#Gotham went through a level of Hell that Jason will never know of outside of reports | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

huilian · 4 years ago

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for @lulaypp

Jason wakes up to a cacophony of noises coming from all around him. He doesn’t open his eyes, all the training for not letting them know he’s up kicking in, and lets the voices wash over him, trying to figure out what is going on.

“What do you mean-,” someone says, only to be interrupted by another person.

“-violate the conservation of energy-”

“-instantaneously? Without-”

Jason resists the urge to frown. What are they talking about? The chatter is a very different one than the usual criminal-trying-to-kidnap-Red-Hood chatter. They never talk about membrane potential, or conservation of energy, or chemical reactions.

Well, okay. Some of them, particularly Scarecrow’s or Ivy’s people, might talk about chemical reactions, but never like this.

Before he can piece out what is going one, a voice calls out. “Ah, Mister Todd. Good. You’re awake,” someone above him says. “We can proceed with all the halted experiments.”

The voices stop for a while, before erupting in a thousand different ways.

“Can I-”

“-the effects on-”

“-no! My array requires him-”

What? Experiments?

Jason opens his eyes. No use in pretending to be asleep, now that they (he decides to call the person announcing his wakefulness person-number-one) have announced that he’s awake. He is greeted with the sight of googled eyes, masked faces, gloved hands, and, more importantly, white lab coats.

Shit.

What are they doing to him?

He tries lifting his arms, only to find that it’s strapped to the bed. A cursory look downwards tells him that there are straps around his chest, abdomen, and around his legs too. He looks up, and finds himself making eye contact with one of the researchers? Lab tech? Mad scientist? She holds the eye contact, unfearing of him.

And why should she? He’s stripped and strapped to the bed, unable to move, all his weapons gone. He doesn’t even know why he’s here.

“A change in eye color, Doctor,” she says, still looking into his eyes. “I believe the procedure causes his stroma to change, making the reflection appear green.”

“Yes, Mitchell,” person-number-one says. It seems that Jason is right. He is the leader of this group? Pack? Companion? What does one call a collection of scientists? “That has been recorded from the preliminary tests. Step your game up.”

The woman, Mitchell, although that’s probably her last name, considering the group holding him right now, grumbles, but doesn’t say anything outright. She grabs a syringe next to her, and jabs them precisely, but not gently, on Jason’s bare arms.

What are they doing? What do they want from him?

“What the fuck is going on?” Jason growls, frustrated. He sees a few of the scientists? Lab tech?-He still doesn’t know precisely who they are- flinch, but for the most part, they ignored him.

Weird. He is sure he went out as the Red Hood tonight, and the Red Hood doesn’t really have a reputation for being harmless. Even they should know that, if they’re operating in Gotham.

Shit. Is he still in Gotham?

Wait. They called him Mister Todd. He’s unmasked, though that alone shouldn’t tell them anything. Jason Todd doesn’t really have photos, or any presence, legal or otherwise, whatsoever.

Who is he dealing with? How do they know about him?

“Tell me what the fuck is going on,” Jason growls again, “or I swear-”

“Now, Mister Todd, no need for threats,” person-number-one says. “I assure you I went through the proper channels to acquire you. All is above board.” He gives Jason a small smile, the kind you give to misbehaving children that you find amusing but cannot afford to let continue.

“Proper channels?” Jason asks, stalling for time. When person-number-one is talking, the rest of the scientists?-what are they?- stops what they are doing, so Jason is trying to get him to talk as long as he can. The straps are, unfortunately, made of good quality. He’s been spoiled with Gotham’s cesspit of underpaid and poorly supplied criminals.

“Oh yes, proper channels. I am a researcher, after all, and we do things the right way in my lab. Unfortunately for you, being legally dead means that you do not have the power to sign a consent form,” he smiles again, less like humoring misbehaving children and more like a shark that has smelled blood, “and thus we do not need to obtain your consent.”

A second pass. And then two, while Jason is mulling over what he said. But before the full implication of it can hit him, person-number-one claps his hands and says, “Alright, enough dithering! I want that data on my desk by lunch, Bilakopic, and Kim! Don’t forget to run the gel analysis!”

“Yes, Professor,” a woman, Bilakopic, going by her features, mutters. Another man, whom Jason guesses is Kim, nods tersely.

“Do not worry, Mister Todd,” person-number-one, whom Jason still hasn’t caught the name of, says. “Your contributions will be highly valued by the scientific community. Of course, you won’t be named,” a tilt of his head, “but I will know.”

Jason opens his mouth to tell him to fuck off, but before he can say anything, a man puts a swab of cotton inside his mouth and scrapes what feels like the inside of his throat. He watches as person-number-one saunters off the room, and looks around to the collection of dead-faced scientists around him.

His hands are still not free. The straps hold throughout his attempts at escape.

Shit.

***

The… experiments, if Jason can call it that, goes on and on for hours. One of them would come with one type of test tube or another in their hands and draw various things from his body. Ranging from blood to skin to hair to urine, all the way to cerebrospinal fluid from his spine. It hurts, but not excessively so. Person-number-one, whom Jason still hasn’t caught the name of, was right.

They are professionals.

Normally, that would make Jason be a bit calmer. There is nothing worse than getting kidnapped by an amateur, especially a desperate amateur. Amateurs are more likely to either mess up or hurt him accidentally. A professional hit, even though that might sound terrifying to people not used to their line of work, is really one of the better things that can happen to them.

But this time? This time it terrifies Jason.

Because professional means that they won’t think of you as a person. Professional means that there is no way for Jason to persuade one of them, or to make them lower their guard so that he can escape.

Professional means that there is nothing for him to exploit.

So he lies there, watching as they run their experiments on him. Not literally, of course. They come to gather their samples and then leave immediately, presumably to run it somewhere else. Jason watches as they pull blood from him with meticulous, efficient moves; as they open his mouth without any fanfare to swab his throat; as they measure his heartbeat, his breathing, his oxygen levels, and everything and anything you can monitor in a body.

It went on for hours. Jason is just lying there, unable to move and unwilling to talk, because he knows that nothing that is coming out of his mouth will convince them.

They are professionals.

Slowly, the number of people coming back for more samples dwindles. Do mad-scientists work normal hours? What time is it?

Hell, what day is it? From the expression on person-number-one’s face when he woke up, Jason can tell that they have been doing this for a while now.

How long have they had him?

“Asif, no!” Jason hears someone shouts from somewhere outside his room. What now?

“He’s not going to let us go before that data hits his table and you know it, Kris!”

“You can’t be serious! I’m not going in there with just the two of us!”

Are they… talking about him? Huh. Okay. Jason can work with this.

But before he can think about what he is going to say to them, they come in, face as expressionless as everyone's been throughout the day (Jason decides to call the time he’s been awake until now a day. He doesn’t have any other method of determining time, not with this closed up room and his fucked internal clock.). They go directly to the table full of equipment and wastes no time nor movement in getting what they want.

Efficient. Meticulous. Exact.

Professionals.

All traces of humanity, glimpsed from that snippet of conversation outside the room, is gone. In its place is the cool, detached mask of a scientist observing their object of study.

Jason closes his open mouth, swallowing down all the words he wanted to say, and then he closes his eyes. What’s the point in resisting? They don’t even see him as human.

It’s not that bad anyway. Just a couple of pricks from the needle, and the uncomfortable feeling of a cotton swab being put into his throat. It’s nothing worse than being in the Cave, getting patched up by Alfred, or even the check-ups with Leslie back when Bruce still cared enough for him to get him to do check-ups.

Does Bruce still care enough for him to search for him? Or are they going to just brush off his disappearance, relieved that this particular burden is gone?

Jason breathes out as the cotton swab is being pulled out of his mouth. It’s not that bad. It’s not that bad.

***

He was wrong. It is that bad.

He spent a few more sessions being poked and prodded and taken samples of, nothing worse than the things they did to him in the first session. But then, one day, person-number-one, whom Jason hadn’t seen in his room from that first session, comes in, with several of his scientists in tow.

“Doctor, you can’t be serious,” the one walking in right behind person-number-one says. “We can still make do with what we have.”

“Make do?” person-number-one says. “We don’t make do in the Greber Lab, Segal. We excel.” Person-number-one, whose name is probably Greber, considering everything, takes a scalpel from the table full of equipment and hands it over to Segal. “Now do it, or I am going to reject all of your proposals. It’s clear that you do not have what it takes to succeed in this field.”

A hush comes and engulfs the room. The rest of the scientists, everyone except for Greber and Segal, are standing close to the door, posture all ready to bolt. Jason tenses. This is not good.

He sees Segal gulps, looking down to the scalpel in Greber’s hands. She doesn’t raise her hand to take it.

Greber scoffs. “I see. You are always welcome to leave my team, Segal,” he says, before walking towards Jason with the scalpel in tow.

Oh, this is not good. This is not good at all.

Greber presses down on Jason’s chest, the scalpel still in his hands. Jason has never felt the lack of clothing on his chest as acutely as he does now, looking at the scalpel glinting under the fluorescent light.

But before Greber can do anything, Segal shouts, “I’ll do it!”

The scalpel stops in its descent. Jason lets out a small breath of relief, only to stop again when he realizes what she was saying.

She’ll do it. What is she going to do to him?

Another blood-smelling shark smile blooms on Greber’s face. “Good,” he says. “I always know you could do it, Segal.” He flips the scalpel in his hands and offers it to Segal, handle first. “After you.”

“At least give him anesthetics, Doctor,” someone calls out from the crowd near the door.

Shit. Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit. What are they going to do to him that requires anesthetics?

Or, perhaps even more worryingly, what are they going to do to him that should require anesthetics, but they won’t give it to him?

“No,” Greber answers promptly. “All of our anesthetics are going to interact with his receptor proteins, distorting the result we are looking for. No anesthetics.”

Shit. This is going to hurt, isn’t it?

Jason breathes out, trying to get to the meditation mindset both Bruce and Talia tried to teach him. In, and out, calm your heart rate, get your mind somewhere else.

Jason sees Segal take the scalpel. He sees Greber move back, out of reach. He sees the hesitation, the pity on Segal’s face, before it is quickly removed underneath the detached mask all of them always wear around him.

Jason closes his eyes, trying to will his mind to bring him to other places. Happier places. Training with Bruce. Cooking with Alfred. The small, pleased smile on Talia’s face when he completed a hard training.

Flying on the rooftops of Gotham. Feeling the fluter of his cape behind him. Feeling the weight of Bruce’s cape all around him.

It doesn’t work.

He still screams as the scalpel makes its way around him, on top of him, and finally, inside of him. He screams until the group of scientists near the door put their hands on their ears; he screams until Segal, who is still holding the scalpel, asks for someone to help her restrain him; he screams until his throat constricts and his lungs collapse.

But still, the scalpel moves on, cutting pieces of him with surgeon-like precision, uncaring of the amount of pain it gives him.

***

Jason doesn’t even twitch as he hears someone thundering into the room. What’s the point? It’s going to happen either way.

“I don’t care why you haven’t done it,” he hears Greber’s voice, the first time since a few days ago, when the man told his subordinates to cut him open and then watched. They have done worse things than just cutting him open since then, but never with Greber present.

They have cut out a piece of bone from his leg, stuck a needle in to take a sample of the marrow, and then breaks the leg, and Jason is more nervous now with Greber in front of him than he was on that day.

His leg is splinted now, probably in another experiment to see how long it would take him to heal a broken bone. These people do not do anything to him without a hypothesis and a list of ingredients and methods.

“I want it done. Now,” Greber finishes, looming in front of Jason, a power saw in his hand.

What else are they going to do to him? They have cut him open, taken pieces of skin and muscle, taken samples of various liquids from his abdomen, and broken his bone and took the marrow underneath. What else can they do to him?

“Doctor,” a woman Jason distantly recognizes says, “this procedure is too risky. Especially if you insist on not using anesthesia.”

“Oh, do shut up, Bilakopic.” Ah. That’s her name. But then, what difference would knowing her name give for Jason? It’s not like they see him as human.

It’s not like he can see them as human, after all they had done to him.

“We haven’t had any progress with any of his other cells, so obviously what causes him to spontaneously resurrect is not that. That leaves his central nervous system, the only place we haven’t taken a sample of yet,” Greber says.

“Doctor,” Bilakopic says, “have you considered that it’s going to give permanent damage to the subject?”

“Who do you think I am?” Greber snaps, for once showing something other than amusement or irritation. He’s desperate, and Jason can feel it.

It scares Jason even more. Desperate is not good. Desperate means they’re going to be careless, and careless, in a situation like this, can very well spell death for him.

Jason doesn’t want to die yet. Again. He has stared death in the face many, many times before, has even died, but never like this. Never strapped down, feeling his body getting weaker and weaker as they took more and more pieces from him, and unable to do anything.

Where is Bruce? He’s going to come, right? But it’s been, at the very least, weeks since they have him, and still, no one has come to rescue him.

Are they searching for him? They are, right? They keep saying about how family don’t leave anyone behind.

But is Jason still part of the family?

Maybe not. Maybe they see that he is gone and is congratulating each other, a thorn in their side finally removed.

No. They’re going to come get him. They will. Bruce promised, didn’t he?

“Get the headrest,” Greber barks out. A clanging noise from somewhere behind Jason tells him that one of the scientists always following in Greber’s wake is doing just that.

Wait. Headrest. Power saw. Central nervous system.

Jason feels all of his breath come out of his lungs in one fell swoop. Are they going to operate on his brain?

No. No. Nonononono. They can’t do that to him. They can’t do that.

Jason starts to pull on his restraints, doing so for the first time in days. He has to get out. Whatever he does, he has to get out.

He can feel the atmosphere in the room tensing. Greber, however, is not concerned. “Get more restraints, while you’re at it,” he says, clicking his tongue.

No. No. They can’t do that. They can’t do that.

They can, however. Hands hold him down, manhandling him to a sitting position. The first time in weeks that Jason is sitting up, and he can’t even savour it.

He can’t get out of their grip. They’re careful, always tying a new strap to hold him in place before removing another one. Besides, he hasn’t eaten in days--they had him on an IV drip-- and he can feel that he’s not even at half strength.

Soon enough, Jason is sitting up, head tied in place on top of an aluminium headrest, the rest of his body tied down either to the bed or the bars just above his bed.

This is happening.

This can’t be happening.

This is happening.

“Gloved, masked, and gowned, everyone?” Jason hears someone ask, and then he hears the chorus of agreements afterwards. He hears the thrum of a power tool being turned on, and it hits him, right then and there.

This is happening. This is really happening. He can’t get out.

He closes his eyes, swearing to himself that he is not going to scream this time.

The resolve lasts only until the saw makes contact with his head.

***

Jason swears he can feel the piece of skull moving. It shouldn’t. It was sutured close, and he felt every single one of those sutures coming in and out of his skull. It shouldn’t move.

But he feels it moving.

His head is elevated now, and wrapped with sterilized gauze. Say what you want about these people, and Jason can say a lot after weeks of being here, but they know how to properly do brain surgery.

Even though they did it to him without anesthesia.

Jason hadn’t bothered being cognizant since then. It’s better this way. They can do what they want to him, and he doesn’t have to be aware about them doing it.

It’s better this way.

Days, if he can even call it that, blur together. They keep coming back for more samples, though thankfully never reopening the hole in his skull.

He has a hole in his skull. The thought makes him want to laugh, because the other alternative is to cry.

And he refuses to cry here. They have taken his blood, they have taken his organs, they have even taken brain matter from him, but they would not have his tears. He refuses to give them his tears.

People keep coming and going and coming again, faces morphing together into a single, amorphous and emotionless face. He doesn’t bother trying to keep track of who is who.

White coats. Blue gloves. Green mask.

Black cowl.

Wait.

Black cowl?

No. It’s just a fragment of his imagination. It’s his abused brain, dreaming up of scenarios in which he gets to get out of here.

But he hears voices. Panicked voices. Voices that don't sound like a tape recorder, saying everything in a monotone.

“Jay?” the voice says. “Jaylad, can you open your eyes?”

No, dad. He doesn’t want to.

“Jay, I know it’s painful, but I need you to open your eyes for me,” the voice says again, deeper and warmer than anything he has heard here. It’s most likely a hallucination. Bruce has given up on him, that he knows. But still, he wants to bury himself in the voice that reminds him so much of home.

Home. He just wants to go home, dad. Please.

“Can you do that?” the voice asks, rumbling all around Jason’s ears. It reminds him of late-night patrols, of being bundled up in the cape, of being safe.

Jason opens his eyes, and is greeted by a sight as familiar to him as his own name. Bruce’s face in a cowl.

“Good job, Jay,” Bruce murmurs, still maintaining that soft voice. “Now, I need you to stay awake for me, yeah? We’re going to get you out of here,”- Bruce raises his hand, moving towards Jason’s exposed face, but then drops them back down again. Jason strangely misses the touch. - “but I need you to stay awake, okay?”

Jason wants to say something, wants to nod his acquiesce, but the only thing that came out of him is a whine.

Bruce understands anyway.

“Good lad,” he says, brushing his hand to Jason’s own. Jason leans to the touch, feeling sad that the one from before, the one headed to his face, didn’t make contact.

It is a blur, then. He’s pretty sure the rest of the family was there. There was a flash of blue, a hint of green, and flickers of red, yellow, and purple. But throughout it all, he keeps his eyes on the black in front of him, the black that never left his side.

It stayed with him, up until they were out, until they hooked up various machines to him, and until the voice says again, “You can go to sleep, now.”

And with that voice, and that warmth right beside him, and that hand softly drawing patterns on his hand, Jason… sleeps.

#dc #jason todd #bruce wayne #whumptober 2020 #no. 31 #experimentation #fic #lian writes #medical procedures #surgery without anesthesia #brain surgery #unethical experimentations #bodily fluids #please mind the tags and happy halloween!

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bat-losers-inc · 4 years ago

Text

Kintsugi: Chapter 12

Summary: Final Crisis/Red Robin AU. Dick admits Tim to a psychiatric facility after Bruce is lost in time. Jason finds him suffering at the hands of a Scarecrow-copycat and breaks him out. While safe in Jason’s apartment, Tim still struggles with panic attacks and drug withdrawal. At a loss for what to do, Jason calls Roy Harper.

Pairings: Jason Todd & Tim Drake, Jason Todd & Dick Grayson, Roy Harper & Jason Todd.

Warning: minor mention of self-harm in this chapter.

- - -

“Okay. House rules.” Roy turned to the whiteboard and started writing with big slanting letters, “Rule number one; no drugs or alcohol inside the safehouse.”

“Now,” Roy pivoted back to Tim, who sat curled up on one end of the couch, a blanket wrapped around his shoulders. “I know this is an obvious one for the both of us, but it’s worth mentioning that Jason has also agreed to follow it as a show of solidarity. Right, Jason?”

Jason offered a thumbs up from his spot at the kitchen counter, his attention still absorbed by the computer screen before him, open to Tim’s research into Bruce’s disappearance. The lengthy document was full to the brim with images and news articles pulled from the web, scientific papers on optics, quantum mechanics and archeological sites — not to mention all of Batman’s previous research on Darkseid and his powers. It was going to take him days to read through all of it.

“Rule number two; keep it clean.”

“Yeah, we’re not trying to live a life of grime.” Tim smiled, clearly proud of himself.

Yikes, that peak dad joke knocked Jason right out of the physics of time travel and square into second-hand embarrassment. We’re really going to need to unteach him Dick’s puns.

Roy sighed, “Hang on. I just have to make an amendment.”

The expo marker squeaked loudly and Jason glanced up under his eyelashes to see him crossing out the first line. “Rule number one. No puns!”

Jason choked down a laugh and returned his gaze to his screen.

“Seriously, Roy?” said Tim, “You know, it’s going to take us all day to get through these rules if you keep—”

More marker squeaking. “Rule number three!”

“I’m still talking!”

“And now I’m talking.” Roy grinned. “Isn’t it funny how that works?”

“Jason!”

“I’m not here,” he called into the other room as he scrolled to the next page. Ooh, pictures… picture he could do. “Also, respect your elders.”

“Unbelievable,” Tim grumbled, just loud enough for Jason to hear.

“We’ll have weekly meetings every Sunday afternoon. We can use this time to talk about what’s been going well, what we’re struggling with that week, any routine changes that need to be made. Etcetera.”

Silence from Tim. That was good. At least there was the hope that he wasn’t going to fight them on every point. Reassured by that, Jason glanced back at a picture of Batman’s symbol painted on a cave wall and... let’s just say it wasn’t a case of everyday graffiti. Unless Batman had a lineage all the way back to early human civilization that Jason didn’t know about.

Jason tilted his head, squinting. “Hey, Tim? Got a question about that picture of the cave drawing in your research. C’mere.”

“Jason!” snapped Roy. “We’re clearly in the middle of something.”

“I’ll only be a sec!” He turned the laptop around as Tim slid off the couch and walked over.

“What about it?”

Jason tapped the screen with his fingernail. “There’s an annotation in this section with a number listed. What’s that for?”

Tim stared at it for a long moment.

“Oh, that?” He picked at a patch of dry skin on his elbow. “Nothing, just a contact for a consultant.”

“A consultant? Were you working on this case with someone before you got locked up?”

“No, not really. It was more of a one-off situation. He was the one who brought the cave painting to my attention in the first place and sent me the picture.”

“A one-off.. But you kept the number?” Jason eyed him.

Tim smiled tightly. “You know me. I keep a record of everything.”

“Except the name of your consultant.” Jason spun the laptop back around to face him. “Spell it for me, I’ll put it in.”

“What?” asked Tim.

“What’s the name of your consultant?”

“It doesn’t matter. Really.”

Jason’s eyebrows hiked their way into his hairline. “Your reaction is telling me otherwise.”

Anger flashed across Tim’s features. “Just leave it alone, Jason.”

Seriously? Tim couldn’t really have expected him to just ignore the glaringly obvious tension in the room. Honestly, it was like the kid didn’t know him at all.

He turned to head back into the living room but Jason caught his arm. It was slick to the touch under his fingertips. The sweating had started two days after they’d done the first taper— the first, and most mild, of his body’s reaction to doing without his usual dosage. “The fact that you don’t want to tell me means whoever it is, they’re probably bad news —”

“Hey, look at me. ” He gave Tim’s arm a shake until Tim’s gaze finally wandered the expanse of the kitchen and locked back on his own. “I can’t protect you if I don’t know who I should be protecting you from.”

Tim’s eyebrows and the hair at his temples were dark with perspiration. It added an extra intensity to the glare he leveled him with.

“You really think I would work with someone who was out to get me? I might be going crazy looking for answers, but I’m not totally stupid.”

“Of course not, but you’re not the same person you were a week ago either. You’re weaker, more distracted, more—”

Tim yanked his arm free of his fingers, his forearm streaked with bands of red where Jason had been unwilling to let go even when he felt Tim starting to pull away. “No, what ‘I am’ is late for my first NA meeting.”

Jason clamped his teeth together and tried not to grind them. Well, you sure fucked that up.

Roy stepped in before he could make a bigger ass of himself. “Tim, get changed. We’ve gotta hustle if we want to make it there by one.”

“And throw on some extra deodorant.” He added. “All the sweating’s making you smell ripe.”

As Tim took to the stairs, Roy flashed Jason a look. “How's that helicopter parenting serving you long term?”

“Oh, please, I’m the furthest thing from a helicopter parent!”

“Prove it.”

Jason shut the laptop and rubbed at his forehead. “Admit it. This mystery consultant has you concerned too.”

Roy rolled his eyes.“Yeah, a little. But, maybe it was just a one-time thing. People make choices that they’re ashamed of later. This could be Tim’s, but he’s not going to tell you until he trusts you to treat him right.”

Jason swept his arm out wide so Roy had a chance to glance around the apartment at all the little spots where Tim had already made himself at home — the rumpled blanket in the corner of the living room couch, the post-it note with Jason’s wifi password taped above his workspace, and the plate with leftover toast crumbs sitting on the counter — just to name a few. “Uh, I am. He can trust me.”

I made a fucking home for him when he felt like he couldn’t go back to his real one. What more do I have to do to prove it to him? What the hell happened to the old saying ‘actions speak louder than words?’ Apparently, Tim was the greedy sort that wanted actions and words.

