Broken
A whole week and Dick hadn't heard a word from Jason. He'd sent texts, e-mails, tried to call, contact him any way he could, but to no avail. The night Jason disappeared, he went back to the apartment and got a real ear full from Roy. Roy was pissed, and why shouldn't he be? Jason was his best friend! And Dick had said something so...cruel to him. He practically called Jason an animal!
And he'd felt terrible about it since. He'd moved back to Gotham just a few nights ago, applied for a transfer to the GCPD. It wasn't a decision he made lightly, and something he'd been thinking about for a long time. He imagined Jason moving in with him and maybe the two of them starting some kind of relationship, but he completely fucking blew it.
He knew Jason and Roy were still living together because he'd seen Roy around Gotham. But when he went to their apartment building, it was apparent that they'd moved. Every time Dick tried to ask Roy about it, the man would snap at him and essentially told him to 'fuck off'. Once again, Dick couldn't blame him. Not after the way he'd treated Jason.
Barbara was more merciful than Roy had been and she understood Dick's anger, but she didn't let him off the hook without a lecture about his behavior toward Jason that night. After the conversation he and Jason had had, it almost seemed certain they would finally try and...be together. But Dick had to go and blow it. Barbara eased it to him, but that was essentially the just of what she was saying.
So here he was now, Nightwing, out on patrol in Gotham. It was a large city, so there was plenty of room for one more vigilante. He'd met up with Batman and Robin on a drug bust last night and tonight was just a standard patrol until he came onto the border of the Bowery, the Arkham Knight's territory. Of all the regions of Gotham, the Bowery's crime rate was by far the lowest, a dramatic change fro once having been the highest in the city. Red Hood and his Arkham Knights were hailed as heroes by the people that lived there, despite the mayor and the GCPD's best efforts to slander them as crooks and gang bangers.
Secretly, many on the force admired the Red Hood and the Arkham Knights, Commissioner Gordon included. He'd be the first to freely admit he didn't like how they operated, but nor could he argue with the results. To keep the peace, the GCPD left the Bowery alone, and for the most part, the Arkham Knights obeyed the laws; no executions unless absolutely necessary. They'd often leave their captures opn the borders of the Bowery for the GCPD to pick up.
At one point, the mayor considered removing the Knights by force, but Commissioner Gordon intervened, showing the good mayor that the cost of a full blown war with the Knights would far out weigh the benefits of keeping them around. Honestly? Dick was impressed. Very impressed. And that also made him feel even more like shit for what he'd said to Jason.
"Looking for Jason again?" came Oracle's voice over the comm link, pulling Nightwing out of his thoughts. Nightwing gave a sigh, scanning the city below one final time before he walked away from the edge of the building where he'd been perched.
"Maybe," he replied in a soft tone. He heard Oracle tsk from the other end.
"Look, I know you feel like shit, but what's done is done. If Jason doesn't want to see you, there's not much you can do about it."
"But I have to see him Babs. I was so...awful to him. I need to make it right," he replied with a tired sigh, swinging fro the building and into the Bowery.
"I know Dickie. And you will, but it has to be on Jason's terms-"
"Weren't you the one telling me to pursue Jason after I explained to you-" Dick began with a smirk tugging at his lips. He heard a half annoyed, half playful sigh from Barbara as she interrupted.
"Yes, yes, but this is different!" Gunshots rang out in the distance and it was time to be Nightwing again.
"Be careful," Oracle said softly, having heard the gunshots. Nightwing followed the sound, which led to a run down warehouse in the Bowery. The Arkham Knights were nowhere to be found, but he could hear gunshots inside.
Curious, Nightwing decided to investigate. He silently slipped inside the building and found a bunch of Steven Drake's thugs fighting...someone. Drake was currently locked up in Blackgate, sentenced to 150 years in prison, mostly for child trafficking. True to his word, Bruce kept his promise and made sure Drake went away. If he could use his influence as Bruce Wayne, he made some...visits...as Batman, to ensure a clean trial. But apparently, the remnants of Drake's gang were still clinging to the Bowery. Like rats, it seemed they were difficult to get rid of.
Nightwing drew his escrima sticks, sticking the the shadows in the rafters above as he snuck to the back of the warehouse and hopped down to cut off their escape. Nightwing stood in front of the exit with a cocky grin on his face as the thugs stopped in front of him, faces screwed up in fear.
"Well, well, well, what have we here? Up to no good I'd guess? Oh no, not Steven Drake's men! You guys are paragons of virtue!" Nightwing said, voice dripping with sarcasm. And just like always, they attempted to fight their way out. Nightwing twisted and contorted, ducking and weaving through their attacks with ease, raining escrima blows upon them as he practically danced around them.
In the flurry of movement and swinging escrima sticks, the men were knocked out cold, scattered all over the floor.
"It's not polite to attack people, y'know. Someone could get hurt," Nightwing added with another smirk. When he turned, however, he came face to face with the Red Hood. Well, figuratively speaking.
