A Tim Plan

Chapter 1: Faultlines

Tim runs, thinking as fast as he can. Unfortunately, the fact that Red Hood is Robin keeps shocking through his head, disrupting his normally neatly-ordered thought processes.

Robin had been light, and laughter, and magic. Red Hood is pain, and rage, and fear. Tim knows how the Pits work, knows this isn't exactly Jason's fault, knows he has to–

Wait, rewind. It's not Jason's fault. Tim skids to a stop in the hallway, spinning around and smacking himself on the forehead with his free hand, uncaring how it jostles his broken ribs and bleeding shoulder. How could he be so stupid, not seeing it before? He's supposed to be the smart one, isn't he?

'All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players'.

He waits until Jason — not Robin, Robin isn't a person, he's a title — turns the corner, staring him right in his poison-green eyes. A reminder of the Pit's influence that makes Tim feel bad about this plan, but then he remembers the knife to the shoulder and gets over any reluctance.

"Replac–" Jason barely manages to sneer before Tim lowers his broken staff and slowly scrapes the metal across the floor.

It's enough to give the other pause, make his eyes go wide in the holes of his domino, but not enough to stop him. So Tim gives in to his adrenaline and lets his loudest, most deranged, most Joker-esque laughter bubble forth.

Seeing his attacker run screaming makes the spiteful part of Tim cheer. Seeing Jason Todd run away in terror makes the kind part of him break, just a little. The practical part of him is trying to think of a way to get Jason to stay long enough for Batman to get here, but it's vetoed by his self-preservation, who's very grumpy at having been woken up and wants to go back to bed now. Unfortunately, Tim's insomnia has apparently run into it, because his heart rate won't calm down.

In the half-hour it takes the Bats to get on scene, Tim just barely manages to lower his adrenaline enough to cut off the laughter. He downloads then deletes all footage of his encounter with Red Hood, leaving just enough to show Jason taking off his helmet to reveal his face. The poor man probably doesn't want his family seeing his panic attack, and this way Tim won't be caught acting like a literal lunatic.

Jason's rebirth, if it is truly him, presents a unique opportunity for Tim to retire without consequence. He'd rather wrap up his turn as Robin on as good a note as he can manage.

But if he has to burn his hard-built bridges with the Bats to bring Jason home? Well, then that's what he'll do. All the way home and in the medbay, Tim mentally rearranges his to-do lists and plans, making theories and reviewing evidence until he has something resembling a way forward.

First step in his new Plan A? Find– actually, no, step one is getting some coffee ASAP, because there is no way he is managing this on caffeine withdrawal.

Step two? Find Joker.