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Chapter Text

Bruce feels a mix of emptiness and rage stepping through the threshold of the manor with Alfred by his side.

The Justice League stripped him of his position despite being one of the founders, as well as their main source of funding. All over some forged documents that he had never even seen before.

He wishes he could say that he's surprised by the Justice League's incompetence, but he didn't make contingencies plans for them with no reasoning behind it.

For now, Bruce will lay low and wait for the whole incident to blow over. It isn't the first time that either Bruce Wayne or Batman has faced criticism and media backlash. Soon, both the public and the Justice League will realize how much they need him in his absence.

Once Gotham undoubtedly gets overrun with crime, Batman will be forced to swoop in to save the day.

After all, everyone knows that Gotham NEEDS Batman.

Of course he will be sure to donate money to the families of those he permanently injured or contributed to their untimely demise.

Bruce will be the first to admit that he wasn't in his best state of mind during the time after Jason's death.

He took things too far in his grief.

However, what everyone doesn't seem to understand is that he still never directly killed anyone.

Because Batman doesn't kill.

Whatever happens in the hospital after the criminals get sent there is beyond him. While their deaths are certainly unfortunate, Bruce doesn't think that they should reflect upon him. Especially since he made sure to never inflict mortal wounds, any and all deaths were simply accidental.

You wouldn't call a doctor a murderer for being unable to save a patient.

He'll have to draft up a public statement to send out in order to cull some of the rumors that are unlikely to temper out on their own, and prepare for his official debut based on the reaction he receives.

Even if his team turns their back on him for now after the whole Tim incident and the leak, Bruce has never had a problem with working alone. But just like with the rest of the public, they'll realize their mistake and come back. It's only logical condidering they don't have the organization nor the resources to fight crime on their own.

It's just a matter of time, and Batman is no stranger to waiting games.

So he'll use the time to prepare and plan.

To improve his suits and gadgets.

To train his body and mind.

And to hunt down the son that betrayed him.

As lost in his thoughts as Bruce is he still notices the intruder in his dining room. Seated at the head of his expansive diningroom table in none other than Talia Al Ghul, sipping what looks to be a cup of tea.

"Ah. Beloved, it's so good to see you. I had heard that you would be returning today, so I am glad that my information was correct." She greats, gently setting her porcelain cup down on the saucer in front of her.

"Talia, what are you doing here? Was all of this some sort of plot to turn the Justice League against me so I would rejoin League of Assassins with you?" He growls, stalking towards his former lover, while attempting to reign in his temper. He knows better than to think that she would come here right after sending forged documents without some sort of goal in mind, and losing his composure won't help with getting any information from her.

"So you haven't heard the news then? I suppose the Justice League wouldn't have been informed of it yet, but Ra's has already chosen a new successor." Talia informs him with an eyebrow raised judgmentally, completely unfazed by his hostile demeanor.

"You don't mean-" Bruce begins, his face already blanching at the possibilities of that statement. Especially in regards to what that could mean for Damian.

He had trusted that Dick would be protecting his son, even if he happened to be upset with Bruce. Especially since his eldest had seemed to have taken the boy under his wing during Bruce's time in the time-stream. Considering the fact that Alfred hadn't mentioned anything at the Watchtower, it must have happened in the small gap of time after the butler had left.

"No, it's not Damian. Rather, it seems my father has taken a liking to your run away bird." The woman in front of him responds, seeming to read where his thoughts had gone.

But the news that Tim has become the heir to the League was not a comforting revelation. Although, it is an unfortunate reality that Bruce had come to accept ever since he found out about his former Robin's stint with the assassin group.

It made sense why Tim would catch the immortal's eye considering he had the same inquisitive mind as Bruce and had been trained by him. Batman had simply hoped that Tim would have been strong enough to resist whatever Ra's offered him.

He had always been aware of his former Robin's potential, it was one of the reasons why he trained him harder than the others. Tim was simply too similar to himself, and Bruce knew how dangerous a mind like his own would be on the other side.

But it seems like all of the work he put into preparing Tim had been for naught.

"You still haven't answered my question of why you are here, or why you sent those falsified records to the Justice League." Batman interrogates further, not letting Talia distract him from his main line of questioning.

Talia sighs and takes another sip of her tea before responding.

"After my father took one of your soldiers as an heir, he no longer had a need for me. So I came here in order to protect Damian in case father plans to come after him and "tie up loose ends." As for the records, I suppose I should have placed more faith in you having a plan prepared for that situation. I was simply trying to aid in proving your innocence." She explains leisurely, clearly making herself at home in his diningroom.

While Bruce can't sense a lie in her words, he can also tell that she isn't telling the whole truth.

As is the precedent with Talia.

At the very least, he doesn't sense any ulterior motives nor threats in her tone. Meaning, it's likely that she is here for Damian and nothing else. He knows that Talia does care for their child, despite her odd way of showing it, and that it wouldn't be out of character for Ra's to take out any opposition to his reign. So if Tim has indeed been made heir, then he would want to eliminate Damian to make sure he can't oppose his chosen heir's rule on the basis of blood.

From there it isn't difficult for him to discern that the falsehoods are surrounding the reason why she left the League of Assassins.

Talia has always been Ra's primary supporter, even when she went behind his back occasionally. They had a very unhealthy father-daughter relationship from what he had seen during his time in the League and out of it, but neither had ever completely severed their ties. Not when blood relations are so important to them.

The fact that Talia seems to be on the run from her father could only mean that she had finally gone too far in one of her plots and had been caught. With the announcement of a new heir outside of her influence, it is likely that she had attempted to stage a coup in order to take control of the assassin organization.

Considering her influence within the League, a coup could definitely be possible with the right amount of planning and preparation. Although, apparently she hadn't been able to pull it off, all things considered.

Satisfied that she isn't attempting to undermine or manipulate him, Bruce takes the seat across from her at the table.

"Tim was never my soldier, he was my partner. Now, what do you plan to do while you are in Gotham? I assume you still have some ninja that are willing to follow you, so what exactly is your plan to protect Damian?" He inquires gruffly, still refusing to let down his guard.

"The way I see it, the path forward is simple. I plan to take down your rogue "son" so that my father no longer has a suitable heir. Then I will overthrow my father's rule since he has made it clear that I am no longer welcome in the League. However, because I no longer have the resources I previously had access to, I was hoping that you might be willing to assist me." Talia details, pushing her tea to the side in favor of intertwining her hands together and resting them on the table in front of her.

Bruce grunts septically while he thinks over Talia's proposition. He had already been planning on taking Tim down himself during his forced sabbatical, and he logically knew that this undertaking would be easier with more manpower. Furthermore, getting rid of Ra's would be large threat out of the way. Compared to him, Bruce would much rather Talia be in charge.

After all, he knows her strengths and weaknesses much better than he knows Ra's. While destroying the League of Assassins all together would be preferable, he also knows after years of attempts how improbable that is.

The problem is that Talia will want to do this operation her way, meaning that she will likely want to kill Ra's, Tim, and any ninja that gets in her way. Which is the last thing that Bruce would ever support. Especially because this entire mess started with his son committing genocide against the League of Assassins.

And Bruce has and will never support murder of any kind.

Even if it's done by his own son.

In fact, it's his relationship to the killer that makes it his responsibility to put a stop to Tim. Because he was the one who trained him and equipped him with the abilities he is now using to cause harm.

"I will help you as long as I am able to lead the operation. This means that both you and your allies must follow my rules and my orders." He states, clearly laying out the terms of his cooperation.

