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“Sir?”Red Hood’s eye twitches, annoyance filling him up to his core. He looks up from the document he’s been immersed in for the past few hours to see one of his minions standing at the door. “What?” The man seems hesitant, but then he smiles widely, which is odd. “We have something to show you, sir.” “I’m busy,” he growls. His menacing voice is usually enough to send them scurrying away, so it’s somewhat surprising when the smile only barely leaves the man’s face for a moment before it returns. “This is more important, sir. I assure you.” He growls again. This is exactly why he prefers working alone. The only reason why he started recruiting a team of his own is the rumor that other rogues were threatening to invade his turf, and he needs eyes and ears everywhere. He has half a mind to ignore the man, but with a weary sigh, he nods and follows him. The man guides him through the warehouse in which they are temporarily staying and from where he runs his current operations, and then down into the storage area below ground. He sees the flash of blue as soon as he steps onto the stairs, and stands frozen in shock for a minute. In the middle of the huge area, strung up to a meat hook, is a man surrounded by four or five of his minions. But not just any man. Black and blue spandex, lean and muscular, and currently struggling and trying to yell insults through a makeshift gag.  Nightwing.  He walks down the rest of the steps and comes closer. The vigilante glares at him through his mask. His lower lip is bleeding, there’s a bruise on his cheekbone and a cut on his eyebrow. How the hell did his amateur minions capture Nightwing of all people?!“It’s Nightwing, sir!” “How?” is all he can bite back. His throat and mouth have gone dry. “He was standing at the Gotham Bank building rooftop, fighting some other dudes. He managed to knock them out but was distracted tying them up. So, we aimed and shot him a dart full of drugs and he fainted right away,” one of them explains excitedly. “We removed the guns and the earpiece and the tracker that you warned us Batman usually had,” another adds, equally excited. And, practically hopping, a third one joins in.“Batman will surely come looking for him soon and then you can finally kill him! Like you always wanted!” It is then that Red Hood notices the way Nightwing is uncharacteristically shaking, his head lolling sideways. He’s still heavily drugged, and he wouldn’t be surprised if he is mildly concussed. Anger fills him up. Yes, he wants to get to Batman (although he isn’t always sure that he wants to actually kill him), but not through Nightwing. No, the blue bird is not supposed to be a part of this at all - he is in fact supposed to be living in Blüdhaven. And even if he wasn’t, how the fuck does a highly-trained protector of Gotham, the Golden child, Bruce’s favorite son, get careless enough to be captured so easily? His silence makes his minions nervous. “Sir?” one of them squeaks up, his voice shaking.He sighs. Jason Todd is angry, but he knows Red Hood the crimelord would be happy. He can’t risk blowing his cover. “I’m impressed. Good job. You will all be rewarded accordingly,” he says, rolling his eyes below the red helmet as they look at each other, smiling widely. “Now, leave us.” They don’t hesitate and scurry away, muttering about all the money they are going to receive. Red Hood turns to Nightwing, who is still glaring, but has stopped struggling. In the now silent room they stand in, wheezing echoes through. His ribs are apparently injured. He walks up to the older man, and removes the gag. Nightwing licks his lips and moves his stiff jaw a little before talking. “Whatever you are planning, Hood, it won’t work.” “Big words for a bird who just got shot by a group of half-brained idiots.” “Batman will come for me and send you to Arkham, where you belong.”Before he can stop himself, Red Hood answers. “No, he won’t.” His emotions are warring inside of him. This is so fucking familiar to him - a batkid being strung up, beaten and helpless in front of one of Batman’s enemies, hoping with all his heart that Batman will burst through the door or a wall to save them. He loathes the parallel, and the part that he is currently playing in the whole fucked up scenario. He hates that Dick has to be exposed to this, and he hates that he knows how it ends - Batman won’t come.  But then again, what if he does? What would that mean, if he shows up for Goldie the way he never showed up for him? “Fuck you.” Nightwing growls. Red Hood chuckles in amusement. “What makes you think he will even bother looking for you? He’s a busy man.” It sounds like a taunt, but Red Hood is genuinely interested in knowing the answer. “He will. I’m his…” but he trails off, his brain mushy with the drugs. “His what? Sidekick? I thought you had left that life long ago. He has a new Robin after all, doesn’t he?” Half of him hates how much he sounds like his very own torturer, but the other half is wickedly enjoying this. It feels weirdly satisfactory, like part of his revenge is being delivered. “We’re still teammates,” Nightwing growls. “He cares about me. He cares about all of his Robins,” his words are slurred, and Red Hood knows that he wouldn’t be saying that if he hadn’t been injected with a cocktail that very likely includes a truth serum of some sort. He laughs at that, sounding a little deranged. “Even the second one?” he asks, walking close to the tied-up man so their faces are close. He revels in the surprise on Nightwing’s face. “What makes you so special that he wouldn’t leave you to rot the same way he did with your replacement?”Nightwing is silent for a moment, stunned. “What the hell do you know about that?” Red Hood swallows a little, knowing he has to be very careful around the topic so as not to give himself away. Even drugged, Nightwing is too good a detective and could easily pick on any mistake. But he can’t help playing along. “I was involved.” “WHAT?!” Nightwing cries out. “You helped the Joker?!” Helped? In a way, I guess, he thinks. “That’s not important anymore, is it? The kid is dead, and your dear Batman wasn’t there to save him.” Nightwing’s eyes clench shut and he starts struggling against his bonds again. “He tried!” he yells, unable to control the emotions in his spinning brain. “We all tried!” “Bullshit.” Red Hood bites back.“Oh, fuck off. You don’t know anything about that.” “Even if he did, what good did it even do? The Joker is still fucking alive.”“Batman doesn’t kill.” Nightwing answers, his voice deep and angry.“Right. Not even the guy who tortured and murdered his little sidekick? So, you’re saying that if I were to, say, start beating you up right now until you beg for mercy and then kill you in cold blood, all I would receive would be a ticket to Arkham? The same Arkham many of his enemies have broken out of?” Nightwing swallows hard. “You don’t know anything.” “I know Batman had a new kid practically the next day that the second Robin disappeared.” To his utter surprise, a sob rips through Nightwing’s throat, and he stops struggling, his head dropping forward. What the hell did his men give him? Dick is supposed to be trained against getting drugged… “That’s not true,” he says, softly. “Batman didn’t want the kid.” Red Hood freezes. “What the hell are you talking about?” He can tell Nightwing is fighting the drugs, but truth serums are powerful. They don’t actually force a person to tell the truth, but they force them to talk endlessly in hopes that they eventually blurt out whatever they are being asked. And it looks like Nightwing has had these words lodged in his throat for a very long time, because he loses the battle against himself, still looking at the floor. “Batman… he looked everywhere for Robin. He didn’t sleep, didn’t eat, didn’t even go back to his civilian life. It was days after days after days of searching, investigating, asking everywhere. He was so, so devastated - I’ve never seen him like that. He was neglecting Gotham and… and…” he shudders a little and lifts his head, as if suddenly aware that he is talking too much, but he seems unable to stop himself. “...The third Robin showed up at Batman’s hideout, uninvited. Batman rejected him again and again and again, but the kid kept coming back with information that nobody else knew. Information about us, and the Justice League and… theories about the second Robin’s whereabouts.”