Dick didn't accept it—couldn't accept it—because Jason couldn't be dead again. Not again! Dick left the cave that same night, refusing to accept that Jason was really gone; that was all that kept him from falling apart. He'd spent the rest of that night out in Gotham, searching high and low for any sign of Jason. He checked every safe house he knew of, but found no sign that Jason had been there.
He didn't sleep a wink that night and spent all of the next day searching for Jason, looking everywhere he could think of. For all they knew, Jason might not have even been in the apartment! But his helmet—no, Jason was alive. Had had to be...right?
But as the days passed and Dick's searching turned up more and more nothing, his hope started to waver. Soon, a week had passed and not a thing had turned up nor had Jason called or visited at all, no word from him whatsoever...and Dick started to break. He walled himself off from everyone; Bruce, Alfred, Tim, Damian and Barbara. They tried to reach out to him, tried to talk to him and see if he was okay, but he shut them out. It was like Jason's first death all over again, except for this time, Dick was holding onto the hope that he was still alive.
He was certain they'd try to tell him that Jason was gone or something to that effect and he just didn't have the strength or desire to listen to it.
Dick was in his apartment that night when Roy called him. Roy had been told by Tim, apparently, but Roy didn't believe Jason was dead either.
"Look, I know it's tough Dickie, but hang in there. Jason isn't dead. I know that ornery son of a bitch better than anyone, so trust me when I say he's not dead," Roy said to him over the phone. Dick chuckled a bit as he listened to Roy speak. It was good to hear his voice, to hear him sound so positive about this. Even so, not having heard from Jason was making him begin to doubt. And that doubt was eating away at him. "Hey, Dickie?" Roy asked when he didn't get an answer.
"Yeah, I'm still here," he said somberly.
"Look, I'm coming over," Roy said then, and Dick gave a curt nod. Roy was over in Gotham with Lian visiting with Oliver and Dinah. When he'd heard about Jason, he had been shocked at first, but then brushed it off. Dick wished he had Roy's confidence, because he didn't want to underestimate Jason, but still...
Half an hour passed with Dick sitting on his couch with the TV going on the background, not really paying attention to what was on it. A knock sounded at his door and ws immediately greeted with Ace's barking. Dick heaved a sigh and padded over to the dark, rubbing the back of his neck as he pulled it open. Roy stood there with a stupid grin on his face, holding up a six pack of beer and a takeout bag. Dick couldn't help but to smile a little.
"Heya Dickie. Thought you might appreciate a little beer and take out. I know take out is your favorite," Roy said, wiggling his eyebrows. Dick laughed and invited him in and Roy immediately made for the kitchen table, setting everything down. Dick closed the door and followed him into the kitchen, sitting at the table.
"Did Jason tell you that?" Dick asked amusedly, ignoring that nagging darkness in the back of his head for the moment. Roy joined him and pulled three chili dogs out of the bag, handing one to Dick.
"Yeah. That and left overs," Roy replied, and Dick could only grin as he took a bite of his chili dog. He nodded toward the third and felt compelled to ask.
"What's with the third one? You really that hungry?" Dick asked, arching an eyebrow. Roy snorted.
"God no. That's for Jason," he replied with a smirk. Dick was silent for a moment as he stared at it and Roy clapped him on his back, giving him a genuine smile. "Dick, buddy, trust me. He'll be here." Dick wasn't so sure, and he wondered how Roy knew that, what made him think Jason would show up tonight. "Chili dogs are his favorite. He can probably smell it from wherever he is, ad he'll be here, come hell of high water," Roy joked with a shrug of his shoulders, sipping his beer. Dick laughed at that; how could he not? It was quite an accurate, if not somewhat exaggerated, description of Jason.
"Yeah," Dick said softly, sipping his own beer.
"On a serious note though, Jaybird loves you and he's been gone for a week and a half. He's no gonna leave you hanging for much longer."
"You really think-"
"Pfft, Dick, I know. He died once, remember? And all that did was slow him down. I'm convinced the son of a bitch is secretly immortal. You know how many times I've seen him cheat death during out Outlaw days?" Roy interrupted arching an eyebrow. "He's a stubborn jackass. In fact, I'd wager he met with Death himself and gave him the finger."
Dick laughed again as he pictured the scene in his head; once again, that was a very 'Jason' thing for him to do. When he thought of Jason though, his heart ached a little. He wanted the man to come home, or at least let him know he was okay...
"Thanks Roy. I mean it," Dick said softly, heaving a tired sigh.
