Archive of Our Own

Jason let his helmet fall on the bed unceremoniously, hissing a curse between gritted teeth when he discarded his gear and the new acquired wounds made his skin hurt with a burning sting.

He couldn't say whether the sensation's familiarity, the renowned dullness as he stared at injuries that would make most people pale in fear, was concerning or not.

It was supposedly a good thing in the field and yet it shouldn't be so easily addressed as an asset.

Rummaging through the pockets of his jacket, he snatched the crumpled package of cheap cigarettes and lit up one, walking toward the windowsill.

Dick had discovered plenty of his safe-houses, damn him to hell, but amusingly enough he had yet to find the one place he referred to as home.

Jason had made up many scenarios in his mind before the big reveal of his comeback but boy wonder was harder to read than he remembered, his reaction the most compelling over the whole family.

Given his actions he had expected Bruce's anger, a speech about how he needed help because the Pit had fucked up his mind, ultimately getting none.

What Dick had tried to do instead was talking to him, simple as that, proposing Jason multiple times to come home.

Jason at the time had tagged those attempt under the voice of yet another sack of bullshit because Dick's martyr complex wasn't anything new, the man having some sort of invisible shiny wings coming out of his ass, but the efforts never stopped.

Until a week ago, that is.

Whether golden boy was occupied with a long mission or if he got tired of his shit Jason didn't know, but the latter idea sort of left an acrid aftertaste behind.

Jason liked to have the first robin's attention focused on him, no matter if out of the hero worship he had nurtured since he was a scrawny kid or because of something new entirely.

So when the attempts suddenly came to a stop, Dick refraining from any kind of conversation when they crossed paths on patrol, Jason felt a pang of betrayal.

Deep inside down he knew he was the one at fault, bitching about the absence when Dick had tried so many times, but his hard head pushed rationality away to make room for bitterness.

It felt like they had abandoned him yet again.

During one of their little one sided chats on Dick's part, Jason had set loose some of said resentment, saying how much of an hypocrite Dick was. Singing all those candid words when he hadn't bothered to come at his damn funeral.

Later on he learned from Roy and Kory that not only Dick felt responsible for something―Jason had long since admitted―was out of his hands at his gravestone, the grief had struck him so much he broke into tears at the news of his demise in front of his old teammates.

The memory of pain flashing beneath Dick's white lenses at the accusation, which had worked as a mood booster until then, now only made something unpleasant crawl under his skin.

One last twirl of smoke into the air later, he threw the half used cigarette out the window, stepping in the bathroom to drown his thoughts with the warm water.

Under the stream his muscles relaxed immediately, fighting through the initial pain when his back stung once the water hit the cuts and scratches. After he assessed none of the injuries needed stitches or anything more than cleaning and rest, Jason toweled his hair and headed straight to bed.

Without bothering to put on anything more than a fresh pair of underwear, he flopped down the mattress and brought the covers up to his chin with a displeased grunt.

He would need to make a decision quick if he wanted to put an end to this pointless cat and mouse game, more for his own peace of mind than Dick's.

It was why the next morning he was standing outside of the BPD, flipping nervously a cigarette between two fingers. Being able to stay put without attracting attention, wearing normal civvies instead of combat gear for once, felt relaxing in a way.

It was early and yet Dick was already out somewhere, leaving Jason to stew under the sun, furiously thinking about what the hell he was supposed to say.

Hello, Dickhead, exactly where the fuck have you been? sounded whiny and dumb while I missed you chasing my ass down on rooftops was plain weird.

A car pulled near the station and a man Jason didn't know appeared out of the driving seat, a grinning Dick following suit, clearly exchanging some kind of funny conversation.

Jason felt the second Dick realized someone was watching him, shoulders stiffening slightly with tension enough for a trained eye to catch. He glanced his way casually, eyes widening when he spotted Jason.

His partner must have asked him something because Dick faced away, asking him to go in first with a practiced smile. The man frowned but said nothing, disappearing inside the station.

Dick ran across the street instantly.

Once they were inches away from one another, Dick's gaze roaming from the tip of his hair to the end of his shoes as if to immortalize every little detail, Jason's throat dried out painfully.

Both of them most likely looked dumb to those who were nosy enough to look, even though Jason was sure Dick had a fan club if not more than one, but the lump caught in his throat prevented him from saying a single word. Catching up with his distress, Dick grinned sideways.

“Came here to cause trouble when I can't kick your ass? That's cheap, Jay.”

There wasn't any real heat behind his words, if anything Dick was trying to light up the mood by giving Jason the perfect atmosphere to overcome his nerves. Alas by playing along.

“It would be too easy, not exactly my style” he said, biting down his lips to keep them from curling upwards.

He had a reputation to defend, thank you.

Dick didn't even try to suppress a chuckle but Jason noticed how fidgety he was, either out of his own share of anxiety or because he wanted to put his hands on Jason now that he couldn't threaten him with a gun to the head. The memory made a cold chill crawl down his spine, the thought of Dick wanting to hug like none of it had happened calming him.

A voice broke the feeble spell, Dick turning around to catch some other cop wave at him. Jason didn't bother to cover his glare from behind Dick's shoulder.

“Tonight, after patrol” Dick whispered hurriedly. “I'll be waiting.”

He didn't wait further, leaving Jason nothing to do but watch him as he walked inside the department without looking back.

When Jason dropped down the roof, Dick was sitting near one of the gargoyles with his legs dangling out in the null below. He smiled sheepishly at his arrival.

Only then did Jason notice the plastic bag laying just inches away, tensing up doltishly against his will.

Dick caught his gaze and slowly took hold of the bag, taking out a package of ice cream much to Jason's disbelief.

“Got your favorite” Dick said, putting the bag back down.

Of course golden boy would remember, but it still gave him an uncomfortable twinge.

“Eating ice cream on building's tops. What are we, little kids?”

Dick flinched behind his domino at the words but Jason didn't press him. He had neither the will nor the strength to keep up with the resentment charade.

He was still mad about lots of things, even with his mind clearer now, more accustomed with the Lazarus Pit's effects, but perhaps Dick was the only one who didn't deserve any of it.

So Jason dropped wordlessly near him, evading Dick's reactions by opening the ice cream pack in complete silence, settling it between them after he grabbed one of the spoons.

“Next time” Jason said, trying his best to keep his voice steady while the stupid flavor brought him flashbacks of better times. “Bring two instead of one. You have plenty of money to spend, Dickhead, so don't play scrooge.”

Dick laughed heartily, taking one big spoonful for himself.

“I would have, but it's kinda impossible to stall in line at a supermarket while you're wearing this.”

“Are you telling me you went and bought ice cream dressed like that?”

Jason failed to contain a gruff of laughter when Dick shrugged nonchalantly, hiding a big grin behind another taste of ice cream.

“And they say I'm the crazy one” Jason muttered. “Must have made quite the scene.”

Dick would for sure receive a call from Bruce in the morning, asking for an explanation once the photos―Jason was more than one hundred percent sure someone got at least one snap―of Nightwing buying Neapolitan ice cream at three in the morning hit the local news.

Jason knew, though, Bruce wouldn't stay mad long. He could be an awful drama queen at times but everything solved itself easily when the golden son was involved.

Still, the idea of Dick pissing Bruce on his behalf was amusing.

“I'll be right there in five.”

Jason tilted his head to face Dick in time to catch him press something near his domino, understanding by the choice of words either the demon spawn or Oracle had told him something.

“Minor incident, tugs trying to steal money” Dick told him. “I have to go but it was nice, Jay. I'll be sure to bring more next time.”

Jason followed Dick's gaze to the half eaten ice cream pack, using it as a distraction to stop from dwelling on next time.

Dick threw himself in the air, swinging gracefully between buildings before Jason could say anything.

Next time didn't happen before two weeks and given their situation, Jason wished it could have stalled further. He and Dick had been working together more frequently and hell if they didn't do it good.

The no killing rule hadn't made him all that happy at first, his moral compass whispering some people deserved a bullet without question, but he found a way to make it work.

Using non lethal bullets didn't feel as satisfying yet, but it was going in that direction.

That night one minimal miscalculation had brought the two of them hiding behind wooden crates, holding their rasping breaths as men armed up to their asses were scanning the warehouse to find them.

It wouldn't take much longer and they both knew it.

“These people must have seen too many movies. Who the heck needs that much ammunition?”

Jason spared Dick one swift glance, catching the tension lurking on his shoulders even from the distance separating them.

The lights were dim to the point of being almost non existent, acting as both a blessing and a curse.

It had bought them time, successfully sneaking past without being seen, but Jason couldn't know if Dick had come out unscathed from the early struggle or not.

A bullet had brushed past them, missing Dick's head by sheer luck, but after that Jason wasn't sure.

Running wasn't his style, not to mention the god forsaken days spent trying to plan this bust, but with his empty guns and only their remaining stamina to count on against way too many bullets there was little to do.