“What?”“But every theory was wrong, and Batman kept telling him to leave him alone. He refused to work with any other Robin. Until Joker sent the fucking tape confirming our worst fears - he had killed him. He… Were you there?”“Where?”“When the Joker filmed himself killing Robin. You were there, weren’t you? If you were involved…”Oh, if only he knew. “No,” he lied, this time, only because he wanted Nightwing to keep talking. “I didn’t know he wanted to kill Robin. But then, what happened with this supposed Batman reject?”Nightwing sighs and shakes his head. “He helped Batman… all of us… deal with the loss. Eventually Batman let him join.” Red Hood growls. He has no idea how to feel about that. Batman, mourning him? Neglecting Gotham for him? No. Impossible. “Seems to me like killing the Joker would have been a better therapy session. Sounds like he didn’t very much care for the dead kid at all.”“Shut up.” He chuckles again and decides to taunt his older brother a bit more. “But maybe you’re right. Maybe he will indeed come for you, because you were the first, right? The one and only Robin, who grew up into amazing Nightwing. Not like that fucked-up street kid that he seemed eager to discard.” Nightwing shakes his head, and then Red Hood can see tears rolling down his cheeks, even with his head down. A small voice inside his head suddenly grows louder until it’s a scream in his brain. This isn’t just Nightwing… it’s Dick. This is his older brother, crying for him. He needs to help him. He needs to get him out of here. He knows his minions are eager to hurt him, and the rumor will soon leave the warehouse and run to all of Batman’s enemies’ ears just like it happened to him. And, just like with him, they will come running to unleash their anger on Batman’s son. What is he supposed to do now? He half hopes that Batman will come for him, do his fucking job and save his brother. But he also half hopes he won’t. He can’t face Batman right now, despite that being his main goal for such a long time. He presses his comm link to open it to his minions. “Smith, come here.” The young man walks in half a second later, eagerly running down the stairs and joining them. “Sir?”“Take him to Storage Room 2. Do NOT hurt him. I’ll deal with him later. After he’s safely bound and locked in there, empty the warehouse. I do not want to be disturbed.” He knows his helpers will think he is about to torture the living daylight out of the vigilante, and the victim himself thinks so too as he starts struggling again. His minion is swift and effectively hits the vigilante over the head with the butt of his gun, rendering him unconscious. . The headache that attacks Dick makes him open his eyes instantly. He curses under his breath, piecing his muddled memories together as his eyes scan the barren room he is in. His hands are tied together before him, but he is otherwise free. He tries to get up on his feet, but his bruised ribs and twisted ankle complain immediately. He knows he fucked up, big time. But there had been little he could’ve done. He had had a nightmare about Jason, about the terrible days they spent looking for him, and then the day they watched the tape. And like in most of his nightmares containing his little brother, it ended with Jason asking him why he had abandoned him. He always woke up from those nightmares bawling his eyes out, and spent the next day fighting to suppress the rage and despair that threatened to swallow him whole. He isn’t very successful at it usually, and today had been no different. He had snapped at his friends and siblings and then had gotten into a stupid fight with Bruce, only to decide in a moment of white-hot anger that he would go find Maroni’s men all on his own, without telling anyone else. The fight with Maroni’s men had been brutal - he had managed to defeat them all in the end but some of the strongest of them had managed to get a few licks in, debilitating him. And then he had been careless and stupid and hadn’t checked his surroundings while he tied them up.  He shifts a little and his ribs complain harshly. Fuck. He’s heavily injured. And it will only get worse, if Red Hood’s sanguinary fame is anything to go by. That had been almost his limit as well - Fucking Red Hood has to pick today of all days to not only kidnap him, but go on a rant about Jason, and admit he had been there, helping the Joker. Dick can’t remember everything he said to the man, but he can remember how his heart had melted right into his stomach.  Speak of the Devil… the man opens the locked door and walks inside. He’s holding a bottle of water. Dick is parched, but he doesn’t want to get drugged again. A cold dart of fear runs down his spine at his inability to remember everything he said a few hours prior. They stare at each other intensely before Red Hood sighs and tries to hand him the water.“It’s clean.” “Oh, thanks. I feel loads safer now.” Dick bites back. Red Hood can’t help laughing a little before dropping the bottle to the floor. It rolls closer to Dick. “Suit yourself,” he mutters, before adding, “do you remember everything you said before?”“Your friends pumped me so full of drugs I’m surprised they didn’t give me a fucking overdose. No, I obviously fucking don’t.” Jason has to suppress more laughter. He still loves annoying Dick, and loves it when the man gets angry and shows his true colors. “My, what would Bats say if he heard his little blue bird swearing so much?” “He would swear twice as much while he beat you half to death.” “Ah, yes, but only half, though, right? Never one to finish the job.” “Sending you to Arkham to meet with your dear clown friend sounds like a pretty finished job to me.” Jason remains silent at that, an imperceptible shudder running through his body at the very prospect. He knows Dick has no idea what those words actually mean to him, but they cut deep. “Is it true that you mourned the dead Robin?” he blurts out. Nightwing swallows hard. “What is it with you and the dead Robin?” the nickname stabs at his heart and nearly chokes him, but he tries to be strong.Jason frowns. “I just find it hard to believe that the World’s Greatest Detectives couldn’t find a lost kid, so in my head, you’re just feeling guilty right now but you couldn’t get rid of him fast enough.” He knows he is being cruel, but the way Nightwing starts shaking in rage still surprises him. “You don’t know anything about him or any of us.” He almost laughs out loud at that. “You know, Nightwing… the kid would often call your name. After the Joker was done painting him red, black and blue and left him all alone, crying, he would beg for help. He would call for Batman, and for you. Did you know he blamed himself? He thought, at some point, that you were punishing him.”Why? Why, God, why of all days does Red Hood have to be touching this subject?  It has always been a horrible weak spot for him, but much more so after those horrid nightmares. Today is no different - he can’t control his emotions and the villain is seeing right through him.“Shut the fuck up.” “It’s true. The Joker would laugh hysterically at that idea. He would taunt him, torture him psychologically with the thought that not only would you never come for him, but you were actively abandoning him because you thought he deserved to suffer. And then Batman indeed went and replaced him… it was the funniest joke the clown had ever heard. He had a field day when he found out. Showed the kid pictures of the brand new Robin, even pasted them all over the walls of the cell he was kept in. Broke the boy’s heart. It’s the hardest he ever cried, when he found out.”Nightwing closes his eyes shut. God, no. How does it all keep getting so much worse?