youth without youth; born without time.

[scathefires]

Who: Jason Todd and possibly you!
Where: All over.
When: February catch-all, starting with the dino/de-aging event and through the rest of the month.
Rating: T for terrible angsty teen (will edit as needed).
Summary: Jason's fresh off his death and resurrection! And having a terrible time of it. Once he's back to his normal self, things will probably be fine, right? (Spoilers: Nope.)
The Story: [I'm gonna just split this into two parts, during the event and after. Pick your poison below!]

Comments

teen } hangman, we played double dutch with a hand grenade.

[scathefires]

He wakes up screaming, which he shouldn't be able to do, on account of being dead. Jason clearly remembers the explosion that killed him and the brutal beating that preceded it, the Joker's pasty grinning face, the deranged laughter, What hurts more? Forehand or backhand? - and it takes him a disoriented moment to remember that he woke up once between then and now. Under water. Screaming then, too, panicked and unable to breathe.

A Lazarus Pit.

The room looks just like his room at Wayne Manor, and once he's able to stop screaming and calm his fractured mind enough to think, there's a cruel glimmer of hope that worms its way in: Bruce found him after all. Bruce brought him home.

Jason opens the door and peers out into the hallway. It's not Wayne Manor. It's not his home.

He shuts the door again.

Later, he can be found wandering the halls in a bit of a daze. Say something sharp enough and he'll snap to attention, fists ready to strike, if necessary. He eventually finds his way onto the roof and stays there for a long time, watching the dinosaurs on the ground below, hood of his jacket pulled up over his head, face half hidden behind his hand. Is he crying? It's possible. But then again, it's not terribly kind to call attention to that sort of thing, is it.

[mrsarcastic003]

Maybe an adult--or a teenager--wouldn't call attention to the tears, but the person who approaches him is neither of those things. He's a kid. A really, really little kid. What is he doing on the roof? That's probably a good question, but right now, he's leaning toward Jason, concern written all over his face.

"Do you need a tissue?"

[scathefires]

He's a tiny kid, which means he shouldn't be alone, and even though his question startles Jason (good job paying attention, Boy Wonder, he mentally chides himself), he at least has enough sense not to respond violently.

"No," he says, shaking his head while he uses the end of his sleeve to wipe at his eyes, "I'm fine." He's not fine, but that's actually not as important at the moment as this tiny lost child in front of him. "What're you doin' up here?"

[mrsarcastic003]

"Exploring." Mostly. He's sort of looking for a way to get home but without having to deal with the dinosaurs, because he doesn't think he can get past them on his own. He sort of wants to ask one of the adults how, but they all seem to think that this is Wonderland, and that can't possibly be right, because Wonderland isn't real. It's part of a story. "What are you doing?"

[scathefires]

"Nothing," he says, which is mostly true, and all that he's prepared to admit to, especially to a tiny child. Jason has already talked plenty about being dead, but that was with adults, some kids close to his own age. This kid doesn't need to hear about Jason's very special existential crisis.

"It's pretty dangerous out here, y'know. You shouldn't be out exploring by yourself." Jason's arms fold over his chest. "You got parents? A sitter? Someone looking out for you?"

[mrsarcastic003]

"Um." He frowns, looking down at the roof under his feet. As long as he stays far enough from the edge that he can't fall, he's not scared. "I don't think they're here. I looked for them, but I didn't find them." He hasn't seen any adults he knows. It's all strangers, and they've mostly been very nice, but he would really like to go home.

[scathefires]

Well ... shit. A kid this young, alone in a place like this - there isn't much that can cut through the long inner mental scream taking up place inside Jason's skull right now, but this? This actually gets through to him. This is what he was meant to do as Robin - not just punch the everloving shit out of bad guys, but help the helpless, protect the innocent.

Jason hasn't yet processed what dying means for him in relation to being Robin. He hasn't yet made the decision to abandon everything that uniform stood for and transform himself into something harsher and more monstrous than the mask he used to wear. But he can't deny the impulse beating in his chest alongside his heart to help. Especially when there's a little kid involved. Jason pulls himself to his feet, with a nod to himself, resolved that he's going to do his best.

"Well, kid, today's your lucky day. I'm gonna look out for you - at least until we find your folks. Sound like a plan?"

[mrsarcastic003]

Tim nods solemnly, then holds out his hand, the way he's seen his parents do when they meet someone new. "I'm Tim. What's your name? Do you think we're still in Gotham? I don't think this looks very much like Gotham, do you?"

[scathefires]

Jason opens his mouth, then closes it. Gotham. What are the odds? From what he's been able to gather, everyone here is from different places. Finally, he shakes his head.

"No ... it's not Gotham. I dunno where it is, but it's definitely not Gotham." Jason reaches out to take Tim's hand for a gentle shake, smiling faintly because it's an absurd thing for a child this small to do. "I'm Jason - and I'm from Gotham, too. Looks like we really gotta stick together now, huh?"

adult } wear the sheriff's badge, put your toys away.

[scathefires]

Jason doesn't wake up screaming this time, though he sure feels like maybe he should. The memory of being murdered and brought back to life has haunted him for the past five years, but having it shoved back into his awareness feels like ripping open a half-healed scab and watching blood seep out of the wound anew. He can't help remembering all of the disdainful things he's said about Wonderland since he arrived, how he'd claimed that nothing this place could throw at him would hurt him - an incredibly stupid thing to claim, he can see now.

He knows that downing shots at the bar is a bad idea, but he doesn't care - he ends up there more than once in the days that follow his return to his present self. A lot of his time is spent alone in his room, but when he does make his way out, it's usually up to the roof for some of that time-honored Batfamily tradition - brooding.

He'll be found elsewhere in the mansion and on the grounds, too - here and there, wandering restlessly. Even the open air starts to feel claustrophobic after a while, but there are only so many places to go, and distance really makes no difference when it's yourself you're attempting to dodge.