Roy cut him a look like he could read Jason’s mind. “Trust goes both ways, Jason. And You’re treating him like a child.”

“He is a child!”

“I’ve only known him for a few days, but I can already see that Tim’s got more intelligence and perseverance than I ever did at his age.”

“Which is why I was being honest with him,” Jason countered. “Just like I would have with you if you were back in his position and doing something stupid.”

“There’s a difference between doing something stupid and doing something you don’t agree with.”

God, was this the kind of mental minefield that Dick had to navigate when dealing with Damian? It was tiring as fuck and endlessly confusing. He was honestly never sure if he was making the right decision. Roy wasn’t one to be tired out easily however.

“Right now that contact is just some numbers on a piece of paper. If they’re bad news Tim’s doing the hard thing and steering clear of them, even if it means forgoing easy answers about Bruce. You want to be honest about something? Be honest with yourself about that.”

Jason was still trying to think of a reply to that by the time Roy herded Tim out of the apartment. When he heard Roy’s car pulling away, he went back to cleaning the bike parts in the garage. He always did his best thinking when his hands were busy with some repetitive task. Hopefully, he could miraculously sort out his shit before Roy and Tim came back.

- - -

Tim hadn’t realized that when Roy said they’d have to hurry, it had more to do with the fact that they were driving all the way into Old Gotham than it had to do with mid-morning traffic. When he’d made a comment about it on the way over, Roy had simply said, “I think you’ll like the group at this place. They’re good guys who aren’t afraid to call you on your bullshit.”

“Oh, is that a valued quality in NA group members?” He’d ask, mostly sarcastically.

“At times, it can be.”

Tim didn’t know what to say to that, so they drove the rest of the way in silence. By the time Roy pulled up to the curb outside the Church of St. Jude and cut the engine, Tim’s nerves were even more on edge. It could’ve had something to do with the name of the church — St. Jude was the patron saint of lost causes — it struck Tim as an odd and ominous choice that Roy would favor this place.

“Ready to go in?” Roy asked as he unbuckled his seatbelt.

Lacking an answer to such a simple question, Tim stared out the window at the church. He took in its brick facade, the small courtyard hidden behind metal fencing, and the long-limbed trees that were just starting to bud. On a warm spring day like today it had the look of a small haven amidst the terrible giant that was Gotham City.

So, why was he so scared to leave Roy’s car?

“If you’re wondering when you’ll feel ready, the answer is probably never.”

“No… it’s not that. I know that.” Tim stared down at his lap. “It’s just…”

He struggled to find the right words, aware all the while that this was the first heart-to-heart that he and Roy were having that wasn’t within Jason’s earshot. They were venturing into uncharted territory.

Just breathe, you can talk to him.

This morning, he’d lingered quietly at the top of the stairs, like a child listening in on a conversation that they were too young for, and heard the way Roy had stood up for him. As long as it wasn’t endangering anyone, it seemed Roy was going to let him have his privacy, whether Jason liked it or not. So he knew that this conversation would be something that stayed just between them.

“What do I say to them?” he asked finally.

Roy hitched a thumb toward the church. “What, in group?”

“Yeah, I mean…” He shrugged. “Don’t you have to go around in a circle telling everyone how you started using and how long it’s been since you’ve last used?”

“It’s not mandatory, but yeah, that’s usually the way these things go.”

“Well, how am I supposed to tell them that I started using because some wanna-be villain experimented on me with fear toxin and tranquilizers?”

He threw out his hands like his frustration was something he could physically beat into submission. Instead, all he managed to do was accidentally punch the glove compartment and scrape his knuckles.

Ow. Universe 46, Tim still 0. Or at least that’s the way it felt.

Once he let one of his worries slip, it seemed he could stop it turning into a flood, his words spilling out like a tidal wave into the quiet space of Roy’s car. “ Hell, how do I tell them it’s been zero days since I last used? That I’m in fact still using. I can’t go in there and stare at a bunch of people who are actually clean and pretend to know what they’re going through, I mean—”

“Hey— hey, Tim,” Roy waved his hands. “Fuck that shit. All of it.”

“But—”

“No, I mean it. Fuck it, it means nothing to anyone in that room. Those details— the fear toxin, the mental hospital, your tapering regimen— they’re irrelevant. You think I had to dive into my shitty backstory with Green Arrow and vigilantism when recovering from heroin? Hell, no, I just told the parts of my story that mattered. You can do the same.”

Tim pressed his fingers harshly against his eyelids. “But I’m still using benzos!”

Roy laughed and tucked his long hair behind his ears, “Who told you being completely clean is a requirement for going to an NA meeting? If that was the case we wouldn’t have nearly so many attendees.”

Tim stared at him. That couldn't be right.

“I’m serious,” said Roy. “Most of us have been on and off the wagon more times than we can count. We come to the meetings anyway because it’s supposed to be the one constant lifeline that we don’t abandon. The only thing that matters to the people in there is that you’re trying to get clean.”

He leaned over the center console to look him in the eye. “Okay?”

Tim nodded, “Alright.”

Roy led the way down into the basement level of the church which served as the meeting room. It was much like Tim had pictured it. Fluorescent lighting; a scattering of folding chairs; coffee, water, and boxes of donuts laid out on the tables along one wall. A small group mingled around one of the tables, pouring steaming coffee into styrofoam cups before the meeting started. Tim instinctively tried to skirt around the group, eying a pair of metal chairs on the other side of the room. He was about to slink away when someone recognized Roy and gestured them over.

Roy glanced at Tim and jerked his head. “Let me introduce you to a few people.”

He had no choice but to follow, trailing a few paces behind Roy and hoping to hide behind his tall frame. Now he really was acting like a child. It was no wonder Jason was having mixed feelings. Get it together Drake! You’ve taken down super villains but you can handle some small talk?

“Roy!” A woman pulled Roy in for a hug, her dark curls spilling loosely over his shoulders. “How’ve you been?”

“Yeah,” The man at her shoulder smiled. “It’s been a while.”

Roy shrugged and offered a sheepish smile. “Sorry, I don’t get to Gotham nearly as much as I used to.” Tim took the last couple of steps forward, drawing the eyes of the group on him. “This is my friend, Tim. I’m gonna be sponsoring him for a bit. Tim, I’d like you to meet Rene and Dominic.”

“Nice to meet you.” He offered them a small wave, but nothing more. The last thing he wanted to do was draw more attention to himself during this meeting. It would be enough to just hang around in the background and go unnoticed while he got his footing.

It was a relief when the start of the meeting was called and everyone picked up one last donut and cup coffee before sliding into their seats. Roy pulled Tim over to sit next to his friends as a man stood up and addressed the group.

“Hi, everyone. Most of you regulars know me already, but for those of you new here my name’s Antonne Mays. I’m the group leader.”

He pulled a folded piece of notebook paper out of his back pocket and cleared his throat. “I’d like to start off with some general announcements. For those of you here by court mandate, come see me at the end of today’s meeting and I’ll validate your attendance cards. Also, Jessica can you stand up, please? Today is Jessica’s birthday so let’s raise a cup in her honor for staying strong and sticking around with us for another year!”

The people around him raised their styrofoam cups of coffee and tapped on them enthusiastically with their plastic stirrers. For a moment the room was filled with whistles and cheers before subsiding back into order. Tim shifted restlessly in his seat as the meeting went on, his attention going in and out of focus as the announcements transitioned into a round-robin discussion.

Roy bumped his foot with his own. “Pay attention.”

Tim nodded. He was trying to pay attention to the accounts from the other members but recently he’d been having trouble focusing on much of anything.

Focus, Tim. He rubbed at his thighs and rolled his shoulders. Just relax and breathe.

He closed his eyes and let his hands rest loosely against his legs, focusing his attention on drawing a deep breath in and then out. In and out.

“Will you relax and stop fidgeting? You're gonna drive me insane with that.” Roy hissed in his ear.

Tim opened his eyes, ready to shoot Roy a glare. “I’m not—”

His fingers were trembling, creating a spasmodic tattoo against the fabric of his jeans. He clenched his hand tight into a fist hard enough to feel his fingernails in the soft skin of his palms and sucked in a breath. It was just another symptom of the tapering.

It’s fine. You’ll be fine.

A hand covered his clenched fist from wrist to knuckles and applied gentle pressure. Tim looked up at Roy and read the unsaid apology that was written all over his freckled face.

He pulled his hand free and crossed his arms, stuffing his treacherous fingers in the crook of his elbow where no one could see them tremble. The minutes ticked on and Tim was only half listening now, the current speaker’s voice a dull white noise compared to his own thoughts. The trembling came and went in waves but Tim’s fingers lingered near his arms, circling the rough pattern along the skin of his inner arms. The bruising had faded but the raised skin from the needle marks still remained. Roy and Jason had told him he should be prepared for that and it really shouldn’t have mattered so much. It’s just a few more scars. Still, he couldn’t pull his eyes away this morning when he caught sight of himself in the mirror — the pearlescent marks peaking out right under the hem of his t-shirt sleeves.

They know. They all know just from looking at you. Sometimes that feeling was so strong it made him just want to pick up a hot poker and press it to his skin… to burn a brand big enough for those little scars to disappear into.

“I hope you’re not thinking those track marks are an excuse for you to slack off while you’re here. Because I’ll let you in on a little secret, kid; those are nothing special around here.”

Tim jerked his head up to find Antonne and half of the circle staring him in the face. “No- I wasn’t—”

“Mmhmm,” Antonne nodded, his fingers working diligently to roll up his shirt sleeves. When he’d cuffed them above his elbows, he held out his bare arms under the fluorescents. He traced one finger along his inner elbow, where tiny scars stood out in a dark mauve against the darker brown of his skin. “Look, I got them too. As does Antonio, Katey, and even your sponsor, Roy.”

“I’m just not used to them,” Tim said in his own defense. “They’re just so… public.”

Roy leaned forward in his seat, his hair spilling over in a red tangle that hid his expression from Tim’s view. “Sorry, Antonne. He’s new, this is his first meeting.”

Antonne waved away Roy’s explanation. “Ah, I see. So you’re still at the stage where you think those scars will define what others think of you.”

Tim shrugged. “Well, yeah… I mean, scars are permanent.”

That got a full-body laugh out of Antonne.

Tim stared at him confused. “Is something funny?”

“If you don’t like them so much, wear long sleeves, cover them up with concealer, hell you can even turn them into some hipster geometrical nonsense tattoo like Antonio did for all I care.”

“People are always going to stare, it’s in their nature,” Roy said before extending his left arm across Tim’s leg.

On the outside of his bicep was his Wyvern tattoo, a large winged beast with a reptilian tail that zig-zagged all the way down his bicep before ending at his elbow in an arrow-shaped point. But as he rotated his arm, Tim saw that the inside of his elbow was marked not with ink but with old track marks. He’s never even noticed them, his eyes always drawn to the colorful black and green ink, forever trying to figure out it’s meaning. “But, you can choose what they see when they look at you. Got it?

Tim’s hands dropped back into his lap. He felt a strange mixture of relief and humiliation all at once. “Yeah.”

“And here’s another pro-tip, on the house.” Antonne leaned forward in his chair. “The best way to change what people think of you… is to participate in group discussion.”

His face heated up as laughter erupted around the circle. Thankfully, it all seemed good-natured based on the smiles that some of the other members directed at him and the way Roy gave his hair a quick ruffle.

“What’s your name, kid?” Antonne asked.

Tim sat up straighter in his chair. “Tim.”

“Alright, Tim. Next meeting, you’re speaking first.”

#kintsugi #Jason Todd #Tim Drake #roy harper #batman #batman fandom #batman fanfic #tw drug problems #tw drug addiction #tw self harm #hurt comfort #emotional whump #bat-losers-inc #LittleDarlingXOX #myfic #fanfic #red robin #red hood #Arsenal

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schweeeppess · 5 years ago

Text

a/n: the au I was very excited to write! Pacific Rim au! I hope you guys enjoy! I had a TON of fun writing it, and there will definitely be more installments to this au :D

----

“Three months, twelve days, and eight hours, Bruce.”

“What?”

Dick gives Bruce a bland look, arms crossed over his chest as he leans against the wall, and continues staring.

Slowly, he repeats himself. “Three months. Twelve days. And eight hours. You’ve had me sitting on the sidelines because you couldn’t approve anyone Drift Compatible with me. For three months.” Raising a brow, he says, “ can I meet my new co-pilot, and when are we going to try the neural handshake?”

Bruce gives Dick the most unimpressed look he’s seen in a long time.

Dick cracks a smile.

“You’ll meet him—”

The door opens, then, and a teen’s head pokes through. He’s got long hair—long enough to put in a very small man-bun, Dick thinks—and pale skin. His eyes are a sky blue color that Dick vaguely remembers, and he narrows his eyes as he tries to place this kid.

“—right now, apparently.” Bruce raises an eyebrow at the teen who flushes a little in embarrassment as he closes the door behind him. “I wasn’t expecting you so soon.”

The teen fidgets a little, then speaks. “Sorry, sir. I didn’t know you were in the middle of a meeting…”

Dick snorts, eyeing the kid, then looks at Bruce.

“This is my Drift Compatible co-pilot?” he asks. “Seriously?”

Bruce nods as the teen tenses.

“Timothy Jackson Drake, this is Richard John Grayson, your new co-pilot.”

Timothy Drake. I know that name.

Frowning as he tries to remember just where he knows that name from, Tim sticks his hand out to him.

Glancing at the hand, then to Tim, Dick smiles and shakes his hand.

“Nice to meet you, Tim,” he says. “My name’s Richard but you can call me Dick. I prefer it, actually.”

Tim nods.

Clearing his throat, Bruce says, “You’re scheduled to attempt a neural handshake in thirty minutes, so I suggest you spend some time getting to know each other.”

“Aye-aye, captain,” Dick replies sarcastically, letting Tim’s hand go to salute mockingly before opening the door.

“Yes, sir,” is what Tim’s response is, but he doesn’t move to follow Dick, instead awkwardly shifting once.

Dick blinks, then laughs.

“Bruce,” he says, still laughing. “He wants you to dismiss us.”

Bruce seems surprised as he says, “You’re dismissed.”

As Dick and his new co-pilot leave the room, Dick keeps laughing, throwing an arm over Tim’s shoulders.

“You’re great, kid,” he says, still smiling hard as they walk to Dick’s room. “I like you.”

Tim nods once.

“I’d hope so,” is his response as he loses all nervous and fidgety-ness. He collects himself, looking disinterested yet invested, calculating yet alive, serious but loose.

Dick’s grin widens.

—

“So, how you wanna play this?”

“What?”

“Twenty questions style?”

“Wh—”

“Twenty questions style it is!”

Tim gives his new co-pilot an exasperated look from where they sit on Dick’s bottom bunk. Dick just flashes him that grin again, and Tim rolls his eyes, relenting.

“Fine,” he says. “Twenty questions style. What’s your first question?”

Dick hums, drumming his fingers on his cheek.

“How old are you?”

“Twenty-one.”

This, for some reason, makes Dick laugh. Tim raises a brow and asks him the same question.

“I’m twenty-eight,” Dick answers. Moving on from the question, he asks, “Your parents. Are they alive?”

“No.”

“Neither are mine. How old were you when they died?”

“Twelve.”

“I was nine. Kaiju?”

“Yeah. You?”

“Nah. Mobster in Gotham.”

“Sorry.”

“Me too. How’d Bruce find you?”

“Black market. You?”

“He was there when my parents died.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah. Where’re you from?”

“Me? Gotham. My parents? My mom was from somewhere in Asia, and my dad was American.”

“Cool.”

“You?”

“Roma, not to be confused with Romanian.”

“Neat.”

They went like that, back and forth, for about twenty minutes. When there was only ten minutes before their scheduled attempt at a neural handshake, Tim got up to crawl on his bunk—the one directly atop Dick’s—and drag his piloting uniform out of his bag.

Dick reaches under his bed for his duffel with his uniform, then rolls off his bed and stands up.

“You know,” Dick says, stripping his shirt off, “we should probably hang these somewhere.”

Tim makes a noise of agreement, dropping off the bunk to the ground, and starts to change too.

“I am, like, ninety percent sure I have a closet here,” Dick continues.

Snorting, Tim asks, “Haven’t you been here for three months?”

“Yep.”

Tim just shakes his head and finishes stripping down to his boxers, revealing his lithe muscles.

Dick wolf-whistles jokingly, and Tim rolls his eyes as he steps into his black compression suit, Dick doing the same with his own.

“These are uncomfortable,” Dick complains just for the sake of conversation. “So tight.”

Tim shrugs. “They’re not that bad,” he says. “And, either way, shouldn’t you be used to skin-tight stuff, mister ex-trapeze artist?”

Chuckling, Dick replies, “You got me there.”

Tim smiles a little and they both start pulling on the other, heavier, layers to their uniforms.

Once they’re all dressed, there's only two minutes before their neural handshake, and Dick slaps Tim on the back, saying, “Race you!”

He leaves his new co-pilot spluttering as he runs ahead and laughs. It’s barely much more effort to run, since their uniforms are designed to be as lightweight as possible.

“You cheater!” Tim yells after him.

Dick just laughs again in response.

They reached their Jaeger three minutes late, neither having broken much of a sweat and still completely energized.

Tim whistles at the sight of their Jaeger, and Wally walks over in his red and white boiler suit, flashing the two a smile.

“Hey, guys,” Wally greets. “I’m gonna be the technician monitoring your Drift.”

“Nice seeing you, Walls,” Dick says as he and Tim follow Wally to the cockpit.

Wally grins. “You too, Dick.”

Stepping into the Jaeger, Dick hums and looks around. He’s never been inside.

“Welcome aboard Tacit Tact,” Wally says, pocketing his hands. “We call it Tic Tac.”

“Tacit Tact,” Tim repeats, trying the name on his tongue. “I like it.”

Dick nods his agreement.

“Right, well, whenever you guys are ready, you know the drill.”

Wally leaves them after connecting them to the Jaeger, presumably to head into the monitoring station.

Approaching the right docking station, Dick glances over at Tim who's to the left.

“Ready?” he asks with a smile.

“Hell yeah,” Tim answers.

They both step in at the same time.

—

There’s… nothing, nothing at all, to prepare someone for something as intimate as Drifting. Nothing can compare to it.

All at once Tim goes from being inside the machine to being thrust into Dick’s mind. His memories and Dick’s collide like waves crashing against each other, every emotion, every experience, and every impression like raindrops drizzling in Tim’s consciousness.

It’s painful for about a minute before the memories easily and fluidly start to blend and mix. Tim knows everything—everything—there is to know about Dick, his co-pilot—but, now, something much more intimate than just the title of co-pilot, because that can’t quite accurately grasp the depth there is to sharing everything about yourself with someone else—and Dick knows everything there is to know about him.

Their thoughts, their memories, and their souls easily fuse.

The co-pilots open their eyes, and they hear the computer announce, “Pilot to pilot connection: engaged. Two pilots drifting in neural bridge.”

As if to confirm what the computer had said, Dick and Tim raise their fists into a ready stance.

“How do you guys feel?” Wally’s voice asks, crackling into their speakers.

In response Dick and Tim laugh.

—

Walking back to their room is peaceful, Tim thinks. He and Dick have reached a certain level of comfort with each other—a normally unattainable range of absolute and complete trust—that they didn’t have before, and might never have had if they hadn’t drifted together. Now they’re thicker than blood.

“Your parents weren’t around,” Dick hums, and Tim nods.

“You have a stuffed elephant named Zitka,” Tim says.

Dick nods. “I do.”

Stopping outside their room, Dick holds his hand out to Tim, who shakes it.

“It’s nice meeting you, little brother.”

Little brother.

Tim can get used to that.

Abruptly there’s a very dramatic gasp and Tim turns to look over his shoulder.

Dick rolls his eyes good-naturedly.

“Dick!” Some guy Tim’s never seen before gasps, clutching a hand over his heart dramatically. He’s built—reminds Tim of Bruce, but not quite there—and has a white patch of hair in his otherwise ink-colored hair. His eyes are green, he’s about Bruce’s height, and there’s a scar on his neck, but Tim still doesn’t recognize him.

“Hey, Jason,” Dick greets with a smile, slipping his hand out of Tim’s as he moves to hug Jason. “I was wondering when you were gonna pop up.”

Jason makes a noise at the hug, but pats Dick twice on the back.

“You know me,” he says with a slight shrug. “I’ll be around eventually.” Green eyes flicking over Tim’s way, he asks, “Who’s the kid?”

Tim raises a hand and waves.

“Hi,” he says.

“Hey,” Jason answers.

Stepping back, Dick turns to Tim.

“Tim, meet Jason, the first little brother I ever had. Jason, meet Tim, my new little brother and yours too,” he introduces.

Tim quirks an eyebrow at Jason and holds a hand out. “Nice to meet you, Jason.”

Jason nods and shakes his hand. “You too, Tim…?”

“Drake.”

Jason nods again. “Todd.” Glancing over at Dick once the handshake’s over, Jason gestures to Tim with a thumb and asks, “Co-pilot?”

“Yup,” Dick answers, popping the ‘p’ happily.

“Fresh.” Jason looks to Tim, asks, “How’d the Drift go?”

Tim shrugs. “Good.”

“Great,” Dick amends. “Easier than breathing.”

“Fucking finally, Grayson,” Jason teases, elbowing Dick. “Thought you’d never get a co-pilot.”

Dick snorts, and Tim turns to walk away, as Dick’s saying, “Look who’s talking. You still don’t have one, do you?”

“Oh, fuck off. All the guys they tried matching my head with were soft.”

Tim misses what Dick says next, disappearing into their room and climbing up to his bunk.

Flopping down on his back, Tim breathes a long sigh and closes his eyes, feeling drained to the marrow in his bones now that the adrenaline has faded. He hears Dick and Jason walk into the room and assumes Jason occupies one of the other bunk beds in their large room, but he doesn’t move and promptly dozes off.

When he dreams, he walks through memories that aren’t his own.

He’s standing on a platform several feet above the ground in a large tent, three people standing in front of him. Tim turns and looks around, noting the cheering crowds and banners hanging, and realizes where he is as he returns his attention to the little boy standing between his parents.

The little boy is Dick, and this was the night his parents died.

Tim remembers this. He remembers watching the flying Graysons fall victim to gravity and cut cables. He remembers the scream, above all the others, that rattled him to his very core. The scream of a boy who lost it all.

He remembers it.

Just not from this perspective.

As the older two Graysons take to the trapeze and leave their excited son standing on the platform, Tim walks forward and sits down next to where the boy stands, letting his feet dangle off over the edge.

“You’re going to miss them,” Tim says, watching Mary and John Grayson fly together, doing feats no human should be able to do.

The little boy looks at him questioningly, and Tim adds, “Soon.”

The crowd roars with cheers, and Tim remembers hearing the very sound before two birds had their wings clipped mid-flight.

He grabs Dick and hugs him close to his chest, hiding the boy’s face on his chest, and watches as the wire snaps and Mary falls with her husband, her hand outstretched to her son.

“I’m sorry,” Tim says.

Dick cries against his chest.

—

When Dick dreams, he walks through memories that aren’t his own.

He’s standing in a house too big to be so lifeless, the lights out and the air too warm for comfort, the room he stands in like something out of a horror book with all it’s neglected-looking pictures.

Dick walks out of the room, looks around, then heads upstairs. He passes several doors, turns down into a hallway, and walks past more doors, observing everything as he goes.

Dick stops outside a door like all the other ones he’d passed before it.

Then he opens it, and steps into the room.

Sitting there, on his bed and looking out the window, is a small boy in a room too big and empty to be his alone.

“Hi,” Dick says, walking over and sitting with him.

The boy peels his eyes off the window and turns them to Dick.

He recognizes that blue.

“Hi,” Tim answers, looking back at the window.

As he sits down beside Tim on the bed, Dick says, “You’re Tim.”

“M-hm.”

“Why are all the lights off?”

Tim shrugs. “Mom and Dad forgot to pay the bills.”

Raising a brow, Dick asks, “Plural?”

Tim nods. “Plural. They do it a lot, but that’s okay. They always pay them before they get back.”

Humming, Dick looks around the room.

“This is your room?” he asks.

“Yeah.”