“What the hell do you want from me?” he says, his voice shaking. “Did you ever honestly see him as a brother?”Dick feels like he is getting stabbed right in the chest. It feels like something is clawing at his throat, pouring acid into the deepest, most painful injury he has. He will never forgive himself for not being able to find Jason before the Joker killed him. Losing Jason is the single worst thing that has ever happened to him - with his parents, he was young and unable to do anything until Bruce helped him get his revenge. But Jason trusted him, looked up to him, and he failed him in the worst possible way. And now this fucking bastard is confirming his worst fears: that Jason died thinking he didn’t love him. That he died thinking he had been replaced like a broken toy. That he had begged for help from his family - a family that never arrived. It is painful enough to think about the Joker torturing his baby brother - and now imagining all of the things Red Hood is telling him…It’s enough to crack him, even when he isn’t drugged anymore. Tears run down his face. “I still do,” he whispers. “Forgive me for not buying it,” Jason growls, even though his heart has sped up at the words. “If you had truly cared for him - “ Dick knows that Red Hood is playing with his head, but he needs to let this out. “You’re right,” he says, catching Red Hood by surprise. “I wasn’t able to save Robin. Batman and all of our allies were not enough to find him. We weren’t fucking enough, despite my best efforts. It’s true. We failed. We failed him and betrayed him. I know that, and there is nothing you can say that could cause me more pain than what I have already gone through,” his voice cracks and he clears it, but it’s still shaky when he talks again. “But you’re also fucking wrong. I loved Robin. I still love him. He’s my family. I would have taken his place any day, given anything, sacrificed everything I have for a simple chance. I did not find him, and I blame myself every single fucking day. I wanted to die when I saw that tape, and I know for a fact that Batman did, too. Because he was part of our family. He was everything to me. Everything. It broke all of us. We are still mourning him and I… I would gladly give the rest of my living days for a chance to see him again and tell him that I am so, so fucking sorry. But you can fucking shut up now, because if your goal is to break me, you’ll be disappointed to find out that the Joker and his tape beat you to it.” Jason is completely speechless, and as tiny sobs begin to escape Dick’s throat, he finds he can’t deal with the onslaught of emotions. He turns on his heel and leaves, locking the door and running towards the nearest bathroom. Tears are coating his face by the time he reaches it.  . It’s been hours, and Dick has exhausted himself trying to find a way out. His head still hurts, his ribs have become unbearable, and he knows he needs medical help fast. But right now he is just lying on the floor, eyeing the water bottle. The door opens and Red Hood walks in. He is holding a knife. “Ah, right. Done with the psychological torture, are you? You want to start with the physical right away.”His voice is breahty, his lungs close to being punctured by a stray rib. Jason worries about that. “Look, bird brain, I’m going to talk and I don’t want questions from you. I will come closer to cut the rope tying your hands, and then I’m gonna help you walk out of here. As soon as you’re in open air, you need to run back to Batdaddy before anyone sees you. Got it?”Dick frowns in confusion and then rolls his eyes. “Come on, man. Give me some credit. I wouldn’t fall for such a stupid trap.” “It’s not a fucking trap, Jesus.”“Why would you suddenly let me go?”“Because unlike you and my minions, I know that Bats won’t come for you. They meant well but they don’t know he fucking sucks at keeping track of his little birds, so this plan was doomed to fail from the start and I don’t want to keep you around anymore.”“Why not just kill me then?”“Do you want to fucking die?”“Well, no. But I find it hard to believe that the same man who helped the Joker capture and torture one Robin is suddenly so merciful to another.” “I never said I helped torture him,” Jason growls. “Now, will you be a good boy and not kick me if I come closer to cut the rope?” Nightwing glares at him and tenses, but doesn’t kick out as Red Hood comes closer and cuts the rope. Then the man grabs his arm and helps him up, and the older boy groans in pain. Jason tries to ignore the whimpers and grunts as he helps the injured vigilante out of the room, across the empty warehouse, and towards the exit. Once they are out, he slowly lets go of him, and to his dismay Nightwing sways and doesn’t bolt away like he hoped he would. He stays there.“Well? Get out of my sight.” “I don’t think I can walk.” A wave of protectiveness washes over Jason, and he has to fight very hard not to reach out and try to comfort Dick. “Alright. I’ll bring your stupid comm link and take you away from here. Then, you will wait until I’ve disappeared before calling the big bad Bat to come pick you up, alright? And you won’t tell him the location of the warehouse or who kidnapped you. I will blow this up anyways but I’ll need time to vacate it and I don’t want him sniffing in here before I’m through.” “Did you try to help Robin as well?” Dick asks, softly. “Did you care about him? Is that why you are also angry at us?” Jason swallows a little. “Something like that. Just wait here.”  He is back with the little comm piece in less than a minute, and guides Dick towards his bike which is parked nearby. They drive in silence, Dick’s breathing getting more laboured by the second. When they are in a dark alley a safe distance away from Crime Alley, he helps him down from the bike and into a sitting position on the floor, helping him lean against the wallDick is honestly surprised at how gentle he is being. Red Hood hands him the comm piece. Neither of them move for a moment. “Just tell me,” Nightwing says finally, softly, “did you help the Joker, or did you help Robin?” Jason swallows a little. “Nobody helped Robin,” he mutters, and watches as Nighting’s whole face twists as he resists the urge to cry, but a tear still rolls down his cheek. “But… I tried to. I was on his side, not the Joker’s, if that’s what you want to know.” That’s close enough to the truth, right?“Did Robin trust you? Were you… close?”Nightwing is desperately clawing for something, anything that can bring him the tiniest bit of comfort - just the smallest idea that maybe Jason wasn’t completely alone.Jason can’t find it in him to tell him that he was indeed alone, and scared, and broken. “He’s dead now,” he mutters, “it doesn’t matter anymore.”Despite the weight of the words, he says it in a really gentle tone, which surprises Nightwing but somehow comforts him as well. If this man had truly hurt Jason, he wouldn’t be this gentle. And he just said he had tried to help, right? That’s something. Isn’t it? There is pain in Red Hood’s voice, which means that on some level, he had cared about his little brother, enough to hurt at the idea of him having died. Jason is torn. He knows he can’t, but he is aching to tell Dick that he is alive. That despite everything that happened, he is still here. He heard the words. He wants to hug him. For a moment, he yearns deeply for the days when he was Robin. When they were still brothers. “I don’t know how much you knew about him,” Dick mutters, unsure why he suddenly wants to share this with the villain, but unable to stop himself, “but he taught me so many things.”“He taught you ? Logic goes that the first Robin would teach the second.”Nightwing shrugs one shoulder. “I did try to teach him but… he was such a better Robin than me. I never got to tell him that.” “He thought the same about you.” A tiny sob escapes Nightwing. Another almost escapes Jason, too. Would it be so bad to remove his helmet right now and show Dick his face?He almost does it, his hands jerking, but then the comm piece still in Dick’s hand comes to life. “Come on, Nightwing, please.” It’s Babs’s voice, trembling and cracking. “They must have disabled it, Oracle. It’s no use.” That’s a new voice. “Robin, do not go near Crime Alley. I’m seeing your location.” That’s Batman’s voice… calling some other kid his vigilante name. Rage fills him back up again. He grabs the comm piece before Nightwing can react. “Batman, you fucking bastard. We will face each other soon, and I will make you pay. Unlike you, killing is something I have no qualms with.”