Cautious of making any sort of noise, Jason abandoned his position to reach Dick, dropping completely still to listen whether anyone had caught his movement. When no dreading shout came, he whispered.

“We have to move if we want a chance at surviving. They're dumb but there's not much left for them to look in and then it's game over.”

Dick inched his head upwards to peer from the crates, biting down his lips to suppress a curse.

“We wouldn't have had this problem if you had left me my bullets, boy wonder.”

It wasn't meant as an accusation, in fact it was a stupid tease to try and lighten up the mood a little. If Dick was on the verge of using a colorful vocabulary then things were really fucked.

“I sent O our coordinates but something is interfering with the signal, guess we can't count on back up anytime soon.”

Jason grimaced at the thought of Robin bursting to their rescue, harder if he imagined Bruce at his side, but pushed the idea away with a grunt.

“You okay to go?” he asked instead, putting back his guns inside their holsters.

Dick nodded after a beat too long for Jason's likings but there wasn't time to waste.

With a jerk of chin, he motioned Dick to follow close, starting to shift behind crate after crate, ears alert for the surrounding noises. He startled backwards when he heard a muffled thud at his back, halfway through smacking someone with his useless gun before he spotted Dick dropping a body to the ground, a finger to his lips to make Jason keep quiet.

Jason managed to do as told, hoping the unconscious son of a bitch wouldn't attract attention too quickly.

Obviously lady luck loved to take a dump on Jason's breakfast because out of nowhere someone started shouting and everything was royally fucked.

“Run for the exit and don't stop for any reason” Dick shouted, urging Jason forward with a hard shove. “I'll cover your six.”

Jason had little time to shout something back before another wave of bullets started flying at their direction, passing through the wooden crates like a knife would with butter. He ducked his head as low as possible, cursing colorfully without restraints, throwing punches when needed and feeling too conscious of the idiot trailing behind him.

“Keep up, Wing! I won't drag your sorry ass if they take a lucky hit.”

The bastard actually laughed at that after a couple of heavy pants.

“Good thing I can still walk straight then” he rasped. “But I think the cavalry is here.”

As soon as Dick finished saying that both Robin and Red Robin broke through the ceiling, scattering pieces of glass all over the warehouse. In a blur the drug dealers dropped one by one on the ground in a mingle of strained screams, unconscious and ready to be put in a cell.

The moment his so called brothers appeared in sight, Jason felt the need to run for the door and wrap up the night, only Dick stopped him from fleeing by putting one arm around his shoulder.

“We did it, Little wing. Make quite the team, don't we?”

Jason let out an irritated grunt, managing to digest the old nickname without giving Dick the reaction he knew he was expecting in front of everyone.

“The police will be here shortly, I'm glad you're okay” Tim smiled, jerking to the side when Damian barreled through.

“Grayson, I expect better than seeing you outnumbered like that” he said with false heat, stopping. “You're hurt.”

Jason picked up the words immediately, eyes dropping where Damian was pointing only to notice blood gliding down from a sharp cut on Dick's side. Jason had noticed how he had been dropping drop weight on him through the loose one sided hug, swatting the thought away as Dick being Dick. The usual clingy idiot.

“Yeah, apparently they had other weapons other than their stupid infinite ammo” Dick slurred, wincing when Damian poked his hurt side to shush him.

“Take him home, I'll deal with the police.”

Both Damian and Dick nodded, the latter a little more dizzily, and Jason ended in the middle of an uncomfortable mental struggle. Dick patted him on the head, a lopsided smile on his lips.

“I'll see you around, Hood.”

It came out as a question rather than an affirmation, so Jason assured him by returning the smile.

For the umpteenth time Dick walked away without Jason being able to utter a word, shouting out only after Damian when he heard the demon spawn mutter.

“Next time ask me to be your partner, since Todd did such a stellar job.”

Dick huffed a laugh, shutting the kid up by saying how the proposal touched him, calling Damian jealous.

Jason smirked.

The next time he met any family members happened after one long mission spent alongside Kory and Roy, dragging himself home with the dreamy image of his bed waiting for him only to discover Tim standing at his apartment's door.

“Why and how the hell did you find this place?”

Tim startled at his arrival, making Jason arch one brow in confusion. People did like to tag Tim as the calm and at times clumsy one of the family, but everyone knew it wasn't exactly true. He was a Robin too, after all, so the reaction sent a bell of alert chiming.

“You know that Dick is aware of where you live, right? You shouldn't be so surprised.”

“Are you here to drop the dates for your amazing upcoming comedy show or there's a reason valid enough preventing me from shutting the door in front of your face?”

Tim bit down his lower lip, lifting his back from the wall behind him.

“It's about Dick” he said. “He's gone missing.”

Jason snorted.

“Nice one, asshole, what―”

“He went back to the 'Haven, disappeared during patrol almost a week ago” Tim pressed forward. “At first I thought he was hurt, maybe you had took him to one of your safe-houses, but Babs told me you were overseas.”

Jason stalled a second more, glaring at his younger brother in search of some sort of dry humor staining his words without finding any.

“Maybe he decided to stick it up Bruce's ass and disappear from the radar for a while” Jason said, halfway inside his apartment. He didn't say anything when Tim followed with a frustrated sigh, knowing full well Jason didn't believe his own words.

“Jason.”

“I know, alright?” Jason spat back, throwing his bag full of dirty gear on the floor. “Just tell me the details. Did Barbara find anything at all?”

Tim explained Dick had stopped at Gotham for a while before returning to Bludhaven, Cass keeping an eye there while he spent some time home, cutting the trip short after she told him something was happening in the city. Damian―Jason had no trouble believing that― had volunteered to partner up with him, said Dick could use the help after he got stabbed under Jason's watch that one time.

“The little shit just missed his Grayson” Tim mocked with a smile, closing his eyes. “I almost wish he had, then maybe this wouldn't have happened.”

“Or they'd both be missing. They got Dick, that's saying something.”

Tim grimaced at the new scenario, pretending to watch outside the window to distract himself. Meanwhile Jason was already filling a second bag with spare weapons and tools, pondering whether he should ask Roy for help or not given his and Dick's past. Sending the lump stuck in his throat down, Jason asked.

“What about the old man? How's he holding up?”

Tim didn't need to confirm his thoughts, easily picturing Bruce flying around both the Haven and Gotham to search for his prodigal son, which surprisingly didn't sting much. Too much time spent with one annoying pain in the ass made him like that.

“He and Damian are searching for leads non stop, but they haven't found anything so far. That's why I thought I should ask you, another pair of hands would help.”

Jason faced the younger man, trying not to look pained when he caught the hesitation between the words.

Did he think Jason wouldn't help? Did they all think that?

“Don't worry. I'll find his sorry ass and make him apologize for the trouble he caused” he said, settling the bag to the side. “Grab a glass of water. You look like you might faint any second now.”

Tim offered a small smile and a silent thank you but Jason's mind was already elsewhere.

When they disclosed the so called Court of Owls and its origins, Jason could tell Bruce was deeply bothered by the discovery. Half because of what it meant for Dick, half because only thinking about their training techniques made the hair on the back of his neck stand out immediately.

Jason had the chance to visit Haley's in the past with his old man, being allowed to act like a brat without a care in the world as he watched the Flying Graysons twirl in the air like gravity didn't affect them in the slightest. He wondered whether Dick got to hear the whole story before they got to him. Jason hoped not.

In the past he would have loved an excuse to overstep his boundaries and use a little more violence to let out some steam, now though these damn creeps were proving to be an annoyance rather than a fun playtime.

“What the hell are they? Some freak vampires?”

“They won't be able to regenerate if we destroy the bodies. Burn them!”

After weeks of casual encounters with new founded assassins, they had located one of the Court's main hiding spots and were dangerously slowly making their way there. The bastards must have noticed too, popping out of every single corner at incredible speed.

At first Jason followed Tim's advice and made sure to stop the assholes from getting back on their feet, but it was an unending process and he'd rather take a run for it whilst broken bones snapped back in place.

“Do you have a death wish, Hood?” Damian hissed from the comm. “You can't possibly think to go inside alone.”

Jason stopped to put down one more bastard, breaking the assassin's neck with a satisfied grunt.

“Been there, done that. I don't miss the grave that much, yet.”

Normally Damian would have shouted a second remark but he knew as much as Jason did that they had to move fast if they wanted a slim chance of finding Dick.

Was it even possible thought?

Dick was the first Robin, not too mention he would try to endure hell out of his damn loyalty to Bruce, but more than a month had already passed. Thinking of surviving a month of that made his throat fill with bile.

A shadow appeared at his side, Jason recoiling fast enough to stop before he hit Bruce square in the cowl.

“Let's move.”

Jason looked one last time at the pile of burning bodies left behind, doing quick math to guess how many of those left on the ground would come for them.

Wondering if killing walking corpses counted as killing at all to Bruce. Their relationship was still tense to say the least but Jason noted with a hint of pride he hadn't spoken out loud a single bitter bomb.

If it did count as killing, would Bruce―not Batman―have started wreaking havoc for him too?

