Who's afraid of the big bad wolf?

[prettyredbird]

Strange occurrences were happening all over Gotham's streets. It had all started with Red Robin coming across the body of a child predator with his throat torn out, left in a clearing in the Gotham Woods for anyone to find. He had no sympathy for the guy, but such a horrific scene of the crime certainly left an impact. It wasn't long before rumors of a vicious beast stalking the city began to circulate on the streets. People spoke of viscera and gore dripping from a powerful maw, the moonlight reflecting off of sharp white teeth, and howls powerful enough to make trees tremble. The whole thing sounded completely ridiculous. Tim insisted that it must have been an escaped bear, or some new supervillain trying to freak people out and cause chaos. The more detective work he put into it, however, the less he believed his own theories. Further bodies of the scummiest of criminals, fur, blood, partial canine paw prints that were far too big to belong to any wolf or dog, dead deer that looked as though they had been mauled by something far stronger and more terrifying than any grizzly--it would've taken quite a mind to put together such a convincing fake monster, but it was still possible. When the wildlife cameras he placed failed to pick a single thing up, Tim buried himself in research to find any sort of plausible explanation. Each trail only led to a single outcome.

Werewolf.

In the far corners of the internet, the least reliable sort of people swore the beasts were real. That they could transform into massive killing machines, apex predators unlike any that had ever existed before. They could shake off a substantial level of damage, and without some sort of silver to block their healing ability, they were nearly invincible. The first time Tim had read about them, he rolled his eyes and decided it was time to get some sleep. But as he lay there, staring holes into his ceiling, the idea simply wouldn't leave his mind. His best friend was the clone of an alien, could he really claim a werewolf was more far-fetched than that? Maybe it wouldn't be such an awful idea to look for a pattern, choose the right night, and see for himself who (or what) was leaving remains in the woods. At least then he could be sure.

As Tim stepped into the trees in the middle of the night a week later, Tim decided that yes, it was an awful idea. The hair on the back of his neck rose as goosebumps exploded in chains along his skin. Every sound around him seemed both amplified and completely terrifying. It wasn't like Red Robin to be scared, but he'd never actually tried to hunt a monster before. Turned out being in entirely new territory did in fact make him quite anxious. He hadn't wanted to try to explain his research to the other Bats when they'd nearly thrown him in an asylum that time he insisted Bruce was still alive and lost in the time stream, which meant that he had exactly zero backup. It took all of his training to keep his breathing calm, and his gloved had clutched the silver dagger that he'd brought closer to his chest. Sure, a six inch blade was totally going to protect him from a giant monster. Good thinking, Tim!

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[deadbirdarising]

He huffed softly, shaking his head as he ran his fingers through his hair. "I have, but they've been nothing like you."

What did he mean by that? He wasn't entirely sure...but he did know it was true. "I don't think you should assume she was exaggerating. There are so many kinds of magic out there and none of it has smelled even remotely like what you just did. Hell, you know at least two other magic users. At least, B used to be okay working with them on things he didn't understand. I wouldn't call Constantine or Zatanna 'mages', though. Constantine just seems to reach into his own guts and make things happen, while Zatanna is more fae meets stage magician. Neither of them are wrong in how they use it, but they're very different. The guy I saw burn worked for Ra's and he was something completely different then either of them. He worked almost exclusively with blood magic and had a familiar he'd physically chained to himself."

He very clearly hadn't shed a tear for the man, his lip curled up like he'd smelled something foul. He shook his head, as if banishing the image of the memory or wafting away a bad smell.

"Either way, hundreds of magic users or not, I'm pretty confident that no matter what, you're something special."

[prettyredbird]

Jason made a really good point. He'd briefly met both of the magic users that were mentioned, but their way of using magic was entirely different than his own. Maybe that's why finding out he had magic had been so mind-altering for him. "I can do blood magic." Tim's head canted again, wondering if that meant he would end up with a familiar, too. The idea of chaining one to himself wasn't the least bit appealing, he wasn't that sadistic, but it would be nice to be part of a duo again.

