Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Jason gasped and gagged. His throat burned, his eyes stung and he basically felt like crap. A screeching, pained noise escape his throat and he throws up green water. The same color as his eyes, his brain offer. But it’s wrong. It feels wrong. His eyes are blue. They aren’t the acidic green of the liquid he just ejected from his body. His head hurts like hell and back, his mind fuzzy but he knows his eye color. The gossips of Gotham talks a lot about his eye color, « too similar to Bruce Wayne’s not to be adopted ». Jason liked his eyes. It made him felt like he fit in, black hair and blue eyes like Dick and Bruce.

A new wave of nausea hit and he finally registered where he was. He was kneeling on a stone floor. His vision was blurry but he could tell the place was…ethereal in lack of a better word. An old woman was standing in a corner of the room, he absently noticed. It wasn’t his primary focus. No,Jason was too busy slowly spiraling as he remembers. The second wave of nausea brought memories with it. A crowbar, a grating laugh, taunts and insults as the woman that gave birth to him watched, a bomb. Then, the memories of waking up six feet under and clawing his way out of his grave, breaking fingers and ripping nails on the way out, hits him.

Jason was breathing heavily, chocking and gasping for air. A tremor goes through his whole body and he throws up yet again, collapsing forward, his forehead against the stone. It’s cool, it feels good against his sweaty skin. Jason’s wings twitch against his back, talons scratching the stone absently as he lets out a distress call. No answer of course, but he still braced for a hit. Jason took a deep breath.

He isn’t in the League. He. Isn’t. In. The. League. Of. Assassin. He let out a disbelieving laugh, half hopeful, half a broken noise no human should make. Ra’s can’t get him. He won’t be cut open and taken apart again. He won’t have to drown in the hellish glowing Mountain Dew again. Talia took him and….Jason bolt on his feet, black feathers puffing out as his wings open in a defensive position. He snarls. Talia showed him how Bruce abandoned him. He wasn’t even buried as a Wayne but in a random cemetery. Dick didn’t even show up at his funeral. And his Replacement…

God, Jason wanted to throw up for a whole different reason now. He planned to kill the kid. Use his talons to tear him apart, teach Bruce what happen to little birdies that shouldn’t be allowed to fly. But the kid, Tim Jason remember…The kid is just a chick. Barely a teenager. He was gonna kill a young chick (a chick apart of his flock, his mind unhelpfully offer. The Bats aren’t his flock. Not anymore) and Talia set him to it. Jason wanted to gut her like a rabbit. Suddenly the old woman speak up, voice blunt and to the point.

« You are done? We need to go to work, raptor. We don’t have all day »

Jason turn toward her, unfolding his wings slightly. He feels…Better he guess. Physically he feels like hell but his mind is clear and for once he dosent see green everywhere.

« What the hell is happening? », he gruff out, his Crime Alley accent thick and his voice raw. His throat hurt. He cough.

« Purge » the old lady say « The Demon’s daughter want me to train you in our ways, and I don’t train feral animals. I hoped you were strong enough to handle the Pit being thrown out of your system and I was right »

Jason look down at the puddle of green water at his feet and nod to himself. That was it then. The Lazarus water was out of his system. He was free. Free. That felt weird in an euphoric sort of way.

« Thanks » he says between his teeth. Too deep in thought to bother with politeness. Not that he is very polite in the first place

The old lady dosent take offense. She nods, as if she was expecting it

-« You will need to pretend in front of Talia, raptor. But I will train you. You need to learn control, right now you move and fight without any form or technique. And your mind and behavior are messes. We will fix that. When I am done with you, you will go back to your home as a predator fitting of the wings on your back. »

Jason didn’t protest. He needed training. He didn’t even known how to fly for god’s sake! He didn’t ask for those wings, sure, but they were his. And if he could do something for himself out of them, that would be a great fuck you to the Al Ghuls, both father and daughter.

-« Welcome to the All-Castle, raptor. I am Ducra. »

And that was how Jason clawed his way back to himself, to Gotham, slowly and painfully.

Chapter Text

A figure clad in black Kevlar, a leather jacket with the back crudely open, glide above the streets of Crime Alley and land on the roof of an unsuspecting building. The Red Hood ruffles his red tinted wings, his hands clasped in leathers flexing slightly. He shakes his head and coo as he unclasp the mask covering the lower half of his face. It goes of with a mechanical huff and Jason breath out the night air. He considered a full face mask for a while but it would cover his eyes more than his current domino mask. And honestly, his vision was better than anything a full mask would give him. Pecks of being a raptor, he guessed.

He climbed down the building facade and entered a flat through the window, squeezing his wings in with a grunt. He couldn’t wait to bath, the dirt and blood clinging to his feathers annoying him. Jason removed his suit with a content sigh and looked around. His flat was nice by Crime Alley standards, if a bit rundown and empty. Jason had no use for a couch after all. Or a dinning table (he had his desk). Or even a bed. He had a bathtub, a fridge and stove, a desk and a pile of mattresses.

He walk up to said pile and plop himself in, wings flickering, chest feathers puffing for warmth as he worked to adjust the blankets and pillows and feathers in his nest. He was a bit embarrassed at first when he started nesting but now? Jason just liked his nest. All to himself (because he was flock-less, his mind bitterly hissed). He couldn’t nest when he was in the League. His cell was bare and once Ra’s realized how much his instincts pushed nesting behavior, among other things, it was used against him. Only being allowed blankets when he obeyed sucked. Mainly because Jason is a disobedient little shit and always will be.

But Jason was safe now. Somewhat. Sure, the Joker was still out here (only thinking his name is enough to make an angry screech rumble in his throat) and Crime Alley was a mess but he could handle it.

And yea, maybe Jason missed the Bat. A bit. But Bruce, Batman, won’t want him back. Jason is a murderer and inhumane. Bruce hates metas, surely he would hate Jason too. No, its best if he stay hidden. The Red Hood can handle Batman hatred but Jason isn’t sure he will be able to handle Bruce disappointment in him. So hidden it is. As well as winged and feathered crime lord can be, that is.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

Well, the hiding didn’t last long.

Jason was flying above Gotham in his Red Hood get-up, feathers catching on the polluted air. He was running away from Batman. Frankly, he is surprised it took the vigilante that long to start to hunt him down. Jason wasn’t really that subtle, duffel bag of heads and all.

The Bat was on his tail and Jason couldn’t really go high in the air without risks. A stray batarang or a grabble gun hitting his wing when he is too high upon the air could be fatal. So the Red Hood was stuck gliding between rooftops. Bloody Batman.

What he didn’t expect was for a scrawny teen dressed like a traffic light to slam into him. He flapped his wings in one strong motion, enough to prevent a hard fall into an alley and get him safely on a rooftop. He forgot about the Replacement.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to regain his momentum and Batman and Robin III caught up to him. He just had time to snarl and flex his talons, threatening enough that they don’t risk getting within range of his arms. Due to that, he wasn’t tackled to the floor. Small mercies.

« Give up, Red Hood » Batman growled. Because that was batman talking right now, not Bruce. Not Jason’s father (not that he would want him back anyway. Not after everything)

« Nah. » he shrugged, knowing his grin was practically audible in his voice. Being cheeky helps keeping the emotions at bay. « I have work to do. Not all of us have a fancy cave and a lineup of kids ready to die on the job. » The last jab was personal, Jason eyes looking directly at Robin when saying it.

It seemed to piss off Batman even more because the man crouched in a battle stance and reached for his belt. Jason bared his too sharp teeth in answer. He couldn’t allow Batman to attack him now, he needed time. And a plan too, probably.

