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Jason knew it was always going to end this way. Growing up in Crime Alley, you either lived to become a criminal or died before life could truly fuck you over.
When he was younger—a child—it was pure luck that he was taken in by Bruce Wayne. It was luck that he was adopted rather than arrested, and at the time, he thought it was luck that Bruce was actually Batman. Nonetheless, like everyone from Crime Alley experienced, Jason died before life could truly fuck him over—at least that's what he thought.
When he was brought back, he wandered around Gotham as a mindless zombie for the most part. It was hazy, but he did remember fighting crime at night and trying to find Bruce during the day. He didn’t remember eating or sleeping at all really. Fighting crime and finding Bruce were the only tangible thoughts he could remember having. It got better once Talia took him to the League, his thought process smoothed out, but he couldn’t do much else until he was dunked in the pit. A few months later, he learned that Bruce...his father had replaced him. Seeing a new Robin next to his dad, fighting crime, being someone that Jason used to be... It felt like someone had ripped out his heart and stomped on it before shoving it back into his chest, ill-fit and all.
Things only got more complicated from there. Jason didn't know if it was the pit's influence or years of anger finally making itself known in the worst way possible, but Jason made so many mistakes and took revenge on the wrong people—in so many ways—he became like the people he hated.
And now, because of a stupid mistake, he's currently stuck in what he could only believe is an alternate universe with a Batman that Jason wanted Bruce to be—ruthless, merciless, a "true" defender of justice. A Batman that willingly kills, and yeah, sure, the Joker is dead here, but so is the city. It's darker than he's used to, and he doesn’t like it. The few days he had to observe showed that Gotham City was as dark and cold as the deepest pits of hell, and it unsettled something inside him.
When he first crash-landed in this universe, no one bothered him. No one attempted to rob him or help him, and sure, the latter half was normal for his Gotham but the first? Helpless people were victims almost immediately no matter where they were, who they were with, or who they were. The Wayne’s murder is enough to prove that blood is blood in the end.
That wasn't what set off his alarm bells though. It was when he stood up and they got a glimpse of the red bat that adorned his chest that their reactions really got his attention. As the Red Hood, Jason was no stranger to people being apprehensive about him. Criminals were terrified, and after his actions against them, they had a reason to be but normal people? Like he said, they were apprehensive and maybe a little wary, but they had never feared him. They knew he was there to help them.
Now? Now they backed away from him faster than he could move and get his bearings. Then the whispering started.
"It’s a bat."
"We haven't done anything, right?”
“It’s been quiet for months other than occasional robberies.”
“Are you sure?”
"Did another bird get killed?"
"Are you insane?”
“What the hell, David!?”
“You know that no one touches the birds after Joker killed the second one."
That one got a flinch from Jason; it sucked to know that he was killed in this universe as well. Guess it was in his destiny to die at the hands of that fucking clown. However, before that knowledge could fully sink in, the next whispered words caught his attention.
"Joker's dead. The Bat made sure of that. No one is stupid enough to repeat his mistake."
Jason snapped his head up at the words. Bruce killed the Joker—the one rule Bruce set up for himself to never cross—and he broke that here.
Jason should have been happy hearing that, but something about that made his blood turn cold. It wasn't right. No matter how much he wanted it before. Now that it was a reality? It wasn't right.
The knowledge that Bruce was no longer the symbol of hope. He was no longer a man who refused to kill in a city that tried to make him. He gave in, gave up, or whatever fit what he was now, but the point was that because Bruce was different, Batman was different, and so were the rest of the people around him.
When he first met one of the bats here, it was Tim, and he'd just kicked a man off the side of a building. Gotham may have changed, but Jason didn’t, and the man was trying to rape a little girl. Death was what he deserved, but despite that, Jason could only stand there in shock at the action and the way Tim was completely nonchalant about it all. Tim was the softest of them all. Don’t get him wrong, Jason knew that Tim could be a complete badass when he wanted, but the fact remains that besides Bruce, Tim was the second person in the family who detested murder just as bad.
Tim turned around and was face-to-face, or rather, mask-to-mask with Jason, and he stopped in his tracks. Jason could feel the analytical way Tim stared at him as if he were trying to dissect who he was. Now he knew just how unnerved their villains were when Tim stared at them. At first, Jason thought it was hilarious the way their villains squirmed as Tim stared, but now that the stare was flipped around on him, he didn’t think it was all that funny. It was fucking unsettling.
Jason took in Tim’s appearance and was surprised that there wasn’t a speck of yellow anywhere on his uniform. It looked like a mix between the League of Assassins gear and Bruce’s normal costume. He wore a mix of black, red, and grey, which, funny enough, matched Jason’s color scheme even though Jason knew he was dead in this universe. He’d be amused if it didn’t add to the creepiness factor.
