#.. wonder how mad Jay would be if he learned half the shit Bruce pulled on Tim

[rexisan]

Does anyone ever think about Jason and how he sees Tim as the best of them, the man Jason could never become, Tim is living the dream Jaybin wanted more than anything else.

While Tim sees Jason and sees the love the entire family has for him that he will never experience to the same degree. Jason in Tim's mind is the beating heart of the family.

You ever think they look at each other and go what if?

But they don't know how to talk about it. So they fight, they make their own language with fists and blood.

Do you think that one day it'll click for them?

And through the insults and bruises they'll find happiness in each other?

Maybe I'm just yearning.

[choco-glow]

Fall Like Rain On Sunday, Pt. 12

The next waffle was perfect, crispy golden and almost a perfect circle, with beautiful melted pools of chocolate dotting the surface, with two almost perfectly in the Eevee pattern’s eyes, and Jason passed it over to Steph’s plate as he chanted a few Latin prayers, grinning as she burst into cackles at his terrible imitation of a priest. He’d utterly butchered the old prayers, but eh, it wasn’t like he was practicing anymore, and it made Steph laugh, so he still felt it was doing right by a God he’d long since stopped believing in.

“Oh god, you’re Catholic, aren’t you?”

“Eh, technically I’m a Resurrectionist—” She snorted at that, loud and adorable and perfect (everyone always looked weirded out, and Jason had, early on, always done his best to snort the same way. Weird dead Robins had to look out for one another.) He snickered in response. “But yes, I’m a former Catholic. Used to go to St. Maria’s as a kid, before Father John cleaned the place up.”

“…And the chanting?”

“Look, we only fucked up one waffle! Gotta bless it before shit goes south again.” She laughed at that, bold and happy and loud, and he planted kisses all over her face before turning back to the waffle maker and getting it going again. Glancing back over his shoulder, Jason grinned to see Steph holding up a fork with a triangle of waffle, topped with whipped cream and one of the raspberries she’d washed up, and he took the offering with a nom, groaning as the concoction melted in his mouth. Chewing, he gave her a thumbs up, already planning on making one for himself, and she chuckled, spraying on whipped cream and tossing on raspberries with abandon, then diving right in.

“Ooohhhhh this is soooooo good.”

“And somewhat healthy, that’s the lowfat whipped cream and everything’s organic.” He grinned after swallowing his mouthful of heaven, mouth watering already as he watched the waffle maker count down with hungry eyes; together, they switched off and a half-dozen waffles for each later, plus bacon and eggs, they were settled on Steph’s tiny couch and snuggled up close, groaning over their shared food babies. Jason had tucked a warm blanket over them both, because the rain coming down outside was just a little chilly for his tastes, and her apartment was…definitely on the list to be reno’d.

“…mmm…”

“Hmm?”

“This is really nice, Jay…”

“Yeah it is…” He murmured, tucking her head into his shoulder and pressing a kiss to her forehead, scarred fingers gently playing with a long curl of her hair before shifting to comb through the rest of her curls, making her purr against his neck.

“Ohhhh yes…please don’t stop…” He chuckled and shifted just a little so that he could bring his other hand up; with both hands, he started working on the knots in her neck and shoulders, on up into her scalp and back down, careful to comb away her soft curls so that they didn’t tangle. Steph melted into his chest, all the tension from the week just falling away as they snuggled to the song of rain and thunder outside, and Jason hummed softly as she whimpered at the release of one particularly bad knot in her right shoulder.

“You okay, sweetheart?”

“Yeah…fuck…been hurting there for a while now…”

“Why didn’t you say something?” She snorted softly, then sighed.

“You know how everyone is…”Do yoga, work it out, or just deal with it.” Jason heaved a heavy sigh himself at that, wincing.

“Touché, not being a part of the daily Batdrama made me forget about Bruce’s general masochism about pain and aches. Well, tell ya what; whenever either of us is hurting, how about we either work on each other, or go see an expert? I’ll foot the bill.”

“Yes, please. I’m…well, I don’t know how to massage someone properly? I’m guessing you learned from Alfred…”

“Talia, actually, and Nyssa while she was part of the League. Ra’s thinks it’s stupid, because it’s a ‘women’s weakness’ or some bullshit, but Talia and Nyssa both used massage as a tool, among their subordinates and with one another. And me, I guess, I was the odd duck out; most of the men were under Ra’s, while Talia’s personal guard was exclusively female.”

“She knew you, though.” Jason smiled at that, sad at the memories, and nodded, kissing her cheek now as Steph shifted up to meet his eyes. He normally didn’t like making a lot of eye contact with people, hence the hood, but Steph…it was different. Like Nyssa, in a way…Talia I never did, because she would take that as a challenge, but Nyssa and I grew to be good friends, and it was…easy with her. B always thought I was interested in her, but no; she’s just a familiar soul, I suppose. Steph, however, was even easier; there was always something in her gaze that reminded him of his own reflection, and he was sure that could be psychoanalyzed into oblivion, but he wasn’t gonna go that deep.

