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Jason hated working with the Bats. He constantly felt like he was one misstep away from being thrown into Arkham. But Bruce and Dick insisted that he “Become part of the family.” All Jason heard was a bunch of bullshit.
A few months after his disastrous confrontation with Bruce and the Joker, Bruce approached him with a deal. Red Hood had been running on fumes, his avoidance of getting involved with trafficking held him back from the big payouts other crime lords killed for. News of this excited the other crime lords, who now had a common enemy they could starve out of the business.
Bruce saw this, and offered him a solution. Work with them, stop the killing, and he would give him money and supplies. Which both helped him and hurt him.
It helped that he got access to WE tech for free. But Crime Alley was relentless, and her thugs noticed the change immediately. So he had to switch tactics. Sure he couldn’t kill anymore. But he could maim, Batman didn’t really care, as long as Jason didn’t kill he was left alone.
He would do the odd job with the Bats every now and then, but they liked to ignore him at any chance possible.
Unfortunately, an Arkham breakout required him to work with them.
~~~
They were all split into groups: Batman and Robin, Spoiler and Batgirl, while Jason was stuck with Nightwing and Red Robin. Jason had only been working with them for three months, which was nowhere near enough time for a Bat to trust him.
Batman and Robin were going after Joker, Spoiler and Batgirl were doing damage control for Scarecrow, and Red Hood, Nightwing, and Red Robin had Black Mask already in custody. The only person left was Joker.
“Hey B,” Dick said through the comm, “Black Mask is back in GCPD custody, need extra hands?”
“Head to the abandoned factory on Lincoln Way. All our leads point there.”
“Got it, B. We’re on our way.” Dick responded
“Good,” Batman said, “Hood.”
“What Batman?” Jason responds, already not liking where this was going.
“No killing."
Jason rolls his eyes and heads towards the warehouse. Not even bothering to see if Nightwing and Red Robin were following him. There was no doubt in his mind they were. No sane Bat would let him near the Joker alone.
They were closer than Batman and Robin, Red Robin started checking the security camera.
“That’s weird,” Red Robin said under his breath.
“What Red?” Dick asked.
“Joker’s just standing in the main office. Unarmed.”
“So the building is rigged with something.” Jason said, pointing out the obvious.
They all stand there, internally debating if they should risk going in, or if they should wait for Batman. Nightwing shared a look with Red Robin, obviously coming to some sort of conclusion.
“Hood,” Dick barked, “Stay here and wait for B and Robin. When they show up, tell them we went inside to get a lay of the land.”
“Right, cause I’m Just your scary dog privilege.” Jason said, making sure his annoyance is conveyed through his helmet's distortion.
“Yep.” Nightwing chirps back, completely ignoring what Hood says as he heads towards a rooftop entrance. Red Robin follows not far behind, turning to offer a small smile before following Nightwing through the door.
Jason hated when they did this. Dangling their trust in front of him, just to snatch it away the moment he thought it was real. Tim and Dick had trusted the information he gave them on Black Mask. Jason was directly responsible for GCPD having him in custody.
Ofcourse, Batman probably told the others not to let him be around the Joker. Any time the clown was mentioned, the Bats looked at him like he was a bomb about to go off.
To them he probably seems like it. Given the chance, he’d put a bullet straight through that motherfucker’s skull. Tonight won’t be that night though, Bruce does a full inventory of Red Hood’s weapons before they patrol together. If Bruce had it his way, all of Jason’s gear would remain in the Batcave.
Jason moved to be looking out towards Batman and Robin’s last known location. He loved the quiet moments on patrol where he could sit and admire Gotham. The painful nostalgia that followed him through the smog filled streets.
It was almost peaceful.
Until he heard the telltale click of a gun being cocked.
Shit.
“Looks like I’ve found a little birdie.” Jason really hoped he’d been hit with fear gas. Joker was supposed to be inside. Does that mean Dick and Tim got caught?