"Tsk. You always make working with you harder than it has to be, my Beloved. But I am willing to agree with your conditions, on the exception that you leave my father to me." She agrees with a tinge of annoyance coloring her tone.

"What do you plan to do with him?" Bruce questions, not accepting her offer without having all of the details.

"Does it really matter? He is far older than he has any right to be, only staying alive off of the grace of the Lazarus waters. At this point, he is about as "alive" as any of the Talons that you have "disposed of." My father would likely die in only a few months time without access to the waters." Talia pushes, with a roll of her eyes.

And Bruce has to admit that she does have a point. Without any interference, Ra's would likely die on his own without access to a Lazarus Pit. However, that doesn't change the fact that purposefully committing murder is different from letting someone die naturally.

But, he also can't afford to let this opportunity pass him by.

It may be the only chance he gets to bring Tim to justice before he gains enough power and influence to shield himself. The League of Assassins is already hard to infiltrate as it is, but with time Bruce knows that Tim will find a way to remain untouchable from any hero organization. Left on his own, Bruce has no doubt that his former partner could become one of the largest threats that the world has known.

"Fine. I accept your conditions as well." Bruce acquiesces, but in reality he's already planning ways to prevent Talia from killing Ra's.

"Perfect. It's good be working side by side with you again, Beloved." His former lover smiles at him, a glint of challenge in her eyes.

Chapter Text

-Damian POV-

Mother returned to the manor not long after father was declared to be a traitor.

The Justice League has claimed that the documents mother provided were forged and were therefore a part of one of father's contingencies thus proving his guilt.

Grayson seems to believe the drivel Justice League is spewing, and said that he had to go on a drive to clear his head.

Damian, However, is not so easily convinced.

He knows that Tim could still have allies within the Justice League.

The former Robin was known for his connections before he was cast out of hero community during Damian's time as Robin, so it seems possible that he could have an inside operative swaying opinions.

Damian has long since learned his lesson in underestimating his predecessor.

In the beginning he had believed that Tim was inferior to him in every way. That father had simply taken him in out of pity after the boy's parents were killed.

He knew that Tim had apparently been made Robin before his parents' demise, but Damian simply couldn't fathom why his father would take on such an incompetent partner.

It wasn't until the other had done what no one else could and brought his father back from the time stream that Damian gained an ounce on respect for the previous Robin.

While Damian was positive that he would still come out on top if a battle were to take place between the two of them, he also had to admit that the older boy's intelligence was admirable at the very least.

But then he uncovered the other's hidden association with the League of Assassins and discovered his true colors.

Drake was no more chameleon, an actor, and a snake. He would force himself into places where he didn't belong for his own gain.

Red Robin is nothing more than an opportunist who flits between alliances whenever it suits him.

A truly despicable rat who never deserved father's nor Richard's charity.

However, it's those same traits that allowed the former vigilante to gain so many allies. All he would have to do is look up their interests and then shape his personality in such a way that it would appeal to his targets.

It explained why the other had so many connections with those outside of the hero community. Why he had so many of the rogue's contact information, despite them being the enemy. Why he always acted so guarded and distrusting even though he grew up in an environment with both his parents' and father's care.

So, naturally Damian's next path of inquiry is to look through all of Drake's previous contacts to see if he can get a hit on who the potential mole hiding within the Justice League could be. At first it had seemed like this area of inquiry would be a dead end.

It isn't that there's a lack of information, exactly, it's more that there is too much. Between the Young Justice, Titans, Justice League, and Batcave reports there must be hundreds of vigilantes, leaders, gods, and villains that Tim has interacted with.

His predecessor had apparently even met Santa Clause, just before he got killed by a sentient meteor.

Even with Grayson's help, it would have been a monumental task to pick out and sort through all of these people.

Which ones were still in the business?

Which ones could be considered Red Robin's allies?

What about enemies?

Which ones held the most influence?

Which ones were metas, aliens, magic users, or some other entity?

It was an increasingly tedious and seemingly fruitless endeavor, that is until Damian comes across the name of one Lonnie Machin.

In the files that Damian is able to dig up, Lonnie was described as the former Anarchy one of Batman and Tim's adversaries in his early Robin days. While in high school he had killed several corrupt people in Gotham, before eventually getting caught by Batman.

But then the rogue vigilante escaped only to get captured by the General and was left in a state where he was only able to use his brain and had to speak from a computer.

While unclear, it seems that Drake and Machin formed some kind of allegiance in this time where Machin would aid his predecessor from behind a computer screen much like Oracle.

The former Anarchy even helped Drake to take down the Unternet under the alias Moneyspider not too long ago.

If this Machin character is still aiding Drake, then it is entirely possible that he is the one who is tampering with the files. Perhaps there is no mole in the Justice League at all, but instead just a very good hacker.

Damian turns his chair on a dime at the sound of scuffling feat, expecting it be Grayson returning from wherever he had gone.

Instead he is met with the burning emerald green eyes of his mother.

"My son. How are you?" Talia greets as she stalks forward towards the Batcomputer.

"I am doing well, mother." He responds, speaking truthfully now that he finally has a lead.

Although in all honesty, Damian isn't sure how he should regard his mother anymore. Back in the League, he would do anything she asked of him. She was his mother, and the only one who would offer him a semblance of comfort during the harsh trainings.

In the end she had also been the one to bring him to live with his father, away from the violence of the League of Assassins.

But he also knows that she lied to him about his father before then, and she had likewise lied to father about his existence.

Could she have really forged those documents proving father's innocence?

Even if mother is known to lie and betray, his father would never do those things. And he knows that mother does indeed care for him, if only in her own way.

Meaning the more likely answer is that the files were true and this Moneyspider manipulated the data.

"Very good. I see that you have found some interesting information here." She mentions, noticing the files that Damian has pulled up on the monitors in front of him

"Indeed. I believe it was this Moneyspider person who tampered with yours and the Justice League's files. He is an ally of Drake who is known to be an especially competent hacker." He relays to his mother confidently.

"I see. Lonnie Machin was it? This is certainly something that your father and I will have to look into. Thank you, Damian. You have done well. Your father is going to be arriving soon and I wish to greet him in the diningroom. You are free to continue your research here, however." His mother praises, placing a hand on his shoulder for a moment before pulling away and making her way up the stairs and into the manor proper.

Damian watches her turned back until she disappears from view, silently debating with himself on whether or not he should follow her upstairs.

In the end, he decides to stay down in the cave and wait for Grayson to return.

-Dick POV-

He rolls down the windows of his car in order to get some fresh air and takes a deep breath in.

Dick just needed to get out of the cave for a bit.

He needed to get away from the Batsuits, the display cases, the manor, and just everything that reminded him of Bruce.

It was all just too much too soon.

For weeks now he's been attempting to aid Damian in his research while simultaneously trying to break the news about his father to him slowly as more evidence supporting Tim's case came up. Then Talia broke into the cave with her files and practically set back all of his progress. Only for information concerning Bruce to be proven false (he still hasn't told anyone about the second USB drive about Tim), and now the man himself is returning.

Dick knows logically why the Justice League only decided to punish Batman and not Bruce Wayne. After all, not only would that kind of information cause public chaos, but revealing his identity would consequently unveil all of the Gotham vigilantes' identities.

However, understanding that doesn't mean he has to like it.

In Dick's ideal world he would never have to see that son of a bitch again (sorry Martha, I'm sure you were a great person. The fact that your son turned out to be a royal ass is not your fault.)

