Chapter Text
Tim flicked his wrist releasing two detonating birdarangs towards the Xytherian that flew towards him as he made his way to the control centre of the main tower. The birdarang imbedded itself into its chest, its faceless grey body blew apart as black blood and limbs decorated the walls. Tim skidded around the corner and threw open the doors in front him. He didn’t look back down the corridor as he slammed the doors closed, even when he heard the echo of enraged screeches coming from the aliens closing in on his location.
Tim clicked his com, isolating the line between him and Cassie.
“Wondee,” He panted, wincing as he applied further pressure to the gaping wound in his abdomen. “When you are on the ship, I need you to contact the lantern corp when you get in range of their signal, the ship may be too damage to make the full trip.”
“Rob— What?” Cassie’s voice came through, he could tell by her cadence and tone that she was in the middle of a fight.
“I’m not making it out of here,” Tim closed his eyes and took a shaky breath. He knew he wasn’t going to make it off this cursed planet but saying it out loud felt so final. His hands trembled against his wound as he slid down the door of the control room, leaving a trail of blood against the cool metal surface. “This planet is going to explode by the time any of you reach me and get us all on Bart’s ship… I— I can buy you all time to get out of here safely,”
“Tim, I’m… I’m not leaving you; you can’t ask me to do that,” Cassie’s voice broke.
“I’m sorry but I’m not asking you; I’m telling you. Please, Cassie” His breath hitched in his throat, “I need you to— I need you to tell them that it was an honour to fight alongside them and that there are videoed letters…”
“Tim… don’t”
Tim could hear a noise of distress through the com line. He ran a hand through his hair, ignoring his blood that had coated his gauntlet. Leaving this message with Cassie, he knew it was the best course of action to ensure they made it out safe, but he still felt guilty. He knew she had lost Donna over a year ago, but he couldn’t ensure the safety of her and the others without her help.
“Cassie, please. I’m sorry, okay? But earth needs it heroes, the Titans. And they’ll need you. Don’t subject them all to a fate of death to save mine,”
There was silence on the other end of the line as Tim finished his sentence. The only indicator that she was still there on the other side was the barely audible rugged edge of her breath in his ear.
“No, there has to be another way. We’ve always found another way.” The desperation seeped into her voice as she pleaded.
“I know,” Tim closed his eyes. “But not this time.”
Another silence. Then a muffled curse followed closely by a crash through the com as Cassie threw something.
“You don’t get to do this” She said, her voice cracking, “Not after everything.”
“I wouldn’t, if I had a choice. You know that.”
She was silent again for few moments.
“I hate this. I hate this,”
“I know.”
Another pause. “… Okay. I— okay.”
Tim clicked his com back to the open channel and wearily stood up. An uncomfortable feeling settling in his stomach at the realisation he wasn’t going home finally hit him. He’d never train surf and joke around with Dick again, see Bruce’s rare smile after he had solved a particularly difficult case, eat bat-burgers next Cass and Steph while on patrol, enjoying each others silent company, or even sit with Alfred after school, sipping tea before he did his homework. He wouldn’t … He wouldn’t get to grow up. He knew this was the right thing to do, but fear coursed through his veins. He didn’t want to die, but he knew the risks of the job. It was his time.
His vision darkened for a moment as he stepped towards the console, eyes flitting over the alien technology.
“Titans, reconvene at the ship; we are making a retreat,” Tim ordered through gritted teeth. He opened the computer on his gauntlet, using the exposed cables to connect himself to the mainframe of the tower. A chorus of affirmatives echoed in his ear as he pulled his focus to the task before him. A countdown appeared on the holographic monitor before him. He had five minutes, the numbers blinking tauntingly in a bright red light that cast a red glow across Tim’s bloodied face. He moved through the firewall, ignoring the countdown to the best of his ability. He could the stop the clock for thirty seconds before the failsafes overrode his code, but he would have to time it with when the titans where in the air to ensure their safety in case him interfering with the countdown expedited its process.
“Rob, where are you? The rest of us are on the ship.” Kon’s voice came through the line, he could hear the worry in his tone. Looking back up at the numbers blinking before him, he realised that he was running out of time to get them home safe.
