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Jason wasn’t meant to be on patrol tonight. He had, for once, agreed to take the night off. That was until he got a distress message from Oracle asking him to get down to the harbour to back up Nightwing and Red Robin whilst Batman and Robin dealt with something on the other side of the city. Jason had sighed, saved his page in his book, and agreed to help.
The only issue he had was that Alfred was currently fixing his armour as it had worn down, which only left Jason with his old gear. It was thinner and didn’t quite fit him any more. His old gear would do the job for one night, though, right? He grabbed it and strapped it to himself as best he could, but it was going to be uncomfortable.
When Jason got to the harbour. It was chaos. Dick was all but pinned against a shipping crate, as he fought off four guys. Tim was circled by seven guys as he hit multiple of them with his bō staff at once. Gunshots were ringing out everywhere. How the other two hadn’t been hit yet was a miracle. He joined the fight and immediately regretted it.
They were outnumbered two to one easily. That didn’t stop the group from working together to take them all down. Jason fired shots in every direction, keeping the goons off of him as well as his brothers. He took punches left, right and centre, but it didn't slow him down.
What, however, did slow him down was the bullet that entered the backside of his thigh after it ricocheted off one of the shipping containers. Jason only groaned in response to it. He couldn’t stop, his brother’s needed him, and they were still too outnumbered for him to give into an injury like a bullet wound. God knows he had had worse injuries over the years.
He could feel more and more blood running down his leg as he dodged punches here and there whilst firing his own shots back at them.
Together, they managed to get all the drug smugglers down and zip tied for the police to collect.
“Nice work team.” Dick turned around to see as Jason was grappling away. “Hey, Hood. Wait-!” Dick looked at Tim, but all he did was shrug in response. Dick walked forward to watch as Jason grappled into the distance when he noticed something on the floor. Dick crouched down and touched the small blob. He turned his fingers over to see it was blood.
“Dammit Jason.” Dick turned back to Tim. “Stay here and wait for the police. I need to chase after Hood and make sure he’s alright.”
“Alright, good luck.” Dick huffed a laugh in response before he grappled away as well.
***
Jason curses as he lands badly on his leg. The metal of the fire escape rings out around him. Jason grabs his leg, the blood soaking through the fabric already.
Jason slides the window open with ease but getting in through the window was more difficult. He nearly fell through the window and onto the floor as he climbed in, slipping on his own blood that had soaked the window frame through his pants.
Once he was inside, Jason looked at himself in the full length mirror in his hall. He could see where the bullet went through his pants.
He slowly stripped himself down to his underwear, to get a better look at the wound. The only issue he was having was that it was on the back of his leg. Right where he couldn’t quite see or reach. Jason groans and pulls his first aid kit out anyway. He needed to get the bullet out regardless, and there’s no point in waiting for someone else to come help him.
Jason made a small incision either side of the wound, the blood running down his leg like tears do down his face. He gritted his teeth through the burning pain. More and more blood running down his leg. He angrily grabs the pair of large tweezers from the kit, were there better ways of doing this? Yeah, probably, but right now, Jason was too angry and too tired to care. He desperately digs around the wound for the bullet, but he just can’t find it. He continued to dig for the bullet, but his grip on the tweezers gave out from the slick blood covering them.
Jason slowly crouched down to pick them, trying his best not to put weight on his shot leg, but that was difficult for someone of his height. His fingers slipped and slid over the tweezers as he smudged more blood on his floor.
Before he knew what was truly happening, Jason was on the floor. His head span as his heart pounded in his ears. He knew what the feeling of blood loss was, and this was just the start of it. He sat there for a moment, questioning his options. He could call for help from Dick or Tim or the other Bats, but he knew he would never live it down.
Before Jason can decide what to do himself, someone makes that decision for him.
“Jay?” Dick’s voice is both a blessing and a curse as he was searching the apartment. Before Jason can call out to the older man, Dick finds him. “Jesus, Jay. Why didn’t you say something earlier at the docks?” Jason sighed.
“I thought I could handle it, but it's on the back of my leg where-”
“Where you can’t see it properly?” Jason nodded. “So you decided to try anyway and what-” Dick gestured around Jason on the floor. “Slipped in your own blood?” Jason huffed a small laugh.
“Uh, no. I was trying to pick up the tweezers, but I got light-headed and fell over.” Dick couldn’t help but chuckle a little.
“You will never learn, will you, little wing?” Jason gave a small smile at the use of the childhood nickname.
“Nope. Now shut up and help me up, will you.”
Dick crouches down and puts Jason’s arm over his shoulder. Together, they get Jason back to his feet and into the bathroom.
Jason braces himself on the sink as his head spins again from the movement. Dick disappears for a moment to get the first aid kit from the floor. As he returns, he glances at Jason.
“Are you going to be alright standing for this?” Jason nodded, but immediately regretted it as his vision blurred, and his legs gave out beneath him. Dick managed to grab him before Jason could add a concussion to the list of injuries Jason had. “Alright, time to call Alfred.”
***
As Jason awoke, he felt the cushioned padding under him, Dick must have moved his couch. The other thing he felt immediately was the throbbing pain in his thigh. He moved his hand to feel for the wound, but something tugged at the back of his hand painfully. He groaned at the sudden sharpness of the pain.
A gentle hand took his own and placed it back on what Jason now realises is a bed with bedsheets.
“Master Todd, open your eyes for me.” Jason knew that voice, but his brain was so scrambled it took him a minute to realise who it was. His peaked his eyes open and recognised his room back in the manor.
“Alfred?” The older man smiles at him.
“Yes, Master Todd. Can I do anything for you?” Jason slowly sits himself up a little so he is more comfortable. Alfred moves the pillows to make it a little easier for him.
“How long have I been here? What happened-?” Jason winced as he moved his legs under the covers. Alfred moves and adjust the covers for him. His head was still a little hazy. The last thing he remembered was trying to dig the bullet out of his thigh.
“It has been thirty-six hours since Master Grayson bought you to me. He had found you on the floor of one of your safe houses, bleeding everywhere. That was quite the nasty bullet wound to your leg.”
“Oh yeah.” Alfred placed his hand on Jason’s shoulder.
“Next time, Master Todd, I suggest against trying to dig a bullet out of oneself. Especially when you cannot see what you are doing properly.” Jason couldn’t help the smile that crossed his face.
“Yeah, not my finest moment, I’ll admit.” Alfred turned away for a moment, bent down and grabbed something off the bottom shelf of the medical trolley next to the bed. He stood up straight again and Jason sees that it’s his armour. Newly revived and stronger.
“I’m sorry it took so long for me to fix, but your armour should now protect from such injuries in the future.” Jason smiles again.
“Thank you, Alfred. Not just for the armour, but for patching me up as well.”