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Dick always picked up the phone, always, because that was a mistake he would never make again. When he got the call from Bruce, when he found his little brother was hurt, he rushed out the door. Speeding so fast he was grateful he had an officer's license plate on his car.
His whole body was tense as he rushed the hospital doors and to where he knew Tim was, rushing into the room with his little brother– He wasn’t going to be late again. Tubes and machines cut through Tim’s bloodied and bruised body.
“How is he? Is he okay?” Dick begged, lowering himself to be by Tim’s side.
“He’s stable right now and he’s currently in an induced coma,” Bruce confirmed, voice low and tired.
Dick could feel his heart in his throat, thumping louder and louder each moment his eyes explored Tim’s broken state.
“Who? Joker? Was it him? Tell me who did it,” Dick snapped, turning to Bruce.
“Dick,” Bruce stated, “If I tell you, you’ll go after them. I can’t allow that.”
Dick’s face darkened, “You can’t allow that? Tim’s in a coma from this monster and you won’t let me go after the asshat that did this to my brother?”
“No, it’s not safe. This person who did this.. He’s unstable, psychotic. You can’t.”
“I don’t care. B, tell me who did this,” Dick’s fists were clenched.
“No.”
Dick’s jaw tightened, he fell down into one of the seats.
“What’re the odds of Tim making it right now,” Dick asked softly.
“Sixty percent survival rate,” Bruce replied gently.
Dick’s knuckles were near white as he gripped the seat.
“I won’t go after him, B. I just need to know who hurt him. Please.”
“The Red Hood.”
Dick stood up, walking out of the room, ignoring Bruce’s yells for him to stay, too filled with his anger, his rage. He didn’t know much about Red Hood besides he and Bruce had a big fight a few months ago and he was a lunatic. He was a man who Dick had respected, of course he didn’t support his methods but he liked parts of his message. Now though, that respect was gone and he wanted more than to see the coward's face smashed into itself.
It was easy to find Hood, easier than it should’ve been. Dick just had to go into his territory of Crime Alley and look for that big ugly red head of his. The Red Hood was sitting on top of some old warehouse, arms crossed as he looked across the skyline.
“Hood,” Dick stated, jumping down so he was behind him.
The Red Hood just sighed, his mechanical voice humming, “So, you here for revenge or something? Does Daddy Bats know you’re here?”
“You hurt my brother,” Dick voice was low, each letter struck with pure wrath.
“Yeah, I did.”
The Hood sounded far off, like he didn’t really care what was going on. His voice was void of all emotion, even more so with the mechanized voice.
“So, we fighting or are you just gonna stand there?”
Dick kicks Red Hood straight in the back, shoving him down to the ground and beating his hands to his chest. The Red Hood tried to shove Nightwing off, kicking him away and standing up. His fist raised as he took a fighting position.
“Maybe you’ll actually put up a better fight than the kid.”
“What the fuck is wrong with you,” Dick throws a punch to his gut, “He’s a kid!”
Hood hummed, “Well, you shouldn’t have let him replace that last one.”
Rage swam through Dick, shoving the Hood down, slamming him against the rooftop.
“Don’t you dare ever hurt my brother. Never.”
Red Hood laughed coldly, “So, he’s not dead yet?”
Dick yelled, his lungs began to burn as his knuckles met Hood's helmet, blood dripping onto the ground.
“So, took this one getting a little hurt for you to get mad? And the last one? You just let Joker free? Funny.”
“You don’t know shit, Hood,” Spat Dick, “I’m going to bash your face in until the cops can’t recognize you as a person.”
Red Hood laughs again louder this time, “Really? I don’t know shit?”
He shoves Nightwing to the ground, his foot slamming his head into the rooftop. A splatter of blood left behind as Nightwing orients himself.
“So Bruce hasn’t told you, has he?” Red Hood laughs, towering above him.
Nightwing tackles Hood, shoving him down and bashing his helmet into the roof.
“I’m not a big fan of speeches, Hood. I don’t care about anything you have to say. I just want you dead.”
The Hood coughed, his chest moved up and down quickly as he tried to catch air. Blood pooled from the side of Dicks face, dripping down onto the Red Hood’s helmet.
“D-Dick,” Hood coughed, his hand reaching up.
Nightwing shoved it away, shoving Red Hood back to the roof, causing him to grunt in pain.
“I don’t care that you know my name. I don’t care. I hate you. You’re a monster.”
Hood coughed again, trying to say something but Dick couldn’t understand it. He didn’t care anyways. Red Hood moved his hand to his helmet, his hand going to the bottom of it, grabbing for something. Nightwing pulled it away, making sure both his hands were held down.
Red Hood grunt again, trying to pull away, “B-bigwing.”
Dick freezes, the word sending a chill down his spine. Enough for Dick to let go for a millisecond, enough for the Hood to rush away, running off the warehouse and disappearing. Dick tried to chase after him but he was too weak, his body numb, the adrenalin that had filled him moments ago completely gone.
The only thing that made Dick Grayson more pissed then the fact that he’d been replaced as Robin was that he’d found out through flipping through the news channels. He was in the Titans tower, Wally sleeping beside him with a half-eaten bag of Funions, all the while he flipped through the channels mindlessly in an attempt to find something that had substantial plot. Then before him flashed the oh so familiar cape but with someone else inside it and Batman smiling beside him.