But this isn't Dick's ideal world, so of course that man just has to come back into his life.

If it wasn't for Damian, Dick would have abandoned Gotham all together and just focused on Bludhaven. But he refuses to just leave the kid alone in that kind of environment.

Dick thought that Bruce had gotten better at parenting after himself, but after seeing Tim's files it was clear that he shouldn't be trusted with children.

Damian needs to grow up somewhere outside of Bruce's shadow and the ruined mantle of Batman. He shouldn't have to bear the weight of his father's expectations and failures like Dick had.

This kind of environment just wasn't healthy for his growth.

But if Dick can get enough evidence of Bruce's abuse as a civilian and manage to convince Damian to come with him. Then maybe he can make a place where the kid can truly live as, well, a kid.

Dick would never stop him from acting as a vigilante if he wants. He could never forcefully take something like that from the kid.

But at the very least he could allow the kid to live as he wishes.

Whether or not he wants to live as a vigilante will be up to him to decide.

The main problem is trying to convince the kid that this is for the best. Damian still seems to be convinced that Bruce is innocent despite all of the evidence to the contrary.

And even if he wants to, Dick can't force his little brother to accept reality.

He can only help lead him in the right direction and hope that he makes the right decision in the end. That he will recognize his father isn't the man that he was raised to believe he was.

It will be hard for him.

Dick knows.

After all, Damian was practically conditioned since birth to believe that Bruce was perfect and that he needed to grow stronger in order to become "good enough" for him.

The damage that Dick could cause by trying to rush this revelation could be detrimental to the kid's mental health, which means that he has to take this at Damian's pace.

No matter how long it takes.

Even if he is never ready for the truth.

Dick will be there to support him no matter what.

If he stays with Bruce, then Dick will be sure to protect him from any harm the older man may cause.

And if he does decide to leave Bruce, then Dick will make sure that he will be able to, even if he has to fight the man for it.

He takes in another breath of "fresh" Gotham air as he considers that reality. One where both himself and Damian are free of the overbearing presence that is Bruce Wayne. Where he can raise the boy in such a way that he doesn't need to feel useful to be loved.

Of course in that case he will have to provide a safe home for him and all of his animals.

Speaking of, Dick should probably look into getting a larger living accommodation if he wants to house Damian's menagerie of pets. There is no way that his current apartment can hold all of them.

A small farm house would probably preferable, but he doesn't know if there's a place like that in Blud.

Maybe he could convince the Kents to let them have a small section of their land…

Then Damian's animals could roam free and he would be able to visit them whenever he wants.

Since Damian and Jon have a good relationship, that arrangement would probably be good for them too, as it would give Damian more of an excuse to visit the young super.

While the two have gotten along whenever they meet during a mission, he knows that Damian is bad at reaching out to people. But if he has the excuse of seeing his animals, then maybe they can form a real bond of friendship outside of work.

It would be good for Damian to have a true friend his age. Especially one that also understands the challenges of hero work.

He allows himself to drive for a few moments longer slowly drawing himself out of the fantasy he had created in order to steal himself for reality before making the trip back to the manor.

It isn't going to be easy for him to face Bruce.

But for Damian, for his little brother, he will.

Chapter Text

-Cass POV-

She stares at the suit in front of her.

An all black armored suit with gold accents.

Rather than the batsymbol that had adorned her Black Bat suit, this one was equipped with simple gold decals along the chest, shoulders, and arms.

Cass had likewise decided to scrap the cape and domino mask in favor of a hood and lower face mask. While it made her look closer to an assassin, the thing she had been trying to escape from, it also made her look less like a bat.

She reached out her hand, feeling along the rough kevlar lined fabric and tracing the gold metal detailing.

A sense of both lose and gain filling her.

The Batsymbol had meant a lot to her.

Bruce had meant a lot to her.

He hadn't treated her like a monster or a weapon.

He had treated here kindly and taught her how to use her training for good.

But now she knew who that man really was.

That everything out of his mouth had been lies and false promises.

But then, what did that mean for her?

Cass already knew that she was a monster.

That she had killed more people than she could count.

That she didn't deserve all the luxuries of life.

But Bruce had convinced her that people can change, and that her doing good now was enough.

And she had believed him

His body language had seemed to convey that he was being truthful.

But does that matter when truth is subjective?

Bruce carried himself like a good man.

One that loved his children.

Yes, there was violence and grief there.

But that just came with the job.

She never knew about the things he had done, because he didn't carry them in his body.

Only the victims, Steph and Tim, ever seemed to show any signs of his actions.

Does the opinion of a bad person who views themselves as good matter?

Cass is pulled out of her thoughts at the sound of a whistle coming from her right and takes in the sight of Stephanie Brown admiring the suit as well.

She had been aware of Steph's presence for a while now but had yet to acknowledge her friend, too lost in her own thoughts.

"Looks nice. I see you're taking after me with the hood style. A good choice if I do say so myself. Now we'll really look like partners in crime. Or… uh… not crime, I guess. I mean technically vigilantism is still illegal, so it kind of fits…"Stephanie rambles from her side, turning her gaze away from the suit and to Cass.

Staring into her friend's bright eyes, Cass is reminded that Bruce wasn't the only one who saw the good in her.

Both Stephanie, Tim and Barbara had decided to give her a chance as well.

And Steph is such an indisputably good person, so if someone like that also thinks Cass is good…

Then maybe there's some truth to it after all.

"Anyways…" Steph continues, clearing her throat. "Do you have a name picked out yet?"

Cass hums in consideration looking back towards the manakin.

She thinks back to the news that Bruce is back in Gotham, the man who she had come to view as a father not too long ago.

Then to the people who gave birth to her.

And she thinks about how all of them have failed her in one way or another.

About how she doesn't want to be associated with any of them.

"Orphan." She states confidently, turning back towards her friend.

"Orphan?" Stephanie asks, her tone not judgmental, but rather thoughtful. As she turns the idea over in her head, making connections to the present circumstances.

It doesn't take long for the idea to click, and for a wide grin to take over her friend's face.

"Orphan." Steph repeats, louder this time. "Yeah, I like it. Plus, Orphan, Signal, and Spoiler has a nice ring to it."

"So, you ready to make it official?" Her friend points to the manakin currently wearing Cass' new suit.

"Yeah, I think I am." She replies with a small smile and a nod, approaching the display and beginning to unfasten the suit.

"Alright. Well I'll get suited up myself and meet you in Bab's lair." Steph quips, giving Cass a little salute as she goes.

Leaving her with a bundle of unfamiliar gear to put on.

Cass sighs in fond exasperation, taking her things into the small clock tower locker room.

Steph must have gotten there before her, however, as she can already hear the muffled voice of her friend singing some upbeat pop song through the door.

The voice becomes clear upon entering and she walks to her usual dressing stall.

Despite the suit being new, it's familiar enough that it doesn't take Cass too long to figure out the different latches and zippers. Although it seems that it was enough time for Steph to be able to finish before her, at least if the silence was anything to go by.

Putting her civilian clothes into the bag hanging on the door, she makes her way to the main room where Barbara does all of her work. Inside, Oracle is typing away at her computer while Spoiler and Signal stand off to the side, giving the older woman room to work.

Spoiler notices her entrance first, giving her an enthusiastic pair of thumbs up. And while her mask covers her entire face, Cass can tell that her friend is also sporting a bright smile.

She smiles back at her friend, not having pulled the lower face covering up yet.