"No problem buddy," Roy answered smoothly. "If you want, I'll stay here with you and we can wait for him to show up. I know he'll be here, don't ask me how. I've got a feeling, y'know?" Roy said. Dick nodded in response. Some company might be a good idea.
"That'd be good. I could use the company," Dick replied.
The two of them finished their meal, trading casual banter and jokes back and forth, then retreated to the living room, leaving a beer and a chili dog on the table for Jason. Dick still felt unsure, but Roy seemed so confident that Jason would be here. That was enough to help keep it together. Though the more time he spent convincing himself that Roy was right, the more he felt like maybe he was right. Soon he was telling himself that Jason would be here, and the anxiety and depression started to wane a bit. Jason will come.
Dick sat on the couch while Roy rummaged through his DVDs for something to watch.
"Hmm, let's see. Comedy...Horror...Action...Disney? Really Dick?" Roy asked with a teasing smirk, flashing a few Disney DVDs. Dick gave a shrug.
"What? I like Disney!" Dick replied innocently. Roy snickered to himself and ultimately chose an action movie. The next hour was spent with Roy trying to watch the movie and Dick poking holes in some of the action scenes. Roy laughed and playfully shoved Dick and told him to "shush and enjoy the movie."
The movie was nearing its end when the two of them sat up right on full alert, when something sounded outside Dick's window. Roy and Dick both got to their feet, exchanging glances and watching the window cautiously. They waited, every muscle coiled and ready to strike at any moment. The window opened and they prepared to deal with the would-be intruder.
"Fuck!" came a familiar voice, as Jason tumbled through the window and onto the floor, clutching a wound on his side.
"Jason...?" Dick breathed, feeling his heart catching in his throat. Roy acted before he did, jumping to Jason's side in an instant. Dick snapped out of his stunned state and felt his anger rising, but that could wait; Jason was hurt.
"Jaybird, what the hell happened to you?" Roy asked nonchalantly, helping Jason sit up. He glanced over at Dick who came back from the bathroom with the first aid kit.
"Not now. Got a League Assassin incoming," Jason ground out, pulling his hand away from the wound on his side, his hand stained crimson. Dick and Roy looked toward the window, and two black armored, hooded assassins came through it. Neither of them waited for an invitation and jumped into confrontation with the assailants.
Dick ducked as one of them swung a katana at him, then speared him in the gut, slamming him against the wall. The assassin brought the blade down, but Dick danced aside, grabbing an escrima stick off of the coffee table. He used it to block a sword strike, then punched the assassin in the stomach, following up with a blow to the face.
The other assassin immediately went for Jason, but Roy stopped him by smashing his empty beer bottle over his head. He stumbled forward and Jason kicked him in his stomach, throwing him over his head. The assassin rolled to a stop and found himself cornered by the front door by Roy and Dick, Ace barking at him from across the room.
"Nowhere to run," Roy said, cracking his knuckles. The assassin booked it for the bedroom with Dick and Roy giving chase. The assassin attempted to escape out the window, but Roy managed to grab him and throw him across the room. As the assassin sat up to get back up, Dick slammed him in the face with an escrima stick, knocking him out cold.
"Go take care of Jason. I'll handle these goons," Roy said, and Dick gave a nod. He made his way back out to the living room to find Jason sitting on the couch, trying to patch himself up. Dick grabbed up the first aid kit and sat beside him.
"Get out of your body armor. I can't see the wound," Dick said coldly, trying his best to cover his anger. Jason nodded and began the painful task of removing his armor. He winced and growled in pain a bit as he pulled it off, revealing a long, shallow cut along his ribs, along with a couple of other freshly healed cuts and a purplish bruise about the size of a fist on his side. Dick applied some peroxide and Jason hissed as it stung.
"So, Dickie. Didya miss me?" Jason asked with a smirk. Dick glared up at him and started wrapping a bandage around his torso, giving a bit of a yank to make it hurt. Jason yelped, jumping at the rough treatment. They could hear Roy snickering across the living room, but Duck opted to ignore it.
"Fuck you," Dick growled angrily, so much that even Jason flinched a bit under his gaze. Tears started filling Dick's eyes as he finished binding his side and he said "I thought you were dead. We all did. I couldn't find you and you didn't call, or write, or even let me know you were okay." Dick started to break up a bit, heaving a tired sigh as he dried his eyes. Jason felt guilt welling up inside his chest, swallowing a lump in his throat as he dared to hug Dick.