“She did. Damian…probably doesn’t remember all that well, but I was basically his babysitter for Talia for the short time I was there; she trusted a Robin, even one as much a zombie as I was at first, because even with the Pit madness, I was…well. Protective.” She smiled a little, and he smiled back, stroking her cheek now. “I never shoulda left him there, but…well…”

“You did what you could.”

“Yeah…and Talia was fine with me kiting off; taking Damian would have gotten me killed again. I’m just so glad she turned him over to Bruce…”

“Me too. It’s…B’s not the greatest parent, but he’s really working with Damian, which is huge given the crap he’s pulled with all of us.” Jason chuckled at that, nuzzling her cheek, and she kissed him softly, settling against his side. He tucked her close, pulling the blanket up over her shoulders, and rubbed her lower back now, grinning as she melted back into his shoulder.

“I think Damian reminds him of Dick, in a lot of ways, just more aggression, like me. So, instead of Tim, who’s learned, like Bruce, to control all his emotions in one clean, collected package, he has a Robin with attitude and a whole lotta baggage again, and he’s having to jump through hoops that he could largely train out of both Dick and I. Fortunately, Damian’s just as stubborn as B, and it’s kinda great that he’s been able to force some changes of his own.” Steph chuckled at that.

“Like Batcow, Alfred the Cat, Titus…”

“Fuckin’ Goliath, and lemme tell you, Demon Kitty was not on the list of potential pets B was willing to consider.”

“Which was why Damian just brought him home and didn’t care.” Jason snickered, laughter rumbling through his chest, which made Steph snuggle in more, much to his delight.

“Yup, and the look on B’s face is one I’ll treasure forever.” She giggled, and kissed him again, and Jason melted into the kiss, groaning when her hand started rubbing up and down his neck. He rolled a little more onto his side so that her arm didn’t cramp, and let out a full body sigh, snuggling around her. “Ohhhh baby you don’t have to…”

“I want to, Jay…tell me if I do something wrong?”

“I doubt you will, but yes, if it comes up…fuuuuuuuuuuuck oh hell yeah, right there.” He almost whimpered when she started scritching his scalp, nuzzling her hair with a moan of relief. It was better than sex, in a way; this was…grounding, and comforting, and more intimate. “Ffffucksofuckinggood.”

“This is for making me waffles, you amazing, wonderful, glorious man. I’m not sure I’m ready for sex yet, so hairscritches are at least a decent substitute?”

“Sosogoodbetterthansex.” He mumbled out, and she giggled again, shifting him so that he was facedown in the pillows and Steph was straddling his hips, working her hands up and down his back over his teeshirt, and Jason just went limp, eyes rolling with relief as his scarred muscles were carefully worked free of kinks and knots. Steph had said she hadn’t a clue, but she was gentle on his back, not pressing too hard, nor was she too light on the scars; her hands were softer than his, less callused, and so the gnarled skin over each old wound didn’t tense or ache from too much sensation. She mapped out his back with care, and with a sigh, he reached a hand back and patted her thigh.

“Babe, don’t let anyone ever tell you you’re not a genius, because that is amazing.” He could almost feel the brightness of her smile, and he chuckled as she leaned down to kiss his shoulder, purring at the warmth of her body on top of his. “Seriously.”

“I’m so glad…I hope your scars aren’t hurting?”

“Definitely not, not even twinging like usual from the rain…How about you?” She sighed a little, snuggling in closer, and he craned his neck around, worried. “Babe?”

“I’m…a little achy, but it’s in weird spots…I don’t wanna be gross…” She murmured, nuzzling his shoulder, and he gently rubbed his hand up and down her thigh, ignoring the awkward position.

“…It’s not gross if it’s things that hurt.” He murmured, and she shifted back, letting him turn and face her, green eyes earnest. “Cramps? Period? I can run out and get you whatever you need?” She blushed, shaking her head, then nodded, then sighed, and he gently drew her back into his arms, tucking her between his legs and wrapping the blanket around her, snuggling her close. “The scars Sionis gave you too?”