« No metas in Gotham » Robin crossed his arms, repeating the rule Jason himself was taught back in the days. Hearing it now that he is on the other side of things stung. And here he though he was over it.

Not like his emotional turmoil was visible to Batman and his sidekick. Jason’s only reaction was the array of feathers behind his ears and down his neck raising slightly in agitation, forming a sort of feathery mane like some eagles or other raptors have. All hidden under the red hood giving him his name.

« Ain’t a meta, Replacement » Jason drawled instead, grinning under the mask, radiating smugness. Acting the opposite of how he felt kind of helped. A bit. He flexed his talons and continued «I wasn’t born this way. No metagene for me. So I guess your little rule dosent apply.

Batman grunted, Robin holding tightly onto his bo staff. « No matters, you are a killer and a creature. Neither are welcomed in Gotham. Turn yourself in »

« You wish, old bat » Jason all but snarled, wings opening slightly in a defensive position. In his eyes at least, Batman practically called him a monster without saying the word. « I don’t kill for fun. I do what need to be done when you are too cowardly to even act in the one place that need you most. Crime Alley is my turf now. Get lost »

Those words, of course, didn’t please the hero in front of him. In fact, Batman seemed to slightly loose his calm demeanor. Interesting. « You need to stop, Red Hood. Killing isn’t the solution. » Robin then muttered to Batman. « Maybe it’s the predator instinct. He has talons, he may be part raptor. That would make it harder to stop him »

This comment, even if accurate, annoyed Jason. Bloody smart fledging, able to guess what he was in a few seconds and one interaction. Jason could concede it was impressive and also incredibly annoying. He growled at them and the conversation morphed into a debate, then a shooting match. Jason became more and more restless as the confrontation continued, wings flapping with the growing urge to attack and defend his territory.

It all came to a halt when Batman practically screamed that he « Refused to let any monsters in his city! »

The word « monster » made Jason halt for a second before he screeched, lunging forward. He aimed for the stomach, fingers curled and talons ready to gut his father (not his father, never his father, not anymore…). It was all instincts at this point, a raptor going for the weak spot in his prey. Trying to get rid of the source of his anguish

Instead, Jason claws met the soft flesh of Robin’s cheek, living deep gashes. He froze. He didn’t want to harm a chick, the kid couldn’t be older than 12 with how tiny he was. He was pissed at Bruce, for not understanding, for calling him a monster without knowing, for leaving him behind, for burying him next to his traitor of a birth mother, for replacing him with another kid ready to die, for leaving, leaving, leaving….

But Jason had nothing against the kid. He swore he won’t hurt the Replacement when he regained his mind and now look at him. Blood on his talons, Robin on the floor with a bleeding wound that will definitely scar. He disfigured the boy. Why did the kid had to jump in front of his mentor goddamnit?!

Jason started to panic, breath picking up. Not waiting for Batman to get out of shock, he flapped his wings hard and was in the air. He wasn’t in a state to fight Batman. He flew away, wings moving too hard, too fast, to the point it hurt. He needed to get away

Chapter Text

Not a single Bat or Bird stepped foot in his territory since the incident. Jason didn’t know if he should be glad or not. He knows Dick came back to Gotham, its hard to miss Nightwing jumping around the rooftops but he didn’t get near Crime Alley. Dick was probably here for the baby bird Jason disfigured.

God, every time he thought about that, he wanted to throw up. It wasn’t what was supposed to happen. Everything went off the rails and Robin havent been sighted for a week. The little eaglet probably needed stitches and Jason could only hope he still had both working eyes.

He didn’t want to do that, he really didn’t. It just…happened. After he was purged at the All-Castle, after he was trained to control himself better, he thought he would never harm Robin or any little ones. But Bruce called him a monster and he felt so angry and scared and generally a mess that his only remaining thoughts were about getting rid of the source of his turmoil. Robin -Timothy Drake- wasn’t supposed to jump in the way like a self sacrificing, idiotic little bird.

He probably should stop thinking of him as a baby bird or a chick. It was messing with his head, making him want to bundle the Robin in his nest and keep him safe like he tries to do for the nestlings in his territory. The fact the kid was technically Jason little brother didn’t help.

Yea, Jason could admit to himself, he was a mess. But he made it work by keeping himself busy. Ripping apart pedophiles and traffickers, threatening dealers into submission and caring for the homeless kids in Crime Alley.

Mother hen, they called him. Which wasn’t that wrong, considering the number of kids he had snuggled under his wings right now. Like each Friday night, he was in his warehouse (that he legally owned because no matter what his minions says, he dosent resolve everything with his talons), surrounded by street kids of all age, empty Tupperware that used to be filled with the result of his stress baking and an unholy amount of blankets. Sue him, the little one deserved a proper warm nest.

Jason fluttered his feathers, for once not covered in the red clay that tinted them and made them water(blood)proof. Only his chicks got to see his real, dark grey and black wings. He would never admit it even at gunpoint, but when the youngest ones came to him for warm, his chest feathers poofed up to provide warmth and softness. Mother hen, indeed.

« Mr Hood » a shy voice stopped his trail of thoughts, coming from 12 year old Alex. One of the very few child among the two dozens in Jason’s territory that managed to stay up in school. The boy was holding a slightly dirty, well used notebook, and an English exercise. « Can you help me? Its okay if you don’t want to but you always help us so maybe…if it isn’t too much…I don’t understand much about this whole thing »

Jason’s gaze instantly softened. « Of course, Alex. Show me. » Jason stood up, taking the time to replace his large wings by blankets on the sleeping kids. Then, he crouched down next to Alex and started explaining to the best of his ability. English was always his best subject when he was in school but he wasn’t really a teacher. Dosent mean he won’t try to help.

It became a sort of routine after. Helping with the homework of the few kids that managed to stay in school, of course but Jason also spent time reading to the kids and teaching them to read. He wanted to be for them who he wished he had when he was a poor Crime Alley kid.

———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

Dick was drumming his fingers against his thighs, trying to hide his stress. Alfred was changing Tim’s bandages. His little brother needed stitches on his face and the gashes were definitely going to scar. Dick was just glad Tim was alive. He already lost one brother to the Joker, he couldn’t lost another one to the psycho’s namesake.

Bruce was wasting away trying to find informations on the Red Hood. He was obsessing over the crime lord to the point the family butler had to drug his tea. Dick hated seeing his father like that, it was getting as bad as right after Jason death. He could only assume the situation reminded Bruce of what happened, like it did to him.

The sound of the Cave entrance echoed through the room and Dick mentally groaned. He has been having the same conversation over and over again, with Bruce too busy to handle it. He didn’t even need to turn around to know who it is.

« Dami, if Tim got badly injured and benched due to the Red Hood, you obviously can’t take his place. No Robins until this new player was apprehended » Dick was tired of repeating himself. He didn’t even try to go at it gently, just saying what Bruce told before like a broken record. He turned around to see Damian, his youngest brother, arms crossed and a scowl on his face.

« Grayson. Batman need Robin and I am a skilled fighter trained from birth. Way more skilled that Drake » The kid scoffed « And I actually know the menace. The raptor used to belong to Mother but went feral, I will be prepared »

Dick was about to tiredly argue, already done with it all, when the last part of the youngest Wayne’s tirade registered. He froze hand in his hair, Bruce abruptly turned around and Tim tried to escape Alfred to get closer.

