Gotham by Streetlight AU

Chapter one

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.