"Sorry Dickie. Really, I am. I've been dodging League Assassins for a week, trying to lay low and cover my trail," Jason explained. Roy stopped before him and crossed his arms over his chest, glaring down at him.
"What did you do now?' he asked sternly. Jason groaned in pain as he pushed himself up onto his feet. He dragged himself into the kitchen, eyes lighting up as he spotted a beer and a chili dog. He glanced back at Roy who just gave a smirk and nodded; Jason wasted no time, cracking the beer open and taking a bite out of the chili dog. It was cold, but he didn't give a shit.
"Jason, god dammit!" Dick shouted, unable to hold his anger back anymore. He stormed toward Jason and clawed his hands, wanting so much to hit something. Instead, he settled for clawing at his hair. "What the hell is wrong with you?! We thought you were dead! Again! You disappeared for over a week without any word you were okay, and then you show up and pretend like nothing happened?!" Dick shouted, his voice gradually getting louder. Jason stared up at him, mouth opening and closing as he thought of something to say.
"Dickie-"
"No, don't you 'Dickie' me, you asshole!" Dick shouted, interrupting him. Dick moved closer to Jason, fists clenching at his side as he glared at the man. Then Dick closed the distance and hugged him, arms wrapping around his neck as he cried into Jason's shoulder. Jason was a little jarred by the sudden change in attitude, but he wrapped his arms around Dick and comforted him, patting his back soothingly. Dick finally managed to regain his composure and sat at the table across from Jason, drying his eyes.
"Don't you ever do that again, or I swear to God, Jason, I'll keelhaul you all the way across Bludhaven," Dick growled warningly. Jason chuckled a bit and raised his hand defensively.
"I promise. I'm really, really sorry Dickie," Jason repeated. Dick heaved a sigh and raked a hand through his hair.
"Start talking," he said in a demanding tone. Jason heaved a sigh and sipped his beer.
'I made a mistake. A stupid fucking amateur mistake," Jason growled, berating himself. He took another bite of his chili dog before he continued. "My investigation into that new drug...well, I didn't dig deep enough, didn't come prepared and I stumbled across a League plot. Nobody was supposed to know, so, naturally, they sent assassins after me to silence me," Jason said with a smirk. Dick did not look amused.
"After the first assassin showed up the night my apartment went up, I knew I had to keep digging. And I'm afraid to admit, said assassin is dead," Jason said with a shrug of his shoulders. Roy snorted with held back laughter, mostly at how unperturbed Jason seemed by it. A well place glared from Dick silenced him. "Anyway, I assume you've noticed a recent spike in Arkham Asylum enrollment?" Jason asked, arching a brow.
"Haven't really been paying attention. I was busy looking for you, you ass," Dick snapped, crossing his arms over his chest.
"What?! I said I was sorry!" Jason replied and Dick snorted.
"Just keep talking," Dick answered. Jason nodded.
"Well, anyway, that new drug on the streets that I found was the cause. I did some digging and found that Hugo Strange had created something like it over a decade ago. But you and Bruce put a stop to whatever he was up to before he could test it," Jason explained. Roy and Dick exchanged another look.
"So Strange is testing it now?" Dick asked.
"Yeah."
"What does the League have to do with it?" Roy asked. Jason gave a shrug and sipped his beer.
"That, I haven't figured out yet, but they've been trying really hard to keep it a secret," Jason said with a snort. Dick got to his feet and cuffed him in the back of the head.
"Ow! Hey! What was that for?!" Jason snapped, jumping to his feet and glaring back.
"You couldn't ask for help?!" Dick growled angrily.
"I didn't think I needed it, okay?! I've been dealing with my own shit on my own, for years. Besides, Bruce can-'
"I wasn't talking about just Bruce, you ass! What about me?! You could've asked me for help! Why do you always try to do everything on your own?! You have a family that loves you! I love you! If you had just asked me, I would've help you with your investigation, but instead, you had to be the stubborn, emotionally constipated jackass and-"
"Alright, alright, I get it! Sheesh! I'm sorry, okay?" Jason said, backing up a bit and raising his hands defensively as Dick got into his space. Dick growled to himself and pinched the bridge of his nose.
"We have to go to the cave. We have to tell Bruce and-"
"No Dick, I-"
"Don't get a say after the crap you pulled! We're going to the cave! Now!" Dick snapped angrily, storming into the bedroom. Jason stood there, stunned, sharing a look with Roy. Roy snickered in amusement and shrugged.
"Hey, don't look at me. He's your boyfriend."
