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It was instinct.
He shouldn’t have pulled the damn trigger, he knew. But Red Hood could do nothing else; if he went for a physical assault, Robin would be dead by the time he’d gotten there. And if he’d taken out a knee or shoulder, not only would he risk hitting the kid, he knew it wouldn’t stop someone hopped up on Venom.
A clean headshot was the only thing he could have done, and he hated it.
B would kill him.
And while, yes, the babybat was an assassin, it still didn’t feel right killing someone in front of him, never mind that it undoubtedly saved his life. Red Hood dropped his arm to his side, the Baretta’s barrel still warm.
“Hood? Robin? What’s going on? Did I hear a-” Red Robin’s voice came through tinny over the comms unit.
From his position on the floor, Robin responded tersely. “We’re fine.” As Red Hood moved silently to his side, cutting the bands that held him.
They could both hear Red Robins exhale of relief. “Okay but then what was the gunshot?”
“Red Hood.” Robin said as way of explanation. His bonds free, he move away from the dead man, following his brother closely as they sought their fellow Robin.
The silence over the radio was heavy. “Did he-”
“Yeah.”
Robin looked to Red Hood’s face, looking for some form of expression. But damn Todd and that immovable helmet. Todd’s silences were rarely a good sign.
Red Robin’s tone was unreadable. “Meet back at the rendezvous point.”
------
All the way to the cave, no one said a word. They’d checked Robin over for injuries, and then returned back to the Manor.
“Report,” came Batman’s voice, low and firm in a way that few are.
Red Robin stepped forward. “Mission went well, until Robin was captured. I managed to get the information-” he dropped the flashdrive in Batman’s upturned palm. “-while Red Hood rescued Robin. No major injuries sustained by capes. Most mercs tied up and left with GCPD. I’d say mission was a success.”
The cowl’s eyes narrowed suspiciously. “Most?”
Damn, he’d caught that. Of course he would. Tim nodded, looking at a point just past Bruce’s shoulder. “There was one casualty.”
Immediately his attention switched to Red Hood, who dropped the backup flashdrive on the table, and tried to will himself to leave. He couldn’t meet eyes.
Robin took a step towards Bruce, head lowered. “It is my fault father. Were I not reckless, Todd wouldn’t have-”
“But he did.” Bruce’s words were clipped, curt. The anger was set in his muscles. Not rolling off him- he was Batman, nothing rolled off him, especially not emotions.
Still Jason said nothing. Tim came to his aid, trying to soothe their mentors anger. “Bruce, he didn’t-”
“It was necessary.” Red Hood spoke at last, his voice flat and measured. He was still avoiding the gaze, but Bruce has never looked away from him.
Batman’s eyes narrowed as his jaw set. “Killing is never necessary. Never.”
“Father, he saved my life. I would have died had Todd not saved me.” Damian tried again. It wasn’t Todd’s fault, really. It was a matter of circumstance, one that could not be avoided. “He did it on instinct. He was protecting me.”
At the word, Bruce grimaced. “Instinct? Instinct? You’re killing on instinct now?” He took a step towards the elder son.
“I did what I had to.”
“You never changed. You still belong in Arkham.” Derision laced his words. Jason flinched. “Get out.”
Red Hood turned to leave.
“Bruce, no, it wasn’t like he meant to, he was just protecting Damian.” Tim stepped closer, placing a hand on Batman’s shoulder-which was promptly shrugged off.
“I don’t care. He swore he wouldn’t kill, and I let him in this house, and close to you and Damian and he murders again, with the both of you there. He’s not changed.” Bruce’s cape swished as he too turned and stormed to the computer.
“Father, you weren’t there, neither was Drake. I would be dead, were it not for what Red Hood did. There was no other option. He did not want to kill, but I forced him to.” Damian spoke deliberately but with no inflections. It was nothing but fact.
Bruce rounded on him, surprising both Robins. “I don’t care. He killed. And that cannot be forgiven.”
Damian frowned. “Would you rather I have died than Todd kill a lowlife psychopath?”
“Robin, that’s not-” Tim began, but Bruce cut him off.
“We do not kill. Ever.”
---------
Bruce had enforced rules against working with or even talking to Red Hood. He was cut out from the cave, the manor, and even Oracle wasn’t allowed to aid him. But he’d never explained why. Dick figured Jason and B had gotten into another argument about guns or whatever. It would probably be lifted soon; these things happened, usually only lasting about a week. But it had already been two weeks since Dick got back, and who knows when it started.
