Some angsty JayDick for y'all!

In all honesty, maybe sending the Red Hood out on the streets while the Joker was at large was probably not Bruce's brightest idea. Yet, his resources were spread thin and there was little h could do with so few people available. Robin was out of commission for the next week with an ankle injury and Red Robin was out on a mission with the Titans. Nightwing and Batgirl were still facing off with Poison Ivy and with Batman on League business, the team was pulled thin and Batman did what he had to do. He had called Jason, the familiar weight settling on his chest as he told him the situation. Jason could do this. There was nothing to worry about. He was not a boy anymore...he would be fine. Still, even though Jason had managed to reign in his rage, it still came to life when the Joker was involved. The fact that he managed to subdue and not maim the psycho should have been enough to calm Jason's nerves, but even with the Joker down, he was still on edge, ready for an attack and itching to end it.

"I'll be there soon Red Hood," Nightwing spoke through the comm. "Ivy is detained, just hold on for a bit."

"Hurry it up." Jason replied, jaw tense, watching the Joker carefully. The man was bound, having finally been overpowered by Red Hood. He was still grinning and it grated on Jason's already frayed nerves. He kept his posture casual, ignoring whatever Nightwing was saying in order to calm his own nerves. Great time for Batman to be with the fucking League. The Joker was trying to call out for him, get a rise or something but Jason had managed to tune him out. He wasn't giving this asshole the pleasure of getting inside his head.

"Gordon's on his way." Nightwing stated in his ear. "I'll be there soon." He repeated. His voice was soothing and Jason couldn't help but latch onto it. Dickie wouldn't let anything happen. Dick was going to be there. Even after all these years and the fact that Jason had grown larger than him, he still could not help but cling to the fact that Dick would always be there for him.

"That Nightwing?" The Joker questioned, cheek pressed against the cement and smile ghastly. Jason did not answer him, arms crossed over his chest. The Joker merely chuckled at this. "Good old Nightwing, such a sweet boy. Shame we never talk anymore." Jason did not answer and he could feel the man's eyes focused on him. "Us however," The Joker's voice was slippery like oil. "We got to know each other very well. Funny how that works, eh? One blow with a crowbar and I know all there is to know about you, boy."

"You don't know anything about me." Jason could not help but ground out, fingers twitching violently. The Joker barked out a laugh, head tilting back so the tendons in his neck protruded.

"So vicious! Like a wild dog!" He stated and Jason breathed once. "You seem tense, boy. You still sore about that night? Gotta say, you make a pretty impressive piñata!" He turned onto his back so he could look up at the ceiling, staring at the flicking bulb overhead that cast him in a glow. Jason breathed again.

"Must have been disappointing to see you failed." Jason replied, silently cursing himself for once again rising to the bait. The Joker hummed in a bored tone, bloodshot eyes quickly moving to look at Red Hood's masked face.

"I already ruined you, boy," The Joker jeered, yellow teeth gnashing together in pleasure as he stared at Red Hood. "I already tore you from your pedestal and watched you burn. There's nothing more I could do to you." Red Hood didn't even bother to try to form an argument on that one. Still, his fingers itched to pull the trigger and see this psycho's brains splatter over the concrete wall. He shrugged his shoulders with a forced casual air. Bruce had better be happy that Jason hadn't decided to scalp the asshole. Joker seemed annoyed by his lack of reaction, eyes searching Jason's masked face as if looking for a crack. Jason was not about to give him one. He released a bored chuckle, cocking his head as he glanced the Joker over.

"You're losing your touch, asshole. I suppose age and predicability does that though." He shrugged, turning on his heel, pleased that he had the last word. For a moment it was silent behind him.

"Losing my touch am I?" The Joker muttered at his back, pride wounded. "I think I'm only just starting." Jason kept walking, refusing to get the the fucker's level. He was above this now. Even if at times he didn't want to be. The Joker laughed suddenly. "You think you've moved on, Red? I still have you in the palm of my hand."

"Yeah yeah." Jason waved a dismissive hand, still moving. He approached the warehouse door and reached for the rusted handle. Gordon was on his way and Jason was ready to go home and take a long hot shower and forget this entire day happened. "Hope the cell they put you in is nice and padded." His voice was mocking, grinning under his mask. He heard Joker chuckle again, darker this time.

"You might think you're invincible, brat, but what about dear Nightwing?" The Joker called out, voice bouncing off the walls and Jason stopped walking. For a moment he couldn't breathe. His vision suddenly felt as if it had been stolen and he could hear blood roaring in his ears. He breathed.

"What about him?" Jason asked, tone giving away nothing, refusing to face the man lest he see something on his face that gave him away. The Joker released a low laugh, rumbling deep in his chest.