"What're you doing here?" he asked in a low tone. Nightwing was silent for a time, but he didn't get the chance to answer, because Hood was on his way out. Nightwing followed after him.
"I've been looking for you," he called. Hood snorted, but didn't turn to look at him. Once they were outside, they both grappled up to the roof, where Jason removed his hood.
"What do you want? Spit it out so I can go home," Jason snapped. Nightwing flinched at the anger in his voice, but he supposed-no he definitely-deserved it. He peeled off his mask, fidgeting with it a bit as he tried to find the right words.
"I'm sorry, Jason. I'm really, really sorry. I didn't mean what I said."
"Yeah, well it's a little late to unring the bell," Jason snapped back. Dick sighed and raked a hand through his hair.
"Jaybird, I've been trying to call you, and text you all week! I felt so bad...with the way things left off...I-"
"So did I," Jason said softly, so softly Dick almost missed it. Their eyes locked and Dick could see that look again, that sad look he saw in the man's eyes that night, after he'd said that terrible thing to him.
"Well, you're sorry. Great. Apology accepted. Now get out of my territory," Jason growled, pulling his helmet back on. He shot a line across the way and swung off into the night without a second glance back.
Dick sighed deeply and pressed his mask back onto his face, staring off into the direction that Jason had gone. He should have known that a simple 'sorry' wouldn't be enough. He had been stupid. And yet, he was more resolved than ever to fix this.
Nightwing fired a line into the distance and swung off into the night. Even if he'd killed his chances of being with Jason, he still wanted to make this right. He still wanted Jason to know that he still loved him, that he wasn't just an animal, or a murderer. He was Jason Peter Todd, his brother, his family, and he was important to Dick.
"Ow, would you be careful? That fuckin' hurts!" Jason snapped as Roy applied a bandage to a wound on Jason's left flank. Roy snorted, smoothing the bandage out and patting Jason on the back.
"Well, maybe you should take your own advice and be careful," Roy said with a smirk. Jason flipped him off and lit up a cigarette, taking a few puffs of it before reclining on the bed.
"Ran into Dick tonight," he said off handedly. Roy paused what he was doing and turned to look at the man over his shoulder.
"Oh? What happened?" Roy asked carefully. Jason snorted and put the cigarette out before tossing it in the trash.
"He says he's sorry," Jason said flatly. Roy grimaced and shook his head, moving back across the room to sit beside him.
"You still love him," Roy observed. Jason looked over at him with an annoyed glance, but gave a nod.
"Yeah, and it sucks," he said, heaving a sigh and falling back on the bed. He closed his eyes for a few moments, his thoughts trailing back to that night they'd slept together. That was definitely unexpected but not unwelcome. He'd only dreamed of having sex with Dick since he was a damn teenager! And then his thoughts went back to their conversation, just the night before things...went to hell.
He'd held out hope that maybe Dick wanted to be with him, but the look in his eyes, the way he spoke to him...it cut deep. He started holding back, tried to go back to non-lethal techniques, for Dick's sake.
"I thought I'd moved on," Jason suddenly said. He opened his eyes and looked at Roy.
"When I first came back to Gotham, I was dead set on killing both Bruce and the Joker," Jason explained, pushing himself into a sitting position. He looked down at his own hands and sighed, his tone low as he continued "I thought I was over him. That I didn't love him anymore. That I'd moved on. But when I first laid eyes on him..."
"It's hard...to let feelings like that go. I get it," Roy replied with a sad smile. Jason snorted in response.
"Yeah, okay Doctor Phil," he jibed playfully. Roy let out a bark of laughter and wrapped his arm around his friend's shoulders.
"Look, I'm just saying, it's not easy to get over feelings like that, y'know?" Jason glanced up his friend and flashed a smile.
"Speaking from experience?" he asked. Roy flinched a bit; the comment wasn't meant to be a jab, or insulting, but it stung a little besides. He frowned, but gave a nod.
"Yeah. Still in love with you Jaybird, bot gonna lie. It killed me a bit to set you and Dick up together." Jason sighed and hugged the man.
"Yeah, well, thanks. You're a good friend." He pulled away from Roy, then glared at him, eyes locked.
"You tell anyone about that, and I will kill you." Roy laughed in amusement, raising his hands defensively.
"My lips are sealed," Roy replied with a grin. Jason pushed himself off of the bed, then turned to Roy.
"And there's something else," Jason said. Roy flashed a quizzical look.
"I know you've been talking to Dick-"
"Jaybird, I-"
"You're being a bit overprotective of me, aren't you?" Jason asked amusedly. Roy got to his feet and crossed his arms over his chest.
"He hurt my best friend! You're damn right I am!" Jason let out a laughed, raking his hands through his hair. He patted Roy's arm and shook his head.
"I appreciate the thought, Roy, but I can take care of myself."
"Says the guy whose ass I just patched up," Roy retorted.
"Bite me."
"Fuck off."
"You first." And the two friends shared another laugh.