This is the attempt to fill a request from @lampterracoon :) Hopefully you like it!
Dick knew Jason didn't have very many friends, if any. So even though he wasn't on good terms with Bruce he'd show up every once and a while if just for the younger boy's sake.
Jason on his part loved when Dick came over. He idolized his elder brother.
Dick made sure he took time to sit down with Jason usually about once a week to talk about how school was going, how things had been with Bruce, training, and whatever was on the younger's mind at the time.
Eventually Jason and Dick grew very close, the younger breaking down walls he'd built up years ago and letting his brother help him through some of the pain he'd experienced as a child.
"I don't think I've ever let anyone get this close to me," Jason said one day, both boys perched on the manor's roof to watch the sunset before patrol.
"I guess that must mean we're best friends," Dick said with a smile.
Jason's grin stretched from ear to ear. He'd never had a best friend before. "You should come on patrol with us tonight," he begged, making puppy dog eyes.
Dick chuckled and ruffled Jason's hair. "Sorry, Jay. There's some business going down in 'haven I've got to take care of," he said.
Jason pouted cartoonishly, folding his arms and sticking out his bottom lip.
Dick laughed. "Next time," he promised, giving Jason a side hug.
"I'm holding you to that," Jason said, turning the side hug into a full hug.
—
Dick looked around the watchtower. Surely Bruce had brought Jason to welcome him back. When he'd been called up for an emergency off world mission Dick had messaged Bruce asking him to let Jason know. Hopefully he had.
Everyone else was milling around, talking, smiling, laughing. Giving updates on how well the mission had gone... But Dick was still looking for a mop of raven hair, or a man in a black onesie with a sign that said 'Party pooper'... He didn't see either.
"Have you seen B anywhere?" Dick asked Clark.
"No, let me look though," he said squinting his eyes slightly as he used his x-ray vision. "Doesn't look like he's here."
Dick huffed out a sigh. Of course Bruce wouldn't want to come see his son who'd been in space for 4 months. "I guess I'll just have to pop in then," he said, walking towards the zeta tubes.
—
Of course Dick's zeta access to the cave was still restricted. That hadn't stopped him before though, and it wasn't going to stop him now.
Dick stepped out into the cave, the sound of his improvised zeta tag of 'Bruh' still echoing.
A little black haired boy ran over to Dick "Intruder!" He shouted, launching an attack.
"Woah woah woah, calm down kid. I'm looking for B," Dick said, sidestepping the kicks and punches sent his way.
"Who's B?" The boy asked, pulling a Batarang from his back pocket and throwing it at Dick.
"Uh, Batman... Bruce," Dick said, dodging the flying projectile.
"How do you know that?" The boy demanded, his attacks becoming more furious.
"Look kid," Dick started, "I didn't want to do this." He threw a bola at his attacker, the younger yelping as he fell to the ground.
The boy squirmed and shouted, "Let me out of here!!"
Dick put a foot on the kids back. "I'm Bruce's son... or was... Now tell me where he is," he said.
"I'm right here Dick," Bruce said, walking down the steps from the manor.
"Perfect," Dick said sarcastically. "What's this?" He asked, pointing at the boy on the ground.
"That's Tim," Bruce said, helping the younger unravel the bola he was entangled with.
"Your name's Dick?" Tim asked, sending Bruce a look.
"Yes," Dick growled, silencing the younger. "Second question. Where's Jason?"
Tim went silent, turning his gaze towards Bruce.
"He's dead," Bruce said, his voice cracking.
Dick stumbled back as if he'd been hit. "What?" He asked, his voice barely a whisper.
"He... it was Joker... I was too late," Bruce said, not meeting Dick's gaze.
"He was... he," Dick trailed off, feeling tears prick at his eyes. He turned away, wrapping his arms around himself. Jason was so young.
Why couldn't it have been anyone else?
Tears streamed down Dick's cheeks, his back shaking with sobs. He heard footsteps behind him, and he allowed Bruce to pull him into a warm hug, the elder rubbing circles on his son's back as he cried.
—
Dick dragged the toe of his boot in the dirt. 'Friends,' he thought cynically to himself. He'd thought the other members of his team were his friends.
At least that was when things were still going well... the second Wally died things had started unraveling, starting with his relationship with the team.