It’s hard to believe, the room is so plain, but Dick nods anyways.

Quiet falls over them for a little while, Tim still looking out the window, Dick now with his eyes closed and lying back on Tim’s bed.

“I don’t think they love me,” Tim eventually says. “They say they do whenever we go to Mr. Wayne’s galas, but I don’t think they really love me.”

“Why not?” Dick asks without opening his eyes.

“Because they leave. Moms and Dads don’t leave their kids, right? That’s not what they do?”

Dick opens his eyes to see Tim looking at him with nothing but sadness and grief in his eyes no child should know.

“No,” he says, sorrow heavy in his tone. “It’s not what they do.”

Tim looks for something in Dick’s eyes then nods and looks back out the window.

“Okay. That’s okay.”

Heart heavy with pain for the boy who was deprived of love, Dick reaches out to pull him close and hug him.

Tim offers no protest as he curls up as small as he can against Dick’s side, and Dick in turn wraps around Tim as much as he comfortably can, his face in Tim’s hair as the boy trembles in his arms.

“I’m sorry,” Dick whispers.

When Tim starts to cry, Dick just keeps holding him.

—

Tim wakes up twice, once to change out of his uniform, and the second time because his internal clock still set to the timer he had for himself when he was scavenging on the streets after the Kaiju attacks. The second time he wakes up, Tim sits up with his back to the wall and waits for his brain to load.

In the bed beneath him, Dick snores softly.

Relaxing a little at knowing his co-pilot is nearby, Tim starts to look around the room with four other bunk beds. Their bed is in the back of the room, tucked into the leftmost corner, and there’s a bunk bed across from them, and one also pressed to the same wall Dick and Tim’s is, to their right.

In the one immediately across from theirs, the top bunk is bare, nothing on it, and Tim assumes whoever has the bottom bunk still doesn’t have a co-pilot. Glancing at the bottom bed, Tim sees Jason. The older boy is also asleep, chest rising and falling evenly, and Tim snorts at the knowledge that Jason sleeps with his mouth open.

Turning his attention to the bunk to Tim’s right, he sees some Hispanic kid asleep on the top bunk, and can’t get a good look at whoever’s on the bed beneath him, if there’s someone on the bottom bunk.

On the bed across from Hispanic kid’s is a black kid, and he’s awake too. Tim decides to talk to him after glancing at the brown kid in the bunk, asleep, under the black one’s.

Finally, there’s a boy with an air mattress between Jason’s bunk and kid-Tim-still-needs-to-talk-to’s.

Survey of the area complete, Tim’s eyes flick over to meet the other kid’s.

“Hey,” Tim greets quietly.

“Hi,” the other boy replies just as quiet.

“Who are you?”

“Duke Thomas.” Duke narrows his eyes, inspecting Tim. “Who are you?”

Tim gestures to the bed beneath his. “Dick’s co-pilot. Tim Drake.”

Duke hums and nods. “Cool. He’s been waiting to get into the action.”

Snorting, Tim says, “Me too.” Eyes turning to the boy in the bed under Duke’s, Tim asks, “Who’s he?”

“Who?”

Tim nods at who he means, and Duke says, “Oh, that’s Damian. Cassandra Cain’s co-pilot.”

Surprise flits through Tim.

“Damian Wayne?” he asks, and Duke nods.

Gesturing to the Hispanic kid across from him, Duke introduces him as Kyle Rayner, and the boy that’s apparently in the bed under his Conner Kent. Then he tells Tim the kid in the air mattress is named Jon Kent.

Frowning, Tim says, “Conner and Jon co-pilots?”

Duke shakes his head.

“Nah, Conner is Kyle’s co-pilot. Jon’s co-pilot is Maya Ducard.”

“If they’re brothers, why aren’t they co-pilots?”

“Adopted brothers.”

“Oh.” Tim nods once, then hops off his bed. Duke jumps down too.

Tim asks if there’s a closet, and Duke gives him a Look.

“What?” Tim asks indignantly.

“Dude, our closet is fucking huge. You could fit, like, two bunk beds in there. Or maybe just one and Jon’s bed.” Duke waved a dismissive hand as he led Tim to the closet. “You see my point.”

Pointing to the door as it slid open, Duke says, “Right there. Our little spaces have our names.”

Duke leaves, then, and Tim walks into the closet that resembles a sports team locker room.

Tim snorts, walking deeper into the room, his duffel bag slung over his shoulder, and glances at the other occupied nooks as he goes.

Kyle! is written across the top of one in green paint, Kon in bright red on another, Jon then a smiley face in blue, Dames in black, Jaybird in crimson, then there are three blank and empty spaces near the back. Two empty ones on the left, next to Dames, and one empty one next to Jaybird.

On the floor is a closed can of golden, blue, and orange paint.

Tim stares at them for a few seconds, then puts his duffle on the bench behind him and starts to take clothes out of the bag.

—

Dick wakes up after Duke, Damian, and Jason, like always.

But he feels… weird. Like a piece of him is missing.

He makes a face as he cracks his eyes open, rolling over to face Jason’s bunk, and squints when he sees his little brothers all huddled on Jason’s bed.

Yawning, Dick decides it’s too early for him to really care about whatever they’re talking about. He moves his blanket and throws his legs off the bed, sitting up and scrubbing at his eyes as he does.

“Where’s Tim?” is the first thing he says, which surprises himself as much as it does his roommates.

Jason snickers a little, but Duke and Damian—both with co-pilots of their own—seem to understand, and Dick thinks that this is how they must feel every time they wake up separate from their co-pilots—like a piece of them is missing.

“The closet,” Duke answers.

Dick blinks. “Oh,” he says.

Digging around under his bed for his shoes and duffle bag, Dick stands and Duke points him in the general direction of the closet.

“That’s what that room is,” Dick says to himself as he walks over to it.

Jason, Duke, and Damian quietly laugh behind him.

Stepping into the closet, Dick calls, “Tim?”

He sees him a second later, and Tim looks over, nodding when he sees him.

“Morning,” Tim greets, returning to his prior task of hanging his clothes and putting them in the cabinets.

Dick smiles as he walks over. “Good morning, little brother.”

A small smile touches Tim’s lips as Dick sets his duffle down on the bench and starts taking his clothes out to organize them.

It’s peacefully quiet between them as they do their tasks, Dick humming a song to himself as his hands move, Tim folding and hanging clothes beside him, and the feeling of disconnect is gone now that he’s with his co-pilot.

They’re two halves of a whole now.

“How’d you sleep?” Tim suddenly asks.

Easily responding, Dick replies, “I had a weird dream-thing. I don’t know what to call it.”

“One of my memories?”

Dick glances over at Tim and studies him. The guess was good and on the money. Tim probably had one of those dreams too, and Dick is surprised when he realizes he’s not disturbed by it in the least bit.

”Yeah,” he hears himself say. “We spoke in your room.”

Tim nods, turning to hang his compression suit.

“We spoke too, kinda,” Tim says, tone betraying nothing.

Nodding once, Dick puts his shoes away.

It’s only quiet until Dick remembers something.

“You were there,” he breathes, freezing. “When my parents died.”

Tim doesn’t say anything for a few seconds, then, “Yes.”

Turning to look at Tim, Dick squints. “I’d met you and your dad, before the show, right? We took a picture.”

“Yes.”

“Why didn’t you say so?”

Raising a brow and turning to face Dick, Tim answers, “Because I didn’t see the point? What did you want me to say, ‘Oh, hey, by the way, remember that really traumatic and horrible time your parents died? Yeah? Cool well I saw that too so trauma buddies!’” Tim rolls his eyes, putting his duffle bag away. “For some reason, that doesn’t sound like an appropriate thing to say to someone you’ve just officially met.”

Dick stares at Tim and it goes quiet as Tim meets his gaze.

Then Dick laughs.

Tim rolls his eyes again, smiling faintly, and comments, “You’re fucking mental.”

“Ah, damn fucking straight,” Dick replies, smiling brightly as he claps Tim on the shoulder. “But we’re fucking mental, oh co-pilot of mine.”

Shrugging, Tim says, “I can live with that.”

Laughing again, Dick shakes his head and turns to finish putting his stuff away.

“Hey, losers!”

Dick and Tim look over at the door, where Jason’s leaned halfway in, and Jason laughs a little to himself before saying, “Breakfast’s in ten, so I’d recommend you hurry your asses up if you want to have something to eat that isn’t grits.”

Then he’s gone, and Dick makes a face.

“I like grits,” Tim says, raising a brow when Dick shakes his head. “What?”

“Not these grits you don’t. Believe me.” Finishing up, Dick adds, “They’re called Cat 4’s for a reason.”

Confused, Tim doesn’t say anything, and Dick decides to help explain.

“Category 4-grade shits, little bro.”

Tim opens his mouth, then a disgusted look twists his face and he’s shoving Dick toward the door.

“I am not eating something nicknamed after Kaiju shit,” he says vehemently. “Move it, Grayson.”

Dick laughs, saying, “Calm down, Tim. Jason was going to save us some food if we were late.”

“Move it, Grayson.”

Rolling his eyes, Dick shakes Tim’s hands off his back and starts jogging out the door to the closet, then directly out the door of their room. He doesn’t wait up for Tim, knowing the younger boy is right behind him, and picks up the pace a little as he runs for the cafeteria. They pass Garth, from the research division, and Cassie, from Diana Prince’s Jaeger division, both holding their own breakfast trays.

Dick waves as he passes, and they call greetings.

When they reach the cafeteria, Dick shoves the double-doors open and smiles, turning to look at Tim briefly.

“Welcome to our Division, Tim.”

Tim ignores him and practically runs to the breakfast line.

Huffing in exasperation, Dick follows him.

“You ruined my moment!” he yells.

“Moment later, food now!”

#my work #my writing #my fanfiction #Pacific Rim au #AU #Batfam au #Dick Grayson #Bruce Wayne #Tim Drake #Jason Todd #Wally West #Jaeger Pilots au #i really loved writing this #and so look forward to writing more #we're getting a story going :D

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catie-does-things · 5 years ago

Text

Happy Birthday, Katie!

It’s @iamfitzwilliamdarcy ‘s birthday, so as is becoming an annual tradition, I wrote her some batfam angst ft. Jason Todd! (At least this year it’s a little more in the hurt/comfort genre?)

Hey, Brother After her fight with Shiva, Jason pays Cassandra a visit. (AU where Shiva is actually Jason's biological mother.)

AO3 Jason’s hands shook as he slid the window open from his perch on the ledge outside, less carefully than he would have liked but still with skill enough. Had anyone else tried this, the formidable security systems at Wayne Manor would have put a stop to it - but Jason knew how to get around those. He was always surprised, every time he dropped in on the manor this way, when the alarms weren’t upgraded - but maybe someone was afraid if they actually forced him to use the front door, like Alfred was always pointedly suggesting, he’d just stop coming altogether. Jason didn’t want to overly scrutinize that possibility.

At any rate, that wasn’t why his hands were shaking, and neither was the cold night air, nor the two story drop from Cassandra’s bedroom window. Jason had been in far more uncomfortable, and far more dangerous situations than this. He was trembling not with nerves, but with anger.

And this time, the target of his anger was not a resident of Wayne Manor, but his own mother.

Jason hadn’t been this angry at Shiva for leaving him behind in that warehouse. She was a killer for hire who didn’t know the meaning of human compassion. She’d played her part in the Joker’s grand charade, collected her reward, and gone on her way. It was just what she did. Or at least, that was what he had told himself for a long time, to keep himself focused on what needed to be done, his rage fixated on the proper target, the person who really needed to be punished.

It wasn’t like he never thought about her. Babies littered all over the world, she had said. Countless abandoned children. Then she had denied it, said she had no children at all. They’d proven the latter story to be a lie. Ever since he’d made the acquaintance of the new Batgirl, Jason had begun to wonder if Shiva’s first story wasn’t closer to the truth.

There was him, and there was Cassandra. Hardly the global brood Shiva had claimed, but if there were two, why not more? How many other half-siblings did he have out there, and how many of them had grown up rough and bloody, left behind in slums or worse? That, maybe, he was a little more angry at her for.

So when he’d heard Shiva was back in Gotham, yeah, he’d thought about confronting her. Nothing so dramatic as what he’d done with the clown (who was still, maddeningly, in spite of everything, sucking perfectly good oxygen out of the atmosphere, as if the bastard just couldn’t die) but Jason figured he and his mother ought to have words.

He’d never found her, though. He wasn’t the one she’d come to Gotham looking for.

He’d heard about the fight - half the scum in Gotham had seen the two of them, had scattered like the rats they were when Batman had shown up to collect a bloodied and broken Batgirl. Bloodied and broken, but breathing, so it looked like they knew who mom liked best.

Alfred had reached out to Jason to tell him that Cassandra was in bad shape, but she was expected to make a full recovery, eventually. It had bothered him - but not surprised him - that it hadn’t been Bruce. Still, even if it had, just hearing it wouldn’t have been enough. Jason needed to see Cassandra for himself. He might not have been an expert at the whole big brother thing, but he sure gave a damn if the girl lived or died.

That was why he was perched on the ledge outside her window in the middle of the night, breaking into the manor again.

The window open, he climbed inside, as noiselessly as years of bat-training had made him. The room was dark, lit only by the moonlight coming in through the window after him, but that was enough for him to see the girl lying on top of the covers of the bed, Alfred’s neat sutures tracing dark lines over the patches of pale skin not wrapped in white bandages. Shiva really had done a number on her. Jason’s fists tightened as he took a step towards his sister.

Whether that step was taken incautiously, or Cassandra’s hearing was just that good, it was enough for her to open her eyes. She didn’t look at all surprised to see him there, and though it was hazy with pain, her gaze immediately fixed on him. Maybe she’d known he was there all along. She could do crazy things like that sometimes.

“Hey, Cass,” Jason greeted her softly, voice shaking as his hands had done. He dropped to one knee next to the bed, but didn’t reach out to her. He was afraid to touch her, afraid to cause her more pain. “How’re you doing?”

Cassandra blinked up at him slowly. “Hurt,” she said, her voice hoarse.

“Yeah,” Jason agreed. “Yeah, I bet it does.” He swallowed against the hard lump forming in his throat. “Jesus, Cass, I’m so sorry…”

“Not…” Cass protested weakly. Words were so hard for her under the best of circumstances, and she seemed to be struggling even more now. With great effort, she lifted one bandaged hand and pressed it against his chest. “Fault. Not.”

“I know,” Jason replied, tentatively placing one hand over hers. Cassandra didn’t flinch, so he closed his fingers lightly around her hand. “I’m just sorry we’ve got such an awful woman for a mother.” Cassandra looked away as he went on, turning her face towards the ceiling. “It’s one thing if she didn’t want us. Fine, good riddance, right?” Cassandra let her hand fall from his grasp. “But what kind of woman wants to kill her own kids, just for the hell of it?”

Cassandra closed her eyes, placing the same hand over her own chest. “Deserve,” she said, her voice no more than a broken whisper.

And that was enough for Jason to snap, the anger that had been simmering bursting forth into full blown rage. “No you don’t,” he insisted, louder than he’d meant to, as he got to his feet. “And if she made you think that, I…” He was all but shouting now, but no one came to investigate the noise. Maybe Cassandra wasn’t the only one who’d known he was here all along. “I’m going to kill her,” he finished, fully meaning it.

Cassandra’s eyes flew open again. “No,” she said urgently, reaching out to grab hold of his hand once more, grip surprisingly firm. “No killing.”

It was so different, coming from her, than when Bruce said it. It was a plea, rather than a condemnation.

“She’s the one who deserves it,” Jason argued. “Not you. Her.” Shiva was the one who killed and killed again, innocent people, and showed no remorse. Cassandra had only ever done what she’d been forced to, and she’d done everything to atone for it, which was more than even Jason could say. Of all of them, Cassandra was probably the only one who didn’t deserve to be punished.

“No,” she repeated, tugging on his hand until he knelt down next to her again. “No more. Please. Jason. No more.” Once he was at her level, she placed her hand on his chest like she had before, right over his heart. “Better.”

“No I’m not,” Jason choked out, his eyes starting to sting. “Not anymore. Not for a long time.” And it was Shiva who had done that to him, as much as the Joker - just what she had tried to do to Cassandra, perhaps. Break the child, so it could be remade more perfectly in its mother’s image. Good thing Cassandra was so much stronger than him.

“Yes,” his sister replied, plain contradiction the only argument she could offer, the only words she could find. “Better. You.”

Bruce would disagree, Jason thought. But he didn’t see the point in continuing to argue. “If you say so,” he conceded with a shrug, wiping the tears away from his eyes with some embarrassment.

“Right,” Cassandra said with a satisfied nod. She withdrew her hand, closed her eyes once more, and shifted slightly. Jason could tell the conversation was over, and figured he had better let his sister try to sleep some more. She certainly needed her rest, and deserved all the peace in the world, whatever she thought about herself. He stood and headed back to the window to make his exit via the same ostensibly clandestine route by which he had come.

Bruce might have disagreed with Cassandra’s assessment of him. But Bruce wasn’t there just then, and for whatever reason, in Cassandra’s eyes, he wasn’t a disappointment. She couldn’t tell him why, but maybe, he thought as he scaled down the side of the manor, maybe she didn’t need to. Maybe just the fact that she believed it was good enough, for now.

#jason todd #cassandra cain #batfam #catie writes things #same bat tag same bat time #iamfitzwilliamdarcy

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xreaderfic-land · 6 years ago

Text

Stalker

Warning: Stalker, Violence

Jason sat back on his bike and stared at you with a smile.

“What?” You asked while pulling free of his helmet.

Jason shook his head, “Nothing. My helmet just looks good on you.”

You rolled your eyes, “You know if I would have known how dorky you are underneath all that bravado and smolder I might not have ever agreed to that first date.”

Jay made a face, “Oh don’t lie you love me.”

You leaned forward to kiss him quickly, “I felt bad for you, there’s a difference.”

Jay’s mouth dropped open, “You know if I would have known how sassy you are underneath all that sweetness and beauty I wouldn’t have asked you on a date, to begin with.”

You laughed at his words while gently shoving at him. The two of you had been dating for the last six months and he was everything you didn’t know you needed.

Underneath the harsh dark scary exterior lay a man that was gentle warm and kind.

He’d managed to wiggle his way into your life when you had tried everything to keep people out. You’d moved to Gotham not so long ago in hopes to start over. Start as a nobody and stay that way, but Jason Todd had other plans.

He’d swooped into your life, or more accurately thrown a dude out of a bar on top of you by accident, and then never left. After the two of you spent ten minutes hashing out insults he’d asked you for drinks in the same bar he’d just cleaned house in.

You’d accepted the drink and that was all she wrote. The pull that ignited between the two of you was something made of fairy tale soulmate stories. No matter how bad the two of you fought or had moments of pushing the other way you came back together.

You both made each other happy and made it possible to forget the ghosts of the past.

Jason’s arm reaching out to wrap around your waist and pull you closer snapped your thoughts.

Looking down at him you smiled while running your fingers through his hair that was brushing past his ears.

“You need a haircut, you hippie.” You joked.

Jay made a show of whipping his head back and forth, “Haircuts are a conspiracy, man. Government just uses them to control our minds, man.”

You covered his mouth with your hands while laughing, “God you’re such a dork.”

Jason licked your hand making you jerk back while replying, “Yeah, but I’m your dork. Don’t forget that part sweetheart.”

“I could never.” You answered.

Your smile fell after a while and Jason’s brows wrinkled.

Cupping the sides of his face you gently kissed Jason’s forehead, the action making him exhale and shiver. You slowly pulled back and stared at him.

“Do you really have to go all the way to Star City?” You whined.

Jay heaved a sigh, “There it is.”

“What?” You snapped.

“Babe, I have to go. We’ve talked about this all week, Bruce needs me to run out there.”

“I know that he wants you to go, but why can’t he, I don’t know, send one of his other twelve hundred adopted kids.” You said bitterly.

Jason snorted before giving you a hard look, “Now be easy on Bats when he’s not around to defend himself. As for me going, I thought you were better with being okay with this.”

You crossed your arms, “You taking the last two nights off from Hood patrols and buttering me up with dinner was something you did on your own accord. I never actually said I was cool with you leaving.”

Jay dramatically leaned back on his bike before snapping back to an upright position while drawing out one of your pet names, “Babe.”

“Don’t ‘babe’ me Todd.” You huffed.

“It’s only for like three days. It will go by super quick and you can go to my place whenever you want. Or you know just move in like I keep trying to get you to do.” Jason’s words were even as he leveled you with a look.

Rolling your eyes, “I can’t move out until my lease is up at the end of this month.”

“I told you I would pay for the difference.” He said.

“I don’t need you to pay the difference if I just wait the few more weeks.” You snapped back.

Jason ran a hand down his face tiredly, “Y/n, doll, you’re killing me here.”

Your eyes softened as you upped your game, “I just don’t like you so far away.”

Jason clicked his tongue, “No. Don’t pull the puppy dog eyes on me, little lady, I know your tricks.”

You sighed, “Jay, come on.”

He threw his hands up, “I can’t really get out of this. I’m sorry, okay? But part of me being Red Hood, which you know, sometimes means doing Bruce favors. If I--”

“Want him to stay off your back you have to make sure he doesn’t have a reason to constantly be annoying you. Yes, yes, I know. I’ve heard the spiel before Jay.” You finished.

“Then why are you fighting with me over this?” He asked.

You turned away from him, “Just forget it. I’ll see you when you get back.”

Jay reached out, “Y/n wait-”

You ripped free, “It’s fine. We’ll just celebrate when you get back.”

Jay’s shoulders dropped, “I’ll have plenty more birthdays, babe.”

You shoved the key into your locked, “I just wanted this first one together to be special.” You looked at him over your shoulder and asked worriedly “Promise to call when you get there?”

Jay held up his hand, “I swear.”

You gave him a small smile, “Love you.”

He smirked, “Love you too, doll.”

You slipped into your apartment and shut the door before flipping the locks. Getting out of your jacket and shoes you maneuvered through your place.

Setting your phone on the kitchen counter you went toward your bedroom to change into comfy clothes. As you pushed your bedroom door open and yanked the elastic hair tie free you froze.

The scent of roses flooded your senses before the sight of thousands of them in your room processed. Your mouth fell open as your heart threw itself against your rib cage.

He’d found you and the fear dumping through your veins had your body slamming into fight or flight mode.

Before you could spin around two arms snaked around your form until one lay against your mouth and the other your torso.

A shriek of horror and surprise sounded around Brian’s hand as he yanked you closer.

The smell of his cologne made you gag as you struggled to get free.

Brian’s hot breath brushed the crest of your ear, “Hush, now. Everything is okay, princess. It took me a while to figure out where you went, but I did it. Aren’t you so proud? Distance cannot keep our love apart any longer. We can finally go home now that this tiresome game of chase is over.”

Brian chuckled to himself, “When we get back you can make me a nice hot meal. Oh, and then we can get back to planning our lives out. I have just the name for my future son. I’m thinking Alexander. So strong.”

Brian continued to talk to himself allowing you the chance to finally get your bearings. Lifting your leg you smashed it back against his shin. The hold around you instantly released and you darted around him.

Your feet smacked against the hardwood of your apartment as you rushed toward the front door. Jason’s bike headlight kicked on as the engine roared to life. Hope soared, he was still outside. Your hand curled around the handle but it didn’t budge.

You fumbled with the two locks in failure as rough calloused fingers gripped at your hair and yanked you backward. A shout of pain and surprise left you as your butt made contact with the floor.

“Tsk, tsk, princess. That wasn’t very nice, nor is you trying to leave me so soon.” Brian’s words were lined with a darkness that had ice clawing your lungs.

Turning toward him you squinted through the pain and tried to get free once more.

“Get the fuck away from me!” You shouted as your fist shot out as he bent to talk to you again.

Your knuckles slid harshly against his cheek. Having been safe with Jay for the last six months Brian’s vicious reaction speed was something you’d forgotten about.

Your own head snapped to the side as your lip burst open before Brian was throwing your head toward the floor. Bile rose in your throat as white stars dotted your vision.

You vaguely processed the sound of knocking before Brian’s voice droned it out.

