Chapter Text
Everything hurt.
His head most of all.
The voices around him drifted in and out, muffled as though someone had thrown a thick blanket over the entire room. Jason tried to follow them, but every time he caught hold of one sentence, the next slipped away before it could mean anything.
"...remove the inhibitor collar."
"No way."
Jason kept his eyes closed and tried to take stock of himself instead.
His wrists...
No.
Not his wrists.
His torso.
His legs.
Strapped to a chair.
"...not up for negotiation," a woman's voice insisted. "Hood's severely injured."
"He can heal like every normal human."
A scoff.
"There are traces of Lazarus water in his blood. He'll probably be fine by the end of the week with or without meta abilities."
Lazarus.
Jason's mind snagged on the word.
Right.
That.
"...did you find anything on him?"
"No. Nothing. Criminal databases, government records, Wayne's files..." Barry sounded genuinely baffled. "It's like this guy's a ghost."
Ghost.
There was something ironic about that.
He just couldn't figure out what.
"So why hide his identity?"
Something brushed against his hand.
His entire arm jerked before he could stop it.
A bandage.
Just someone replacing a bandage.
Someone cleared their throat.
"He's awake."
Hm?
What was Superman...?
Jason forced one eye open.
Instant regret.
The overhead lights drove spikes straight through his skull.
He squeezed it shut again, swallowing hard against the wave of nausea, before trying once more. Slowly this time.
Five familiar faces looked back at him.
The Justice League.
...
Oh.
He was Red Hood.
That explained the headache.
"Well..." Barry offered with an awkward smile. "At least we don't have to worry about the bomb anymore."
Clark stepped forward.
"Hood..." His voice was careful, almost hesitant. "You look younger than I expected."
Jason blinked.
"...Thanks?"
"No, I meant-"
"I got the compliment."
His eyes slid shut again.
Keeping them open was too much effort.
"...his body's young."
"...mind could be centuries old."
"There aren't many Lazarus Pits left."
"The League of Assassins still has one."
"So you think Hood works for Ra's al Ghul?"
Jason tried to follow the conversation.
Something about-
Ra's.
Pit.
Mind...
Then the thread slipped away.
"...recent exposure could explain his madness."
"Madness!"
The word left his mouth before he realized he'd spoken.
Five pairs of eyes had turned toward him.
"They might explain..." He lost the sentence halfway through it, the thought drifting somewhere out of reach.
Jason frowned harder, trying to grab it again.
"...not my methods."
No.
That wasn't it.
He swallowed.
"...Everything I've done..."
There.
"...was my own deliberate choice."
He wasn't letting them give the magic bath-tub all the credit for Red Hood's actions.
Nobody spoke for a moment.
Or maybe they had.
Jason couldn't really tell anymore.
"So..." Barry tilted his head. "Is the Lazarus Pit why your eyes are glowing?"
"My eyes aren't"
Jason stopped.
Green was blurring in the edges of his vision.
...
Shit.
Clark took one cautious step toward him before stopping himself.
"Hood."
His voice stayed frustratingly gentle.
"It's alright. There's nothing to be afraid of."
Something inside Jason snapped.
"I am not fucking afraid!"
The words exploded out of him.
Way too loud.
Pain lanced through his skull, making him squeeze his eyes shut.
He hadn't meant to yell.
Hadn't even meant to answer.
"You don't get to do that!"
His own voice sounded strangely distant now.
"You don't get to lock someone in a cell..."
Stop talking.
"...deny them medical treatment..."
Seriously.
Shut up.
"...and then stand there acting sorry for me!"
Jason's pulse hammered behind his eyes.
Why the hell had he said all of that?
Clark's face fell.
"He was denied medical treatment?"
"He is meta," Green Arrow answered without hesitation.
"So is Barry."
Jason's gaze fell on the speedster. His leg was bandaged.
Oliver didn't back down.
"Barry wouldn't have needed treatment if his healing worked normally."
Jason forced himself to focus.
Just a few simple words.
"I'm not a meta."
The room went still.
Clark looked back at him.
"...Come again?"
Jason swallowed.
Thinking hurt.
"I don't have powers."
The words came slowly, each one feeling heavier than the last.