1:42
He opened another screen and began to remotely start up the ship, closing the doors and sealing his friends in. He felt a tear run down his face beneath the mask as he went back to working on delaying the countdown.
“Bart! Undo whatever you just did!” Kon’s voice raised in alarm at the click of the outer hatches locking into place.
“That wasn’t me!” Bart defended and Tim could hear him running from console to console by the sound of wind and static in his ear. “This stupid computer isn’t letting me undo it!”
“Thank you, guys,” Tim began, everything was set now. He remotely activated the thrusters to lift the ship into the air. Flicking to other screen he pressed the button to pause the timer. “I couldn’t have asked for better team… or better friends.” His voice wavered. “I— I need you to go home. Live. Be the heroes I always knew you to be.”
“No! No, are you stupid? We are not leaving you! Bart depower the ship!” Kon yelled, his voice cracking with emotion.
“I can’t! I’m trying!”
“Tell Bruce…” He stopped. There wasn’t enough time to say what he wanted— no, needed to say. Not to Bruce, not to any of them.
“You guys mean everything to me. Just… just take care of each other, okay?” A small, tired smile ghosted his lips, “You guys are my family. You always were.”
He heard the sound of protests and panic as both Bart and Kon tried to turn back to get him. The audio suddenly cut, filled with static as the ship moved out of range and he turned the com off, breathing heavily. He sunk to the floor in defeat, his blood pooling beneath him as the countdown flickered and continued.
0:57
He knew Cassie would have hung her head in silent resignation, he could imagine the tears he knew she would be shedding dropping onto her torn uniform. Bart would be panicking, running from console to console trying to get through Tim’s lockout code but failing to do so in time. And Kon? Kon would be running a hand through his hair, tears brimming in his eyes as he paced back and forth.
0:38
He could see them so clearly in is mind, and it was a sick sort of comfort that they would mourn him in his sacrifice. But they would live to see another day because of it. Because of him, and he was content with that knowledge.
0:23
The countdown blinked tauntingly at him; his vision blurring in his blood loss. A laugh bubbled up his throat, blood coating his tongue and he couldn’t help but think of how poetic it was. He was going to die in an explosion just like Jason had. Another Robin dead.
0:18
He hoped his family would be okay. That Cass continued making Gotham safer. That Alfred would stay strong in wake of another death in the family. That Barbara wouldn’t let his death hinder the good work she does as Oracle.
0:13
That Dick would find support and not lock himself away in the knowledge that another boy had died in his uniform.
0:09
That his family wouldn’t let Bruce fall in his grief, that they would follow that request in the videoed letters he had locked away on the Bat-computer in case of his death.
0:05
0:04
0:03
Tim closed his eyes, hanging his head in resignation. He had saved them. They would live.
0:02
“I’m sorry, Bruce.”
0:01
The world fell silent as a bright white light overtook his vision from behind his eyelids. Then there was nothing.
—
It was silent in the hull of the ship as the planet below them exploded in a bright ring of fire. The three heroes stood together, observing what little remnants of the planet flew through space from the force of the explosion. The ship shook in response to the shockwaves that rippled out. No one would have survived that.
Cassie let out a distressed sound as she collapsed to the ground with her head in her hands. She began sobbing, her cries echoing through the chamber in the hull of the ship. Kon slowly turned to Bart who was still. He was never still, his hands silently hovered over the console from where he was trying to get through Tim’s coding. The young teen stared out the panes of glass in the doors behind them, his mouth was slightly agape, and his eyebrows scrunched, creasing his forehead.
Kon couldn’t think straight, his thoughts coming through in incomprehensible pieces. He turned away from the windows depicting the aftermath of the explosion, he couldn’t look at it anymore. Kon ran a hand through his hair trying to get his breathing under control. Tim had sacrificed himself for them. He died. His best friend had died and— and they couldn’t save him..
They couldn’t save him.
Kon wasn’t a stranger to death, it came with the business. He saw death most weeks, he saw the bloodied corpses of civilians from the attacks of supervillains, he had seen other heroes collapse under a fist. But it never felt like this. This emptiness that crawled up his spine. That clawed at his heart and crushed his lungs in its grip. It never felt like this.
He hadn’t truly thought about the mortality of himself before, let alone his friends. Tim seemed untouchable, holding his own against super-powered heroes with ease. So much so that people assumed he was a meta because that was just how good he is.
