"The wolves will chase you by the pale moonlight
Drunk and driven by a devil's hunger
Drive your son like a railroad spike
Into the water, let it pull him under
Don't you lift him, let him drown alive. " - Bottom of the River by Delta Rae
As Remy walked away from the safe house, he knew what he had to do after seeing the state that Jason was in. He had to stick around in Gotham to watch how everything would turn out. Sending a text to Jean to give her the heads up about his unexpected extended stay in the city, he went off to find a place to stay for the next few weeks. From the gut feeling he when visiting the younger man, Remy knew he would have to wait it out until the younger man fulfilled his plan.
As he checked into a place in what was considered on the nicer side of the city, Remy received a text from Jean. While scolding him through several texts for not planning better for what seemed like a short vacation, she also reminded him to stay safe. That there was things going on in Gotham he shouldn't get involved with.
If she only knew why he came down here and why he was temporarily staying.
With a sigh as he fell into his bed, he had to wonder about Jason. Even if he was happy to see Jason alive and wasn't an awful rumour he heard from one of his contacts in Gotham there was still this aura around the younger man that made him worried. It was like he had this unexplainable anger that he never had before his death. Even if Jason had a bit of a temper when he was Robin, Remy knew it was never like this.
All in all, he had to stick around to make sure Jason wouldn't get himself hurt or into something he couldn't get out of. It was the guilty part of Remy that was insisting on this. That he better make sure he would be able to help this time around. To make sure the younger man wouldn't die a second time.
Remy knows he won't be able to handle Jason dying a second time.
With that he quietly followed around Jason during the night and rest up during the day. As he used his skills as a thief daily, Remy watched as Jason try to gain control over a crime boss's territory. The few moments that he was actually close enough to see and hear what Jason was doing gave him insight on what the younger man was trying to do.
It was only a plan that Jason could have come up with really. Remy remembered those conversations from 5 years ago when the boy would complain about the non super criminals of Gotham. That they had no fear of Batman at all. That they would repeatedly go back to what they were doing before after being released from prison. The most vivid part of that conversation that Remy remembered was a thought that Jason had that the those criminals should be controlled somewhat so that they weren't ruining lives.
So seeing Jason controlling what was essentially half of Gotham's criminal activities by his own force was a sight itself. But also gave him a peek into what this was all about. Remy should have known it was trying to prove something to Bruce. It would always come down to that man whether Jason would ever admit that or not.
Remy also knew that after a few months when he found out the news of Jason was when the world was greeted with a new Robin. It must have stung for the younger man to see that Bruce had someone else fill in his shoes in what only seemed like a short amount of time. Even when he joined the X-Men almost a year later there were many members who would discuss why Batman would replace his partner so quickly and with another child. That he needed time to grief over someone who was obviously close to him.
They slowly stopped talking about this after Remy stormed out one day and didn't return for a few weeks afterwards. When returning back to the mansion he was greeted with Logan dragging him off to a part of the property with no one around. The trees surrounding them blocked out the warm afternoon sun making him feel colder than he's felt since that day at the graveyard.
Then with his usual gruff manner that Remy was familiar with, demanded for Remy to start talking to him. "I don't see any reason for why you went off, so you better tell me why I was badgered by Scott and Jean about your whereabouts for the last two weeks. And you better tell me quick."
"Had to get away from the chatter Wolvie." Remy said softly. "Couldn't take the talk about the new Robin without feeling like I was going mad."
"Why would that make you crazy? Neither you nor any of the others ever met Batman since he keeps his distance." Logan wondered, taking a step closer to him. The shorter man sniffed the air like it would give him the answers he needed from Remy.
Remy with a soft smile replied "I knew the Robin that died last year. He was a close friend of mine."
He saw the way Logan's eyes widen at this. But the shorter man kept himself calm enough when he spoke up. "So you knew the kid before his death?"
"Oui. I found him during one of his patrols and befriended him over stealing some of his cigarettes." Remy paused for a few moments before continuing. "You would have liked him Wolvie. Was full of this moxie I haven't found anywhere else."
"I'm betting he was a pain in the ass like you Gumbo."
