"The thing people always failed to realize was that Robin wasn't a robin. Robin was an anglerfish, and sharp teeth lurked right behind that bright light."
Anglerfish
by envysparkler is a Hurt/Comfort Fic centered on Tim Drake and Jason Todd.
After his father gets upset at Tim over his grades and locks him in his room, causing him to be late for patrol as Robin, Tim decides to follow up on a favor for Catwoman rather than head home. Things go sideways when the group Selina wanted him to look into attracts Red Hood's attention despite being out of his claimed territory and Tim gets injured in the ensuing shootout. As Jason has stopped targeting the Batfamily and is trying to keep a somewhat civil working relationship with them where they leave each other alone he stays to make sure Tim is patched up before he goes home. Learning more about Tim's home life through small talk makes Jason reluctant to let him return with things staying the same.
The fic is supplemented by three additional reader requested chapters from Bruce's, Dick's and Jason's perspectives.
Tropes:
- Abusive Parents: Jack Drake expecting Tim to be his primary caregiver despite rolling in money while he's recovering from his coma, yelling at his kid, taking and breaking Tim's things over perceived insults, and threatening violence against Tim for imagined slights is treated more seriously here by Jason that it was in Robin (1993), where Tim didn't want to admit to his father's faults.
- Acceptable Breaks from Canon: Jason showing up as the Red Hood before Jack Drake's death, and being far more heroic as the Red Hood rather than slaughtering his way through his old neighborhood as a straight up villain is a pretty common set up in fan fiction. It allows Jason to be far more likable and redeemable than his canon iteration, while solidifying his personality which was very inconsistent following his return from the dead. The timeline for Jack Drake's death is usually treated as very flexible in fan works because the cannon timeline has Jack, Stephanie, Gavin and Darla die within the same week in a rather convoluted mess that is not properly addressed.
- Affectionate Gesture to the Head: Jason massages Tim's head to help chase away a headache and get Tim to sleep.
- After Action Patch Up: Jason gives Tim some first aid treatment after Tim ends up with a stab wound and a broken leg after Jason started a shootout with some gangsters Tim had been fighting.
- Attack the Injury: When Jason asks Tim whats gone wrong Tim expects he's asking so he can aggravate the injury given that Jason slit his throat in their last meeting. In actuality Jason has calmed down a bit and had a change of heart, and wants to help Tim instead.
- Back from the Dead: Jason's already back from the dead, and getting better control of the Pit that made his initial return so violent. His family talk him into coming back legally as well.
- A Dick in Name: Jason gets good petty mileage out of Dick's name, calling him Dickhead. It helps that Dick is himself being a bit petty and threatened Jason to start their conversation.
- Go to Your Room!: Jack locked Tim in his room earlier in the night for not having perfect grades, starting off what Tim had decided was a bad night all around long before Jason showed up.
- Grin of Audacity: Tim grins when the gangsters he's fighting all crowd him and talk like they've got the upper hand; they've only put themselves in better range for him to take them out. He's less amused when Jason shows up shooting at the mouth of the alley.
- Hurt/Comfort Fic: Tim goes on patrol while upset, then ends up with a broken leg when a stray bullet from a shootout between Red Hood and some gangsters hits his leg while he's climbing a fire escape and knocks him down. Jason decides to stick around and try to help him as he's feeling guilty for attacking Tim at Titans Tower to get at Bruce.
- Newhart Phone Call: Tim overhears Jason's half of the conversation when Jason calls Bruce, but isn't really paying attention because he's half asleep. It also doesn't click for him right away that Jason has decided to act like he's abducted Tim in order to make the other Bats panic, just to ensure there's unneeded but entertaining drama.
- Parental Neglect: Hearing that Jack was, and still is when his mobility allows for it, criminally neglectful of his son before the injury Tim blames for Jack's more violent outbursts seems to be what motivates Jason to call Bruce instead of just letting Tim go with Dick like he'd previously agreed to.
- Phone-Trace Race: Jason intentionally makes Bruce panic and try to track his call, though it's left ambiguous weather Bruce succeeded or got the address from Dick whom Tim had already texted to come pick him up.
- Radio Silence: Tim decided to go radio silent while doing a favor for Selina, as he didn't tell anyone he was going back out as Robin and had enough paternal figures giving him grief for the night. He keeps to this even after he's broken his leg and Jason, thinking his com must be busted, tries offering him his phone. Tim would rather crawl than put up with another lecture for the night.
- Rudely Hanging Up: Jason gets Bruce into a panic thinking he'd kidnapped Tim, then makes a ransom demand of Tim's father giving up custody to Bruce and hangs up on him.
- Title Drop: Twice, both times when Tim is thinking about the benefits of being underestimated. The first time things didn't work out the way he wanted since he was having a bad night and then Jason crashed the party, but the second time he gets his way cleanly.
- Twisted Ankle: Tim breaks his ankle after getting shot in the ankle while fleeing. His armored boot helped deflect the initial shot but it knocked him off a ladder to a bad landing on the pavement beneath. He is unable to put any weight on it for at least the rest of the night even with a splint.
- You Must Be Cold: When Tim starts going into shock—after ending up with a badly broken ankle and a stab wound trapped with someone who slit his throat the last time they interacted—Jason drapes his armored jacket over his shoulders. Tim doesn't even notice at first as he's busy freaking out and being in blinding pain. It's the first gesture indicating that Jason is viewing Tim as a little brother rather than an interloper to be removed.
