Confused_blob58 suggested villain batfam and i've been on a real kick about writing jason and dick interacting so this is gonna be very fun

This is an au where Red Hood is the good guy and the entire batfam are the bad guys so i'm just gonna reverse the drama surrounding it - i'm not sure if i wanted to reverse the rogues and make them heroes so they're not gonna be here BUT if you guys have ideas i'm receptive

Americano by Lady Gaga is such a good song to write a chase scene to and we really need to respect more of the born this way album because it is banger after banger

"Oh for fuck's sake," Red Hood muttered. In front of him lying dead in the street, their blood rushing to leak into the surrounding puddles of dirty water, was his only lead for Batman's next plot. There was a special kind of frustration when he worked on a case his ex-mentor was at the head of and this development didn't help at all. He kicked a puddle, splashing water over the corpse and over his clothes. He was already soaked leaving him uncomfortable and in a sour mood. This certainly didn't help. Taking a deep breath to steady himself, he decided to see if there were any trademarks on the body hoping that there would be a familiar MO. Obviously, this person was important enough to the scheme Batman was working on to be killed once it was found out Red Hood was after him and there were few trusted to do the Bat's dirty work if it wasn't him. 

Batman himself would've staged the body differently and there was no slit throat which had slowly become the man's trademark. No gunshot wounds either. Sometimes if someone was a particular thorn in his side they'd be blown to bits with a shotgun, disfiguring them and ensuring a closed-casket funeral. Sometimes a bat symbol would be left behind like a calling card or a warning to others.

Red Robin wouldn't have made it so bloody, he was clean and precise in his work. Often he made it look nothing like a murder to avoid suspicion and planted evidence to have the police on a wild goose chase. He'd only gotten better when he was shoved out of the Robin position perhaps to prove he never should've been made to find a new title. His name alone was a passive-aggressive one, daring to have Robin still in it. 

Next up was Batman's latest brat. A trained assassin could have done this and the kid had a habit of making things bloody but there was nothing missing from the body. If it was Robin then something would be missing as proof of his work since he was still working on being trusted despite Nightwing singing his praises. A finger, a hand, hell Red Hood had seen a tattoo be skinned off someone at one point in time. Despite the blood that coated the body, it seemed intact. 

The girls, Batgirl, Orphan and Oracle didn't step in for Batman when he needed a lackey offed if it didn't directly affect them. They had some self-respect about them to not do his dirty work and often had their own plans going on outside of his that just happened to be convenient for him. That and last he heard they were causing chaos on the other side of town.

That left one person. One man who would be all too happy to do his ex-mentor's dirty work if it meant a slither of approval. One man who would have used the two-pronged tasers that would leave the marks on the corpse's neck. One man who would keep things bloody enough to send a message. 

"Nightwing," Red Hood gritted out, glaring at the corpse. 

Out of all of the self-proclaimed batfamily, Nightwing seemed to be the most willing to entertain him but he was also a bitch to find and take down. 

For one, he jumped between Bludhaven and Gotham at seemingly random times leaving very little trace of where he was going next. 

For two, he was a cryptic guy when he wanted to be. He needed something in return for every piece of information he gave away and then more to buy his silence. 

For three, he was a trained acrobat and did cardio in his sleep so he could easily outrun all of his adversaries. 

In short, that was a lot of work just for him to maybe not even give the right information because he'd been offered better. Which was why he couldn't believe his luck when he realised the body was still ever so slightly warm. Nightwing was close by. 

If he had any hopes of catching Nightwing, he needed to get onto the rooftops of the city. The villain never stayed on the ground for long.

As though his life depended on it, he scaled the closest building and looked around for any sign of acrobat. He held his breath as he searched the surrounding rooftops but felt the crushing blow of defeat when he found them all empty.

"I'm guessing you found my work?" Nightwing asked. He whipped around to find the man's white lenses gleaming in the shadows. He had to admit that it was incredibly creepy although he would never say such things aloud. It would only go to inflate Nightwing's ego all the more.

"I found the body of a man you murdered, if that's what you mean," Red Hood corrected. "You still working for Bats or did you just get bored?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?" he giggled. If the hero didn't know any better, he'd think he was high. The laughter was just a touch too uncontrolled from the cackle he was familiar with. 

"What do you want?"

