Jason cornered the young man in an alleyway and gently patted his crowbar. 

"Looks like someone didn't pay for protection. Ain't that right Dickie?" he asked with a smug smirk. Dick stayed silent and nodded, twisting his bat around in his hands as he walked along the wall and kept an eye out for any red and blue lights. 

"I swear I'll pay!" the man promised out of pure desperation. His back was about to hit the chain link fence which would trap him with the boys. Believe it or not, children with weapons could be incredibly scary in Gotham. Especially these boys. 

"See Jay he's going to pay, can't we stop now?" Tim asked. He was new to the hustling game and hated every second of it but just like the older pair, he didn't have much of a choice. 

"Aww is Timmy scared to rough someone up?" Jason teased. He blushed in embarrassment as Dick gave the ginger a disparaging glare. "Urgh, you're no fun," he complained.

"It's my first time, that's all," Tim defended. He shook as his trembling hands brandished a blunt knife still stained with a stranger's blood vaguely in the direction of their victim. The knife had been the eldest of the trio's old knife from when he first started and was well used by the time he handed it down. He daredn't imagine the number of people whose blood had been drawn by the blade. Dick agreed and suggested he never even try to think about it to sleep easier at night. God knows he didn't. 

Jason rolled his eyes and turned his attention back to the trembling man in front of him. 

"How do we know you're going to pay up?" he asked, smirking mischievously. Of course, he knew the man didn't have the money. If he did, he wouldn't be pressed up against a dead end with the threat of death. Not many would try their luck out running their debt. 

"I promise! You have to believe me," the man begged. He was sweating buckets, the liquid being highlighted beneath the full moon. 

"Hmm, do you guys believe him? I'm on the fence," he said, drawing out the tension. He liked this part with the adrenaline coursing through him. He'd always been a fighter and he had plenty to be angry about. It wasn't his fault that this guy took a loan he couldn't pay back. 

"Stop playing and do what I pay you to do," Joey ordered from the shadows. He was never one to get his hands dirty. That's why he had replaceable kids doing it who would get lighter sentences if caught. Heavy on the if. Dick took particular care in making sure the police only had enough proof to put them inside for a few months at best. If anything, Joey was a massive coward hiding behind his makeshift child soldiers but they'd never say that unless they wanted a beating and the only shelter they had taken away from them. 

"You don't pay us," Jason muttered.

Dick jumped down and stood at the front of the group. He was the most experienced out of the three, doing the job since he was nine, and had assumed the role of their leader. They didn't attack unless he gave the word to do so. Tim tugged on his sleeve, grabbing his attention. 

"I don't wanna hurt him. He didn't do anything wrong," he admitted. He was freaked out beyond belief at hurting the man. It wasn't right. He knew that. Dick knew that. Jason knew that. Hell, even Joey must know that too. It was simply a matter of how much they cared about doing the wrong thing. 

"What did the squirt say?" Joey demanded. He rolled up his right sleeve menacingly, reminding them starving on the streets wasn't the only punishment they could receive. Dick was still sporting a black eye from last time. 

"He asked me where to cut him so he doesn't bleed out," he lied. "We wouldn't want a dead body on our hands, right?" Joey took the bait and crossed his arms across his chest as a form of truce. As he did so, Dick returned to Tim's query. "You can hold back on this one. I'll take the punishment if there is one," he assured him.

"But you always do that-" He raised a hand to interrupt him. Their conversation would end there as it always did.

As they advanced towards the man, a black figure dropped down between them. The boys took a step back in surprise only to realize who the living shadow was. Batman. 

"Leave him alone if you know what's good for you," Batman warned in a gruff voice. It sent shivers down their spines, drawing all the blood from Tim's face. He was somehow trembling more than before and was on the verge of tears. He was a big fan of Batman but that didn't make it any less terrifying to face him, especially with a caution like that.

"What do we do?" Jason asked. He could be cocky and overestimate his abilities but he wasn't stupid enough to think he could take on Gotham's protector. This guy dealt with the Joker and Scarecrow all alone. He could fight them blinded with one arm tied behind his back.

"Go home, I'll handle this," he answered. At first, they shook their heads unwillingly. Joey would kill them if they ran off no matter who they were up against. "I'll handle all of this," he added, referring to the certain punishment. Again, they shook their heads unwillingly but Dick wasn't giving them a choice. "Leave or I'll make you leave." With that, they took off. 

