Chapter Text
Jason laid on his bed, staring at the cracked and stained ceiling of his current safehouse. The last six hours had been a trip. The news that the Joker was finally dead was relieving. It felt like a weight had been lifted off of him with the knowledge the bastard was finally gone. Though the knowledge that Tim had been the one to do it was shocking. He hadn’t thought that Tim -the most like Batman- Drake would ever be able to do something like that. Not only that, but he took off after it, leaving letters for everyone. Replacement has fled Gotham and left no trace of where he is.
Sitting at the airport, waiting to see if Red would show was nerve wracking. Jason didn’t know if he should be grateful- nevermind that he is- or what. He had so many questions, especially in regards to the letter the little shit left him. It didn’t make any sense, doesn’t make any. What do you say to the guy who had murdered your greatest nightmare and then left a letter that explained why he did it? Luckily, or unluckily, the replacement hadn’t appeared at the airport. The tickets he purchased refunded and rerouted so much even Babs lost track of it. So, Timmy didn’t take a plane out of Gotham, but that left B and Oracle scrambling to check roadways, his safehouses, and his friends in case they gave him a lift out of Gotham. No dice, last time he checked. Red’s vanished into thin air.
So Jason printed off a copy of the letter Red wrote him in hopes of making it make sense with what he once knew and came back to his safehouse. Though, even hours later, it wasn’t making any damn sense even as Jason pulled it out to read it again.
Dear Jason,
You probably won’t care but I figured I’d give you a letter anyway. I’ll be more upfront here that by the time you read this the Joker will be dead and I’ll be gone. That’s important and you may not read anymore after this but I have a lot that has gone unsaid. So I’ll start:
I’ve always looked up to and admired you. You were my Robin. It might have been Dick that started it, but I got to watch you from the beginning. You were bold and fearless. But what I always admired most was that you always looked after the victims. You always cared more for the victims than you did catching the bad guy and that made you the best.
When you came back, I was ecstatic. You never should have died and I was relieved you would get the chance to live. I had hoped we could be friends, but I guess that wasn’t meant to be. You hate me for being your replacement.
I wasn’t trying to replace you though. When you died Batman went off the rails. I was afraid he was going to kill someone or get himself killed. I couldn’t let that be your legacy. So I stepped in to stop him until he could choose someone to be Robin. I never replaced you Jason. I was a placeholder, a stopgap measure to curb the darkness of the bat. I was a poor imitation of what Batman wanted; which was you. But you came back- angry, yes- but you came back. A miracle in the darkness. Everyone was happy and relieved. Even if you were angry.
I can understand why you were angry and still are to a point. But I never replaced you. I was Batman’s partner and that was all, never his son. The other part. I took care of that too. Batman can’t kill without corrupting everything he stood for, everything he stands for. Gotham would fall without the hope that Batman represents.
You deserved to be avenged though. You deserve to be able to sleep peacefully without having to worry about the man who murdered you. You watched out for victims as Robin and even more so as Red Hood. It’s still a trait I admire about you, even if that comes with death now. But no one else will understand as well as you do in terms of how victims feel. So, I took out the Joker for you because you deserve that peace. You can live your life without ever having to hear about another awful thing the Joker did. I hope it helps.
I do wish you the best Jason. You absolutely deserve it and I hope you chase it. You stood bright as Robin, my Robin, the best one, and you stand proud even as Hood. The true protector of Crime Alley. So thank you, for being a light when I needed one most even if I could never hope to shine as bright as you.
T.D.
P.S. Don’t take any of Bruce’s shit. But do try to work together. The Joker was standing in the way before and he’s not now so go talk to him. You are his son and he does love you.
It still gave him a weird flood of emotions that he was too tired to parse through. But he hadn’t realized the little shit thought that way. He hadn’t known the depth of how Tim saw him. ‘The true protector of Crime Alley.’ Tim was probably the only one who thought so, but it made something warm curl around his heart. Even after everything this little boy that looked up to Jason as Robin still believes in him as Red Hood.
Though, there’s no way what Tim said about B after his death is true. Talia had looked at him and given him proof that Bruce had just replaced him. Though, in a way, it could fit. The way Bruce pushes Tim as Red, holds him to higher standards than the rest. The way Tim only seems to be called on as Red Robin. Though that’s happened a lot more in the past year and even Dickiebird is guilty of that. Jason honestly isn’t even sure when the last time he saw Tim without the mask of Red Robin.