"Any reason you have a bat on your chest?"
"Because I am one."
Tim tilted his head to the side in a loose manner, but Jason caught the way his hand tightened on his bo staff.
"Oh," he replied, dragging out the word.
To be honest, Jason wasn't sure why he did what he did next, but he began to remove his hood.
"The last person that tried the "I'm Jason Todd" trick, ended up strung to the lamppost outside West End Police Station by his tongue." Tim gestured toward Jason with his head, a small, sick smile gracing his face.
"Are you sure that's the road you want to go down on?"
And wasn’t that just...delightful, Jason thought. This universe was seriously fucked up and he wanted out, preferably yesterday.
“I am Jason Todd... I’m just not your Jason,” he explained. “Have you ever been to an alternate universe yet?"
"No."
Before he could stop the movement, Jason lifted an eyebrow sarcastically. That was hard to believe, but he couldn’t tell if Tim said no just because he wanted to.
"I'm guessing you have no working relationship with the Justice League then."
Tim gave a short nod of his head, which he followed with a shrug of his shoulders.
"They don't approve of our...ways.”
Jason wanted to snort. The irony of this situation was getting to be a bit too much.
"They don't exactly approve of me either in my universe, but back to the point. If you did, you'd know that they have a teleporter they use to get around the multiverse and space. I'm pretty sure you know where their base is, and I nee-"
Before Jason could finish his sentence, he felt a sharp pain in the back of his neck. He blacked out before he even hit the ground.
"Why'd you let him talk?"
"I think he's telling the truth."
"If he's not?"
"Then he dies like the rest of them."
"He does look like Jason...if he grew up that is."
"If he is...I don't think B or Agent A will be all that keen on letting him leave.”
“If he is Jason Todd, even if he's not the one that died here, he stays with us. He's ours."
"The DNA checks out Bruce. This may not be our Jason, but he is Jason Todd." Dick's voice brought Jason out of consciousness. Jason internally groaned as he took in where he was tied to a chair in the Batcave. He let his guard down, and he was knocked unconscious. How they managed to sneak up on him, he didn’t wanna know. He was just lucky they didn’t kill him, and wasn’t that just the funniest thing?
Bruce hummed lightly, the sound rumbling in his chest. "He's from another universe," he said. His voice carried across the cave, sending shivers down Jason's back. There was a possessive lilt to Bruce’s words, and Jason didn’t think he was going to be able to leave here anytime soon. Overprotective Bruce was bad enough, but add in one that kills and happens to be possessive? Bad recipe, a very bad recipe, and Jason didn’t want to be the main ingredient.
"I told you that's where I was from," Jason butted into their conversation, hoping they'd be willing to let him go. He didn’t think that was a possibility, but he still held out hope.
"Sooo, I'd appreciate it if you would help me get back to my universe," he added.
Slowly, Bruce No Batman turned around and began to make his way to where they had Jason tied up. Dick and the others followed behind him.
"Our Jason is dead," Tim said as he stared with an unnatural intensity. "You can't leave us again."
At Tim’s words, Jason felt his heart drop in his stomach. It wasn't a question or a suggestion or even a demand. He just stated it as if it were a simple fact. He tensed in the chair but made no other move. He didn't want to give them any other reason to knock him out again. "My Bruce is waiting for me back home,” he replied, the words almost getting stuck in his throat. “You can't do this to him."
Hesitantly, Dick walked up to Jason, his hands up like he was calming a feral animal, but Jason thought he looked more like a panther stalking its prey. Dick’s uniform was pretty much the same as Jason’s Dick except for the concerning lack of the bright blue that normally accompanied the black. Instead, it was replaced with gray, and instead of bird wings, a giant bat was centered on his chest.
"We can become your new family. You would fit right in,” he said as if it wouldn’t be a problem.
And wasn't that the shitty topping on a shitty cake? Jason would fit right in; he's already killed. He's already done unforgivable shit. Shit that probably left scars on his soul and definitely left scars on others. So why did it bother him so much that Dick was right?
Still, Jason shook his head. It didn’t matter if Dick was right. This wasn’t his Gotham; this wasn’t his universe; and this wasn’t his family.
"I can't stay here; I don't belong in this universe."
Damian took the silence that followed Jason’s words to scoff in offense.
"If you didn't, you wouldn't be here, Todd.” At least Damian looked and sounded the most normal. Of course, there was a lack of yellow, but the uniform and the demon brat’s attitude seemed to be the same. The fact that he was the most normal out of them wasn’t lost on Jason considering that the Damian of his universe stood out just as badly as Jason tended to. Then again, anyone raised and trained by the League of Assassins would.