"What do you mean Damian?" Bruce voice cut through the silence, stern and urgent. Dick was feeling the same thing and Tim was fucking taking notes already. Damian rolled his eyes, chin raised up defiantly. How he managed to both act a moody teenager and a prideful heir is beyond Dick.

"The raptor is what it is called", the 'it' was dripping with disgusted disdain. "It is one of Grandfather experiment with the Pit. I dont know much, Mother always kept me away from its holding cell and training ground. Said it was unstable. I know Mother dropped the human base in the Pit because she got punished for it but apparently Grandfather took the opportunity to have someone that wasn't him affected by the Lazarus water to try some things".

Damian shift in place, a bit uncomfortable as the whole family listen even Babs. After a while with the Waynes, he started to learn that some things were awful and whatever he was about to say seemed to be bad for even him.

"Grandfather tried on it the capacity of the Pit to heal grafts. He stitched wings on its -his- back and dunked it in the Lazarus Pit to see if the healing would reject the wings or attach them permanently to the subject back without reject. He wanted to be able to make a squadron of flying assassins." Dick suck in a breath. It sounded awful and he honestly doubted it was done with any form of anesthesia. "Apparently it worked too well and the Lazarus way of healing was to mix the genomes together. It is where the talons come from."

Everyone was frozen by this point. It was a bit harder to be mad at the Red Hood now that Dick knew he used to be human before what is basically torture and probably conditioning. He would lecture Damian about calling anyone, even inhuman, an 'it' but not now. There was so much to process.

Bruce had frozen into his thinking pose, and he would probably be running through contigencies and theories for the next few hours. Tim was a bit shaken too but found his voice. "You said he belonged to your mother before going rogue, no?"

"Tt" Damian looked annoyed already. Dick will need to talk to him about sharing informations after. "Yes. The raptor was feral due to Pit Madness, which was worsened by apex predator instincts. Grandfather decided it was a failure and wanted to put it down. Mother wanted to try to tame it" Of course she did, Dick didn't know why he bothered to be surprised. "She apparently failed. I do not know what it is doing in Gotham however" The fact he did not know something seemed to make Damian twitch angrily.

"He was able to talk" Tim blurted out, still taking notes. Already building a file, Dick guessed. He hummed and ran a hand through his hair, staring at his younger brothers. Bruce already left, maybe to call Talia. "What do you mean by that?" Dick asked.

"He can talk and form coherent sentence. He has his own philosophy and he can plan too, if his new control over Gotham underworld is anything to go by" Tim repeated, fingers rapidly moving over the screen. "It dosent match the feral animal Damian described. We are missing something."

Damian bristled and started bickering with Tim to the exasperation of Alfred but Dick didn't pay any attention to it. He was too busy thinking about this new Rogue. Who the hell was the Red Hood?

Chapter Text

Jason had another few weeks of freedom without any bat intervention. He finished cleaning up the Bowery and Park Row and taking control of it all, from the drug rings to the petty gangs he absorbed into his own. Who would have thought heads in a duffel bag were such a good crime deterrent (sarcasm)?

He was sincerely trying to better the place too. He wanted to make sure no kids grew up like he did, and that no mothers die of suspicious overdose ever again. The Red Hood forbidden selling shit to kids or cutting the drugs with unsafe products. He utterly destroyed trafficking as well.

Jason knew he couldn’t stop crimes. In a city like Gotham, dealing and gangs are bound to happen even if a man dressed as a bat jump across rooftops to beat up thugs. But he can try to control them in a way it dosent affect the innocents on his turf. It worked, so far.

Jason wasn’t blind to the fact the Alley liked him. It took a while, people were rightfully wary of the new, inhuman crime lord flying over their house and killing Black Mask henchmen. But they warmed up to him in the months he was around. The fact he beat up shady landlords and abusive pimps probably helped.

They lied to the cops for him now. He didn’t ask them to but when armed teams tried to scoot his territory with hunting rifles and anesthetic bullets like he was a wild animal, suddenly no one ever saw him or heard him. Nuh uh. No sir. No winged crime lord passed this way. Those marks on my windowsills are definitely not talon marks.

Jason loved them for it. He tried to repay it as much as he could with safety and help, even on the smallest of level. Everyone with two neurones could tell the Red Hood was the 6’7 feet tall, winged, black haired man just with dyed wings. But hey, ‘Jay’ fixed your sink and the Red Hood scared violent johns away so you didn’t say a word. It was an unspoken rule.

This whole thing was peaceful. Jason liked his empire, even as he keep an eye on his ex-family from afar. He felt like crap when little birdie Robin didn’t show up for a while. Jason hoped he didn’t blind or disfigure the fledgling too much ; he didn’t deserve that.

Nightwing was still around, so was Batman and a…new Robin? This definitely wasn’t Timothy Drake. The new chick was even younger! What the hell was Bruce thinking!? This one couldn’t possibly be older than 10. Skilled or not, that was a child. A nestling. He should be in the nest, not out here fighting crime and risking gaining the attention of a clown. That pissed him off.

His wings fluttered and flapped slightly, his short mane of feathers puffed up, talons flexing. He was getting worked up, he needed to calm down. Jason took a deep breath, crouched on top of a rooftop. He was barefoot, the talons on his feet digging into the stone, the large scale-like plates covering his legs now on full display.

Here, unmasked, he looked less human than he ever did. Jason wasn’t exactly ashamed of what he was. Not anymore at least. (He was still in denial of his own feelings).

The stares were just hard. The dehumanization too. At least the residents here liked him enough not to care too much. Most thought he was a harpy, even if those were myths and all women. But Jason couldnt pretend he minded this label. Better than "raptor" or "human experiment". Those words alone brought back bad memories of a dark cell, tied wings and having his nails ripped out to regrow as talons in the hellish green jacuzzi of the League...Jason shook his head. He tried to hard not to think about it.

And…he gotten sidetracked again. Sometimes he genially think he spend too much time with his own mind. It couldn’t possibly be healthy but Jason was never exactly into healthy behaviors. Its not like he had good role models for that. Except maybe Alfred.

He stood up and stretched with a grunt before finally jumping off the edge. His wings opened wide and flapped, and he soared. This may as well be the best part of his changes ; flying above Gotham rooftops and observing all the little lights under him was magical. He used to say Robin gave him magic after all and here he is ; soaring high.

Jason laughed freely and swirled, before diving and flying back up even higher. He was drunk on flying. The winds felt so good against his feathers, his whole body build for all those maneuvers.

It is probably due to the high - both literal and figurative - that Jason didn’t notice anything wrong until he was hit in the wing by a blunt batarang. He started to fall down and only the fact he was flying pretty high gave him a margin big enough to steady himself mid-fall and glide away.

He turned his head around, bright green eyes locking onto Batman. Alone. Batman would never attack a new variable like him without backup so it has to be…

Jason dove to the side mid air, twirling and flapping his wings to go higher. Here was Nightwing. They were trying to corner him apparently. Too bad they didn’t account for the fact his wings could stand hits better than just a common bird’s.

Jason flew higher to get out of range and pulled a cloth mask from his pocket. He put it on, knowing perfectly the only reason they havent already seen his face was the darkness around them. He could use that to his advantage too. They couldn’t see as well as he did, even with fancy tech.

He started to fight back, feathers flying around as he clawed at them before flying away, diving and hitting. They seemed to have assumed he didn’t know how to maneuver the sky, which worked in his favor. Dive attacks were his thing, his hindbrain howling for the kill. Not that Jason would stomp so low. No matter his personal feelings, the Bats were good for Gotham and saved life. Plus the thought alone made him want to throw up.