Honestly, nothing was making sense about this. Jason was going to have to look further into this. Who is Tim Drake? Who is Red Robin? Who is the boy Jason never bothered to know beyond the word replacement?
Dick was pacing in his room, periodically looking at the letter Tim had left him. It left him agitated. An itch under his skin that he can’t scratch. Tim had killed the Joker and left, leaving nothing but a letter condemning Dick for things he could have sworn they were past. But apparently not. Tim didn’t trust him; didn’t forgive him after all. The whole thing after Tim woke up in the cave after crashing out of that window was a lie then he supposed. “You're my brother, Dick. You’ll always be there for me.” A load of bullshit given to him while Tim hid how he really felt.
He thought that he and Tim were okay, but Tim refused to talk to him. Dick acted like nothing had changed. He knew things had changed! But that didn’t give Tim the right to leave without speaking to him. Damian wouldn’t do that. Damian would talk to him, just like Tim used to. Honestly, Dick had already explained this to Tim. Tim was the adult, the mature one, Damian was a child that needed Robin after losing his father. Yeah it sucked, but the need was there. Damian needed Dick at that time to be his batman. Tim had said he understood, but then he was throwing everything in his face again and refusing to let him explain it!
Dick grit his teeth and looked at the letter again.
Dear Dick,
I’m not entirely sure what to say. So much has happened between us that I don’t know where to start.
We haven’t talked a lot lately though partially that’s been my fault as I haven’t gone out of my way to see you. Though you haven’t been there either, too busy with Damian and Jason that I guess you forgot about me. At least you do until you need help with a case, but I digress.
I feel I need to thank you, at least because I started down this path because of you. Everything began with you and that night I took a picture with you at the circus as a four year old little boy. You had promised me that you’d do a quadruple flip just for me. I remembered seeing that flip just as I watched Robin do one. The piece that I saw that allowed me to figure out Batman’s and Robin’s identities. I feel like that set me on the path to where I am today. To be Robin and a vigilante, to make a difference. I feel like it all started with you and for that I am grateful. Though I think it’s ironic that it started with you and ended with you.
My tener as Robin ended when you took the mantle from me to give to Damian. I can understand that Damian needed it, and you did a good job with him. But you hurt me. You sacrificed me to do it. You took Robin without a word to me, just let me walk in to see him wearing those colors. Then you said nothing as he told me I had no place in the cave, no place in the family. On top of that, you refused to believe me when I said Bruce was alive. You told me I needed to go to therapy for someone to listen to me. The only person I needed to listen to me was you, but you refused.
All those years we worked together were nothing. I had always trusted you to have my back and when I really needed you too after so much loss and pain, you told me that I’d be alright. You broke my trust and reliance on you after all of that. It felt like you were throwing me away for Damian and you did. You pushed me aside once my usefulness ran out for the true son. Like us being brothers never mattered. Jason putting a batarang in my chest hurt less than that.
When I came back with proof of Bruce being alive and helped bring him back I never got an apology from you. Not an apology or a thank you. You continued on as if nothing had happened. As if there wasn’t a gaping chasm between us now. You get upset when I defend myself from Damian since I’m supposed to be the mature one instead of telling Damian he shouldn’t attack me since I’m family too. You expect me to just deal with it, give Damian what he wants so the peace can be held. Well now I am. I have no more use to you all other than Red Robin, so I’m moving on. No one needs a placeholder or riff-raff hanging around when you have the real son. I had always hoped that you never saw me as a placeholder, but I was wrong. You betrayed my trust and threw me away for the rightful person. I always knew I wasn’t Bruce’s son but I had thought we were brothers. It wasn’t true and I won’t live a lie anymore. I can’t trust you or forgive you either.
So, I’m leaving. I’m removing another obstacle in the way of the family’s happiness by killing the joker then I’ll be gone. I do wish you the best Dick.
T.D.
Tossing the tablet back on the bed Dick continued his pacing. That last bit aggravated Dick the most. Tim wasn’t his brother anymore? He had always known he wasn’t Bruce’s son?
He was going to have words with Bruce for that last one. But Dick was going to hunt Tim down to get it through his thick skull that Dick was his brother first and foremost and he loves him. Then he and Tim were going to talk about what happened when Bruce was missing. Tim was going to understand that Dick did what he had to do.
First though, Dick needed some sleep before he had to go to work. Then, he was going to look through all of Tim’s things to find some trail. There’s bound to be one somewhere.