“…Yeah. I…Look, this is gonna be…really fuckin’ gross, but when he tortured me…he…he didn’t just limit himself to my stomach and breasts…” She murmured, gulping a little, and he closed his eyes, swallowing back the sudden rage. “He didn’t put the drill in me, thank fuck for that, but things are…kinda fucked up down there. And yeah, it’s my period going, so it’s just…extra gross…” Steph blushed bright red, and he gently stroked back her curls, eyes soft, patient. “…I have to wear the disposable underwear that old people use…”

“…Oh sweetheart, that’s okay. Does it work?” She glanced up, eyes brimming with tears, and he gently kissed her brow, her cheek, her nose, her lips, brushing soft kisses all over her face, but she nodded, one lone tear overflowing. He gently brushed it away, cupping her cheek. “Then that’s all that matters to me. I won’t be grossed out, I won’t be upset. Hell…when you do see me naked, you might run away. I’m…not exactly in great shape down there, either. Missing one of my balls and my dick ain’t the straightest.” He followed that with a fake grin, still embarrassed, deep down, but she saw right through him; Steph shook her head and wrapped her arms around his neck.

“If Roy and the others didn’t care…I won’t. Besides…” She huffed out a laugh, and he felt a real smile touch his lips again. “It just means we can be fucked up together. But…thank you for not being grossed out anyway. It’s…you’re the first person to know besides B and Leslie…and B only knows because he hacked the hospital records. And you’re the only person who’s…probably ever gonna see them, which…I’m fine with.” He smiled at that, and she smiled back, kissing him softly. “So long as you intend to keep that proposal available.”

“Baby, it’s all yours; hell, we could go out one of these days and get a set of rings.”

“…You really want a set?”

“Fuck yeah I do, I wanna be a kept man.” The snort she gave was absolutely adorable, and Jason grinned wide at that, feeling their previous good mood return finally, and Steph kissed him, full and happy and perfect, before snuggling back into his chest.

“…So, kept man…could you rub my lower back again? Cramps are hitting me hard…” He placed his hands over her hips, gently rubbing and warming the area, and Steph sighed, dropping her head onto his shoulder, the tension bleeding out of her limbs. “Fuck…thank you…”

“So welcome, sugar…Wanna watch something mindless?” She smiled, and as Jason grabbed the remote, she let out a soft sigh, snuggling in closer, and he pressed a soft kiss to her forehead once more, running his hand over her lower back and keeping her safe and warm.

Yeah.

He really loved Sundays.

[batboys-batboys-whachu-gonna-do]

"Let's finish this, brat! I want to go home," Jason yelled under his helmet while kicking one of the men that surrounded him.

"Todd, I'm not freaking magical so shut the hell up and do your damn job!" Damian yelled back from the other side of the room, where Jason couldn't directly see him. The only confirmation of Damian's work was his cursing and the bodies of the enemies hitting the floor loudly.

He chuckled under he's breath as he saw two of them trying to get up and then immediately sitting back down because of the current Robin's threats.

"Dare to come back here, and.." he said whilst flipping a man and making him hit the floor with a thud "...and you'll definitely NOT like it," he finished kicking another one's kneecap.

A strong punch in the stomach woke Red Hood from his trance, the poor guy wasn't even in a defensive stance so instead of using any weapon he just threw an uppercut knocking him out.

Jason had to admit that he tried to call the attention to him, but the kid was and easy target, or that's what the bad guys thought...and that affected greatly to the point where Damian had almost 15 more people around him than the legendary Red Hood.

Even if Jason knew that the brat could handle it, it was still unfair. For them, not for Damian, who seemed to enjoy it.

The Hood headed rapidly to the other room because of the sound of a threatening blade.

"What did I tell you about being too mean, Dames, huh?" He said, eyeing the many unconscious men in the room. Did he just talk like Dick? Dear god.

"T-T," Damian answered him using the handle of the sword to break some guy's nose.

Jason joined him amused by his little brother's way to obey his orders, they worked rarely in silence and more effectively than normal, just a few comments between them. Even if they weren't the best friends, there was always a promise of protection between them.

Almost half an hour later, they were done. Mostly because it was very easy: clear the place, no killing.

The master mind of the organization had already been taken out of the equation and the people in the building weren't even near the high ranks...they were just thieves and the trash that desperately craved something in the streets.

"Guys, we have a problem," Tim spoke in their ears as they waited in the rooftop of that place in the middle of nowhere and added, "you'll have to wait, we're having trouble in here."

Jason groaned,"How much, Timbers?"

"Five hours, more or less," Red Robin answered trying to sound at ease but failing epicly.

"Drake," Damian said softly but with a clear hint of anger, "What the hell happened?"

"Madness. No one is hurt, but this new whatever that is got us in a trap and with some kind of device blocked the Batwing and almost everything else. We're working on it," Tim explained quickly as if he was in a rush.

"I want a call at any change of situation, Drake." sighed Damian. Tim huffed at that, but answered affirmatively.

Jason started wandering around the rooftop, touching everything and looking more bored with each step. Damian analyzed the night, noticing in a weird gleam by the door, maybe the moonlight reflecting, but suddenly realized what it really was.