"Ah he actually kept me in line even though he was younger than me. Kept me from thieving those in Gotham, which in hindsight was good. Didn't need to be caught by Batman."
"Don't think he would appreciate your brand of humour if he did manage to catch you." Logan said, putting a cigar between his lips.
"Yeah he's quite the serious man from the one visit I had with him. Don't know how the kid managed to live with him if I'm being honest." Remy said. He watched as Logan slowly smoked the cigar, wondering why the man was listening to him. He did have a reputation for not being the person to go to for moments like these. Those were reserved for Jean.
"Maybe he's not so serious under the cowl when he's with people he loves." He heard Logan suggest.
Remy slowly nodded his head at that. "It would seem so. He was devastated by Jason's death when he caught me in the kid's room. Couldn't even handle staying in the graveyard when I demanded to see his the grave."
"How did he die?" Logan asked carefully.
Remy look away from Logan, trying to search for the words to speak."I didn't know he was dead until a few months after when I tried to visit him and was given the news. I still don't know how he died, just demanding that I see his grave. Don't think I want to know he went." Then with a softer voice, "I still miss him even though I know I shouldn't. Know that my guilt and sadness won't bring him back."
Logan didn't say anything for a while. Then quietly said he would see to it that nobody would talk about the subject. Even if Remy didn't feel like smiling after confessing that, he felt a smile tugging at his lips.
Soon after that nobody talked about Batman and his new sidekick. There were looks of pity towards Remy, but he brushed them off. All that mattered was that he was able to manage his grief while working as a member of the X-Men and as a teacher for the school.
As he continued to follow behind Jason for the next few weeks (and seeing how effectively killed people), he finally got a text from Logan. The older man asked in his usual fruff way where the hell he was and if he was ever getting back. (Remy sensed that he wanted a partner in crime to mess with Scott again.)
'Don't think I'll be coming back for a bit. I have to keep my eye on something right now.'
'This have to do with the fact that the rumours of Jason returning might also have something to do with the new vigilante in Gotham?'
'It may or may not Wolvie.'
Then shutting off his phone, he continued to watch Jason. He was in his full gear with the red helmet and protective armour. On his back was something similar to a rocket launcher, most likely being used as something against the Black Mask. Remy hung back two rooftops away, wanting to be out of the area of the blast. He also quietly hacked his way into Jason's comm, wanting to get the full experience of what he was going to see.
He watched as there was flurry of commotion from the Black Mask in his office, throwing his desk and punching the bigger men in the room. When he realized that Jason was only across the way and pointing a weapon at him, he ran.
"Wow. He sure can move when he wants to." It didn't take Jason long to fire off the weapon. It crashed through the window and caused the room to burst into flames.
Then Remy saw that Jason was looking his way. "Guess you found me out."
"Remy you can't keep following me like this." Came the tired tone. "Didn't you hear me when I said you shouldn't be here?"
"I am an old man oiseau, my hearing isn't what it use to be." Remy teased. He heard the sigh through the comm as Jason came over to his rooftop. The soft thump from the durable boots that Jason was wearing was the only thing for Remy to know that he was here. "Gonna have to do better than that to keep me away from all the action. I'm part of the X-Men, remember?"
"Which is why I thought you were going back to Xavier's estate after our talk a few weeks back."
"Your memory must be fuzz if you don't remember how I would stay close by for weeks if I felt something was off. I do think of you as petit frère. Even if you're as tall as me now."
There was another sigh from Jason. His shoulders sagged forward like the whole world was weighting on them. Remy waited for the younger man to speak up, knowing a wrong word or movement would make the other snap easily. "Remy I know you care about me. I also care about you which is why I want you to stay away from this. This isn't anything that you can help with."
"Oh you've no idea what Remy been through after 5 years. He can handle himself much better than you think he can." Remy said, getting angry. He would not be forced to leave. Not when a gut feeling is telling him that he needed to stay.
"Don't do that Remy. Don't switch from first person to third." Jason growled out, getting close to Remy. "That won't work on me now."
