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The whistle echoed weirdly through Hood’s voice modulator. “This is spooky.” His flashlight slowly moved over the walls covered in arcane symbols and what he really hoped was not blood.
Red Robin paused in the middle of putting something wet in an evidence bag. “Really? The guy who can pull out magic swords out of his chest thinks this is spooky?”
“Eh.” Jason waved nonchalantly. “They only come out when there’s evil around. This though… this is weird.” He pulled out his phone and snapped a few pictures. “I’m texting Constantine.”
Tim hummed. “I was going to send some photos to Raven.”
“Good.” Hood ran his light slowly over the metal shelves full of labeled bins and baskets. “Those still need inventorying?”
“Yep.” A giant yawn cracked Tim’ jaw before he could say anything else.
Jason snickered. “Aw, Baby Bird. How long you been awake?”
Tim flipped him off. “Shut up. It hasn’t been that long.”
Jason actives his comm link. “Hey team. Anyone know how long Red has been awake?”
“Ooooooo, busted,” Spoiler replied. “He hadn’t slept yesterday afternoon when we were at the library to study.”
“S,” Tim whined.
“Hn. You told me you were rested at the meeting with Jenkins and Herrshon today.” The disappointment in B’s voice made Jason wince for his brother.
“I was! I had a nap in the office over lunch.”
“Tam said you skipped lunch.”
“Energy drinks?” Tim shrugged weakly, like the motion could be communicated over the miles and rooftops to where Batman was perched with Robin by his side.
“Tsk tsk tsk.” Jason shook his head. “Alright, we’re gonna pack up here. Send someone else to do the inventory.”
“Not it,” Spoiler immediately announced. “I had to do the creepy attic last week. It’s someone else’s turn.”
“Robin and I will handle it,” came B’s smooth baritone.
“Tt, of course we will. Our mental acuity is far superior to Red Robin’s sleep deprived brain.”
“Thanks for your concern, Robin,” Tim replied dryly.
Jason ignored Spoiler and Agent A trying to teach Robin how to better communicate care for one’s teammate and sibling without calling them stupid as he helped Tim gather the evidence kit and pack up.
At the top of the cellar stairs, Tim swayed and reached out a hand to balance against the wall. “Whoa. Damn, that’s not good.” He could have been talking about a bruised apple for all his voice was chill.
“Shit, Timbers, how exhausted are you really?” Jason asked in exasperation.
“I might have miscalculated,” Tim reluctantly admitted.
“Cool. You’re not driving.”
“Fair.”
The fact that he didn’t even think about the implication of Robin having to drive his bike back to the Cave told Jason he was a lot more sleep deprived than he should be. “You didn’t actually answer the question of how long you’ve been awake.”
“I didn’t, did I?” Tim agreed, a sliver of a manic edge in his voice.
“Good Lord, Red, you’re going give yourself a heart attack,” grumbled Hood as he planted a hand in the middle of Tim’s back to guide him out of the possibly haunted very dilapidated house. “And possibly me and Dickface. The longer I’m around you the more I understand his impulse to just sit on you to contain your insanity.”
Tim shot a feral grin over his shoulder as he walked, slowly increasing the amount of weight into Jason’s hand. “I’m a little proud of the gray hairs I’m giving N. Aren’t you?”
He couldn’t see the answering grin under Jason’s helmet. But before Jason could answer, Nightwing himself jumped in. “No.”
“I didn’t say anything!” Jason protested.
“I don’t care. No,” came the iron tone of the leader of the Titans. “And I don’t have any gray hairs,” he added petulantly.
“Yet,” whispered Red I lie to Batman Robin. Jason heard the echo of their high five through the comm unit.
“I miss being an only child.”
Batman huffed. “You complained all the time, chum.”
“Shut up, B, that’s not helpful right now.”
“Mm.”
“Okay what’s that supposed to mean, old man?”
“Hood, please get your brother home safe.”
“On it, B,” Jason acknowledged as he strapped down the evidence kit and said brother to his bike.
“Dude, that’s not necessary,” Red whined.
“Yes it is. I don’t want you falling off.” He clamped down on both of Tim’s shoulders, straightening him from where he was sliding off. “The goal is to give Big Bird gray hairs, not me. I already have enough.”
“Because of the dying and coming back to life?” Tim asked, deadpan.
“Because of the dying and coming back to life,” Jason nodded.
Tim groaned to his face while everyone else groaned in his ear. Jason revved the engine and drowned them out.
By the time they reached the Cave, Tim was asleep. Both Alfred and Dick came over, identical expressions of tenderness on their faces. “I don’t know how he does it,” Dick said wonderingly.
“Be both a narcoleptic and an insomniac?” Jason shook his head. “Kid’s got skills.”