Nightwing, with his acrobatics, got a few hits on him. Jason brow was bleeding and he answered with a sharp kick in the stomach. He was barefoot so his talons added shallow cuts on his brother (enemy?) stomach. He ducked just in time to avoid Batman punch and Jason flew to another rooftop so they are both forced to follow him instead of circling him. It lasted like that for a while

Both parties collected quite a bit of wounds. Jason lost feathers and he was willing to bet an arm his wings are gonna bruise and ache like no tomorrow. His eyebrow was bleeding and he is already starting to form a black eye and fighting barefoot on stone isnt ideal, even with raptor-ified feet. Batman and Nighwing werent any better, all superficial cuts and forming bruises. Jason was built like a tank after all, and could pack quite a hit even if he didnt have extras specifically build to fight. He went easy tho. Nighwing was Dick, his big brother and no matter how much he was angry at Bruce and his shitty parenting, the man's three chicks didnt deserve to lose their dad, especially since two of them were so young

Jason knew they noticed he wasnt fighting to kill, or even giving his all. They seemed to grow frustrated but even as they worked in tandem, Jason was in his domain. Two vigilantes couldnt stop him. He had work to do. But all things considered, it wasn’t the two-against-one that nearly took him down.

It was when Nightwing screamed in frustration « Stop resisting! We know what you are Red Hood! » That gave Jason quite a shock and he nearly plummeted to the ground before regaining balance. They knew? They knew what, that he was the twisted remains of their Jaylad, their Little Wing? The thought made Jason spiral and he let out a half angry, half anguished and definitely inhuman screech before flying off. Thank god his reaction dazed them enough to get away.

Jason didn’t wait or even check is he was followed. He landed on the perch he installed outside his window and crawled inside before starting to pace around. His talons ruined the wood flooring and his injured wings flapping madly sent feathers everywhere but he couldn’t bring himself to care.

They knew. Nightwing, Dick, his big brother he always wanted to make proud, called him a « what » with such anger. Like he was a creature. And they attacked him, trying to subdue him probably to send him to Arkham. Or a lab.

The scene kept replaying in his mind and each time it sounded worse and worse. Jason continued moving around hysterically until he couldn’t anymore and collapsed who knows where in his appartement. He was half considering hurting himself, staring intensely at his razor sharp claws. It wouldn’t be the first time, the scars at the base of his wings prove enough of that.

But at the end of the day, Jason didn’t have the strength to do it. At least not today. He passed out from sheer emotional turmoil, right here on the floor among his fallen feathers and drops of blood.

Chapter Text

Bruce was pacing around the Cave. His face was blank under the cowl, steps measured and hands behind his back but all three of his sons can see he is a mess.

« He held back » Nightwing finally said what they were both thinking. Tim tilted his head, confused. His slightly red, bumpy scar on full display now that the stitches and bandages were off.

It went from his left temple to his right cheek, one claw scar passing through the bridge of his nose and the other cutting his eyebrow in the middle. It was very obvious and quite large, they needed all their tech and contacts to find a way to hide it as not to compromise his secret identity. Just seeing it made Bruce heart clenche. He should have been the one getting hurt.

« What do you mean Richard? » Damian huffy voice piped up, his scowl even deeper. He didn’t like not knowing something and the Red Hood contradicted all the things he as told about him. He hated it. That and Bruce knew seeing him and Dick bandaged up with gashes and bruises everywhere shaken the boy. No matter what he said, Damian cared. And the fact the Red Hood managed to get away while they were two on him, and while apparently holding back? It was messing up his world.

Bruce sighed and grunted. « The Red Hood had at least two instances were he could have fatally wounded either me or Nightwing » he explained, keeping it professional. It is just a mission report. « He had the advantage with his wings. And seemed to have night vision on top of that. Yet all our wounds are superficial »

Tim’s brow furrow. « Maybe its because you are a hero? » He proposed, even if himself didnt seem convinced. « He seems to care about Gotham. Park Row’s crime rate reduced exponentially since he took control, and that is counting the crime him and his men commit. I don’t approve of the murder but he seems more vigilante than villain. So he may be reticent to kill heroes. »

« It can’t be all! » Dick threw his arms in the air, surprising even Bruce. Dick looked exhausted and he knew why. He was afraid to lose another little brother and spend as much, if not more, time hunting the hybrid than Bruce himself. « You havent heard his screech when I told him I knew he was League experiment. And you told us he only attacked Bruce when he was called a monster. Plus, Oracle caught him on video threatening thugs to not hurt Robin. » he list. « I know he protect kids but at this point…It sound personal »

Bruce crossed his arms, staring ahead. « We are missing something » he gruffly concluded with what everyone was thinking. « But he needs to be stopped. He is dangerous. »

——————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

Jason was gliding across roofs, toward Arkham in the dead of the night. He couldn’t fly, he needed some feathers to regrow and his back hurt like crazy. He used his convalescence to do all the things he didn’t do before. And maybe if he kept moving, his problems won’t be able to follow.

He knew, rationally, that it won’t work. That the fact the Bat colony knows about him, real him, won’t disappear even if he leave Gotham. But denial was his strong suit in face of trauma and its not like he could find a therapist able to handle the mess he is.

He already baked an unholy amount of brownies and some dairy free, gluten free biscuits for the ones that need it, and distributed it to all his eaglets. He built yet another nest in the warehouse (sue him, he nests when stressed out) and arranged the shelters he made from the old gangs hideouts he converted. Bought the supplies, did a distribution of gas masks and water filters with his minions…anything to keep him busy and convince himself he is a good monster.

And now he was flying to Arkham. Frankly, his first though was to use his visit to kill the clown but just thinking about him made Jason’s heart speed up and he started to panic. He couldn’t even think the man’s, thing’s, given name for God sakes! So no matter how much he wanted to, killing him was out of the question. That required getting close and he just couldn’t. Checking the security around his cell from afar will have to be enough. Ideally, Jason needed access to the cameras.

No, Jason wasn’t sneaking into Arkham to get rid of one of his demons. He went in to talk to Poison Ivy.

That was stupid, Jason knew it was. She was a villain and, from what he understood, now dating Harley Quinn. Not a good sign of mental health.

But he wanted his territory to be healthy. He already payed companies (read : forced the shadiest landlords to pay at gunpoint) to fix the buildings but he needed to clean the streets and the air. That, and his chicks deserved nice places to grow up with.

So, he needed the park open. Problem? The park was covered in carnivorous plants due to Ivy. No wonder no one could enjoy Crime Alley only patch of green.

So his very stupid plan was to try to convince Ivy to make the park people friendly. And maybe ask her to green up the streets but only slightly. Green rooftops would be useful, and maybe a communal garden to teach the kids responsibility and feed them fresh stuff. Yes, Jason knew he was probably hoping for too much. But no matter what everyone said, Poison Ivy was one of the sanest rogue and could be, he hoped, reasoned with.

Sneaking into the asylum supposed to keep locked up the worse humanity has to offer was surprisingly easy. Too easy. No wonder the psychos kept leaking out to cause mayhem. This place was a bloody open door. Seriously, even if Bruce didn’t want to kill, medically induced coma was a thing. Or you cut off the limbs. Lobotomy. They didn’t lack options to stop them without killing.

Jason quietly snarled at nothing, crawling onto the ceiling quietly (blessed be very sharp talons) to reach Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn cells. Because of course they shared. He has no right to be surprised about that.

He fell down on the floor in front of the cell bars, wings opened a bit, glowing green eyes boring into the redhead and the blond.