Before Jason could give a rebuttal, Batman stepped forward, removing the cowl from his head, and goddamn, was he menacing. Jason’s Bruce could be scary when he wanted to, but Jason also knew that it was Batman that was terrifying. Jason’s Bruce was like a feral cat who scratched and bit when poked and prodded too much, but always came back to lick and try to heal whatever hurt he left.
This Bruce? He was Batman, and Jason couldn’t tell them apart despite him removing the cowl. There was little to no difference, and it freaked him the hell out.
“Tell me,” he said. “What is the other...bat...family like?"
For a short moment, Jason didn’t know what to say. To be honest, he didn’t want to say a damn thing, but his mouth started moving, and words tumbled out of his mouth before he could process what he was saying.
"Different...they don't kill. I do. We butt heads a lot; they care way too much for people with nightly activities like us, and they're way too forgiving for my taste."
"I could guess that from just talking to you.” Bruce interrupted as he stared at Jason with bright but dead blue eyes. It felt like his soul was laid out for him to see and he fought a full-body shudder.
“I want to know what they're like."
"So you can kill them?" Jason asked sardonically.
Before Bruce could reply, Jason continued, "Even if you do, I won't stay here. They aren't the only family I have."
"You'd fit in better with us, Jason, and you know it,” Tim spoke up, a slight jealous edge to his voice.
Jason shrugged, not bothering to refute his words. There was no use, not when he knew it to be true.
"Probably,” he conceded. “However, that's not the point. The point is that I don't belong here, and I don't want to be here. A Gotham where people are scared of this symbol on my chest is not the Gotham I want to be in."
Damian snorted then, an ugly look on his face. “So what is your Gotham like then?”
“Lighter,” Jason said. His mouth was moving on its own again. “The people there aren’t as afraid. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still a shit place, but it doesn’t have the hopelessness that this Gotham has.”
“I'm pretty sure the crime there is still at an all-time high,” Dick interrupted, a deep frown on his face.
Sighing, Jason adjusted himself in the chair and nodded. “It is,” he admitted. The crime in Jason’s universe was fucking abysmal. There isn’t a single night that someone isn’t dying or coming up missing. Not a night where stores go unrobbed or women and children go untouched.
Jason sighed again, wishing he could rub a hand over his face. “The villains there are the bane of my existence; the police fucking suck; politicians are corrupt; and the Joker is still alive bu—”
The moment those words left his mouth, Bruce growled, and Jason wasn’t exaggerating. It was bloody, fucking terrifying. It sounded unnatural and inhuman. The anger that was shown on all their faces was so heavy that it changed the air in the cave, and it became stifling.
“That fucker is still alive!?” Dick yelled, and Jason could only nod, confirming his question. He was too surprised at the anger in Dick’s voice. It wasn’t the first time that he'd heard that sound come out of his brother’s mouth, but it was the anger in his eyes that didn’t fit.
“You still believe that you belong there? Your Bruce didn’t kill the Joker when he killed you?” Tim questioned, and Jason’s hair stood on the back of his neck at the tone the question was asked.
“My Bruce doesn’t kill,” he answered slowly and cautiously. “He almost did, but Superman stopped him before he could.”
Truth be told, it was when Clark revealed the truth that Jason finally decided to hear Bruce out. That was the turning point in their relationship, and it allowed the bitter part of Jason that felt he was unloved to heal. Not completely, of course; a few words weren’t enough to erase the years of hate, but they went a long way toward fixing everything else.
Bruce/Batman abruptly turned away and stalked toward the Bat computer, his cape flowing out dramatically at the pace at which he was walking. Tim, Damian, and Dick all moved in sync, going to their respective corners, and, well, Jason didn’t really want to think about the things they were going to pack.
“We will help you get back to your universe. We already know which one it belongs to.” Jason’s brain short-circuited at Bruce’s/Batman’s words, and it took him almost five minutes to make sense of what he was implying. Even when he did, Jason was stuck on the fact that they could have sent him home hours ago and didn’t. It made his stomach flutter, both with anger and unease, and their previous statements only fueled his unease.
“What the fuck?” Jason said. It was mostly to himself, but they still heard him because, of course, they did.
Tim smirked at him, his eyes playful. “We aren’t complete idiots, you know.”
Jason wasn’t impressed, and he leveled a glare at Tim, fully intent on ignoring the way his face fell. “You said you haven’t been to alternate universes,” Jason refuted. He didn’t find it funny, and the fact that they already knew but were willing and ready to keep him anyway didn’t win them any points.
“We haven’t,” Tim shrugged. “Other people have come to ours though. None of them have been you,” he said and Jason was thankful for that.
“What happened to the others?”
Tim tilted his head again, his eyes shining with something that Jason didn’t want to dissect but was sure the people he'd killed had seen before. “Do you really want the answer to that question?”
“No.” Jason frowned. “I already know the answer,” he said annoyed.
Tim smiled then, and Jason was reminded of his own Tim for a short moment, and it only managed to further creep him out.