In the past his head would have told him no but Dick gave him the last piece of the puzzle to put his mind at ease.

He was devastated, he had said, to the point where not even me and Alfred could recognize him.

The memory was more relevant than ever because he had studied Bruce carefully these past weeks, both fascinated and intimidated by how much emotion the man could master in one single glare now that Dick of all people was missing.

You better be fine, Jason thought with an hint of uneasiness, I'd rather be inside the grave than watch him mourn.

They were still walking toward the tower, the building looming with a newfound eerie aura in the night, when a loud explosion startled them. Jason heard Tim muffle a gasp but whatever he was about to say got swallowed by a second, then a third explosion in fast succession.

Damian shouted something in outrage, the pained sound making Jason take a step back, watching the Court's base light up like a torch drenched with gasoline. After the shock settled in only to make space for adrenaline, he took a running start but got only a few steps ahead before hands started to drag him back forcefully.

“We need to go there and check” Jason shouted with wide eyes, realizing Bruce was the one holding him back. “He might―”

“It's over, Jason.”

“No, it's not! You're the damn Bat, you can do anything right?”

The words sounded like a child throwing a fit to Jason own ears, acquiring an uncharacteristic edge. His eyes darted back to the tower when it creaked loudly, threatening to bend and fall.

Sounds of police cars and firefighters' trucks resonated clearly down the street, signaling they would be there soon to investigate.

Jason failed to struggle further from Bruce's grip, the gush of adrenaline draining down, leaving his limbs too heavy and too light at the same time.

“I'm sorry, Jason.”

This time he didn't fight when Bruce dragged him away to go back to the manor, blaming the sting burning at the back of his eyes on the heat emanating from the fire.

Jason soon learned Damian's way of mourning wasn't as different from his own, both of them spending the following days clearing out the remains of the Court to overlook the grave weight set on the manor.

The police had labeled the case as an incident, old wires provoking the igniting spark that settled some abandoned containers on fire, but Gordon had dropped by both to say it was in fact a carefully planned event and to offer his condolences.

Jason knew Gordon had high respect for Dick, both in and outside the field, but he couldn't bear to witness anymore grief stricken faces. Bruce had still to break the news to Dick's friends and acquaintances, he liked to think it was because the man hadn't given up yet rather than out of his inability of dealing with emotional situations.

“We haven't found anything. It's a severed lead, he's still somewhere.”

Damian was stubbornly convinced of it and it was both good and bad. Tim was on the same boat but he was also preparing for the harsh truth to sink. Jason himself was still searching for new leads, during and out of patrol, focusing more on who may have wanted to hit the Court directly.

The explosive used gave nothing away, common C4 in concentrated quantities meant to do a quick and clean job, letting him with maybes and what ifs about possible motives.

They didn't know whether their target had engaged combat before causing the combustion or not, since most of the Court perished because of the fire itself.

“Thinking about possible culprits itself is tricky. We're talking about boy hostage, after all.”

Jason smiled thinly at Roy, letting his shoulders relax while the red head earned a smack on the head from Kory. They weren't supposed to know but it felt right to tell them, not to mention Jason could use some help in case something new came up. He was glad the Titans were scattered all over the country, Jason could deal with so many mournful looks before snapping.

Roy's relationship with Dick had changed during the years, doing a complete one-eighty, but as soon as he broke down the news the man didn't think twice before offering to help.

“That asshole can't disappear before I give him an earful” he said with a mirthless smile. “He owns me an apology as much as I own him one.”

“I've never got the chance to speak with him again either” Kory said softly, to which Jason gave a confused look. “I accused him of something awful once, said atrocious things before I could stop myself. I need him to know it wasn't his fault.”

Jason didn't push the matter for now, checking papers while Kory suppress a sniffle, Roy trying to soothe her with a hand on her back. Later that night, after they parted ways to the promise of reporting back the next day, Jason decided to pay Barbara a long overdue visit.

As soon as Jason stepped inside her headquarters, she greeted him with a tired but genuine smile.

Jason wasted no time before walking closer, dropping to his knees when her arms reached out to engulf him in an embrace.

“It's good to see you, boy wonder” she said, hugging tighter when Jason let out one heavy breathe. “I know, I know.”

When they parted Barbara offered him one reassuring smile, seeing the flash of embarrassment a mile away. She pointed to one of the available seats, bringing her wheelchair forward while he sat down.

Jason's resentment toward the family may have disappeared almost completely, but the psychopath who had ruined his and Babs' life still held high priority in his list.

“I take you wanted to talk about the case since you're still so flustered around me” Barbara said with a grin, betraying the quavering behind her eyes every time she had to address Dick's absence as a case.

Barbara and Dick may have put an end to their relationship but they still loved each other dearly. Maybe not like lovers anymore but they would travel any length at any given time if the other needed help.

Dick fell in love with people hard, keeping good relationships after breakups, and those who fell for him would also keep sensing the mutual connection go on as time passed all the same.

Jason pushed the thought away before he could reach his own growing relationship with Dick―Jason hoped it would still grow, forcing himself to believe the chance was still there―nodding to Barbara's question.

“I checked the leads the family found, I even involved Roy and Kory, but with the ending of the court there's nothing left for me to look into.”

“I was doing a research just before you called” Barbara said. “I'm not sure it's going to bring anything new up, but I thought it was better than nothing.”

Jason's morale raised instantly, standing up to follow her toward the monitors when she pointed there.

“The MO used to take down the Court was so simple to the point of being too simple. At first I discarded any ideas of a possible special culprit, maybe we weren't the only ones who wanted the Court down, but I decided to follow your idea and did a scan of our late crime acquaintances to see if any of them were in the area that night” she pointed at a screen to the top right. “Dismissed any of those who would have asked for either a ransom or an appearance of the Bat himself.”

Jason caught immediately the picture of the clown, keeping a straight face as Barbara continued. The Joker was in Arkham, at least that's what everyone believed, but seeing her put him on the list nonetheless was sickeningly reassuring, meaning she believed the freak show had means to drop out whenever he pleased like Jason feared.

Thankfully he didn't seem involved, solely thinking about what happened to him so many years ago being emulated on Dick sent a dreadful chill down his spine.

“I'm tracking down the position of those who were focused on Dick rather than the full spectrum. The idiot got himself quite the fan club.”

Jason huffed a laugh.

“I'd say the eye catcher is his personality but that damn spandex doesn't help him to lay low.”

Barbara couldn't hold in a snort of her own, the happy noise making Jason smile.

“He always said it was because of its practicability but, truthfully, I think he enjoys being a big show off” Barbara chuckled, stopping typing only to give Jason a knowing look.

“Always jumping ass first into danger” he added with a grin. “Practicability, sure.”

Barbara lifted her eyes from the monitors, peering at Jason behind her glasses.

“Interesting” she muttered to herself with a smile, going back to her keyboard.

Jason was going to ask her what she meant, but then one of the screens beeped twice in rapid succession and the words died in his throat. Barbara put the other scans in the background, bringing that particular screen to be shown on the main one with a swipe of fingers. She cussed silently before he could see the name pop on the screen.

“It's him” she said. “It's Slade.”

Slade Wilson was perhaps one of Dick's oldest foes and yet they had developed a weird kind of relationship. Jason had worked with the mercenary once, but the latter seemed to pop up out of nowhere frequently when it came to Dick. Pure rivalry melted into a form of respect on Slade's part, Dick letting the man go by buying his contracts instead of relaying on combat more than once, settling matters faster when needed.

Even the brat had started to use his brother's method, splurging the family's money to send the dog back inside his cage.

Now though, Jason guessed easily, the man didn't want nor need any amount of cash. Slade wasn't one to play around, to joke or waste time during work, but he sure as hell would have dropped a hint or two to make the big bad bat know he had snatched away something of his.

Instead, the man had flew the city the same night of the fire, leaving no mocking tokens behind.

“He took a private plane that same night” Barbara said without looking away from her work. “I'm sure he left the country but I'll need another couple minutes to tell you where exactly.”

Jason took that time to give Roy a call, saying he had a new lead and asking if he wanted to take the risk or not. Jason was sure he wanted to but the last thing he wanted was force him when it meant leaving Lian for a while.

“Of course, Jaybird. I'll join in” he said, letting Jason hear shuffling from the other side of the line and a zipper getting pulled open. “I'll ask Kory to keep watch here. Lian likes her and we may need someone out in case of backup.”

Jason hummed curtly, pondering to who and whether he wanted to ask for further help. He needed to attract less attention as possible, to stay out of Slade's radar, plus it wasn't possible yet to know if the man's relation to the disappearance wasn't only a series of fucked coincidences.

Still, the bats would be onto him instantly once they found out.

Damian would call for his head and god, his relationship with Bruce was already as bad as it could get.

The screen beeped again to signal the end of the research, Barbara turning around with a satisfied smile to show him the itinerary.

“I can't say it's one hundred percent bulletproof, but given the trajectory I'd say it's pretty close” she said. “Now, who do you want me to inform, boy miracle?”

