Jason digs himself out of his grave and hes found by Thalia who helps him recover and teaches him how to care for Damian
He's thrown into the pit and has to deal with the sickness that comes with it, similar to Ra's but to a lesser degree where it makes him see the dead but induces an overprotective rage that leaves him wanting to murder who is responsible in response to the spirits' pleas
Finding his bearings again, he begins training, becoming so skilled he ends up becoming part of Ra's inner circle of lieutenants
He has his own squad of assassins who are loyal to him such as Thalia has hers
He takes this squad with him back to Gotham where he begins his takeover of Crime Alley under the moniker Red Hood
He doesnt interact with the Bats because hes got bigger problems to worry about and other stuff to do, he sticks to his territory, forming treaties with reasonable rouges such as Poison Ivy, Freeze and Manbat
He doesn't want to think about the Bats or about the fact that Harley Quinn went solo after Jokers disappearance but he does have his assassins investigate things for him
He does notice that Batman patrols with a new robin and batgirl yet they look completely different to the previous two and look almost like twins
He doesn't figure out why that is until the new Batgirl actually surprises him, he realizes who she is the second he sees her before he runs off to go to Titans tower
He goes to the Tower to wipe away any record there is of him only to realize that its in lock down and the Titans were drugged except for Robin, who is currently dressed in civilian attire and has Joker scars
So there's a change of plans hes pissed that Batman failed again and who he thought was Robin was actually their neighbor who has the robin colors but appears to be dressed like a mourning dove
He sses Tim laughing and digging his hands into his face, hes wheezing and crying, his eyes are bloodshot and dry and he looks like a total wreck and he decides to take him because clearly Bats failed and he won't know where Nightwing is until his assassins come back so he takes Tim, tucks him close and tries to ignore the fact that Tim freezes up for a moment before relaxing completely and hes wheezing, mumbling to himself and apologizing and trying to make himself as small as possible and that's when Jason reveals himself and Tim isn't shocked but he is weirdly a bit happy
He ends up falling asleep and Jason just makes sure the other Titans are okay before he takes the info he needs and leaves
He helps Tim recover as much as he can, figures out what happened to the Joker and Nightwing and has one of his assassins kill Black Mask to avenge Stephanie
He gives Tim permission to patrol through Crime Alley and Park Row despite the barrier he put up
He encourages Tim to help Mr, Freeze cure his wife and he does regain his morality back little by little
But the fits have gotten worse, there are days where he doesn't want to do anything and laughs until he falls asleep or Jason has to knock him out with a tranquilizer and the worst days are where he cant sleep and is spouting rhymes that usually serve as explanations for why hes upset though it takes Jason a bit to decipher what hes actually saying
He properly meets Cas who doesn't approve of what hes doing but understands why he does it and is grateful though she won't admit it that Black Mask is dead bc he murdered Stephanie
Damian ends up being delivered to Gotham due to uprisings happening between Thalia and Ra's who sent Damian to live with his brother bc Ra wanted to use either one of them as a vessel and the other as a backup
Thalia kills Ra's and takes over the League of Assassins
Jason takes Tim to the Black Canary because he doesn't want to go by himself and reconciles with Roy who hides him bc he doesn't want to face Batman
Batman who currently is teamed up with Nightwing to help find Batgirl and Robin, both aware of what is happening in Gotham and trying to figure out who Hood is and if he has Rovin and Batgirl
Only for the two of them to run into them
Tim is reassuring Batman that hes fine and was just going to set up therapy sessions with Black Canary and Batgirl came with him as moral support
Hood leaves through the zeta tubes with the sound announcing his name being muted by Roy
He waits for Tim and Cass to come back to his house when Damian shows up
Thalia wants the two to stay together and away from the League because they are important to her and her authority over the league is still fragile and if she shows vulnerability and care towards them then it could prompt uprisings to try to hurt them but also because she wants them to live normal lives away from all of it
Jason begins taking care of Damian and finds out that Stephanie is alive and brings her to the house, she reunites with both Babs and Cass but waits for Tim to be ready to face her.