Duke then follows Steph's gaze and gives an approving nod at the sight of her new gear.

After a few minutes, Barbara finishes whatever she was working on with an exasperated groan and turns to face them.

The older woman gives her a warm smile upon seeing Cass in her new suit.

"I hope it fits well and everything. If there's anything at all that you don't like or just doesn't work, let me know so I can get it adjusted." She instructs giving Cass a once over to make sure everything looks correct.

She gives a simple nod in response, her thoughts preoccupied with wondering how her mentor will react to her new call sign.

"So have you figured out a name for it yet?" Barbara asks, curiosity lining her expression.

"Orphan." Cass responds for the second time that day. Watching as Oracle's eyes widen for a millisecond in surprise before settling into an expression of understanding.

"Orphan, huh? I think it suits you." The older woman smirks, turning around to type this new development into her computer.

"Well then. Let's get down to business, Orphan, Spoiler, Signal" Oracle addresses them, pulling up the list of active cases for the night.

-Jason POV-

Of course, the way that he gets the news is by stumbling upon it at a local bar.

'Gotham's most beloved billionaire and bachelor, back from a short vacation in Bali.'

He can't help but take a shot at that.

Short vacation his ass.

That fucker had been imprisoned by the same organization he helped found.

Do you know how badly you have to fuck up for that to happen?

Jason had already read the feeble message that the Justice League sent out in regards to Batman's 'forced resignation.'

It's so obvious that they're trying not to come off incompetent that it hurts.

Of course the most laughable part is that, just like Batman's rogues in Arkham, they just released him with a slap on the wrist.

'civilian probation'

Yeah right.

He'll see how long that lasts.

Because if there's one thing that Jason knows about the old man, it's that he can't stand being normal. In fact, he bets the old fucker already has some kind of plan on how to get himself back out into the field.

At first, Jason was livid.

How could the Justice League be so dense that they can't even properly punish their own members?

But then he realized what an opportunity this was.

The truth is that he's been feeling a bit empty since he killed the Joker.

Don't get him wrong, he doesn't regret it or anything like that.

It's just that, getting revenge on the person who killed him and making sure that no one else got hurt like he did, had been Jason's motivation for a long time.

And now the Joker is dead.

The source of all his grief is finally gone.

All his nightmares.

All his pain.

All his torment.

Was now no more than a stain on the tarmac.

And yet... he just felt empty.

A part of him couldn't believe that it had been so easy.

That all it took was a rocket launcher from a distance to kill the fucker.

Expecting the whole thing to have been a ruse, and for the Joker to pop again a few days later...

But he never did.

In a way, it made sense.

After all, the Joker always loved a show, and Batman always played along.

Always let the freak do his same song dance.

Over.

And

Over.

And

over.

…

And yet.

Killing him didn't take away any of the suffering that Jason had gone through.

It provided a temporary relief sure.

But just because he's dead now doesn't mean that he didn't beat Jason within an inch of his life and leave him to die in a burning warehouse choking on smoke.

It didn't change the fact that his own mother had sold him out to the clown.

Didn't change the fact that his "father" chose to protect the man who killed him…

But at least ending the clown meant that others could be saved.

Not to mention that Crime Ally and the rest of Gotham are still a cesspit riddled with nasty fuckers just like that damn clown.

The amount of Joker copycats that have been cropping up in that clown's absence is disgusting, and Jason has made sure to permanently end any sap who so much as attempts to take up that sick fuck's MO.

But he still didn't have a specific target to be the focus of his mission.

That is until Bruce came back.

The man who refused to avenge him and take out serial killers while actively murdering petty thieves.

The man who slit Jason's throat for daring to try and kill his own murderer.

The man who tried clip another bird's wings, even though he was the one who had taught them all how to fly.

While the Red Hood can't feasibly go after the beloved billionaire Brucie Wayne.

Jason Todd on the other hand…

Jason Todd can absolutely make Bruce Wayne's life a living hell.

If he wants Bruce to be properly punished for all the shit he pulled, then he has to destroy the man's public image as well.

He refuses to allow this to become a Lex fucking Luther situation where Bruce can just get away with whatever he damn well pleases, because he has money.

No.

Jason is going to absolutely ruin this man.

He'll kill (or "incapacitate") as many corrupt officers of the law as it takes.

He'll write his own news articles and essays if he has to.

Hell, he'll even revive his civilian identity to do it if he needs to.

When he first came back to life, Jason still had hope for Bruce.

Hope that he could be his father again.

Hope that the man hadn't just replaced him with another son.

Hope that he cared enough to choose his son over the Joker.

Over his mission

Jason doesn't have any hope like that left anymore.

Not after he threw out yet another son.

Speaking of…

His contact had confirmed that they delivered his message…

So why had that little fucker not reached out to him yet?

Surely Jason is better company than Ra's al fucking Ghul.

Besides, his plans of ruining Bruce's civilian life would certainly be easier with Tim by his side....

Chapter Text

-Bart POV-

He felt better.

He's still not good, not yet.

Not completely, but he's better.

Who would have thought that being in an assassin cult would be better for his health than staying with the Justice League?

Not Bart.

At least.

Not the Bart of a couple months ago.

But now his connection with the speed-force is back and more importantly, he's with his friends.

Although, it's just himself, Tim, and Kon here now.

With the cameras out and the confirmation that Tim had been the one to break into the watchtower by both Superman and Captain Marvel, the girls had been able to get off the hook.

Cassie was even allowed to return to the Titans with Diana backing her up.

After all, there was nothing connecting her to the escape in the end.

Despite now living in the same base, Tim isn't around much either.

Always being spirited away by Ra's for assassin business.

And the time he did spend with them, the other boy was often off in his own head.

Planning.

So really it was just him and Kon.

Well, him Kon and the shadows.

It turns out that some of the assassins were surprisingly nice.

Many of them were excited to have the chance to go toe to toe with a Kryptonian and a speedster.

Although it's been Kon doing most of the fighting as he's been put on temporary probation in order to get his strength up, complete with a specialized physical therapy regime that Tim made.

Bart's been doing his best to follow Tim's instructions.

To take things slowly.

But slow has never really been his thing.

So if he participates in some sparring matches while Kon isn't around to babysit him and Tim is off doing his own thing...

Well, that's nobody's business but his own.

It's not like he was doing anything wrong anyways…

He just…

Wasn't good at waiting.

Didn't like that both Kon and Tim were treating him like he was fragile.

As if he was somehow less capable than them now.

But it was fine!

All's well that ends well right!

He thinks some of the assassins might have even warmed up to him.

A lot of them were fascinated by his speed and trying to come up with ways to counter it.

…

Maybe the fact that a group of ninja were trying to figure out his weakness should have been concerning to him.

But the relief of having a challenge and being able to use his powers again was worth it.

Besides, Tim was in charge of most of the assassins now anyways, so it should be fine.

If he could become the heir to the League of Assassins, then surely Bart could train with them every once in a while.

But of course, he knew it wasn't going to last forever.

Tim was supposed to be gone for two days on a mission, and Kon was meant to be training over in the other courtyard.

There was he could have known that Tim would come back early.

Just as Bart is in the middle of testing his speed clones out on a group of ninjas, he hears a high-pitched whistle causing all of the assassins around him to drop to one knee.

He skids to a stop only to find his friend looking at him with a stern expression but hidden underneath it, Bart can read the fond exasperation.