“Come on now, you know it’s rude to not look at who’s talking to you.” Turning around was the last thing Jason wanted to do. But if it meant he could figure out what happened to the others, he’d do it. “There ya’ go, Hoodie. Now take off the helmet, jacket and belt. I know you don’t got your guns.” The Joker starts laughing then, holding the revolver steady. The raspy cackleing sounded like sandpaper, making him freeze in place.
At his hesitation Joker mockingly coos, “What’s the matter, Bats got your tongue?" He starts laughing again, Jason’s too frazzled to do anything else. If he doesn't do something, and Joker kills Nightwing and Red Robin, he'll spend the rest of his life in Arkham, maybe Bruce would even put him right next to the Joker.
Panicking won’t get Jason anywhere, he needs to calm down and think this through. He may not have his guns right now, but that doesn’t mean he’s defenseless. He’s still wearing his suit, he has weapons on him, and he has his body armor.
Waiting for back up wasn’t an option, so he thought through what his options were. Oracle had insisted he add an emergency beacon to his helmet, the button was near the latches to disengage his helmet. When pressed the button would send his location along with the last minute and a half of video through to Oracle. She would be able to tell Batman and Robin what to look out for.
But reaching towards his helmet in this situation would mean he’d have to take it off too. But he was still pretty confident that he could take on the Joker now. It was just going to have to be with his hands.
Jason made a show of setting his helmet down on the ground. He moved his jacket off his shoulders, setting it next to his helmet. Making sure not to cover the eyes so Oracles could continue to get a live feed from it.
“Oh please, Bat Junior, hurry and take all the weapons off. You wouldn’t want the other birdies to find a similar fate as you?” He says the last part in a sing-song manner, making a chill run down Jason’s spine.
Jason debates snarking back at him, but he doesn’t want to give the Joker more ammunition against him. It’s bad enough he can send Jason into a panic with just a laugh. Once Jason sets all his extra weaponry on the floor, Joker motions with his free hand to walk towards him.
“Come on, bird, you’ve gotten all big and strong. There’s no way I could carry you.”
Joker gives him a light shove to walk in front of him. He keeps that hand on Jason’s shoulder, the gun isn’t touching him. It’s smart on Joker’s end, as long as Jason can’t tell where the gun is it’ll be too risky for him to turn around to grab it.
Joker started leading him down the stairs, moving him in the direction of the supervisor's office. It was on the far side of the building, most of the walls were crumbling leaving exposed brick all around.
Once they reach the door, Joker moves closer to Jason’s back. “Open it.” He commands.
Jason pushes the door open, hoping that Dick and Tim would be inside the office. Unfortunately it’s empty.
Joker is still standing behind him, he can hear the fabric of his suit rustling, but he still can’t tell what’s happening.
“What did you do with Nightwing and Red Robin?” He demands.
“Oh birdie,” Joker said, his normal mirth replaced by quiet certainty, “They’ll find you soon.”
Before Jason can turn to fight him, there’s a sharp prick in his neck. The last thing he hears is the Joker’s insane laughter.
~~~
“Batman.” Oracle's voice sounds in his and Robin’s comm. She sounds worried, which is never a good sign. It takes a lot to phase her.
Batman stops in his tracks, waiting by the edge of the building he’s on for further information.
“There’s been a situation with the Joker.” She pauses. “Nightwing and Red Robin haven’t been responding to their comms and Red Hood set off his emergency beacon.”
This was bad, if the Joker was able to incapacitate all three vigilantes, he and Robin would need all the information they could get.
“Send over Hood’s feed, we need to know what we’re dealing with.” Batman orders. “Check the cameras, hopefully a few are still working.”
“Got it.”
Batman pulls the burner phone he keeps on him during patrols, there’s nothing on it except for what Oracle sends him. He crouches down so Robin can see the footage.
