield his eyes ad turns his face away.
“Bart?” Rob’s voice is no less hoarse in person than it was over the comm. In fact, Bart thinks it may be worse.
There’s a sniffle as Bart struggles to keep his feet planted on the floor.
0.1 seconds
0.2 seconds
0.3 seconds
There’s the sound of a throat clearing, like Rob’s trying to compose himself. For Bart. And Yeah No.
Bart’s feet are planted to Rob’s side in an instant, his arms around his shoulders as his knees undoubtedly stick into his friends’ ribs. He does his best not to look at the clothing he’s wearing or the face that’s now really red and splotchy.
Rob swallows and Bart just knows that what’s coming out of his lips is gonna make Bart so mad.
“I’m not Robin right now. I quit”
Bart freezes. There’s ice-water in his veins and his heart isn’t beating. He’s been dumped into the Antarctic ocean by his feet like Achilles.
“Rob?”
“I’m…not Robin”
And the voice is even hoarser now, anger ringing in the voice as Rob’s fists clench.
Bart swallows. “I’mma call you Rob anyway cause this is not how I wanted to find out about your ID, and Kon will kill me if I know and he doesn’t. But can we like….go?”
“Go?”
“Anywhere”
Rob swallows thickly and Bart gathers his head more toward his own throat. That’s how you comfort people, right?
It’s how Carol used to try and comfort her friends back when she was still around. It’s how she used to comfort Bart…
Rob holds back another sob. Bart makes the decision for him.
They’re gone in an instant, Bart’s boots leaving behind a trail of dust and maybe a bit of smoke as he does his best to shield his leader from the force of the run.
Bart looks down at the plain face of Robin, the terror of the night, and waits for Rob to tell him where to run. But Rob’s face is hidden in Bart’s shirt and doesn’t even seem to have noticed that they moved.
Bart makes an executive decision and turns a wide left. A VERY wide left.
The Justice cave hasn’t really been used in a while after, well, everything. But it’s still open. And Rob constantly reminds them that their codes are still on the system if they need any kind of assistance.
Bart assumes he’s right cause no robots come flying at him when he rushes in, not bothering to slow down before he’s right before the couch.
A second later and not only is Rob settled on the couch but he’s also wrapped in a thick blanket from Bart’s own cupboard and a few teddies from Traya’s collection. Because that’s what you do, right?
But Rob’s hands go to his face again and he starts breathing hard. His face is still red and Bart’s kind of worried he’s getting motion sick (It happens sometimes) before Rob starts to laugh.
Bart stops again. Because what?
Sad, angry, Bart can understand, if not know why.
But why’s Rob laughing?
“I’m not Robin anymore” Rob says again and it sounds slightly…off.
“Rob?” Bart asks, appearing in front of Rob in a rush of sparks. But Rob doesn’t acknowledge him beyond a glance that he immediately diverts.
“No more Robin. Fuck Batman and his paranoia” Rob says.
Bart’s eyes widen again cause the sadness is becoming anger now. Rob’s fists clenching like he does when he’s about to make a hard call or go into an impossible fight.
But Rob doesn’t swing his fist. Instead, between one breath and the next, while Bart’s so stunned he’s almost moving at a normal speed, he lifts his head and looks Bart directly in the eye.
Bart holds the gaze because he doesn’t know what else to do.
“My name is Tim Drake. I’m…I’m newly 16-years-old. Batman ruined my birthday. He can go take a long walk off a short plank with his whole “Learn how to grieve” bullshit. I was Robin yesterday and now I’m just Tim” Tim Drake says, his blue eyes locked on Bart’s through the lenses on his face.
Lenses that does nothing for anyone anymore cause that’s Tim Drake. And he’s Bart Allen. And they both know that now.
“Yesterday, I turned 16 and I was Robin. Today, I quit and I’m just…” A breath “Just Tim?”
Tim looks so, Bart isn’t sure. It isn’t like in magazines or TV shows where he can tell if someone’s angry or sad because Tim looks like he’s both. Angry and sad and maybe a bit proud?
Bart isn’t sure.
What he is sure of is that Batman hurt one of his best friends. Enough to bring Robin to tears. Enough that Rob cracked and gave up Robin. Enough that Rob told Bart his ID.
Tim’s face is slowly turning from angry/sad/proud into insecurity so Bart does what he can.
He can feel the buzzing of anger in his veins.
But he tries his best to quell the static in his veins as he hugs his best friend. His leader. His Robin.
“Good to meet ya, Tim. I’m Bart and I’m your best friend”
There's a choked laugh "I don't know if Kon or Cassie would appreciate being left out like this"
"Well, they're not here so they're just gonna have to deal"