Jason clicked his tongue in annoyance, preparing himself for the shit show of a lifetime.

The Emirates, damn fantastic.

“You know my answer would be no one, but this isn't about me” he said, wetting his lips. “Tell the family and see what they want to do. I can't do more than that.”

Barbara smiled softly at him before sending the news to the manor. She moved to face him again afterwards, squeezing Jason's hands with her own.

“I know it could be a coincidence for all we know, but―”

“If he's there, I'll bring him back” Jason interrupted her. “Don't worry, seeing you punch the shit out of him once we're done it's going to be more than enough of a payment.”

Barbara caught the faint effort but didn't call him out, offering the resemblance of a smile in return.

“Oh, you can count on that.”

Jason didn't have to wait even half an hour before a response reached them, leaping through buildings to finally drop at the designed meeting place. He didn't question the possibility of Bruce not providing him a vehicle to pursue his plan but he wished they would have let him do it his way, alone.

Instead there were two figures waiting for him on top of the tower―soon to be three once Roy reached them―recognizing immediately Damian and Cassandra.

Jason laughed with only a tip of malevolence.

“Daddy bat too busy, uh?”

“Father will reach us if needed” Damian promptly answered. “Drake wanted to come as well but we need to patrol both Gotham and Bludhaven.”

From the clipped tone of his voice Jason understood Tim wasn't there out of Bruce's orders, Damian's little slip of temper toward his father making a grin appear on his lips.

“Don't worry, brat. If everything goes accordingly, you will mock Tim until the end of days for bringing Dick back without him.”

Damian's eyes lighten up instantly at the idea, a matching grin splitting his face. Jason smiled to Cass, who nodded back in response.

“Let's go.”

After spending sixteen hours under the glares of one pissed Robin―Roy's presence being his problem― Jason sagged in relief when they reached their destination. He was frustrated, an headache threatening to wrench his brains any second now, and the weather was so different from Gotham's Jason feared they had landed beneath the devil's armpits.

It was a good thing to have Cass and the brat along because otherwise he and Roy would have had to roam endlessly to find a good place to stay before starting the search. Instead Jason let Cass take the lead and soon enough they were standing in one of the city's hotels.

“Our only lead on Slade ends in this city” Cassandra said. “Based on old intel Barbara found, he has a couple of clients lurking around so the best thing to do is split out and investigate.”

No one objected but the plan could backfire spectacularly if something went wrong, they all knew it.

“Also, I fear we may need to buy some proper clothing or else it will be hard to merge with the crowd. We already stick out too much as it is.”

Jason snorted loudly.

“Sure, but you're in charge of the shopping for the brat. Roy and I are fine on our own.”

“Todd―”

“Come on, Damian. We'll be quick so we can start the preparations for tonight.”

Damian was still glaring sharply at Jason but he stopped himself from doing anything else, following Cassandra outside.

“You're lucky Cain is here, Todd” Damian said. “You're not my priority.”

Roy flinched when he slammed the door shut strongly enough they would surely get complains from other visitors, pictures shaking on the walls.

“You should lay low with him, Jay. He may be a Wayne but he's still a kid. Plus even I know how attached he is to Dick.”

“Aren't we all?” Jason muttered to himself. “Let's get out of here before they come back. I own Cass one after today.”

In the end that night Cassandra and Damian took one target while he and Roy went to search for the other. The comm stayed silent, signaling things were proceeding smoothly, Jason following Roy nonchalantly as they made their way toward the desert.

Their new clothes made them look more like secondhand tourists than anything, blending good enough with the crowd as they walked.

Thankfully for him, Cassandra went after the target hiding in the city, choice Damian didn't object with since it meant buying clothes much like his father's gala ones rather than thin shirts and loose cargo pants.

Walking in civvies unsettled Jason, making him feel naked against attempts of attack, but his helmet not only would have brought too much attention, it would have also made his brain fry like an egg.

Roy seemed to take the change quite good instead, the stupid hat he wore to hide his hair flipped around to make him look like a dumb teenager.

“I see our man but no sign of the target. Me and Damian are going to investigate, over.”

Jason was tempted to tell Cass to be wary and in alert but thought better. It was Cassandra after all. He was more scared of Damian blowing the cover if they spotted Slade out of an emotional burst of his.

“I found our vehicles, darling.”

Roy hid his amusement behind one stoic expression, leaving Jason with the desire to kick his ass back to the plane once his eyes settled on the camels he was pointing to. Catching his drift, Roy added.

“It's either stealing a couple of those from that old man and traveling silently or getting a tourists' jeep and pray Slade and his buddies became deaf as grandpas. Your pick, Jaybird.”

Jason cussed under his breath, planning how to pass by the elderly without him noticing.

“Stop sounding so excited about the idea of getting on one of those stinking beasts, it's giving me the creeps.”

Roy in all response started laughing, muffling it with one hand.

After what felt like an eternity, Roy stopped advancing to point north with a jerk of his chin.

Jason squinted hard to catch the dim, barely visible glimmer emitting from behind one dune, thankful for Roy's sharp vision more than ever. Nodding swiftly, Jason motioned Roy to follow.

At first he thought about leaving the camels behind but thought better, deciding two already suspicious people dropping by on feet would probably catch more attention.

The area was prepared like the markets they had encountered at the city's borders but instead of locals and clumsy tourists chiming around the place was deadly silent, except for the murmuring coming from the many tents.

“Marvelous” Roy grunted. “How do we search for the old man without checking each single one of those?”

“That's not our only issue. If that bastard really is here, it means this place is like a goddamn lobby for mercenaries and their clients. Blasting inside uninvited when they're talking business isn't something you would want to do.”

“Then what, oh clever savior?”

“You shut up and get those eyes of yours on the job, Legolas” Jason said, scanning the area one last time before making his decision. “I'll sneak around to see if I hear anything, meanwhile you sit like a good boy and guide me through in case someone pops out of my line of sight.”

Jason dropped down the dune without any further explaining, knowing Roy would follow his orders in dire times like these without complaining.

It wasn't the best of plans, sneaking behind tents without making a sound―something he had learned long before his Robin days―without having a following course of action if he did find Slade.

Blowing their precarious cover wasn't an option, nor could he think Slade would decide to settle things equally if Jason did decide to take his chances and confront him. He stilled his movements when Roy told him someone was exiting the tent he was about to check next, giving the clear a couple seconds later.

When his ears caught English instead of Arabic, Jason's heartbeat speed up with anticipation.

You can't be sure, he told himself, there might be more international mercenaries around.

But then he heard a familiar and annoying chuckle, immediately associating it with Slade's wrinkling mug.

Jason, a very frustrated, angry and way too overheated Jason, said fuck to his judgment and circled the tent to barge inside, both guns in hand.

“I was beginning to wonder if you had fallen asleep out there, kid.”

Slade wasn't wearing his usual heavy battle garments, looking falsely innocuous in nothing but a pair of brown trousers and a white shirt, his eye patch sticking out more than usual now that his hair was pulled in a loose ponytail.

Resting the goblet he was holding on a nearby table, Slade tilted his head just enough to acknowledge Jason without getting up from his cushioned seat.

“What brings you here? Decided to pay daddy goodbye and join the field?”

Jason stepped forward, pointing the barrels of his guns straight to the man's temples.

“Cut the bullshit, you know why I'm here.”

Slade, much to Jason's irritation, barely hid a smile before reaching for his cup again, taking a sip of wine.

“I think you want to put down your toys, kid” he said. “Wouldn't want to hurt your friend now, would we?”

Jason turned around on a whim in time to see someone drop Roy's unconscious body on the ground, feeling Slade take his weaponry at his back without any real force. To mock, tempt him.

Jason let him, cursing without a filter inside his mind.

“Good job, as usual.”

“Did you have any doubts?”

Jason choked on air at the sound, forcing his limbs to move and reach out for the source of that voice.

It was incredible how the raven had managed to not change after everything he must have been through and yet appear as a completely different person at the same time.

On the outside it was Dick, the sight making something break inside Jason, but the usual warmth coloring his irises had been replaced by a cold, unfamiliar spark.

The scars adorning his body―some of which Jason categorized as new with a pit of dread―were on public display since the only garments covering his skin were a pair of blue pants made of a fabric so light it was slightly transparent, leaving his chest stark naked if not for two intricate adornment golden chains. They were linked at the neck with a collar resembling an owl, its feathers composing the jewel's body, intersecting on his chest before draping over his arms and back.

“The things you can do when people believe looks define one's self” Slade said, going back to his seat with Dick at his side. “No one in this camp realizes a lethal threat hides in plane sight.”

Dick hissed something under his breath at the praise, settling near Slade with sleek elegance without lifting his eyes from Jason. The man was looking at him as if Jason was a prey about to be slaughtered, making his state of mind crumble with a simple look.

“Dick?” he choked out, breath hitching when the latter shuddered as if the name physically hurt him. He turned to face Slade, not caring about the absence of his weapons. “What have you done to him?”

