Dick was almost certain he didn’t have the time to be bickering with Jason, yet there they were, bickering like children in the middle of what could only be described as a massacre. “I thought you were one of the masked guys! It’s an easy mistake to make, Jay! You have a gun!” He felt a twinge of annoyance when the other called him golden boy. It really felt like Jason had a permanent problem with him sometimes. “Why have you gotta call me that right now? A second ago I was the idiot. I can’t be both, Jason.”
He watched as his brother put the gun away, his eyes rolling when he began to insult Dick’s weapons of choice. “My Escrima sticks aren’t stupid. They do a lot less permanent damage than your dumb gun,” he grumbled. “But we all have our preferences.” Dick really did hate to fight with any of his brothers, so he wanted to try and make amends with Jason before they both went back to helping people.
Jumping up from the ground, Dick winced at the pain in his ribs, wrapping an arm around his middle. Reaching out with his other hand, he rested it on Jason’s shoulder. “Don’t be like that. You know I don’t think you do that.” He moved to stand in front of the other, blocking his way. “We could both die in here, Jason, so I don’t think we should end this so bitterly.” Dick hated bringing up the fact that Jason could die, seeing as he’d already done it once before, so it would’ve been a real drag for it to happen to him twice. “I really am sorry for knocking you down, and for hurting your face.”
this isn’t the time to be DIFFICULT when there was certain more they could get done for the people that needed then if they worked together --- but jason couldn’t keep it up. as much as he thought he could keep CIVIL around dick when the time called for it, now that he was actually here, standing right in front of the man he had idolized. all he could see was ever reminder of how much of a FAILURE he had become.
“ call them what you want --- those danger batons aren’t shit. ” but of course --- dick still played by bruce’s playbook. NO KILLING, NO GUNS. it was practically like it was some damn commandment or something. one that never ended a problem permanently when things has gotten too out of hand.
there’s a pang of GUILT that hits when he sees dick wince as he holds his ribs, but he snuffs it out quick, like putting out a cigarette. “ don’t --- don’t do that. ” jason’s voice is clipped. his body tense once the elder’s hand rests on his shoulder. “ don’t pretend to care just so you won’t feel bad if it all goes south. ” there was a time that if dick had said something like before, jason would have believed it. trusted in it. but this, the way dick was talking to him right now, that was something that came eight years too late. “ don’t put up an act for my sake, that ship passed a long time ago. ”