Red hood's prisoner

Chapter 2 ~ The name's Red Hood

"Leave us, don't return for the next 4 hours." Dick heard a distorted voice command as he slowly started coming back to consciousness, he keeps his eyes closed and started trying to take everything in. He was sitting on a chair and felt the familiar pressure of his restraints on multiple places on his body, and by the dryness in his mouth, it is clear he is gagged.

"I know you're awake, just open your eyes and look at me." The distorted voice says as a hand tightly grabs his jaw, Dick slowly opens his eyes and is met with a red helmet inches from his face. Dick tries to move his head away from the masked man, but the grip on his jaw is tightened, making it unable for him to move.

"Easy, don't panic. I promise you everything is gonna be alright." The man says and waits for Dick to stop moving his head and get his breath under control, Dick grumbled out some curse words but they were muffled by the gag. The man slowly steps back and carefully takes off the red helmet he was wearing and revealed his face, Dick gasped in surprise and looked at him in disbelieve.

"Jason!" Dick gasped in surprise as tears filled his eyes, his voice was muffled by the gag but it was clear to Jason what Dick just said. Jason slowly approached Dick again and placed his right hand lovingly on Dick's cheek, he felt his boyfriend subconsciously lean into his gloved hand.

"Yes Dickie, it's me. I'm sorry I let you believe I was dead for so long, I came for you as soon as I could." Jason explained as he carefully untied the gag from behind Dick's head and slowly takes it out, allowing Dick to spit out the wad of cloth that had been stuck in his mouth.

"Here." Jason said as he holds up a bottle of water against Dick's lips, not giving Dick a chance to talk before the water makes its way down his throat.

"How are you alive?" Dick asked as Jason slowly pulls the water bottle away from his lips, at first Dick thought this wasn't the real Jason but everything inside him tells him it is.

"Don't worry about it Dickie, all that matters is that I'm here now." Jason said as he gently brushes Dick's hair out of his face and placed a gentle kiss on his temple.

"Jason please, I need to know." Dick whispered with desperation in his voice, Jason looked into his eyes and saw his 'death' had hurt Dick more than he thought it would.

"Alright then. After I left the Titans I went back to Gotham and I kept having nightmares about that time Deathstroke captured me and I fell from that building. It got better when you started visiting and training me but the nightmare returned when you had to go back to the Titans, and then after a while, Bruce told me I couldn't be Robin anymore. The fear just started taking over so I went to the one person that I thought would be able to help me, Jonathan Crane." Jason said as he subconsciously started stroking his hand through Dick's hair, more to comfort himself than to comfort Dick.

"Jason, no." Dick said quietly, how could he not have noticed Jason was suffering like that?

"I visited him in prison and we made a deal, I would tell him everything about Batman and break him out of Arkham, and in return he gave me the formula for some kind of anti-fear gas. Not long after that, you and I started dating. When I finally perfected the anti-fear formula I returned to him and he told me what to do next, to be sure it worked I would go after the Joker alone and let him kill me. When I woke up I was somewhere in Arkham and Crane was there, he told me he brought me back with a Lazarus pit here in Gotham." Jason explained as he slowly walked behind Dick, his soothing hand never leaving his boyfriend's hair.

"You can't break him out of Arkham Jay, he is too dangerous." Dick whispered as he tried to turn his head to face Jason, but his hands tightened in his hair, forcing Dick to keep facing forward.