“Look what you made me do, princess.” He spat. “I can’t believe you’d try to get away from me, after everything I’ve done for you.”

You rolled to your side only for Brian to recapture your hair.

“Let go you freak!” Your free hand reached blindly at anything to stop your progression away from the door. As Brian neared your hallway again your fingers curled around the trim.

“Now, now, princess.” Brian’s words were mirrored with him leaning over you to slowly yank your fingers free.

As your hand opened you immediately curled it into his hair, “Let’s see how you like it!”

Brian howled in pain as you yanked him down to your level. You scrambled to get on top of him and do something, anything, to cripple him for a few moments. Straddling his midsection you managed another good face shot before he was working his feet between you and kicking you across the room.

Wall photos rained down around you, the glass shattering apart as you slid to the floor. Your heavy eyes half opened as Brian all but skipped toward you.

Weakly you tried to push yourself upright only for Brian to none too gently shove your back down with his foot. His full weight bared down on you as he bent low.

“Princess, I came all this way for you and this is how you greet me?” Brian tsked some more as your eyes squeezed shut in pain “I can’t believe our time apart has allowed you to forget--”

Before Brian could finish your front door snapped off its hinges and skid across the living room floor.

“Who the fuck are you?” Brian’s voice was low as he rose back to his full height.

Heavy booted footfalls vibrated the floor and you forced your eyes to reopen. Craning your head a bit you were gifted the rare sight of a very angry Jason Todd. Red Hood mad was something you’d seen and were used to, but when Jay was this mad as just himself Hell better has frozen half over.

Jay’s eyes found yours and you watched as concern, question, realization, and rage passed through them in milliseconds. Jay’s jaw set into a hard line as he drug his eyes from the foot atop you up to the owner’s face.

A wicked smile lifted his lips, “I’m the fucking boyfriend and you done pissed me off.” Jay cocked his head to the side, “Do yourself a favor and step away from her or I will physically remove you myself.”

Brian passed a heated look down at you before relooking at Jason.

“Get lost pretty boy,” He sneered while adding more of his weight.

A groan of discomfort left your lips and that was all it took. Jason was snapping to action before Brian could even attempt to add two plus two.

Jay gripped around Brian’s throat and lifted him off the floor. Brian clawed at Jay’s hand fruitlessly for a moment before he was thrown across the room. As Brian skid across the hardwood Jason was on him again.

Pushing yourself upright you ignored the pain screaming at you and wobbled to your feet. The sound of Brian grunting in pain both from trying to deliver weak hits and taking heavy ones filled your apartment.

“Jay.” You rasped while still making slow progression across the room.

Jason didn’t hear you as he took a crack across the jaw unfazed before swatting Brian’s hand away. You knew Jay was seeing red and he needed to be pulled back from the edge.

Jason’s hand curled around Brian’s throat, “You think you can hit a woman and get away with it you fuck twat?” Jason’s yell made your ears ring, “Think you can go through life without having to pay for abusing someone? Well, I got fucking news for you dipshit, you can’t!”

“Jay!” You hollered this time hoping he’d snap out of his daze as he leaned against a wall. Cradling your ribs you were only a few feet left to go.

Jason ripped his pistol free of his waistband and planted it against Brian’s forehead.

Shoving away from the wall you screamed, “JASON STOP!” just as the deafening sound of gunfire rooted you to the spot.

Your mouth dropped open as your knees gave out. Blinking slowly tears fell from your eyes while Jason’s heavy breaths filled the echoing silence.

Jason rolled back onto his haunches, “Next time I won’t fucking miss, but for her, I did you a favor. Remember that next time you want to come over uninvited.” Jason spoke lowly while walking toward you his gun being replaced in his waistband, “Psycho.”

Jason’s features wrinkled in concern as he bent at the knees. You immediately scrambled against him your face burying into his chest as you clung to him.

Jay dropped fully to the floor and sat with his back to the wall as he rocked you. Sobs choked you and muffled the soothing things Jay said. The tremors that shook you encouraged him to hold you closer still.

“It’s okay, doll. I’ve got you.” Jay’s words cracked with emotion, the realization of what could have happened shaking his core.

The sound of sirens drew closer before the several footfalls echoed around as the police ran around. Voices and radio conversations blurred together.

“You have the right to remain silent…”

“11-41 Stat…”

“She’s mine! You can’t have her! You think you can just come into things and pretend to be a hero, boy? I’ve got--”

Brian’s words died as he was shoved from the apartment. Cold fingers suddenly appeared at your forearm gently pulling you back away from the safety of Jason.

“I’ve got it, I’ve got it. I’ll take her out, just back up.” Jason’s voice vibrated the side of your face.

You felt Jason reposition you before he was climbing to his feet with you in his arms. Your forehead rested against his heated throat as your eyes slipped closed.

“Holy--Is she okay?” Damian's voice was soaked with concern as he spoke somewhere nearby.

“What the hell happened?” Dick’s rare vulgarity was mirrored with quick steps that matched Jason’s.

“Damn, this means I have to go.” Tim’s spoke disheartedly as Jason passed.

You let Jay lay you against something stiff before realizing it to be a gurney. The white overheard lights of the ambulance had you twisting your head to the side in discomfort.

“This takes precedence and it always will. I’ll owe you one Tim, but--”

“Don’t worry about it. Just keep me posted.” Tim spoke dismissively as the EMTs must have ushered them back.

“If you’re riding along you’ll have to take the side bench, thick thighs.” The female voice spoke as she hauled herself into the ambulance.

Jason’s warm hand wrapped around yours as you peeked up at him.

“Hey.” He said.

You smiled, “Hey yourself Mr. Thick.”

Jason laughed while shaking his head, “Even partially conscious you’re still a sassy ass.”

You squeezed his hand as his face fell, “I’m okay Jay.”

A muscle ticked along his jaw, “Scared me half to death is what you did.”

“Thank you.” You said with tears burning your throat.

Jay shook his head and leaned forward to kiss your forehead. Slowly he withdrew to place his head against yours his breath uneven. He had been just as scared as you tonight only for different reasons.

“I’ll always come for you, Y/N.” His quiet words were filled with so many things, but the most prominent being love.

#Jason Todd #Jason Todd x Reader #Red Hood #Red Hood x Reader #reader is female #reader imagine #stalker #violence #dark theme

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autumnhobbit · 6 years ago

Text

It hadn’t even been a bad day. It had even been altogether good. Bruce had gone in to Wayne Enterprises, had a long conversation with Lucius and Tim and made a surprising amount of progress in the latest number crunching for a charity venture in only an hour or two. The three of them had gone to lunch together afterwards, and Bruce had been glad seeing Tim carrying himself confidently and yet still enjoying himself. He’d come home in the afternoon with Tim and hung around with Damian and Dick, who’d come home for the weekend. Dinner had been good, and it had been nice to have most of the kids at home. He’d had a nice, hot shower and gone to bed gratefully. He was taking a night off and looked forward to sleeping in. He didn’t even have trouble falling asleep.

But he dreamed about Jason. He dreamed about one of their vacations together where they went to a nice little bungalow Bruce had bought out in the country, close enough to the nearest town to drive to food, but far enough to be off the side of a road somewhere, on a nice piece of ground with woods and a creek. Jason had loved it. He’d practically spent the entire time outside, only calling it quits when Bruce gently nagged him in for bed well past 11:00. There was a rope swing hanging from a tree next to the creek, and Jason had jumped in at least a hundred times over the week they stayed. He always came back up almost instantly, coughing and gasping and laughing so hard he couldn’t catch his breath. He’d scramble to the shore in soaking wet jeans shorts and a faded tee, dripping hair almost completely covering his face. Bruce had to stifle a laugh, whether he was watching from the kitchen window, or from the shoreline.

In reality, of course, the trip had gone off with shockingly no serious hitches. Of course there had been the occasional small disagreement between him and Jason, but none of them resulted in anything more than a moment of sour expressions and angry pouting. Most of the time, they were getting along well. Very well. So well that Bruce could sometimes hardly believe it had ever happened. That he and Jason had ever been that close, that comfortable with each other.

In reality, Jason had always come up from the creek. In reality, Bruce had put him to bed every night in the little twin with the light blue sheets in the smaller room, with a kiss on the forehead, a pat on the shoulder, and a quiet, “Good night, Jay.” In reality, Jason had dutifully packed up his backpack and loaded it back in the truck and climbed shotgun to come home with Bruce, and had watched the little house grow smaller and smaller until it disappeared behind them.

In reality, he’d pulled back from the window and sat slouched back with his arms crossed over his chest as he stared out the windshield in silence for maybe fifteen miles, after which point he’d lowly admitted, voice gravelly with sincerity, “That was the best time I’ve ever had, B.”

In the dream, the little house was empty. Bruce had only turned his back for a second, but when he remembered, he ran through it, searching the whole place. But he was alone.

He tore out the back door and pelted down toward the creek. “Jason!” He roared.

The rope swing was still drifting slowly back and forth, like it had been used. But there was no Jason coming up out of the water laughing so hard he cried, no Jason on the shoreline shaking off like a wet dog. No movement on the surface of the water, either.

“Jason!” Bruce ran into the water, himself. It wasn’t that deep, only up to his waist, but he was still afraid, more afraid than he could ever remember being in his life, except maybe once. He sloshed through the water forcefully, searching the creekbed, but his son was nowhere to be found.

He woke with a soft gasp and a sharp jarring that made his whole body jerk where he was curled on his side, tangled in his comforter. The bright-red numbers on his alarm clock reading 2:07 greeted him.

Bruce just lay there for a moment, still trying to catch his breath. His heart was hammering against his ribs and he scrubbed at the itchy wet streaks that desperate, unconscious tears had left on his face.

Today wasn’t any special, significant date. He hadn’t done or seen anything to dredge the memory, or the nightmare, up from the recesses of his mind. He hadn’t been fear-gassed, he hadn’t been hurt or seen anyone else hurt. He’d just gone to sleep and had a nightmare, and now he didn’t want to close his eyes again. Damnit.

He rolled away from the damned alarm clock and sighed shakily, resettling. He wanted to go back to sleep, he really did...but he couldn’t shake the fear that if he did, he’d go back into the dream. If he did, the dream might start pulling from reality to torture him. Might show him a scorched body, a twisted neck, a limp hand with freckles hidden in thick soot. An empty face. A still body. The top of a matted black head, cradled against him.

Bruce gulped, and closed burning eyes against more hot tears, coming quicker and more insistently.

He wondered where Jason was right now, what he was doing. Probably sleeping, he hoped. Yes, that was it. Fast asleep in his apartment, probably wrapped up like a turtle in the covers. Drooling on his pillow. Blissfully dreaming of muscle cars and guns, or whatever it was teenagers dreamed of. Even though he was twenty now, and not a teenager anymore.

Another stab of pain, there. He glanced back at the clock. 2:10. He heaved an exhausted sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose.

He fumbled for his phone on the bedside table, but then hesitated. If Jason was sleeping, he didn’t want to call him, wake him up. That wouldn’t be fair. He dropped his hand listlessly onto the covers, halfway to his phone.

But. He really didn’t want to go back to sleep. And he knew that he wouldn’t stop worrying about Jason, and thinking about him, until he really knew that he was safe and healthy, in his apartment or wherever, like he should be. Like he would be if he’d never met Bruce.

So Bruce sat up, and he tossed off the covers and stood up. He stumbled over to his closet and switched the light on, blinking away stinging, blurred dark shapes as his vision re-adjusted. He clumsily pulled out a pair of jeans and a plain henley, and changed from his pajama pants into them. A leather jacket went on over the top, and he shoved on some sneakers before going to grab his wallet and phone. He switched off his alarm before he left the room.

It wouldn’t do any harm to go check on him. He’d just drive over across town real quick and peek in the window. Jason didn’t need to know he was there. Better to leave him alone unless he asked, anyway. Just to make sure he was alright, and then Bruce would come home and try to go back to bed.

He went quietly down the stairs and through the main hall. The house was as quiet as it got, with its creaky, antique heating system and all the noisy water pipes and all. It was shockingly empty at night, even though he knew the bedrooms were full, at the moment, of his sons and Alfred. Cassie was having a sleepover at Steph’s, tonight. She’d texted him about it and was very excited.

He grabbed the keys to one of his more normal cars and quietly went through the door to the garage, locking it behind him.

He climbed in the car, started it, adjusted the seats and mirrors. He pulled out of the garage and wound his way down the driveway and out the gates.

Gotham was surprisingly peaceful as he drove through the metro area. There were a few other cars on the road, with music blaring so loud he could hear it clearly. But aside from that, there were few people out on the streets, aside from the occasional small group of party-goers, who staggered out of one or another bar in a tangled mess of people, laughing the whole way. The intersections were empty, and Bruce found himself looking into lit-up windows of empty stores and restaurants, tracing the lines of neon lights spelling the name of a cafe or bar. He’d always liked getting to be in the city past dark. It meant getting to drive home through downtown, and he used to lean against the back window of whatever car he was riding in and watch the lights go by outside. Sometimes he would be alone in the back seat. Sometimes his mother would be in the back with him, her soft hand resting gently on his back or his shoulder or his head while he looked away from her. After she’d died, he wished he’d spent the time looking at her, instead.

He pulled up to Jason’s apartment building wearily, and parked across the street at one of the meters. He climbed out and locked the doors, sticking his hands into his jacket pockets. It was late enough that he’d have to go for the window. The lobby of Jason’s building had been closed for hours. He shook his head at himself, but crossed the street and looked for a good spot to start from. There was a decorative ledge around every level of the building. He had to step onto someone’s windowsill to get up to it. Thankfully, they had their curtains drawn.

From there, it wasn’t too much work to clamber his way up. He walked on the ledge, one hand against the side of the building. Jason’s apartment was on the corner not bordering another building, the corner that was parallel with the road. He crouched down beside Jason’s window and peered in. The lights were off inside. He was looking in on Jason’s living room. It was empty.

Jason was probably just asleep back in his room. Bruce cursed himself for the nervousness still twisting in his middle. He cursed himself further as he checked the window and found Jason’s security measures, and started disabling them. What the hell do you think you’re doing? He’s going to be pissed at you for breaking into his house. You won’t tell him why you’re really here, so he’ll come up with some motivation he thinks you have and get angry at you because he thinks you distrust him. You always do this, just because you’re too damned stubborn to leave him be. He does better without you. If you would just stay away from him…

“No,” Bruce mumbled out loud, fiercely despite the low volume. He pressed one of the connections on the wire and slid the window open.

He climbed in and dropped lightly onto his feet on Jason’s clean carpeted floor. The apartment was completely still and quiet, and Bruce was loath to disturb it even as he kept going. Step after step, his feet took him to the door to Jason’s bedroom. Hesitantly, he reached his hand out, and twisted the knob, leaning just enough that he could peer in.

Jason’s bed was empty.

And just like that, Bruce’s carefully-constructed and well-maintained facade of calm dissolved with all the force of a battering ram. He actually had to grasp the doorknob to keep himself upright. For a long moment—far too long—he just stood there, in the doorway of his son’s empty bedroom, his head spinning.

When clarity came back, it hit him hard. He let go of the doorknob as if burned. A list of actions formed in fiery certainty, and he yanked his phone out of his pocket. He’d check Jason’s location on the tracker app they all had—but what if it wasn’t an emergency? Jason was a grown man, after all. Maybe he’d just stayed out late of his own free will? Maybe he was visiting a friend? He hadn’t known Jason to be much of a partier when he was younger, but that could have changed. Hell, maybe he was out with a girl tonight. The thought, though obvious, made Bruce wince. It wasn’t that he was against Jason having a relationship—far from it. But the concept of his son out sleeping with some unknown party just reminded him of how distant he was now, how little he really knew of Jason’s day-to-day life.

Still. The thought was there now. So he fired off a text to Barbara first, knowing she’d still be up. She might not know what Jason was up to lately, though, at least on a personal front. Dick would be more likely to know that sort of thing, but Bruce didn’t want to wake him for nothing.

Barbara texted back quickly. Talked to him within the week. He’s in Gotham. Need me to pull up his tracker?

Bruce jotted back, Not yet. Thank you.

Next, he pulled up Dick’s number. Sorry, chum, he thought apologetically, and hit send.

He wasn’t sure if he was more grateful or saddened when Dick fired back instantly. Emergency?

Not sure yet, he replied.

He hasn’t said anything about any new friends or anything. Roy or Kory would’ve told me if he was with them. I can’t speak for Artemis or Bizzarro, but they usually don’t need any covert tracking.

A pause. You need me?

Bruce shook his head, but his pained smile was still a smile while he typed out a reply. I’ll try to handle it. I will call you if I need you. I know it’s an asshole move on my part...but try to go back to sleep.

A pause. The rolling ellipses in the text box. Then, Alright. Love you.

Bruce blinked hard, surprised. He stared at his screen for a second. Then he typed out, You too. Sorry I woke you.

Shut up, popped up in less than a second.

Bruce smiled, and switched apps. His expression dropped again as he hit the tracker app. Flashing lights came up—none of his children were out tonight, so there was a cluster of markers in the Manor. Cass and Steph were in Steph’s house on the north side of Gotham, in Stephanie’s mom’s house in a suburban neighborhood. Kate was out tonight—Bruce averted his eyes. He tried to give her her privacy as best he could.

Jason’s tracker was on the borders of the Bay, maybe a mile down from the downtown strip, where the relatively secure-feeling, metro waterfront turned quickly into shipping yards and parking garages and collapsing buildings and industrial parks. The city’s murder headquarters. Crime Alley was in the heart of it. But Jason’s tracker was in it, and it wasn’t moving.

Bruce gulped. He could just be doing a stakeout. He could be fine.

What if he wasn’t?

Bruce shoved his phone back into his pocket, and turned around quickly, heading out the narrow hallway toward the window he’d come through rapidly. If Jason was hurt, and his communications had somehow been disabled, or he’d been trapped, or kidnapped, Bruce wasn’t going to leave him a second longer than he had to. He didn’t have time to swing back to the Cave and change; he’d have to make do with his civilian car and whatever he could cobble together from the emergency kit. Maybe he could call Selina—her apartment wasn’t far from there; she’d know if anything was going on—

This all assumes he’s still alive, the sadistic voice in his mind which sounded shockingly like the Joker’s sneered at him, and not lying dead in a warehouse right now.

The thought had been dancing around the edges of Bruce’s mind all evening, the possibility always hanging over his shoulder, whispering in his ear, but he clenched his eyes shut instantly and felt very cold and sick. The nightmare came rushing back, right in front of him—with Jason still and cold in a pool of blood on a nondescript concrete floor, Jason riddled with bullets or tied in an abandoned office somewhere, Jason’s rope swing dancing back and forth limply, Jason’s empty twin bed in the little house, Jason’s empty bed back in the Manor—

And he froze halfway through Jason’s living room, because someone was climbing in the window, halfway through, one foot down on the floor, body mostly turned away. Until they turned their head and familiar, wide green eyes locked with his, startled.

All the breath left Bruce raggedly in more relief than he could remember feeling in a long while. Jason hovered there in the dark, staring at Bruce. Hardly any of his face was visible aside from those glowing eyes. Bruce stared back for a moment before dropping his gaze, ashamed of his panic and ashamed of having broken into Jason’s apartment at an ungodly hour of the morning over nothing but a silly, stupid nightmare.

Jason cleared his throat awkwardly. Bruce saw his booted foot on the floor hop around clumsily as he pulled his other foot down from the window. He fumbled with the lock. “Well,” he said, tone unreadable. “Imagine my surprise when I went to unlock my window to come in from patrol and found it was standing open.”

Bruce belatedly noticed the handgun Jason had in his left hand, and while the sight made something in his stomach twist sharply like it always did, he couldn’t say he was surprised. Hell, he couldn’t say he blamed Jason. Their life was dangerous, and anything out of place could be a warning sign. A failure to notice and react accordingly could result in death. Often did, where crime was concerned.

“I’m sorry,” Bruce said hoarsely.

At that, Jason’s head whipped to the side, eyes narrowed but shocked. “What the hell happened?” He asked, incredulous. He scanned Bruce up and down, taking in the outfit. “You doing some plainclothes op tonight? Something go wrong?” The skin around his eyes paled suddenly. “Anyone hurt?”

Bruce shook his head hard. “No,” he exhaled. “No...god, I. Jason, I—“

Jason yanked down the shades and the room grew even darker. Bruce couldn’t see him anymore, just a tall, slightly darker shape hovering in front of him. “You can keep stammering if you like,” Jason said dully, and Bruce could hear his soft but heavy footfalls in the carpet crossing the room. “But I’m gonna go clean up while you’re doing it.”

Bruce said nothing in reply. He couldn’t. He drifted in Jason’s wake, over toward the doorway to the kitchen. Just as he stopped in the doorway, the light over the sink flicked on, and Bruce’s eyes narrowed in pain at the sudden change in light. By the time he’d blinked them back open, Jason was running water in the sink and was ducking his face down to wash it in his hands, and the water running down between his fingers was tinged orange.

Bruce had crossed the room before he knew what had happened and was pulling Jason back from the sink while he sputtered and half-squeaked, “The fuck are you doing?” in genuine startlement.

Bruce ignored him to grasp his chin and yank it upright so he could see his face. Jason’s eyes were so wide his pupils had shrunk to dots, and there was blood still spilling down over them. Bruce shoved his hair aside to reveal a cut in his forehead, dripping down to cover his face. Bruce tried to trace the edge of the cut, and Jason hissed and his eyes clenched. He fumbled and tugged at Bruce’s hands, trying to get loose.

“Where was your helmet?” Bruce demanded, heart pounding.

“It—ah, fuck—it got broken so I ditched it!” Jason snapped, smacking Bruce’s hand away. “It’s not even that deep, damn!”

And now that Bruce looked at it, really looked at it, Jason was right. It really wasn’t. It was bleeding, sure, but it was a head wound. Those tended to bleed heavily. He’d just seen Jason’s face covered in blood and….overreacted. And he flushed upon realizing how easily he could have scared the hell out of Jason for no real reason other than his own pathetic fucking paranoia. “I’m.” He said lamely.

Jason wasn’t listening, anyway. He was feeling the cut, himself, with a hiss. He stuck his head under the faucet again and cringed while he rinsed the blood off, and then grabbed for the bottle of dish soap beside the sink. He squirted some into his hand and rubbed it into the cut quickly, hissing curses the entire time. He rinsed it off and yanked off a wad of paper towels, pressing it up against his forehead. “Fuckin’ typical, get back and gotta fuckin’ juggle this and you at the same damn time,” he muttered sourly. He stomped past Bruce and tugged an overstuffed kit from an overhead cabinet and yanked out a handful of gauze and tape and antibiotic ointment. With his load of supplies, he stalked back into the dark living room. Bruce hung his head and stayed in the living room. He was coming down from his adrenaline high, and he wished to hell he’d just stayed in bed when he’d woke up in a cold sweat. He’d done it plenty of damn times. That was harmless, at least. That never got anyone pissed with him.

Well. That part probably wasn’t true. He seemed to wind up pissing people off no matter what he did, sometimes.

His whole body ached, but not as much as his chest did. He wished he was back in bed, asleep, but he also had the feeling that even if he left right now and went home, he wouldn’t make it before he broke down in tears. And fucking hell, did he hate that. He shouldn’t be like this. Nothing had even fucking happened. And he’d driven across town at two in the morning, broken into Jason’s apartment, and panicked not once but twice, once in front of Jason, with all his usual grace. He never fucked up by halves. He gritted his teeth and cleared his throat, blinking hard. Damnit, no. Not here, not fucking now. Jason was in the living room, and Bruce knew he could hear it, because the rustling noise from him fumbling with the plastic wrapping around the gauze paused.

“Uh. You gonna stand in my kitchen all night, or you gonna come in here and tell me why the fresh hell you’re actually here?”

Bruce hunched over, hands in his pockets again, and dutifully stepped back into the dark living room. His shadow cut most of the light off. Jason was still visible, perched on the edge of the armchair sitting perpendicular to the couch. Angular shadows cut across his body. He was putting tape on the last side of the gauze patch, and then he clumsily brushed his stiff bangs down over it. As soon as that was done, he lounged back heavily in the chair and spread his hands expectantly. “Well?”

