It started that summer

The Present

I quickly threw on a T-shirt and jeans and bolted out the door, glancing at my communicator. "This better be important, Dicky," I grumbled. I dashed down the apartment stairs and out the front entrance, letting out a sigh as I stepped outside. Dick stood there, as bright and cheery as ever."You know I was in the middle of something," I said.

He tipped his blue hat with a cheeky grin. "This is important, I swear."

"Yeah? So was I, getting popcorn for movie night while I was in the middle of a fight," I retorted, rolling my eyes. Dick grabbed my arm and pulled me toward his car. 

"Jay, this is serious! I know you haven't gotten Damian anything yet." He gave me his best mom glare, making me sink back and rub my neck.

"Well... yeah, but I'm working on it," I said defensively.

"Perfect! Because I'm going to help you find something!" I slid into the passenger seat with an irritated sigh as he rambled on about the big plan. "Babs is going to help decorate tomorrow morning. Oh! And we're having a BBQ with Alfred's famous chicken kabobs~" I smiled, thinking about Alfred's cooking. This summer, Dick had taken on the role of 'dad' and tried to get all the Batkids together. It's been nice spending time with them and feeling part of the family. But Damian—nothing gets past him, and we're polar opposites. "A lot of people are coming, which is why I need your help."

"Look, the kid doesn't even like me. I'll help, but I probably won't stay."

"Hey, Jason?" Dick turned to me, concern in his eyes. "When's the last time you got some sleep? You're starting to look like Tim," he joked.

"Dick, I'm fine. Just been busy since someone let a villain get past them." I reminded him of a few nights ago. But the reality was, I was starting to get Tim's iconic eye bags. The drug mafia was in my sights, and crime had surged in recent weeks. I didn't have a second to waste. 

He whined, "Don't change the subject! After I help you, you need to sleep so you can come early to set up. Besides, Damian does like you. He's just... a tough cookie."

"Oh yeah, I know. It's not like he's tried to kill me multiple times."

Dick pulled off his hat and ran his hand through his hair, frowning. "Can you blame him? The kid was raised to kill—it's all he knew most of his life. Damian's trying to adjust, and he's making progress. He even made friends with Clark's kid—"

"Supes' kid?" I was surprised.

"Yeah, he never misses one of Jon's baseball games."

"I didn't know that demon was capable of making friends."

"That demon is your brother," Dick protested. He slid his hand across the wheel and met my eyes. "I think you two have the most in common out of all of us. You both grew up in similar situations and followed similar paths. He's got his guard up, but he's warming up to you. I know it. Now, let's pick something out." He smiled. "Oh, and Jay, don't worry about him."

I sneered, "Psh, I don't care about that—"

"Jason," he looked at me, "He'll come around." He stepped out of the car, and I let out a breath I didn't realize I was holding. That's Dick for you—always knowing how I'm feeling.

~3 hours later~

We came up empty-handed after hitting six different stores. I threw my bag on the floor and collapsed onto my bed with a whoosh, feeling the warm summer breeze from the open window. I glanced at my wall of weapons and muttered, "I'm not giving him my stuff." I closed my eyes for a moment, but a loud bang jolted me awake. The room was dark and the sky gray. "Guess I was tired," I muttered, rubbing my eyes and checking the clock. "Midnight, great." I flipped on the lights and began investigating the noise. Pulling the gun from my pocket, I carefully opened the door to find a little white box with a perfect ribbon. I scanned it for any signs of danger. "Kate's Bakery?" I read on the label. Stella, the old lady next door, had just mentioned this place, saying she always gets a pastry from there for her granddaughter's birthday. "But who delivers cake at midnight?" I wondered. I opened the box and fell back in shock. "W-What the hell?" Inside was a perfectly white frosted cake with red splatters, and in crimson letters, it read, "Happy Death Day." There was a plastic ring with the Robin emblem embedded in the cake. My back hit the wall as my hands shook and my gun fell. Ringing filled my ears, and my heart pounded. "No, no, no..." I muttered, scrambling to pack essentials into a duffle bag. I threw on my mask and grabbed a jacket, slinging the bag over my shoulder and leaping out the window. My location had to be compromised. But how? Sitting on the roof, I pulled out my phone and checked the date, feeling nauseous. Why now, after all these years? I buried my head in my hands, trying to get a grip. I needed to figure out who was behind this.