Was. How good he was.
He couldn’t breathe. Kon collapsed to the ground next to Cassie one hand still in his hair as he pressed his back against the wall. She was still crying, her hands cradling her head as she took in sharp pointed breaths. Kon mindlessly put an arm around her, and she immediately fell into his embrace. He tightened his grip around her as she continued to cry, staring at the floor unblinking as he tried to process his thoughts.
In moments, he felt a weight press against his other side, Bart had moved from his position at the console, slowly leaning his head on Kon’s shoulder. When had he moved? Kon pressed his face into the mop of hair, letting silent tears fall. He wrapped them all in a layer of his TTK, hoping the blanket weight would be some sort of comfort in the wake of leaving Tim behind.
The three of them stayed in each other’s embrace for a long time. Cassie’s sobs had been replaced by silent tears. No one spoke. Kon leaned his head back against the wall and closed his eyes.
—-
He awoke to alarms blaring, flashes of red coating the cabin in an eerie light. Bart was already speeding around the console, flicking switches and pressing buttons in quick succession. Cassie stood the side near the computer, shuffling through frequencies.
“What’s going on?” Kon asked, pulling himself off the floor and straightening up before walking towards Cassie. Careful not to disrupt the speedster as he raced around the hull of the ship.
“The ship was damaged in our landing on the Xytherian planet, it’s not going to make it to earth unless we call the Lantern Corps before the ship powers down,” Cassie stated neutrally without looking up from the computer. “We are running on fumes at the moment, and it could be moments before we shut down for good.”
Kon looked down and noticed her shaking hands scrambling across the keyboard.
“Cassie, take a break,” Kon ordered and pulled her away from the console after a moment of resistance. Her gaze shifted up to him, her eyes swollen and red. He saw a deep gash on her side poking out of her uniform as she moved her arm and tucked her tangled hair behind her ear. He couldn’t imagine that he would look much better at this moment. “Go to the med bay, you’re bleeding.”
“I’m fine! I have to do this,” She snapped looking up at him with fire in her eyes for few seconds before glancing away guiltily and stepping back. “Sorry, I— um, yeah, I’ll go to the med bay, I’ll be back shortly.”
Kon watched her walk away, dragging her feet as she slowly made her way to the med bay. He returned his attention to the computer screen before fiddling with the frequency. Shuffling through various streams before a bright green light flashed in front of him.
“Identifier: TT511920, requesting assistance. Ship compromised.” He held his breath as he followed the script, hopeful that there would be some response. When no one answered, he repeated the request, pausing for a few seconds before starting the process again.
“TT511920, request heard. Identifier Response: LC7185514. Coordinates?” He breathed a sigh of relief as the voice came through the main speakers of the ship.
“Coordinates are unsure, main terminal system is down. We are somewhere in the Xytherian Sector closing in on earth.” Bart responded before Kon could, having stilled next to him the moment the voice rang through. Bart’s forehead creased in worry as his eyes darted back towards the console and Kon belatedly realised that this was the first time he had heard Bart speak since the explosion. For someone who never stopped talking or joking, it was an unwelcome change considering the circumstances.
“An officer of the Lantern Corp, will find and escort you. Stay in position.” Bart nodded despite not being able to be seen and flicked a switch, the red flashing stopped, and he heard the generators power down. The only light illuminating the room was now the strips of LED along the walls.
“This is so moded,” Bart muttered his knuckles were white form his grip on the edge of the console. “I— He’s really gone, isn’t he?”
Bart turned back to him at the question, and in that moment Kon saw how young Bart really was. The fourteen-year-old stared back at him, tears brimming in his eyes. In lieu of answering, Kon stepped forward and pulled Bart into a hug, the young teen beginning to shake in his embrace.
“We will make sure to honour him every day of our lives, he won’t be forgotten.” Kon whispered, barely audible but he knew Bart could hear him. “He— he sacrificed himself for us, we owe him that.”
“The corp’s is here,” Cassie interrupted nodding towards the window as she walked up behind the pair. Kon turned to look and saw an alien in a glowing green suit close in on the ship.
They were going home. But they all carried the hollow weight of someone who would never stand beside them again.