« Look Pam! » Harley grinned at him while Ivy hummed. He was probably the most interesting thing that happened in weeks. He understood. « A new meta came to visit us »

Jason growled out of habit « not a meta ». The raised eyebrows and knowing looks suggested they didn’t believe him and his feathers puffed up. « I am not here for that anyway », he huffed out. He didn’t want to enter into the meta/not meta debate. He had other things to do.

« I came here for Poison Ivy permission to use the Park in Crime Alley. », he bluntly said, arms crossed. « my- the street kids deserve to grow up seeing actual plants once in a while. I don’t intend to change your terrain much, just relocate the dangerous plants. »

Ivy narrowed her eyes, and Harley scoffed at his audacity. « At least you asked », the plant controlling vilain dryly said. « But why would I do that? The nature I created would jus be destroyed. It is the only natural spot in Gotham and it is mine. »

Jason sighed and his wings folded back behind him. He winced at the soreness. She wasn’t wrong. « I know you don’t care much about people- » A scoff answered that « -but I think we can make it work. I am pro nature too, hell I am half bird. » Jason was definitely pulling all he had to convince her. « But lethal tropical plants in Gotham won’t save the ecosystem. Just get you send in jail. You could do a lot of good. » he sighed « Crime Alley is my turf. The park would be visited by the street kids, we can use it for sensibilisation and shit. But more seriously…If you are willing to stop the whole villain gig, I am willing to look into working with you to green up my turf. Trees in the street, green rooftops - bonus point if the plants on the roof can stop the Bat from going around- and communal gardens with wild patches. Really cover the place in plants but like…in a sustainable way for a city. »

She looked thoughtful. That was good, Jason practiced this tirade in front of his window reflexion to do it well. But to be fair, its probably the offer to put anti Bat plants freely and the risk caused by Gotham pollution on her giant flytraps that at least pushed her to consider. That is something at least. Jason can’t ask for too much.

He take out his last argument. A pot of red and blue hibiscus with blooming flowers. Jason took his time potting it well as not to anger Poison Ivy and its in her girlfriend colors. He knows Ivy is forbidden from plants in her cell but he dosent doubt the pair will find a way to hide this one. Harley Quinn aw at the gesture and grin at him. Point gained.

« I’ll babysit Bruce the hyena too » Jason offered. He laughed his ass off when he learned the name. « take it as a sign of my good will » He really wanted this to work. That would redeem one rogue, maybe two, piss off his father (sue him, he still like to mess with Bruce) and mainly, it will better the life quality in his turf which is his main goal.

Harley chuckled « Well those are convincing argument little birdie » she grabbed the potted plant through the bars and held it out as her lover inspected it to see if its alright. « you would really care for my pet? »

Jason shrugged as much as he could with his bruises. « Sure. If that is what it get to get you to work with me. Or at least leave my territory and its people alone I hope »

Ivy gave a sharp nod as she put her new plant in a small alcove created by a fallen brick and Harley cheered. « We will leave Crime Alley alone. And I will think about what you offered. » Ivy finally say. « You can touch the park. From what you do with it, I will see how serious you are about planting all over Crime Alley. » she narrowed her eyes. « If it displease me, expect this alliance to be broken and your turf to be overrun by a jungle of my making »

Jason sighed in relief and nodded. I went way better than he thought and Harley sounded fun. He was sincerely thinking about befriending his killer’s ex girlfriend…Bah. He knew he wasn’t the sanest and she was just a different kind of victims. He helped enough abused women to see that now.

He snuck out of the asylum again and it was even easier than getting in. He was alive, with every limbs, with a new potential friend and engaged to dogsit a hyena. His life was a mess but this specific day was on the good side.

Chapter Text

Jason was even more of a mess than usual. He was running himself ragged, going from one work to another between the renovations in the worse buildings, the park and the eaglets he took under his wings. All while avoiding the investigating Bats including the newly dubbed Red Rodin he instantly recognized (the scar helped) and regularly taking out Harley’s hyena.

He kept passing out in odd places, and everywhere was sore from too much work and strain. But he couldn’t stop. Stopping even for a moment made his mind spiral to his family, how they thought he was a bloodthirsty monster which inevitably brought his mind to how exactly he became what he was. All the progress he did in suppressing those memories seemed to have went out of the window and it was infuriating.

He did so well, and it now seemed all for nothing. Even the meditation he learned from Ducra didn’t helped. He tried once, and quieting his thoughts just made all his bad feelings slam back to the surface now that there was no restrains.

His breakdown after that was quite extreme and his arms were still bandaged from it. He havent tried it since them. The closest thing to therapy he had was petting Bruce the hyena (god, the name thing was so weird to him).

He couldn’t even sleep. At least not well. He always had nightmares, even before he died, but this was just getting ridiculous.

Jason been using all his free time (read : all the time when he is supposed to sleep or eat) to spend time with his chicks. He started calling them ‘his’ after it slipped up in front of Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn. They wasn’t denying it. The street rats of the Alley were his to care for. He already went from ‘sir’ and ‘mr.Red Hood’ to just Red, which he took pride in.

He was currently braiding the red locks of Lisa, one of the youngest. Bruce (the hyena) was getting petted and dotted on by a whole army of street children, bows in its fur, while Alex and another child preened the feathers covering his back and the base of his wings. He couldn’t reach those parts and the kids liked to do it. They kept the feathers, wearing them was like a sign they were protected by Crime Alley’s big boss. No one messed with his bearing his feathers or his colors in the form of a red bandanna.

Jason honestly found the ‘mini Hoods’ adorable. He kept them away from all the shady stuff of course and they definitely weren’t part of his gang. But he was the closest thing to a role model/fatherly figure most of them had, and they naturally copied him and his mannerisms.

They weren’t his kids, not exactly…more like little siblings or cousins. The hatchlings and fledglings of his flock, of course he cared for them. And even when he couldn’t, he had his henchpeople (because no sexism) give them their cooked meals and give them the basic reading and writing classes he usually handled.

Only his most trusted men and women helped with that part of his work. He wanted the kids to be the safest they could. That, and no lowly goons would take it seriously if their orders were to make sure two dozens of kids eat their veggies.

Jason rolled his shoulders and sighed contently at the lighter feeling. Blessed be the dextrous hands of 12 year olds. He didn’t have dead feathers anymore.

« Liking it Red? » Alex teasingly said. The kid came out of his shell so much in the short time Jason was around and the hybrid loved it. No eaglet should be as skittish as the boy used to be.

He wrapped his arms around the child shoulder and pulled him next to himself, grinning under his mask. Even with the voice modulator, he knew Alex heard his playful tone. « Your turn now »

As Lisa skittered away, giggling, he used his wing to trap Alex and started to inspect his hair, picking dirt away. Completely ignoring the embarrassed protest and the squirming.

« Red! Let me go! » The fledgling tried pushing him away or wriggling away from under his wing but Jason was build like a fridge and the kid was a stick. It obviously didn’t work.

Jason tut-ed. « You need cleaning too, kiddo. Now let me work ». The kid huffed like it was the worse thing ever and went limp. He was definitely entered his teenage phase, alright.

Jason snorted and ruffled the hair. « Lighten up little one. After I am done, we can do something fun. Just let me have this. »

Alex rolled his eyes but Jason didn’t have the heart to be mean about it. The kid was comfortable and it was the best he could ask for. « I want to learn to grapple since I can’t fly like you » he proclaimed. « I know you know how to, I saw you teach your lieutenants »

Jason’s wings fluttered slightly. « You want to fly like me kid, eh? » he said, oddly touched. He never had a kid admire him since he was Robin. No. Bad trail of thoughts. He shared his head, neck and ears feathers ruffling.