“Who is this?!” Batman practically screams at the comm. “Your baby bird is safe, a little worse for wear but alive. All-Stars Gymnasium next to Pentagon street. Come pick up your garbage.” He gives Nightwing his comm piece again and straightens up to run away. He is almost certain he can take on Batman, or at least beat him up before the man arrests him anyway, which would be worth it. But he doesn’t know the new Robin, doesn’t know how skilled, or built-up or violent he is… He has to be good, if Bruce agreed to work with him eventually and has trained him so far, so he doesn’t think he can take on Batman and his new Robin. And Nightwing, who would try to join the fight even as injured as he is. But before he can walk away, something slams into him, hard.  He sees the flash of red and green as they roll across the ground, and a stupid kid is grabbing his wrists. His fucking replacement. He turns murderous. He rips his wrist from the kid’s hand and punches him harder than necessary, sending him tumbling away with a cry. “No! Robin!” Nightwing calls, and then coughs, holding his ribs. Red Hood gets up and walks closer to the kid, who is holding his face as blood pours from his mouth. He notices the changes in the uniform and boils with rage. How fucking dare he? Yes, he himself had re-designed Dicks uniform but Dick had willingly given the mantle to him. This fucking boy had stolen it and… disfigured it. To his credit, the boy glares at him, even as he towers over him with his terrifying buildup, fists clenched, body shaking with rage. “How dare you even touch me, you fucking replacement.” “Replacement? More like upgrade.” Jason almost laughs. Would’ve laughed, would’ve been impressed, had things been different. But as it is, he is just so fucking angry. “Let’s see how Batsy handles losing a third Robin. Might be the lesson he needs to stop plucking kids from the streets.”  Before he can even decide how he wants to hurt the new Robin, something even harder slams into him. This slam hurts so much worse, and he can’t bite back a cry of pain as then this massive, black figure lands on top of him, heavier than any other person who has tried to pin him down. Batman wastes no time. He doesn’t want to grab his wrists and arrest him like Robin had. His anger matches Jason’s, obviously. Always has. So he starts swinging fists instantly, hitting Jason everywhere he can reach with his full strength… and the red helmet begins to crack. Jason writhes under him, not so much out of pain (his pain tolerance is a thousand times higher than that) but because he can’t show his face. Not like this. He finally manages to push Batman off of him and land a few punches of his own, but then Robin jumps onto his back and wraps his arms around his neck, choking him. And then Batman starts over again, his fists breaking the fucking helmet. “Batman, stop!” Nightwing calls. “It wasn’t him! He’s not evil!”Oh, Dick, for God’s sake. A few emotional words and now he seems to be redeemed in the bright vigilante’s eyes. Jason manages to hurl Robin away from him and onto the floor so hard the kid seems to have fallen unconscious. “Nobody threatens Robin,” Batman growls, before he slams a fist into Jason’s stomach, making him double over. The older man raises a fist to continue pounding the villain, but stops when he hears… laughter. “Oh,” Red Hood says in a choked voice, “is that right? Or does that only apply to the Robins counting from the third and up?”“What?” Batman rasps, tightening his fists. “You weren’t this angry when the Joker threatened your previous sidekick. What makes this cockroach any better?” Batman isn’t interested in hearing the rest. Red Hood isn’t the only one who teases him about Jason’s death… many villains know, and like to taunt him with it. He hates it but doesn’t think much of it anymore as he keeps on fighting the other man. Nightwing’s vision is blurry and fading at the edges, which is concerning, but he isn’t thinking too much about that as he watches Batman and Red Hood fight… The villain is holding his own impressively well, giving Batman a harder time than usual. They all know Red Hood is dangerous, trained in guns and armed combat, but they have never seen him up close. In fact, despite the fame he has gained, he is relatively new to the Gotham scene, so they don’t know much about him at all. The way he fights though… for some reason it looks way too familiar to Dick. Robin wakes up a few minutes later, and he stares at Batman and Red Hood giving it all on the rooftop, both seemingly equally matched, which is a surprise. Not many people can match Batman… He has half a mind to intervene and help him, but he knows it could make things worse. If he gets too close to these types of fights, he risks getting injured by a stray fist. But then Batman takes the upper hand, and he somehow manages to kick Red Hood’s feet from under him and he slams face-first into the ground. A big crack appears on his helmet, and Batman wastes no time, again, as he kneels down, grabs the red helmet, and slams it bodily into the ground. Jason begins to panic as he thrashes, but Bruce’s grip on his head is too strong as he slams it on the pavement over and over. It hurts, as his face slams against the inside of his helmet in turn, but the real danger is the fact that if he keeps this up, the whole fucking thing will fall off! “Batman, stop it!” Nighting calls. “Leave him alone, he didn’t do anything to me! He helped me out! He brought me here so you could pick me up!”But his pleas fall on deaf ears. Batman is way too enraged to listen to anything. His Jason-shaped wound feeds the darkest parts of his anger, drowning every single doubt he has until the only thing he can picture in his mind is that video of Jason dying, and the fact that this fucking bastard just threatened his remaining two sons. He wants to see this bastard’s face, wants to see the terror in his eyes as he makes him pay, wants to see his broken mouth pleading for mercy as he breaks his bones. “Batman…” Tim says, softly. The way he is still slamming the man’s head on the pavement looks like he intends to off him… which he would never forgive himself for. “Batman, I think he is unconscious.” He’s not… Not yet at least. Pieces of his helmet lie around him, and he can feel the air on his bare face, which has received the last two slams. He is close to fading, honestly, and doesn’t care about the pain. He’s certainly been through so much worse… but he doesn’t know if he has the energy to escape anymore. Tim walks closer and softly puts a hand on Batman’s arm. “He’s had enough.” “Yes, please. Batman. He’s not evil. I promise.” Nightwing says, trying to drag his body closer. “Please, let’s just leave him. I-I need a doctor.” Batman looks up briefly, at each of his sons, and then down. He huffs before getting up from the man, who stays still. He takes a deep, deep breath. Exhales slowly. Then leans down again to turn the man around.  His heart stops dead at the sight, his stomach all but disappearing inside of him, his ribs painfully freezing. He immediately gets up, his whole body feeling like someone electrocuted him and doused him with ice water. He takes a few steps back, his black-gloved hand covering his mouth.“Holy shit.” Tim mutters. “What the fuck?” Nightwing can’t see the face from where he sits, so he roughly drags himself closer, half crawling, until he can see what has Bruce going so rigid. The only other time he saw him this pale and dispaired was when they saw the tape. Half of his face is visible, the other half still hidden below the unbroken part of the helmet. His eye is half-lidded as he looks around… but this is undoubtedly him.  It’s… it’s Jason.  It’s his little brother.  Batman sinks to his knees. “J…Jason,” he breathes out. “Hey, B,” Jason answers, equally breathy and quiet.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