"You already knew didn't you?" The speedster huffs shaking the sand from the sparring area out of his hair and clothes. He's worked with Tim long enough to read the other's expressions, at least when the other isn't purposefully hiding them that is.

"I mean, I would hope that I would know about what was going on in my own organization." The former Robin snarks back with his signature smirk.

"I can't believe you would betray me like this," Bart turns to his sparring partners in mock betrayal.

"Your friends here were surprisingly loyal to you when asked about your training sessions, however it's hard to hide information in an organization of assassins. Especially from the heir." Tim informs him, fixing the ninjas with a glare at the attempt at secrecy.

"Don't go too hard on them, Rob. They were just trying to look after me." He pleads looking up at Tim with large eyes that he's been told are like that of a sad puppy.

"While I am glad that you've managed to make friends, they need to learn that any kind of unfaithfulness to the League results in punishment. They should just be glad that they're dealing with me and not Ra's. I'll probably just give them… a little extra training." His friend tells him, shooting the assassins a look that promised he would put them through the wringer.

Bart could only mouth an apology towards his sufficiently cowed sparring partners. After all, he knew just how torturous Tim's "extra training" could be. Even now the words still sent a shiver of fear up his spine.

"So… If you already knew about the whole "fight club" situation, did you come here just to catch me in the act? Because if so, that's not very crash." He asks with a raised eye brow.

Tim typically only confronts people directly if he's really pissed off about what they've done, otherwise he just takes them aside and deals with it confidentially. Which means Rob is either more angry about the situation than he's letting on, or he has some other reason to be here.

"What? No. I just need to talk to you and Kon about something. You can keep sparring in your meantime, Bart. I just didn't want you to push yourself too much while you're still recovering, but if you truly feel up to it then I won't stop you." Tim explains, walking up and resting a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"But then-" He stutters a bit casting a glance back at the assassins.

"That is a separate matter. They need to learn not to keep secrets from me. Especially about my friends." The former Robin clarifies, his tone strict as he gives the ninjas one last look before leading Bart off towards where he knows Kon is located.

-Kon POV-

Life with the League of Assassins has been different, to say the least.

Both him and Bart share a room just down the hall from Tim.

He's just glad that none of the girls got connected to their escape.

That way Cissie, Anita, and Greta could all continue to live normally as civilians while Cassie acts as their man on the inside.

For a while at least.

Once they manage to get a stable cover and figure out a way to remain hidden from the Justice League, Cassie will have the choice on whether or not to join them full time.

But for now, the information she's been providing has been invaluable.

Or at least that's what Tim has been telling them.

While Kon, Bart, and the rest of Young Justice are able to communicate through their encrypted chatroom; Tim still hasn't divulged any details regarding what exactly their plan is.

Only that he's been working on it.

It's… frustrating, but not surprising.

He knows how Tim works and that it's better if he just leaves his friend work things out own for a while.

Kon trusts that he'll let them know as soon as he gets some kind of feasible lead.

That's just the way that Rob has always been.

So in the meantime, Kon needs to get strong enough to be able to protect him.

To protect all of them.

Tim, Bart, Cassie, Cissie, Anita, and Greta.

He'll keep them all safe.

While they are all competent fighters in their own right, he still wants to get strong enough to make sure nothing like this ever happens again.

That none of his friends can be hunted down and locked up like some rabid dogs.

Lucky for him, there's no better place to learn combat skills than with the same ninjas that trained Batman.

While the League assassins are eager to test themselves against his enhanced physic and Kryptonian abilities, Kon wants to focus more on the basics.

Rob always said that in order to be a good fighter, you can't just rely on your powers. Instead you have to master the basics first.

So that's what he's going to.

He'll relearn everything from the ground up if he has to.

Train for hours on end just to make a bit of progress.

Push himself to the limit for his friends.

Kon feels bad for leaving Bart for hours on end in order to train.

Especially after knowing how hard the other took being locked up by the Justice League.

However, he also knows that the last thing Bart needs is to feel smothered by him and Tim.

He'll be sure to support the other boy whenever he needs it, of course.

But Kon also doesn't want to make Bart feel weak or lesser because of their constant worrying.

Thankfully, he's been doing much better lately.

Eating much more regularly and just looking healthier in general.

Kon doesn't expect him to "go back to normal" immediately or anything like that. He just needs to make sure that Bart is okay.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have dared to leave his side.

While getting his own strength up is important, it isn't as important as making sure his friend is okay.

But even with all of his extra training…

Even with him practicing in a secluded courtyard with red sunlamps to dampen his abilities.

Even if he can fight just as well as any of the Bats without his powers, that won't help him against Kryptonite poisoning.

The one thing that can kill both himself and Superman without the help of a red sun.

The thing that the Justice League will undoubtedly try to use against him.

So, he does something stupid and reckless.

Something that Tim definitely wouldn't approve of and decides to let the ninjas use Kryptonite against him for the first time.

Really, he probably should have asked Tim or Bart to take care of this part of his training instead of some ninjas, but he didn't want to push Bart too much and he knew that Tim was busy.

At least he's familiar with the way they fight by now and knows that they won't pull any punches against him.

It will be good practice, to go up against multiple skilled fighters with Kryptonite.

Will hopefully be the push that he needs to bring his skills to the next level.

However, just as he's getting into the rhythm of the fight, a stray Kryptonite laced knife flies past his face slicing into his cheek, throwing him off guard.

He stumbles back just a couple of paces in order to regain his balance, only to be met with another attacker holding a similar knife to his throat.

Just being near that blasted green rock makes it feel like the strength is being sapped from his body, even after already being weakened by the sunlamps.

Kon just manages to throw off the ninja with a well-timed butt to the head, but his body is already drained.

Resulting in him not being able to block the next blow to his head.

The next thing he knows, Kon is blinking his eyes open slowly as his skull pounds mercilessly.

When his eyes finally decide to focus, the blurry figures above him resolve enough that can recognize the faces of Tim and Bart standing over him on a med bay cot.

"Honestly, the girls leave and the first thing you two do is decide to get your asses beat by assassins." Tim mutters incredulously.

"Hey, at least I was winning!" Bart objects, feigning offense.

"Wait, Bart was fighting?" Kon groans groggily, sitting up against his bodies protests as his brain tries desperately to catch up on whatever had happened while he was out.

"Yep, he isn't called "Impulse" for nothing." Rob sighs with an overly sarcastic roll of his eyes.

"Like I said, at least I was winning!" The smaller boy interjects with a self satisfied smirk.

"Right, well I called you two together because I've been working out a plan that I think we could use to escape the Justice League's influence. It's taken a while to work out the final details of it all, and some of it required Ra's assistance, but theoretically the concept is simple enough that it should work in practice. In fact, it's a strategy that has already been proven to be effective by some of the Justice League's notable enemies." The former Robin states, his face going from relaxed to calculating as he settles into his mask.

Although Kon doesn't miss the way his eyes seem to lock on his own for just a second when Tim mentions that his plan has already been proven to work by a villain

And he can't help but think that he knows what Tim's idea is.

Chapter Text

This was certainly not the way Tim that had expected to be telling his friends about the plans he had been working on all of this time. One of them in the infirmary from Kryptonite poisoning and the other caught in the middle of a fight.

But really he should have anticipated the trouble his friends always seem to accrue.

He takes in a breath to collect himself and settles easily into the mask of a leader as he looks down at his teammates, his friends.

"We need to focus on the parts of us that the Justice League can't reasonably touch. Our civilian life." He begins pausing for the inevitable questions that would interrupt him otherwise.