Dick immediately ran out of the room, picking up his phone and dialing Bruce’s number for the first time in what must have been months.
“Hello-,”
“What the actual hell, Bruce?” He shouted.
A tired sigh came from the other line, “Dick, I’m sorry I tried to call you.”
“No, screw you. You replaced me? You know how important Robin was to me! You replaced me with this random kid.”
“He is not random,” Bruce defended, “Look, I didn’t have much of a choice I found him and-,”
“Of course you had a choice Bruce, you just had to pick the one that would annoy me the most.”
A small voice in the background rang, “Who’s that?”
“Not now Jason,” Bruce replied.
“Is that the Dick guy you were telling me about, wait gimme it I wanna talk to him,” The boy laughed.
“Jay-,”
“No,” Dick interrupted, “Let me talk to him.”
Another sigh came from across the line as the phone was passed over, the boy shooed Bruce away before speaking.
“So, you’re the old Robin I keep hearing ‘bout,” The boy said, “I’m Jason, Jason Todd. Guess Jason Todd-Wayne officially now, but who’s counting?”
“He adopted you?” Dick said in surprise.
“Uh, yeah? Did you think he just kidnapped me,” Laughed Jason, “Guess that makes us brothers now, huh?”
Dick paused and tried to remind himself that it wasn’t the kids fault, he most likely didn’t know and the kid was just in the crossfire of him and Bruce.
But that one part of him screamed louder than the rest, “We are not brothers.”
There was an eerie silence on the other end.
“God, when I heard you were an asshole didn’t think it’d come out this quickly,” Muttered Jason, “Anyways, good to meet you talk later, bye-bye. Oh uh and nice costume.”
Jason hung up the phone. Dick stood, anger pulling through every part of his body. The Jason kid sounded more entitled and snobbish than he’d imagined, his snarky remarks were more than annoying, and the kid was completely fine with replacing him.
Dick Grayson felt a sudden urge to scream at the very top of his lungs.
He decided to practice training instead.
It was months until he got in contact with the new kid again. He was in Bludhaven, doing a normal patrol, before seeing a fluttering yellow cape flash beside him.
“Hi,” Todd waved.
“Why are you here?” Dick glared.
“To kick some bad-guy butt that’s why,” He smiled, “And uh, thought I might catch up on my new big bro.”
“We aren’t brothers,” Dick reminded again.
“I’m pretty sure we are,” Jason noted, “Legally, I mean.”
“No, B never adopted me. We are not brothers.”
Jason stared for a moment.
“Really? He likes you so much though. Like a lot a lot. You’re like his golden prized child. Perfect in every way and total non-disappointment.”
Dick snorted, “Where’d you hear that load of horse crap?”
“From B spilling his mouth with it every damn day, like holy shit you have no idea how much he talks about you. Dick this Dick that, no no no Jay not like this do it how Dick used to do it,” Jason groaned.
“Y’know for a little kid you sure do cuss a lot,” Dick frowned.
The boy shrugged, “That’s What happens when you grow up in Crime Alley.”
“You’re from Crime Alley?”
“Born and raised!” Jason smiled.
He leaned his legs off the edge of the building and kicked them back and forth.
“So, do you just sit here all broody until something happens?”
“I was relaxing before you came along,” Dick spat, “Does B know you’re here? Or do I need to call Daddy Bats to come get you?”
Jason paused, looking away from Dick.
“Wait, does he seriously not know you’re here? You’re in deep shit.”
“I know alright!” Jason cried, “I know, I’ve messed up and I’m just a stupid screw up alley rat or whatever the fuck. I broke that fancy whatever vase thing and now I’m probably gonna be kicked out of the first home I’ve had in like years and I know nobody wants me and I know that you hate me too cause I replaced you or whatever but out of all the people in the world I thought you’d understand wanting a break from him.”
Dick wondered if the boy was pulling some sort of trick, somehow he knew the exact words he needed to hear for his heart to burn ever so slightly for the boy. He had found something relatable in him that he’d never seen before. This kid, Jason, was just like him. Afraid and yearning for someone to have a stable hold on.
“You think B is gonna kick you out over a stupid vase?” Dick asked.
Jason pressed his knees into his stomach and shrugged.
“Trust me, he isn’t. He doesn’t care,” He tried to put on his most reassuring voice, “And if B even thought of putting you back on the streets I’d kick his ass.”
“Really?” Jason’s voice sniffled.
“Really.” Confirmed Dick, “Erm, I’m… Sorry about the whole ‘not brother’ thing. I am kinda just pissed at Bruce right now.”
“It’s fine,” Jason waved off, “I mean we aren’t technically brothers anyways.”
“Who cares, legal or not. I’ve always wanted a lil’ bro,” Smiled Dick, “You hungry?”
Jason shot up, “Are there any good chili dog places around here?”
Dick laughed, “I guess I know what you like. Yeah, there is, c’mon let’s get you out of your costume first and then we can go get chili dogs, deal?”
“Deal!”