Everything was Dick's fault. Or so they said... they told him they'd trade his life for Wally's, and he full heartedly agreed... he would trade himself for Wally in a heartbeat.
A call buzzed on Dick's phone and he lifted it to see the caller ID.
Bruce's name flashed on the screen. This was a first.
Dick answered the phone with a weak hello, not even trying to conceal the fact that he'd been crying.
Bruce, for once, started off by asking Dick how he was doing, a question the younger didn't want to answer honestly. He knew Bruce wouldn't have a clue of an idea of how to help him feel better.
"I'm doing fine," Dick said, squeezing his eyes shut in an attempt to keep his tears from spilling, his lower lip trembling.
"Good," Bruce said, moving on to business. "I wanted to let you know to look out for a villain calling himself Red Hood."
"Let me guess, he has a red hat of some sort," Dick said, trying to cheer himself up with his own humor... it wasn't working very well...
"Very funny," Bruce said with a sigh. "He's been spotted in your area and he's been very volatile towards those who've tried to stop him. So... so stay safe."
"I'll try," Dick said, sincerely meaning it, but also sincerely doubting he'd be able to live up to that promise.
"Talk to you later," Bruce said, sounding oddly relieved.
"Bye," Dick replied, ending the call as he finally got back home.
After flopping on his bed, emotionally exhausted, Dick allowed his eyes to slip closed.
A buzz in his back pocket woke Dick a few hours later. He grabbed his phone from his pocket, groggily swiping at the screen before holding the phone to his ear. "Hello?" He said with a tired yawn.
The phone gave no response, and it slowly dawned on Dick that his alarm for patrol had just gone off.
Groaning, he rolled off his bed, getting ready for patrol like he did almost every other night. He deserved a day off... Surely vigilantes deserved some sort of paid leave... except they never got paid... that would be nice...
Dick snapped out of his spiral of thought, letting out a deep sigh as he climbed out of his window, making sure nobody was watching before he swung off into the night.
—
Of course Dick would happen to run into Red Hood... and it had to be the day he was more physically and mentally spent than he'd been all week.
Which was honestly a very unfortunate fact that Dick lamented on while he was chasing after a man dressed in a leather jacket with what looked like a fancy red bucket on his head.
A gun shot rang out in the night, a bullet slicing through the air and severing Dick's grappling line.
A spike of panic tore through Dick's chest. He knew how to fall, he'd done it plenty of times, but this time he was free falling from much too high with no way to slow or stop his fall. To add to it all, it was at this moment that his tired mind decided to delve deep into the little box of trauma in the depths of his mind and bring up a particularly painful memory of watching the two people he loved most take a similar fall...
Dick landed hard on his left leg, a distinct snapping sound and a wave of pain assuring him it was broken before he even looked at it. Pain washed over him like waves on the sand.
But Dick wouldn't let himself stop. He needed to find Red Hood.
Stubbornness and pure willpower being the only things that kept him going, Dick hobbled around the corner, heading toward the warehouse he'd seen Red Hood enter.
Red Hood didn't seem surprised at all when Dick stumbled into his warehouse, holding up both of his fists and balancing on his good leg. He looked like he could be blown over with a single strong breeze, but he seemed absolutely determined to come out victorious.
Dick took a few shaky hops forward, calling for Red Hood's surrender.
A laugh echoed through the red helmet's voice modulator, before Red Hood proceeded to flip Dick over his shoulder and toss him deeper into the warehouse.
Dick cried out as his leg was jarred. Black spots danced in his vision, threatening unconsciousness.
Red Hood sauntered over, taking his helmet off and tucking it under one arm.
"J-jay?" Dick mumbled weakly.
"How cute, you remembered my name," Jason replied, walking close enough to nudge Dick's injured leg with his boot.
Dick whimpered.
"I thought you would've forgotten me. You replaced me with a whole team's worth of incompetent friends after I died... The sad thing is they aren't even good friends. But don't worry, I took care of them," Jason said, dropping a scrap of fabric by Dick's face. One that had part of a red S on it and was stained with blood.
"Wh-why?" Dick asked, his voice quavering at the thought of what Jason might have done to the team.
"Because you're my best friend," Jason said, his predatory smile not quite reaching his glowing green eyes.