« Duh » Alex said as if obvious. « You are our guardian, Red. Most of us want to be as badass as you. I want to be as nice »

Jason froze, wings flaring slightly. « I am not nice, kiddo. » he said, almost …resigned. « I kill people. Humans. Most see a monster. You shouldn’t want to be anything like me. »

Alex looked at him dead in the eyes. Jason felt it, even if rationally he knew the chick couldn’t see his eyes between the domino mask and the hood.

« You take care of us » the boy stated as if it was just a simple fact. As if it was so easy. « You bake for us, make us eat vegetables and help us with homework. You taught the younger ones to read and write, buy us our school supplies, books, clothes and toys. Most second-hand but still. Its more than we ever had »

Jason opened his mouth, ready to interrupt. It wasnt much, Jason was loaded from crimelord-ing after all. But Alex didn’t let him.

« You bought this warehouse legally just for us, the street annoyances that are ignored at best, abused and killed at worse. You made nests for us to sleep him, took us for flights, let the little ons climb all over you. »

Alex looked way mature that he should be at this moment. Jason heart squeezed painfully. He wouldn’t cry. Not in front of his brats.

« You are nice » that simple statement was said with such certainty. « You are the only nice to the ones that don’t matter. Why wouldn’t I want to be like you? »

Jason decided that dignity want worth it anyway and just wrapped his arms and wings around the boy, hugging him tight. « You matter, Alex. » he mumbled in the kid’s ear. « You all matter »

The emotional moment was broken by the boy piping up. « Dosent mean I now agree to your mad preening. I am not a bird. »

Jason grinned. « You sleep in my nest and want to learn to fly. You are a bird. A baby bird. An eaglet. » he couldn’t help but tease, to the embarrassment of the chick. « But c’mon. I did promise to teach you what you wanted. No grappling without supervision. »

And with that he stood, following an eager fledgling that ran away with excitement as soon as he spoke. He shook his head fondly, smiling under his mask. He felt lighter now.

Chapter Text

Jason hummed as he cooked some potatoes. He was in his flat, unmasked, wings relaxed and feathers smoothed out. This was the most content he been in a while. He wasn’t fine, far from it, but he got help. Unwillingly.

Jason huffed at the memory, putting the potatoes in a plate with a basically raw chicken breast (he was still part bird hunter) and maneuvering around the large ball of brown fur that had claimed the floor of his flat. He visited Arkham again to bring Ivy pictures of the progress in the park. They talked business for a while, with just a break to compliment for the hibiscus (was it even an hibiscus anymore? Jason didn’t know. It looks like it could eat him now) and giving an impatient Harley news about her pet. Everything fine, he talked to people that weren’t kids for once.

Then Harley laughed a little too high pitched, the sound of metal rattling against metal was heard from another cell…and Jason spiraled. It lasted a while, for what he could remember. He didn’t scream, he haven’t screamed since the League vivisected his wings. But he did choke and cry and nearly passed out from uneven and erratic breathing. How no guards caught on is a mystery still.

Apparently it triggered Dr.Quinzel mode because when he woke up, restrained by the not-hibiscus vine (he nearly had another attack right there and then), Harley was sitting next to him and insisting he talk. The game of stubbornness lasted a while but she won.

Jason will never tell her its working thought. He is a mess still, he dosent think he will ever not be one, but he was better. Not good, he was far from it yet, but better. He had nightmare-less naps now, even if they were shorts. Flying and caring for his chicks helped his ‘mental health’ too, Harley said. He laughed at her of course, but he did feel better…It was annoying to admit his friend/therapist was right.

He absently pet Bruce head as he eat, smuggling chicken to the hyena from his plate. He watched a stupid tv show that did require the sue of any brainpower, scaled and taloned feet propped on the table. This was cosy. This was casual. He was starting to think everything was going to be okay.

And then vines invaded his balcony and a bat forced through his window. « Little birdie! » a high pitched voice cheerfully said and Jason froze.

« Harley?! Ivy?! » His wings were open wide and puffed up defensively, fingers flexed, ready to tear apart the intruders. « Yep », said his friend as she crawled in through the now broken window, her girlfriend behind here. Probably judging his plant-less interior.

« You…shouldn’t be here » he dumbly said as Bruce jumped on its paws and went to greet its owner, putting slobber all over the place while Harley cooed at it and scratched behind its ears. Ivy scoffed « You keep breaking into Arkham. Are you surprised it is easy for us to go out? »

Jason shrugged. Fair. He stood up, smoothing the feathers along his arms and folding his wings. « Why are you here anyway? I would have expected you to go into an old hideout of yours or something » he asked, rolling his shoulders and going to clean his plate after putting the last piece of raw chicken in his fanged jaw and swallowing.

Harley gasped dramatically, putting a hand to her heart « You wouldn’t host your bestest of friend?! Shame on you birdie! ». Jason rolled his eyes out of habit before processing what she said. « Wait. You want to sleep here? I don’t even have human beds. » Ivy huffed as her lover waved her hand dismissively. « Pam can make us hammocks. »

Jason sighed. There was no arguing with his friend and his business partner/acquaintance/maybe friend. If they wanted to stay, they will no matter what he said. « Just don’t touch my nest » he finally grumbled, crossing his arms.

« Yay! Sleepover!» Harley cheered then stopped to grin at him. « Wait…you have a nest?? Like a real bird nest? » Jason ears flushed, embarrassed as his temple and around his cheeks feathers raised defensively. Damned be his bird traits betraying him.

Harley just smirked wider and opened his bedroom door. Jason hid his face in his hands but it didn’t stop him from hearing Ivy’s amused huff and Harley giggling. « Stop laughing » he growled without heat. « We have work to do ». He was deflecting and everyone in the room knew it. But they seemed to take pity on him. Ivy change the subject to the plans to green up the Alley after Harley took a few minutes to interrogate Jason to check if he was following her therapist advices (he was).

It lasted like that for a while, him and Poison Ivy planning the planted roofs and communal gardens while Harley raided his pantry. It was nice, Jason could almost forget they were Rogues. Well, he guessed he may be seen as one too, so it was fine (yes, he knows his argument was fickle at best. But he had friends so he can ignore the crimes. Denial is magical).

Then he finally asked the question he wanted to. « By the way, how did you get out? I know I sneak in but I have wings and I am not in a cell » he asked, tilting his head to the side like a curious bird.

« Oh the plant you gave me helped » Ivy answered « And the we… » « Blew it up! » Harley happily finished. And Jason froze.

« You blew up…Arkham? » « Mmh. » Ivy nodded. « My flower blew up a wall to let us out » Usually Jason would find the nickname adorable. But not now. Right now he was panicking. Very slowly, he spoke. « Does that mean there is a huge hole in the place supposed to lock up the worse criminals of Gotham? »

The newly ‘redeemed’ vilains shared a look. Well shit.

Chapter Text

The Batcave was a mess. Oracle kept feeding them informations about what the escaped rogues were up to and it was worrying. No signs of Poison Ivy nor Harley Quinn, and suspicious deliveries of chemicals hinting at Scarecrow’s whereabouts.