"Civilian life?" Bart asks with a confused cock of his head.

"Yeah, Rob. In case you forgot we don't really have much of a "civilian identity." Kon points out skeptically from his medical cot.

"Which. Is why the plan is to build you both one. A civilian identity that's so popular and loved by the public eye that the Justice League can't possibly arrest you without causing a media frenzy. I mean, think of all the times that Lex has manage to get out of prison, and he's actually committing crimes." Tim points out, unable to stop himself from pacing as he lays out his ideas.

It's an old habit; one he picked up from his mother back when he was younger. Janet Drake was known for pacing her office during important business calls. Her heels clicking loudly on the polished hardwood floors.

"I mean… You're not wrong, but wouldn't we then have to connect our civilian ID with our vigilante work? That way they can't just arrest our personas and just lock us up in the watchtower again?" Kon points out, his brows furrowed in confusion.

"Not necessarily. You see, the Justice League isn't in the best place right now after the whole "Batman incident," so imagine some kind of large crises befalls a city during a time when most of the League and Titans aren't on world. But then a new team of superheroes come to the rescue... Obviously, people will be hesitant at trusting a seemingly random group of metas at first. However, all we have to do is continue to save people and eventually our reputation will increase to where the League won't be able to come after us publicly in that capacity as well." He articulates, though at this point he's so lost in his thoughts that it feels like he's mostly talking to himself.

"Wouldn't that take time? Like, for people to trust us? Couldn't the Justice League just swoop in before then and say we were actually criminals or something?" Bart cuts in with his hand raised as if he was in class asking a question.

"Normally, yes. But now that they've cast us out, we don't exactly have to play by their rules." Tim explains with a dark glint in his eye, noticing, but not addressing the worried looks his friends are exchanging.

"Right now is actually the perfect time for this plan because the Justice League's word doesn't weigh as much as it used too. So all we have to do is slip some money to the right people, tap into our existing connections, and suddenly the Justice League are just paranoid of a new group of heroes taking their spotlight. As long as we get the media on our side, which let's be honest, isn't hard, we shouldn't have to worry about much." He continues, gesticulating as he goes.

"There's no way that people would turn on the Justice League that quickly, right?" The speedster interjects once more, looking more shocked than anything at the insinuation.

Meanwhile Tim catches sight of Kon cringing in pity at the speedster's continued faith in people. At the belief that the majority of people would hold unrelenting loyalty towards a group, even while under immense outside pressure.

"Oh, Bart. Trust me. People are surprisingly easily to manipulate, especially enmass. If their trusted news sources or people in power are saying not to trust the Justice League, then a good amount of them will take their word for it. It doesn't matter how much good the League has done. All that matters is that there's a crack in their perfect exterior which we can exploit. And even if we didn't have that, making shit up is always an option. As long as you're endorsed by the right people, you can take down anyone. Even the Justice League." He monologues, his smile all Janet Drake as he turns to face his friends.

And Tim knows his speech likely sounds like some C list villain speech, but he can't bring himself to care at the moment. It's not like he isn't saying anything that's untrue anyways. After living in high society where status is everything, he's long since learned how the world works.

It doesn't matter how much good you've done.

It doesn't matter how much prestige you had before.

Not even your reaction matters.

As soon as someone with more money and influence says something bad about you, you can suddenly go from being a queen to a pariah.

Sure, a small number of close friends and supporters will likely stick beside you, but the majority will flock to the one with more power. And maybe if left alone for a while and with enough boot licking you can regain some of your dignity, but if the assault continues…

Eventually the lesser party will lose out.

"Damn Rob, you really sound like Luther right now. You know that? Talking about how "simple minded" the masses are and how easy it is to get them on your side…" Kon trails off uneasily, letting his point sink in.

"Guess I've been spending too much time with Ra's." Tim comments breezily in an attempt to brush off the accusation.

He doesn't like that his best friend was directly comparing him to the man that had tormented him for years. But his plan was also based off of Lex's own strategy, so he can't exactly refute the claim either.

Although, it's not that he sees other people as lesser like Kon is implying.

Tim knows how capable anyone can become under the right circumstances.

Truly, Tim knows that he isn't above the masses, that he has plenty of flaws of his own.

However, he also knows the power of manipulation.

And that if he wants to keep all of his friends safe, this is the best way to do it without shedding anymore blood.

"Rob… You know I didn't-" Kon starts, apparently having picked up on some of Tim's internal debate.

"It's fine, Kon. Really." Tim cuts him off with one of his practiced media smiles, although that only seems to set his friends further on edge.

"Look, we already have a good foothold in the media with my identity as the beloved, young, CEO Tim Wayne. And the Justice League cannot touch that identity without exposing the rest of the Bats. So, my plan is to use some of the League of Assassin's resources as well as my own to start DI back up. Of course, that's just the starting point. From there I'll still have to build everything up, maybe even drag Bruce's civilian identity into it." He continues, acting like nothing even happened.

"Okay, so you've got your whole CEO stuff. But you still haven't said what your plan is for us." Bart points out, still clearly uncomfortable from his slight altercation with Kon.

And Tim doesn't know how to solve that.

How to make his friends feel safe.

He remembers that he used to be good at comforting people.

At putting them at ease.

But that was back when he was Robin.

When he was the light to Batman's darkness.

Back before he was stripped of that light and forced into the grey area that was Red Robin, where he simply didn't have the time or energy to worry too much about others.

Not when trying to keep himself alive was hard enough.

Now, comforting victims is the last thing on Tim's list of priorities.

Unfortunately, holding empathy for every single person is a bit hard when you become the heir to a group of assassins.

He has done so many things for Ra's in these past few weeks.

Killed so many people behind his friends' backs.

If they knew the things he's done…

Would they even be able to look at him?

If they thought his current plan was bad…

But it's fine.

Tim is fine with sacrificing himself if it's to keep his friends safe.

His one real family.

He made his choice when he first joined the League.

Knew what he was signing himself up for.

He would do this and much worse in order to keep them safe.

Their safety is all that matters.

As long as they aren't the ones to have to go out into the field and take down those who cross the League.

Who have to make an example out of traitors.

Who have to paint buildings red with blood,

Who have to learn over a hundred ways to disembowel someone.

Who have to taste thousands of poisons and gain resistances to all of them.

Who have to strategically dissect a person in order to keep them alive for the longest amount of time.

Who have to watch their victim writhe under your scalpel as you cut into their most sensitive nerve endings.

Who have to slice deep, but not deep enough to nick a potential organ.

Who have to look inside a living breathing person and see how all of their organs move when they're fully exposed.

Who have to grab those organs and squeeze.

Who have to watch as blood drips off their fingers in rivulets.

Who have to listen to their victim screaming.

Who have to..

"TIM!"

The shout jolts him out of his thoughts, and suddenly Tim finds himself looking into crystal blue eyes.

He remembers gouging out blue eyes similar to those last week on a rouge Russian informant.

"Hey! No! Stay with me okay?"

Stay with him?

What an odd thing to want…

If he knew…

If he knew…

A stinging pain suddenly blossoms along his left cheek as his head is whipped to the side from the force of the blow.

"Shit, sorry Rob. I just- I didn't know how else to bring you back out of your head. Bart asked what you had planned for us, but then you got all quiet and your breathing picked up. I don't know what's going on in that head of yours, never really do, but whatever it was didn't seem good. Just- you know you can always talk to us… Right Rob?" Kon fusses, placing his hands on Tim's shoulders and looking at him with those blue eyes.

