Work Text:
Everyone has that moment
where they must let there loved ones go
“Dickie...”.
Jason spoke unconsciously with hint of hope but yet shock that his eye aren’t deceiving him. What is real? Was his brother, a person he missed dearly still alive all this time? He watched the young boy come around the broken pipes water way, quietly creeping closer to Jason til he reaches the lights radius and reveals their futures to the others. His limping little body trying to move as much as it can, but he can see the restrictions of why that maybe. He couldn’t Speak. Dicks Robin costume was all dirty, dull and bloody at certain areas but yet his black mask that kept his identity was no where to be found. His eyes widened at Dick’s arms left arm missing to only leave behind the blood all around the socket area and in the other hand was the boy they both loved dearly.
“What took you so long?”.
Dick’s voice breaks him out of his thoughts and onto reality with hearing the voice he has been missing for over a year. He was almost ready to just bawl out crying right there. Not even caring if his other friends saw this because this was his brother! His Robin. Jason finally sucked it up and say.
“I was looking for you this whole time.”
The older brother was pushing back so many tears that you can hear the strain his voice. That he was about to break because it was true. No one else’s wanted to find Dickie because they believed he wasn’t alive and as traumatizing as it was to see everyone given up, Jason the 3rd youngest Wayne didn’t want to give up. He wishes he could just contact Damian, Tim, Bruce— just anyone that can see that his 6 year old brother was okay! But. It isn’t real, is it?
“I couldn’t find my way out of here.” Dick says, focusing on Jason as he moves a bit closer til he stops in front of him. “He said I could have my boat back, Jay.”
That broke the dam. Jason’s tears just streamed down his cheeks one by one, feeling the huge guilt inside that this wouldn’t have happened if he didn’t allow dick to play with that stupid boat. That boat wasn’t worth his brothers life being taken away from him, and he knew that but even so, he didn’t want to ruin this moment with his brother. After all, he always neglected the boy like the rest of the family and that is what he knows will haunt him for the rest of his life as a regret.
“Was she fast?”. Jason managed to sniff out to contain himself in such a special moment with his brother.
Dickie stares up at his brother with the same cute face yet pouty expression he makes when Alfred wasn’t giving him a cookie and Jason recalls seeing such an expression so many times every day.
“I couldn’t keep up with it.”
“She, Dickie.” Jason stopped, He gave dickie a small glance along with a smile that he hasn’t shown since he was brought to the Wayne household.
“You called it she.”
The two brothers continued to stare at each other in total silence til Dick spoke up.
“Take me home, Jason.”
Those words are exactly what he’s been waiting to hear when he found dick and now that he’s heard it, He can’t move. He wants to say ‘come on Dickie Bird! Everyone was so worried about you’ but he can’t and That what makes this reunion so hard.
Roy and the others appear behind Jason with flashlights, confused as to what brought the boy over here but then that’s when they saw Dick. But they all knew that their friend was long gone and although it’s hard to hold back from hugging him as a way to let go, this is Jason’s time to finally have that burden on his conscious gone.
“I want to go home.” Dick‘s little voice whimpered out with tears threatening to fall.
Jason frowned as tears started to surface onto his cheeks more than he’s used too but this just broke his heart into a million pieces.
“I miss you! I want to be with Damian and Tim!”.
Hearing dick say that in such a scared yet sad tone really made Jason feel as if he failed him. He was supposed to rescue his little brother,
Hug him tightly, so he can never let anything hurt him, kiss his forehead while he was in his arms, bring him home and curse out everyone who didn’t believe him, take the time to just tell dick how much he missed him. But it isn’t real.
Dick is dead and he has to accept that.
“I want more than anything for you to be home.” Jason gasped out, not straying his eyes anywhere but the little brother he has a symbol of his guilt and regret. “With Tim, Damian and Bruce and Alfred!”.
He moved closer to the other slowly as he cried along his heart out to the one he loved. He closed his eyes, remembering all the
Moments of dick smiling.
“Jason! Come try the cookies I made with Alfred! They are so yummy!”.
“Jason, look! Bruce said I can finally be Robin! Isn’t that great?!”.
“You are the best big brother ever.”.
The retired robin opened his eyes with those glistening tears and looked down at the boy again, imagining that the boy before him was a silhouettes of how dick used to be but then it faded away only to leave an empty and broken kid behind. When he stops in front of dick, the 6-year-old opens his mouth again really unsure to say to Jason but mentions this.
“I love you, Jason.”
And
Without hesitation, The 12-year-old Jason replies with.
“I love you too.” Jason brings up his gun and points it to dicks head, making the little kid whimper in response like he’s afraid of what Jason might do and continued to cry.
Finally, ending this whole nightmare and facing his fear he says with confidence,“But you're not, Dickie.” And fires one bullet into his head til the boy falls back no longer moving. Leaving the boy who basically lost his most precious person to a ducking clown but that made it more harder when he fell to his knees and sobbed his heart out alone while his friends watch.