Chapter Text
Jason stopped, pulled off his hood and pinned Red Robin with a serious expression. “Okay, Red. You’re beyond delirious. You’re practically sleepwalking. Go home.”
“Nuuuuuuuuuu…”
Jason reached out to grab him, but the smaller vigilante slipped past him with all the grace of a floppy noodle. He chased Red toward the edge of the building, wincing as he watched him stumble over his own feet, twice, and barely avoid running face first into a antenna tower along the way.
“Red, I’m serious, man. Last week it was that ‘sunset’ thing, and now this?”
“But I hafta finish this one thing an’-”
Red cut off with an ‘oof’ as Jason caught him, wrapping both arms around Red tightly to trap his arms to his sides. He expected Red to fight the hold, but instead he experienced a pang of alarm as he felt the smaller man instantly begin to slump in his arms. He slowly lowered them both the ground. Red went completely limp in his grasp, and only then did it occur to Jason to double check that he wasn’t injured on top of everything else.
“Hey, T, talk to me, bud. I’m going to lower your cowl for a second, okay?” He gently pulled off the cowl and pulled out his penlight. Tim looked dazed and the bags under his eyes were epic, but his pupils reacted quickly and symmetrically to light, so that ruled out a head injury. It worried him a little that Tim didn’t struggle or wince in protest to the bright light. “Hey, kid, you hurt anywhere?”
Tim groaned and made a half-hearted attempt to roll out of his lap, but didn’t respond.
“Tim, man, you need to speak up. I’m really starting to worry about you. If you don’t tell me in words, then I’m gonna drag your ass down to Alfred so the diagnostic equipment in the Cave can tell us instead.”
“Nooooo, no caaaave.”
“Then tell me where it hurts, you doofus.”
Tim finally looked up at him and shook his head slowly. “Not hurt, not really. Ribs. Ankle. Bumps. Usual stuff. Can’t worry. Can’t stop. Just gotta…” In a last desperate surge of energy he threw himself out of Jason’s grasp, rose unsteadily to his feet, and began dragging himself back to the edge.
Jason rose slowly, shaking his head. Tim was dragging one foot limply, his arms half raised with his grapple dangling precariously from his fingers, his head bent over as he panted in exertion. “I’m calling bullshit on that, T. You can barely move.”
“Doesn’ matter. Gotta finish this… gotta…”
Jason easily overtook him and planted himself in Tim’s path. The slack, half-lidded expression on Tim’s face completed the look.
“Tim, you look like a zombie, an actual fucking zombie.”
Tim didn’t even have the energy to glare at him. He looked up at Jason with a slack expression. “Takes one t’ know one,” he mumbled. He reached behind him for his cowl before it registered that he held the grappler in that hand. He blinked at it in confusion then slowly reached back with the other.
Jason huffed a laugh and shook his head. “You know it.” He took pity on the befuddled man and helped him pull the cowl back over his face. “Now, come on we’re having a zombie club meeting at your apartment, in your bed, right now.”
“Nope. Can’t. See you next week?”
“Wrong answer. I think you meant ‘can’ and 'will’,” Jason teased as he crouched down, grabbed a leg, then grabbed the arm on the same side. Tim squawked in alarm and struggled briefly, but went limp as Jason pulled him over his shoulder in a fireman’s carry. “Now don’t fight me or I might drop you mid-swing.”
Tim grumbled something unintelligible over his shoulder and wriggled slightly.
“What was that, Timbo.”
“I said you better not drop me or I won’t share my bed with you.”
“Oh no, but then how will us zombies ever rest in peace?”
“Ugh,” Tim groaned and swatted at Jason’s backside weakly with his free hand. “That was awful, Jay. Dick would be proud.”
Jason chuckled. “You know you love it, T.”
“I love you. Now take me home, if that’s what you’re gonna do.”
“Aye, aye, Zomb-tee!”