Bruce should've known better. A person that was born into crime will never change.
Bruce believes in rehabilitation, but for some people who were born from crime... He'd rather not think about it.
As he stands across Red Hood in a standoff, glaring at each other, neither moving to make the first move.
He should've known that Hood wouldn't- couldn't possibly change. Hood was already a criminal by the time he found him, stealing tyres and all that. All Hood is, is another bit of the sewers.
And because Hood is a criminal, putting lives at risk, he has to stop him.
No matter the cost.
He should not show any leniency to the man. The man that was once his 'son'. But his damn emotions were getting in the way, not letting him deal out justice, all for the sake of some nostalgia of the little boy who would smile so brightly at him.
And thus, Batman rushes towards Hood, dodging the incoming strikes, clenching his hands into a fist and thrusting it towards Hood's right abdomen.
Batman punches the man over and over again after getting him to fall backwards. But...
He doesn't realize that the man wasn't retaliating, too caught up in his emotions and the need to stop Hood.
He only comes to, when an arrow was shoot towards him, barely dodging it. He looks up and sees Arsenal getting ready to shot another arrow at him. He quickly gets up, leaving the unconscious man in favour of dodging not only arrows, but also flame balls.
Starfire, he notes. He shouldn't fight them, not with Starfire who could cause intergalactic war by getting hurt. And thus, he runs, back to the batmobile, back to the cave.
It's fine, Batman tells himself. He stopped Hood. He won't be commiting crime any time soon. Any guilt he feels is useless and he blocks it out.
He just has to focus on his mission and nothing else.