Worst of all? Bruce was off-world. Justice league mission, which left Dick in charge. He didn’t feel in charge, not when he watched Tim high on caffeine and worry re-read the escapees files as if he didn’t know them at all while Damian was throwing batarangs at a training dummies, grumbling that « Richard should let me out »

They needed help, Dick knew. They were skilled, Tim was smart enough to make an antidote for whatever fear gas variant will be thrown at them without B and even if he hated to think about his youngest brother in danger, Damian was an excellent fighter and could handle himself. But three Rogues were missing, scheming who knows what, and the three of them couldn’t possibly cover all of Gotham, even if they each went their own ways. Which he obviously wouldn’t allow, not with Scarecrow somewhere. Fear gas was a pain in itself, he didn’t want Tim or Damian to go through it, especially alone.

So they were stuck. Dick felt so inapt watching his brothers run around the Cave. He felt like Bruce would know what to do. Steph followed Cass on a mission in Honk Kong so both were out…Superman was on the same mission as Bruce…and the pattern continued. The three brothers plus Alfred and Oracle were alone to handle Arkham escapees without any intel.

Damian seemed to have decapitated the dummy during his inner panicky monologue and Tim had the ‘I have an insane idea’ look on his face. Dick winced. He loved Tim but right now, sleep deprived and stressed by the situation, his idea was bound to be either insane or against the Bat moral code.

« Red Hood », and here it is. Dick didn’t decide to give Tim the benefit of the doubt and listen. « What about him? », he asked, crossing his arms. Even Damian stopped to listen, like he did each time the hybrid was brought up.

« We should ask for his help » And here was the insanity. Before he could even open his mouth to protest, Tim continued. « No listen. Crime Alley is his turf so we could coordinate so he could cover it and around it. He cleary cares about Gotham, the stats ont lie. The residents of his territory like him even above Batman and the cops. » Tim turned his tablet to show them crime rates graphs. Damian scoffed but walked up to look closer while Dick was busy calculating pros and cons.

« It is insane Drake » Damian disdainfully scoffed. « It disfigured you and you want to work with it? ». Dick send him a look, « he, Damian. We talked about it ». The young teen rolled his eyes, nose in the air. « My point still stand »

« But the Red Hood is skilled » Tim argued and, even if dick hated to admit it, he was right. The Red Hood would make a worthy ally if you know…he wasn’t a crime lord. « He showed it with how he escaped capture. It’s not like we can afford to be picky about allies. We just need it to be temporary. He seems to hate us but I think he cares more about his people than whatever grudges he has with us »

Dick sighed. That was the pain of having very smart brothers. You couldn’t refute their arguments. « I will go talk to him » He begrudgingly agreed. He didn’t have time to hesitate. He may as well pick the less of the two evils.

————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

Jason checked Arkham as soon as his conversation with his best friend(?) and her lover was over. The cameras of the Joker cell still showed him locked inside, thankfully, but Scarecrow was missing. This was bad. Really bad. The Alley didn’t have water filters or masks easily accessible, and a lot of unaddressed trauma per resident. That could very easily end in a bloodbath if Fear toxin ended up in his turf.

Thankfully, he planned for this. One thing he could admit, is that the habit of having a thousands contingencies served him well even if he got it from Bruce. He and his minions were handing out gas masks and water filters to each house when Nightwing swung by and landed in front of him.

Jason hissed, wings unfurling threateningly and muscles tensing. It wasn’t the time.

« Red Hood », Dickhead started, tone blank and professional. « We need your help. » So that how it is. Pretending they didn’t knew each others. Jason figured it was logical. If he knew a monster was his dead little brother and he needed the monster help, it may be easier to pretend there was no links here. Dosent mean it didn’t sting.

He shaken his head, wings flying back behind him he clicked and chirped, the sound telling his men to continue the work while he fully turned toward Nightwing and crossed his arms. « Why? » he gruffly said, voice altered by his mask. He felt better with the mask, like it was a barrier between Red Hood and Jason. Right now he was on the job. No feelings allowed.

The hero in front of him sighed. « I don’t like this, but Batman isn’t on Earth right now ». Jason eyes widened under the hood. He didn’t expect his not-brother-anymore to admit such a big weakness to a criminal like him. « And three Rogues are out. You know that », he added, looking at the bag of supplies in the Red Hood hands.

« We should coordinate. You seem to have a grudge against us and I won’t pretend to agree with your methods of…vigilantism. But right now we need each others »

Three? Wait. Jason would have facepalmed if he didn’t had a persona to keep up. No wonder the Batbrood was desperate enough to ask for his help. For them, Harley and Ivy were still problem. He huffed, the sound coming out growly through the mask.

« You don’t need to worry about Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy », he gruffly said. « They are allies of mine, they won’t touch Gotham. Not tonight. »

Jason relished in the shock he could see from Dick, even through the mask. « What? How?! » He huffed again, this time with amusement. « I talked », he drawled, not hiding the amusement from his tone. « It wasn’t that hard. For a group all about « not killing because they can redeem themselves », you sure don’t try to help them in this redemption ». He couldn’t resist the jab at Bruce’s Rule. He always found it stupid and he won’t hide it.

Dick opened his mouth as if to argue but then closed it. « No matter. I am not here to fight. Scarecrow is still on the loose and I doubt you befriended him. We still need to at least not antagonize each others until we arrest him again, don’t you agree? »

Jason scoffed, talons flexing against his biceps. He hated to admit it but he was right. « …Okay. An alliance. Purely professional and until that madman is arrested. But i ask you to leave alone my own allies if we do that. They work with me now »

Dick made a face. « I’ll ask Batman », he conceded and Jason guessed he wouldn’t have better. Nightwing started grappling away to ‘go to the meeting point and organize the chase’ and Jason followed him, lazily flapping his wings above the acrobat. they were silent until finally, unable to stand the question running through his mind for the past weeks, he asked gruffly : « How is Red Robin? »

Nghtwing looked so surprised at the question that he nearly face planted his landing. « …Fine. He won’t have lasting damage except the scar tissue and a bit of numbness » He finally answered. Jason sighed in relief, which seemed to shock his new ‘ally’ even more. He scoffed. « I am not heartless you know » he growled, wings flapping a bit more aggressively. « I wasn’t aiming for him. I would have never harmed a nestling on purpose. »

« Nestling? », Dickwing echoed and Jason send him a look felt even through the mask and hood. That is the part he focus on? Really?

Dick wisely shut up and the travel was silent once more, that is until he landed next to the Bat’s two other chicks. Red Robin flinched subtly, which made his heart clenche painfully and the other one…Jason froze in place, back straightening, wings flaring at those green eyes. Flashes of two very similar pair of eyes, on similar looking if older faces echoed in his skull. Rationally, the kid looked like Bruce but he could only fixate on the Al Ghul traits. He saw them enough to recognize them on sight.

« What the hell is this? », he growled, tense and trying not to spiral as Dick looked at him with confusion and…was it worry? Jason shared his head and stepped further away from Robin, talons scratching the concrete of the roof they stood on.

« Oh », the scarred Red Robin said with realization. « I think he recognized Robin’s from the League. That is a trauma reaction » Jason send him a alf hearted snarl, still trying to calm down. The eaglet wasn’t his torturers. He wasn’t. He shouldn’t take it on him, he knew he shouldn’t, but the kid way of holding himself triggered his conditioning. He wanted to stand straight, to fold his wings, to hold his hands behind his back. And he hated it. He hated that the reaction, the ‘waiting pose’, was ingrained in his brain through two years of training and torture. Its not like his handlers had to worry about keeping him alive and working when they could just throw him into the Pit and he would be good as new. So they were creative and it hurt like a bitch. After a while, even someone as defiant as him, started behaving like they wanted even if just a bit. The pain wasnt worth it, he had to choose what he defied the League on

He didn’t even realized his breath became ragged and that he cut his palms when clenching his fists in an attempt not to fall into his conditioning until Red Robin grabbed his wrist to check the bleeding wounds. He instinctively snarled, wings opening wide to slam the threat away when the kid flinched even more violently than earlier.