"You should take your own advice," Batman said as Dick geared up to fight him. The boy didn't reply but his eyes did dart to the shadows. The hero hadn't noticed their ringleader hiding there at first. He assumed that the man was the reason Dick didn't take his own advice. There was someone watching him to make sure of it.

Upon realizing this, Batman changed his target from a rather small teen to a much taller and buffer man. 

"Making children do your dirty work again?" he announced. Dick climbed up onto the wall and awaited a time to strike. His leader was going to kill him for ratting out his hiding place but that was a problem for another day. He didn't fancy his chances fighting a man twice his size and more years in training than he had in life.

"Yep, although I'm regretting it right about now," Joey admitted, sending a pointed glare to the teen that put him in this situation. He walked out of the shadows and rolled up his sleeves, revealing his brass knuckles that were bound to pack a punch. 

"You're a pathetic man Joey. Children have no place in this business." Joey gritted his teeth and threw a punch at the Dark Knight, who quickly caught it. He pulled the man out into the bigger alleyway to get a better look at him then pushed him into the wall that Dick had perched himself on top of. He quickly moved out of the way to avoid getting pulled into the ensuing brawl. Batman reeled back and gave Joey a good punch to the face but was pushed off soon after. 

Whilst they fought, Dick noticed the man still trembling in the corner. He was unable to run forward since that's where the fight was and the chain-link fence was still blocking his path. He saw the fear in the man's eyes as he helplessly pressed his back against the corner, wishing to be anywhere but here. They burrowed their way into Dick's eyes, persuading him to do something which would only make his punishment worse when he got home. It would probably give Tim some peace of mind tonight to know at least one person escaped unscathed.

He cautiously crawled along the wall and jumped down beside him. The man winced at his presence causing a painful clench in Dick's heart. There was once a time he made people grin just by being around them though he supposed the boy that did that died long ago. The fence was fairly weak as the edges were curling up. If he held up a corner, the man would be able to escape onto the main street and lose himself in the crowds. 

"Consider this your lucky day," he said. The man raised an eyebrow at him, the fear becoming replaced by confusion. Dick went closer to the fence and lifted up the edge, cocking his head to signal towards the new exit. The older gave him a fragile smile and scrambled through the gap. 

"Thank you so much," he replied once he was on the other side. He ran off soon after and was soon out of sight. Maybe he'd pay up next time. Maybe if he was smart, he'd skip town and never look back. He turned around to the fight and noticed Batman staring at him with a hint of a smile. Why would he be smiling? That smile soon turned to gritted teeth as he knocked Joey out cold. Dick gulped, realizing that he'd be the one to drag the man back to their dirty apartment. 

"You helped him," Batman commented as though surprised. It was hard to tell with how monotone he kept his voice. 

"This is just a job, I don't exactly like it," he defended. He wanted to add that he wasn't a bad person because he did bad things but he didn't really believe that and he doubted Batman would either.

"I never said you did. Those boys before, your brothers?" Dick shook his head.

"Co-workers," he corrected.

"You acted like they were your brothers." He dismissed the notion as quickly as Batman proposed it. 

"How so?"

"You let them go home instead of making them fight. I know what Joey will do to you for that. Only someone they were close with would stick their neck out for them," Batman argued. 

"What's your point here? Are you some sort of shrink?" The older shook his head. 

"Your parents know you're out here?" He chose not to answer that question. Batman got the hint. "That the same for the other boys?" Dick nodded though he remained unsure of where he was going with this conversation.

They stayed silent for an agonizing moment as Batman thought through something. He then took out a pad of paper and pen from his utility belt. Dick always wondered what he kept in the yellow containers, he never thought it would be stationary. He scribbled something onto the paper and then handed it over. Dick took it tentatively and read it. It was an address. 

"When you and the boys are safe to leave, go to this address. There's someone who will take you in and care for you better than this coward will," he explained. Batman began to walk off as he pocketed the paper.

"Why help us? Why are we so special?" Batman paused, thinking over his answer.

"You helped that man, the smallest of your group showed remorse and the other seemed worried for you, which shows potential. I can't fight crime if I ignore those stuck in it. I'd just be keeping up the cycle."