The gayest little flutter wove through Tim's chest when Jason confirmed that he was special. "Okay." He swallowed hard. "You know, I have wondered... would I have ever figured out what I was if you hadn't told me and given me the book? No doubt Ra's would try something again, but he hasn't been successful in any of his attempts yet." A furrowed brow, because the man was creepy as hell. "And he didn't tell me while I was working with him last time. He might never have."

The wrapped from his own protein bar was lightly tossed into the garbage before Tim's eyes moved back to Jason's face. "I guess, just. Thank you. You saved my life and you told me about a piece of myself I might not have accessed otherwise. You even brought me here so I could try things out. It means a lot." Yes, the human looked somewhat uncomfortable, expressing emotions had never been his strong suit but it was even more difficult after years around Bruce.

[deadbirdarising]

"The world may never know, Timbit." The nickname rolled easily off his tongue before he could stop it, but he didn't seem too bothered by the slip. He, grudgingly, liked the kid. He wasn't anywhere close to admitting it, yet, but he could feel a warm swirl of affection in his chest when he looked over at the younger man. Maybe it was because he'd shaken off the worst of the programming Talia had tried to drill into his brain. Maybe it was because he'd watched in real time as Tim had been just as un-ceremonially replaced as he'd been.

Either way, he no longer had to swallow back the bitterness that seeing Tim had once provoked.

"I think you would have found it, eventually. You're too much of a natural for it to have not leaked out of your ears at some point. But even so, I'm glad I nudged you in the right direction. I wanna see you soar, baby bird. Not crash down in the dumpster with the rest of us rejects. As for Ra's..." He made a face, sending his own wrapper to join Tim's in the trash.

"I'll kill you myself before letting him get his hands on you for real."

It was a threat. Every single word dripped sincerity. He meant it with every fiber of his being, it was whole heartedly a promise of a threat to kill the boy in front of him.

So why didn't it feel like one?

[prettyredbird]

Jason wanted to see him soar? That was complete one-eighty from the way their relationship started off. Maybe neither of them were who they assumed the other to be when they'd first clashed. Getting to know Jason like this was getting to learn that there was a whole other side to him. Not quite a softer side, but certainly one that was a hell of a lot easier for Tim to get along with.

The threat, though, made his own eyes narrow. Jason meant exactly what he had said--he'd kill Tim before Ra's had access to the powers that were buried in Tim's chest. Part of him wanted to agree that Jason offing him if it came to that would be the correct option, he could never let himself be used as a weapon for someone so sick and twisted. On the other hand, Tim couldn't help but be a little indignant. Jason had tried to kill him a few times, and it hadn't ever stuck. He wasn't nearly as weak now as he had been as a young teen, with or without the magic. What made Jason think it would be so easy?

But that wasn't really what Jason meant by it, was it? He was talking about stopping Ra's. "I hope you'll be strong enough to." The younger of the two challenged. He wasn't angry, he was entirely sincere. If Tim reached the peak of what his powers held, would a wolf be enough to stop him? "Though you would obviously be competing with me as to who could get it done first, because I would rather kill myself than be used as a pawn by him."

[deadbirdarising]

The indignation would be understood, though Jason would have found it incredibly amusing. Not because he thought Tim couldn't defend himself, but purely because Tim honestly thought that he'd been trying to kill him before. The tower had been a message to Bruce. The many fights after that had been more an opportunity to give his rage an outlet.

How many times had he left that boy bleeding on the ground?

How many times had he walked away before delivering that last blow?

Even before the Tower and before Black Mask and before everything, Jason had spent far too much money and skill and thought on fitting the Batmobile with a bomb that would have leveled the city block as soon as the combined weight of Batman and his Robin had settled into the seats....only to turn around and bypass all that security again just to disarm the damned thing. At the absolute height of his rage fueled and expertly manipulated anger, he still hadn't actually let himself kill the kid.