“Me? I did what you and your family couldn't do. Found him and freed him, that's it. They got quite the time to play because of you, but I fixed your mistakes before they could turn him completely.”

Jason did in fact notice the absence of the owls' inhuman complexion, their blue veins missing from Dick's sun kissed skin, leaving him something to feel good about. He only wished Slade's jab wouldn't have affected him as much.

“We where there, so close, but you bombed the place and fucked everything up for your own gain.”

Roy started groaning, slowly regaining consciousness. Jason took his chances, crouching closer to him while mending the eyes settled on his back. As soon as he finished helping Roy stand in a sitting position, his eyes still closed, Jason bit back a wince when Dick chuckled bitterly.

“Him? Oh no, I did that myself. He only provided the right toys.”

Before the new piece of news could fully set down, an horn blasted loudly outside the tent.

“We have to move, someone must have found the bodies” Dick said, getting to his feet alongside Slade. He switched his gaze to Jason, a sharp smile on his lips. “It was nice meeting you, pretty bird.”

Dick covered his face with a veil while Slade collected a duffel bag, skillfully taking the ammo out of Jason's guns before dropping them at his feet.

Roy burst to his feet the second Dick disappeared outside, Jason hearing him calling out with a clipped shout. He followed only to find Dick holding a knife to Roy's throat, the latter blocking the blade with one hand.

“It's me, Dick, Roy. Come on, bud, we've known each other for years.”

Dick cocked his head sideways, studying Roy with sharp eyes.

“Talon” called Slade, addressing Dick. “Time's up.”

Jason glared at the appellative, wishing he had packed more weaponry other than his guns, maybe things could have gone slightly differently. Still, Dick continued to defy Slade's command to square Roy's face inquisitively. Something akin to recognition flashed behind his eyes for a second, immediately disappearing when Dick closed his eyes with a hiss of pain.

“Talon” repeated Slade, more urgent.

Dick withdrew the knife back, using Roy's moment of surprise to get a hold of his neck and throw him on the ground hard, knocking the air out of his lungs.

“Back to Lian” he whispered, silent enough only for him and Jason to hear.

Then the first wave of bullets rang out, Jason dragging Roy away after one last regretful look at Dick's retreating back.

Damian refused to speak a word to him after the small report, having shouted all his frustration during the first hour of the flight. Slade and Dick had already flew the country by the time they reached their hotel.

Cassandra explained the party they had infiltrated proved to be nothing more than a good lead to leak to the local forces, no sightseeing of Slade.

Jason didn't initially know how to break the news, mostly to Damian, deciding to pull the tooth with one quick pull rather than picking his words carefully. Of course it didn't go well, Damian knowing Jason wouldn't make up a lie like that to mock him out of spite, a mix of anger and something very alike fear settling in his face.

“And you let him go? Can't pull any tricks without your guns, Todd?”

Jason took a deep breath, trying to keep his calm.

“Roy was down and I'm pretty sure Dick wanted to plunge a knife in my neck.”

“Grayson would never―”

“That wasn't him, Damian!”

Damian's mouth dropped shut, storming to the other side of the plane without sparing Jason another glance. Roy sighed loudly, getting up from his seat.

“Pray he doesn't eat my head, I'm sure he already hates me for not helping back there” he said. “Plus, you don't really believe that.”

Roy walked to take a seat next to Damian, raising his arms up in a sign of peace before sitting down. Jason couldn't make up the exact words since Roy was whispering, probably to give Damian a sense of privacy, but the moment the kid's tight expression softened imperceptibly he understood Roy had told him about Lian's mention.

Jason left them alone, gazing at Cassandra only to find her deep in thought. They didn't get to spend much time together for various reasons but Jason knew how skilled and analytical she was on the field. Not too mention Dick had become someone important to her as well, a brotherly figure to count on.

“Was he like the rest of them? The owls?” she asked softly, lifting her eyes from the small window.

“I think they messed up with his mind badly enough, he didn't recognize us” Jason smiled thinly. “But otherwise he looked the same, no apparent body manipulations.”

“That's good” she said. “We can still fix this, then.”

Jason wanted desperately to believe that.

Getting back at the manor was already hard enough, being the messenger of bad news, but it got even worse when Alfred opened the door and the butler's eyes lightened up instantly, only to dim once he took a look at Jason's face.

“Master Jason, welcome home.”

Jason downed back the lump at his throat, smiling tightly before Damian barreled past him after he muttered a quick salute to Alfred.

“Thanks, Alf.”

He had dropped Roy to his place before coming back home, seeing a falsely cheerful Kory as well. Meanwhile Cassandra had sneaked away, only telling him something undefined and cryptic about people to talk to and researches to do before disappearing like Bruce would.

Jason almost wanted to tell her to forget about what happened, more and more inclined to settle businesses alone now that things were taking an awful turn.

“I take it you want to talk with Master Bruce?”

“Yeah. Is Tim around?”

“Master Tim is away for a mission but should return in a couple days.”

Good, one less person to disappoint.

Bruce was impassible as marble while he listened to the report, Jason understanding the man was paying attention thanks to minimal shifts of his stance.

Coming back empty handed was proof enough but Jason felt a pang of warmth when Bruce greeted his comeback with a thin but sincere smile, only to go back to his stoic self when he learned what had happened to his son. Everyone knew Bruce held Dick dearly among all of his wards but no one took it personally, knowing there wasn't malice behind it. The two shared a different kind of bond, born out of similar tragedies and many years of mutual trust and respect.

Perhaps knowing his son was resting six feet under would have been better than having Dick follow Slade on his crusades, happy memories of their family completely forgotten.

“He looked fine but the Court had him long enough to do damage. He did recognize Roy for a second but I can't tell if he's really still there, he didn't know who I was.”

Bruce kept silent, overthinking each small piece of information without muttering a word. After a while, he said.

“What do you think we should do?”

“What do you mean?”

“Do you believe there's something for us to do or is Dick a threat we need to deal with?”

“A threat we need to deal with?” Jason repeated incredulously. “Are you fucking telling me you're thinking of putting down your son?”

Bruce's gaze became tight, almost angry, as he got up from his seat. For a second Jason thought he was about to stalk closer to throw him out, instead Bruce started pacing near the window.

“If he's really gone, then yes” he said. “I'll take the burden and let my son to rest in peace. Not to mention that if he is still there he won't survive the guilt if Wilson really made him kill.”

It was Jason who walked closer at that point, feeling pissed.

“Don't play bullshit with me” he hissed. “Everyone knows about your moral compass, but we both know it can waver when Richard is involved.”

Jason felt a spark of pride swell inside his heart at the sight of Bruce dropping his mouth shut.

“It's true, Dick would feel guilty even for shit he couldn't help, but I'd rather tell him otherwise each single day than letting you kill him because you didn't want to deal with it.”

Jason realized he had been shouting only when he stopped speaking, taking a few deep breaths to calm down, gazing at Bruce with wide eyes.

Bruce stared back, visibly taken by surprise by the sudden outburst. It wasn't the first time Jason had raised his voice with him―nor will it be the last―but it felt different this time.

There was an apology on the tip of his tongue, feeling like he had overstepped some unspoken boundary which concerned only Dick and Bruce, but the latter let out a suspire and Jason felt the fatigue and anxiety seep through it.

“We'll go after Slade and bring Dick home” he murmured. “We'll figure out the rest once he's safe. Whatever that might mean for everyone, myself included.”

Soft knocking coming from the door interrupted them, Alfred appearing with a gentle smile and a steaming tray of tea and a fresh batch of pastries.

“I thought it would do both of you some good to relax with something warm, sirs.”

Jason huffed a laugh, thinking the last thing he wanted after all the infernal heat they had to deal with was a burning cup of tea, but he thanked the butler genuinely anyway.

“I didn't mean to eavesdrop your conversation and I apologize for that, but, if I may, I'm glad you've chosen to listen to Master Jason's suggestion, sir.”

Alfred excused himself, going back outside not before he assessed with a smile Bruce's knowing chuckle.

“You don't deserve Alfred, just saying” Jason pointed out without malice, knowing Alfred missed Dick as dearly as Bruce. “Give him a break, won't you?”

Jason grimaced when Bruce offered him a full smile, body shuddering thanks to the contrast of his usual demeanor and his Wayne grin.

“I tried many times to propose a vacation but he always denied the offer, saying I should take one in his stead. He enjoys his job too much, settling for the elderly life is not a wish of his yet.”

Bruce took his cup, savoring the tea, Jason cradling his own between his hands to warm them up.

Time zones and sudden change of temperature? Marvelous indeed.

When Bruce looked at him, a smile peeking out the rim of his cup, Jason felt both disgusted by the old man's terrible humor and strangely at ease, getting to share a moment like nothing was wrong.

“For the love of God, please stop smiling.”