Before Remy could spit out something vulgar in French, Jason's head tilted slightly to the side. Faintly, Remy could hear voice speaking in the younger man's helmet. Then quickly Jason took off, leaving Remy confused on where the young man was going.
"Should have known he would have hacked into other comms." He muttered to himself. He packed everything up and then went to find some place to watch the new. He had a feeling that Jason would soon be on every news channel in Gotham.
It didn't take long to find a store front with a crowd of people around it. Many whispered to each other as the camera took in everything that was happening on the bridge. Remy saw that Jason was standing at the highest point of it, talking down to one of the many costumed criminals that Gotham had.
"You've always had my attention. But what I really wanted was an audience with you."
The brightly coloured criminal was fiddling with something in his hands before he spoke up to Jason. "I'm sorry, that seems to imply that you organized this little clambake."
"I did. Sure, I had lots of plans, but the endgame was getting Black Mask so desperate that he'd cut a deal. He was the only one with the connections to get into Arkham and get you out." Jason said, the camera not wavering for even a second that it was held on him. Remy could only frown at this, unsure of what Jason was trying to do. What would one of the criminals of Gotham have to do with anything concerning the plan with Batman?
"So I've been bamboozled. Oh, my."
"I wouldn't undersell it. It took a lot of work to bring about our reunion."
"Reunion? Have we met before?"
"Yes, we have." Came the hard answer from Jason.
"Well, here's to warm memories." The criminal said, dropping something into the container he was standing on top of. Then a few moments later posed himself like that would get laughter or applause from the surrounding police and news crew.
It was almost casual in how the flashy looking criminal talked and joked with Jason. Almost as if it was a running gag that the man was used to doing daily. Suddenly his brain made the connections between the costume and the voice and everything else about the criminal and he knew who it was.
The Joker.
Remy missed the next part of the battle, running away from the crowd with a pounding heart. He'd heard from Jason many years ago about how the Joker usually dealt with both vigilantes and citizens alike. It was cruel in how sadistic the man would get to play what he deemed to be a joke to Batman and his sidekick. Remy knew that he would need to get to Jason fast. His gut churned at his thoughts of what might happen to the younger man as his boots hit the pavement.
Then he heard Jason's voice through the comm. "I've got him. You want him? Meet me at Crime Alley."
Through the maze of roads and alleys, Remy found himself in the poorer part of Gotham. He remembered the description that his Papa gave about the place after telling him of a thieving boy like himself and knew he was in the right place. As quick as he could he started to search.
That was abandoned when he heard the sound of a loud explosion. Running towards the site Remy saw a hole in the side of the building and the rubble on the street below. On one side of the rubble, he saw a large body and the colour red. As best he could, he raced over the broken pieces of the building, desperate to reach Jason.
As he reached the body, he noted that Jason's breathing was slower than usual. Kneeling down, Remy took of the red helmet and saw that the younger man was knocked out from both the explosion and falling to the ground. "Oh mon oiseau. Why must you scare Remy like this?"
Then quietly, he gathered Jason up in his arms and left the scene. It didn't take long for him to hail down a cab and get close to the safe house that he visited Jason in last time. Paying the cab driver extra for having to take the both of them, Remy carried his friend back into the place.
Instead of going through the window like last time, Remy was forced to go through the front door like a regular person. He heard Jason stirring as he placed him on the couch.
"What are you doing?" Jason said, his words slurring together.
"Just taking care of you. Gotta get that head looked at before you try to insist you're fine." Remy replied calmly. Gently he cradled Jason's head and checked for any places he would have to treat. Also if he would have to force Jason to stay down for a while if there was a concussion.
"You don't need to. I'm fine Rem."
"You must be really out of it if you're calling me that." Then with a softer voice he said "I actually miss you calling me that for the last 5 years."
"Doesn't feel like 5 years. Felt like I was only gone for a few weeks instead of that." Jason admitted using a soft voice as well. "It still feels like Joker only hit with me a crow bar just a few months ago."
That made Remy stop. He knew the stories that Jason had told him about a lot of Gotham's villains before his death. He'd never heard of the Joker doing something like that at all. "What do you mean Jason?'
