Ashley sat on Jason's lap, it was quickly becoming the most common place he seemed to place her. Seeming to always grab her up instead of letting her stand on her own two feet. Dick smirked behind his mask, ignoring how tight some of the pieces were clinging to his more muscled body, and watched as Ashley simply let his brother manhandle her wherever he wished and liking it. He would leave it alone for now, teasing his only slightly younger brother would get them nowhere.
"What are you doing here X? I haven't seen that getup in a while." Jason spoke as he lifted his helmet from his face, his voice suddenly going back to his normal timber halfway through speaking, one of Ashley's hands reach up to run through his slightly sweat dampened hair and slick it back from his face. Not once did Jason flicker his gaze to her away from his brother, only using his other arm to slip around her waist and grip her hip to him.
Richard decided to take the helmet off, its older design not being as advanced as Jason's was. It didn't collapse on itself to become a thin metal plate just to fit over the face. It was still a full helmet, though thin, it sometimes caught his growing hair. Of course, he had much shorter hair last time he'd donned this suit. Rachel had tailored it as much as she could by herself, but Richard would have to sit down and do the rest himself. He couldn't risk taking it to Alfred or the suit makers with the League. They all thought Red X was taken down and never coming back again, years ago. He'd like to keep it that way.
Shaking his own shoulder length hair from his face, Richard held the skull faced helmet to his hip under his arm and grinned beneath the black domino mask on his face, the white blocking his eyes from view. Ashley bit her lip and he could see she was seconds away from laughing again. "Hey, no more breathing fits. You're only supposed to use that thing once a day."Jason reprimanded her from her side and she closed her eyes to calm herself.
"I'm here to lend a hand, if you need it." Silence rang out. Ashley froze, her giggling fit forgotten as her lips turns into a frown. Jason gripped at her hip so tightly, Ashley flinched and turned to look over her shoulder at him. While Roy's jaw clicked as his teeth clanked together. What Richard was offering, was dangerous. Not only to himself but his reputation with the League. Not to mention how... disappointed their father would be.
"Don't do this to yourself." Jason muttered from his seat, his grip lessening on Ashley's hip and instead rubbed his thumb against the skin there in apology but she stayed still on his lap. "Don't lose everything you've worked for just to get dragged through the mud with me." His tone took on a softer lilt and Ashley reached out to grip the hand at her hip, her fingers gliding over the worn leather over his hands.
"You're my brother Jason." Ashley could feel how Jason's chest seized all movement for a moment, like he was holding his breath.
"I'm going to risk everything to get this done." The hand at her hip gripped her again, not as violently as before but strong and steady. Seeking comfort and support she willingly gave wordlessly. "I won't let him live."
Richard nods. "I know." He takes a breath and looks to the side, as if he's examining the rows of guns and spare ammo lining the shelves. "A year after you died, I went after him myself." He turned once more to Jason. "I strangled him. He was dead." Ashley felt Jason's body tense once more, but this time he carefully pulled her from his lap and pushed her towards Roy's arms, pulling her away from Jason and to the side.
"Care to repeat that, big brother." Jason's voice dripped with venom, his fists clenched so tight at his sides that Ashley could hear the leather creak.
"Joker was dead. I killed him." Richard stared blankly at Jason for a long moment or two before he continued. "He took you away from me. My little brother." Jason's arms shook, the lock of his white hair falling from being flicked back and onto the bridge of his nose. Glaringly bright against his masked face. "Batman didn't want the blood on my hands, he showed up just behind me. Resuscitated him and sent him to Arkham, again."
Dick dodged the punch aimed at his chest, side stepping the kick that followed and narrowly missing the knife that wanted to embed itself into his stomach. Hands up, Richard showed no sign of fighting back so Jason stepped back, chest heaving with heavy breaths as he glared at his brother. He didn't want to hurt dick, not really. He was just so fucking enraged, he needed to spill blood. Could feel the fire in his veins burn brighter and hotter as the pit's power ran through him.
"You're tell me... That you killed the Joker... For me... and Batman just..." Richard nodded. He remembered that night very clearly. He was still with the titans. Still young and rash, but he'd always been one to follow the rules. Always kept his rage in check. But when Bruce had shown up, told him in person of Jason's death and who did it, how it had happened. He'd vanished from the face of the earth for so long. Bruce couldn't find him, and no one else could locate him. He'd been in Gotham for most of that time, tracking and stalking the clown. Using every skill Bruce had pounded into his mind to evade his own mentor for a year.
Richard felt no guilt for killing the bastard. It didn't frighten him one bit that he didn't care about killing the Joker. No, he wanted to do it. He wanted to feel the life of Joker as he strangled that bastard. He'd taken the one thing Richard held above everything. Above the Titans and even above Bruce. Above his own reputation as a Robin and a fighter for the people. The Joker had taken his little brother from him, Jason was fucking everything to Richard Grayson, and the Joker was going to pay. Because Bruce wouldn't do it, and Richard had enough rage in him to kill the fucker a hundred times over.
But then Bruce had come moments later, not witnessing the act but still watching as Richard continued to kick the Joker's broken face. The man was dead and Richard was still beating the fuck out of the dead body. But he'd thrown a rope bomb at Richard, tackling the teen to the ground and restraining him as Bruce had attempted cpr. The Joker breathed once more and Richard lost so much respect for his father in that moment. It took him anther two years himself to attempt to go back to how they were. But they never would be, he'd brought back the bastard that had killed Jason. That's something Richard would never forgive, and Bruce knew that.