"Oh come now Red, no need to play dumb with me. You don't think I haven't heard about you two crazy kids? Word on the street is that you're quite sweet on him, and I must say I can see why. He's certainly grown up fine. Perhaps Uncle Jay can pay a visit to him," Jason slowly turned, watching as the Joker's grin widened on glee. "Can you imagine it, kid? We'd have a ball! I could take him dancing or test to see how far that famous flexibility of his really goes." The smile winded if at all possible, his thin eyebrows waggling lewdly and bile rose in Jason's throat at the thinly veiled threat. He released the door handle, barely noticing how he had crushed it beneath his grip, turning to face the man behind him.

"You won't touch him." His voice was barely a whisper. The Joker hummed, leaning back with his shackled hand lifted. He waggled his fingers playfully.

"Ohhhh, getting defensive I see! Come now, boy there's no need to be so greedy. Plenty of Nightwing to pass around. I can only imagine what he looks like splayed out and broken. How long would it take for him to break? What sort of noises would he make?" Jason knew he shouldn't be showing his emotion like this. He knew he was only playing into the Joker's hands, but he didn't care. All he could picture now was Dick. The Joker was studying him with than damned grin and he cocked his head at the former Robin. "I'll get out. I always get out, and when I do...well, let's just say your precious little boy isn't going to be so pretty anymore. You'll get him back of course, I'll have no need of him after my fun."

Jason stared at the Joker for a long moment. He saw his death. He saw the crowbar coming down on him and whistling through the air. He could still taste the blood in his mouth and feel the inferno as death greeted him with curling black lips. He could remember the coffin. The tepid air and the darkness. Batman's- voice growled in his ear about justice and life. The joker swung the crowbar. Nightwing offered him a hand as he danced across the rooftop, his smile filled with mirth. The Joker set the bomb. The Replacement and Replacement's Replacement watched him in interest as he took down the drug dealer with just a fork, impressed but neither willing to admit it. The joker laughed. Dick smiled at him as he led him further into the bedroom, blue eyes bright. The Joker smiled at him, red lips curling back over yellowed teeth into something sinister, something disgusting, something that would never touch Dick Grayson. Not with Jason there.

A single shot rang out through the air and the silence following echoed off the dank walls.

It took less than an hour for Dick to find him. By then, the Joker's corpse had been found and no doubt Batman had been notified. Jason would not run. Where could he run to? Instead he sat on his ratty couch, methodically cleaning his guns as he waited for the door to burst open. When it finally did open, it was not with a bang. The door did not bounce off the wall, there was no snarling voice filling the hideout. Instead it was Dick Grayson, not Nightwing. He slid the door open. His hair was mused and he look exhausted. Jason waved him in and the older man did, quietly closing the door behind him.

"You actually killed him." Dick murmured, still facing the door. Jason set his gun down, wiping his greasy hands on his jeans.

"Yup." He replied. There was nothing more than needed to be said. He didn't have any explanation to offer. He knew why he did it Bruce could suck it.

"Jason-" Dick turned to face the younger man but Jason shook his head, unwilling to listen to him. He was not going to deal with this. Not even from Dick and especially not from Bruce.

"He threatened you, Dick. He threatened to...he was going to hurt you. I couldn't let him hurt you. I'm not sorry I killed him. I'm not sorry that animal was finally put down." His voice felt like it was coming out in a jumbled rush but he couldn't bring himself to care. He would not apologize for this. Dick shook his head, lips pulling into a thin line.

"Threats-" Dick began and Jason reached forward to grasp his hands in his own.

"He was going to do it. I could see it in his eyes. He knew about us, and he wanted to hurt you for it..." His voice trailed off for a second and Dick patiently waited for him to continue. "So fuck Bruce, fuck anyone who says I was wrong to finally do something about it! He was going to hurt you, Dickie. I couldn't-I couldn't let him hurt you." He looked down at their hands, throat dry as he waited for Dick to condemn him like Batman would. Dick gave Jason's fingers a gentle squeeze.

"Sweetheart." Dick breathed and suddenly Jason was pulled against the older man in a hug. He quickly clung to the older man, burying his face in his shoulder, inhaling the sweet laundry detergent that Dick used as well as the musk that was all his own. "I'm not mad." Jason heard Dick whisper into his ear. "I'm so sorry you had to be with him." Jason did not move, eyes clenched shut as he held onto his lover. His fingers dug into Dick's side, but the older man did not move away, holding onto him like a lifeline. Jason couldn't think of anything to say. So, he continued to hold onto Dick. Bruce didn't matter, Batman didn't matter. Nothing mattered but holding Dick close and assuring himself that the monster would not return on his promise.

"I love you," He murmured against Dick's throat, breath warm against his skin. "I love you..." Was he repeating himself? Was he even making sense? Dick held him tighter, repeating him softly. His hands gentle in Jason's hair and his voice soothing.