Tim reconcilles with Steph, hugging her but not letting her see his face, she still sees his face regardless and just hold him
Nightwing finds out who Red Hood is before Batman does, and convinces his siblings to see him
He makes sure that Batman doesn't follow him and finds out how much his brother has changed but hes seen all the good hes done despite the murders and he wants to be brothers again
Jason is scared to try but he won't deny that he missed him
While they're having dinner together, Batman is watching from the outside looking in about to confront his family on why they kept their brother's, his son being alive secret from him as well as kept his son hidden from him
A hand on his arm stops him, Thalia tells him to leave them be, that they dont want to see him and are happy with their siblings and she's not going to let him ruin it
He cuts in, saying that he was only going to talk to them and hug his choldren
Thalia points out that he doesnf have that raight angmore considering he left Tim alone to handle his mental breakdown and Batman wants to argue with her, he wants to point oit that he hasnt known what to do and how to care for him but Thalia reminds him that he shouldve been there for all of them and that he failed
She leaves to join them in the penthouse, holding a syringe that had the cure to the pit sickness
Her and Dick are neutral with each other but considering that she has doen a lot for his siblings and gave him a new brother and brought Jason back, hes holding off his judgment for now, but he makes it clear that one wrong move and she'll be in Blackgate for the rest of her life and not even her assassins will be able to get her out
Thalia is surprised by his level of protectiveness but nods in response, she explains the serum to Jason who asks why she wouldn't have used it on Ra's and she explains thay her father was dead long before he went insane and that she vouldnt save him but she could save her son
The cure works and Jason falls asleep leaning against her side and she drags him to the couch with help from Stephanie while Tim drapes a blanket over him
Thalia notices the state Tim is in and how tired he looks before carefully smoothing out his hair
He doesn't say anything but his eyes water and Dick takes over when she doesn't know how to act from that, she hugs her son and tells Damian that she can see him as much as she wants now which Damian is happy about and that she's proud that him and Jason are looking after each other
Dick is holding Tim and Tim just curls up next to him, trying to make himself as small as possible
Damian confesses that he wants to try being a hero, he wants to help people like his siblings have, to make up for the lives hes killed, to have a chance to get to know his father and help keep his siblings safe
Thalia and Dick understand his reasoning but don't agree with him becoming Robin, they've seen what Robin's legacy is and Damian has a chance to be a normal kid and they argue that Damian shouldn't be put on another mission when he hasn't had the chance to be a kid
Damian argues that its his choice and he wants to do something right, he wants to prove that he has earned the right to be in this family
Tim is the one who speaks to him now, telling him that he doesn't have to carry the Robin mantle to be a part of this family and that he can be a hero in his own way and that they love and love shouldn't be earned
Damian doesn't know what to say and Tim just hugs him
The rest of the dinner is spent in calm chatter and teading courtesy of Stephanie and Cas watches over Jason while he sleeps
The sickness that infected his body has faded and she's greatful because of it
They all end up falling asleep in the living room while Thalia keeps watch, she understands now why Bruce cares for all of them and acts the way he does
Weekly dinners become a thing in the penthouse while Jason is off on missions helping the deceased find peace he forms small groups of friends in Phantom and Spiderman as well as rekindles the group of outlaws he formed while out of Gotham, he becomes somewhat of an apprentice to Constantine who helps him destroy the last of the All Caste enemies
Honestly he just kinda becomes like the Dean Winchester of supernatural hunting
He's a lot closer with Dick now but its still fragile and the twonate talking more, about the past, what Japsn is starting to remember and what they want to do going forward
Tim goes back to the Titans after his recovery where the laughter manic fits are few and far between but he still does see Black Canary for therapy even if it is a bit weird at times
Cas and Stephanie patrol the rest of Gotham, with Stephanie revealing herself as Spoiler and Bruce apologizing for how much he failed her