He didn’t want to hurt the kid. Not again. He was just trying to help after all. Jason took a deep breath, trying to go through the calming exercice he learned in the All Castle. It worked, enough for his muscles to uncoil.

« Sorry », he grumbled, not looking at any of them while the kid he disfigured bandaged his hands and bloody Dickface looked worried for him. This wasn’t helping his attempts to grieve the family, damnit. He freed his wrists as soon as Red Robin was over. That partnership was already badly starting.

But he would try. For Crime Alley and a bit for Harley and Ivy too if it could get them probation. It couldn’t get more complicated that working alongside the League’s heir whose voice - a young mix of Bruce and Talia - made him fall back into his trained habits he tried so hard to get rid off.

Chapter Text

The collaboration was…complicated. They were way of him, obviously, and no matter how brave Red Robin tried to be, Jason could practically see the tension rolling off him each time he was around. Not like he was any better, the youngest Wayne stressed him out. It was fine most of the time but sometimes, a hint of League accent or Al Ghul arrogance slipped through the nestling’s mask and Jason reacted. He stood straighter, muscles tense and he knew they all noticed. Heck, it must have already been added to the ‘Red Hood’ file he was sure they had.

But his reactions seemed to have make Dickwing pity him. The annoyance that was his ex big brother keep trying to befriend him like he was just a misunderstood feral dog. That was (endearing-) pissing him off. He couldn’t understand it. They hated him before and now that? Maybe asking about the Replacement made Dick think he was still redeemable.

He hard that the thought made him swell with hope. It shouldn’t. Hope only hurt an it was clearly unfounded, the Red Hood was a monster. Bats locked monsters up, it was how it is.

Except all the emotional trouble, it was working out fine in terms of the mission. He never removed his mask, even in the Cave. Especially in the Cave ; the thing helped remind him it was purely professional. They were just tolerating him because Batman wasn’t here to protest and they didn’t have any other choices. That was it and he couldn’t forget.

Jason sighed, shaking himself out of his thoughts. He stretched his wings slightly, pulling his hood even lower and walked up to the Batcomputer to see where they were in terms of locating Scarecrow. The bastard seemed to have planned this one well, even with his contacts in the black market they couldn’t locate him. One relief is that the joker was still locked up ; Jason was practically obsessive in checking the cell cameras on his phone and he hasn’t moved.

Well that and he was also happy he got Harley and Ivy out of trouble with the Bats (for now). His friend/therapist agreed to patrol for him while he handled the Bat issue and Pamela started on greening up his turf (he finally got first name privileges!).

Not the point. Anyway, he went for the Batchair and froze. The kid sitting in said chair was so still Jason doubted he was breathing. No wonder he had not noticed him, the chick was practically a statue, scarred face looking up at him behind a domino mask.

Jason huffed, wings folding in just a little tighter against his back to appear smaller on instincts. He looked away, voice gruff, as he mumbled. « Didn’t mean to scare you kid. Havent seen you here. » He winced under the hood, his mask made him sound a bit too rough.

« Its fine » the kid mumbled. « We are working together, I should stop treating you like the enemy ». The last sentence sounded like it wasn’t meant for him to hear and Jason sighed. Making sure his hands were visible at all time, he crouched down in front of the Batchair For once he was glad he had some experiences with traumatized children.

« For fuck sake, Red Robin », he gruffly said. « You have every right to be scared of me. Don’t force yourself » He would have run a hand through his hair if it didn’t remove his hood so he absently ruffled his forearms feathers instead. He certainly didn’t want to remove what was covering his neck feathers. They tended to betray his feelings way too much for comfort. « And for what its worth, I am sorry. I didn’t meant to hit you, I don’t attack fledglings usually »

Well that certainly seemed to surprise Tim. Jason rolled his eyes under his mask. It was obvious he didn’t mean to, why was the kid surprised he apologized? He said it himself. They were allies, he was just trying to make it work.

Red Robin shook his head. « Anyway, why do you need the Batcomputer for? », a clear change of topic but he didn’t call him out on it. « Wanted to see if there was any news. My men and Harley havent see shit and rogues aren’t quiet usually. Its grating my nerves »

« That is for sure », the chick grumbled, looking a bit more comfortable. Not much, but Jason will take it gladly. « And no, nothing. Dead silent. Like he never escaped. »

Jason hissed in annoyance. « For once that the Bat isn’t around, the madman has to change his M.O and lay low. I hate the Batman but damn he does do a good job. Can’t you call him? »

Tim looked ready to defend Bruce but the attack was apparently not virulent enough to be worth an argument so he just sighed and rolled his eyes. Sassy brat, Jason thought with almost fondness. « No. We don’t even know where in space he is. Its radio silent from his size. »

Of course it is. Because Jason is bloody cursed and the world hate him. He chittered unhappily, feathers puffing up. The boy was staring at him, eyes narrowed in curious focus. « How can you make such noises? Can you make other inhuman sounds? Is it your throat or vocal cords that are differently shaped? Maybe your mouth, we never seen it…Do you- » The kid seemed to have forgotten his fear of him for a moment. Well they did say the newly dubbed Red Robin was very smart.

But Jason wasn’t thinking about that now. He was far from that. The questions about his anatomy just reminded him of the League scientists opening his back to see the flight muscles here. They asked the same questions to themselves while they worked. Hitting his wings so he flexed them and they could see the inner motions while his throat was sore from screaming.

But it wasn’t that. There wasn’t blades, or a table with restrains. Just innocent questions. He took a deep breath and, voice a bit rough around the edges, he gave the kid an answer. He owed him at least that. « My mouth is normal, except the shapeup my teeth. They are pointier. From what the psychos that did this to me understood, the sounds I make come from a…syrinx I think its called? A set of muscles at the base of my trachea. I have vocals cords to talk, and a syrinx to vocalize. »

The chick looked fascinated. He seemed to understand from his tone that he wasn’t fan of being inspected like as he didn’t ask more questions. But he did seemed to take notes in his mind and Jason heart clenched at being looked at with innocent fascination instead of fear, disgust or greed. It was a…nice change of pace. Surprisingly.

Jason instinctively ruffled the kid hair, like he did with Alex. He stopped when the kid tensed under him. Of course, he is an idiot, the kid is probably scared of his talons, he should-

The kid leaned into the touch, looking at him with wide eyes. Fuck. How badly did B had to fuck up for the eaglet to lean into the touch of the hand that permanently disfigured him? Now Jason wanted to bundle the kid in his nest and preen and cuddle him to hell and back. Like he was one of his.

Jason cooed and chirped, a wing all puffed up and warm wrapped around Tim, who was too tired to protest.

And when Dick came down to the Cave in a panic to have left his little brother with a crime lord, ally or not, he found instead that the capes of everyone that owned them was a pile on the floor now. A rambling Tim in the middle of them was getting his hair preened while asking questions after questions about « flight maneuvers » and « talons’ molecular constitution » to a grumpy looking Red Hood that still answered. Dick huffed, amused. It was so obvious the criminal was trying to pretend he didn’t care, it was funny. Dick left quietly after that, not wanting to disturb them. He could work on the case with Alfred and Dami, Tim deserved a break.

Maybe the Red Hood wasn’t that bad after all.