The Joker’s audio is a bit muffled, but they can still tell what he’s saying. Joker is pointing a loaded revolver at Red Hood.
“There ya’ go, Hoodie. Now take off the helmet, jacket and belt. I know you don’t got your guns.” Jokers laugh cuts through with a terrifying clarity.
Batman and Robin watch in silence as Red Hood takes his helmet off, then his jacket, then his weapons. The terrifying part is that through all this, Hood doesn’t say a word.
Joker starts leading Hood through the building, the closing door feels like the start of a timer.
“They must all be inside the building,” Robin said, “Joker must have something planned.”
“We need to go, Robin. Oracle, update us on the way.”
~~~
Dick was uncomfortable, his head was pounding and he was laying on the floor. He could hear movement around him.
His memories came flooding back, an abandoned factory, Joker, laughing, and then, nothing. Tim was supposed to be with him. He shot up, vision spinning as he tried to locate Tim.
“Slow down, Nightwing.” Tim said from behind him. “Batman and Robin are on their way.”
Dick nodded. As his head cleared, he caught more of Tim’s conversation. Looking around, he found his comm on the floor. Putting it in his ear, he was finally able to catch up with the plan. “What’s our plan for Joker?”
“Joker is still in the factory.” Oracle said, “He gave you both a fast acting sedative, knocks you out fast and runs out not long after that.”
Batman grapples through the window next to them before he can form a response. Robin is not far behind him. Nightwing and Red Robin stand up, waiting to be given the plan.
Batman was about to say something when a slow laugh was heard at the top of the stairs.
“I think we found the Joker.” Nightwing said. He thinks Red Robin is the one who lets out a disappointed sigh behind him.
“Red Robin, go to the Batmobile and help Oracle. Robin, go with him” Batman orders.
Neither look thrilled about the order, but they understand the importance of following Batman’s orders when it comes to the Joker.
~~~
Jason hated waking up from being drugged. His mind was always foggy and his muscles felt stiff. Opening his eyes was difficult, the room was lit by a singular light to the left of him.
His mouth felt as if it was filled with cotton, biting down told him that there was some kind of cloth gag in his mouth.
Great.
He tried to roll his shoulders to work out some of this stiffness, but his hands were tied behind him. The sedative Joker used must have been a strong one for him not to notice as soon as he woke up. Taking care to feel out the rest of his body, he realized he was tied to a chair. Hands, elbows, waist, thighs, and ankles. Joker really did not want him moving.
His chair sat in the middle of a large room, old conveyer belts and painting stations were on either side of him. Ahead of him were rusted double doors, all he could see through was the wall of the hallway.
The whistle of some old showtime brought Jason back to the current danger he was in. He saw Joker's shadow before he could see the clown.
“Oh goodie,” Joker beamed. “I was hoping you’d be up for this. It’s going to be quite the show.” Jason was going to pretend that the nausea he felt at Joker’s smile was actually from the sedative.
He swallowed the nervous feeling down his throat. The motion caused him to realize that the armor he kept around his neck was gone. The armor he made to block knives and other sharp things from slitting his throat. The armor he wore to hide the painfully visible Batarang scar.
Joker said something about a show. And Jason was currently tied up with the evidence of his last show with the Joker on display. He didn’t like where this was going.
Joker walked closer to him, pulling out the revolver. He leaned forward, face now in Jason’s ear, “Let hope everyone plays their parts.”
As if summoned on stage, the Bat’s make it to the entrance of the room. Joker stands in line of sight, so Jason has no idea what they are doing. But he’s not too upset about it. As long as he can’t see them, they can’t see his scar.
Jason doesn’t think any of the others know about his confrontation with Batman and Joker. If they did, someone would have mentioned it by now. It was completely possible that Oracle knew, but she never gave him reason to suspect that.
Joker turned around, brandishing his gun as he did so. “It was so nice of you to bring the birdies with you this time. Tell me, Batsy. Do ya’ think it’ll be as fun as last time?”