Those big, sincere blue eyes.

The Russian's were wide with terror when he looked at him.

"Yeah Rob, I mean. We've come this far, you don't really think we'd abandon you now do you?" Bart asks as he runs up and wraps his arms around both Kon and Tim himself, bringing them all into a large group hug.

And Tim suddenly feels terrible.

He was supposed to be making his friends feel comfortable and safe, and yet all he managed to do was worry them further…

"Of course. Sorry about that. I was just thinking over my plans and got a bit lost in my thoughts. There's nothing to worry about. Promise." He reassures his friends, stepping away with a hopefully convincing smile.

He can never tell them what he's done.

It would only hurt them further, and he can't do that to them.

Not now.

Not when they've just lost everything.

Tim will just have to increase security on all of his private files and make sure none of the ninjas gossip.

He'll especially have to subdue those who have made themselves friendly with Bart. While Tim loves his friend very much, and is glad to see him doing so well after everything. As the heir to the League, he can't have his own operatives going behind his back in any way.

All that will do is breed insurgency.

A single small crack can lead to a much greater rupture occurring later.

And Tim can't have that.

"Anyways, the reason I haven't mentioned my plan for you two is because I wanted to give you both some options. While you're both free to just become employees under DI and gain asylum that way, you're also free to chose your own paths. Maybe you can start off at DI just as a way to gain immunity for the short term while working out your own careers. You can become acclaimed researchers, engineers, influencers, artists, anything you want really. I'll make sure to boost your status in whatever you chose so that you won't have to worry about gaining renown from the ground up." He lays out, not yet dropping his practiced smile.

"So, you want us to lay back while you put all the hard work in?" Kon questions his voice tinged with annoyance.

"No. That's not at all what I said. My status is already set from my upbringing. I really won't have to put too much work into this on my end. If anything, it will be up to you two to keep up your identities after they're established. I can help give you the initial push you need, but that's about it.'

"Unless one of you wants to become my boyfriend or something. Then you'll instantly become famous without having to do any work at all." Tim jokes, still attempting to lighten the mood.

"Well if it's just about the prestige of your heritage then I can just go back to Luther." Kon tosses out there with a shrug.

As if he didn't want to punch Luther all the way to the Arctic.

As if going back to the man that has hurt him so much in the past was just a minor inconvenience.

As if he wasn't just appalled by the fact that Tim even sounded slightly similar to the man just seconds earlier.

"Kon… What are you even talking about? You can't stand Lex and even then, there's no reason for you to do that. I already have a perfectly viable plan. There's no reason for you to even associate yourself with him again…" He trails off, still trying to compute what Kon was suggesting.

And why...

He just doesn't understand…

"Oh, so you can become a martyr by joining the League of Assassins. Who, mind you, has attempted to kill you before. But we aren't allowed to make sacrifices of our own? We're just supposed to sit back and watch you destroy yourself? My going to Luther would allow us another connection and you know it. You said it yourself, Luther can't be touched." His friend argues, getting right into Tim's space, forcing him to take a step back lest the half-Kryptonian crashes into him.

"I- Yes I did say that, but that was just to explain where I got the idea for my plan from. We have no idea what would even happen if you went to Luther. What he would do to you. It just. It isn't worth it. The League was different… I knew what I would be getting into. What Ra's wanted. But we don't know that with Lex. Can't trust that he won't harm you again…" Tim pushes back with a frazzled desperation.

He hadn't expected this.

Doesn't understand why Kon is pushing so much for such an insane idea.

Yes, Tim has made some risks since getting captured by Bruce all those months ago. But they were all calculated. And he made them so that his friends didn't have to get involved in the same darkness as him.

So why is Kon trying to jump in headfirst after him?

"I think we all have some things to think over, right guys? So why don't we just take some time to rest and figure things out." Bart cuts in acting as both a verbal and physical barrier between him and Kon.

"I-" Kon stutters before taking in a deep breath, seemingly to calm himself down, "Yeah. Yeah… You're right Bart. We all have a lot of things to think over… So I'll just be in my room if you need me."

And he leaves.

Just like that, Kon turns around and stalks out the door.

"Right… Well.. uh… I think I'll head to my room too then. Gotta clean myself up after all that sparring, you know?" Bart rambles, obviously nervous, sprinting out of the room not a second later.

Leaving Tim alone in the infirmary, allowing him to finally take in the room in all of its entirety without the distraction of his friends.

The first thing he notices is how the room practically reeks with the scent of disinfectant.

It's also a very impersonal and sterile room with the exception of the multiple cots lining the walls, separated only by satin curtains.

In the particular section where he currently is, there's just the cot where Kon had been laying on with a metal tray off to the side.

A metal tray where medical supplies would normally be placed.

Medical supplies like the scalpel he used.

And suddenly he was back in that room with Ra's breathing down his neck.

Commenting on each one of Tim's incisions.

Telling him exactly where to cut.

Where to slice and tear.

That empty room made entirely of concrete.

Which smelled of bleach and had a drain in the floor.

That was lit by a single overhead light.

That had a single, metal, locked, door.

Where he had to go over, and over, and over.

And Tim suddenly couldn't be there anymore.

He found himself sprinting down the halls before he could even register the fact that he was moving.

Somehow he managed to make it back to his room, where he laid on the large luxury bed that Ra's supplied for him.

The blankets were silk and gave way easily under his touch.

Just like the skin of all those people he flayed like cattle.

And suddenly Tim found himself on the cold stone floor.

It was what he deserved after all...

Oh right, he was supposed to call Jason in order to check on how things were going in Gotham...

Guess that's just another thing to add to his list of things that he failed to do.

Chapter Text

Ring

Ring

Ring

click

J: Hello?

T: Jason.

J: Fucking finally, what took you so long to call me?

T: I don't know. Maybe it's because the last time I saw you, you tried to kill me.

J: Okay, but you're acting like Ra's hasn't tried to do the same.

T: Yes, but at least I know what to expect with him.

J: Whatever, look it's water under the bridge okay? No more murder attempts. Now what do you need?

T: …

T: I feel like the only reason why you're acting nice to me now is just because I fucked Bruce over.

J: Look, do you want my help or not?

T: (sigh) Yeah, alright. You mind updating me on what's been going down in Gotham while I've been gone?

J: You're going to have to be more specific on what exactly you want to know or we'll be here all day.

T: I plan on coming back to Gotham as Tim Drake so I need to know about what's been going on with Bruce and Gotham high society in general. I'm not as interested in the vigilante side of things.

J: And why do you think I would have that kind of information? In case you forgot I'm based in Crime Alley.

T: I know you like to read the gossip rags.

J: …

J: You're a little shit, you know that?

J: In regards to Bruce he recently reinstated himself as the CEO of WE claiming that the pressure was too much for you and that you've had to be put on a "mental health retreat." Even leaked some files about how you had to be hospitalized for drug use, as a result from the stress and that you're now in an out of country recovery program.

T: Of course he did, anything to discredit my image further. I can't imagine that Roy was very pleased with him using drug addiction as an excuse like this.

J: Oh you best bet that he's pissed to hell about it.

T: That could possibly help us… Although I'm guessing the press have been having a field day with this.

J: Yeah, it's been pretty ugly. The papers have been filled with headlines like "The Downfall of Timothy Drake-Wayne," and "Timothy Drake-Wayne Youngest CEO to Teenage Drug Addict." Most of them being courtesy of your favorite reporter, Vickie Vale, of course.