He moved faster than he thought he could and pushed Jason and himself off the roof.

"What the fuck, kid?" was the only thing that escaped Jason's mouth. He desperately tried to catch Damian in the air but something up there exploded, they felt the heat and the strength of the bomb making everything blow away,pushing them apart.

From that height, it was granted a certain death and in the commotion he couldn't even find Robin.

Out of nowhere a hand found its way to his and took a tight grasp. Damian had improvised, his eyes looked determined but he knew pain was going to come as soon as the rope tensed.

"Damian, I need you to push me up,"Jason shouted. They were in a horrible position, if they stayed like that both of Robin's arms would end up broken.

Damian tried his best, but there was no way he could just lift a man twice his size just using his body and there was no time. The rope tensed, and the sound of a loud crack and a feral whine flooded the air.

"Fuck, I'm so sorry, Dames," Jason said pulling himself up when they reached the wall. "Don't move, I'll take it from here," he added in a whisper watching the pain in Damian's eyes. The poor kid couldn't even talk.

Jason grabbed something out of Robin's utility belt and secured him to his chest.

The harsh surface of the building made climbing easier, he broke the nearest window and carefully entered the room trying to not cause Damian any more pain.

The kid soon started to drift into sleep, almost passing out.

"Damian, I'm gonna have to put them in place," warned Jason without hesitation, "or it'll be worse."

Robin just nodded and prepared himself by biting some cloth that Jason handed him. He closed his eyes and screamed as he felt the waves of pain hit him, big tears formed and disappeared into the cloth.

A soon as all Jason could do at the moment was done, Damian fell asleep.

"Timmy, we had a problem," Jason informed him, emotions mixed with his voice.

Tim made an annoyed sound and was interrupted by Jason,"Damian got both of his arms broken and I seriously don't want him to stay injured in a place like this. He's asleep because of the meds that I found in here, but I wouldn't trust them. Plus, we didn't kill anyone so they'll be probably waking up soon and if the police arrives..."

"Damn," his brother huffed on the other side of the line, preoccupation very present in his tone, "We'll get there as soon as we can or I'll send you someone"

"Okay," Jason simply responded, almost irritated, looking back at Damian, who was spreaded on the floor. He took his helmet off and putting the boy wonder in his arms he sat down, resting Damian's head in his shoulder and covering him with his cape.

An hour later Damian woke up with a grunt, "shit," he whispered waking Jason up too with the sound.

"Don't move too much," Jason warned him, so the little Wayne just rubbed his head on Jason's shoulder trying to find comfort.

"I'm sorry, I should have noticed before,"he said to the kid in his arms.

"Don't be," he answered and chuckled, "but it actually was your fault."

"I know," Jason stated bluntly, taking all the blame on himself. There was a change in Damian's eyes.

"Hey," he whispered, "don't worry about it. We're a team, like hell I was going to let something like that happen."

"And here I thought you hated me," he answered, surprised and filled with guilt.

"Tt, I'm just bugging you. If I truly hated you, I'd just ignore the hell out of you." Damian added, fully awake but still weak.

"Wait, but you do that with Tim all the time, does it mean...?" Jason stopped talking because of the bat-shut-up-now-stare the kid was giving him.

"Obviously not, if I really hated him I'd just start to question his job. You see, while you are in need of someone who acknowledges your presence, he is in need someone who trusts his decisions," Damian slowly explained with a stern look, like it was obvious

Jason was startled by how much the kid was talking in such pain, but let him continue, Damian never talked much to him anyway.

"The only moments I truly intervene physically is when he's stuck or about to do something stupid." The kid added thoughtfully.

"Dames, you two fight like every day"

"First of all, Drake is 24/7 in a state of sleep deprivation, and he needs to get out of the damn cave from time to time. Plus I get to bother him, it's a win-win situation," Damian told him glaring annoyedly to the ceiling and continued, "but I'm almost always aware of what he's investigating. Being in that state can compromise the missions."

"And what about me, pup? Do you have an eye on me too?" Jason laughed as he saw Damian nodding in an odd manner, with unfazed but surprisingly warm eyes.

"I know where all your safe houses are. Remember whe you got pizza delivered every time you were in one? Yeah...and no sleeping unless I know everyone is home. Pennyworth doesn't like it, but I use the time wisely." Damian was slipping many of his secrets in that conversation, maybe it was because of the situation or the medicine, Jason thought.

"What about the girls?" Jason asked.

"I respect them too much to do anything to them, and Cass will still eat my food even if I lick it so it's pointless. I've gotten to appreciate our current Fatgirl" Damian smiled at the thought, "..and everyone gets enough annoyed with my fights with Tim so there's no actual need. The only one that never seems to be bothered is Dick, I'd have to really kill someone to for him to be mad at me and I think he would still forgive me."