Slade successfully stayed off Barbara's radar for two whole weeks before they found another potential lead, bringing Jason undercover at a fancy gala in Paris. He hated traveling so much, not having time to get accustomed to one place before switching to another, but Barbara had told him Slade was probably going to bring Dick along only on missions like those to lay low.

People outside the state did know who Dick Grayson was but they were certainly less inclined to give the man more than a spare glance if they thought he was just a look alike.

It was weird for Slade to waste the chance of putting Bruce in a dangerous position, easy portraying how the masses would react if a new mercenary so similar to Wayne's ward were to join the scene. It probably worked better this way for him too and Jason wasn't going to complain when it meant having more time to find a solution.

Damian wanted to tag along, of course he did, but got stuck at one of his daddy's parties and couldn't drop out when people would already be murmuring about the oldest son's absence. Tim―who hadn't took any better the news of Dick's situation―also spectacularly snapped at Bruce to say they had more important matters to deal with, storming off the room but joining his father and brother nonetheless in the end.

After Jason had promised him regular updates, that is.

Roy wouldn't blend in at such events and Cassandra didn't like them any better either, leaving Jason alone on a cruise on the Seine with a flute of champagne in one hand.

The moment he started to wonder whether Slade really was there or if the lead was no good after all, a hand settled on his back so out of nowhere Jason almost dropped his cup right into the waters below.

He expected to see Slade's smug smile but found Dick instead, the sight of him alive and breathing making Jason warm with feelings despite the situation.

“You shouldn't fly so away from the nest, someone could kill you” Dick―Talon―said, taking Jason's champagne flute from his hands, taking a sip. “Alone, too. I wonder if it means trouble for me or if you're just self-destructive.”

“Where is Slade?”

“I can't say but not here for sure” Talon said, resting his back on the balustrade. “I'm not his dog, little bird. I can play solo when I want to.”

Jason did his best to keep his normal expression on, hoping the other wouldn't pick up on how the new piece of info surprised him. It was an excellent chance to try and test the grounds without any interruptions, maybe he could even make some progress if he played his cards well.

So Jason moved as well, calling one of the passing waitress to take one more flute of champagne, taking the empty one Talon was holding to replace it.

“I know you can” he said with a smile. “You were always good at that, too good. It's the main reason why I didn't believe them when they told me someone got to you.”

Talon grimaced again, what little amused spark had colored his eyes now completely frozen.

“I think it's time for you to go away, I feel like something bad will happen otherwise.”

Jason noted how he dropped one hand to his sleeve, catching just a glance of something sparkling there. Someone else wouldn't have payed attention to a man straightening his suit, but Jason knew he was walking on a thin line. Talon went to walk away but the music changed before he could, men inviting women for a dance under the moonlight, filling the space with a controlled chaos.

Jason took his chances and stepped closer, offering one hand. He knew Talon couldn't afford to break his persona on the job, but he could surely chat a little longer with Dick.

“You're walking straight into the predator's den, not very intelligent of you.”

“I'm just acting like normal” Jason answered, looping one arm around Talon's waist. “You were the only one thinking highly of me, dumbass.”

Jason waited for a reply but it never came, finding instead the man staring at him with surprisingly curious eyes. He noticed Dick's grip had tightened for a second, taking one long breath as if he was in pain.

As fucked as it sounded, Jason took it as a good sign.

“I thought I was hurt when you didn't recognize me, but then I saw Damian and wow was he pissed. You're going to have to work your ass if you want him to forgive you.”

It was a lie, a big fat one too, but it earned him a small reaction.

Talon cocked his head sideways, following Jason flawlessly while they danced around. They were slowly attracting attention of those dancing alongside them but Jason ignored them since Dick didn't seem to mind.

He heard him mutter the kid's name under his breath, eyes leaving Jason's for a fraction of time.

“I don't know who you're talking about” clipped, angry almost.

“What about the circus?” Jason asked, trying to sooth him. “I still remember the first time I saw you fly around with your parents.”

Jason recalled the memory fondly despite the other flashbacks it dragged along, a smile curling his lips.

Dick stopped following his lead, planting his feet to stop them from moving, mouthing silent words to himself with a frown.

“Dick?”

Jason placed a hand on the man's cheek, bringing his attention back to him without startling him.

Dick's eyes settled on everything and everyone except him for a while, a panicky vibe accompanying each movement, knocking the breath out of Jason's lungs when they did. He saw his name appear on the man's lips only to writhe away in a blink the moment a flash of red colored the sky.

Someone actually started applauding as the flare died down, as if they had just seen fireworks.

In a second, Jason was pushed toward the banister, hitting the cold metal with a muffled hiss of pain. Dick grabbed something out of his sleeve, Jason realizing a moment too late it was a wireless controller of some sort.

“Dick Grayson is dead, you need to move on.”

Dick pushed him out of the boat, freezing water flowing down his throat and nostrils because of the unexpected turn of events. Breaking the surface with loud gasping breaths, Jason managed to swim to one side of the river. Swimming in the sea was one thing but rivers were a completely different matter, his limbs heavy and freezing after only a couple minutes.

Before he could get back on his feet and attempt chase, the boat exploded in a flash of red, flames engulfing the screams of the passengers.

Jason stared in shock, an awful feeling of dejavu washing over him at the sight, fighting the urge to run there and do something. Sirens were approaching fast and he knew no one would believe his unlikely story of forced escape.

So Jason ran, forcing himself not to look back.

The next time Jason heard of Dick it was a few days later from Damian, who claimed his brother had swooped in during patrol to put down the bad guys before disappearing without saying a word to him.

Dick was apparently still wearing the Court's regalia, out of accommodation or some fucked up reason Jason didn't know, but no sightings of Slade had been reported since their encounter in the Emirates.

It was unclear whether they were working separately like Dick had claimed or if things were taking another turn, maybe for the best. So he decided to station in Gotham for a while, patrolling the city restlessly at night, hoping to spot a flash of Dick's shadow.

When his comm burst to life Jason stopped short, turning east sharply while answering Tim's backup request. Months ago he would have payed any amount of money to see something like this, but now that he had it the sight only made his gut wrench painfully.

A masked Dick Grayson trying to stab no one other than Bruce himself, the latter parrying strikes without trying to inflict wounds in return. What recognition Jason had seen on the cruiser was completely gone, a raw and vicious daze in his eyes growing more and more at each strike.

Jason spotted both Tim and Damian as he landed, their heads turning instantly to his direction.

“Tell this idiot we have to do something, Todd!” Damian cried out. “Grayson wouldn't turn on father like that.”

“You want me to help Batman put 'Wing down, Robin?” Tim asked with a wince. “If B. can't go through him then no one can.”

“I don't want to kill him, you―”

Their banter died out when the fight moved closer to them, Bruce and Talon jumping from the building they were fighting on to drop a few feet away from them with minimal noise.

Talon raised his blade ready to strike again before stopping midair, sharp eyes acknowledging the new entries. The look he was giving them was different from the one he gave Bruce. It seemed more at ease, almost normal if not for the ever present danger radiating from his stance, like his mind was doing a division between the family.

Jason recognized it as the same course of action he had taken after he came back, the only difference being he―unlike the talon standing ahead of him―hadn't made the distinction, putting responsibilities on almost everyone's shoulders for what happened to him.

Meanwhile Talon appeared focused on Bruce alone, giving his brothers nothing more than a crisp grin before going back to his work.

“Cease your resistance at once and I won't have to use force.”

Jason groaned out loud, wishing for once Bruce's emotional constipated self could form rightful words instead than batman bullshit. Talon laughed courtly, tilting his head sideways, flipping his knifes with practiced ease.

“I knew you were bad, but I have to say I'm impressed. Maybe start learning how to separate duties from family, Wayne. Who knows when another robin will disappear.”

The threat fell short for Jason since he was starting to have a clear read on Talon's behaviors, but the muscles of Bruce's jaw tighten beneath the cowl.

“Maybe nothing of this would have happened if only you hadn't pushed your son away” Talon continued. “Having the bat's shadow always looming over him, trying to distinguish himself solely because he wanted to prove himself to you. Fighting through everyone's expectations only out of the love he felt. Shouldn't you have learned when you lost the first one?”

For a second the attention switched on him even though no one's eyes were looking his way. Jason faced Tim, who was obviously analyzing his same line of thought.

“He speaks of himself as two different people” he said, meeting Jason's eyes. “It wasn't always like this, was it?”

Jason wasn't sure but shook his head anyway. It was different but he couldn't tell if it was a good thing yet.

Bruce straightened his stance, standing tall like his usual self now, abandoning his guarded posture, a batarang in hand.

“I don't take advice from murderers.”

Dick smiled owlishly, gripping his knifes tightly.

“Aren't you one? A Robin died because you couldn't protect him and now your oldest became me. He never stopped hoping you would show up and rescue him until the very end. Don't play mighty, not with me.”

Bruce was already running toward him when the flare went out in the sky, making Jason tense in alert knowing what was about to happen.

“He's gonna flee” he cursed out loud, startling both Damian and Tim into action.

