Before starting, I'd like to answer to an anonymous review sent to me earlier today. I was asked if "the entire story will not be centered around Jason's sexploits with various older men".

So, first of all, I entirely understand your frustration about not finding a lot of Jason-centric fanfiction. I myself like him a LOT (though I started reading comics after his first come back and met Jason as Red Hood), so I know exactly how frustrating this is for you.

However, I'd like to point out the fact that your criticism of canon has little to do with my own writings…

About your question (and, I think, the reason why you reviewed in the first place), I'm afraid the whole point of "Street rat" is about how it would have changed things, how Jason would be, if he had had to prostitute himself.

However, I don't think the whole fanfiction is about sexploits! On the contrary, I'm not giving any details and this isn't about Jason getting f*cked but about who he became because of that. I take the opportunity to point out to other readers that if you want to read slash about Jason and anyone, this isn't the right place to be. No, Jason and Bruce won't end up together here! (Not that I don't like Bruce/Jason but it would just be creepy in this fic) (not that I don't like creepy but I don't intend to write creepy in this fic)

So, what you won't find in Street rat: loads of sex scenes, Jason in relationship with someone, a constructed story, Jason based on before-coming-back Jason

What you will find in Street rat: a darkish-but-yet-full-or-himself Jason, the point of view of various characters on Jason (so far: Jim, Bruce, Jason himself, and soon to come Dick, Barbara, Tim, maybe someday Kal).

On that note, here's the new chapter, and it's all about Dick.

Instead, he left

The first time he saw him, Dick thought it was a bad joke. Then he saw Bruce's face – Batman's face – as serious as ever, and knew it wasn't.

He'd been replaced.

They were at the JLA for a debrief. Dick was present as the Teen Titans representative since the action had been combined – nothing quite as dramatic as a crisis, but no minor business either.

Still.

Had the kid been part of it? There'd been so much to do, Dick hadn't noticed him if he had. But now, here he was, pixie boots and all, smirking at him. Dick pursed his lips and tried not to glare at Bruce – at Batman.

"Who is this?"

Batman glanced at the kid, as surprised to find him at his side.

"It's Robin", he answered.

"He is not. I would know."

Batman blinked. Again with the surprise. Then he just looked at Dick, for answers.

For fuck's sake. He didn't get it, did he? Well, if he didn't, Dick wasn't going to explain.

Instead, he left.

sosososo

He didn't see the boy for a while. They both scarcely went to the JLA and Dick sure wasn't going to Gotham. He heard about him though. Papers talking about Bruce Wayne newly adopted son. JLA members complaining about his temper and asking Dick if he really didn't want his old job back, half-joking.

(Afterwards, Dick would wonder if Jason had heard. Wonder how many people told him they liked the first Robin better.)

At the time, though, Dick didn't mind. On the contrary. He was so angry at Bruce for replacing him – for giving his mother name for him to another kid, for Christ's sake!

So, any mean remark about it made him viciously satisfied.

sosososo

They crossed path again in New York. Dick had heard Bruce was in town but the hell if he was going to run away because of him. He'd pointedly arrived at Titan Tower at 8PM on Friday, intending to spend the whole week-end.

Of course, they had to run into each other.

(Later, he'd wonder if Jason had been looking for him. He probably had.)

"Hello Nightwing. It's kinda quiet over here."

Something, in the turn of the phrase, the kid's smirk or his thick Gotham accent, icked Dick. Or it was just the whole goddamn situation.

"It's just as busy as any other town."

The kid lost his smile.

"Damn you, man. I know you despise me but can't you just tell me to fuck off instead of biting my head off over a fucking hello?"

Dick blinked. Well, that was direct for sure.

"I don't despise you" he started.

"Yeah, right. You just happen to bite on a lemon whenever you see me. And here I heard so many things about your smile."

"About my smile?"

"About your ass too, don't you worry, pretty boy."

Dick gaped. Who was that kid?

"Not liking what you see? I ain't surprised. I ain't cut for all the joyful laugh and bright colors but hell, someone had to fill the gap."

"Excuse me?"

The kid started to look annoyed.

"Are you dumb or what?"

Anger came bubbling back in Dick's throat.

"You come here in my town, in my clothes, asking me questions and now you're calling me dumb? I didn't despise you but this is me reconsidering!"

The kid snorted.

"Awake at last. Well, birdie boy, let me tell you, either this ain't your town or those ain't your clothes. Besides, I didn't saw you flying around in anything but blacks and blues lately."

Dick gritted his teeth.

"What do you want?"

The kid gauged him. Then shook his head.

"Nothing."

"What, you travelled all those miles and now you're pussing out?"

The kid straightened, as stroke by thunder.

"I ain't! But why should I talk if you won't listen?"

"I'm listening."

The kid looked at him again and nodded slowly.

"Alright. I stole your stuff the first time. He wouldn't let me but you did leave a gap, when you left."

He being Bruce, of course.

"He can take care of himself, as he told me quite loudly."

Ouch, that sounded whiny. Dick hadn't meant to.

"Not with him!" The kid was back to exasperation. "To Gotham! Do you know how many street kids looked up to you? Batman means protection, someone looking after you, or after someone, from the dark. You… You were hope. Hope there was somethin' else than the dark!"

He started moving around, arm spread.

"When you disappeared from the roofs, I had to make up stories about how you were busy on some case in the Himalaya or elsewhere. Then I invented you'd retired in some happy place. But the kids, they ain't no idiots."

He stopped, facing Dick.

"We thought Robin was dead."

That stroke Dick like a punch. And something else, too.

The kid actually had a good reason for being Robin.

Dick himself had started just to help people. At 12, he didn't thought any further. At 14, he also did it for Bruce, for Batman, because Robin kept him – not entirely in the light, but out of the darkness.

Now, well, it was his life. He couldn't do anything else but to continue. Stopping wasn't part of the plan, not ever.

But that kid…

He was being Robin for Gotham.

That was precisely as fucked up as Bruce and, somehow, that made it right.

Dick came back into current times and looked at the kid. Jason Todd, he remembered from the Inquisitor. He was 13 and Bruce found him in the streets. In Gotham's streets.

Did Bruce find him, or did Batman? Dick wondered for the first time.

"Earth to birdie boy?"

"Are you in New York for a case?"

Jason pulled a face.

"No, the Big Guy has true-life business in town. 'said I had to come and watch and learn and shut up, end of the quote."

Bruce probably didn't put it that way, but that was certainly close enough.

"So you have a free evening. Do you want me to show you around?"

Jason blinked. Dick grinned at him.

"Well, Robin? You coming or not?"

The kid didn't quite blush but his smile still was much softer than his previous smirk.

"'Course I am!"

sosososo

They never became friends, Jason was way too harsh. He often annoyed Dick and Nightwing couldn't help but wince each time the kid punched a thug. Each time the bones cracked.

But they had a working relationship and sometimes, Robin would even grin at him.

sosososo

Later, Dick wondered how it would have ended, had he try harder to be his brother.