Cas still doesn't forget what his actions had led to however but she doesn't say anything because she knows that he knows something about her siblings
Victor had managed to cure Nora with Tim help and he decides to leave Gotham with her, giving all of his technology to Tim as a thank you for what he does for him and chooses yo stay away
Harley Quinn gets together with Ivy but won't go near Red Hood's turf because she worries that will accidently trigger him, its far from the case however because his problem was with the Joker not her but he makes it quite clear that if she ever harms Tim or puts him on a position where he has to resort to becoming Jr that he won't hesitate to put a bullet in her skull regardless of how Ivy feels about it or her
Harley respects his wishes and keeps her distance but is actually surprised when Tim is the one who reaches out, he encourages her to start her own brand of clown act, something positive that people can do to forget about the Joker and the damage he has done, she tells him she'll think about it, he helps her come up with ideas for her new act and during their brainstorming, he tells he forgives her and she frowns telling him he shouldn't but he makes it clear that he doesn't blame her for what happened because Joker hurt her too, he changed all of them, Jason, Tim, Harley, and the thing is once the Joker sets his eyes on you and you become his next target you dont recognize what you've become until after you're finally freed from him
So he doesn't blame her, she tells him that she'll do her best to atone and he tells her about Jr, about how it felt like he had to go mad to get Joker to leave him alone even if it was for a bit of time, how he didnt recognize himself after he got out
How he hadn't felt healed until they took that chip out of his neck and washed the dye out of his hair and healed his wounds as best as they could, he tells her about the thoughts he has, about the fact that maybe, maybe Jr was always there just below the surface and he hadn't been able to face that part of himself until it was the only thing he had left
Harley cuts him off with a hug, telling him that Jr isn't all he is or will be, that hes a blend of Jr and Tim, that hes changed but it doesn't have to be a bad one and like he told her if she can change her act then he can too
He whispers to her that it felt violating how he got in his head and wouldn't leave, how he forced himself to split until all that was left was JJ, she doesn't say anything, just holds him, he hugs her back
The moment is interrupted by Kon showing up, ready to take Tim to the tower, Tim tells Harley to not cause too much trouble to which she replies always while Kon tells her to take care of herself and shoots back only if he takes care of Cardinal, Kon nods and leaves
Duke is introduced in the story as Signal, going solo and keeping watch over Park Row, Jason finds out his parents are the final victims of Joker madness and decides to help him in any way he can
Signal gets close to Hood and the Bats when hes trying to track down Joker's only apprentice known as Punchline who is obsessed with bringing Joker back, not believing hes dead and wanting to spread his chaos over Gotham to lure the Bats and specifically Cardinal and Red Hood out
Cardinal because he was there the night Joker died and he has to know how to make the Joker gas work and make it more effective and Red Hood because she recognized him as the second robin and she will force him to tell her how he came back to life
Duke warns Red Hood of what is going to happen and they prepare tot take Punchline down only for her to reveal that she has Duke's parents and as the last of the victims of Joker gas she wants to see if she can replicate the toxins from them or amplify it
Duke gets his powers in response tot he stress and the Bats charge into the fight
Dick serving as the safety net to catch Duke's parents while Red Hood goads Punchline into lashing out by lying and saying that he killed the Joker and he was happy about it, he stares at her, lenses narrowing and watching as she gets more angry before charging headfirst, she meets him in retaliation only for a large black, pink and blue mallet to smash the ground in the middle of them before they could meet
Harley Quinn has shown up nd Punchline is pissed, Quinn she hisses a scowl on her face and Harley grins telling Red Hood that she can handle the faker
Red Hood nods, trusting that she'll know what to do while he helps Duke take last minute control of his powers before he causes severe property damage while Cass and Steph help Dick take Duke's parents to safety and Tim diffuses the bomb containing Joker gas that's attached to the bridge
He makes sure all of his siblings are accounted for and far away from the bridge and that the bomb is stopped before he realizes that Punchline has one last trick up her sleeve