"Game of tag," he replied. Red Hood groaned and he just knew the older was grinning from his hiding place. It was one of the games Batman made them play to increase agility but of course, he never won because he was up against Nightwing of all people. "You're it!" Nightwing darted out from the shadows and immediately began scaling the nearby scaffolding. He looked like a too-eager child at a park, clambering at an inhuman pace to be the one to sit on top of the climbing frame. If Red Hood wanted the headache and guilt, he'd start shooting but his pride was swirling in his mind and he'll be damned if he still can't get close to the villain in a game of tag.

---

As he caught himself on the edge of the scaffolding, scowling at Nightwing as he bounced from beam to beam, he noticed something being left on the metal. It wasn't completely obvious at first but it was something. His primary thought was that Nightwing was leaving behind some kind of flammable powder so that when he got to the top he could burn the place down. However, what looked like powder now glistened like liquid. He felt his hand slowly sliding down the bar he was holding and glanced to find the same substance coating it. Only, it wasn't something deadly to him. 

It was deadly to Nightwing.

"Wing, are you bleeding?" he yelled after the villain. Above him, he heard the squeak of Nightwing's boot slip followed by a few moments of silence. For a second, he expected to hear the thud of a body hitting the metal pipes but it never came. Red Hood used the time he heard no movement to push himself to the limit in order to close the gap between them. He wasn't nearly as nimble as the other man but the pause allowed him to gain some distance until he joined Nightwing on the builder's platform. The man was completely fascinated with the blood gliding down his fingers and seeping through his gloves as he paid no attention to the giant wound that had produced the crimson in the first place or his chaser's presence. "Fucking hell!" Red Hood shouted. 

On Nightwing's right side was a large deep gash that travelled from the fatty part of his hip all the way to the middle of his ribcage. If he had a weaker stomach, he would've thrown up his lunch there and then. Yet he received no real reaction for his exclamation. Not even a wince or glance. It was like he never uttered a word in the first place.

"Are you on something? How did you not feel that?" he shrieked. How can someone skip over the fact they had a gaping hole in their side? He shook the older's shoulder and finally got something out of him.

"New stimulant," Nightwing replied, his voice distant despite how close they were. No doubt his pupils were blown beneath the white lenses of his mask. "Red was working on it. Keeps you awake and in good order. No point being dead on your feet." He took in a shaky breath. "Bats wouldn't let him try it, said to give it to me."

"They used you for drug testing," he muttered. He knew the family weren't the best to one another but testing unknown drugs on one of their own was a step too far. Especially a stimulant and especially on someone who regularly worked alone so if something went wrong he'd be up the creek without a paddle. Interestingly, where Nightwing would usually protest at the wording, this time he silently nodded. "Do you even know what's in it?"

"No," he answered quietly. "But B said if I keep testing the stimulants till we find one that works, he'll protect me from the Court again."

"The Court of Owls? What do they want with you that's any worse than what you've got with Batman?" Once again, he expected some protest at his phrasing but he got an honest answer instead that shattered him in a whole new way.

"I wouldn't have Robin." 

There was one thing he could never knock Nightwing for and that was his genuine love for the family of criminals he was a part of. He adored them all as though they were his through blood and Red Hood knew that Robin held a special place in his heart. It was painful really, seeing someone with such a bleeding heart be stuck in a business as cold as this one but it wasn't like he was innocent. He'd been killing since nine and along the way had lost what little normalcy he had. It just so happened he never compromised on family values.

"There's a safehouse around here somewhere. I'll take you to it and patch you up."

"I'm supposed to meet Robin at two. Can't be late."

"It's only just gone midnight. You won't survive another two hours without help." Nightwing observed him for a beat or two before giggling in his rather creepy way.

"You only want information," he said like he'd just called a teacher by their first name. His face was far too animated for someone so wounded. "First aid work isn't enough to buy me. B won't like me spilling and B hates snitches."

"I guessed that from the body."

"Mhm! Said to make it look bloody." He tilted his head in thought. "Maybe he hurt me."

"Wait, you don't even know where you picked that up from? Dick, are you insane?"

"Sh! No civilian names!" He looked away and pointed across the city to the clock tower. "They'll take me there if I don't listen to B. He said if I don't do exactly what he says then he'll hand me over. They'll hurt my head." Red Hood sighed in pity. God, this guy was messed up and he wasn't going to let any information loose if he was still running away from the Court of Owls. They'd been after him for years and Batman only protected him for a price. It was just plain depressing to see him so anxious and unprotected for as much as he preached about them being a true family. 