Dick was already preparing his grappling gun when he faced them again, speaking mostly to Bruce.

“There's a bomb placed at the bank. It shouldn't take you more than a couple of minutes from here but time is precious so choose wisely.”

With that, he shot the gun and flew away leaving everyone little time to make their minds. Damian was about to chase him but then stopped when Bruce called out for them to follow, tone harsh.

“Grayson is―”

Bruce silenced him with a glare but Damian didn't budge, staring at Dick's retreating back in the distance.

Jason was heaving the worst possible dejavu right now, watching Bruce choose to ditch his son over a bomb.

“Oh, fuck you to heaven.”

Without thinking twice, Jason jumped down the building and started the chase, spotting Dick not too far away with a sigh of relief.

“Go with the asshole, I'll follow Dick” he said into his comm, hoping Tim wouldn't complain.

The last thing they needed right now was a family fuck up―no matter how much Jason was pissed―and he was perfect for the job, since his ties with Bruce were apparently back to shit.

“Roger that” Tim muttered. “I don't like it but okay.”

“I know you don't, wouldn't want to deal with a pissed little demon myself.”

The humor fell flat but Jason was too busy trying to catch up to try again, sputtering a curse when his grapple almost slipped free from its target. Talon must have felt eyes at his back because he turned around in the midst of another graceful swing. He made it look easy, like they weren't flying in the air with nothing stopping them from dropping to their deaths except for those stupid grapples.

“Insubordinate son” he laughed, shooting his gun to change trajectory and land on a roof without strain. When Jason dropped near him, he took off his mask and added. “Do you want to die that badly?”

“Been there, done that” Jason joked, smiling when Talon wrinkled his eyes, grimacing. “I know you won't kill me, Dick.”

“That man is dead.”

“No, he's not” Jason said instantly. “You had the perfect chance back there, you could have at the very least injured one of us, but you took the chance and ran.”

“I was called back” Talon tried, referring to the flare. Jason laughed.

“Weren't you the one saying you're not a pup? Plus, you did stop just now.”

Jason walked forward, both hands pointedly away from his holsters as a proof of further trust, surprisingly managing to stand just a few inches away from Talon.

“How much do you want to bet there isn't even a bomb?”

To his amusement, Dick laughed. Different this time, less sharp and more familiar.

“Oh, how things have turned” he said. “I think it was him who usually followed you around, no? But things are different, little robin, he's better off dead.”

Jason wanted to scoff in disagreement but decided to play along instead.

“Why's that?”

“I'm sure Wayne and his little special friends could manage to bring him back, pocking with needles for months and get rid of me like a parasite, but what then?” Talon cut the distance between them, resting both hands on his shoulders with a smile. “I'm remembering who I used to be before and he won't forget about me. Maybe you'll find a way to block the memories, but for how long? I've killed and he will know.”

“So you're playing good Samaritan and shielding him from that?”

“Not really” he responded with a whiff of amusement. “But some could say that. It will ruin him but he will also think he wronged everyone. His parents, the family and you. You saw a glimpse of it, back on the cruiser.”

Jason recalled briefly the flash of familiarity and raw sorrow in Dick's eyes before he pushed him away, consciously or not saving his life yet again.

The thought of dying in the midst of an explosion made him shudder.

Talon chuckled knowingly, lifting his grip on his shoulders. Jason stopped him from stepping away, one hand reaching to steady the man's back.

Being so close again after everything that happened felt refreshing and tremendously suffocating at once, making Jason believe that if he closed his eyes he could pretend nothing ever occurred.

“Of course you're going to do that” Jason said, remembering his confront with Bruce. “But it doesn't mean I can't be there to pull you out of your head when it happens. You were there for me and I know your words weren't empty junk to make me feel better.”

Silence fell heavy and unnerving, Jason staring at Dick's eyes awaiting, body tense yet slack with weariness.

Beneath them the city continued to flash with life as usual, completely unaware and uncaring for the turmoil happening. Dick sighed loudly, a sight so unexpected it made Jason flinch.

“There are two distinctive voices screaming inside my head: one tells me to kill Wayne, the other to protect you” he muttered, gripping at his hair. “When I start to remember it all blinks back into nothing, I can't tell anything apart.”

Jason watched him take deep breaths, scared shitless. He understood it was a semi-good thing, Dick's memory trying to come back while at the same time the trigger itself reacted badly with whatever the Court did, making him feel pain.

“Dick, I need you to trust me, okay?” he asked softly, staggering dangerously backwards when Dick flipped a knife at his neck, sending him way too near the edge of the building.

“Why should I?”

It was the perfect chance to unload the baggage he had been dragging along for too much time, saying a couple of simple words without restraints or fears to gift the perfect reason. And yet it didn't feel right, saying those words to a Dick that wasn't quite back yet.

“I can't tell you, not yet.”

Dick laughed, a bitter sound, but lowered his blade anyway and Jason took the chance to regain his balance.

“Coward” he said.

A distant but clear explosion broke the spell, Jason following Dick's gaze knowing he would pin point it faster and more accurately. A dreading thought came to mind.

“Was I wrong about the bomb?”

“That's Slade. I need to go and finish my contract, tell the family to not interfere.”

“What do you mean finish―”

“I'm not sure yet, maybe you'll get to see the ending soon” Dick cut him off. “Do as I said, otherwise it will be too late.”

Jason followed Dick to the edge of the building, biting down his tongue to keep his mouth shout. He wanted to return to their little chat and say something more, feeling like he had missed his chance.

Dick's chuckles brought him out of his mind, freezing in shock when the man kissed him on the cheek.

“Perhaps we'll see each other again, Jay. Don't wait for me.”

With that he was gone and Jason for once dared to hope.

Another week passed since Dick went off grid, Slade disappearing alongside him.

The family had chewed at his neck since, Damian baffled by his choice of leaving Dick go after a choice of words which to him meant nothing but unspeakable things.

If he doesn't come back, he said, It's going to be on you and there will be consequences.

Jason was more scared of the prospect of Damian's assumptions to be true than his threat. It was another reason why he left Gotham, settling in one of his safe houses in the Haven, away from Damian's wrath and Tim's deteriorating smiles.

Even though the main reason was his growing need to stay away from Bruce, especially after the latest events. His choices didn't click right with him.

Roy and Kory visited on a regular basis, dropping by to either chat about nothing or to check on him after patrol. Jason didn't dwell on the embarrassment of being treated like a child, instead focusing on the good each minute spent with his mind focused on anything but his last chat with Dick granted him.

At night his mind wandered to bad places and it was probably the main reason why Roy would crash more and more usually at his apartment, no matter how much Jason bitched about it.

“Do you think he's going to come back?”

They were smoking on the roof, sprawled on the ground like teenagers, swirls of smoke pouring into the night without a sound. Jason didn't know what to say.

He believed Dick would keep his promises but Jason couldn't help but wonder if back then he had been played with, Talon being a dangerous actor among all things, especially given the fact that Slade himself hadn't been spotted since.

“Maybe” he said, taking another drag. “I'm tired of this crap.”

Roy made a noise that sounded a lot like agreement, chucking.

“I image that's how he felt when he was chasing your ass down to bring you home, uh?”

It was a logical connection, linking two dots of evidence together, and yet it caught Jason by surprise. His mind had been telling him to let his hopes go and accept the truth, but now it didn't sound fair.

Dick had tried and tried again back then, against everyone and everything, so maybe Jason could wait a little longer for him too.

“Don't worry, Jaybird. If Dick told you he'd try, then he will. He's a persistent bastard, not even those bird freaks got a full hold on him. The best you can do is not get shot in the meantime.”

Don't wait for me.

Jason laughed under his breath, getting back to his feet with a grunt. When Roy didn't follow, he nudged his side with the tip of his boot, holding back a kick.

“Get up, asshole. You're not sleeping here tonight.”

“Why, you're gonna jerk off?”

In the end Jason kicked him hard enough to earn a pained snort and a huffed bark of laughter, cigarettes long forgotten on the ground.

Only a couple hours had passed since Roy bid him goodnight but Jason woke up immediately when he felt a distinctive click coming from the living room's window. That was another trick he had learned during his childhood to protect himself, something he had been proud to show off to Bruce when he first wore Robin's regalia.

Jason shook his head, sending the memory away, throwing the blankets away and running there before he could think better.

It could be a thief, he told himself, and a pretty good one since the apartment was on the fifth floor.

The assumption wasn't all that wrong only, instead of getting his guns, Jason ran toward the open window when the thief dropped heavily on the pavement.

Dick didn't even try to hide his pants, head rolling sideways when Jason finally got his hands on him.

“Thank God” Dick said, an hysteric chuckle falling from lips. “This is the fourth apartment I checked, couldn't remember which ones you still use.”

Putting his questions aside, Jason brought one hand beneath Dick's knees and the one holding his face behind his neck, jostling him from the ground. He noticed with a pang of worry the man was way lighter than Jason remembered, carefully placing him on the couch.