If she's going doing, she's going to take all of them with her
With a bomb strapped to her chest, she pulls the switch, watching the numbers count down as she charges at Harley
Jason only has a second to grab Tim and Duke by the scruff of their collars and begin to run before Harley smiles at him reassuringly then leaps at Punchline with her mallet, pushing the both of them off the bridge and into the harbor where the timer goes off as soon as they hit the water, splashing the three of them with water, soaking their clothes
The bridge doesn't collapse and Jason's waiting for one of or both their spirits to show up on his vision before Harley's head pops out of the water and she's dry heaving, tangled in wire and laughing nervously while her teary eyes look after them
Jason pulls out his grappling hook, tying it onto the metal border for the bridge and going down into the harbor, holding out his hand, she grins, clasping his arm with her own and he take them both to the bridge where Dukr and Tim are
Duke and Tim who are currently trying to calm each other down and failing
Harley takes Tim and Jaosn takes Duke
She hugs Tim and places two fingers to her neck, helping him breathe in and breathe out, he curls himself around her, pressing his face against her shoulder and crying, trembling but hes relieved that she's alive
Jason gets confirmation that Duke's parents are okay and tells him as such, glowing teal eyes match glowing yellow ones as he shows Duke how to calm the panic down, giving him a spot to focus on and waiting for the glowing to stop
Once the glowing stops Jason helps him up and the four of them go to the spot Dick tells them about
Duke's parents are laughing and Duke is crying as he hugs them but he doesn't let them go not even for a moment and the Bats just watch on sadly not sure whta to do until Jason steps up
What hes going to do is risky and he doesnt even know if it will work but if there's one thing he does know is that if spirits dont wnat to be seen then they wont be but their energy can still linger on in the living
He kneels next to Duke and whispers very quietly that he thinks he can help
Duke looks at him for a moment before letting his parents go, they've stopped wheezing and are staring blankly ahead, unnerving face splitting grins on their faces even as their body starts shaking
Jason pulls out a syringe and gestures for Harley to come over, he asks her if she's immune to this specific type of Joker toxin, she says yes, she's immune to all toxins due to a formula created by Ivy
He takes a bit of her blood, staring and squinting before helping steady her, he calls Ivy and tells her to come pick her up and see if she can come up with a new immunity formula for toxins, she already had some avaliable and was just waiting for Harley to come home so she could send her off with the package to give to them, as thanks for helping her with her environmental work
Jason hums, telling her that they're on their way
He grabs the vial of Harley's blood and places it in a case in his jacket pocket before helping Harley up, holding his hand out for Duke to take, Duke takes it and hes helping his mom up
Stephanie comes back with the 2nd batmobile made by Tim and they take off for Ivy's, stopping at the edge of her greenhouse
The large group of them enter the greenhouse where Ivy has carefully set up her equipment, she checks on all of them and once she was sure that they're not too badly injured, she shoes the immunity formula
Tim runs tests on it and finds it clean, taking it first, finding it easier to breathe and thanks Ivy before handing the rets to his siblings
Jason gives Ivy the vial of Harley's blood alongside his own
Leaving her and Tim to test it out while he goes to talk with dick while Stephanie and Cass help Duke get his parents comfortable
Dick reveals that Punchline is dead and that Bruce now knows that Jason is alive
Jason doesn't know how to feel about that last part
The two stay quiet before Dick tells him that he's glad hes alive, that hes grateful he has a second chance with him, that when he saw what happened on the bridge he was terrified that he would have to bury two brothers tonight
Jason reassures him that that won't happen, not if he has any say in it
Steph goes out to inform them that Duke's parents are asleep but the gas seems to be permanently out of their system, she tells them that Ivy estimates that they'll be asleep for a week to let their bodies recover from everything
Jason is relieved that everything worked out and Dick is happy that Duke can have his parents back
Duke is just grateful that Ivy and Red Hood helped him and becomes more involved with the Bats during his parents' recovery period
Jaosn helps him control his passwords