"Alright, I won't make you tell me anything." Cautiously, he moved to put a hand on Nightwing's shoulder to test their boundaries. When he wasn't thrown off the side of the scaffolding, he decided that they had an unspoken truce. "Let's get you down and stitched up, yeah? I know you can't give me information on my case but maybe you can give me something on the Court of Owls?"

"You gonna go after em?"

"I wanna know where to look if I can't find you again."

"You would look for me if I went missing?"

"You tried to find me."

"Ah, but there's a difference."

"What's that?"

"You're worth finding." Red Hood flinched at the implication but the man was injured and clearly out of it so there was no time to be introspective.

"Whatever. Let's get you out of here."

---

The safehouse was a little worn down but it had what he needed. He led Dick to the couch which was easier than he thought it would be. That could only mean something bad. He set out his supplies on the table and got to work sewing his brother up with minimal painkillers not that any would be of much help considering whatever drug was running through his system was doing a much better job of it. Dick watched him silently almost fascinated by his sure movements. 

"How come you're on Batman's bad side? Kill the wrong guy?" Jason asked, if only to get the eyes off him and break the awkward silence. 

"Wasn't visiting. I have my own place to terrorize. Don't need to be here," he answered brokenly. It didn't surprise Jason that this was some sort of power trip on Batman's part. The man was a control freak and when one of his chess pieces wasn't moving how he wanted, he'd force it to through whatever means necessary. No one was spared from it, not even family. Maybe once upon a time they would be but those times were so long ago and only Dick was around for it. 

"Birds have to fly the next some time, don't they?"

"Not with clipped wings." He frowned to himself and when he didn't hear much more, he glanced up to find the villain was unconscious. 

"Sorry Dick. Wish there was more I could do for you but you're on the wrong side." 

The night was quiet for a while. He made himself some food, sparing some for when Dick woke up. He ate in silence until he heard the door slam open and Robin come storming through. He shot up out of his seat, his gun in hand and stood in the hall before the small criminal could get any closer to Dick. 

"Knocking not in fashion anymore?" Red Hood asked. 

"Not when Grayson goes missing and his coordinates show up here. What have you done with him."

"Nothing. He was injured and I fixed him up before he bled out. No more."

"You better be telling me the truth," Robin spat although he did seem to relax slightly. His eyes darted over to the couch where Dick lay sleeping, his torso covered in bandages that had small spots of red soaking through. They'd need changing at some point. "How is he?"

"He's still pretty out of it. You might have to stay here," Red Hood said, watching the teen make his way over to Nightwing. He tensed, ready for him to throw an accusation but was surprised when Robin just nodded at the information. Robin sported a deep frown as he eyed the wrappings on his brother's torso before letting out a sigh. "So, Court's back to tracking him down?" Red Hood asked. He was desperate to break the oppressive silence over them but regretted trying when he saw the teen shake his head with a look he couldn't quite read. Maybe it was disappointment or resentment. Either way, it was out of place in response to his question.

"Did he tell you about the Court of Owls?"

"He said it was part of the bargain. He takes whatever the fuck Red Robin came up with and in return, he gets protection." Robin hummed. "Since I don't particularly like that idea, I was planning on keeping them out of Gotham but from your reaction, I'm guessing I'm missing something." The younger tilted his head in consideration before deciding on what to say.

"Todd, there is no Court of Owls. There hasn't been for the past ten years."

"What?"

"Father means well with the threat. He knows it's the only way Grayson will listen to reason."

"You mean stay under his control," Red Hood snarled. "He's terrified. Do you understand that?"

"I do."

"Then why haven't you told him?"

"It's safer this way. For all of us."

"Yeah, he seems really safe high off his fucking face on whatever they gave him."

"That was for the good of Drake. He can't ingest random things, not with his health as it is, but Grayson can and will."

"You can't seriously agree that's okay."

"I don't agree but Father is my mentor so I will go with his judgement until I can no longer do so. It's better to play my part alongside Grayson than leave him now because of a disagreement." He went quiet for a moment before sighing. "I will not tell Father you treated him and I will say I broke in but it is for the betterment of all of us when I tell you that you need to go. I have to call this in and you cannot be here for that."

"You'll look after him?"

"Of course. Now go."

"If I find out he's dead, I'll have all of your heads, got that?"

"Not very hero-like."

"Some of Batman's lessons stick."