Bruce ducked his head down. “I. I made a mistake. I’m sorry.”

Jason blinked. He drew his chin back and blinked again. He glanced around, like the room held an answer to the problem of Bruce. “A mistake is putting too little sugar in your coffee or getting an Arby’s sandwich without asking for sauce. You driving across town—yes, I saw your car out there—hacking my security system and climbing in my window, doing who knows what standing around in my apartment for an indeterminate amount of time, and then flipping out over a tiny cut is anything but a mishap. Especially when it’s fucking you talking. You never do anything by accident. You’re Mister-Thorough-Batman himself. So what. The hell. Are you doing here?” Jason asked again, pointedly, staring up and waiting for Bruce’s answer.

He didn’t seem angry, Bruce realized suddenly. He wasn’t hissing, he wasn’t growling, his eyes weren’t narrowed, his jaw wasn’t set. He was open and confused. Maybe irritated, but not furious. Mostly exasperated, probably. And it made Bruce even more sorry and drained than he already was. He didn’t—he couldn’t come up with any reasoning to hide the truth. There was no explanation, nothing he could say that would disguise what he’d done and why, and Jason would see how fucked up he was and be glad that they never saw each other, anymore. But he couldn’t just not respond. “Nothing.” He said flatly.

Jason sank his head into his hand with a sigh married with a moan. “I just got finished saying—“

“No.” Bruce cut him off. “I mean it. Nothing. Nothing at all happened. I am here for no good reason at all.”

Jason stared despairingly at the far wall, mouth open, eyes stuck in a restrained roll upwards. “You came over and broke into my apartment, past midnight, for no reason,” he said plainly, to the wall.

“Nothing. Nothing happened at all,” Bruce said, and his chest twisted and his throat burned and words came and came and didn’t stop. “I was fine, everything’s fine, I was asleep and comfortable and everyone’s home and safe and it’s my night off and I was going to sleep in, and then I dreamed of that fucking house in the woods we went to when you were thirteen, that trip you loved so much that I never went back to the house after but never sold it because I’m a fucking moron and I couldn’t touch something you loved, and you weren’t there and I was looking for you and you weren’t in the creek either, and there was nothing wrong, nothing happened when we were there and there was no fucking body so there wasn’t even any reason to be so upset even in a fucking dream, but I woke up and I was so scared that I couldn’t think and I definitely couldn’t go back to sleep—“

Bruce buried his face in his hands, and he kept spilling out words like blood from an open wound. “And I thought about—I was going to call you but then I didn’t because I didn’t want to wake you and it was stupid anyway, but I didn’t want to go back to sleep and see you actually dead this time, and I thought, I thought maybe if I just came to check on you and make sure you were alright and secure in bed like the others, maybe then I could sleep, and I needed to—I should be checking on you anyway, you’re my son and a father ought to know where his son is and whether he’s alright or not but I didn’t—“

“Bruce,” Jason said tightly, his voice very small.

Bruce choked on more and forced himself to stop. But he didn’t look up at Jason. He couldn’t. He was crying. A complete wreck, and over nothing. He kept his face hidden in his hands, even though the tears were plainly visible, shameful.

“B, hey.” Jason said again, very soft. “Look. Look at me.”

Bruce didn’t want to. But he very slowly raised his head anyway.

Jason was watching him with a wary expression, tired but accepting and with understanding. “You fucking lugnut,” he sighed, shaking his head, but it sounded fond somehow. “You know you could have just called me? We work stupid hours, it’s not like I’m a normal person where it’s the end of the whole damn world if I get a text at two in the morning.”

Bruce shook his head. “I’m an idiot,” he muttered darkly. “An oversensitive idiot and I—“

“Shut up,” Jason said back, just as dark, and he was glaring. “Okay, you’re oversensitive about a lot of damn things, but being afraid of death is not one of them. You’re not even fucking irrationally afraid of it like normal people are. But you could have just checked my tracker from the start. Why didn’t you?”

Bruce shrugged listlessly. “Didn’t want to intrude on your privacy. Didn’t want to bother you.”

Jason sighed. “Well that’s out of the question at this point.” He rubbed at his eyes with a scraped-up hand, and waved his free hand at Bruce. “Will you just sit down before you fall over or something? You’re making me nervous.”

Obediently, Bruce wandered out of the doorway and dropped onto the couch, blinking hard and still breathing shakily. He sank his face into his hands again. He could feel the beginnings of a headache starting and he was just so exhausted. The weight of Jason’s life and death weighed heavily on him tonight, and he was sitting in Jason’s living room. What would it take to convince his brain to stand down if sitting across the room from a breathing, speaking, physically-whole and annoyed Jason didn’t?

He almost jumped when someone dropped onto the couch beside him. But he froze when Jason sighed quietly. “Sometimes I don’t know what to do with you,” he mumbled.

Bruce’s heart twinged painfully in his chest. He couldn’t come up with anything to say in his defense, anything to make him anything but a sniveling hypocrite.

Which was why he froze when Jason tilted his head against his shoulder with a sigh. “Don’t you ever wear yourself out, B?” Jason asked, settling down. He sounded sleepy. “Carrying around all that messy nonsense in your head all the time? S’no wonder we’re all such a mess.”

Bruce gulped. “I know. I’m sor—“

“For what?” Jason asked, his voice surprisingly hard for how quiet it was. “For getting me killed? You didn’t. For not avenging me? Sure, I’m still pissed, but you’re not mentally capable and I get that now. For taking me into your home and giving me a family and a name that meant the world to me? Yeah, you shouldn’t have replaced me with Tim, but with all the shit that little smart aleck knows, he’d have wound up busting criminals one way or another, eventually. You gave him a family, too. I had nothing before I had you, B. I would’ve had nothing the rest of my life. Am I furious and sick to my stomach that it ended out like it did? As much as you are,” and Bruce could hear it, and it brought tears right back to his eyes, when Jason’s low voice broke and he took a breath that rattled with wetness. “I loved the hell out of you, and sometimes it pisses me off that I still do.”

“You don’t have to,” Bruce gritted, a tear or two escaping as he sat there, eyes closed, cursing himself for relishing the weight of Jason’s head on his shoulder, the scratchiness of his hair against the side of Bruce’s neck. “I don’t deserve it.”

“Bullshit you don’t,” Jason said back, just as broken. “I hate you because I love you, and because you’re so good and I can never be as good as you are at heart. Not anymore.”

That made Bruce open his eyes, stare down at his son in horrified shock. Jason was there, cheek against Bruce’s shoulder, but his eyes were turned away, leaking steadily.

“That’s not true,” Bruce choked out. “You are good, Jason. So good it astonishes me sometimes. After everything you’ve been through, all that people wronged you who shouldn’t have, all that I wronged you, you’re still kind. And you always were. Kind and selfless. You’d give your life in an instant to protect an innocent, and while it scares the hell out of me, it amazes me, too. You do things, Jason, that I never could. You—your goodness isn’t hidden inside you, it’s—it’s all over you. No one could look at you without seeing it. Mine is all,” Bruce gulped, rubbing at his chest, “all in here, but it never comes out. What good is it, if I mean well but don’t do well? What does it matter if I’m barely protecting the city if it costs me,” he broke off, crying too hard to go on. “If it costs me everything I loved? Everything I never expected to have, and I wasn’t prepared for?”

Jason pulled away, and Bruce winced through his tears, but he was climbing onto his knees on the couch and he threw his arms around Bruce’s shoulders and held tight. “You’re such a jackass sometimes,” he choked, rocking back. Bruce couldn’t respond for a moment, just leaned his head against Jason’s shoulder this time, hiding his tears in his son’s faded black tee shirt.

“I get it now,” Jason went on, sniffling. “I get that you were always a mess, too. Dick knew it, but I didn’t get it. To me...to me you were just Dad. A-Always just Dad. It took dying to break that image, and that was what—what broke me. But I realized,” he amended quickly, scrubbing a hand over his eyes and gripping Bruce again just as hard as before, “I realized it wasn’t fair. To you or me. Neither of us are what you could call healthy, but—but that doesn’t mean we can’t. We can’t have each other.”

Bruce finally managed to hug Jason back, and he held on as tight as he could while sobbing harder than he had in months. God. He didn’t deserve this. He could never deserve this. He could never deserve a second chance, to hold his son tight, all six feet and two hundred pounds of him, and to have him living and breathing and hugging him back. The boy grown into a man who against all odds, still loved him. Even with everything he’d done wrong.

But here he was. And here Jason was. And life had already taken so much from both of them that Bruce would be damned if he let it take this again without a fight.

The two of them sat there together on Jason’s couch, calming and breaking down again at intervals. Sometimes only one of them hunched over in tears and the other sat patiently and scrubbed away the tears with a calloused or scarred hand. Sometimes both of them fell apart together at once. Sometimes one would start and the other would quickly follow. Bruce lost track of the early hours of the morning. His whole life had momentarily shrunk to Jason’s living room, and the beginnings of a five o’clock shadow on Jason’s cheeks that scratched against his hand when he rubbed the tears away with his thumb, and the hoarse sniffles that escaped Jason when he started to calm down again and curled up against Bruce, leaned into the arm wrapped protectively around his shoulders.

And when Bruce woke up, he was tipped over against the arm of Jason’s couch, and dull afternoon sunlight was drifting in the room through the curtains. And Jason was slumped against his side, breathing softly into his jacket.

Bruce cupped a hand around the back of Jason’s skull, bristly black hair tickling his hand. He leaned down and pressed a kiss to Jason’s temple.

And then he leaned down and went back to sleep.

#my fic #bruce wayne #jason todd #batfam #batfamily #dc

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terrymacginnis · 6 years ago

Text

Lies like Dominos Pt. 2

We had gotten a lead on what Poison Ivy might have been up to. There had been three different places in Gotham that housed the chemical that she had been stealing. We split up; Batgirl and Batwoman went to the location on the East End, Red Hood, Red Robin, Robin, and I went to the North-West End and Batman went alone to the South End.

The four of us broke off into two groups went we got there, Robin and I investigated the second floor while the Reds investigated the ground floor. However, not long after we got there did the entire place light up with Police Searchlights. We had been found out.

The four of us radioed to escape and meet in an alley three blocks away. It was all a blur of adrenaline, instinct, and reflex. Robin and I made out escape together, jumping and running across rooftops with a search helicopter close behind. We couldn’t ditch the police, they hadn’t found us, they were expecting us.

I heard Tims normally calm collective tone panicked and breathless through the radio piece in my ear. “We can’t shake them, they’re persistent. This was no coincidence.”

Seems like he’d figured it out as well, of course, he would, it’s Tim. “I know, we can’t get away either. Converge on the meeting point and try and escape on the street, the cars should still be behind.” I instructed, knowing they all heard and understood without them having to radio back.

When we made it to the designated alleyway Robin and I jumped down onto the fire escapes and quickly making our way down. Red Robin and Red Hood joined us just as two searchlights hit us from the police copters above. We all turned to run out of the alley when red and blue flashing lights could be seen closing in as sirens blared. We were halfway across the street when voices began shouting, soon followed by gunshots, one grazing my right thigh.

We ran through alleyways and back streets, all the while the cars and copters not far behind. We couldn’t lose them and with every interaction, we all sustained more injuries. We ran turned the corner of the alley when the way to the street was suddenly blocked by a rusty, old van. It’s headlights blinding us as he moved to cover my eyes, all four of us stopped dead in our tracks and looking for a way out. The cop cars were right behind us and there were no fire escapes to be found to help us back up to the rooftops and if we grappled we’d be easy targets. That’s when an all too familiar voice came

“Whit urr ye doin? Git in!” I whipped my head back towards the faded blue van, the driver had gotten out and was running towards us. It was Alphonse. I breathed a small sigh of relief. “C’mon! We dinnae have time fur ye tae gawk! Let’s go!” (Come on! We don’t have time for you to gawk! Let’s go) Alph grabbed me by the elbow to drag me towards the rundown van, the others following. I jumped into the passenger seat while the other three hopped in the back. No sooner were our doors close than did the car start moving. I could see the cop cars turn at the end of the street as Alph recklessly backed out of the alleyway and the van fishtailed before speeding off down the street.

The police cars and helicopters followed close behind, a symphony of sirens. “Who are you? And just why are you helping us?” Tim’s suspicious and slightly panicked voice came from the back seat as he leaned into the front seating area. Alph’s jolly chuckle and toothy smirk flashed to the rearview mirror so that Tim and the others could see it, or so he could check on the cop cars on our tail, perhaps a bit of both. Tim and the others knew Alph from all the times he stopped by the mansion, meeting most of them when the first became robins. But that’s not the point. He doesn’t know us like this; as our alter egos, and he can’t know. We all know that, Tim’s smart enough to act as if they’ve never met. The rest of us know that too, but none of the thought to actually ask who he was since we already know.

“Bite th’ hand that feeds ye after. We will nae be able to sneak ye away while ye’re dressed like that. Thir’s a poke, err, bag whi’ some civilian clothes fur ye. Hurry ‘n’ git changed.” Alph emphasized his point by making a hard and fast turn around the next street, avoiding the police’s back up driving towards us and attempting to box us in.

“You expect us to take off our masks and reveal our identities to you?” Damian shouted scornfully at Alph, his teeth bared like a mad dog. Alph’s brows furrowed at that, eyes flashing towards the rearview mirror to lock eyes with the Robin before looking back at the road.

“This ain’t th’ time.” Alph had to almost shout to be heard over the sirens blaring behind us. Damian opened his mouth to spit out something else damning when Alph cut him off with a stern almost parental voice. “Haud yer wheesht ‘n’ just dae it Damian!” (Shut up and just do it Damian!) My jaw went slack and my eyes wide, Damian and the others doing the same. How did he-? When did he-?

“Explanations efter. Now git changed, all o’ ye. We’re all most thare!” He had to shout the last bit as he narrowly swerved and missed a cop car that suddenly tried to cut him off from an adjoining street to the left.

With the shock fading and our sense returning to us, we all begin to change quickly, just as Alph had demanded. No sooner had we put on the bare essentials than did Alph pull into a parking building, driving and smashing through the lowered bar at the entrance. He quickly sped up the different levels, the police cars piling up outside the parking lot and surrounding the building.

Before any of us could protest him trapping us in the building he made a sharp turn into a parking spot and slammed on the breaks, hard. We all lurched forward at the sudden stop, I nearly hit my head against the dash.

“Out.” He demanded, getting out of his side and walking over to the parked crimson jeep I knew all too well. “Hop in ‘n’ put away them costumes o’ yers.” He instructed as he jumped into the driver's seat. We all followed suit, clambering into the well-loved jeep, pulling out the last of the clothes and putting them and shoving our suits into the bag Alph had provided.

“Dick, scouk (hide) it at yer feet sae that th’ coppers will nae see it.” I did as he instructed, making sure it was hidden in the shadow of the dashboard. He then pulled out of the parking spot and calmly drove down to the ground floor, heading for the front entrance.

“Are you nuts? Don’t drive towards them!” Jason hissed out as he leaned towards the front where Alph and I were seated. Alph just gave Jason a confident glance, flashing that same toothy smile.

“Trust me, Ah git this. Juist act normal.” He told Jason and the rest of us no sooner than pulling slowly out of the parking building and into the frenzy of police cars. The police pointed their guns at us, shouting orders we all obeyed. One of them approached the car, it was the commissioner. “Whit’s goin’ oan, officer.” Alph asked with a face of pure innocence and surprise, some genuine nervousness underlying it all. He looked and sounded like any confused and scared good civilian would.

“We chased a car carrying some of Gotham’s most wanted into this parking building.” Commissioner Gordon explained, peering into the jeep to look at who else was inside.

“Hell’s bells. Did th’ bampots git away?” Alph asked, seemingly hoping that they, being us, get caught. The Commissioner looks like he buys it, suddenly less suspicious and more concerned for our safety.

“Not yet, but we have them cornered. Which floor were you parked on?” He asked, still a little bit of suspicion lingering as he pulled out his pad and pen.

Alph didn’t look worried at all, fanning the calm of an innocent civilian. “Th’ eleventh.” He lied the Commissioner, who wrote it down. We parked the van and got into the jeep on the sixth floor, not the eleventh.

“Did you see a faded blue van with sliding doors at all?” Gordon asked looking up at Alph who gave a small moment to ‘think’ about it before shaking his head and turning to us.

“Did ony o’ ye plook a blue van?” Damian and the others looked at Alph with raised brows, taking a moment to guess at what he had meant.

“We didn’t see anything, if that’s what you’re asking, Taylor.” Damian spat towards Alph who seemed unfazed by the disrespect. I took the initiative to talk to Gordon, after all, he and Bruce were good friends and I met him a lot growing up.

“They wouldn’t be hard to miss if they were going up while we were coming up.” I told the Commissioner, which was true. The way this parking building was designed, the paths for cars going up and the path for cars going down were separate and would only cross if they both went into the parking area of a particular floor. Something tells me that Alph was counting on that.

Gordon nodded with a sound of understanding, he must know the building he would understand what I meant. He flashed me a smile. “I see, you boys keep out of trouble tonight, you hear?” I nodded with a friendly smile while Alph flashed a polite smile and drove off once Gordon back a safe distance away from the jeep.

None of us said or did anything until we were a couple blocks away. The silent tension was suffocating as we all wanted to ask Alph the same thing. In the end, it was Alph who spoke first. “We kin head tae mah flat fer now, ye fellas seems like ye cuid a guid rest ‘n’ some tidy scran.” Alph said kindly, his smile softer and a little tired. The adrenaline probably draining from his system.

“What’s a ‘tidy scran’?” Jason asked in a confused tone, looking a little worried at the answer he might get.

Before Alph could respond Damian cut in. “It better mean answers.” He declared as he crossed his arms and glared at Alph through the rearview mirror.

Alph just grinned as he answered. “It means a guid meal. ‘N’ Ah’ll answer all yer questions whin we git thare.” and with that, the car went quiet once again.

To be Continued...

Part 1 https://terrymacginnis.tumblr.com/post/182172995647/lies-like-dominos-pt-1

#dick grayson #BatFam #drama #nightwing #romance #male reader #oc #gay boys #Jason Todd #tim drake #damian wayne #robin #fanfic

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thehelleniclunarwitch · 7 years ago

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Stalker

Pairing: Jason Todd x Reader

Fandom: DC, Batman

Warning: Swearing, violence, attempted sexual assault

You tried to move quickly and quietly as you could creeping down the side alley. You knew that Jason would be at this bar. Rounding the corner you saw the familiar sign of Bud’s Bar. You showed your ID to the bouncer and he opened the door for you.

It took everything out of you not to choke over the thickness of the cigarette smoke. Eyeing the room you finally spotted Jason at the bar perched on one of the stools slowly nursing his beer. Quickly, you weaved your way through the crowd towards him. A few men groped you as you passed by but that was another problem for a different day.

You didn’t even have time to put your hand on Jason’s shoulder when he turned to look at you. He looked you up and down before sliding off his stool, grabbing you by the arm, and pulling you outside. You knew better than to argue with him. You allowed Jay to drag you through the crowd and out into the chilly night.

When the cold night air sent shivers down your spine, Jason peeled out of his leather jacket to drape it over your shoulders.

“What the hell are you doing here?” He demanded to know.

“Jay,” Your voice broke.

“Hey, Y/n, what’s wrong?” His voice went soft when he realized that there was something wrong.

“I-I think I have a stalker,” You stuttered out.

Jason’s eyes narrowed and darkened in color. You’ve seen that look before and you knew it wasn’t a good look. His grip tightened on your arm, but you didn’t make a sound.

“Are you sure?” He asked.

“There are enough signs pointing to yes,” You answered.

“Come on, I’m taking you home and you can explain it to me there,” Jason said.

You didn’t argue. You hardly ever argued with him. You knew better. Jason took you over to his bike and handed you his spare helmet. You quickly tugged it on and then climbed onto the back of the bike behind him. You wrapped your arms tightly around his waist before he sped off.

Jason cruised through the streets of Gotham picking up speed as he neared your apartment building. Parking out front, Jason climbed off first before helping you off. He took the helmet from you and hung it on the handlebar before escorting you up to your place.

With shaky hands, you unlocked the door and then Jason ushered you inside.

“Here, I’ll show you,” You said walking over to your desk in the corner.

Jason watched as you pulled out a manila envelope from your desk. It was thick and could hardly clasp shut. You handed the folder over to him. Jason sat on the edge of your couch as he pulled out the evidence you had kept together.

Several love notes that were more threatening than loving. Pictures of you doing odd tasks throughout the day. Several dried flowers that were left on your doorstep, and a few other items that your stalker had left behind.

“Why didn’t you tell me this when it first started happening?” Jason asked.

“I went to the police. That’s what their job is,” You answered.

Jason scoffed. “Y/n, the Gotham police are fucking useless and you know this,”

“And I can’t be running to you every time I have a problem!” You hissed.

Jason rolled his eyes at your comment. “Like the hell, you can’t,”

“Jay, you’re not my personal hit man,” You sighed.

“Do you know who this is?” Jason asked you ignoring your last statement.

You nodded. “His name is Alex Mitchell. We used to work together at the Gazette, but he was fired. He asked me out several times when we worked together, but I always told him no with a valid explanation, but that didn’t stop him,”

Jason swore under his breath.

“Do you by chance have an address for him?” Jason asked.

You nodded before rummaging through your desk again. You pulled out the emergency contact list from work. It hadn’t been updated yet so Alex’s address and phone number was still listed.

“We have this so if anything came up we could let each other know. It’s his last known address,” You said.

Jason nodded. “I’ll take care of it,”

You bit your bottom lip. Jason sighed and pressed a soft kiss to your forehead.

“I’ll handle this okay?” Jason said.

You nodded.

“Keep your door locked and call me if there is any problem,” Jason said.

“I will. And thanks, Jay,” You said as you opened your door.

“You’re welcome and I’ll be back as soon as this is over with,” Jason said.

Once Jason was gone you quickly locked the door and then headed into your bedroom to get ready for bed.

After your shower, you changed into a pair of sweatpants and a tank top. Throwing your tower onto the back of your couch. Ruffling your wet hair you head into your kitchen to make a small kettle of tea. You froze mid-step when you saw Alex standing in your kitchen.

“Hello, beautiful,” He grinned.

“Alex, what are you doing here?” You asked.

“I was waiting for you to come home. I wanted to surprise you, but then I noticed that you didn’t come home alone,” Alex said.

Carefully, you slowly started to walk backward away from the kitchen.

“Don’t do that!” Alex shouted.

You froze with a gasp.

“Alex, why are you here?” You asked him.

“I just had to see you, Y/n, don’t you understand that?” Alex said.

“Alex, I’ve told you no a dozen times. I don’t understand why you can’t understand that?” You replied.

Alex slammed his fist against the counter. You jumped.

“You’re mine, okay? I don’t care about that jerk in the leather jacket. I can handle him,” Alex said.

“Alex, you should be worried about the jerk in the leather jacket,” You shot back.

Alex lunged at you, screaming you turned on your heel and quickly ran for your front door. You managed to jerk the lock out of place and grab a hold of the doorknob when you felt Alex wrap his hand in your hair and pull back. Screaming for help as Alex tossed you to the ground.

Scrambling to your knees you tried crawling away from Alex, but he grabbed ahold of you again and as he pulled you across the wooden floor you clawed your fingers into the floor trying to get away from him. Alex was far too powerful and you felt yourself losing the fight.

After leaving your apartment Jason started to make his way towards Alex’s apartment. As he made it a mile down the road he realized how chilly the night air was and then that’s when it hit him that he forgot his jacket at your place. His jacket was part of his identity. He couldn’t take care of Alex without it.

Turning around Jason flew down the darkened street. Parking outside of your apartment building Jason pulled off his helmet. As he pushed back his hair the hair on the back of his neck stood up as he heard a piercing scream.

Whirling on his heels, Jason tore into the apartment building and took the stairs two at a time up to your level. Jason ran to your door and nudged it but it didn’t move. Taking a step back, Jason kicked in your door.

Alex stopped his assault on you when he heard the loud crashing of the front door. Once Alex released you-you rolled over and started to army crawl away from Alex.

“Jason,” You cried out.

Your bedroom door was the second fatality of the night as Jason came bursting into your room. Alex just grinned as he grabbed the knife off the floor before lunging at Jason.