T: Okay…That's definitely not great, but I should still be able to salvage this.

J: Oh yeah?

T: There's a couple of ways that I can go about this. One is to go along with Bruce's story and come back with some story about how recovery has been hard, but I'm doing better now. That kind of thing you know? Maybe take some inspiration from Roy and claim that Bruce kicked me out when he found out about the addiction or something, if he's okay with that of course.

J: Considering Bruce is the one who concocted this bullshit story in the first place, I don't think he'd have a problem with you using it to make that fucker look bad.

T: Good to know. Another option is to just outright refute the claims all together. I could tell the press that I came out to Bruce as Bi and in response he shipped me off and claimed that I was a doing drugs since he didn't want to seem homophobic. Of course coming out as anything other than straight has it's own problems with the press, but it would certainly hurt Bruce's reputation much more than my own.

J: Wait… You're bi?

T: Yes?

J: Does anyone else know?

T: …

J: Holy shit is this the first time you've come out to anyone.

T: It just never came up.

J: (laughing) Your first time coming out is you just accidentally revealing it while laying out your revenge plan against your old mentor?

T: I- Is this really what we should be focusing on right now?

J: Hey! This is a big moment for you okay! We can't just brush over you coming out of the closet!

T: I hate you.

J: If you hate me so much then why am I the first person you came out to?

T: Pru knows.

J: But did you tell her?

T: …

J: That's what I thought.

T: You're an asshole.

J: I know. So do you have any other plans than Bruce kicking you out for either doing drugs or being gay?

T: Bi

J: You know what I mean

T: I could always mix them together and say the Bruce's pressure and verbal abuse about my sexuality lead to the drug use.

J: That's really all you have?

T: Do you have any better ideas? It's not like I can claim physical abuse without any proof.

J: Your body is literally covered in scars.

T: …

T: Okay, but I can't claim those were from Bruce. He could always just spin it and say that I was a part of some kind of organized crime to fuel my addiction or something. Also we live in Gotham.

J: Fair enough. But what if I also revealed my identity and we both attacked Bruce's character at the same time.

T: You really want to deal with media again?

J: Absolutely not, but if it takes that fucker down then it'll be worth it.

T: Right… So how do you plan to just return from the dead?

J: I'll just get a DNA test done confirming I'm Jason Todd and then say Bruce sold me to human traffickers and faked my death.

T: What the fuck?!

J: I mean… It'll definitely help whatever case you decide to make and it's not like this is an uncommon thing in Gotham. If anything we can always use it to bring attention to the trafficking problem.

T: Yeah… yeah... I guess you're right. That's just a lot.

J: Well there are only so many ways that someone can disappear for years with no trace. Besides I'd say it's fair play considering Bruce pulled the drug addict card.

T: So how do you want to do this then? Wouldn't be a bit suspicious if we both suddenly said we were abused at the same time?

J: Ehh, not really. You do your thing first then I'll step up and say something like 'I only got the strength to reveal my identity because you came out about Bruce's treatment of you first.'

T: What about the others? You don't think they'll call us out?

J: They might, but what are they going to say? It's not like they can claim I faked my death or anything. The only thing they can really do is corroborate that you did drugs, but I don't think anyone would go after us except maybe Damian.

T: You really think so?

J: Yeah. I didn't stick around for too long when Bruce told us all about your situation, but nobody really seemed comfortable with how he handled it. So I'd say we're probably good.

J: Well I've got my story laid out, what about yours?

T: What do you mean? I already told you what my possible plans are.

J: Okay, but you didn't tell me any of the details. Like, if you go the Bruce is a homophobe route how what were doing if you weren't in a recovery facility?

T: I'll probably just have Ra's write something up claiming that I was working at one of his shell companies or something.

J: And how did Bruce find out you were bi? You'll have to have all of these things fleshed out when you return.

T: I know, I know. I'll probably just say he caught me with a guy or something.

J: And who's your mystery person going to be?

T: Does that really matter? I can just say I lost touch with them after Bruce shipped me away.

J: I guess, but you know the press is going to want 'proof that you're bi' or whatever.

T: Fuck, I hate the media.

J: Don't we all.

T: 'Proving your sexuality' is such a dumb fucking concept. Especially if you're bi because if I go out with a girl they'll claim I'm faking it, and if I go out with a guy they'll claim I'm just gay. Which would be fine if I was, but I'm neither of those. I should just be able to say that I'm bi and that should be that.

J: Okay, but this is just for your plan and you know they're going to ask for it.

T: I'll just get one of the League Assassins to pose as my ex or something. The media already knows I was engaged to Tam, so a man would probably be best.

J: Why not just use one of your friends that you have with you?

T: I am not going to have them pretend to my boyfriend, or ex, or whatever. Do you know how awkward that would be?

J: And a League Assassin would be better?

T: Yes.

J: Literally how?

T: Because then I know it would be strictly professional and I wouldn't have to worry about making our friendship weird or whatever.

J: Yeah, because that would come off as so natural for the cameras. Have you even asked your friends if they would be willing to do it?

T: I brought it up as a kind of joke when discussing my plans, but that didn't exactly work out.

J: What do you mean it didn't go well? Are you friends fucking homophobic or something?

T: It's nothing like that. It's just that after I brought it up Kon basically said he would rather go back to Lex than do that.

J: Well, fuck. What about Bart or whatever?

T: I don't know… He didn't really say anything when I brought it up, but I also wouldn't want him to have to deal with how homophobic the media can be when it's his first time in the spotlight.

J: Right, so either a League of Assassins boyfriend, a recovering drug addict, or both? You sure you don't want to claim to be a trafficking victim too?

T: I don't think we can both use that excuse.

J: I mean it would make sense if we claim he has a track record of it.

T: I'm not going to say I was trafficked.

J: It's a good excuse-

T: I'm not doing that Jason! There are just too many things with trafficking… Too many things that I don't want to go into with the media. You can claim that's where you got all of your scars and everything from but mine are old. Older than a couple months. It just wouldn't make sense, okay?

J: …

J: You doing alright there, Timmy?

T: I'm fine.

J: You didn't sound very fine.

T: I've just had to deal with a lot of shit between League stuff and trying to figure out how to protect my friends. It's a lot but I'm fine.

J: You know I was in the League too, if you ever need to talk…

T: You are not trying to therapist me right now.

J: I'm just saying!

T: You have tried to kill me multiple times!

J: And I said I wouldn't try anymore!

T: You are part of the reason why I need therapy!

J: Exactly why you should talk to me about it.

T: That doesn't even make sense!

J: Well fuck you too! If you don't want to talk about it then just keep it in and end up an emotionally constipated mess like Bruce.

T: Why the fuck are you so chill now? Shouldn't you be threatening to shoot me or some shit?

J: Outlaws.

T: Ah.

J: I also killed the Joker.

T: …

T: Good for you.

J: Yeah I realized no one in this fucked up family was gonna do it for me so…

T: I mean, Dick already did.

J: What?

T: Yeah, he beat him fully to death. But then Bruce revived him.

J: What the fuck do you mean he revived him?

T: You didn't know about that? Yeah he resuscitated him with CPR.

J: Oh, I'm definitely going to make that Bat bastard's life hell now.

T: Alright, well I'll send you my finished plan once I've finalized everything

J: This is just a burner phone, if you want to send me stuff you'll have to-

T: Don't worry I've already got it.

J: What the fuck?

T: Okay, talk to you later.

J: Don't you hang up on me you little sh-

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