Damian meets his father and its a bit awkward but Bruce is just happy that one of his sons is home, he begins helping him be Robin though Tim had already passed down the mantle to him with the understanding that he had to know the full story of what it means to take up Robin's legacy
Dick helps Damian adjust to normal life and moves back into the manor permanently alongside Cass and Stephanie
Tim stays with Jason as his partner in crime Alley
He is healthier now and can sleep a bit more easy after the immunization to the toxins
He teaches Damian how to skateboard as a way to bond with him and tells him how to fight back against any potential bullies he may face though he does notice how much his little brother seems to like animals and decides to do something about it by introducing him to Ace
Batman runs into Red Hood while he got doused with some fear gas from Scarecrow, Red Hood cant leave him like that so takes him back to the cave and tries to ignore the way Batman is very gentle while he holds him
He holds him like he'll never get the chance too ever again, but he hugs him like he's fragile, like he's still the boy he once knew
Dick finds Jason in his old room and sit down next to him, leaning against the bedframe
Jason only whispers a single sentence before Duck tries to come up with an answer
He didnt kill the Joker, I know he tried and that Superman stopped him but I dont know, I think it would have made things better if he hadn't brought him back after he died
He didn't want me to deal with the guilt of having killed someone, of having someone else's blood on my hands
But Jay, I'll be honest, I wanted him to stay dead, I wanted him to stay dead because if he was dead then maybe you and Tim would find peace and there would be no other dead children, this time , he wouldn't come back, I wouldn't let him
But he scarred us, he changed Tim so drastically and I tried to stay as often as I could, I tried to figure out what helped and I didnt know what to do
Alfred, he, he wanted to put Tim in Arkham like he did with Bruce when he was younger
I took Tim out of the manor before he even had the chance to even suggest that to Bruce and destroyed your memorial case on the way out
I hated that thing, it wasnt a memorial, it was a disgrace to your name and I wanted it gone
You weren't a good soldier, you were and still are my brother
I can't face him, Dick, either of them, because I know that if I do I'll only revert back to the kid that wanted his father's approval and I can't do that to myself
I cant let myself have the hope that he might understand why I do what I do or-or have him look at me like im still the same dead kid he buried
You're not, you're not because you grew up and you've changed and I'm sorry I was such a shit brother to you before
He's different with the littes, paranoid and pushing them too hard and never praising them when they've actually done a good job
I don't, I dont know where my dad went Jay, because the man I see, that isn't him
Its not up to you to fix this family
I know, but someone has to try
Well, we have been trying and I'd say things have gotten a hell of a lot better
If Alfred does anything, to any of you, under the assumption that he knows whats best, I enat you to tell me
Why do you think I moved back into the manor full time
You dont have to stay unhappy in this place
Damian's here and im not leaving him alone to deal with Bruce's emotional constipation and I have fond memories of this place
I was loved here once, and I dont know if i still am or if I even want to find out the answer to that
I still love you and I like who you became
The two go down to the med bay to check on Bruce and Damian
Tim enters the cave in a bit of a rush, peeling off his suit and standing in nothing but a t shirt and pants
He breathes out and fidget which Jason finds odd but he doesn't seem to be having a laughter fit its almost like
Tim doesn't see him as he runs a hand over his face, his ears slightly pink as he curses before heading for the stairs only to stop when he sees Bruve on one of the cots
He curses again and goes to chcek his vitals, calming himself by saying its only fear gas
He finally notices Dicka nd Jason and asks what happened before Jason explains that he was overcome with fear gas and he brought him
Tim winced and frowned before becoming flustered as Dick asks him how it went with the Titans
Jason smiles, pulling up 2 chairs for himself and Dick before nodding his head at Tim
Tim presses his hands against his eyes and curls himself into a ball near the end of the cot and whispers that he kissed Kon
Dick is smiling, giddy that his little brother got to experience his firts kiss but Jaosn looks worried and then hes frowning
"Why does that seem like an issue?"
"Its not, I mean-I did it on impulse but I've only ever dated girls and this just, this feels like something huge to kind of panic over, doesn't it?"
