The silence was deafening.

Plip...plop

Hood really hoped that was the rain starting and not the sound of his blood hitting the concrete. And if it was his blood, hopefully the replacement couldn't hear it. He needed to wrap this up quickly before he bleeds out because that's still a thing that's happening.

"...Well that's presumptuous of you," Jason drawls. Dammit was that really the best his brain could do? Is it taking a lunch break? The twerp started shifting, obviously uncomfortable with how the conversation was progressing.

"I've been looking at the data we've collected on you and it would logically make sense if you and Jason Todd had some sort of close connection. It explains your vendetta, ties to Crime Alley, and dislike of the bats." That earned Tim a sneer.

"First of all, I don't dislike the bats. I hate them." Jason waves his gun angrily in Tim's direction to emphasize his point, making the kid tense up. Good, he should be scared. "And despite being aware of this fact, you still decided to seek me out. Alone. On my turf. To make such a ridiculous claim? You're more of a fool than a thought, replacement."

Tim nervously adjusts his glove before spitting out, "That's another thing. Not many people figured out that there was a new Robin, but you noticed and vehemently insisted on calling me replacement." For someone who should desperately be trying to keep Hood talking rather than shooting, he sure did a good job of making himself a target. The kid must have a death wish.

Plip plop

Or Jason did because somehow he forgot that he was actively bleeding out. Now that his mind was starting to recover from the initial confusion, the pain was starting to register again. Unfortunately, he was once again acutely aware of the blood soaking his chest plate and how it had begun dripping off the edge of his holster. That was his blood he'd been hearing. The bullet wounds were pulsing fiercely and shooting fire through his veins. He could vaguely see the hand holding the gun shaking. Even worse, the edges of reality felt fuzzy, almost like he was more a spectator of this encounter rather than a participant. The kid was looking at him strangely. Had he zoned out? Or maybe he was picking up on the state Hood was in. Either way, he needed to wrap this up. There was no way in hell he was going to collapse and leave himself at the mercy of a bat.

"Look here kid," Jason gritted out, "I have no interest in discussing my life's story with you. I have even less interest in having a touching little heart-to-heart with a bat. Since I'm a bit pressed for time at the moment, I'll be merciful and allow you to leave without a few souvenirs." Hood lowered his gun so the obviously not-so-smart replacement got the gist. "I know what you're thinking, "what a magnanimous crime lord." You're welcome, now scram." Jason dramatically pivoted, his knees not almost buckling from the pain it put on his hip, and made to grapple to the next roof.

"We're talking about this more later Hood! You can honor Jason's legacy without killing!" Hood whipped back around to make a scathing remark on how they definitely will not be, but the defiant little idiot was already scrambling out of Crime Alley with an urgency you only have when getting chased. And Hood might have chased him after that last remark if not for his injuries.

Jason sighed heavily and continued heading for his safehouse at a more lax pace now that he wasn't being pursued. A bone-deep exhaustion had set in and he desperately wanted to sleep. Thankfully, his safe house was right around the corner in a dingy old apartment complex. The once creamy colored bricks had taken on a muddy tone as they aged, and the heavy smog that hung in the air gave the building an eerie feel. Jason carefully let himself into his apartment through the window and promptly ripped his helmet off with shaking hands. Cold sweat lined his brow and threatened to start dripping down his face as he stumbled to the bathroom and grabbed his first aid kit.

"Stupid bullets," Jason hissed as he began digging the bullets out. "Stupid traffickers." One bullet out, one wound sewn shut. "Stupid Mask." The bullet in his shoulder was deep and refusing to come out. He dug inside his shoulder for what felt like hours until his shaking fingers finally managed to get a grip on the bullet. However, he was so out of it he made a very poor decision. He yanked it out in one fell swoop and proceeded to nearly black out from the agony that followed. "Stupid freaking replacement," Jason yelled in anguish. After that horrible life decision, he leaned against the wall to catch his breath before finishing patching himself up.

His mind drifts back to his conversation with Robin on the roof. The kid seemed adamant about picking the conversation back up at a later time. How on earth had he come to the conclusion that Hood was friends with Jason? Sure, that may explain some things, but Tim was supposed to be a bat. An apprentice to the greatest detective of all time. He shouldn't be jumping to conclusions. Maybe he really was a fool in his own right. Has he told Batman? Would Batman find this a reasonable speculation? If so, he might start interfering with his plans sooner than anticipated, and he was still a ways off from the grand finale. He might have to speed things up if the bats really do start meddling. However, it may be a good thing. If the kid does tell Batman, it'll make Batman even more paranoid. He'll go on wild goose chases to investigate any and all acquaintances Jason had, and when nothing comes of it he'll wonder if he ever really knew his son.

That thought made the green hum dully at the back of his mind, but his body was too tired to fully react to such a thought. Not caring where anything ended up, Jason shucked his bloody gear off on his way to his room and collapsed into his bed in only his combat pants. Shirts were overrated anyways. His last thought before falling asleep was, "maybe the kid's stupidity will work in my favor."

_______

Unfortunately, it took Jason three days to get back on his feet, even with the pit amping up his body's healing process. And that was three days of Jason mulling over whether or not he wanted to cosplay as his own friend. In some ways, it sounds really pathetic. Almost as pathetic as telling your friends in middle school that you have a girlfriend when in reality all you have is some random picture you found online. But on the other hand, it might pay off. He could play the long game and drop extra pieces of information here and there to unnerve them. Push the point that they never knew Jason at all even further before the grand reveal.

Red Hood was having a busy yet uneventful patrol. There were a few mugging, some kids who needed to be escorted home, and a couple douchebags who needed one between the eyes. The usual. That is until he noticed Robin waving at him. "This moron," Hood sighed exasperatedly. He really was going to shoot him this time. Landing on Robin's roof, Hood crossed his arms and gave the kid his best "what the hell do you think you're doing look" he could manage with a helmet on.

"Hi Hood," Robin beamed.

"You do realize you're talking to a crime lord rather than your grandmother, correct?" Had Dick rubbed off that much on this brat? Jason knew that Dick actually cared for this one and had put in an effort, but was he infectious or something?

Robin deflated a bit at that and huffed an offended "no" in response before rattling off, "Where were you, Hood? I've been trying to find you for days and when I didn't see a shiny red bucket anywhere I thought you died! When I was just starting to figure you out too!"

...what in the Devil's green Lazarus Pit was this kid on?

"Kid, you don't know a damn thing about me!" Honestly, Jason could only put up with this presumptuous child for so much longer before he started to lose brain cells.

"I meeeaaan," the kid draws out, "we could fix that?" Jason can only scoff.

"Does the big bad bat know you're getting buddy buddy with psychopathic killers?"

Robin looks offended before chirping, "Correction, you're the only one. And no, he doesn't."

"Wooooow, I'm honored. Thank you for gracing me with your undivided attention, oh benevolent one." Hood deadpans in a way Talia would be proud of.

"Hey Hood," the kid starts. "You know you don't have to kill to keep Jason's legacy alive. Why don't you work with us? You seem to have a lot more insider information than we can get our hands on and you definitely have some semblance of a moral code. We could help each other and keep Crime Alley even safer." Jason couldn't listen to this anymore and cuts Robin off as the green starts clouding his vision.

"How am I supposed to believe you people want to keep Jason's legacy alive when he was replaced and forgotten in a matter of months? How can I work with the people who have left Jason unavenged for years?!" Whelp, guess he's playing into this whole friend thing, but he's too livid to care about making that impromptu decision. "No, none of you bats give a damn about Jason or Crime Alley or you would have done something!"

With that, Red Hood retreats into the fog leaving a stunned Robin behind.