Chapter Text
Dusk had enveloped Gotham. As the sun vanished into the cityscaped horizon, darkness found it's way amongst the now deserted streets and alleyways. It was amidst this darkness that crimes occured, away from watchful eyes. The shadows shifted and morphed, contorting in a veiled mystery. The night was silent for the most part, except for the occasional sounds of gunshots or of yelling. But the citizens paid no heed to them. After years of living and surviving in this hellscape, it was just background noise to them. A sound as familiar as their own heartbeat. Tonight, Gotham found itself once again harboring underground crime rings and illegal drug trades. But tonight, something was different. And not just tonight. For almost a month, the citizens of Gotham reported seeing an unknown presence. Wearing leather and a bright red helmet, trouble followed him wherever he went. And so did the smell of gunpowder.
Red hood was different from what Gotham was used to. He meant business. He killed, without hesitation. That was new. Every criminal knew batman didn't kill. They used it as an advantage, a safeguard. But now the tides were turning. There was something to be scared of. Or rather, someone
The last body hit the ground with a thud and a clatter as the knife fell from their weakened grip. Red hood huffed, looking around, bodies adorned the floor like confetti. And his job here was done. He walked past the brutal massacre and inspected the crates full of illegal weaponry. Sirens blared in the distance, clearly GCPD. A bit too late now but he expected nothing more from the most useless police force in existence, probably. He didn't want to linger. Didn't want to wait around for the Bat to eventually show up.
And so he didn't.
In about ten minutes he was running across rooftops, the cool night breeze blowing against his helmet in a soft whisper. He stopped when he heard footsteps behind him.
"Stop following me, idiot" Jason quipped.
The footsteps ceased. And then-
"Jason, listen to me-"
Jason scoffed, "And hello to you too, Nightwing."
Behind him, Richard bristled. "You can't do this-"
"Do what? Solve crime? Help the citizens? Deliver justice?"
"You're killing people-"
"What? Really?? Wow, thanks for explaining that, Dickie. I had absolutely no idea!"
"Jason...This isn't you."
"Then you clearly don't know me very well. I am what this city needs."
"You're becoming a crimelord."
"I'm fixing the mess that Bruce created. That you conviniently ignore. You know what Dick-" Jason was thankful for the speech modulator in his helmet because he felt his voice crack with emotion, "I though that I would be the last person that Joker would ever harm. If that damned clown had killed Bruce, I would've tracked him down no matter what it took, and killed him."
He laughly dryly.
"But no! I come back and what do I see? Nothing has changed! It's all the fucking same-"
"Look, Jason. You're hurt and-"
"Oh, don't you dare pity me."
"Please come home Jason. We miss you."
In a moment, Jason had unholstered his firearm and cocked it at his brother.
"You missed me? Don't make me laugh. You replaced me the first chance you got."
Dick shook his head, "we didn't replace you Jason. We- we thought you were dead. We mourned you for months, years!"
"You mourned me but let my killer roam free. "
"Jason, Joker is in Arkham Asylum-"
"He's alive. Alive! Alive after he filled literal graveyards, Dick. Alive after he killed me! "
Dick knew Jason wouldn't hurt him, he couldn't. And so he stepped closer.
"We - we can fix this Jason."
"Oh there's no 'we' anymore. Just me."
Jason reached into his Jacket to grab a smoke bomb. Before Dick could stop him, he was surrounded by a thick plume of gas. And when the air cleared, Jason was gone. Dick called after him but it was futile.
Nightwing sighed, running his hand through his hair. "How much of that did you hear, Bruce?"
In his earpiece, Batman's voice crackled to life, "All of it."
Back at the Batcave, Tim and Bruce were busy observing the camera. Dick stepped in, taking off his domino mask and tossing it off haphazardly.
"I- he just wouldnt listen."
"I heard." Bruce's reply was quick and sharp. "He's making a huge mistake."
"What are you planning Bruce?"
Batman simply shook his head, swiveling around in his chair. "If he choses to become a criminal, then I will treat him like a criminal."
Dick visibly deflated. He understood their duty to Gotham but he didn't want to fight Jason. Why was Jason making this so difficult for them?
Tim Drake listened to the conversation idly, eyes flicking back to the screens every once in a while. He had felt a sense of guilt when Jason spoke about being "replaced". Did Jason think of him as competition? He hadn't met Jason besides the cursory run ins during patrols and even then, The Red hood chose not to engage with the newest Robin. Did Jason hate him? He himself didn't dislike Jason. In fact, he felt a deep sense of sympathy towards him. He wanted answers. From Jason. But judging by the way Jason interacted with Dick, that seemed unlikely to happen anytime soon. He shifted uncomfortably in his seat, rubbing his eyes from the strain.
The Batcave was slowly enveloped in silence as the trio defaulted to their usual day to day routine. But today the silence felt awkward. All three had words that remained unspoken. There was an uneasiness in the air, suffocating. It had been like that ever since they discovered that Jason was, indeed, alive.
Dick was the first to encounter the imfamous Red Hood. At that time he'd assumed it was just another criminal. He'd left no stone unturned when they'd fought. But as they battled, he'd felt a sense of...Deja Vu.
That fighting style..
Those moves...
He'd shook off the feeling initially despite all the signs, all the red flags. It just couldn't be!
He had denied it until he couldn't anymore, until Bruce ran a blood test and it confirmed that Red Hood, the mysterious new vigilante was indeed Jason Todd.
Jason had been revived by Ra's Al Ghul. Jason was back. He should have been happy. His brother was alive!
But he was not.
And as the body count piled high, Dick couldn't help but be worried.
He'd never expected Jason to be alive but even then he'd expected a sweet, happy reunion, with soft smiles and warm embraces, with comfort food and movie nights.
Not this.
And in a way, it broke him more than his death.