"Are you going to let me go?" He asked, quite tired of being tied up and his muscles were beginning to cramp.
Bruce looked up from the bat computer, a confused look on his face. "Why would we do that?"
Jason's heart stopped and he stared at him in shock. He looked around the Batcave and saw defiant looks on the face of Dick, Tim, and Damian and he felt as if all the air was sucked out of his chest.
"You can't keep me here while you go to my universe! Why do you want to go there anyway?"
Damian crossed his arms over his chest and glowered at Jason with disapproval. "We are going to kill the Joker. You can't be there, it's too dangerous."
For a minute, Jason wasn't sure if he heard correctly but yes, Damian did say what he thought he did.
"So you just plan on keeping me here hostage?"
**Warning**
Dick shook his head at Jason's words, a look of hurt crossing his face. "You're not our captive Jay but you can't go anywhere near the Joker."
Huffing, Jason tilted his head back as he tried to get his thoughts together. This was not good, not good at all. He was trying to figure out how to convince them to let him go when a plan suddenly formed in his head. It was...unsavory but at this point, it was the only thing that might push them into giving in...it was either that or they'll padlock him somewhere.
"I don't want to stay here. Take me back to my universe or I'll get out of these ropes and off myself while you're gone," he threatened and he had the displeasure of seeing the blood drain from their faces. They looked at each other, before they turned back to Jason, seemingly already coming to a decision. Tim walked over to where Jason was tied up and cut him from the ropes keeping him confined to the chair. Jason could tell none of them were happy about it but the threat of Jason killing himself was more than enough.
“Don’t worry, you’ll be back in your universe soon enough,” he mumbled unhappily, his face twisting into something ugly.
Funny enough, that didn’t exactly make Jason any less weary about it.
Jason was right to be worried because the moment they appeared in his universe, they landed in the middle of the bat cave, with the entire bat family there, and when Jason meant the entire family, he wasn’t lying.
There was a tense silence for a second before weapons were drawn on both sides, and Jason was in the middle of two groups. One who happened to have no problem with killing and would happily kill the bats if it meant keeping him to themselves. Jason had no desire to be in the middle of that. Thank you very much.
"Whoa, it’s me!” Jason yelled. “I ended up in an alternate universe and ran into another Batman. They brought me back.”
“Prove it.” Jason’s Tim demanded, and Jason was startled at the similarities. For a split second, he could see his Tim becoming the one behind him. It was a bit unnerving, and he promptly decided to never let him get that far.
"Well, for one, they don’t have a Jason. He’s still dead, and two, you can tell the differences between our costumes.”
Jason’s Dick stepped up, his head tilted to the side like a puppy, and Jason was sure he’d never been happier to see the bright blue bird on his brother’s chest in his life.
“No offense, but you kind of fit in with them.”
Jason rolled his eyes but smirked at his older brother, cocking his hip to the side. “That’s because they stole my color scheme, birdbrain.”
All of a sudden, Dick smiled wildly and ran up to Jason, bowling him over in a hug. “Jay!”
Grimacing at Dick’s voice right in his ear, Jason patted him gently on the back before shoving him off. “Too loud, Dicky-bird.”
“We were worried about you,” he rebutted. “We were about to call in Kore, Roy, and the Justice League. Bruce just about lost his mind,” Dick grimaced and then shuddered, and the act made Jason’s stomach turn to lead.
“What did he do?”
Stephanie stepped up to him, her hands on her hips. “Just about beat the man to death. It took Cas and Dick to pull him off while babybat dragged the guy to safety.” Jason stared wide-eyed at Stephanie and tried desperately to keep a smile off his face. It wasn’t often that Bruce lost control, but soon that smile died when he took a quick glance at the alternate Batman standing stock still behind him.
Jason knew that none of them would allow Bruce to kill; the fact that they kept him from doing so proves it, but it made a tiny note of doubt plant itself in Jason’s head, and the conversation he had with Bruce when he first returned flashed in his mind.
“No! God almighty, no. It’d be too damned easy. All I’ve ever wanted to do is kill him. But if I do that… if I allow myself to go down into that place… I’ll never come back.”
Jason saw first-hand how much Gotham changed when Bruce did. He didn’t want his Gotham to turn into the one he landed in. He didn’t want his Bruce to become that Batman. Despite Jason’s past and the people he’s killed, Bruce has always been the exception.
“Do not call me by that name ever again Brown, unless you want a sword in your stomach,” Damian growled from his place by the Bat computer, startling Jason out of his thoughts. He turned around to face Jason with a scowl.
“Father has been placed in the care of Superman, and we had to confiscate his kryptonite. I must call and inform him of the changes.” Damian got up and started to make his way to the elevator before he turned back and looked over the group of alternate vigilantes.
“Tsk.”