They all stand still for a moment, frozen and clueless and feeling like they are all dreaming or hallucinating or…

Then Batman growls again, and grabs Jason’s jacket to pull him closer so their noses are almost touching.

“What kind of trick is this? I know for a fact Clayface is in jail, so who the hell are you?”

“What?” Jason asks, grabbing Bruce’s wrists. The man shakes him like a terrier with a rat. “Hey, whoa, cool down, man! It’s not a trick!”

“Jason is dead,” Batman growls, and Jason swears he hears his voice crack at the last word.

Jason stares at him, right into the white lens of his cowl, and shakes his head very slowly.

“I’m not. I…” he swallows. What’s the fucking point of explaining? He’s not sure he understands why he is alive anyway. The point is that he is. And he did want Bruce to find out, but on his own terms, after an intense battle and after he had spat everything to his face, after he had carved the man open and filled him with so much guilt he looked half dead with misery, only then would he reveal his face. Whether he killed the man or not, he wanted to leave to impulse.

But, like so much else in his life, he had no control over this.

“Jason, is it really you?” Nightwing asks, and Jason turns to him, locking eyes with his brother. There is such naked despair and longing in his expression, even though Jason can’t even see his eyes, that a huge knot forms in his throat, and he can’t help but nod.

“How?” Robin - his

replacement

- asks.

Jason goes from a little heartbroken to white hot rage in a second, faster than should be considered mentally healthy, and he turns to glare at the kid.

“What? Wished I’d stayed dead, do you?”

Robin lifts his hands defensively, but a frown still appears on his face.

“Chill, dude. I just -”

“Don’t you fucking ‘dude’ me, kid,” he spits, before Bruce’s fists on his jacket tighten.

“How?” Batman echoes, his voice deep and angry. “If it’s really you, how are you alive?”

Jason pulls at Batman’s wrists angrily, and to his surprise, the man lets go. The boy glares at him intensely, his rage mixing with pain and fear and despair… and the horrible feeling of anguish that he has carried for such a long time. He gets up instantly, forcing the others to straighten and step back, except for Nightwing who can barely move.

“What the hell do you even care? Huh?!” he removes his helmet then, throws it to the floor so his whole face is revealed. “Like you gave two shits about - about me!”

“Jay - ” Bruce starts.

“Dont… Don’t!

Don’t

fucking call me that! You don’t get to call me ANYTHING! You bastard.”

Before he knows what he is even doing, he pulls out his guns and points one at Bruce’s head, the other at Robin’s.

“Jason, please” Bruce tries, raising his hands and stepping sideways, trying to inch closer to Robin to protect him. “Please, let’s just talk.”

“Talk? TALK?! Sure! Sure, let’s talk! Where should we start? Perhaps you can tell me all about why you fucking abandoned me in Arkham for over a year, with… with him!! Yes, let’s call Alfred and have him bring us tea and cookies while I tell you all about how he spent every single day torturing me! Ruining me! Just to spite you! I can tell you all of his jokes, the funniest one being how you couldn’t bother looking for your own son, instead you went looking for another kid to replace him!” his voice sounds deranged, he can hear it, but he can’t stop himself. Some part of him, deep down, tries to tell him that he should be calm and collected, especially in front of the other Robin, and he is making a fool of himself… but he can’t control his emotions.

He definitely wasn’t ready to face Bruce yet.

“I’m sorry,” Bruce whispers. “Jason, I’m so sorry.”

The guns shake in his hands, but he doesn’t lower them.

“How long, huh? How long did you look for me before you decided I wasn’t worth it? A few days, perhaps? Long enough to realize that it had been a mistake to pick up a street rat from Crime Alley?”

“Robin, take Nightwing to the cave.” Batman growls. “Jason, please. Let them go. Dick needs medical attention.”

Jason looks down at Nightwing, who definitely looks like he needs help fast. He slowly lowers the gun and jerks his head at the kid. As Robin lifts one of Dick’s arms over his shoulder and helps him up, Jason growls:

“We’re not done, kid. I’ll come after you.”

Robin seems to want to shoot something back, but Nightwing groans in pain, so he simply drags him as fast as he can to the corner of the alley and they disappear. Jason hears a motorcycle coming to life and rushing away. At least his brother will get the help he needs.