"No healing factor either. I mean... the Pit might've... done something." Jason narrowed his eyes. "but it's practically nonexistent."
Clark didn't speak for a moment, eyes locked on Jason.
"...He's telling the truth."
…
What wasn't Jason lying about again?
The room when silent. Then a chair scraped across the floor, the sound sharp enough to make Jason's head throb.
"I know my apology cannot undo the harm we've put you through," Diana began, her voice quiet but unwavering. "But I am sincerely sorry our negligence, Red Hood."
Jason looked at her.
Or at least he thought he did.
The room drifted out of focus for a heartbeat before settling again.
Apology.
Right.
They were apologizing.
"Actions speak louder than words," he muttered. "I'd say letting me walk out of here would be a pretty good start."
Diana stepped closer reaching for the inhibitor collar.
Jason's shoulders tensed on instinct, but he forced himself to stay still. The lock clicked as the weight disappeared from around his neck.
Was it always that heavy?
Someone was talking.
He should probably listen.
"- not leaving the Watchtower."
His hand drifted to the irritated skin on his neck, rubbing at the raw marks without thinking.
Barry noticed.
Jason saw the speedster's eyes flick downward.
Like a kid caught with his hand in the cookie jar, Jason snatched his hand back to his side.
Fantastic.
Real intimidating, Red Hood.
Without a word, Diana unlocked the restraints around his wrists.
Jason rolled one shoulder experimentally. Unsurprisingly it hurt.
Barry was still watching him.
What was with this guy?
"...are you?"
Hm?
Jason stared at him confused.
The speedster rubbed the back of his neck.
"How old are you?"
How had they gotten there?
Weren't they talking about-
It doesn't matter.
"Didn't your mother teach you not to ask elders about their age?" Jason asked carefully.
"What's that answer?"
"What's that face?" Jason had forgotten what Barry was asking initially. "I'm not obligated to answer your questions."
An idea formed in his head.
"What?" Jason asked innocently. "You gonna torture me until I answer? Because that's pretty much what happened when you left me injured in a cell."
Barry looked as if someone had ran over his dog.
"Flash. That's enough." Diana nodded toward the door. "Hood needs medical attention first."
That should have ended it. But apparently Green Arrow couldn't keep his mouth shut to save his life.
"Pff. You probably can't even drink legally."
There were not much laws Red Hood hadn't broken and THAT was Oliver's damn problem?
"I am a fucking crime lord!" Jason snapped. "Do you seriously think illegal drinking, or anything illegal, for that matter, would be a problem to me?"
The room had gone quite.
Again.
The league was staring at Jason.
He stared back.
Was it something he said?
…
Shit.
The smooth-brained trust-fund baby had made him slip!
"...The hell?"
Green Lantern's eyebrows climbed higher.
"You don't even look out of school."
Honestly, Jason wasn't sure what exprssion had crossed his face, but apparently it had been enough for Hal.
"We've spent the last three days thinking Gotham's most dangerous crime lord was gonna murder us in our sleep..."
He looked Jason up and down and barked out a short laugh.
"...and you're just a rebellious teenager."
A teenager?!
Heat boiled behind his eyes. Familiar green taking over his vision.
The pounding in his skull eased, leaving the fog in his mind somehow thinner.
Before Jason could make sense of it Diana placed a hand on his back. It was supposed to be a reassuring gesture but it made Jason flinch.
She withdrew her hand without comment.
"Let's get you to medical."
Jason's jaw tightened as he forced himself up.
"Would you like assistance?" Superman offered "Medical is a long walk and you are not looking very good."
"Would you like me to embed my blades through your skull?" he asked sweetly. "Might sharpen your brain. It's looking pretty dull from where I'm standing."
"The offer stands," Clark replied brushing Hood's thread aside. "If you change your mind."
Jason looked away, taking a long calming breath.
Pain exploded through his ribs. His body folded slightly and before he can stop it, a quiet whine escaping him.
Nobody reacted.
The Justice League simply waited for him to straighten up, pretending they hadn't seen a thing. They believed it was kindness. Empathy, even. Letting him keep his dignity.
But Jason was Red Hood.
The man who built an empire with blood and bullets. His name that made criminals look over their shoulders.
The Justice League were supposed to fear him, not handle him with the kid gloves.