Jason's fist come into contact with the brick wall. Dust and plaster fell to the ground, peppering over his glove as he panted for breath, pure anger coursing through his body. Causing him to tremble with energy for which he had no outlet. Richard stayed where he was, fighting Jason wouldn't solve anything and they'd get nowhere, so he didn't go forward no matter how much he wanted to. Out of the corner of his eye he watched as Roy easily restrained Ashley, keeping her back facing Jason and her pinned to his body while Jason calmed. Even though she clearly wanted to go to him, Richard thanked Roy silently at keeping the blonde at bay. No one was safe until Jason's rage had eased, even the pretty little woman that had Jason wanting to wage war with the League.
"Why didn't you tell me?" Jason's voice was so low and it rumbled so deeply in his chest that it sounded like a feral growl.
"Because I knew you wanted the honor. After you came back... I decided not to tell you." Richard saw Jason's chest was evening out with his slower breathing and took the chance. Going forward to clasp his hand over Jason's shoulder, the man didn't rear back to sock him in the jaw so he took it as a sign. "He's yours to kill Jason."
It took a few more minutes of silently steaming before Jason stood back to his full height, just scant inches taller than Richard, and turned to face his brother. In a small movement of very not Jason like fashion, he reached out and gripped Richard's opposite shoulder of his own for a moment. Just a second and the two dropped their hands. Words didn't need to be expressed between the two of them, they rarely ever did. They were just that close.
"I'll come in when you need me. Skirting around the League by yourself won't be easy." Jason grunted in response to that but nodded, stalking quickly over to take Ashley from Roy's arms and pull her close to him. Hip to hip and chest to chest. His gloved fingers tangled in the thick hair at the nape of her neck while he holds her to his side possessively. Softly whispering into her hair so low neither of the other males could hear him.
"They're gonna flip when they see that suit, X." Richard only grinned and flicked his dark hair back with a jerk of his head.
"I'm counting on it." With a little grunting he got the helmet back on and Jason finally twitched his lips with something other than a frown.
"You need some updated gear." Richard only rose an eyebrow beneath his helmet but then chuckled and nodded. Pinching at the very clinging fabric and armored pads on his abdomen.
"You've no idea how tight this thing is, I can't feel my balls at this point." That got everyone to release a soft chuckle and some of the tension left the four of them.
"Can't be as tight as that fucking onesie you wear on patrol. Your ass is more recognizable than my helmet." Richard barked out a laugh and placed his hands on his hips. "If you bring me the blueprints, I can probably update that mask for you." Richard nodded, squaring his shoulders and losing his casual stance he'd had.
"See you later, Hood." He waved as he left through the alley door.
When the door shut Ashley found herself enveloped in both of Jason's thick, leather clad arms, squished against his chest and hips. His nose buried in her hair as he hugs her tight to his bullet proofed chest. Her right side is pressed roughly on the butt of Jason's pistol but she ignores the pinch it causes while her arms raise to slide under his leather jacket and around his waist. Her fingers barely touching tips at his back, fuck he was wide. Jason just breathed her in, holding her for a few minutes. Ashley could just make out his racing heartbeat against her ear.
Jason lifted his head to Roy. "Mind taking her home? I've got work to do." Roy shook his head, he didn't mind at all.
"I can't stay with you?" Jason leans back just enough to reach out a hand and cup her jaw in his long fingered grip, shaking his head at her.
"You're not ready to keep up with me." Ashley huffs, her eyes narrowing from behind a thin lock of her white bangs.
"I would be if you were teaching me anything." Jason growls, leans down and bites into her bottom lip. When she gasps in surprise he takes her mouth in his, dominating her with just a kiss and he feels her knees lean into his leg as they grow weak. Pulling back she's flushed and panting softly, a wide blown look in her eyes. "Not fair.."
"Too bad." Jason kisses her one more time, enough that she's growing dizzy from the lack of oxygen to her straining lungs. Grinning as he leans back, he swipes his thumb beneath her bottom lip, swollen from his teeth. "Tomorrow well go to the range." Her eyes light up some more and he passes her over to Roy, his helmet crawling back to cover his entire head as he turns and leaves the room.
"Come on, Dodge." Roy tugged on her hood and righted her hair underneath it before they left the locked room through the alley instead of walking through the chapel. The guards outside giving Arsenal a nod as he pulled Ashley onto the back of the bike behind him and took off into the night. The sound of the monstrous bike beneath him fading into the shadows and echoing through the alleys.
When he could no longer hear the bike and his scanners confirmed that the tracker in Arsenals suit was indeed at Roy and Kori's apartment, Jason called attention to his leftover men he hadn't given a job to earlier. His best and brightest. "We're on the hunt boys. Don't get fucking caught. You get caught, you're on our own. I don't pay for stupidity." One of the older teen gulped loudly and Jason tilted his helmet in the kid's direction, scaring the hell out of the kid as the helmet gleamed. It's the entire reason Jason used the damn thing. There's no way to judge his facial expression, no way to know just who exactly he was looking down his nose toward. The kid stood taller and gave a nod.
"You're looking for any sign of the Joker. His minions, anything you find I want reported to myself, Arsenal or Mack, if either of us aren't here." Some grumbles still made their way to his ears and Jason waited a moment.
"No offense boss but, why are we looking for the Joker? Isn't he more.. The Bat's problem?" Jason nodded, listening to their opinions. His hands on his hips as they all quieted down.
"We are not after him. You are only looking for him, finding his hideout if you can. I'll take it from there." They all exchanged looks.
"That's fine boss, we don't mind tracking him but... Why are you after the Joker? You've got no beef with him." The Red hood stood very still and didn't answer them right away.
"He's taken some good men from me, good women who didn't deserve to die like that. Now, fucking do it." Jason turned and strode from the chapel, his bike screeching angrily on the salted roads as he sped away from the curb.