“Jason,” Bruce starts, taking a step closer to him, “I never gave up on you. Not until… until we saw - I thought you were dead. Had I known you were alive -”

“So you mourned me for all of a day, and then found another orphan to turn into a soldier and send to war, huh?”

“I’m so sorry,” Bruce says, his voice cracking.

The pain in it makes its way through Jason’s rage.

A tear escapes from under the cowl, and he can see the man’s hands shaking. He thought he would be happy, ecstatic, at seeing Bruce so broken and miserable… but he doesn’t. It doesn’t alleviate the pain, it doesn’t cool down the anger, it doesn’t close his ever-weeping wound. It just makes it hurt all the more, as he feels

guilt

, and longing, and… and…

“I’m sorry, Jason,” Bruce repeats. “You were just a child. You still are. I will never be able to forgive myself.”

“I’m not a child anymore,” he growls. “I’m a fucking crime lord. Everything you ever hated. Your greatest failure.”

Bruce shakes his head.

“My greatest failure was not being able to protect you, to save you. I wanted to. I tried.”

“You know what the worst part is? I’m not even mad anymore that you didn’t save me. Even if you did look for me, even if you did stop because you saw me die… Even if that was the case… I forgive you. But how could you just… move on? Get another kid, give him

my

name? And… let the Joker live? Why? Why didn’t you kill the Joker with your own hands when you had the chance?”

“Jay…” he mutters. And then a sob.

A fucking sob. Batman is fucking

crying.

“Don’t,” Jason growls, even though he can feel his own jaw shaking. “It’s too fucking late for that.”

“It’s not,”

a voice says through his earpiece.

“Jason, it’s not. We can fix this. Together.”

Barbara? How the hell did she access his earpiece?

“Batgirl?”

A sniff, and something halfway between a giggle and a sob.

“It’s Oracle now.”

“What - how’d you access my comm piece?”

“I’m a tech whizz, more so now than before. But that’s a story for another day. Jay… we miss you so much. Please, come home.”

“I don’t have a home,” he growls.

“You do. Please, we can fix this.”

“There is nothing left to fix. Jason Todd is gone, Barbara," he growls, all sense of nicknames and protecting identities gone. "He indeed fucking died. The Joker cracked me open like a fucking egg, hollowed me out, ripped me apart and put me back together as wretchedly as his insane brain could imagine. You can't begin to imagine what he did to me, the games he played with me, how he destroyed everything I was. It’s too late,” his voice shakes and cracks and he hates it.

He hates how young he sounds. Exactly his age, instead of the carefully curated voice and tone he has used for such a long time, ever since he became Red Hood.

“It’s not, Jason.” Batman says. “Please, come with us. Please, son…”

“I am not your son! I was your

soldier

!”

“My boy…”

The voice makes him freeze. Fuck, a stab wound right into his heart would’ve hurt less.

“A-Alf?”

“Master Jason, is that really you, my boy?”

“Alf, what -”

“Master Dick told me. He just got here. Oh, dear lord, you’re alive.”

Oh, of course, Dick has always gone running to tell on him with Alfred. Traitor.

“Alf, it’s so good to hear your voice,” he mutters, then swallows thickly, “but it’s too late. I’m not the boy you remember anymore.”

He turns to Bruce again, who walks closer to him, and he realizes that he has lowered the gun. When did he lower the gun?

“Master Jason, you will always be my boy.”

Jason shakes his head, unable to talk as his whole body shakes. His throat has closed up painfully, his eyes swimming. No, no. No. God, no.

“Jason, it’s not too late. Come home. We are your family.”

He gathers every single ounce of anger and hatred that has built inside his ribcage and infected the very blood in his veins and lifts the gun again. He begins to slowly walk around Bruce, the gun still pointing at his head. 
 
“So what now, B? I come home with you and you forgive all of my crimes? I’ve murdered people. I’ve dealt drugs. I’m Red fucking Hood, the new Gotham villain you’ve undoubtedly spent the last few months hunting down. We move past that and we become a family again? You kick your new kid out of the manor and I move in and we become Batman and Robin again? Happily ever after?”

“Master Jason, please… “

“I don’t know,” Bruce says, his voice strong and deep again. “I don’t know what will happen,  but I know whatever happens, I want you to come back.”

“Jase, we miss you much,”

Babs says, a sob ripping through.

“You abandoned me,” he whispers, rough and painful and cracking. Exactly as despaired and broken as he feels.

“We lost you! And we mourned you! And we want you back!”

“Little Wing,”

Dick says, his voice gasping and pained, but firm. The nickname feels like a fucking bullet. Everything they are saying feels more painful than getting shot by a firing squad. Why? Why do they still pretend to love him?

He has made his peace - well, not his peace certainly, but he has long accepted that they abandoned him. That they never cared about him.

He has long sealed those wounds with hatred. And these people are ripping apart his stitches and pouring blood all over again.

It hurts. Without the hatred and the rage, he only has pain.

Only pain.

“We do, Master Jason. We’ll do anything to get you back. Please, don’t leave us again, my boy. Don’t force us to go through this again.”

Pain and loneliness.

“Jaylad, come on.”

He lowers the gun. He feels so fucking helpless.

He feels like the young kid who was forced to watch the stupid Batman and Robin photos plastered all over the wall as he was abandoned, freshly tortured, on the floor.

He wants to cry.

How pathetic. Red fucking Hood, crying, like a little boy.

“How about we go for a Batburger? And we just… chat. Just us. And then you can do whatever you want. I won’t force you.” Batman says.

Jason looks at him, his eyes shining with unshed tears.

For a moment, he listens to the young boy trapped in Arkham. He swallows convulsively as that boy inside him pleads,

begs

for a moment with his father. For such a long time, everything he wanted was exactly this - to see Bruce again, and have Bruce tell him that he missed him. That he tore Gotham apart trying to find him. That all he wants is to share a stupid Batburger with him.

Red Hood growls inside his head, because for nearly just as long, all he wanted was to face Batman and punch the teeth out of his mouth…

But for the first time, the young boy inside him is speaking so much louder.

“Alright,” he breathes.

Batman sighs in relief, a sob accompanying it.

Next thing he knows, the Bat has launched himself at him, his arms wrapped around his neck, hugging him. Hugging him like he never did before he left.

He hugs back. It takes every ounce of strength he has to not start crying right then and there.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Jason is exhausted, but this is one of the happiest nights of his life. He did astoundingly well in his patrol tonight, not only managing to disarm, beat and arrest a whole bunch of bad guys, but also solving the case by himself. He found out the last piece of the puzzle before Batman. The man had smiled at him twice! He had squeezed his shoulder, Gordon had even congratulated him personally. 
His thoughts get interrupted as they take the wrong turn on the way back to the cave.