And a disagreement didn’t explain the sullenness that crept in the house. It clung to Tim and Dami, and they seemed more distant than usual. Tim was rarely at the manor anymore. And Damian stayed in his room for dinners. Dick had missed something important, and with his stupid, emotionally constipated family, he might never know. So he went to the source.
Nightwing landed softly behind a hoodless Red Hood who ignored him and continued to smoke. Nightwing frowned, usually Jason was the first to quip, especially since he hadn’t seen him in almost a month. He must have had plenty of time to think of new material.
Dick broke the silence. “So why does B have your face on wanted posters around the house?”
He grinned as his brother turned around.
“That’s what you do for murderers.” His reply was distant and flat.
Nightwing furrowed his brow. Yeah, Jason was a murderer in the past, hell he’d even tried to kill Tim and Damian. But he was past that now. He worked through the pit’s madness. He’d been clean for more than six months. Why would B bring up old wounds now? “But you’re not-”
“I did.”
“When?”
“The Bane cartell mission. A week after you left.”
Dick let the silence hang for a bit, rocking back on his heels. “Why?”
Red Hood shook his head. “Doesn’t matter.”
“Does to me.” He caught the other’s eye with that.
“Why? Murder is murder.”
Nightwing shrugged, edging closer. “Yeah. But you don’t do that anymore.”
At that, Jason laughed, too loudly. “Apparently, that’s where you’re wrong.”
“So why’d you do it?”
“Demonspawn would have died.”
Dick furrowed his brow. “Sounds like you didn’t want to, but you had to.”
A shrug. “Doesn’t matter. Already been excommunicated.”
“Does B know-”
“Replacement and babybat tried to set him straight. You know B. ‘We don’t kill.’ I broke his one rule. Again.” Another shrug. “Intent doesn’t matter.”
Well, that explained the Cold War going on at the manor. Nightwing leaned against the raised ledge of the building, studying his brother’s face. “It does if your intent was to protect Robin.”
Red Hood finished his fag, tossing it to the dark streets below. “Well you explain that to B. I’m done.” He pushed away from the ledge, getting ready to leave.
“You haven’t killed anyone since I’ve been back.”
“So?”
“So you’re still following his rules. You’re not unhinged.”
That earned Nightwing a deep chuckle. “You’d be the only one to think so.” And with that, he leapt and Dick let him go.
-------
Jason had noticed, since he had been kicked out, small things had been happening. His apartment would be cleaner than he’d left it. He’d always have pizza and beer in the fridge. He’d gotten packets of information on jobs he was working. Tim. The poor replacement must have felt bad after the bats cut him off. Normally Jason didn’t take handouts, but if Tim was dumb enough to give things out and expect nothing in return, Jason wouldn’t tell him no.
And then one night, about a week after the incident, Robin caught him alone on patrol.
“Robin.”
“Hood.”
A moment of silence stretched as they appraised one another. Either the babybat was satisfied or he didn’t like the quiet, “I never thanked you.”
“What would B say, you thanking me for killing someone.”
Robin narrowed his eyes the barest amount. “I’m thanking you for saving my life. And going to extraordinary means to do it. You could have let me die. Father would be less angry with you.”
Red Hood stood, incredulous for a moment. He shook his head. “You think B would be less angry for letting you die? Sorry to break this to you, but he does actually care about you. Don’t let the ‘I am darkness’ thing fool you. If you had died and I could have stopped it, he would have my head.” He sighed. “And I would let him.”
“Why?”
Jason looked like he was weighing something in his mind. It was a minute before he spoke. “Because if Robin died and I didn’t stop it, I would be worse than a killer.” He looked away. “I would deserve death.”
By the time Robin processed what he'd said, the Red Hood was gone, leaving him alone on the rooftop.
------
It would be a long while before the Red Hood was spotted in Gotham again, almost a year.
And when he came back again, he came back more feared than ever. Using ruthless methods, torture, amputation, anything. But he did stop killing. No one died by the hand of Red Hood. But that, perhaps, is what fostered more fear; before if you were caught, he simply killed you, one bullet to the temple. No pain, nothing. But now, he knew no mercy such as death.
Overtime, people began to speculate whether the old Red Hood had died, or retired, and the Joker had reclaimed his former title. But those rumors were easily squashed; Joker was cruel, yes. But no one was this brutal.