Richard had come down to the kitchen for breakfast and was still in a half-sleepy state when his phone rang, jolting him awake. He checked the caller ID and then blinked, feeling that he had read it wrong.

But the name showing up on the screen remained the same and surprise took over his features as he answered the call. It was from Jason.

"Morning, Jaybird," he greeted, a soft smile flickering upon his lips to hear his brother's slightly tired and disgruntled voice.

"Hey, are you free?"

"Yeah," he poured himself a cup of coffee as Alfred had brought out the thermos, "all good?"

"I wanted advice," Jason replied, "but first, I want you to promise me that you're not going to let slip a single word of this to anyone."

"Okay, now I am automatically curious to know what you want to talk about," he was feeling more awake by then due to both the coffee and the knowledge that Jay had something to share.

And he was also happy about the fact that his brother had reached out to him for advice, no matter what the situation would be. Ever since Jason had come back from the dead and there had been a very visible barrier between him and the rest of the family, Richard had been worried that they would never be able to go back to how they used to be.

He missed Jason and the bond he had with him so now that Jay had taken the first step, he was willing to do all it took to prove to Jason that his elder brother would always be there for him and would never let him down.

"Not a word to anyone," Jay repeated, "you have to promise me that. And anyone includes Barbara. Not a word to Barbara specifically."

Richard's curiosity was piqued, "fine, I promise. Not a word to anyone. Including Babs. Now tell me what is going on with you."

There was silence on the other end and Richard checked to see if the line had gotten disconnected. But it seemed Jay was taking some time to think about how to say it out loud.

"So... There's a girl and..."

He need not say more as Richard immediately spoke up, "you want relationship advice? That's my expertise, go on. On a side note, when can I meet her?"

"Shut up, you're not meeting her," he groaned, "and no I did not ask you for relationship advice or... Wait..."

"Look, if you like this girl then you're definitely asking me for relationship advice," he remarked, "so be honest and don't hesitate. I will try my best to help you out."

Feeling somewhat motivated by the sincerity in his brother's tone, Jason decided to tell him. "Her name is Valerie and I met her in a bar... One thing led to another and you can assume the rest. A few days after that, I took her out on a date and we've been seeing each other since."

"Okay, nothing too unusual there. So you've been dating her?"

"Uh... No." There was a slight pause and Richard too let those words sink in although he felt confused. "We're not dating because I am reluctant to involve her in my life considering I'm the Red Hood and all... While she thinks it is easier not to be committed."

Richard felt he should respect Jay's request of not letting anyone else find out about his situation so hearing his phone call in the kitchen wouldn't be the best idea. As he had had breakfast already, he took his phone with him to his training area, knowing that no one would be there except him.

"Then what exactly did you mean when you said you guys were seeing each other?" He asked, trying to understand the situation by prompting Jason through questions because otherwise, he wouldn't open up.

"We've been hooking up ever since."

Richard almost dropped the phone at the abrupt revelation. But then he straightened, recovering from the shock, "wait, what?"

"You heard me so I am not repeating anything. And you are not allowed to make fun of me or I will do something you will regret later," he warned.

"No wait, let me get this straight. Are you in a friends-with-benefits situation with her or is this just the booty call situation?"

"Dick, stop being a dick," he grumbled in annoyance and Richard was certain Jay's cheeks would be flushing red with embarrassment by then.

"Okay okay, again I fail to see what the issue is unless you explain," he remarked, sitting down and trying his best to hold in his laughter.

He really wanted to have that conversation with him face to face because seeing a flustered Jason Todd was always quite amusing. But then he didn't want Jay to think that it would be futile to talk to him so he tried not to embarrass him further or else he might never approach him for advice again and that was something he definitely did not want to happen.

He felt glad that his younger brother considered him credible enough to reach out for help and he did not want to shake that perception for just a few seconds of fun.

"The problem is... I think I have fallen in love with her," Jason spoke up at last, letting out the words he had kept strictly to himself ever since that realization had deepened in his heart. "And I have no idea what to do now. I want us to be more than what we are right now but I am worried that I will end up hurting her. I don't want her to get endangered due to me either. It's just... It sucks."

Richard was no longer in the mood of laughing or making a joke out of the situation because what Jason was going through right then was a feeling he knew too well.

Being a vigilante had its downsides and a lot of things had to be sacrificed to keep up two personas separate. He knew it all too well as he had been the first Robin and now as Nightwing, he was living his life rowing two boats instead of one.

In college, before he and Barbara had gotten together, he too fell for a girl whom he couldn't share his vigilante life with.

Richard had dated his class fellow Lori Elton back then, a beautiful young woman who had made him feel like he was truly and deeply in love. But eventually, it was his vigilante life that turned out to be the reason for their relationship to end as he didn't want her to get involved and she couldn't trust him if he wasn't going to be fully honest with her.

So he understood why Jason was reluctant about confessing his feelings to Valerie. But then, Jason wasn't like him so things could turn out much differently than they did for Richard and Lori.

"Dick, you're listening, right?"

He got startled out of his thoughts by his voice, "yes I am. It just made me think about someone from my past."

"Oh..."

However, Richard didn't elaborate further on that topic as he asked Jason, "what do you think? Do you want to tell her that you are in love with her or not?"

"I don't know... I want to but at the same time, I think about all the dreadful things it could lead to in the future," he sighed softly, "I've never been an optimist unlike you and I get worried thinking about things whether I tell her or not."

"Okay," Richard nodded, thinking about what would be the best thing to do for him. "So how does she make you feel?"

"Like she's oxygen and I can't breathe without her," that once, the reply was immediate as if Jason didn't have to think twice before saying that.

A soft smile tugged up on Richard's face to hear that. It was more than obvious that he was quite smitten by the young woman he had just told him about.

"In that case, you should be honest with her," he advised, "if she likes you too then I am sure you two would be able to work something out. Because if she's content with this current relationship you guys have, maybe if you talk things out, she might give you a chance."

"I don't want her to get hurt though," Jay repeated.

"What guarantee do you have that she won't get hurt if she's not with you?" He spoke up, "look, Jason, if you feel so strongly for someone, don't let them slip from your fingers. There are some situations where we have to let go as I did, but I feel like things could be different in your case."

There was a short pause on the other side until Jay asked, "and what happened in your case?"

"That's a story for another time," he remarked, standing up as he stretched his toes and checked the time, "I might tell if I meet you but not like this on the phone."

"You can come to Star City," he offered but then quickly decided against it, knowing that if Richard came there, he would not rest until he met Valerie, "or don't. I will drop by this weekend."

"Sure, you're welcome anytime," his smile widened, "and don't worry, Jaybird. Just talk to her and then you can see where things go from there. Communication is key, don't forget it."

"Alright... Thank you."

Richard chuckled, slightly surprised that Jay had said thanks, "never thought I would hear that word from you again but you're welcome. I wish you all the best."

After a while, Jay hung up but Richard was still there in his training area thinking about what his brother had just told him. And also because talking to him had reminded him of Lori so he needed some time to himself to carefully fold all those memories and put them away in a far corner of his mind.

He was very happy now with Barbara Gordon and he would not change anything in his past or present, not for any cost. He knew things had a way of settling in the right direction if only one had hope. They had settled right for him and he was sure that if Jason made a little effort, things would settle well for him too.

Vigilante or not, they were humans after all. And what use could be a human heart if it did not beat out of love?

A soft smile flickered on Richard's lips as he left the training hall at last, going back to the manor as he knew it would be time to drop Tim off to school and then he had to leave for the GCPD headquarters as well.

***