"Where are we going?"

"What's your favorite burger place?" Batman asks, his face soft as he looks over at him.

He thinks for a moment, and blushes a little. "Bat Burger."

Batman lets out a breathy laugh. "Their jokerized fries are good."

Jason smiles slightly. "They are my favorite!"

"Then I think, after Robin's amazing performance tonight, we're due for a couple of double bat burgers with jokerized fries."

Jason beams up at him, his smile so wide it makes Bruce laugh again. "Really?! Can I get a Riddler milkshake as well?"

"You can get anything you want, son. This is your night."

Jason still isn't used to Bruce calling him "son". It tugs at his heart. He can't believe the Batman decided to adopt him, give him a home and money and a purpose... sees him as part of his family. Him. An alley rat. Suddenly Bruce Wayne's son, Batman's sidekick. And tonight he has proven to himself, his new father, and Gotham that he is fit for the job.

"This is so awesome," he says, his voice shaking a little with excitement and emotion.

"You are, Jaybird. I'm really proud of you."

He never wants to stop being Robin. 
.It's surreal, how he suddenly finds himself sitting on a building roof, feet hanging off the ledge, next to the man he had sworn to kill. Eating a double-bacon bat burger. He hasn't had a bat burger in ages - let alone the stupid jokerized fries that he still loves. They are sitting in silence. Jason is quite literally swallowing his thoughts and emotions with each bite. They both finish their food before Bruce gathers the courage to speak."Jason... why didn't you come back to the manor? How did this happen?"Jason looks over at his helmet, lying broken next to him. What is he supposed to say? He doesn't have the burning anger inside of him anymore, so the rant that he had prepared in his head for ages doesn't come to his mouth with the same intensity. "You didn't come for me. What makes you think I would come back to you?" "Jason...""I know," he interrupts. He doesn't want to hear it again. It was painful enough when Dick explained it. "I know you tried. I know that now... I didn't know back then," he swallows thickly. "But it hardly changes anything, Bruce. You still didn't have the guts to kill the Joker - you will never have the guts to do what it actually takes to fix Gotham. All these bastards you so fondly keep taking to Arkham even though they keep breaking out... they'll never change. Especially someone like Joker. The only chance to fix this cursed, god-forsaken, backwater city is to permanently get rid of the bastards at the top." "Killing a killer only creates another killer." "Right. And also saves thousands of lives," he sighs angrily. Back when he was Robin, in the few months before he got captured, they had had this exact conversation many times. "You will never get it. You will never understand this city. You keep looking at it from rooftops, with a billion dollars in your pocket, protected by state-of-the-art armor and guns..." Bruce is trying to remain calm. Every time they talked about this when Jason was still Robin, they ended up in a screaming match. Back then it wasn't so bad - Robin just stormed back to his room at the manor. Right now, though, if Red Hood storms away, Bruce has no idea where he will go, or if he will ever find him again. Not to mention that the last time they argued like this, it ended in the worst way imaginable for everyone. "Red Hood isn't exactly running around in a hoodie and jeans." "No, but Red Hood does what needs to be done. Chasing people in the streets changes nothing.""Red Hood is a crime lord and a drug lord. And a murderer. These people you supposedly wanted to kill are now your allies." Jason glares at Batman. "How the hell are you this blind? Bruce, I'm not a crime lord. I only pretended to be their ally to infiltrate the Gotham crime scene. I've been dismantling their operation, disbanding their teams, getting rid of the roots of the problem little by little. I don't deal their drugs, I pretend to do it to get closer to them and destroy them from the inside. I'm doing your job, and I'm doing it well."Bruce takes a deep, deep breath. Deep down, below the guilt and the sorrow and the longing, he feels unbelievably angry. He's angry at Jason, for pulling this off under his nose, for not being able to understand Batman's rules and going rogue.But he is even more angry at himself. He is angry that he never noticed, that he didn't investigate Red Hood further until the man made the first move. That indeed, despite a new villain showing up, crime rates had lowered. His enemies were weakened...He is angry at himself because he feels proud, and relieved. He doesn't agree with Jason's way of doing things, of rationalizing his own crimes, but he is glad that Jason isn't just another evil bastard. He is proud that Jason remains loyal to Gotham, that his heart is still seeking what he believes is best for the city. He is proud that after everything that has happened to him, Jason is still more good than evil. Misguided, vengeful, angry, but good. He is still his son. All he wants is to get Jason to the manor. They can figure everything out later. For tonight, everything centers around not letting his son go again. "Jason... there is nothing I want more than for you and me to work together again." Jason looks up sharply. He definitely did not expect that. "There are a few things we need to figure out. But... I don't want us to be enemies."A knot forms in Jason's throat. His chest is cracking open, his heart getting torn apart so hard, the old wounds he got in Arkham are bleeding anew. He gets up and gives his back to Bruce. "I don't know how that could happen, Bruce. Since before Joker killed me, all I wanted was to kill you. I became Red Hood to save Gotham, yes. But also to get rid of Batman and his new Robin," he spits the last word with so much anger, it makes Bruce wince. "What do you suppose will happen now? You want two Robins on your team? I'll wipe all the red from my ledger and we start anew? And next time I face the Joker I'll simply smile and not kill him? You're delusional." "Do you want to be Robin again?"It's not an offer, it's a genuine question. Jason can tell because it is laced with surprised doubt. He turns to Bruce again. Even though they are in open air, he has removed the cowl. His expression is full of pain. And Bruce looks at Jason's face and another thing inside him shatters. Jason is so young. He isn't even twenty years old yet. And he looks so sad, and lost, and wounded. Under that terrible anger, under the terrifying red mask, the bulging armor, the millions of guns... Jason is still just a kid. A kid that life kept dealing the worst hands. Jason thinks about it for a moment. "If I said yes, what would you do with the new kid?"Bruce swallows thickly and then gets up, walking hesitantly closer to Jason."Jason, Tim -""Tim," he spits out. "Yes, Tim. He knows his Robin position was temporary. I was adamant that when we found you, he would have to give up the Robin mantle. It belongs to you, Jase. But," he says, interrupting Jason before he can get a word out of his open mouth, "just like Dick and you, Tim is my son. He was never, nor will he ever be, your replacement. Just like you, Tim needed a home, and proved himself worthy, and he is part of my family. But he never took your place. He never intended to, nor did I ever intend to use him to fill up the hole you left behind. I need you to understand that. If you want to be Robin again, you can. It's yours. But it doesn't mean Tim will leave."Bruce half expected Jason to be even angrier, scream or throw a punch or even draw his guns... but he seems... relieved. "Is that really how you feel about me? About us?" Jason doesn't like the kid - after all Joker very kindly conditioned him to hate the absolute idea of Batman and the new Robin, and his first real encounter with the kid, he was trying to beat him up. But he's still a kid. He's younger than Jason himself. And if Batman were to simply discard him because the old Robin returned, that would have only proven the point that he saw them as soldiers, as weapons that could be easily replaced, discarded, forgotten. The fact that he is trying to tell Jason that he wants him in his life but at the same time won't let go of Tim is a bitter reassurance, but a reassurance nonetheless. It helps. He can hate the figure of Batman, of the tall, hulking, terrifying shadow that terrorizes criminals and abandoned him and punished him and...But the human side of Bruce... That was something the Joker didn't really manage to touch. Because he didn't know. "Of course, Jay. I didn't hire you for a job when I met you, did I? I adopted you. Because you are my son. You will always be my son." Jason swallows, the urge to cry growing stronger. He can feel his eyes watering. The mauled, rotten hole that occupies his chest clenches even more, and he has no idea what to do. He has a sudden urge to run away. His foot slides back. Bruce raises a hand, as if trying to reach for him. "Wait, please. Don't go, Jay.""I..." a sob escapes him. "I can't, Bruce, I'm sorry. I... I'm too fucked up. I'm too ruined. I'm not... I can't... I..."Years of stuffing his emotions deep down finally topple over. It would have been so much fucking easier to just be angry, face Batman while being angry, beat him up and vent his frustrations like that. Even if Batman killed him in the end. In fact... in fact, he realizes with a stab to his very soul, that was what he wanted. He knew he couldn't actually kill Batman - whenever he envisioned this moment, he always expected Batman to kill him. He's wanted to die ever since he came back to life. In fact, way before that, when he was still with the Joker and the man was peeling the very flesh from his bones. He wants to run before he starts full-on crying. Until a hand lands on his shoulder. "You're not. A horrible thing happened to you, and it affected you. But it didn't ruin you. I know you. You're a little bent, but never broken. Nothing can break you. Even if it did, I will always love you, Jason. You are my son. You will always, unconditionally, be my son." And Jason finally gives up. He falls to his knees, covers his face with his hands. Bruce falls with him, wraps him in a hug, shushes him. Holds him. .
"Poor, abandoned little bird."