Something in him had always stopped him. Some unspoken, unknown connection that had somehow pulled them closer and closer until...well, until there they were. Sitting at a table sharing snacks and vowing to never let Ra's exploit the power that ran through Tim's veins.

The fact that either of them could have easily killed the other wasn't the point. The point was that they were past that.

"Well, the simple option is just to kill him instead. I vote that option." He held up a hand to ward off the Bruce bullshit that was no doubt about to be regurgitated at him, rolling his eyes and giving Tim and lazy, fond smirk. "I know, I know. Not an option. But it is fun to think about."

[prettyredbird]

There wasn't even a little doubt in Tim's mind that Jason had been trying to kill him. Not the first time, perhaps, because Tim had been beaten to unconsciousness, but he'd argue the throat slit and the blade to the chest were legitimate attempts. He was too stubborn to admit that the blades may never have sunk deep enough for a reason. But ultimately, did it really matter? Tim had forgiven Jason for all of it, even before all of this supernatural stuff came into play. Because he understood that Jason was manipulated and half out of his mind from the pit. It wasn't worth arguing over intentions anymore, not as long as Jason wasn't still trying to do it.

The face Tim made in response to the suggestion that they kill Ra's was all too predictable, but Jason put his hands up before he could start on a lecture. He still held the belief that killing was wrong deep in his chest, even if it began to waiver the further away he was from Bruce. He would only ever consider it if there was no other option. Hunting someone down just to do it wasn't the same thing, in his mind.

Secretly, he could admit to himself that it did sound tempting. Ra's was as evil as anyone Tim had spent time around. He paused, sighed, and shook his head. "You know, I still sometimes wonder if he managed to get his hands on my spleen. God knows what he could do with it if he did. Do spleens hold magic?" Not that he figured Jason actually knew the answer to that question. It wasn't something he was actually all that worried about.

[deadbirdarising]

Even manipulated, half out of his mind with the Pit, and his wolf striving to do exactly what his Lupa wanted...it would be a long while before Jason forgave himself for what he'd done. Despite what Bruce and the others thought, he hadn't killed mindlessly, but he had been harsher than he'd needed to be. He understood that death was sometimes necessary, but he did regret how easily he'd turned to it for those first several years.

Now when he killed someone, it was because there was no other choice. Either they'd never rehabilitate or they'd never be able to be held for rehabilitation. It wasn't a perfect system, but it was the one he'd settled on for lack of better options.

The question pulled a huff of laughter from him, smirk clear as day on his lips. "I don't think spleens hold magic specifically, no. Blood, maybe, but the organ itself should be good. Though, blood can hold all kinds of horror without the addition of magic."

How many times had Tim almost cloned the clone?

"I have it on good authority that he doesn't have either, though. So you can rest easy, baby bird. How you feeling? Wanting to give it another go or do you want to rest a bit longer?"

[prettyredbird]

As much as he had been joking, it did sort of calm him down to know that Ra's didn't have his spleen somewhere in a jar. Tim had failed to clone Kon ninety-nine times but he didn't have access to the same sort of things that Ra's did. His attempts had been purely science based. Anyway, the last thing he needed was for Ra's to have his own little pet Tim Drake clone. Eugh.

"I think it's time to give it another go." The protein bar was filling without leaving him feeling sluggishly full. Tim gave a confident nod and pushed himself to stand up, stepping back over to where he had been practicing earlier. "I was able to make a few things out of smoke before, if you didn't see it. Supposedly I can manipulate shadows in the same sort of way. I could potentially use them when I fight." In his mind, his magic was a tool, and it would be foolish not to use it if it would help him.

He turned to face Jason again. "I don't know how much I should practice with blood magic. I can manipulate blood, sure, but for that to work there needs to be blood in the first place." Tim wasn't against hurting people, but something didn't sit right with him to draw someone else's blood to use magic against them. It felt unnatural. That left him with being able to use his own, but, he couldn't imagine cutting himself open outside of dire circumstances.