#Bruce knew he'd really fucked up after he tried to take Robin away & force Dick to stay on bedrest...and Dick took a lighter to every thread
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So for a prompt cause I'm feeling some angst. What if Dick was the one that died and came back? Similar scenario in Dick not being avenged and I'm sure he'd be angry but not Jason angry cause Dick isn't like that but he's still mad. And Jason (who looked up to Dick and loves him and they had a bit of interaction before his death) does whatever it takes to convince Dick to come back to the family?
I really think this is a super fun idea. It puts all the characters in such interesting positions and it’s fun to explore how different Dick’s motivations would be from Jason’s, especially with how he would want to handle things.
Back from the Dead
Jason still remembers the day Dick Grayson died because it was the day part of Batman died too. Jason had watched through the camera in Bruce’s cowl as Bruce went off to Blüdhaven and dismantled the gang that had worked with the Joker to kill Dick Grayson. The Joker had been sent to Arkham with almost every bone in his body broken. He’d watched as over the next week, Batman took down every big crime syndicate in the city and drove the fear into them so hard that no major crimes happened in Blüdhaven for three months. Bruce never killed anyone though, something that surprised Jason to no end.
Bruce was extra hard on Jason and Gotham in the next few months, often training Jason so hard he wouldn’t even be able to go out on patrol. Jason would go to school the next day sore from a rough night of training only to go back to the manor and do it all over again.
The problem was, Bruce didn’t get better. He had been a father figure for Jason until Dick passed, after that, the relationship between them had grown painful and oppressive. Jason escaped to the titans but as soon as he turned 18, he went off on his own, creating a name for himself as the Arkham Knight.
Jason had tried settling in Blüdhaven, but Bruce had kicked him out of there so fast, Jason had seen stars. Soon there was a new Robin, Jason had made a name for himself in Crime Alley as the silent protector and life was finally starting to feel like it was going uphill.
If Dick Grayson had ruined it before, Jason should have known he would ruin it again when he returned in a red Nightwing suit.
Bruce had thought it was a ghost at first, but after Jason had seen him, he met up with Tim, the new Robin.
“He’s back,” Jason said, sitting across from Tim in the corner of a small coffee shop. “Bruce wasn’t seeing things, but he can’t handle this on his own. You and I are going to look into this ourselves and we’re going to try talking some sense into Dick. Bruce can’t know until we’re sure about what’s going on. Best case scenario, we get him to come home. Realistically, I’d like to chase him out of town and we won’t tell Bruce. Worst case scenario, Bruce finds out we were hiding this from him and he never forgives us.”
Tim thought for a long moment. “I’m in,” he said with a firm nod.
“Wait, really?” Jason asked. “I thought you’d be against this.”
“This could be the one thing that truly drives Bruce crazy,” Tim said. “If it’s really Dick and if B finds out about it, he won’t rest until he has Dick back and we don’t know what Dick has planned. If Bruce did this on his own, he’d be reckless and make mistakes. I’m in.”
They’d strategized for the next few hours. After seeing Dick, Bruce had been scouring Blüdhaven.
“If he’s smart,” Tim said. “He’ll avoid Blüdhaven, knowing Bruce will search there. He’s probably set up in the one area of Gotham that Batman leaves alone.”
Jason smirked as the puzzle pieces came together. “Crime Alley.”
That night, Jason went out with a plan and his heart nearly stopped when he saw the flash of red in the skies. He’d been right. It left him breathless for a moment. Dick was still alive and Jason would be the first one in the family to talk to him. It was an immense amount of pressure, but Jason knew he could handle it.
Jason landed behind Dick on a rooftop.
“I was wondering who would find me first,” Dick said. His voice was a little deeper, but it was so achingly familiar that Jason forgot what he would say for a moment.
“Well, Batman is kind of being kept in the dark on this one, so it was going to be me or Robin.”
Dick shook his head. “I can’t believe he still has one. I have to admit, I’m impressed neither of you ended up like me.”
“He was manic,” Jason said. “Pretty much every criminal in Gotham and Blüdhaven know that if you touch a bat, you don’t come back from it.”
“Unless you’re the Joker,” Dick replied. “I don’t know what kind of messed up person it takes to keep letting the Joker go out like that. You and I both know Batman has the technology to stop the Joker for good without killing him, but I don’t know why he’s still out there.”
“Robin and I have a theory,” Jason said. “It’s messed up. But we think Batman needs the Joker the same way he needs a Robin.”
Jason didn’t know what happened, but in the blink of an eye he was on his back, Dick on top of him with an escrima stick at his throat.