“Senility finally catching up to you” Jason asked sarcastically, trying to keep him awake, leaving him alone only to retrieve the medical kit from the bathroom's cabinet.

“I'm only a little older than you, Jay” Dick called out, a thin smile softening his features. “I'm tired.”

Dick was talking sluggishly, on the verge of falling asleep, but lucid enough to keep Jason's hands from shivering while he cut through the clothing to better inspect his injuries.

“What happened?”

“I told you, didn't I?” a pause. “At least I think he did, didn't he?”

Jason ignored him in order to keep his mind focused, starting to clean the bigger cuts before he could look up and check the anguish he could hear from Dick's voice. He was a loose mine and Jason had to keep his own conflicts at bay to be strong for both of them.

Apologizing when Dick hissed in pain, Jason tried to be more gentle while closing the cuts, recalling Alfred's teachings alongside his own knowledge.

“You did but I want to hear the details, boy wonder. I'm a greedy bastard, you know.”

How Dick had managed to search three safe houses before this one Jason didn't know, cursing under his breath when he took in the fully extent of the injuries. He could have bled out right under that window if Jason hadn't been here tonight. The thought alone made him shudder.

“I had to deal with Slade and it wasn't easy nor pleasant. I've met some of his biggest clients, saw hiding spots and all kinds of shit you wouldn't want your enemy to know. I took down his network, at least the part I was aware of, and he didn't like it one bit.”

Jason let him catch his breath, jostling him carefully to treat his back now that his abdomen was mostly patched up. He spotted what seemed to be a bullet wound on his right shoulder, hoping until the end the thing had passed through skin without stopping, but there was no exit wound.

“Dick, there's a bullet stuck in your shoulder. I'm out of drugs and you know the drill, do you want me to call Alfred?”

“No” Dick straight off said, startling him. “Just do what you need, it'll be fine.”

“Dick―”

“Please.”

And wasn't that a stellar argument winner.

Instead of going straight for the bullet wound, Jason decided to take care of the minor cuts marring Dick's back instead so that the latter could lay down without problems once he was done.

The couch was stained in blood and Jason had to take a few deep breaths to keep his hands moving when he looked grimly at his own bloody hands.

“Okay” he whispered to himself. “Okay.”

Dick smiled sympathetically, one hand reaching for his hair only to drop back to the couch.

“My head is a shitshow right now, but I'm glad found you in time.”

Jason finished his work with a relieved sigh, cleaning his hands as best as possible on his trousers to hold Dick's face without dirtying him further.

“I know what's happening in that head of yours and I have all the time in the world to prove you otherwise. I'm not going anywhere.”

Dick tried to duck his head away but Jason didn't let him, gently bringing their eyes to face one another again. Jason released him after a minute, kissing his forehead.

“Now, do you want something to bite while I take care of the bullet? I'm warning you, my head's not available.”

The half smile Dick offered was all the progress Jason needed to keep going.

Cutting down the end of the bandages, Jason secured the last of it around Dick's torso and stared in relief at his finished work. None of them were stained in blood, meaning he had done a good job at sticking the wounds close. Alfred would be proud, he was sure of it.

To his surprise Dick didn't pass out afterwards, muffling a chocked scream in the crook of his neck. Jason let him catch his breath, cradling his fingers between Dick's sweaty hair while whispering sweet nothings to sooth him.

Going quickly to the bathroom to fully clean his hands, one glance at the mirror revealing the pale tint of his skin, he walked back to the couch without knowing what to do.

At least Dick should be fine now, physically at least.

The clock told him it was almost five in the morning and he wondered what Dick's intentions were.

“Want to get some sleep?”

Dick looked at him with glassed over eyes, dizzily, but it was normal after what happened.

“I'll stay here, you go.”

“Yeah, and let all my beautiful work go to waste?” Jason snorted. “Fat chance, Dickie. Come on, I won't even be mad if you steal the covers.”

“I do that?”

“You bet” Jason said. “You also get sickeningly clingy, which must be terrible once summer hits because you burn heat like an oven.”

Dick stared at him a little longer before carefully getting on his feet, accepting Jason's help when he swayed lightly.

“It's awful hearing you talk about things I should know” he whispered tightly. “It feels like my head is drilled with holes.”

Jason hummed, helping Dick sit on the edge of the bed before undressing. The latter was ready to drop asleep, having thrown his bloodied regalia to wear a pair of Jason's sweatpants, leaving his torso free for the medical dressing.

Discarding the pants he had put on before storming in the living room, Jason motioned Dick to pick whichever side he preferred with a sway of hand.

“I won't bite, I promise.”

“That should be my line, Jay” Dick said softly, padding through the mattress to crawl under the covers. “Until the bite part, that is.”

Jason settled in the opposite side, back towards the window so he could face Dick, who stubbornly gave him his back. Against better judgment, Jason inched closer, draping one hand around Dick's waist, careful not to pull the stitches.

“You won't hurt me. My head's harder than bricks, remember?”

Dick's shoulders were stiff with tension and yet he let out a breathy laugh, turning around slowly.

“I think I do” he said, eyes bright in the pale light. “It's not hard to believe that, in more ways than one, since you've saved me from bleeding out on your carpet.”

“That's what we do, right? Watch out for each other, make sure we're still breathing and kicking.”

Dick didn't answer, an uncomfortable silence filling the room. Jason didn't push, keeping Dick close and wait until the latter felt like talking, bringing up the unavoidable.

“Jason, you know what I did. The past may be blurred but the things I carried through with Slade are vivid.”

“It wasn't you, Dick. As much as your head is screaming the contrary.”

Pushing at his chest, Dick tried to scoot away but Jason kept him from fleeing. The sooner they stopped dancing around the problem the better.

“Then answer this. When I came back and the Pit fucked with my head, did you think I deserved to be put back down there? Weren't you the one saying it wasn't my fault, that I couldn't fight back? Were you lying to keep me calm like a good dog, then?”

It was unfair and harsh, abusing Dick's unstable mind with tons of questions regarding things Jason wished the man could forget for good, but it was more effective to fix things like that instead of dancing around with pretty words.

Not to mention it was Dick's job to be the good guy in situations like this, while Jason loved playing bad cop.

“Oh God, the Pit” Dick murmured, bringing Jason's out of his mind. “How could I―Jason, I'm―”

Jason shushed him gently, one hand settling on his cheek. God forbid if he needed to see Dick remember and react to his death from this close, it had already been awful hearing it from Roy.

“None of that now, we've already sorted that shit out” he said. “So, did you think of me as a monster to put down?”

Dick of course saw where this was going, easily catching up on his line of thought, licking his lips after a deep breath. He shook his head, about to add something, Jason stopped him.

“Then you know what I said is as truthful. No one thinks you as responsible either, if anything it made them want to save you more.”

Dick dropped his eyes shut, scooting to hide his face in the crook of Jason's neck. The latter let him, a wave of childish, inappropriate giddiness washing over him, cradling his fingers through Dick's hair.

“I don't want to meet them, not yet. A part of me knows who they are but I can't remember.”

“Don't worry, I won't force you. But I think it would be better to let them know you're okay, Damian sure would sleep better.”

“Is he okay? Did I hurt any of them?”

Jason thought about mentioning Bruce but decided it wasn't his story to tell, hopefully the old man would deal with the issue in a normal fatherly way for once.

“He misses his Grayson a lot but otherwise nothing to say, the usual spawn of satan. And no, you didn't try to harm any of them, not even once.”

He didn't bring up their encounter back in the Emirates either, wondering whether Dick remembered trying to kill Roy or not. Silence fell once more, this time comfortable and light.

Jason could feel his eyelids grow heavy, ignoring the coloring sky outside, but fought back sleep in order to keep an eye on Dick instead. The latter had his eyes closed, breathing more evenly than before, but his whole body was tight as a bowstring and it was obvious he was faking sleep.

Hoping to not startle the man into a panic, Jason started humming a song Dick himself had taught him quite a while ago now, after a patrol gone awfully bad which left the older man carrying an half conscious Jason to one of his safe houses. In response Dick's breath hitched, tilting his head enough to face Jason.

“What's that?” he asked, voice groggy with fatigue.

“Do you want me to stop?”

Dick shook his head, still watching him. “It sounds familiar, trying to remember makes my head hurt.”

Apparently it was an old song Mari Grayson used to sing to her son but Jason didn't want to say it aloud, wishing Dick would slowly remember on his own. So he started humming again, singing a few lines without taking his eyes off him.

“He’d fly through the air with the greatest of ease, that daring young man on the flying trapeze. His movements were graceful, all girls he could please. And my love he has stolen away.”

Dick's eyes widened, lips curling to form a silent o before stretching into a pained smile. He didn't offer an explanation and Jason didn't ask for one, glad it had somehow worked to some extent.

“Get some sleep now, okay? We can stay here all day if you want, I could use some chill time too.”

The sky was steadily morphing from stale black to a more reddish hue, signaling dawn was near.

Jason didn't care though. For once he had all he needed, right there at his side.