Jason easily caught Alex and then slammed him up against the wall. As Alex and Jason dominated for the power you continued to crawl around your bed to be out of the way. You watched in horror as Jason tore into Alex all around your bedroom leaving chaos behind in his wake.

You watched as Jason knocked Alex to the ground. Blood pooled out of Alex’s mouth before he spat a chunk of his tongue or cheek onto your floor. Jason quickly dragged him up by his neck and then slammed him into the wall.

“She’s mine,” Jason growled.

“Jay,” You whispered he looked back at you.

“You will never cause her fear like this again,” Jason sneered.

“I’ll get off easily,” Alex taunted.

Jason let out a deep growl between his clenched teeth before grasping Alex’s head in both of his hands and then snapping his neck. You let out a small whimper as Alex’s lifeless body fell to the ground.

Jason turned towards you.

“Come here,” Jason said.

You couldn’t move. Jason stepped over Alex’s body and dropped down in front of you. When you didn’t look up at him, Jason placed two fingers under your chin and then tipped your head up.

“Hey,” He whispered.

“He tried to, he tried,” You stuttered out.

Jason wrapped his arms around you and then pulled you into his chest.

“You’re okay now,” Jason told you.

Jason started to pull away from you, but you clung to his shirt.

“Please don’t leave me,” You cried.

“Shh, it’s okay, I’m not going to, but I need to get this mess cleaned up,” Jason said.

Standing, Jason brought you with him. He kept your face tucked into his side as he ushered out of your room. Keeping a tight grip on you Jason pulled out his phone.

“Hey, it’s me,” Jason said.

“Yeah, I know it’s late, but I need you to get to Y/n’s,” Jason said.

“You’ll see why when you get here,” Jason snapped.

You looked up at him.

“Thanks, Dick, bring the others,” Jason said before hanging up.

You said nothing. Jason said nothing. He pulled you over to the couch and sat down pulling you into his lap. The two of you sat in silence as you waited for Dick and the others. After thirty minutes, Dick, Tim, and Damian showed up. Jason slid out from underneath you. Damian dropped down next to you as the older three boys went into your bedroom. Damian clung onto your hand.

“Jesus Christ,” Dick swore.

“What the fuck happened here?” Tim asked.

“Stalker,” Jason grunted.

“Fuck,” Dick hissed.

You continued to sit in complete silence with Damian for almost two hours as the boys cleaned up and disposed of the body. When your bedroom looked back to normal the boys put your doors back on their hinges.

“Anything else?” Dick asked.

Jason shook his head. “Everyone knows we take this to the grave, right?”

“We know Jason. This secret is safe with us,” Tim said.

“Good and thanks again,” Jason said.

All the boys dropped a kiss to the top of your head while they walked by. Damian squeezed your hand one last time before getting up to follow after his brothers. You finally looked up when Jason sat back next to you.

“I can’t stay here,” You whispered.

“Then come home with me,” Jason said.

You gave him a curt nod.

The second Jason pulled you from the couch you broke down into a fit of sobs. Jason swore and then pulled you in close.

“You’re shaking,” Jason stated.

“I was so scared, Jay,” You admitted.

“And I swore to you that I would never let anything happen to you.” Jason reminded you.

You looked up at Jason. Wiping away your tears, Jason kissed you gently.

“Let’s go home,” Jason said.

Home. Safe. That was Jason and you knew that Jason was your home.

#Jason Todd x Reader #Jason Todd #Red Hood #Dick Grayson #Nightwing #Tim Drake #Red Robin #Damian Wayne #Robin #request #batfamily #batbros #batman #dc #comic #stalker #violence

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my-one-love-is-music · 7 years ago

Text

I Didn’t Love You Until I Did

Summary: For years, Gotham's famous dating show has been using its platform to disguise a human trafficking operation. One Bruce catches wind of what's going on he sends Tim and Jason on the show: Tim as the bachelor and Jason as the contestant, in the hopes of getting the evidence they need to shut the operation down. Tim and Jason think it won't be a big deal to act for the cameras and it's not, until feelings start coming into the mix and it stops being pretend.

A/N: This is the Bachelor Au I've been waiting to write literally forever and I'm so excited to finally get this posted. As you can tell by the word count, I obviously went super overboard with this (18.7k oof), but I enjoyed writing it every step of the way and hope you enjoy it too! (and I can't believe I actually managed to get it done on time) <3 MOLIM

Also on AO3!

“You need us to do what?” Jason asked, baffled.

Tim stared at Bruce, Jason having taken the words right out of his mouth.

“We’re concerned that Gotham’s esteemed dating show is selling off the contestants as slave labor. We have minor evidence but we need someone on the inside to make this work,” Bruce explained again.

“And you want Jason and I to go on the show so we can get the evidence needed to shut them down?” Tim added.

“Yes.”

Tim and Jason shared a look.

“So…” Jason said. “What’s our plan then? If we’re doing this.”

“Tim will be slated as Gotham’s eligible bachelor. He has the social standing and esteem needed to get on the show without waiting. Jason you’ll go undercover as one of the contestants, but it’s imperative you stay in the running. Unless circumstances require otherwise and the only way we can get answers is by sending you off the show.”

“So we’re basically just rigging the show,” Jason said, crossing his arms. “That shouldn’t be too hard.”

“Not exactly,” Bruce sighed. “If you know anything about the show it’s centered around drama and romance which means you’ll need to make it look convincing as to why you’re there. Goofing off and Tim keeping on every week is going to be suspicious. Even if suspicions wouldn’t arise from the producers at the off character behavior, the audiences would cause a riot if they even suspected there wasn’t a real interest between the two of you. You think you can handle it?”

Tim didn’t even have to look to know Jason was narrowing his eyes at the challenge. “Of course,” he scoffed. “What do you take us for?”

The edge of Bruce’s lips ticked up. “Good.” He turned and looked back at the computer in the Cave. “Go get packed. Tim, you’re meeting with the producers tomorrow to get everything settled. Jason, you’ll be collected by them the day after when filming commences and Tim supposedly meets his matches for the first time. You’re going to have limited contact with me and keeping any discussion you have about the mission as discreet as possible is a must. There’s little room for error in this.”

“There’s never any room for error when we’re working for you,” Jason grumbled under his breath.

Tim had to suppress a smile because Jason had never said anything so true.

“Well,” Tim said turning to him. “Let’s make it good.”

Jason smirked and leaned over him, trying to look intimidating, but just making Tim raise an eyebrow.

“We’ll have viewers eating out of the palms of our hands.”

Tim matched his smirk. “We’ll give them one hell of a show.”

“Just go pack,” Bruce said, pulling up a new window on the Computer.

Tim chuckled and turned on his heel. In addition to packing he was going to need to do a little research. He knew nothing about Gotham’s dating show. If he was going to be the eligible bachelor he couldn’t afford to go in blind.

Tim gripped the handle of his suitcase tightly in his hand and plastered on the most well-meaning smile he could muster as he approached the producer and the film crew standing behind her.

“Mr. Drake, welcome,” she said, extending her hand. “I hope your ride wasn’t too tiring?”

“Not at all,” he said, taking her hand. “I appreciate you going out of your way to provide transportation.”

“Of course, it was really no bother. We do it for all of the contestants on the show.”

Tim made a mental note that it was probably to keep any outside parties from knowing where they were located. Luckily, Tim had several GPS devices stowed in his things and on his person to keep track of him. He wasn’t sure if they would actually search his things, but he wasn’t about to take any risks if they found something they wanted to confiscate.

“Regardless,” Tim said, “you have my thanks.”

She smiled. “Shall we begin the tour and go over our procedures for the show?”

Tim nodded and followed her across the brick drive towards the front door of an expansive ranch house.

“We always consider filming to be more appropriate on the outskirts of Gotham to keep unwanted parties at bay and ensure privacy from the city which can be loud and raucous at times.” She pushed through the double doors and walked inside. “Through there is the living room where you will have the ability to spend time with the whole group. Champagne and other drinks are provided during mediated time. On the opposite side are some of the rooms the contestants will be staying in. They’ll be here and on the second and third floors.”

Tim nodded as he looked up the spiraling staircase.

“Down this hallway is the kitchen,” she said walking forward, Tim followed, pulling his suitcase behind him. “We have personal chefs who come in to serve all of you, but you are welcome to use the facilities as you like at any time.” Tim raised an eyebrow at the expansive kitchen. It was almost as impressive as the one at the Manor and had a large open space with floor to ceiling windows that let in more light than Tim thought was possible with Gotham so close.

“You will be staying in a separate house in the back,” she said, leading him through the rear doors. He caught sight of the house across the grass and followed the brick pathway to the front door. The producer smiled and pulled a key from her pocket, unlocking the door and letting him inside. “You can leave your suitcase in here and you have your own living area, a smaller kitchen and your bedroom and bath. You are more than welcome to join the contestants in the house for meals or cook for yourself here. Is there anything you would like to have stocked for you?”

“Coffee, please,” Tim said, looking around at the furnishings and the paintings. “I enjoy having a cup with my breakfast.”

“Of course,” she said, making a note on the tablet in her hands. “You have free access to the rest of the yard and gardens and the pool. The fence marks off where our property ends. For the moment you are free to explore the grounds and the house the contestants are staying in or unpack your things here. The contestants will arrive later tonight, but we’ll give you a couple hours warning so you can get cleaned up and into a nice suit for their arrival. If you need anything feel free to come to me.”

“Thank you I appreciate it, Ms…?”

“Oh right,” she said, laughing lightly. “Shelly. You can call me Shelly.”

“Thank you, Shelly.”

She smiled. “Thank you for reaching out to be on our show this season. We’re looking forward to it and we hope we can help you find love.”

Tim smiled. “As do I,” he said with a little bow.

“One more thing.” She held out the key. “This will allow you to lock your space when you’re out for the group talks or on your dates. You’re the only one who is allowed this privilege because you’re living away from the house. And we’d advise you to keep from bringing any of the contestants back here. Physical relations are frowned upon during filming.”

“Right,” Tim nodded, wrapping his fingers around the key. “I understand completely.”

Shelly smiled and turned on her heel, leaving him alone in what would become his new home. Tim let out a breath and looked around, finding the silence kind of eerie. His eyes went to the corners of the rooms and found cameras tucked in the corners of the living room. He grabbed his suitcase and rolled it through the space, searching for the door that would lead him to his room.

There was another camera in the bedroom and he would need to remember to change out of sight of that which also reinforced the fact he wouldn’t be able to bring any guests back here. Not that he was planning on that. The only person he would search for some form of privacy with would be Jason so they could share details, but if what Shelly had said was true, he’d have access to the rest of the grounds and might be able to get away from anything that could record their conversation.

Tim slipped into the bathroom and was glad to find an absence of cameras and bugs. He was more surprised to find a large shower and bath tucked away inside. He wouldn’t have thought they would’ve been able to fit those things inside the small house, but if the show was supposed to cater to bachelors and make them the stars of the show, it would be best to keep them happy.

He left his bedroom behind and made his way to the kitchen. It had a small table, but was still a good size by anyone’s standards and fully stocked with anything he might need to use to cook which wasn’t going to be much considering his culinary skills.

A knock sounded on his door. “Mr. Drake? Are you ready to meet the contestants?”

Tim took a deep breath and smoothed down his suit jacket. He’d had all day to prepare himself for what was coming, but it was still on a different level of weird that he was going to be pretending to be interested in the contestants on the show and above all, Jason. He plastered on a grin and turned towards the door.

“Of course,” he said cheerfully, pulling it open to face Shelly and the camera crew behind her.

She smiled at him and stepped to the side. “Come this way please. Our first guest will be arriving shortly.”

Tim almost wanted to ask her when Jason was going to show up, but he couldn’t exactly do that when they weren’t supposed to know each other. He just hoped there wouldn’t be too many new faces. He wasn’t sure how much he could handle all of the people vying after him for his status. It was a bloodbath waiting to happen.

Shelly pulled him around to the drive and placed him in front of the fountain that broke up the driveway. She adjusted the collar of his jacket and Tim had to fight not to pull away from her grip.

“You’ll have a few minutes to get introduced to each of the contestants as they pull up. Don’t worry about remembering all of their names because we have files that you can look through later to jumpstart your memory and get to know a few things about them all.”

“Phew,” Tim said, faking relief. “I was worried I’d be stumbling around for days trying to remember who was who.”

Shelly smiled and patted him on the chest. “Don’t worry, Mr. Drake, we’ve considered all of the hiccups that could occur and have taken great strides to keep them from disrupting things too much.”

A distant car horn sounded and Shelly’s grin widened.

“Our first guest has arrived,” she said, stepping away behind the camera. “Let’s get started.”

Tim watched as a stretch limo appeared and came to a stop. He halfway expected Jason to be the first one to step out, but was met with a startlingly blond man who pushed the back door open. He smiled as he approached and stuck out his hand.

“I’m Nathan,” he said.

Tim returned his smile. “Tim,” he offered.

“Oh I know exactly who you are,” he said, squeezing Tim’s hands in both of his.

“Right, of course,” Tim said as he was released and Nathan walked past him to the house. He fought to keep the smile on his face because if everyone else was going to have the same attitude as him, he was going to be exhausted before the introductions were over.

Tim’s brain was overwhelmed by the amount of Nicks, Nathans, Jacks, Jakes, Marks, Tylers, Ryans, Brads, and Evans he’d met. Some of them had been okay like the first meeting, but other times the guys were trying way too hard for his attention and going over the top with what they were wearing or trying to feel him up, which was not what he agreed to at all. And the more limos that showed up and had someone step out who was not Jason was leaving him more and more nervous because he really needed the solidarity and familiarity that came with him even if the cameras couldn’t pick up on it.

“Okay, Tim you’ve been doing great so far,” Shelly interrupted, letting him get a much needed drink of water. “You only have one contestant left to meet and then you’ll get the chance to talk to everyone as a group.”

Tim nodded and handed the water bottle back to one of the assistants as they moved back behind the cameras. He could hear muffled laughter coming from the house and expected everyone else was already getting to indulge in the champagne and other drinks. At least with this last limo he knew exactly who was going to step out.

A distant roaring broke through his thoughts and he blinked, having to stifle a grin because of course Jason would get the sway to ride a motorcycle in when everyone else had to come by limo. The rumble got louder before Jason rounded the corner and Tim did let himself indulge in a smile because it was a bit of a show.

He crossed his arms over his chest as Jason came to a stop and cut the engine, climbing off, he pulled off his helmet and shook out his hair. Tim was pleased to see him dressed in his usual leather jacket, but he’d gone for a nicer pair of pants and a button down. He grinned at Tim as he approached and Tim raised an eyebrow before carefully holding out his hand.

“And you are…?” he asked.

Jason looked down at his hand, glancing up at him through his eyelashes and Tim’s stomach immediately dropped, knowing Jason was going to do something crazy. He gasped when Jason took his arm and spun him around, pulling him into his embrace before dipping him and claiming a quick kiss.

Tim’s eyes widened and he heard the muffled exclamations coming from the house that signaled they’d been seen.

“The name’s Jason,” he said, giving him a grin and letting Tim back to his feet.

Tim nodded dumbly, knowing his shock was more than a little evident on his face. Jason winked at him before shoving his hands into his pockets and heading towards the house.

“Well,” Shelly said, breaking through his thoughts and sounding like someone who’d just stumbled upon the fortune of a lifetime. “If you’re alright we can head inside, Mr. Drake, but if you need a minute?”

He shook his head. “Um, no. No I’m fine. Let’s just, let’s get started I guess.”

She nodded. “If you’re sure. Now the rest of the night is going to be informal for you. Start by opening with a little speech about getting to know everyone and what you hope to find in love and then you’re free to mingle with the contestants as you like.”

“Sure.”

“Wonderful, have at it,” she said, pulling the door open for him.

He squared his shoulders and walked in with the camera crew following close behind him. He felt like he was walking into a Lions’ Den, but he had one lion on his side and he knew the two of them could fight their way out if they had to.

As soon as he stepped through the arch into the living area filled with couches. Jason was leaned back against one of the walls with his arms crossed, watching. Someone, Tim thought his name might be Nick, handed him a glass of champagne with a flourish.

“Thank you,” he offered with a small nod. “Everyone, I’m…not quite sure how to phrase this so I’ll do my best.” Laughter rumbled around him and Tim wanted to wince at how fake it all sounded. “I will try to be brief in any case, I would like to thank you all for being part of this with me and I hope I can find the man I’m going to spend the rest of my life with among you.” He raised his glass and everyone mimicked him, taking sips even as their gazes turned sharp and smiles turned sly.

Tim stepped into the room intent on getting to know everyone at once. He only made it a handful of steps before someone was grabbing his hand and pulling him from the room. He was walked through the front door and out into the still warm night air. They sat down on the brick side of the fountain and Tim had to force himself not to move away when there was barely any space put between their bodies.

“Nathan, right?” Tim asked.

He nodded, grin pulling at his lips. Tim imagined he was going to brag to everyone else about this later.

“So, what do you do for a living?” he started, washing the question back with more champagne.

“Well,” Nathan started, cradling the stem of his glass between his fingers. “I work at a coffee shop downtown which pays pretty well, but what I really like to do is the volunteer work in a kid’s center after my shifts.”

“You work with kids? What do you like about the center?”

“It’s a great way to help youth who come from more disadvantaged backgrounds. I got into it in high school and stuck with it after I graduated.”

Tim nodded. “Are you interested in working with them in a more professional manner?”

Nathan shrugged. “I’m not sure,” he said with a little giggle. “I always had this dream of settling down with a nice guy and taking care of the house while he worked.”

“I see,” Tim said. His brain helpfully categorized Nathan as a gold-digger. He almost expected a lot of these people would be. “How-“

“Do you mind if I interrupt?”

Tim turned and found who he thought was one of the Jakes. Or Jacks.

“I’ll see you later okay, Nathan?” He barely caught the frown when he turned to give Nathan a reassuring look.

“Okay. Thanks, Tim,” he got up and gave a little wave as he went back to the house.

Jake or Jack held out his hand and Tim took it, letting himself get pulled around the side of the house to where one of the benches was tucked away.

Tim had been pulled every which way around the immediate yard and even to the upstairs balcony and was ready to bang his head against a wall if it only meant a moment of reprieve, but they still had to go through the whole first ceremony where the first person was sent home. He was not looking forward to that. He wasn’t even sure who he was supposed to pick.

And how he was going to pick if it meant sending someone to certain death. That was one aspect he hadn’t considered. Tim closed his eyes and rubbed a finger against his temple.

“Long night?”

He sighed, tension immediately bleeding out of his limbs. “Am I that obvious?” he asked, looking up. “Jason?”

He shrugged, hands tucked in the pockets of his jacket. “I’m glad you remembered my name.”

Tim chuckled and stood from where he was seated. “Kind of hard with the entrance you made.”

Jason’s grin was lopsided.

“How do you feel about a walk around the yard?” Tim offered. “I think I’ve been dragged everywhere but there.”

“Sounds good to me. And the chance to ravish you behind some bushes? I’ll take it.”

“Calm down,” he shot back, taking the lead around the back of the house to the longer expanse of grass. “Can’t let things get too wild on the first night. Besides, I’m not allowed to bring anyone back to my special abode anyway.”

“I’ll be sure to spread the word. Not that anyone is going to listen to me. I’m sure someone is intent on getting you alone long enough to get what they’re really after.”

Tim snorted. “Such romantic conversation on our first date.”

Jason raised an eyebrow. “Oh is that what this is?”

“Sorry, have I wrongly assumed?” Tim shot back.

He was relaxed. Relieved. This was the easy kind of banter he could get behind. Even if they were only supposed to be faking a sense of chemistry between them it was great to be with someone who wasn’t trying to get in his pants or go after his fortune or something else.

Jason sighed. “I suppose not. Considering with the context of the show and all that.”

They shared a chuckle in the warm evening air.

“So, how’d you manage to convince them to let you come roaring in on a motorcycle?”

“Desperate for my secrets are we?” Jason asked, waggling his eyebrows.

“You could say that. Or I’m trying to convince you to run away on it with me. Escape the rest of this craziness and take off. Lose ourselves to the road.”

“Aren’t you here to find love? What’s all this running off business?”

Tim grinned. “Maybe I’m just looking for a little adventure in life. So spill.”

“Well…” Jason started, glancing around to make sure no one was watching despite the camera crew that was following them and taking in their conversation. “Let’s just say I got to pull a few strings.”

“How mysterious,” Tim mused.

Jason winked at him and Tim ducked his head, biting his lip. He could almost hear the screams of the viewers now.

“Mr. Drake!”

Tim sighed at the sound of Shelly’s voice and looked up to see her hurrying across the yard to them.

“Sorry to cut your time short, but we really must take care of the first elimination round. I’ll give you a few minutes to collect your thoughts and decide who you’d like to send home. Mr. Todd, please come with me to return to the contestants.”

“Sure,” he said, good humor from his conversation with Tim dropping out of his voice.

Tim watched them go, feeling the positive energy drain out of him. Jason looked back over his shoulder and sent him a wink. Tim returned a smile and rocked back on his heels once. He mentally thought over everyone he’d talked to. He only had to pick one person which couldn’t be so hard.

If it was up to him, he’d narrow it down a lot more, but his earlier thoughts about what was going to happen to who he sent off turned over uncomfortably at the back of his mind. He just hoped their process wasn’t to ship out their “cargo” as soon as possible.

It was as much for his own conscience as the people involved.

Tim huffed and fell back onto his bed. He’d had to console a weeping and emotional contestant when he’d finally gotten down to the last rose. It wasn’t something he was looking forward to repeating, but he knew this was only the beginning. His mind was already going over the possibilities of what was going to happen to him and where he was being taken.

Remembering the security cameras in the room he pushed himself out of bed and slipped into the bathroom, just barely snatching a change of clothes to take with him so he wouldn’t have to change in front of the cameras.

He started the water in the tub and left it to run and fill the bath. He stripped out of his clothes and stepped into the bathwater that was quickly rising, letting himself sit down and enjoy the warm water that was already inside.

He tried to force all of his thoughts and feelings from himself in an effort to exist without worrying about anything else. He and Jason had a long road ahead of them and he dimly wondered if they were going to be able to have any other contact out of what was sanctioned by the show. He made a mental note to check the perimeter of his house to see what kind of cameras might be put up around the edges and if his bathroom window was located in a blind spot they might actually have a chance at communicating and getting this thing solved before it was too late.

With all of his trackers he’d brought with him, he might be able to slip one onto one of the contestants getting sent home so their location could be kept on the radar. If he was lucky, Bruce would be able to stay with it and find where they’re holding everyone.

Tim shut off the water now that the tub was filled and sagged against the side, closing his eyes. He let himself dip under for a moment to wet his hair and muffle everything. The pressing silence of the water allowed him to forget about all the pressure and people riding on him and Jason and how quickly they needed to crack this case. None of that mattered until he was forced to resurface and draw in air again.

Tim wrapped his hands around the mug of steaming coffee and inhaled the smell of hazelnut. He sighed, letting a smile tug at his lips when a knock sounded on the door. His good mood quickly fell away as his obligations once again reared their heads. He carried his mug over to the door and answered it to find a smiling Shelly waiting for him. Thankfully without the cameras.

“Good morning, Mr. Drake. How was your first night?”

“Not too bad,” he said, moving aside to let her inside.

“I’m glad to hear you’ve settled in all right.”

Tim raised an eyebrow, but didn’t say anything, wondering how she’d made that leap in logic.

“I’d just like to go over a few things for today. We got some audience responses from last night’s episode.”

Tim blinked, not realizing they moved so quickly when it came to airing the events that occurred. He would’ve thought they would’ve wanted a longer timeline, especially due to the nature of what happened to the contestants when they were sent off.

“We’ve had a good deal of positive responses to what’s gone on between you and the contestants and many people have already developed a fan favorite.”

“Oh?” Tim prodded.

“Yes, it seems that you and Jason Todd were the talk of the internet.”

Tim made a valiant effort not to choke on his coffee and instead paused and cleared his throat before taking another sip to clear anything still stuck in his throat.

“That’s…surprising,” he offered.