“Don’t you dare say that,” Dick hissed out at him. “Don’t you dare say he needs that piece of shit the same we he needed me or you. I know what the Joker means to Batman, but that doesn’t mean I don’t think he should still be allowed to play his fucked up little games.”
Jason held his hands up in surrender. “Fine, okay, I get it. I agree with you. Why do you think I’ve been forced into Crime Alley, huh? I tried to leave, but Batman got so freaked when I tried that I was forced to come here. Your death doesn’t mean nothing. It means he fights harder to make sure one of us won’t die because of it.”
“I was going to ask you to come home,” Jason said. “But now I see that’s not going to work. But I will ask you to stop playing with the Batman otherwise he’s going to drive himself crazy and end up in Arkham right next to the Joker. Either get out of town or confront him and let him know why you’re upset. Playing these games with him stops him from taking care of real crimes in Gotham.”
Dick pulled the escrima stick back and Jason took in a breath. “How are you alive?”
“Long story.”
“I’ve got all night,” Jason replied. “And my apartment is nearby.”
“Fine,” Dick said as he straightened, not bothering to help Jason up. He took off in the direction of Jason’s apartment and Jason followed behind him, not at all surprised that Dick knew where he lived.
When they got back, Jason took his helmet and the bulkier pieces of his armor off, Dick staring at him the entire time with caution, like Jason might call Batman at any moment.
Dick looked the same, a little older, but he still had the pretty face that Jason remembered lusting after as a kid. His hair was a bit longer, but it still had the characteristic little wave that Jason had always admired. Jason wondered if is eyes were still the same shade of blue, but Dick kept his mask on and his muscles coiled, ready to escape at any moment.
Jason sat on the couch and looked at Dick, waiting for him to talk.
“When I died,” Dick started, sinking down next to Jason. “I don’t know exactly what happened, but apparently, there was some weird universal anomaly where someone punched a small ripple into the universe and I was brought back to life. I don’t remember much from when I was revived, but I remember digging my way out of the grave. Talia al’Ghul found me and dipped me in the Lazarus pit to heal all the damage that had been done to my body.
“When I woke up, I was at the League of Assassins headquarters and I was told that as payment for reviving me, they wanted me to join them. It was the only way I could get out, so i completed their training and then left. It took a few years for them to let me go, and when they did, I came back here to confront Bruce.
“The issue,” Dick sighed and looked down, taking off his mask and tossing it aside. Instead of the clear sapphire blue Jason was used to, Dick’s eyes were a bright turquoise, a perfect mix of the blue and bright green of the pit. “Is that the pit can kind of take over sometimes when you’re upset. Sometimes I’d be out and the pit would take over and I’d...I’d come to and there would be blood on my hands and I...I killed people, Jason. I went against the one thing I was never meant to do. I killed people.”
Jason reached a tentative hand out. Dick had always been a sucker for affection before he died, but now, Jason had no idea how he’d react. Jason placed a gentle hand on Dick’s shoulder and Dick melted into him, body pressing to Jason’s. Jason wrapped his arms around Dick and he rubbed Dick’s back as Dick cried.
“I don’t want him to kill the Joker,” Dick told him. “I just want him to make it so the Joker can’t hurt anyone again.”
Jason nodded. “I think,” he said carefully. “Bruce won’t want to be the one to do that, but I think Tim and I are on the same page with you on that one and we can help you do whatever you think needs to be done to stop the Joker from hurting people without killing him.”
Dick looked up at him, eyes red, making the green stand out. “You’d do that for me?”
“Dick, I don’t know if you ever figured it out, but I would do anything for you.”
“Are you saying you had a crush on me?” Dick asked, small smirk on his face. “Little Wing, that is so cute.”
“Yeah, well look at you,” Jason said, cheeks reddening. “It’s kind of hard not to have a crush on you when you’re so damn pretty.” Jason looked anywhere but at Dick, well, he tried, it was hard when Dick was practically on top of him.
“Jason,” Dick whispered. “You do realize you’ve grown up to be quite the looker yourself.”
Jason laughed. “I see you still use super weird terms, like ‘quite the looker’.”
Dick shut him up by pressing their mouths together and Jason was still for a moment as he processed the fact that his previously dead, incredibly hot, predecessor was kissing him.
Dick pulled away a few minutes later, leaving Jason panting lightly and looking at Dick with wide eyes.
“So do you think telling Bruce can wait a few days?” Dick asked. “I think I want to catch up on things a little bit before I talk to the family again.”
“Uh, yeah,” Jason said with a nod, knowing exactly what Dick was implying as Dick’s hand ventured downwards. “Yeah, I’ll tell Tim and he’ll make sure we’re safe.”
“Good,” Dick said. “Because there’s a lot of things I missed.”
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