Bones cracking. Screaming.

"That's it, sing for me. Maybe Batsy will hear and take some pity on you."

Something stabs at his thigh, reaches the bone and drags, down, down, until it is impaled in his calf. He can't help the desperate sobs, it hurts way too much.

"What am I saying, Batman would probably laugh! He'd share a few guffaws with his new little Robin."

Electricity runs through him. He writhes and contorts and screams, but it doesn't relent until he is inches away from passing out. But the bastard doesn't allow it.

"And the first one, too. They all hate you, my boy. Can't you see that? Someone who loves you wouldn't have replaced you so fast."

Another bone breaks, he starts pleading.

"Ah, poor little bird. But I'm afraid, this lesson is far from over. There's still so much more I want to teach you..."

"Please... please, no more," he can hear himself crying pitifully. "Please, st -" he's interrupted as electricity courses through him again, and he can't help screaming, his throat overused and raw.

"Don't you worry, little J. After I'm through with you, you won't even want to see Batman ever again." 
He wakes up with a start and a gasp. He looks around. He dozed off in the chair of the batcave. He must have been exhausted, he doesn't usually fall asleep like that. But then again, so many things have happened. He had finally agreed to let Bruce bring him to the manor. Alfred had cried, hugging him tightly, muttering, "my boy... my boy...", over and over again. It made Jason cry again, too. They had hugged for a really long time, Jason clinging to Alfred's coat, and Alfred's hand carding through his hair, in a way either of them hadn't done since he was very little. Alfred kept muttering loving words to him as Jason let tears slip on his shoulder. When he finally pulled back, Alfred put a hand on his face, and smiled at him. "Thank you for coming, young lad. You've made an old man unbelievably happy."And then, Barbara had walked in. Well... rolled in. It was horrifying, when she slowly and hesitatingly told him that while he was "away", the Joker had gotten to her, too. Had shot her and crippled her and... but Babs wasn't deterred by it. She hugged him tightly, also crying, and then animatedly told him that she was now Oracle, and was even more essential to Batman's operation than Batgirl ever was.They hugged for a long time.And finally, Bruce took him to his old room. It was the exact same. Nothing had been moved or touched, except, he suspected, to clean the dust because it was spotless.He couldn't believe... it was true. Bruce hadn't even changed his room.They took the bookcase passage to the Batcave, where a sleeping Dick was lying on the medical table. Tim was lying next to him, checking his vitals. Jason had sat heavily on the chair, "I can watch over him."They had agreed, to his surprise. And finally left him alone. And he had dozed off. He looks over at Dick, and starts as he realizes that his older brother is looking at him as well. "Hey, Little Wing.""How are you feeling?"Dick smiles widely, in the bright, innocent way only he knows how to do. "Is that a real question? I just got my little brother back."Jason huffs. "I'm not back."Dick shrugs. "You're here. That's enough for me." "Dick... I didn't intend to involve you in all of this." Dick rolls his eyes and sits up, wincing a little and grabbing his torso. "You didn't. I got careless.""How? How did you get this careless? Those guys are amateurs." Dick swallows a little, big blue eyes watering somewhat as he looks at Jason. "I had a nightmare about you. Couldn't keep my mind off it the whole day.""What?" Jason mutters, his heart weeping. "Jay, I - you're an asshole for pulling this out of me while I was drugged, mind you - but I meant every word I said. Every single one. You have no idea how much I've missed you.""Dick..." A sob catches in Dick's throat. "I meant every word I said."Jason gets up from the chair and slowly makes his way up to Dick. He leans down... and they wrap each other in their arms, their hug strong and warm and safe and... and everything Jason wanted while he was in Arkham. A gentle hand cards through Jason's hair again. Jason's tears stain Dick's bandages. "We'll figure it out, Little Wing. You'll never be alone again. We'll figure it out."It's terrifying to think about what will happen now. But for the first time in years, he feels safe. And he is finally home.