“Drop the weapon, Joker.” Batman commanded. He sounded like he was closer to Joker than the door.
“Oh, but where’s the fun in that.” Joker said, “Ya’ know, me and Hood were just reminiscing the good ol’ times.”
Jason closes his eyes, he does not want to see the disgust on his family’s faces when they see the ruined flesh on his neck.
“Now, Bats, I’d say it’s about time for a remake.” Joker’s cackles fill the air. He can tell Joker has moved to the side now, meaning his neck was on full display.
Jason draws a breath, knowing that any movement of his neck will only draw attention to the scar. Joker is still laughing, more clicking comes from the gun. Jason hears the rattle of multiple bullets hitting the floor. “Old Bats over here seemed so happy with our last game of chance. I wonder how he’ll react to this one?” Joker's plan is now pretty clearly laid out, Jason opens his eyes. If Joker is going to kill him again. He’ll look him in the eyes as he does it.
“Joker, put the gun down.” It’s Nightwing talking this time. Looking at the scene ahead of him, he noticed that only Batman and Nightwing were present. That must mean that the others were safe. It also meant that he could control how many people saw his scar.
“You gonna make me?” Joker asked, clearly enjoying the rise he got from Nightwing. Jason feels the cold barrel press into his temple, Joker still laughing.
“How many attempts do you think Hoodie here will get?” Joker asked. He was too distracted by his monologue, enjoying the increasingly panicked look on Jason’s face, to notice that Batman had another Batarang in his hand.
Batman brought up his arm, throwing the Batarang. Jason flinched as it flew towards him, but the impact from the Batarang never came. Instead he heard the thunk of the Batarang hitting the Joker. Followed by a loud pop and a burning pain in his thigh.
Nightwing rushed towards him, reaching behind him to untie all the ropes holding him in place. Batman runs towards Joker, removing the gun and Batarang from his reach.
“Get to the Batmobile outside, I will remain with Joker until GCPD arrives.” Batman said.
Nightwing offers him a quick nod, moving in front of Jason to help pull him out of the chair and walk to the Batmobile. Jason’s thigh was now covered in blood. There was no way the Bat’s would let Jason handle this on his own.
Red Robin and Robin were already waiting for them in the Batmobile. Batman would catch up later. Jason’s gear was on the far seat, but putting it on would only draw more attention to his scar. Although there was no way they weren’t going to have questions about it.
The moving paired with the bloodloss made Jason feel light headed. And If he was going to be in the cave for an unknown amount of time, he was going to try his best to sleep through all of it.
~~~
Dick was trying really hard not to freak out. It wasn’t that Jason was injured, because at any given moment at least three of them had some sort of injury. Him being asleep was concerning, Dick really hoped he hadn’t fainted from Blood loss. What bothered him was their whole interaction with Joker.
Jason hadn’t said a word, no snide comments or sarcastic remarks. Even after he was free from the restraints. And then there was the scar.
It’s no secret that Dick’s entire family is covered in scars, and logically Dick knew that not every scar would be talked about. But they all knew each other’s worst scars. It was hard not to. Thinking back on the past months, Dick realized that he hasn’t seen Jason out of uniform once.
Now the scar on his neck was exposed. It was a strange pattern of vertical lines, almost like multiple blades had cut through him. He shudders at what the scar would have looked like fresh.
And Joker talked like he knew what caused it. Like Bruce knew what caused it too. Like it was Bruce’s fault.
“Do either of you know where Jay got the scar on his neck?” He asked.
Damian and Tim both turned back to get a better look at the scar.
“Why would we know?” Damian said, “Todd is rarely around us.”
Tim’s gaze remains on the scar a little longer, his brow furrowing. Dick gave him a questioning gaze. That face only meant one thing, Tim had already figured it out; he was just missing a piece to make him sure.
“The scar looks like it’s at least 8 months old.” Dick observed, looking at Tim.
