'Red Hood: murderer, drug ring leader, and local menace. Takedown priority: Alpha.'
Dick read the words that had appeared on the screen of his phone again, making sure he wasn't missing anything important.
A quiet sigh left Dick's lips and he rubbed at his eyes. So this was what Bruce had resorted to doing... instead of texting, calling, or heaven forbid talking face to face like a normal human, Bruce had decided to simply send a cryptic message.
Dick pinched the bridge of his nose, knowing that unfortunately, this was probably as close as he'd get to having Bruce ask for his help.
So instead of reaching out to Bruce, Dick called Tim.
"Hey Timmers, B just sent me the oddest message about some Red Hood guy," Dick said.
"Ya... he's been stirring things up recently in the criminal end, he's taken down a lot of high profile targets," Tim said between sips of his coffee.
"So I'm guessing that was B's way of asking for my help then." Dick sighed, wishing Bruce would simply talk to him like he used to.
"I would say so," Tim replied.
"What makes this guy so dangerous anyway?" Dick asked.
"Uhhh... he kills people with guns..." Tim said.
"So far he's only killed criminals though... Right?" Dick asked.
"Ya. Most of them have been criminals who tend to get out of prison before they're really supposed to if you know what I mean."
"Well... I guess you can expect to see me later," Dick said with a sigh.
Tim hummed in reply.
Dick huffed, mumbling a quick farewell before ending the call. None of his family ever gave him the time of day anymore.
—
Dick sat on a familiar Gotham rooftop, waiting for Bruce and Tim to meet him so Bruce could explain whatever plan he'd managed to come up with to apprehend Red Hood.
The soft flutter of a cape alerted Dick to the presence of both Batman and Robin.
"So what's the plan," Dick asked, not bothering to turn around.
Bruce huffed. "You follow my lead and we catch the killer," he said.
Dick rolled his eyes, readying himself for a long night of being treated as an expendable soldier by the Batman.
Bruce jumped off the roof, shooting out his grappling line and swinging away.
Tim and Dick followed shortly after, the elder wishing that he could be doing anything else.
—
Dick didn't know where exactly they were going, but following Bruce ™️ was getting to be a bit boring.
As they swung through the city Dick kept his eyes open, looking for any sign of trouble on the streets.
It just so happened that there was something rather big going down that Dick caught sight of as he swung.
What looked like a drug trade was happening in the sketchier part of Gotham.
Dick called out that he was going down to stop the trade from going down, and Tim reluctantly followed.
"Insubordination," Bruce mumbled under his breath before following the two to a rooftop overlooking the alley the trade was going down in.
The three vigilantes leapt down from the rooftops as the Drugs were being exchanged, immediately taking out men as fast as they could.
These being classic Gotham thugs didn't seem to be too bright, but they clearly recognized Batman and Robin. Nightwing on the other hand, they'd never seen him before. So to their poor small minds it was only logical to focus their attacks on him, since they already knew not to mess with Batman and Robin.
Dick was able to hold his own for a while, but eventually the sheer number of men coming at him overwhelmed him and he found himself being thrown into a hard brick wall. His head bounced off the brick with a crack and his vision blurred and darkened significantly for a moment.
The thugs immediately took advantage of this and began attacking Dick while he lay on the ground in a daze.
Bruce and Tim eventually took down the men, knocking them out before tying them up.
That was when someone emerged from the shadows, a glinting red helmet covering his face. Red Hood.
Jason gave a slow clap, coming to stand over Dick who was bleeding heavily from a stab wound on his side and appeared to have several broken bones.
"Red Hood," Bruce growled, getting into a fighting stance.
"At your service," Jason said with a bow, glad once again for how his helmet covered his expressions.
"Surrender yourself to me or we'll be forced to take more drastic measures," Bruce growled.
Jason let out a dark laugh. "I think I'll have to decline that offer," he said, inwardly more concerned about how pale Dick's skin seemed to be getting and about why Bruce didn't seem to care that his eldest was practically dying before his eyes.
"Fine," Bruce said, his hands balling up into fists.
Jason took another look at the acrobat who was bleeding out next to him before lunging to the side, drawing a gun and pressing it to Dick's head.
Dick whimpered when Jason pulled him up to his feet, and he slumped slightly in the younger's grasp.
"If you so much as take another step I will shoot," Jason hissed, trying to sell the deal as much as he could all the while knowing he could never bring himself to pull the trigger.
Dick's eyes were unfocused, and he had no strength to free himself from Jason's grasp.
Bruce stood still for a long time before he eventually took a step forward.
Jason was absolutely appalled. "You must be a horrible father," he said, lifting the gun from Dick's head and firing a shot through a weak point in Bruce's armor.
Tim rushed to Bruce's side as the man stumbled, while Jason snuck away with Dick's now unconscious body in his arms.
—
Blinding pain pulsed through Dick's head when he tried to open his eyes. He groaned, not thrilled about how sore he seemed to be.
A strong hand gripped Dick's arm and he heard a deep voice saying something as a pill was pressed to his lips, followed by a sip of water.
Dick tried to open his eyes again, this time pushing through the pain that the light brought. What he saw when he opened his eyes however... he was not ready for that.
Jason stood above Dick, his helmed tucked under one arm.
"Jay?" Dick asked, his eyes starting to water.
Jason smiled. "That's me."
Dick's breath hitched and he brought up a heavily bandaged hand to cover his eyes as he started crying. 'Just great,' he thought to himself, 'now I'm hallucinating my dead brother.'
Jason gently grabbed Dick's hand and brought his arm back to rest next to him on the bed. "Take it easy Dickiebird," he said softly.
"Y-you're... y-you're dead," Dick mumbled, trying to sit up.
"Woah," Jason said, immediately dropping his helmet and wrapping an arm around Dick's back to help him move into a more comfortable position.
Dick sniffled, his sobs quieting as he watched Jason.
Jason sat down on the bed, reaching over and using his thumb to wipe a tear off of Dick's cheek.
Dick leaned into the touch, a small smile forming on his lips.
Jason's brows furrowed when he realized just how starved of love and attention Dick must've been recently.
"Is... is it really y-you?" Dick asked, looking at Jason with teary eyes.
Jason simply nodded, wrapping his arms around the acrobat and gently bringing him into a hug.
Dick gratefully accepted the hug and laid his head on Jason's shoulder.
Jason squeezed his eyes shut as Dick's touch reminded him of the secret feelings he'd harbored for the man before he'd died. "Dickie," he breathed, not about to let this opportunity pass.
Dick hummed quietly in response.
"I... I never got to tell you before I died... but... but I'm in love with you," Jason blurted out quickly, releasing Dick from the hug and turning away.
Dick stared at Jason for a moment before reaching out a hand and turning Jason's face back towards him.
Jason squeezed his eyes closed, refusing to look up for fear of what Dick's reaction would be.
As Jason was just about to jump up and run out of the room he felt soft lips press against his own. He stiffened at first, but soon softened into the kiss, wrapping his arms around Dick again to pull him closer.
Dick smiled softly as he ended the kiss, resting his forehead against Jason's.
Jason's smile stretched broadly across his face. "I'm guessing that's an I love you too?" He breathed.
"You guessed right," Dick replied, leaning in for another kiss.