Stitched Up

8. The Red Hood

It has been four years since Jason died. Things have been pretty...messy, especially for Roy.

He had a few pleasant nights with Cheshire, and he really did try to save their "relationship" but he couldn't, he drifted awa from the Titans a bit, things still weren't good with Oliver, and he still thought about Jason. He was just a kid...

He heard it from Dick, and even Dick wouldn't know if he didn't find out himself, gosh Bruce even had a funerals without Dick ! Bruce was not the same after Jason's death. Roy heard that he even tried to kill the Joker but didn't succeed. Dick and him were back in a rather tense relationship, both very afected by the teen's death. Even Alfred who always looked so composed had tears in his eyes every time Jason's name was said. Jason and Alfred were very close, and surely if Bruce had lost a son, Alfred had lost a grand son.

Batman became more violent after Robin's death, more out of control and even the GCPD had noticed it.

Some time later, Batman had found a new Robin. Or rather, the new Robin had found him. The boy's name was Timothy Drake, but he prefered being called Tim. He had discovered Batman and Nightwing's secret identity at the age of nine which was, Roy had to admit, pretty impressive. Really impressive, even.

After that Batman chilled a little, and after a few years with Tim by his side, it was as if Robin had never dissapeared. Well, at least for Batman. Bruce was never the same. A part of him had broken at Jason's death, and it would never heal.

Roy spent some days in Gotham as Arsenal, to help Dick or simply because he wanted to be away from Star City, away from Green Arrow. Batman tolerated him because he wans't a meta, but he never liked Roy very much. Arsenal was one of those vigilantes that didn't belong to a peculiar city, he just went where danger was and helped. He also went where people could bring him confort, even for a night, but that was another thing.

He was visiting Dick in Gotham when he heard something really interesting. He was beating goons, as usual, and those were selling drugs to teens. He asked them for who they worked, and they almost started crying, asking him to have mercy on them, that they didn't know they were kids, the usual. But this time, they seemed really afraid. Terrified, even. " Please," one of them begged, " we're really dead if the big boss knows about this, we're sorry we didn't have money and-" Roy cut them, annoyed at the pleading "I need a name, who is that 'Big Boss' of yours ?" he tightened his grip around them, menacing. The goons looked at him with pure confusion in their eyes " Wait, you're a hero and you really haven't heard about Gotham's new crime lord ? Where are you even from ? Now that I think about it, you look familiar...oh, I know ! I recognize those arrows, you're Speedy !" he starts to laugh and Roy gets really annoyed "For fuck's sake, it's been fucking ages since I wasn't called that ! My name is Arsenal dammit !" he took time to calm down a bit before being menacing again " Anyways, you're gonna tell me who this fucking crime lord or whatever is before I shoot an arrow between your dead fish eyes !" the goons look terrified again and one of them finally shouts when Roy nocks an arrow on his bow " OK OK CHILL I'LL TELL YOU ! He goes by Red Hood, he beheaded the seconds of the worst drug lords in town in two hours and threw it at them in a duffle bag before taking control of the drug industry ! This man is insane, he gets forty percent of their sales and in return they are under his protection but we can't sell to kids or he kills us ! He even makes Black Mask angry, I'm tellign you he's totally nuts please don't deliver us to him !" Roy gets annoyed by their whining and lets them go.

He then calls Dick for a meeting but he tells him that he's a bit busy with a big case with the Bat.

"Let me guess," Roy says "Red Hood ?". Dick seems shocked through the phone "How did you know ?" Roy grins "Look outside your window". Roy laughs, seeing Dick's face was worth staying half an hour on top of this building in the cold.

Roy is invited to the Bat Cave to land a hand with the Red Hood case. Which means, he is there when Batman analyses Red Hood's DNA, and for once in his life, Roy doesn't have anything to say.

He hears Dick let out a kind of choked sob when Red Hood's identity appears on the Bat Computer. How...but...but it's impossible !

Everyone in the room is shocked, except for Bruce. The expression on his face is unreadable, even though his cowl his down.

Jason is...alive.

A few months pass until Batman and Nightwing manage to catch Jason, and somehow not get everbody killed. Jason is not happy, of course, and still continues his criminal activities. But everybody has to admit that Jason did more for the Narrows in a few months than Batman in years. His methods may not be to the Bats' liking, but at least he is efficient in helping people and control the drug industry in Gotham.

He hasn't spoken to Roy yet, but he understands. From what he heard, Jason did die and was brought back to life by this lunatic Talia Al-Ghul, then trained to be the best assassin. When he came back to Gotham, he saw that not only the Joker was still alive but he had also been replaced as Robin. Of course he wanted to burn everything to the ground.

Roy wasn't mad, he was just...sad. Jason was definetely not the kid he had known, but he was sure that under all that blinding rage he was still a good person. What he did for Gotham's poor people and kids proved it. Still, Jason barely even spoke with Alfred and Dick, not to mention Bruce or worse Tim that he beat up. Roy wasn't okay with what Jason did, he just..understood. He probably would have gone crazy too if he had Jason's life -and death-.

Some nights when he was in Gotham, he tried to spot Jason. For now, Jason was hidden under heavy weapons, metallic masks and a distorted robotic voice, but the Red Hood was more than present. Jason didn't want to talk to anyone, but at least Red Hood tolerated his presence. There were even a few times where he saved his ass. For Roy's defense, Gothamites criminals are really no joke. Gosh, sometimes he even thought that he regreted the metas he used to fight with the Titans.

It was a silent arragement between Jason and him : Roy could stay as long as he didn't get too close. And Roy was okay with that, as long as he somehow got to keep an eye on Jason. He would rather die than let anything happen to Jason again. Maybe he was big and strong now, but still. As long as Jason was okay, he was okay...

***

Or maybe he wasn't. He's not sure why but he's about to get executed in Qurac. What shitty luck. Damn ingrates, Roy had started an uprising agaisnt the dictators and the people had just thrown him to the military. Great. He had had a shitty life, shitty love stories, and now a stupid, shitty death. So Roy Harper.

One of the guards told him he got visit and  when he entered the prison's courtyard, there was a priest waiting for him. Great. Like he could save Roy's soul anyway.

He let out a long suffering sigh and the priest requested to have alone time with him so Roy went. He would be dead in a few minutes anyway.

The priest took his Bible and started reciting prayers. Suddenly, he opened the book and Roy was shocked to see his bow. He was even more shocked to note that the priest was in fact just a disguise hiding the fucking Red Hood, coming to rescue him.

His name is Jason Todd. A lot of people say he's crazy. Like, say, the entire staff of Arkham Asylum. Maybe they're right. Roy was hardly in a position to judge. Anyone. But as Jaason pops out of his disguise, blows the chain off Roy's ball, and gives him his bow and quiver ? Let's just say the Red Hood is his kind of crazy !

I love quoting :D though normally Roy speaks in the first person but yeah anyway I couldn't get over this sentence when I read it so I just HAD to put it. btw, the story really starts now, hope you're ready ;) as always hope you liked this chapter, I tried to make it as canon as possible but of course I coudln't be 100% canon and coherent because well DC can't even make it lmao. See ya next week, and thanks for the likes and comments it truly warms my heart every time <3