“Is it?” she asked, cocking her head. “The two of you seemed to get along spectacularly. Are you less interested in him?”

Sensing danger, he quickly backpedaled. “That’s not what I meant. I think we made a great connection. I was just surprised that so many viewers could see it, too.”

Shelly smiled and crossed her legs, looking a bit too smug. “Well, I’m interested to see how your initial interest is going to play out. Now, onto what we have planned for today. You have your first event with all of the contestants. It’ll give you time to spend time with them and make deeper connections.”

“What is it?” Tim asked, hesitant.

“We’ve created a large scale obstacle course. It’s a chance to let loose and have some fun and get a bit dirty.”

Tim swallowed. “Um. Okay.”

Shelly stood from her seat. “I’ll let the rest of the contestants know what’s on the schedule. Take some time to get something to eat and get ready. Wear clothes you don’t mind getting muddy.”

Tim nodded and watched her go, sagging back into the couch after she closed the door behind her. He buried his face in his hands. The viewers liked him and Jason. At least it would be popular to keep him around. But he wasn’t sure how easy this was going to be after all.

Tim watched as the rest of the guys filed onto the field from the limos they’d been carted over in. They were all wearing some form of well-worn clothes or workout gear. Tim’s eyes immediately zeroed in on Jason who was wearing basketball shorts and a technical tee that was stretched across his chest.

Jason’s eyes met his and the corner of his mouth ticked up in a half smile. Tim ducked his head as his own lips pulled into a smile. He glanced up and saw the other contestants looking around, obviously trying to figure out who he was smiling at.

“Welcome to your first group date,” their host said, stepping up next to Tim. “Today we have a fun little obstacle course set up for you so I hope you all enjoy getting down and dirty.”

Amused chuckles and interested sounds echoed from the guys and Tim scratched the back of his neck.

“Now, now,” their host said, interrupting them. “How this is going to work is you are each going to pair up with someone and run the course. The winner of each pair will move on and we’ll work through all of the contestants until the last two are left.”

One of the guys, Jack, Tim’s brain supplied, raised his hand.

“Yes, Jack?”

“What does the winner get?” he asked, rocking back on his heels.

“I’m glad you asked. The winner gets to have the first solo date with Tim.”

Shocked gasps rose up from the group and Tim swallowed, feeling a not so subtle burst of panic. His eyes snapped up to meet Jason’s who was watching the host. Tim saw the shift in his posture to something more determined. He looked like he was getting ready to go into a fight.

“We’ve already paired all of you off. Up first is Kyle and Nathan,” the host said, getting them back on track. “Come and take your marks. You’ll run across this expanse, jump over the low beams, scale the wall and descend the rope net on the other side, swing from the ropes over the pond, run through the row of tires, and finally army crawl through the mud pit under the net before sprinting to the finish.”

Neither Kyle nor Nathan looked particularly happy about any aspect of the obstacle course, but they dutifully waited for the gun to go off. Tim wasn’t sure how physically fit everyone here was, but he knew how far determination could get a person.

A buzzer sounded and they took off across the field. They made better progress than he would’ve thought, but there were a lot of contestants to go and Tim was also one of them.

Tim felt breathless and giddy after his run of the obstacle course. He was glad he hadn’t been paired up against Jason because if both of them were fighting through the other contestants, there would be less of a chance Tim was stuck with someone he didn’t like. He could tell the adrenaline was affecting Jason the same way because his posture was more relaxed than it had been at the start despite the competition.

Every person who lost to Jason looked pissed while everyone who lost to Tim stared at the mud coating his shirt and arms. Unsurprisingly, at least to Jason and Tim, they ended up being the last two in the race.

“What happens if I win?” Tim asked, jokingly.

“Well,” their host looked more confused that he’d made it so far than anything. “I guess you get to pick who you go on your solo date with.”

Tim smirked and jokingly let his eyes rove up and down Jason’s dirty body.

“Or you could throw it,” Jason whispered as they took their spots next to each other.”

“Please,” Tim huffed. “Now where would the fun be in that?”

Jason huffed a laugh. “Indeed. Although I don’t think the rest of the guys see the fun in the two of us racing each other.”

“Well,” Tim said, eyes shining, “we better give them one hell of a show.”

“Like we already aren’t?”

Jason smirked as the gun went off and they both sprinted forward, keeping even as they approached the low beams. They both used one hand to brace themselves as they kicked their legs over, repeating the motion until they made it across. Jason made it to the wall a second before Tim did, but Tim used the height of his jump and his legs to keep pace with Jason as they climbed up.

Tim winced as gravity pulled him on the rope net a little too harshly. Jason swung a little wildly and Tim took the advantage, working down the net as fast as he could. He jumped the last couple of feet, coming to a squat before he was sprinting across the lawn. He heard Jason curse behind him and he grinned.

He hurried up the ramp and jumped, grabbing onto the first rope and swinging wildly back and forth over the pond. He used the momentum to move to the second one and chanced a look over his shoulder as he heard heavy steps on the wooden ramp. Jason didn’t hesitate, crossing from one rope to the next in a single swing and getting ahead of Tim.

Tim hurried to keep up with Jason’s rhythm, but wasn’t able to catch up, struggling to get through the last of the ropes while Jason jumped back down to solid ground and hurried towards the tires. Tim scrambled after him, fighting to close the distance, but Jason kept the lead.

Tim practically dived into the mud underneath the low net to army crawl. He spit as mud flew across his face.

“Having trouble keeping up, Timmy?” Jason chuckled ahead of him.

“Yeah right,” he shot back, fighting against the pull of the mud as it weighed down his clothes. He felt like he was swimming in place, but Jason wasn’t doing much better. They came head to head at the end of the pit and both fought to get to their feet.

Tim wasn’t sure if they made it up at the same time or if there were milliseconds separating them, but they fumbled into a messy run towards the finish. Tim threw out his chest, hoping to get that much more of an advantage, but Jason crossed just ahead of him.

They both flailed to a stop, bracing their hands against their knees in an effort to catch their breath. Tim met Jason’s eyes and he grinned. They shared a breathy chuckle. Tim straightened, placing a hand against his side. He knew he was going to have to stretch that out later.

“And we have a winner,” their host said, hurrying over with the other contestants. “Jason Todd is going to be lucky enough to go on the first solo date with Tim!”

The other contestants politely clapped, but their disappointment was obvious.

“I hope you all had as much fun as I did,” Tim said, addressing the rest of them with a smile. “This was a great way to spend the afternoon.”

A few of them softened at his happiness, but Tim knew there was going to be a lot of gossip while they were gone.

“You have a few minutes to talk and chat while we wait for the limos to arrive, but from there it’s back to the house where you can get cleaned up. Jason, Tim, when you two are ready, you’ll be taken to the location of your solo date.”

“Alright,” Jason said, shoving his hands into his pockets.

“Sounds good,” Tim offered.

Tim was more than happy to jump in the shower after the mud started drying on his ride back. He dumped his crusty clothes into the bathtub and let the water run over those as he turned on the shower. He twisted and turned to look at himself in the mirror and try to figure out how so much mud had actually gotten on him because he didn’t really think it was possible.

Shaking his head, Tim stepped under the warm spray and watched the worst of the dirt and grime wash down the drain before pulling his shampoo from the shelf. He scrubbed at his hair, forced to watch the white foam on his hands turn a nasty gray before he could wash it out. He made a face when the same thing happened while he was running a soap-covered wash cloth over his skin, but he was happier to see his natural skin tone return than anything else.

Refreshed after his shower, Tim wrapped a towel around his waist and bent over the tub where his clothes were still soaking. He drained the water and rinsed them out as best he could before leaving them to soak further while he got dressed. He ducked back into his room and grabbed a change of clothes before slipping back into the bathroom. He wasn’t about to be caught by the hidden cameras. Not on day two. Or any other day for that matter.

He heard a knock on his door as he pulled his shirt on and frowned, throwing the towel over his head to dry his hair as he walked through the house. He pulled the door open and found Shelly standing there with a smile on her face.

“I’m glad to see you’re all cleaned up. Are you ready for solo date or do you need some more time?” she asked brightly.

“Let me go throw on some shoes and I’ll be ready to go,” he said, turning on his heel to pad back to his room and leaving the door open behind him. He tossed his towel over the shower door to dry and slipped on his shoes.

Shelly was still standing in the doorway when he got back and she brightened when he reappeared. “Jason’s already waiting in the car for you.”

He nodded and locked the door behind them before they crossed the lawn towards the front of the house. The car turned out to be a limo, not that Tim should’ve been surprised by that. The driver was holding the back door open and Tim could see Jason’s shoulder through the opening.

“The camera crew and I will be following you in a separate van, but there will be a small camera set up in the car to tape any interactions you might have. Everything for your date is already set up for your arrival,” Shelly explained as they came to as top next to the limo.

He nodded before sliding onto the seat next to Jason. The door shut softly behind him and he sank back into the leather. Jason offered him a smile as they pulled away from the curb and he gave him one of his own.

He wasn’t expecting much, but he really hoped they would be able to find a moment without the cameras or someone listening in on their time together. He needed a break from the persona he was forced to enact.

“Now for your first solo date, we decided to keep things simple,” Shelly explained. “Especially after that exciting obstacle course you had this morning. There are several different types of wine you’re free to drink and sample and you are welcome to roam the vineyard as you please. Enjoy yourselves, please.”

Tim and Jason followed the worker towards a small area that was set up under a tent. There were a few different wine bottles set on the table and two glasses for them to drink out of. Jason reached for the first bottle and pulled the cork from the top since it had already been opened for them. He filled both of their rather large glasses halfway full and handed one to Tim before sliding the cork back in.

Tim took a sip and hummed at the taste.

“Care to go for a walk?” Jason asked.

Tim nodded. “Of course.”

They meandered down the path, taking sips of their wine as the camera crew followed along behind them.

“So Jason,” Tim started. “What do you do for a living?”

He hummed. “I’m a bit of a freelancer. Small entrepreneur, that kind of thing.”

Tim suppressed a smile. “Oh, really? What kind of work do you like to do?”

Jason tilted his head to one side. “I guess you could say I’m interested in community building programs. Getting the people of Gotham involved and improving their access to resources.”

Tim hid his smile behind his glass when he really wanted to laugh. “I never would’ve taken you for such a community oriented person.”

“I get that a lot. It’s the-“

“Leather jacket and motorcycle?” Tim offered.

Jason chuckled. “Yeah.”

Tim was really aware of the cameras behind them and he cleared his throat. He was not in the mood to have to keep drinking in order to find something to do. This was not the kind of conversation he was interested in having either. Even if they couldn’t discuss the case if they ditched the cameras, it would be better than forcing the small talk expected of them.

“Since you like bikes so much, you do anything else with them?”

“Nah, I really just take care of my own bike. I’ve helped some other people with their mechanic stuff.”

“Maybe we should go for a ride sometime,” Tim offered.

Jason grinned. “You want to go riding with me?”

“Why not?” Tim asked. “I think it would be fun. A thrill if you will.”

“Tell me Tim,” Jason said, swirling the wine in his glass. “You ever been on a bike?”

Tim stared into his eyes and shook his head. “Never,” he lied.

Jason’s grin widened. “Then it will be my pleasure to be your first.”

Tim laughed and he saw Jason glance behind them at the cameras. He looked back at Tim and raised an eyebrow, eyes sliding to the side towards where the path continued in front of them. Tim nodded once to answer his question. He grinned when Jason grabbed his hand and pulled him down the path away from the cameras. The shouts were loud behind them, but they ignored them, more content to gain a moment of freedom.

After successfully zigzagging their way through the grape vines, the shouts faded into the background and they collapsed in the dirt, laughing breathlessly as they each clutched their sides. Tim’s face hurt from smiling so much. Jason let out a breath and crossed his legs.

“Finally, a moment of freedom,” he said.

“I know,” Tim agreed. “I don’t know how people can do this voluntarily.”

Jason shook his head. “Me neither. God, you should hear what some of the guys have been saying. So many of them are whining about not getting enough time alone with you and wondering what you’re like in bed. Jesus.”

Tim made a face. “Ugh. I honestly don’t think I would’ve been able to handle going on a solo date with any of them. It would’ve been so uncomfortable.”

“They probably would’ve tried to kiss you.”

“I’m so not looking forward to that. I might punch the first person who tries,” he murmured against the rim of his glass as he took a sip.

“You didn’t punch me,” he pointed out. “And don’t go blowing your cover. Bruce would have a fit.”

Tim chuckled. “He would. How are things on your end anyway? I’m thinking when I send the next person home I’ll put a tracker on them. Bruce can trace them and find a location.”

Jason nodded. “That would give us the best lead. None of the contestants know what’s going on and they’re all trying to figure out how to get everyone else sent home. I’m probably going to be at the top of their lists now that I’m here.”

“You can handle it.”

“That I can,” Jason agreed. “The obstacle course was fun this afternoon.”

“I haven’t had that much fun in a long time,” Tim said, looking over the bushes around them. “We should set one up at home and run trials through it. Bruce would probably be annoyed.”

Soft rustling and voices broke through the silence. Jason and Tim looked at each other before scrambling backwards under the bushes. Jason grabbed Tim’s arm and pulled him along until someone broke through the bushes. They both reeled back and Jason pulled Tim into his side.

“There you are,” Shelly said, voice tight. “Please refrain from running off again. We understand how invasive the cameras can be, but it’s imperative we’re able to capture as much about the development of your relationship as possible.”

“Sorry,” Tim mumbled.

Jason’s grip tightened on his arm.

“Now,” Shelly sighed. “Let’s get back to your wine tasting, shall we?”

Jason tangled their fingers together and Tim gave his hand a grateful squeeze as the cameras followed after them back along the path. Tim hadn’t realized how far they’d actually gotten, but it took a long time to weave their way back across the vineyard to where their tent had been set up. A pair of chairs had been set up since they’d left and a pitcher of water put out as well.

Jason poured them each a glass of water and Tim took his, chugging half of it. Being out in the sun and drinking wine didn’t exactly mix.

“You have another hour to enjoy yourself, but you’re restricted to this immediate area because of your shenanigans,” Shelly explained. “Now, don’t feel the need to hide anything from the cameras. Have the deep conversations you normally would with someone you date. Kissing is filmed every season if you’d rather do that, but we do need you to do something with each other. This is a date after all.”

Tim and Jason shared a look with each other before Jason was reaching for the second bottle of wine to fill their glasses. Tim chugged half of his. This was going to get a lot more complicated than he originally thought.

The conversation on the rest of their date had been stilted at first, but once Tim got Jason talking about books, he’d pretty much driven the conversation and kept things on safe ground. In the back of Tim’s mind, the comment Shelly had made about kissing had stuck with him. He hadn’t given it much consideration, but the audience would judge them if they didn’t kiss at some point beyond what had already happened if they were supposed to have the most chemistry.

Tim tightened his grip in Jason’s hand in the limo where it had been safely resting for most of the afternoon. It was the closest they could get to solitary comfort without saying anything around everyone else.

Jason and Tim parted ways with a hug, Jason going back into the house while Tim walked around to the back to his place. It didn’t escape his notice that some of the curtains on the upper floors fluttered which meant the other contestants were waiting for their return. He wondered if they were curious about them kissing. They obviously knew more about this whole process than Tim did despite the research he’d done.

Tim slipped into his small house and kicked off his shoes. He almost let himself fall back onto the bed, but then thought better of it. He didn’t want the cameras to watch him as he sat and thought things over. He pulled his clothes from the bathtub and hung them over the towel rack to dry. He wiped the bottom of the bathtub dry and climbed in, leaning back against the side to stare at the ceiling.

As soon as Shelly had mentioned it, Tim had known what was going to happen. He knew he was going to have to kiss Jason and he knew Jason knew it too.

“Fuck,” Tim sighed and threw his arms over his face. This was supposed to be an easy mission, but he was already being tested at every curve.

Tim’s smile was tight and he was worried if his grip on his glass got any tighter it was going to shatter in his hand. Which, wasn’t exactly a bad way to go if it got him away from Jake. He was staring at him and hadn’t stopped talking for the past five minutes and Tim was starting to think he really had no idea what personal space was.

“Mind if I interrupt?”

Tim had to stop himself from outright sighing and flinging himself into Jason’s arms at his arrival. Jake pouted and Tim reached out, giving his hand a squeeze.

“We can talk again later, okay?”

Jake looked slightly less disappointed before he got up and went back into the house. Jason pulled him to his feet and away from the front door.

“How are you doing?” Jason asked, with more meaning than he should’ve had in front of the cameras.

“I’m good,” Tim answered cheerfully even as his soul screamed inside. “I’m enjoying the night, the weather’s nice.”

Jason nodded and gave his hand a squeeze as they walked around the side of the house towards where the bushes were the thickest and offered the most privacy from prying eyes.

“So this afternoon was fun,” Jason offered, pulling Tim next to him as he leaned against the still warm bricks of the house.

Tim chuckled softly. “I think that’s a bit of an understatement. I had a lot of fun. Especially when we got to…explore the vineyard a bit.”

Jason huffed a laugh and took a sip from his glass. His eyes somehow still managed to shine in the low lighting. Tim swallowed, wondering if it was just the atmosphere that was making him see things, but he felt a pull towards Jason that hadn’t been there that afternoon.

Tim wasn’t sure who moved first or maybe if they moved at the same time. But he’d moved in and Jason’s arm wrapped around his back, pulling him against him. Jason’s lips were soft against his and he tasted like alcohol. Tim’s fingers tangled in Jason’s hair, gripping the strands tightly.

Everything around them fell away and Tim forgot they weren’t alone until he heard something rustle. They broke apart, Jason’s hand settling protectively on his waist, only to find a cameraman moving to get a closer shot.

Jason glared at the guy and Tim felt his face heat up at the reminder they didn’t actually have any privacy.

“Hey,” Jason murmured.

Tim struggled to meet his eyes, but when he did, Jason pressed their foreheads together and stared into his eyes. Jason smiled, soft and sweet in a way that rarely anyone got to see anymore. Tim smiled back and Jason caught his hand, giving it a squeeze. Tim squeezed back.

Another rustling sound caught their attention and Jason rolled his eyes, making Tim laugh before they looked up to find one of the other contestants waiting on them.

“Mind if I interrupt?” Jackson asked, trying and failing to look seductive and sexy.

Jason gave his hand another squeeze before he stepped away. “I’ll see you later.”

Tim nodded and watched him go, holding back a sigh at having to go back to playing like he was interested in anyone there.

As he’d expected, the man he was sending off was ridiculously upset at not having the chance to further a relationship with him. Tim willingly offered him a hug before he left and slipped a tracker on him, hoping it would be enough to start a trail as to where they were being taken or hidden away. It was a strange feeling to be doing recon work, but not having any control on what was being investigated more largely.

Tim hid his phone in the folds of his pajamas when he went into the bathroom to change. He opened his encrypted line and typed out an update for Bruce that there was now an active tracker on one of the contestants who was leaving.

He waited for a response while he changed, sitting down on the edge of the tub when he was in something more comfortable.

His irritation grew the longer he went without hearing anything back and Tim closed out of the connection. Having minimal resources was one thing, but complete radio silence wasn’t something he’d accept. He debated sending something to Jason who’d have the encryption on his phone, too. But he worried about him being caught by the other contestants and any cameras that might be staged around the house. Neither of them needed Jason getting booted off for breaking the rules.

Finally, Tim pulled himself from the bathroom and settled down, wrapped in the blankets on his bed. He was weirdly exhausted and wanted nothing more than to sleep for a day.

A persistent knocking pulled Tim from sleep and he groaned, rubbing at his eyes. He struggled to extricate himself from the blankets and shuffled across the floor, making his way to the front door. He pulled it open and came face to face with Shelly who was smiling brightly.

“I hope you had a relaxing night because we have a fun day planned for you,” she said breezing past him into the house.

“Sure,” he mumbled, shutting the door behind her. “What are we doing?”

“We’ve got a nice group picnic planned for you and all of the contestants.”

Tim raised an eyebrow. “All of the contestants?”

“Yup!” she crowed. “It’s going to be a fully-catered barbecue and will give you plenty of time to socialize with everyone since things were a little more constrained yesterday with the obstacle course and your solo date. We thought it would also give you a chance to see how you connect with everyone outside of the evenings.”

Tim nodded. “Okay. Is that all that we’re doing today?”

“It is, so get dressed and freshen up. We’ll be leaving in the next hour. The contestants are very excited so be sure to give them something good to look at.”

Tim had to suppress a smile at the thought of Jason getting as excited as the rest of them. He couldn’t exactly picture him jumping up and down and clapping his hands or meticulously picking out what he was going to wear for a picnic.

“I’ll be sure to wear my picnic best,” he said, directing Shelly back to the door so he could have some privacy to change out of his sleep clothes.

She grinned before bouncing back off towards the house. Tim shook his head and closed the door. He hurried back to his room and starting looking through his suitcase. He settled on a pair of jeans and a light blue tee. It wasn’t as dressy as he could go for, but wouldn’t be stifling in the weather.

He slipped into the bathroom to change before deciding on taking a quick shower, too. He turned on the water and pulled his shirt over his head, hands dropping to the waistband of his pants before a sound caught his attention.

He narrowed his eyes and carefully pulled open the bathroom door, listening. He heard the sound of a lock clicking and slipped out of the bathroom, keeping close to the wall as he got around behind the door so if anyone came through he wouldn’t immediately be seen.

Whoever had decided to drop by wasn’t good at concealing their footsteps, the scratch of rubber soles unmistakable on the flooring. Whoever had come in obviously knew where he would be because they were getting closer.

Tim held his breath when they paused outside the door. As soon as their shoe was across the threshold and in his line of sight, Tim pushed against the door, making it swing inward and hit whoever it was. There was a loud cry, but Tim didn’t hesitate to take them to the ground and lock their arm behind their back.

“I didn’t know you like things rough,” he panted.

Tim groaned and fell back. “You’re not supposed to be here, Nathan.”

Nathan smiled and turned to face him on all fours. “I won’t tell if you won’t.”

Tim shot to his feet and backed up, putting space between them. Nathan’s eyes dropped to his chest and Tim swallowed before hurrying back to the bathroom to retrieve his shirt to cover up the scars.

“Come with me,” he said, grabbing his phone and walking to the living room. He dropped onto the couch, scrolling through his contacts. “Have a seat,” he said before hitting Shelly’s number.

Nathan sat down next to him and Tim immediately rocked up to his feet, pacing around to the other side of the coffee table, ignoring Nathan’s disappointed expression.

“This is Shelly!” she answered happily.

“Hi Shelly, it’s Tim,” he started. “We’ve got a bit of a situation. Do you mind coming back to the house?”

“I’ll be there in two minutes,” she said, voice turning serious.

“Thanks,” Tim said before hanging up.

Tim crossed his arms and leaned against the bureau underneath the T.V. mounted on the wall while he waited. He kept his eyes on Nathan who was watching him, a small grin pulling at his lips. Tim practically sighed when a knock sounded on the door and he hurried over to answer it, bringing Shelly inside.

She looked between the two of them, confusion on her face. “Care to explain what happened, Tim?” she asked.

Tim held out a hand and gestured to Nathan. “He thought it would be a good idea to sneak in here and surprise me. I heard him before he got close and ended up subduing him,” he explained quickly. “I was getting ready to shower so I have no doubt what his intentions were.”

Shelly frowned, gaze hardening in a way that Tim never thought he’d see from her. “Nathan, you and the rest of the contestants were well aware of our policies with fraternizing outside of designated time. Do you have anything to say for yourself?”

“I just wanted to spend some more time with Tim. The rest of us have each other to lean on, but I can only imagine how lonely it must get in this house all alone. Besides, we all have needs that we need satisfying.” Nathan threw a pointed look at Tim when he said his last comment and Tim had to repress a shiver. The thought of Nathan getting that close to him in a sexual capacity made his skin crawl.

Shelly sighed. “Well, considering you were aware of the rules and this was something done entirely by your design, I’m afraid there’s only one solution. You’re being kicked off the show.”

“No!” he exclaimed, jumping from the couch. “I have as much a right to be here as the rest of the contestants.”

Shelly shook her head. “You did until you broke the rules of the show. It’s listed in your contract that if there’s a disciplinary issue, we have the right to kick you off the show. Unless for some reason Tim would like you to stay?”