Tim gave a small nod, “But Hood went MIA about 6 months ago, and wasn’t seen on the streets until a little over a month ago. Once he appeared again, he and Batman made the deal.”
“While Joker had him, he talked to Batman like he knew something. Kept saying something about ‘recreating last time’.” Dick added.
Tim made a short hum, turning back to the Batmobiles radio and hitting the call button. “Oracle.”
“Whatcha got for me, Red?”
“When was the Joker sent to Arkham?” Tim asked.
“About six months ago.” She responds, “Why?”
“Send me any security footage you find from that confrontation.” Tim said.
“Why not look through the Cowl footage? That would probably get you a better visual.” Dick asked, hoping that this line of questioning was not going down the path Dick thought it was.
“Because Batman gets a notification when we look through the cowl footage.” It’s Damian that answers this time. Looking to Tim for confirmation of what he was thinking.
Tim nods once, looking sick at what he might have just figured out. “We all know what weapon leaves a scar like that.”
~~~
Jason could feel himself waking up. He doesn’t know how long he was asleep, but It was entirely too soon for him to face the Bats. Slowly he opened his eyes trying not to move too much.
“I know you’re up Jason.” The voice was deep, yet it had a sweet quality that made you feel safe. It was a voice he had not heard directed at him since he had returned from the dead.
He pushed himself up, taking in the room. He wasn’t in the Batcave. He was in the Watchtower guest room with Barabra sitting next to him. No one else was in the room.
“Why am I here?” Jason asked.
Barabra pursed her lips. “We found the footage of what Bruce did to you six months ago.”
Shit, shit, shit. If they found the footage that meant they knew what he did. They knew what he wanted Bruce to do. “...Oh.”
She slowly reaches a hand out, resting it on Jason’s knee. Barabra was always scarily good at reading people’s faces. And Jason was never able to hide what he was feeling.
“We’re all sorry that happened to you. Dick is on his way back from giving Bruce the scolding of a lifetime, with Alfred's help, of course.” She smirks when that gets a small huff from Jason. “Everyone else is in the living room. I’m pretty sure Steph is putting on Tangled.”
Jason looks towards the door, now that he’s listening, he can hear the muffled chaos of everyone. Along with the faint smell of popcorn being made in the microwave.
Barabra turns her wheelchair to be facing the door. “If you don’t want to come out, no one will bother you. But I think I speak on behalf of everyone when I say we want you here.” And with that she rolls out the room.
Jason sits in the bed, waiting for the other shoe to drop. But it never comes. He figures he should move to the living room before all the good spots get taken.
Luckily there is an empty loveseat, Jason silently moves towards it, grabbing a blanket as he goes. Damian is sitting on the far end of the couch, drawing something in his sketchbook while curled up under a blanket. Cass is sitting next to him, watching as he fills the page. Barabra is transferring herself from her chair to the side of the couch closest to him, she offers a reassuring smile at his gaze.
Tim and Steph are in the kitchen, arguing over who gets the last Sprite. It’s calm in a way Jason hasn’t experienced since he lived in the manor. Tim and Steph eventually move to the floor in front of the couch, after everybody yelled some variation of “Get in here so we can start the movie.”
They were halfway through the first song when Dick came in. His cheeks were red and eyes bloodshot. Either he’d been crying or he got high on the way over. It was most likely the former. Dick scans the room, and gives Jason a smile as he walks towards the empty seat next to him.
“This ok, Little Wing?”
Jason doesn’t trust his voice to keep steady, so he nods in return. Dick throws his arm across Jason’s shoulders as he sits, he puts his hand in Jason’s hair. Raking his hands through the curls, bringing Jason’s head to rest on his shoulder.
“I’m sorry he did that to you.” Dick whispers. “And for what it’s worth, I’m so glad you’re back.”
If Jason cries at that, then no one has to know. For now he could enjoy the presence of people who he thought he’d never get to know.