"He would, but you don't want to see him truly mad. He's worse than Bruce"

"Really? He never seemed to be like Father," Damian wondered and perked his eyebrows up, encouraging Jason to speak.

"He's different in many ways, but Bruce raised him up and some things always stay with us." Jason explained, hoping Damian would understand him.

"Father is.." Damian started but Jason asked right away, "why do you call him like that?"

"What else should I call him, idiot? He's my father," said Damian harshly, making his question sound way more stupid than it was.

"It's just that it doesn't sound affectionate, I don't know," Jay said.

"Maybe it's because of the way I learned English." The kid said as if it explained everything.

"Wait, English isn't your first language?

"Nope, it's Arabic" Damian responded. Suddenly his eyes lighted up remembering something.

"The first Christmas I spent here was very weird, mostly because reading about something is pretty different from experiencing it.

Anyways, for some Dick of a reason," the boy said gaining a a hard laugh from Jason, "Father didn't let me go on patrol because Dick said that I had to stay home and enjoy the real Christmas. How the heck would I enjoy being alone? on Christmas? But at the moment I really didn't get what it all was about so I followed what Pennyworth said. And I'm not gonna lie, I actually had fun, but it was just the two of us, and surely Pennyworth wanted to have everyone already home as much I wanted." He made a pause, making sure Jason was listening and kept going, " All of you arrived later than expected and I was so tired because of the patrols of the nights before that somehow I just switched languages. I called Father Baba , he almost choked." A grin spreader on Damian face, but the pain could still be clearly seen.

"What does it mean?" Jason inquired mostly because he wanted to hear Damian's voice, because in fact he knew what it meant.

"It's something like daddy, more or less" the kid confessed, and switched his position to face Jason. He didn't look bothered nor embarrassed, just tired.

"Maybe he wasn't ready to hear it," Jason suggested shrugging slowly to not hurt Damian, but he managed to hurt him with his words.

That's when it hits him, the hopeless look on Damian's eyes, the pout on his mouth and the way he tried to hold back his tears: Damian was just a kid. Jason would call him that to annoy him, not because he thought that the Robin was one. It didn't matter how hard his eyes looked in the field, he had seen worse stuff in his short life than Bruce in his own, and the boy was still a little kid.

He had been programmed since he was a baby to be perfect and he had betrayed his mother by joining Batman, a man he didn't know, and Jason bet it was way harder that it sounded.

Jason remembered his time with the League and wanted to shout, he wanted to kill Talia with his own hands. He wanted to slap Bruce in the face and tell him that Damian needed him, that he himself needed him. He wanted to erase the bad memories out of his brother's head, but the sad truth was that maybe he'd have to erase everything.

Instead of saying anything, he just pressed his foreheads together as he had seen many mothers do to their children . Jason didn't expect the sound he heard, it was a genuine giggle. Damian Wayne was giggling, that broken kid. A kid that got dragged into a cruel world, that had no chance,no choice, that didn't think he could choose.

Jason giggled too, the boy's laugh was contagious enough to make him feel something tingling in his chest. He really needed to stay away from Dick and his gross brotherly behavior.

"What is so funny?" He asked Damian while opening his eyes only to see a pair of green ones staring him back.

"I can't explain why, but it makes me feel better."

"Yeah?" Jason asked incredulous, still the smile in his face

"Affirmative," the boy answered resting his head against the Hood's shoulder.

"Hey, pup," Jason called after a while, "do you like being a Robin?"

"Honestly? I don't know, but I have to do it. Father needs a Robin," he answered simply.

"No, Bruce needs a son. Batman needs a Robin," the man closed his eyes, "you've been fighting for too long and you didn't even choose to do so. Is there something you wanna do, kiddo? I know you're super intelligent and probably in the League they already thought you all any school could teach you, but...?" He inquired, feeling Damian moving nervously in his lap.

"I enjoy painting," the kid said, kind of embarrassed and proud at the same time, "Pennyworth says I'm as skilled in that matter as I am in sword fighting," he added.

Jason let an approving sound escape his lips," and that's much to say since you'd kick all of our butts if we were challenged to a duel, including Bruce"

"Probably," he answered, but didn't sound proud or anything else. It was a plain voice, he probably had bad memories about it. Maybe even nightmares in which he had to fight his family.

"Let's do something," he told his younger brother, "while you recover I'll do all of your patrols and when you're back on the game I'll ask you again if you want to go on field. If you want, maybe you and I can put our patrols together and if you don't want to I'll talk to Dick and Bruce. Maybe I can make them understand, you know, that way you avoid getting in fights."

"If I decide to quit, I want to be with you when we tell them" Damian stated, still unsure but determined to stand for himself.