"It doesnt have to be if you let it, i mean, the way I see it, you like Kon and that's not something to be ashamed of"
"But what if this changes everything? I mean, I had thoughts before but considering our line of work, I never wanted to try because I was- I was scared it would ruin everything"
"Being heroes or anti-hero in my case means doing risky stuff and hoping for the best, its making the choice you deem right and hoping it all works out and making that choice over and over again"
"Tim, let me ask you a question"
"Then take the risk and go for it and if for some reason he doesn't like you back, you have my permission to get drunk out of your mind with Jay at the Iceberg lounge"
"I'll-I'll only take the risk if you're willing to take the chance to ask out Wally"
"Come on Dickieburd, dont try to deny it, you talk about him constantly, its clear you like him even more then a best friend should"
"As if you're any better with Roy"
"I'm only going to the chance, Dick if you ask out Wally and Jason you have to ask out Roy"
"The things I do for you little brother but alright, fine"
"Fine, but you have to ask out Kon the moment your ready too and you cant flake out"
"And if things dont work out for any of us then I suggest three things, 1 we get wasted at the Icebreak Lounge, 2 we eat ice cream and cry over shitty romance movies at Dick's place or 3 we case chaos at Harley's Carnival Castle"
"Or we could just do all three"
The three chat for a while before Jason walks over to one of the couches and sit down, taking off his gear leaving him in nothing but a long sleeve black sweater and brown pants, he doesn't look at Bruce, not really
Tim frowns and goes over to the couch to sit next to him
"I cant be here when he wakes up" Jason whispers
Tim looks at him confused and Jason sighs, closing his eyes
"Before-before my trip to Ethiopa to find my mom-to find Sheila, there was a case with a man named Felipe Garzonas who was sexually assaulting a woman named Gloria Stanson, he was using his privilege to get out of consequences and Gloria was fragile, he had given her a black eye and didn't want to give her statement because she didnt think it would even do any good, I was the one who convinced her to try"
Tim notes that Jason gets a far off look in his eyes as he starts speaking, starts remembering,
"Gloria did give the GCPD her statement before going home but we- Batman and me, we couldnt charge Felipe with anything due to his diplomatic immunity so Batman had suggested to deport him, we managed to get him arrested due to a drug charge a couple days later but it was his phone call that I remember vividly"
Tim felt Jason begin to tremble and wrapped his arms around him in a hug surprised when Jason pressed his cheek to his forehead and wrapped an arm around him
"He had called her. He called her and made some fucked up threats towards her and I rushed over to check is she was okay but I-I was too late"
He shut his eyes, readjusting his hold on Tim and Dick moved forward to sit next to Tim.
"We found her hanging from the cieling fan and Batman made me leave the room, but all I remember thinking is if I had been quicker, could I have saved her?"
If I had done something different could he have been stopped and could she had finally felt safe?"
"The GCPD began the process of deportation afterwards, I didn't think that was enough, I didn't want that bastard to go back home to where he could possibly do this again."
Jason looks at Dick this time, eyes pleading before he tells him the truth, "I showed him on the balcony and said his name but before I could say anything else, he slipped and fell off the balcony. I didn't save him, I didn't want to save him"
"Batman showed up and asked me what happened and I didn't look at him, he asked me if Felipe fell or was he pushed. I told him that I must have spooked him, and he fell before leaving."
"I'm not guilty of pushing him, I'm guilt of letting him die."
Dick pressed his forehead against Jason's shoulder, placing his arm around his neck and ignoring Tim's protest that he was squishing him.
Jason let himself hug Dick back before he continued talking, "Felipe's father came to Gotham to get revenge on us for the death of his son and Gordon had to kill him"
"Batman decides ro let it be a teachable moment, heh. He told me that for every action in this universe, there is an equal and opposite reaction. Consequences, Robin and then he benched me"
"It was during that time that I was benched that I discovered who my birth mom was and wanted to find her, I think you can tell what happened after that"
"He didnt tell me about your death or your funeral until after I came back from that space mission with the Titans" Dick whispered, Jason stared at him.
Tim squished his cheek against his stomach as he hugged him a bit tighter.
"I left the cave afterwards and went to the family graveyard and you weren't there and I was beyond angry, I had to find out from Alfred where you were buried and it was next to her"
"Will-can you tell us, what actually happened in Ethiopa?" Tim asked quietly.
