Archive of Our Own ^beta

Dick was led through large and rough hands. His hands were tied and a bag had been carefully pulled over his head. Both were made of the red matter of a Red Lantern Ring.

In other words, he could not free himself because his Green Lantern Ring had been out of energy for days.

"Where are we going?" he wanted to know.

"Shut up!" one of his guards poked him uncomfortably in the ribs.

Dick pressed his lips together to swallow the sound of pain and any protest. That wouldn't help him here. He had let himself get caught, so it was his fault that he was in this predicament. So Dick would make it out of here on his own. However, an escape attempt had no chance of success if his guards were expecting it.

They stopped.

"Watch it," hissed the lieutenant of the trio of Red Lanterns.

Dick listened up; there was no doubt he was meant.

"There's a prisoner exchange between you and one of our men. We'll go right to the head of the bridge. Once you are free, you will walk leisurely across the bridge, meeting our man halfway and not stopping. You will just keep going until you get to your end. Do you understand?"

Yes, but also no. Dick nodded, knowing what he had to do. What Dick didn't understand was the deal. The Guardians would never go along with something like this. Any Red Lantern in their custody more than deserved jail time.

But Dick couldn't say that here. If he cast doubt on the deal, it would only lead to chaos and his likely untimely demise.

No, playing along was his best bet.

They walked on and stopped.

The bag and the shackles came off and Dick immediately walked away. As if he was going for a walk.

The place of action had been well chosen. Zander, if Dick was not mistaken. Foggy planet and even now he could just make out the center of the bridge.

He kept toward it, though with each step he felt more as if he were walking to his own doom. As if this were nothing more than a contrived trap to torment him.

A figure approached him, but he did not recognize the person until they met in the middle of the bridge.

Dick's breath caught in his throat.

Jason looked at him through his teal eyes and moved his lips, "Keep walking."

No sound came out, but Dick understood the message and wanted nothing more than to grab Jason and drag him with him to the side of the Green Lantern.

He couldn't let the Red Lantern sink their claws into him. Never again.

"Jason," Dick pleaded as he dodged the red constructs, "Please, listen to me. The red ring is controlling you. You would never be able to hurt anyone let alone kill them."

"You don't know me," his little brother bared his teeth.

"Yes I do," Dick insisted, tears welling up in his eyes, "You're my little brother and I love you."

Dick was just able to erect a green shield in front of him that blocked the force of the attack. He still staggered backward a few feet.

"You let me die!" screamed Jason, and crowbars formed in the air, all targeting Dick.

Dick froze and couldn't dodge it. Couldn't deny it. Even if he never wanted Jason dead, he might have been able to prevent it if he had cared just a little more about his little brother. And who could blame Jason for being so angry and thirsty for revenge after coming back from the dead?

The crowbars dissolved just before they hit him.

Jason stood before him. Sweat stood on his brow and he looked pleadingly at Dick.

"Help me," he pleaded.

And how could Dick not comply with that request? How could he not comply with any request Jason made, after the debt he was in?

Dick rushed up to Jason and pulled the ring from his finger. It burned in his hand, but it was much more important to protect Jason with his own ring, because here they were in the middle of space.

Jason crouched down in the sphere. Embryonic position. He looked vulnerable, but he looked up at Dick with a small smile before losing consciousness.

"I've got you," Dick said. His brother was a miracle. A miracle that he lived and a miracle that even now he had enough willpower to stand against the Red Ring.

Dick kept walking because Jason had said so.

He had to trust his little brother here. But if Dick saw even a hint that this was an act of sacrifice, he would intervene. The Reds would get Jason over his dead body.

Dick arrived at his side. There were Stephanie and Tim.

Dick frowned. The Red Lantern had three people. So where was the third Green Lantern man.

A green arrow flew through the air. Dick looked up, straight into Roy Harper's strained face.

"We've got to get out of here!" yelled Tim, grabbing Dick.

Dick turned around, paralyzed, and there he laid.

Jason.

He could barely see him through the fog, but he hadn't even reached his end yet.

The Reds were returning fire.

Tim dragged him away while Dick could do nothing but scream.

His little brother was dead again.

Dick returned from his assignment in a good mood.

It was finally done, which meant he could devote all his concentration to Jason's training.

The feeling of bliss disappeared immediately when a Green Lantern ring returned to OA without its owner.

A feeling of incredible despair took over his body when it became clear that this ring belonged to his little brother.

"You killed him!", Dick wanted to lunge at Roy Harper when they were finally safe.

The man backed away from him in horror.

"I would never..."

Dick wasn't listening to him at all. If Tim wasn't standing in the way, Roy would be on the floor by now.

"You killed him!"

He cried, knowing that Jason still preferred death to being a puppet of the Reds. The descriptions from his time under the influence of the red veil alone, were proof enough of this.

Dick, however, would rather have his brother than a corpse.

"Goldie," sighed a voice behind him, "think. That was just a ruse to get you out of there. Like I'd go back to hell for you."

Dick turned around and it was too much. Too much emotion. His body was going limp, but at least he was losing consciousness in the arms of his living little brother.

And no matter what Jason said, he would definitely go through hell for Dick.