"Okay, buddy" Jason answered, caressing the boys hair.

Damian fell asleep again in that position, curled in Jason's legs. Jason talked to the device in his ear.

"Timmy, how are we doing?" He asked, but instead of hearing his brothers voice there was a deep rage filled voice: Bruce.

"What the hell happened there? It was a simple mission, almost impossible to get hurt and you still managed blow more things up." The man said in the other line, not that Jason wasn't used to it, but one thing was getting himself hurt and other thing was being the cause of someone getting hurt. So for once in his life, he didn't talk back, he just listened to Bruce ranting and telling him all the stupid things he had done that night, and in all his life. He could hear the preoccupation hid behind the rage, but it was unreachable for everyone.

"Father," they heard Damian in the communicator, his voice muffled and sleepy, "no blame must be held, the trap was placed to be undetectable."

Bruce released a grunt of disapproval, but he sounded also relieved.

"I want the details of what happened when you come back, and you two are grounded" Bruce stated firmly.

Jason just couldn't contain himself and said, "Bruce I don't even live with you and Damian has both of his arms broken" he could feel how Bruce was about to snap again, but Damian snorted just before Batman could even start. Bruce stopped himself immediately and asked with an alarmed voice, "what's wrong? Something happened?"

"What? No, Bruce, he's just laughing. Have you ever heard of that?" Jason answered, looking at Damian in his lap, who chuckled and said, "You're an idiot, Todd."

[fishfingersandjellybabies]

Coming Home - dad!jason au

Characters: Dick Grayson, Jason Todd, Damian Wayne, Bruce Wayne, Cassandra Cain Pairing: jaydick Summary: He hated long missions like this. But he always loved coming home to the two he loved most. A/N: This is plotless nothing basically. 

Other things for Nevolition’s Dad!Jason AU

~~

It’d be a long month. A long three months.

But the case was solved. The world was saved. And he, Bruce and Cass could all, finally, go home.

“What are you gonna do first, B?” Dick asked pleasantly, glancing out the window at the city below them.

“Finish the report on this.” Bruce hummed grumpily.

“Yeah, no, you’re sleeping first.” Dick returned with a smirk, before turning to his sister. “You? Hang out with Steph I bet.”

Cassandra just grinned, but shrugged.

“You?” She asked quietly.

“Also sleep forever.” Dick laughed. “Take at least a week off. Maybe even eight days.”

Cass snorted, and it was a good sound. “Baby?”

“Babies don’t tend to let you sleep.” Bruce agreed, almost with amusement.

“I can convince him to take a few naps a day, no worries.” Dick grinned widely, like he always did when he thought of the two boys always waiting for him at the end of a good fight. “Maybe I’ll take him out of school for a week.”

“Dick,” Bruce warned. “You promised you’d stop that.”

“Some promises are meant to be broken.” Dick stuck his tongue out. “Besides, I haven’t done it since before Jay an I got married!”

“Bad habit.” Cass scolded. “Don’t restart.”

Dick grinned at her and winked. “We’ll reassess when I see him, how about that?”

“And no calling Jason’s boss to get him a week off either.” Bruce added. “…You know, have you two thought of calling Damian anything other than ‘baby’? I mean…he really isn’t one anymore.”

“Just because he’s the ripe old age of nine now doesn’t change a single thing, B. You know that.” Dick returned. “He can be seventy, and if I’m still alive, you can bet your ass I’m still calling him baby.”

Bruce merely rolled his eyes, dared to let out a chuckle. “No wonder he calls you embarrassing sometimes.”

“He does not!” Dick gasped. Cass laughed too. “Does he?”

“Last time he came over for a visit.” Bruce hummed. A thing they were trying, these visits. Just Damian and Bruce. Not being father and son, not per say, just. Existing together. Learning about each other. “He claims he’s not complaining, of course, and I don’t think he is. But he said how much you love him is…overwhelming at times.”

“It is just how much my parents loved me-”

“And he wasn’t speaking specifically about you. He was talking about you and Jason as a whole.” Bruce clarified. “He thinks you two need a weekend away. Just the two of you. Without him.”

“You have not done that since before you and Jason married either.” Cassandra reminded playfully.

“I know, I know. Jay and I have talked about it, honestly.” Dick smiled softly, but it was almost sad. “It’s just…I don’t know. With everything that’s happened to us. With that Court of Owls stuff when he was little…not to mention when he was kidnapped about a year ago…we’d spend the whole time worrying.”

“He would stay with us.” Cass decided. “With me.”

“Of course, and it’s not like I don’t trust you guys.” Dick placated. “But…man, Bruce, I don’t know how you did it with all of us, letting us out of your sight for more than a day.”

“Hm?”