Jason glanced at him then at Dick before nodding once.
Readjusting himself so that both he and Tom were leaning against Dick this time.
"I found out who my birth mother was from some documents my landlord still had from my old apartment, I left afterwards, I was desperate to have someone care and I knew my time as Robin was already limited and it was only a matter of when Batman would throw me out so I decided to take a risk"
"Batman didnt find out i was there until he actually landed and was in the relief camp trying to ask about any whereabouts of the Joker when I found Sheila, he was happy for me, I think"
"I didnt know she was complicit in illegal activities with the Joker until she handed me over to him after me and Batman had split up, she confessed that she was embezzaling funds from the camp and that she didnt want me to tell anyone because it could put her in the line of fire"
Jason began shaking now and Dick hugged him, gently pressing his chin atop his head.
Tim looked at him worryingly before Jason spoke.
"She watched him beat me with a crowbar and smoked a cigarette while it was happening, I was in a lot of pain and heard some yelling before she was tied up next to me and a bomb was set to go off soon. The Joker and his goons had left and the bomb was slowly going down the countdown."
"I knew I was screwed but I managed to untie her, I wanted her to at least have the chance to escape but she helped me up and we walked towards the door, she had to let me go to unlock it but it was locked from the outside and by the time she turned back to me the bomb had went off."
Dick was shaking now, trying to stop the tears from sliding down his cheeks.
'You were trying to save her, she wanted to save you. You were going to leave that place together or not at all'
"I don't remember when I woke up, but all I knew was that I was scared and cold, I dont know how i dug myself out of my grave, it felt like my body was an autopilot but I wasnt there."
"I ate whatever I could find and fought when I needed to, Thalia found me 6 months later from what she told me"
"I stayed catatonic for 2 years before Thalia dunked me into the pit, she wasnt the one who dragged me out however,"
Jason smiled, eyes softening before holding out a small wallet. Dick and Tim watched him as he carefully held out a small photo
A small photo of a toddler dressed in green and gold clothing with blue eyes.
Dick and Tim stared at each other as the realization sunk in.
"I become a high ranked lieutenant with the sole purpose of being Damian's protector, Ra's was a nuisance but I didnt see him as a threat to me but a danger to Damian, and to Thalia"
"I became part of his inner circle of assassins with the sole purpose of killing him and leaving Thalia as the head of the league with Damian being kept safe"
"Thalia made me leave the league however, she wanted me to turn Gotham into a safer place for both of her sons"
"She wanted Gotham to be a fail safe, a backup in case she failed, she didnt want me to take Damian yet because she knew that Ra's would get suspicious if he left suddenly and with no valid reason."
Jason reveals more photos, some are of Damian but most involve him, Thalia and Damian.
"Before I left I worried that she would-that if the time came where she had to choose between us or her father that she'd choose him, she reassured me that she would always choose us, that she loved us more then she feared him"
"She didnt prove her words until this year."
Jason slowly took the photos back, counting each of them internally before placing them back in the wallet and placing the wallet back into his jacket pocket.
He stared at Tim and Dick, "she did what Bruce couldn't, what I would have wanted him to do."
He looked at the cot before frowning, "I forgive him for not saving me but I refuse to let him near me, I cant face him because if I do I'll lash out and I don't want to do that, okay? Because if I ever talk with him, I will tell him how much he failed, not just me but all of us"
"I dont want any of you to make excuses for him anymore, he failed all of us in different ways and I can't forgive that"
Jason slowly pushed himself to sit up, looking at both Tim and Dick.
He hugged them close to his chest and spoke firmly.
"I love you both, your my brothers but I dont like Batman, he has his methods and I have mine. I dont want either of you to choose, im not asking you too, I just thought that maybe telling you all of this would help you understand me a little brother"
"We love you too, Jay" Tim whispers, wrapping an arm around him.
"Your our brother" Dick chimed in, hugging the two of them
Anyways dont really know how to end this but yeah Gotham becomes a safer yet still chaotic place