"Before I died, he beat me with a crowbar and then left me in a warehouse a few seconds before it exploded. I couldn't do anything as I realized that I didn't have enough time to escape." Jason said. His words weren't slurring that much anymore. Which meant that he was willingly telling Remy all of this. "You didn't know how I died?"
"I didn't want to know about that Jason. Don't think I could handle that along with the fact you died without me knowing about it. Just wanted to visit your grave to grief for a bit." Remy admitted.
"So you never asked Bruce for 5 years? Just knew that I died and accepted that?" The question were filled with acquisition.
"Jason, I never asked Bruce since I knew he didn't want to be reminded of that day. It was too much for him to even take me to the grave a few months after your death without leaving suddenly. He loved you too deeply to just suddenly get over your death like that."
The words hung in the air. He stared at Jason, not willing to back down from this. Then either tired from everything that had happened or just not willing to argue with him, Jason closed his eyes and sighed.
"Just get your fill of mother henning over my injuries. Then leave after that. I need some time to myself."
With nod Remy got the first aid kit. Quietly he checked over Jason's body and did what he need to for injuries. There were a lot less than he thought there was going to be. But it showed that Jason was tougher than people gave him credit for. As he finished up with the last injury, he saw how Jason was trying to curl in on himself on the couch.
"Petit oiseau, you gotta get into bed. Can't be good for you to be on the couch." Then without getting answer from Jason he picked him up and took him to bed.
"Should have known you would still be bossy after all this time." Came the tired voice as he was placed in bed.
Remy smiled at that. "I'm your grand frère, I'm supposed to care about you in ways that seem inconvience you."
There was groan from Jason as he moved to get more comfortable in the bed. "Still a pain in my ass is what you are. Haven't changed much Rem."
"There's plenty that has changed. Just don't like showing it since I know you or others wouldn't like it."
'Hey Rem?"
"Yes Jason?"
"Can you sing me to sleep like you use to do? I just want to hear your voice before you have to leave for a while."
Remy felt the way his heart stuttered at this. It had been 5 years since the last time he had done that. Only started it when he was visiting and Jason couldn't get to sleep like he normally would. Offering up the ridiculous solution, Jason had accepted, desparete to try anything at that point.
It worked so well that Jason would sometimes call him during spells of insomnia and have Remy lull him to sleep.
With a nod, he got himself a spot near the bed. Then started to sing something that he knew would be soothing.
"Plus que quelques fois dormir
Pour que Papa ne se lève pas
même si tu ne seras qu'un peu moins triste quand il disparaîtra
Et encore beaucoup de fois dormir
Et enfin tu te reposeras
Pas tout de suite mais dans longtemps, très longtemps tu dormira-a-a-as.
Enfin tu dormira-a-a-as. Enfin tu dormiras."*
So much unpacking to do about this chapter lol. It took me a few more days than usual since I wanted to finish up the part concerning the Under the Red Hood part of Jason's life since that was a huge thing after he returned to the living world.
Plus I figured I might as well do it from Remy's pov since he still has a lot of issues over Jason's death. Which I added the conversation with him and Wolvie so he has someone who can at least help him during times that his grief feels like it's swallowing him whole.
Also we never know how or where Jason went after the building exploded in the movie. We just cut away to Batman finding the Joker. So I figured Remy in this situation would take care of Jason. (And also find out how Jason really died.)
*english translation for lyrics of Dodo by Stromae
Just some other times to sleep left
So that Daddy doesn't wake up
Even if you'll be only a little less sad when he disappears
And still many times to sleep left
And at last, you'll have a rest
Not immediately, but in a long time, a very long time, you'll sleep
At last you'll sleep. At last you'll sleep
The way that song plays out with the sound, instruments and how Stromae sings makes it feel like a lullbye, even though the whole song is something totally different. Only check out the song if you don't get triggered by the lyrics talking about dark subjects like abuse, pedophilia and molesting. While I love Stromae with all my heart for his creative writing and how he makes his music, I know some of the subjects in that song are extremely hard to listen too. :( (His other songs are good to listen to if you can do Dodo.)