“They just grow up so fast.” Dick whispered. “And it’s so corny, but I’m one of those parents – I don’t want to miss a second. Like, if I knew how to scrapbook, I’d have one for every single one of Damian’s years. Even when he wasn’t with Jason. I’d freaking call Talia for the baby pictures.”

Bruce glanced at Cassandra. “I can’t wait until Damian turns eighteen.”

“Shut up.” Dick laughed, shoving Bruce’s shoulder, even as they lowered into the hidden tunnel, and started the last leg to the cave’s parking area. “That’s only nine years away!”

Bruce and Cassandra both laughed, and even if it was at his expense, he relished in the sound.

As the laughter died down, they remained mostly quiet as they raced through the tunnel, and slowly landed on the pad in the hanger. Neither Dick nor Cassandra waited as Bruce shut down and rechecked the systems, both grabbing their bags and heading towards the door.

They had just hit the last of the plane’s steps, when they heard footsteps echoing through the cave. Looked up in time to see not only Damian racing towards them, but Jason trailing slowly behind him.

“Didi!” Damian was shouting, a smile plastered to his face as he ran. “Didi!”

And Dick smiled too. Dropped his bag and took as many steps forwards as he could (so…four) before Damian was close enough and jumped.

Dick caught him out of habit. Easily, like breathing.

And despite the fact that Damian was getting too big for this, too heavy, too old – Dick spun him in circles anyway. Relished in Damian’s laugh as he kissed his face over and over. Held him even as he slowed, ignored the strain in his arms.

It was just like he said. No matter how old he got, Damian would always be his baby.

“Hey, kiddo.” Dick hummed as they stopped. Damian clung to his neck, looking excitedly up at him. “What are you doing down here?”

“We knew you were coming home today.” Damian said simply. “Baba and I have been down here waiting.”

“Oh no, don’t pull me into this, baby.” Jason smirked from a few feet away. “You know the rules. We aren’t supposed to be in the cave. I came down here after you. To drag your lanky butt back upstairs.”

Damian laughed again, leaning his head on Dick���s shoulder. “Baba, another rule is to never lie.” He glanced up at Dick. “He’s been down here for at least an hour.”

“Oh, I bet.” Dick whispered back, kissing Damian’s head, even as he moved towards Jason. Jason met him halfway, let Dick hold him with his free arm, and kiss him softly. “Hey, you.”

“Hello.” Jason hummed back. “Mission go okay?”

“Boring, but otherwise fine.” He grinned, taking in Jason’s face. And his heart hurt a little bit – Damian wasn’t the only one getting older. He could see the lines starting to settle on Jason’s still-too-young face. Where they there before he left? “I missed you.”

Jason smiled softly, leaning down for another kiss. “I missed you too.”

And normal people probably would have let each other go by now. Moved to somewhere more comfortable, the child squirming out of his parent’s arms. But they all stayed there, Damian perched happily on Dick’s hip, Jason wrapped awkwardly in Dick’s arms. “How were things while I was gone?”

“Same old, same old.” Jason shrugged. “Damian got mad at me a lot.”

Damian huffed. “I did not.”

“Why were you mad at Baba?” Dick asked.

Damian looked sweetly up at him. “…He wouldn’t let me call you.”

“It was undercover, Damian. I told you.” Jason sighed, sounded exasperated. “God forbid, someone tapped his phone and found you…”

“I’m going to have to agree with Baba on this one.” Dick nodded apologetically. Damian pursed his lips, and it made Dick chuckle as he carefully put Damian back on solid ground. “But, hey, look. I’m here now. And you can talk to me as much as you want.”

“Because Didi is not taking any more three month long missions for a long time.” Jason called loudly, glancing over towards Bruce, who was already at the computer. “Right, Bruce?”

Bruce grunted.

“Sounds like a ‘no he isn’t’ to me.” Jason hummed. Dick chuckled as he stood back to full height, but kept looking down at Damian. After a moment, his smile waned a little and he carefully ran his hand through Damian’s hair. “…Dick? What’s wrong?”

“Damian, were you this tall when I left?” Dick whispered.

“Nope!” Damian said proudly. “Alfred measured me once a week against Father’s old measurements on the doorframe upstairs. I’ve grown two and a half inches – not even Father was this tall when he was my age!”

“And I missed it…” Dick murmured sadly.

“Oh, don’t start, you didn’t miss shit.” Jason drawled, grabbing Dick’s hands and pulling him closer to himself. Damian scowled up at him as he wrapped his arms around Dick’s hips. Grinned as he looked at Dick’s mouth. “The only thing you missed was-”

“Ew!” Damian practically screamed, stepping back and waving his arms. “Don’t start, Baba! Or at least give me a warning!”

“A warning of what?” Jason asked exasperatedly.

