I totally remembered to title this chapter WDYM? y'all saw nothing.
Jason Todd honestly did not think his day could get any worse. First, he'd woken up to all of the alarms he'd set up around his hideout blaring because a robin (yes the actual bird shut up internal monologue) had managed to find the one hole in the walls he hadn't found. Then, after he'd disabled all the alarms, patched the hole, and gotten the bird outside, a very different, Dick-shaped, bird landed on his roof. Now, ordinarily, this wouldn't have been a problem, but the recent falling out between Jason and Batman had left things tense—Dick was squarely in the middle of it all.
"Great," Jason muttered under his breath, glaring up at the ceiling as if he could see Dick Grayson's smug face through it. "Just what I fucking needed today."
The fallout had been brutal. Jason's methods had always been more ruthless, and lately, he'd taken things further than Batman could tolerate. A particularly nasty argument had ended with Batman making it clear that Jason's version of justice had no place in Gotham. Jason had left, swearing never to return unless it was to take down Bruce himself.
Dick, ever the mediator, had tried to smooth things over, but his constant attempts to play peacemaker only grated on Jason's nerves. It didn't help that Dick had taken up Batman's side more often than not, preaching about restraint and redemption while Jason was out there in the trenches, dealing with Gotham's worst.
And now, here was Dick, landing on his roof, no doubt with another lecture ready to go. Jason clenched his fists, teeth grinding together. "What the fuck does he want now?"
As he emerged into the open air, he saw Dick standing there, casual as ever, but with that underlying seriousness that meant business. Jason's mood darkened further. "What the hell are you doing here, Dick?" he spat, crossing his arms over his chest.
Dick held up his hands in a placating gesture. "I'm not here to fight, Jason. We need to talk."
Jason scoffed. "Talk? About what? How you're gonna lecture me again about how I should be more like you and Bruce? About how killing The Joker was wrong? Save it. I've heard it all before."
Dick sighed, his expression one of exasperation and concern. "It's not about that. Look, I just want to know how you're doing."
Jason’s eyes narrowed. “How I’m doing? After everything that’s happened? Why the hell would you care?”
“Because I do,” Dick replied, his tone firm but gentle. “Despite everything, you’re still my brother. I know things have been rough. I’m here because I want to help, not to lecture.”
Jason scoffed, his frustration boiling over. “Help? By showing up uninvited and making things worse? I don’t need your fucking pity, Dick.”
“It’s not pity,” Dick said, his voice steady. “It’s concern. You’re out there fighting Gotham’s worst, and I know it’s taking a toll on you. I just wanted to see if you’re okay.”
“Okay?” Jason echoed, his voice dripping with sarcasm. “Look around. This place is a mess, and so am I. And you think you dropping in and asking how I’m doing is going to fix anything?”
Dick took a deep breath, trying to keep his composure. “I understand you’re angry, but shutting everyone out isn’t going to help. We’re a family, and we’re supposed to support each other. I’m not asking you to change your methods or your mission, but I want to make sure you’re not falling apart.”
Jason’s face hardened. “Well, I don’t need a family intervention. I’m handling it my way. Just stay the fuck out of it.”
“I’m not here to interfere,” Dick said, his voice filled with a mix of frustration and sadness. “I just want to make sure you know that you’re not alone. Even if you don’t want to admit it, we’re here for you.”
Before Jason could respond, his phone buzzed with a new message. He glanced at it, his irritation momentarily replaced by a flicker of concern as he read Harley’s urgent text. "Got a kid who just came out of a Lazarus pit. Need you here."
“Looks like I’ve got something else to deal with,” Jason said abruptly, his tone dismissive. “I’m done with this fucking conversation.”
Dick’s eyes followed Jason’s as he started to walk away. “Jason, wait—”
But Jason was already on his way down, his mind focused on the new situation at hand. He grabbed his gear and made his way out, heading toward the park where Harley was waiting.
When he arrived, he scanned the area quickly, noticing a bright figure on a nearby rooftop. Duke Thomas, the daytime vigilante known as Signal, was perched up there, clearly watching Harley and the boy. Jason’s frustration boiled over. He didn't want any more complications, especially from someone who seemed to be spying on his friends.
With stealth and practiced ease, Jason climbed up to the rooftop and approached Duke from behind. "You’re not exactly subtle, you know," Jason said coldly, his voice dripping with annoyance. "Fuck off and stop following my friends."
Duke spun around, caught off guard by Jason’s sudden appearance. He started to respond, but Jason’s irritation flared. Words quickly turned to action and after a brief but intense scuffle, Duke was sprawled on the rooftop, unconscious.
Jason then made his way down to the park, where Harley Quinn was seated on a bench with a young boy who looked disoriented.
“Hey, Harley,” Jason said as he approached. “What’s going on?”
Harley looked up; her usual chaotic demeanor replaced with a more serious tone. “This is P. He’s just come out of a Lazarus pit and is pretty shaken up. I thought you’d be able to help him better than I could.”
Jason nodded and sat down next to P. The boy’s eyes were wide, darting around as he tried to make sense of his surroundings. Jason softened his approach, moving past his earlier anger to offer comfort.
“Alright, P,” Jason said gently. “We’re here to help. Let’s talk about what happened and figure out how to get you through this.”
As Jason started talking with P, he mentally cursed Duke for complicating things. For now, though, his attention was on making sure P got the support and care he needed, no matter how much of a lecture Dick was going to give him for knocking out the new kid.