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Dick could tell, even with the strip of duct tape over his mouth rendering his shouts unintelligible, that Jason was yelling swear words at the top of his lungs from where he’d been tied to one of the abandoned-building-turned-drug-den’s support beams. Dick grinned as he methodically took down the thugs holding the current Boy Wonder hostage, sprinkling in a tasteful quip or two between dancing partners.
It had hurt when Bruce had replaced him with Jason; it had made it hard for Dick to warm up to the new kid and his much pricklier personality, at first. But the more time he spent with him, the more Dick couldn’t help being endeared to the sharp and tenacious alley cat that was Jason Todd. He saw what Bruce saw in him, wanted to nurture that spark as much as Bruce did. And so, though his and Bruce’s relationship was currently tenuous at best, he didn’t mind crossing the bay to lend a helping hand to Gotham’s caped crusaders every now and then.
With the last of the thugs dealt with Dick set about freeing Bruce’s teen protege.
“All right, Little Wing?” Dick asked him.
Jason glared up at him over the duct tape which was still firmly in place, growling out a muffled series of vowels that sounded almost like Don’t call me that.
“Hm, sorry bud, can’t understand you with your mouth covered like that,” Dick apologized.
More muffled irritation: Why don’t you take it off, then?
“Gosh, shucks, I sure wish I could understand what you were saying,” Dick lamented. He freed Jason’s hands, expecting the younger boy to go straight for the tape and tear it off himself, but he opted for another approach, punching Dick hard in the stomach instead, knocking the wind out of his unprepared lungs.
“Fuck,” Dick wheezed, laughing. Then Jason did tear the tape off his lips, snarling at the pain.
“God, you’re such a fucking —”
“A what?” Dick cut him off, beaming. Jason, realizing the trap he’d almost walked into, closed his mouth again and resumed glaring. “Come on, a what? A… dick?”
“I hate you,” Jason mumbled, but Dick saw the corner of his mouth twitch up in spite of himself.
“Aw, you don’t, though,” Dick said, slinging an arm over the young Robin’s shoulders and giving him a conspiratorial sidelong glance. “Especially since there’s a prank I’ve been dying to pull on B, but I’m gonna need a wingman. You in?”
“Depends if it’s stupid or not,” Jason said, smiling wider. “But yeah, okay Big Wing . I’m in.”