“Don’t play dumb.” Damian scolded. “I heard what you and Uncle Roy talked about while Didi was gone.  I heard you talk about kissing and hands and se-”

“Okay, okay.” Jason hummed hastily, pushing Damian away. “You were supposed to be in bed and asleep when those conversations happened, young man…”

Damian smirked and stuck his tongue out, quickly giving Dick one last hug before scurrying gleefully across the cave to greet Cassandra and Bruce. Dick watched him go with a laugh, before looking up at poor Jason and his now beet-red face.

“…It’s like the terrible twos and puberty all together, except worse because he’s nine.” Jason mumbled in embarrassment. “I guess one thing you did miss is how rebellious he’s gotten without you there…”

“Just like his dad, I’d bet.” Dick grinned smugly. “Remember how rebellious you used to be?”

“We better hope he doesn’t start acting like I did.” Jason snorted.

“Mhm.” Dick hummed, sliding his hands around Jason’s back, and slowly lowering his fingers into the back pockets of Jason’s jeans. “So you talked about me, huh?”

“To anyone who would listen.” Jason admitted. “So…Kory and Roy, basically.”

“Good to know my ex and my best friend know all about our sex life.” Dick laughed.

“Three months is a long time to go without, Dick. And it was either live vicariously through telling someone how…talented you are, or go and cheat.” Jason carefully brushed his lips against Dick’s cheek. “And you know I ain’t the cheating type.”

“Well, then, how about we convince Alfred to order a bunch of pizzas for us, let Damian talk our ears off, then let Bruce and Cassie distract him while we go up to my old bedroom, and you can tell me everything you told Roy and Kory.” He smirked as he tugged Jason closer by the pockets, and slowly squeezed Jason’s cheeks. Jason gasped lightly, and hid his quiet moan along Dick’s throat. “You talked about my hands, right? It’s been three months for me too, love, and they could use some practice…”

“You are the worst.” Jason mumbled into his neck. “We are in public, for god’s sake. I hate you.”

Dick cackled, leaving a kiss to Jason’s face before lifting his hands to his shoulder blades, and holding him as tightly as he could while he looked over at Damian. Damian was laughing at something Cassandra said while climbing all over the back of Bruce’s chair. Despite his age, Dick could still see the little four year old who would cling to his Baba and Didi’s legs. The six year old little princeling who demanded to be held by anyone in sight. The toddler who loved to give kisses.

“He’s growing up so fast…” He whispered into Jason’s hair. Jason shifted, keeping his head firmly against Dick’s shoulder as he looked too.

“Yeah he is.” Jason returned just as softly. “…He looks more like you every day.”

“And he acts more like you every second.” Dick countered playfully. “…Have I mentioned how much I missed you two?”

Jason pulled back just enough to look Dick in the eyes. “You can tell me again, if you like.”

Dick smiled. “More than anything.”

Jason returned the grin, but it faded just slightly, after a second. “…We might not get to fuck tonight like you want.”

“Oh?”

“Damian had nightmares. Most of the nights you were gone.” Jason admitted quietly. “About the Court of Owls…”

“Oh, no…” Dick breathed. “Jason, I’m sorry…”

Jason waved it off. “He just might want to sleep in our bed tonight, is all. So, I’m just saying, if we’re going to bang – and trust me, Dick, we’re gonna – we’re going to have to make it a quickie or in the shower.”

Dick snorted incredulously. “You’re unbelievable.” Jason’s grin brightened again. “And – shower, obviously.”

“That was also my preference.” Jason said, gathering Dick into his arms now, leaning his chin on Dick’s head as they both looked back over at Damian, who was forcing Bruce to his feet, to show Cass just how tall he’d really gotten. “…Do you have another long mission scheduled yet?”

“No.” Dick hummed. “I don’t like them any more than you do, Jay. I avoid them when I can.”

“Okay, I’m just saying.” Jason whispered. “Won’t do any good for you to fix the nightmares and then leave again not soon after.”

Dick glanced up – and he knew. He knew Jason wasn’t just talking about Damian this time.

Suddenly – he wondered just how often Roy and Kory were over. He wondered exactly how many nights Damian had nightmares, and ended up in his and Jason’s bed. Wondered how many nights Jason had nightmares too, and ended up in his son’s room.

Gently, he leaned his forehead on Jason’s. “I’ll talk to Bruce about it, Jason. Don’t worry.”

Jason quirked his lips, even as they heard Damian running back to them. “…Promise?”

And Dick blindly regathered Damian into their embrace, smiling when Damian leaned happily against him. Held his boys like he’d wanted to for the last three months, let his heart flutter and reveled in the sensation of absolute peace and wholeness.

No, no more long missions. No more missing Damian grow up. No more missing Jason. No more being away from his boys.

“Promise.”