Nathan turned to him, face desperate. Tim felt his stomach sink because he was already sending someone else to a horrible fate until he could be saved. But the likelihood Nathan would try the same stunt again or something similar was too great and he didn’t want to deal with anyone else trying something. Not when he had more important things to be doing, which were getting evidence to Bruce so they could bust the operation.

He turned to Shelly and shook his head. “I’d feel much more comfortable if he was sent home.”

“Tim!” Nathan screeched. He rushed over to Tim and tried to grab the collar of his shirt. “I thought we had a connection?! I thought you cared about me?”

Tim felt an unfamiliar spike of panic set his heart in motion as he struggled to keep space between them. Between one moment and the next, Nathan was up in his face, eyes wild and voice ringing in his ears, and the next he was being pulled away by two security guards.

Tim struggled to catch his breath as Nathan was forced from the house as his screams echoed across the lawn.

“Mr. Drake?”

He swallowed and looked at Shelly who wore an expression of sympathy.

“Would you like to have this afternoon off in order to collect yourself? I understand how traumatizing this must’ve been.”

His immediate reaction was to agree and take the time for himself, but he hesitated, knowing if he was forced to stay in the house by himself, he’d be nothing but paranoid. It would be better to be with the rest of the contestants, find more data and evidence, and pretend everything was okay. He shook his head.

“No, I’d rather still go on the picnic. I think I might just need a bit more time to get ready if that’s alright?”

Shelly nodded. “Of course, Mr. Drake. I’ll inform the other contestants that we’re pushing our departure time back. Take all the time you need.”

She hurried past him and pulled the door shut behind her as she left. Tim took a minute to calm himself further before locking the door and returning to his shower. This was the last time he was ever going on a dating show.

Tim still felt a little shaky by the time he left his house and was shepherded into a limo to be taken to the park where the cookout was happening. The contestants were there already when his limo pulled up and they rushed over to greet him. Tim could see Jason standing at the back of the pack, but he could still see the tension around his lips and eyes.

He waved off the excited greetings from everyone as he moved back toward the array of blankets and tables, the group moving to surround him as they walked.

“We heard something happened this morning, is everything okay?”

“We were so shocked when Nathan got sent home, what happened?”

“Were you really cornered in your house by gunpoint?”

“I’m fine,” he explained. “Everything’s fine. I’m just aiming to put this morning behind me and spend some time with the rest of you. Do you really want to talk about him when I could be learning more about all of you?” he asked, putting on his best gala smile.

Excited laughter broke out and he got several grins in return. Tim’s eyes strayed to Jason who didn’t look convinced and Tim was sure as soon as they got a moment alone he was going to be questioned over what happened.

“Now, what did I miss while making all of you wait?”

Motion erupted around him as they went to collect drinks and small snacks that had already been set out. Tim did his best to keep up with the conversation and entertain everyone around him, but he was still feeling off about that morning.

Several of the contestants pulled him to the side to have individual conversations which made him feel better outside of the group setting, but he kept wondering if the next guy was planning to try the same thing as Nathan had. He was more than a little relieved when Jason pulled him to the side for some one on one.

“Hey,” he said, getting him to a more secluded place. “What happened this morning?”

Tim plastered on a smile. “Is that really what you want to be talking about right now?” he asked in the same false cheer he’d used with everyone else.

Jason quirked an eyebrow and the smile fell from his face. “Are you okay?” he asked.

Tim glanced to the side, making sure they were away from the other members. The camera guys were focused on them looking over the snacks, but he knew it wouldn’t be long before their attention became directed at him and Jason.

He let out a shaky breath. “For the most part I’m okay, a bit unsettled that someone was willing to barge into my house and try to come after me while I was in the shower. I took him down easily and he didn’t want anything more than to get in my bed so it’s no big deal.”

“That doesn’t make it okay,” Jason insisted. “That’s supposed to be your safe space and the producers obviously fucked that up.”

“I should’ve locked the door,” Tim hurried to explain.

“You know that’s not the point Tim,” Jason said. “It’s the fact he decided to go after you.”

“Just do me a favor?” he asked.

“Anything,” Jason said, eyes glancing to the side where the camera crew looked to be finishing up with the contestants.

“If anyone else starts talking about doing that, shoot it down?”

Jason shook his head. “You don’t even need to ask me to do that. It’s done.”

Tim smiled, feeling more relaxed than he had since that morning. “Thanks, Jay.”

Jason pulled him into a hug and Tim sagged against his chest, reveling in the feeling of safety that he’d been missing. Ideally, he would’ve been able to have Jason stay in the house with him, but that wasn’t an option when they were on two different sides of this.

“Tim!”

They pulled apart at his name being called. He could see the disappointment on some of their faces and other guys were trying to hide their emotions at seeing the hug between them.

“Food’s ready!”

“Great,” he said, pulling away from Jason who strolled after him. “I’m starving.”

Jackson was already holding out a plate and gesturing to what had been served on the platters. Tim smiled and picked out what he wanted. The least he could do for now would be to keep everyone else happy.

Tim practically collapsed on the couch as soon as he got back. (Only after locking the door, though.) He was exhausted and ready to take a nap before he had to socialize any more with the contestants. He’d felt Jason’s gaze on him all afternoon and knew he was reading into every movement he made. Tim had tried to stop himself from pulling away from the touches or the press of people against him, but he knew he wasn’t always successful.

He kicked off his shoes and pulled his phone out of his pocket, angling the screen away from any cameras to open the secure line he had. He sighed when there weren’t any messages from Bruce, but he was surprised to find a message from Jason. He clicked on it and furrowed his brow, wondering when he’d been able to send him a text.

Jason: I know you’re still on edge from this morning. Take a bath or take a nap. If I could, I’d barge in there myself to make sure you relax, but you’d probably land me flat on my ass after this morning.

Tim smiled because he probably would. And Jason would end up looking worse than Nathan had.

Tim: Yeah you might want to stay away. Unless your goal is to get thrown off the show so you know where the contestants are being taken.

He set his phone on his stomach and leaned back, feeling a little more at ease and calm despite everything that had happened. He lifted an eyebrow when his phone vibrated on his stomach. He frowned when he saw he had a new message through the line.

Jason: That’s not part of the plan, babe. Heard anything from Bruce?

Tim: How the hell are you getting messages to me without anyone noticing?

Jason: It’s called being in the bathroom. I’ve got the shower running so I figure I can milk it as long as I want. Now answer the question.

Tim rolled his eyes.

Tim: Nothing. Complete radio silence like that’s a surprise.

Jason: The ass

Tim snorted and smiled.

Tim: What else did you expect? He threw us into this the day before the mission started. He’s never been forthcoming with his information or knowledge.

Jason: Ain’t that the truth

Tim: How much longer you think we have for this mission?

Jason: Hopefully not long. I don’t know how much longer I can keep from punching these guys.

Tim: Don’t land anyone in the hospital.

Jason: No promises

Tim: Jason!

He could almost hear Jason laughing from the house.

Jason: I’m kidding, I’m kidding. Now I need to actually take a shower before we get back to playing in love tonight. I can only keep the rest of these guys out of the bathroom for so long.

Tim: Don’t punch anyone.

He locked his phone and laid down on the couch. Tim bit his lip, trying to fight back the smile that was overtaking him. He chuckled lightly, feeling giddy. He’d forgotten how easy it could be around Jason when they didn’t have to pretend to know nothing about each other. Maybe when this was all over, they could take on a few more cases together. Ones that didn’t need them to go undercover.

“Mr. Drake, we have a nice evening tonight. You’ll have plenty of time to socialize with the contestants and the fans are very much in favor of you and Mr. Todd,” Shelly rambled as they walked towards the house.

“Aren’t I supposed to be picking who I like?” Tim asked with a smirk and a raised eyebrow.

She sniffed and gave him a smile. “I’m simply informing you of how the ratings are doing. But on to tonight. There’s a special aspect of the show on the table for the first time and that’s immunity for the elimination. You have the option to pick someone who will make it through before elimination starts.”

Tim had to check a groan. Everyone was going to be super anxious and uptight which meant he was going to be herded back and forth between everyone. He already knew who he’d prefer to give immunity to because Jason was the only person he saw worth keeping around, but he wasn’t sure if that would be the best choice to make.

He knew the fans would be happy, but tensions could rise in the house…

“Well,” Shelly said as they came to a stop in front of the door. “I hope you enjoy your evening.”

Tim nodded and pushed through the door. The sounds of chatter inside immediately stopped at the creak of the door.

“Hi Tim!” most of them greeted.

He nodded and took the glass someone held out for him.

“Thank you,” he said, politely. “I hope all of you had an enjoyable time this afternoon. I know I did and ate a little too much food, but it was great to be out for a picnic. I’m looking forward to the time we have tonight,” he finished, raising his glass.

As he took a sip, his eyes strayed to Jason who was leaning against the back wall away from the group. Jason’s eyes were on him and he was swirling a glass of whisky. Tim’s gaze was pulled away by someone asking him a question, which he easily answered. As he tried to move past through the crowd, more and more people stopped him, wanting to talk to him and have his attention, and then he was pulled away and back through the front door.

He did his best to entertain each new man who kept him from returning to the group, but he was finding himself becoming less and less accommodating. He was starting to want nothing more than to return to his little house where he could be alone since he figured Jason wouldn’t come to find him anytime soon.

It wasn’t until Tim had been through half the contestants and drunk more than he needed that Jason finally showed. Tim stumbled when Jason pulled him to his feet.

“Woah, there, Tim. How much have you had?” he asked, pulling him close to steady him.

Tim clutched at his shoulders. “Too much probably. It’s the only way I can get through this.”

Jason took the empty glass from his hand and left it on the porch. “Let’s take a walk and get you sobered up. I’d offer you some water, but I’d rather not leave you alone or take you back inside.”

Tim nodded. “Maybe bring me a glass later.”

“Come on.” Jason pulled him against his side and kept a firm hand around his waist as they took the path around the house. Tim leaned into Jason, feeling a little drowsy.

“I want nothing more than to go to bed,” he mumbled.

“Gotta get through the night first,” Jason said as they rounded the corner and found a secluded bench. Jason pulled Tim down next to him and Tim sighed, leaning his head against Jason’s shoulder.

“Why am I doing this?” he mumbled.

“Because you’re desperate to find your soulmate,” Jason said, trying not to laugh.

Tim groaned and rolled his head to the side, looking up at Jason whose eyes were shining in the low light coming from the lamps. Tim glanced down at Jason’s pink lips, eyelids drooping.

“Tim…” Jason said, licking his lips.

Tim’s own parted, suddenly wanting to taste. He tangled his hand in the hairs at the nape of Jason’s neck. Jason’s hold on him tightened and he pulled him closer.

“Are you sure about this?” Jason asked, closing the gap between them.

Tim nodded, meeting Jason’s lips in a kiss. The first brush of lips was hesitant, testing the waters. Tim parted his lips slightly and pressed forward against Jason, accepting his tongue when it pushed past his lips. One of Jason’s hands dropped to his hip, fingers digging into his side.

Tim groaned and wrapped his arms around Jason’s shoulders. The mixture of alcohol and Jason against him made him dizzy. And more than a little desperate. Jason pulled at him, tugging to get him closer and Tim swung a leg over Jason’s lap, pressing against his chest. The taste on Jason’s tongue was a little bitter from the whisky he’d had to drink earlier.

“Tim,” Jason whispered between kisses as they sucked in air. “Tim…”

“Jason…” he sighed. “Jason.”

The sound of a footfall on the stone path and gentle humming caught their attention. They broke apart, a string of spit, splitting between them. Tim wiped the back of his hand across his mouth and slipped off Jason’s lap, the air cool and sobering against his cheeks. Jason grabbed his hand and linked their fingers together, giving him a squeeze.

“Tim?” Jackson asked, smiling as he rounded the corner with two glasses in his hands.

“Jackson, hi,” Tim offered, already dreading what else he was going to have to go through.

“I brought you another drink,” he offered.

Tim grimaced. “I think I’ve had enough for tonight.”

“Oh,” he said, looking disappointed.

“I’ll go get you a water,” Jason said, standing from the bench and letting Tim’s hand go. “Don’t worry, I won’t interrupt your time together,” he added, almost to reassure Jackson.

“Want to have a seat?” Tim asked.

Jackson nodded and eagerly took the spot Jason had vacated. Tim forced a smile and counted the minutes as they slowly passed until he’d be done for the night.

Tim fiddled with his phone that night as he lay in bed. He was reluctant to see if he was going to have a message from Bruce since his thoughts were still on the man he’d had to send home. It seemed so easy to forget about all of that and the consequences that came with what they were doing when it was a flurry of dates and what was supposed to be fun, but more and more of the contestants were being sent off and it wasn’t going to stop. Not until Bruce got everything he needed and if he didn’t tell him and Jason what they needed to do, they were flying blind.

This would be a good time for them to have the power of echolocation. Maybe they could sound out where the prisoners were and put an end to all of this without putting anyone else in danger. But Bruce was the one dressed as a bat.

He sighed and opened up his messages. He blinked when he saw he had a notification from Bruce. His relief immediately disappeared as soon as he read what was inside.

B: The bugs you’ve planted on the eliminated contestants go quiet as soon as they’re within a specific geographic location. We’ve tried scouring the area where they go out, but we’ve found nothing. We need something more.

Tim felt his stomach sink. The only thing he had that was stronger than one of the beacons he’d brought was a distress signal and there was no guarantee that would work. And he couldn’t exactly put together a new piece of tech when he didn’t have any resources and couldn’t afford to look suspicious to the showrunners.

Tim scrubbed a hand over his face before typing out a reply.

Tim: I don’t have anything stronger to plant on a contestant, but I’ll gladly take suggestions on how to handle this. I’d rather not have to send any more helpless victims into the clutches of this operation.

He switched tabs to his conversation with Jason and typed out a quick explanation of what was going on. He doubted it would give him something more than someone to complain to about all of this, but it would be worth something.

What he wasn’t expecting was such a quick reply.

Jason: What does B expect us to do out here? It’s not like we can go all Nancy Drew and start doing detective work.

Tim smiled, feeling a little better despite what they were talking about.

Tim: I don’t know. The only thing I could think of that might work is a distress signal, but that’s not a guarantee it will work.

Jason: And we have no way of testing that.

Tim sighed and rubbed a hand across his eyes.

Tim: Exactly

Jason: Well, not really much for us to worry about. B will think of some plan that both of us will either completely agree with or hate so no use worrying about it now.

Tim smiled.

Tim: Right. Instead, we should be worried about getting some sleep before being put through whatever thing they have planned for us tomorrow.

Jason: Agreed. Night, Tim.

Tim: Night, Jason.

He locked his phone and rolled over to set it on the night table before pulling the covers tighter around him. He ran his index finger over the soft fabric in the dark, drawing nonsensical patterns and swirls. He knew he was smiling into the darkness, but he couldn’t find it in himself to stop.

Tim bit his lip and flattened his palm against the covers. He didn’t know what was going on between them, but he found he liked it more than he probably should. Especially when it would make things that much more complicated as soon as they finished this mission. But somewhere in the back of his mind, he thought that wouldn’t be so bad.

By the time Tim walked into the gym where they were having their group date for the day, he could easily read the tension in Jason’s shoulders and the minute muscle twitch around his eye.

“I hope all of you are excited for today,” Shelly said before Tim could even think of going to him. “We have another fun filled day of physical feats for you. Although, I think this might be a bit more enjoyable than the obstacle course for some of you. Definitely less dirty.”

A few of the contestants were grinning or swaying their hips from side-to-side.

“As you can see, you’re standing in the middle of a performance school which means you’re going to learn all kinds of different techniques today from dancing, gymnastics, acrobatics, anything you want to try really,” Shelly said. “The instructors are here to help all of you and they’re going to go through small demonstrations of all the activities you can try. Now have at it and have fun!”

Tim immediately turned to the acrobatics area. It looked like they had some similar stuff to the Cave, but it was everything Dick would go crazy for with hoops and silks and a trapeze. More than a few of the contestants eagerly followed after him, which he tried not to pay too much attention to.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw Jason turn on his heel and head in the opposite direction to the expansive mats that stretched across the floor in front of a set of mirrors. Jack stepped up next to him and Tim forced his attention away from Jason and to the conversation, knowing he couldn’t be distracted if he wanted to keep his cover intact.

After making his way around to the different stations set up, Tim finally made it to the dance mats where Jason hadn’t moved. Every now and then he heard some soft music playing and would look over and see Jason dancing alone or with the instructor. No one else had really worked up the courage to join in and when Tim saw the open smile on his face, it made his heart beat a little faster.

“I see you finally made your way over here,” Jason said as he crossed the mat and kicked off his shoes.

“Just saving the best for last,” Tim answered easily, flashing a grin. “Now, show me what you got.”

Jason raised an eyebrow and snaked an arm around Tim, pulling him against his chest. He took his other hand in his and didn’t give Tim much of a chance to collect himself before he started moving them around the mat in an easy slow dance all the Robins had had to do at the galas Bruce threw.

Tim settled his free hand on Jason’s shoulder and let himself be guided around the mat. It was nice to give up control for once and not have to think too much about what he was doing. Until he stopped paying enough attention and miss-stepped and crashed down to the mat.

Jason laughed and offered a hand, pulling him back to his feet even as he huffed.

“Care to try again?” he asked, between chuckles, holding out his hand.

Tim pouted, but took it, letting himself get spun around the mat once more. Jason slowed them down until they were doing more of a gentle sway than anything else. Tim rested his head against Jason’s chest and closed his eyes, trusting Jason to keep him upright.

“There are quite a few people staring daggers at me right now. I’m pretty sure if they had access to a gun I’d be bleeding out on the mat,” Jason murmured softly.

Tim smiled. “They’re jealous they didn’t think of this first.”

Jason scoffed. “They wouldn’t know how to dance with you.”

Tim huffed a laugh. “You’re right. I doubt any of them know how to slow dance. Luckily we had our training.”

“Lucks got nothing to do with it.”

Tim tilted his head back and looked up at Jason.

He raised an eyebrow. “Not all of us are rhythmically impaired like you.”

“I’m offended.”

“Oh really,” Jason said, stepping back. “Then let’s see what you got. Samantha, mind putting on something a little more upbeat? Maybe street style?”

“You got it,” she said, scrolling through an iPod.

A sharp beat emitted from the speakers and Tim quirked an eyebrow. He wasn’t left wondering what was going on for long when Jason started improvising a hip-hop routine. He actually felt his jaw drop as he watched Jason move around the floor. Jason grinned at him, catching sight of his expression.

As Jason continued to dance, Tim threw up his hands in mock exasperation and turned to pretend to stalk off. Jason’s arm snaked around his waist and lifted him off his feet, spinning him around. Tim chuckled and felt a little too breathless when they finally stopped.

Tim could see the annoyed looks from the rest of the contestants where they’d stopped what they were doing to watch the two of them. Tim couldn’t find it in himself to be embarrassed or worried about what they would think. After worrying about everything and having someone sneak into his house, it was nice to get a moment to relax where he could pretend less because Jason knew who he was.

Almost like he knew what he was thinking, Jason squeezed him closer and Tim was reminded of what had happened the night before between them and the kiss they’d shared.

With every day that passed it seemed like the mission was slipping further and further from the forefront of their minds and it was becoming replaced by something else. Something that Tim would normally be wary about and want to ignore, but this time he was finding the possibility of jumping in headfirst more attractive than anything else. Even if it meant Jason would dump him as soon as this was all over.

“Alright boys,” Shelly said, clapping her hands and catching their attention. “That’s enough. It’s about time to wrap things up and head out.”

Jason huffed and straightened, dragging his hands away from Tim’s stomach. Tim walked over to the shelves, ignoring the gazes that followed him and pulled his shoes free, stuffing his feet back into them. Several of the contestants swarmed around him to retrieve their shoes and tried to start a conversation, but he was never able to pay much attention to them, gaze drifting over their heads to where Jason was standing away from the group watching him.

Tim had just opened his messages with Bruce when he somehow heard the shouting coming from the house. He ignored it in favor of the new message.

Bruce: We’re going to need to take some drastic measures to shut this operation down. I think the best course of action is to get Jason off the show. If he’s taken to the location of the other prisoners, we might be able to find him and rescue the rest of them.

Tim felt his stomach drop.

“You fucker!”

His stomach dropped even further when he recognized Jason’s voice echoing over the lawn to his house. He dropped his phone on his bed and sprinted from his house where he’d been trying to get ready for that night.

One of the contestants was laid out on the grass, clutching the side of his face. Jason towered over him, his hands balled into fists at his sides and his expression fierce: teeth bared as his chest heaved. The other contestants were grouped together behind Jason, watching what had happened with open expressions of shock.

Tim felt his heart sink. Because if Nathan sneaking into his house had been enough to get him kicked off the show, this was going to send Jason off. And if Jason got sent off that would mean he was being taken to where the other prisoners were being kept and Tim wouldn’t be able to do anything about it. He would have to sit back and wait to hear something from Bruce or for the cops to show up and break up the operation and get the contestants back home.

“What the hell?” Jack hissed from where he was curled in on himself on the ground. “What’s wrong with you?”

“You need to learn some decency, that’s what,” Jason snarled.

“What is going on here?” Shelly screeched, rounding the corner to where they were all gathered. She froze as she caught sight of Jason, but caught herself, mask of professionalism falling over her face as she pursed her lips.

Tim tried to school his expression and hide the desperation he knew was shining on his face, but he couldn’t find it in himself to control it. Something about Jason being at risk was unsettling. He didn’t want Jason to leave. He was his rock and was keeping him sane during this huge fiasco.

“I’m sorry, Jason,” Shelly started. “But fighting isn’t allowed on our show. I’m afraid you’re going to be disqualified for your behavior. It’s a shame really since you’d been so welcomed during this competition.”

Jason’s eyes strayed to Tim and he could see the apology in them. Tim bit his lip, needing to stop himself from doing something he’d regret. He didn’t know if he’d be able to explain away rushing to his side and kissing him before he got dragged away from him.

One of the security guards placed a heavy hand on his shoulder and turned Jason towards the front of the house where he’d no doubt be shoved into a limo and taken to where the rest of the contestants were being held. Jason offered one last look over his shoulder at him and Tim felt his heart shatter in his chest.

Bruce was going to need to get him back fast or Tim would end up going on a rampage in search of him. He wasn’t going to leave Jason locked up and at the hands of whoever was crazy enough to lead something like this.

Tim had barely been able to put on a happy face during the social that night and everyone knew it. The atmosphere was far more subdued and even though Tim knew most of the contestants were happy to see Jason go, the circumstances surrounding it were more than a little upsetting. Jack had tried getting sympathy out of everyone because he’d been punched, but few people could find the right attitude to play along.

Tim let the door to his house shut behind him. He froze and narrowed his eyes. It was quiet and he felt like he wasn’t alone. A darker feeling than when Nathan had broken in.

He kept his steps light as he moved through the house towards his bedroom. The rest of the house was too exposed and whoever was inside wouldn’t take the chance to be seen by him when he had a better opportunity to escape.

Tim skirted around the wall when he reached his bedroom door and peered inside. There was no sign of movement or a tipoff of someone waiting inside. He could see his bathroom door was open from where he’d left it earlier and he pursed his lips, betting that was where his guest would be.

He slipped into his bedroom and pressed himself against the wall, taking silent steps across the carpet as he approached the open door. He kept his breathing shallow and forced himself to stay relaxed so his heartrate wouldn’t pick up and he wouldn’t feel the need to breathe faster. He paused for a moment at the side of the doorway and collected himself. He had to assume the disadvantage going in and that his opponent would use anything to his advantage and would have the tools to subdue him. He would’ve killed, or seriously maimed, to have his bo staff with him. He could use an opportunity to let out some of his frustrations.

Tim whipped around the corner, fists raised and froze, blinking as he took in Bruce, dressed as Batman, sitting on the edge of the bathtub.

“What are you doing here?” he asked, shocked.

“I’m here to get you,” he said, dropping a bag to the floor at Tim’s feet. “We have a location on where the contestants are being kept. Jason’s distress beacon has gotten through whatever’s been dampening your tech. I’ve got Nightwing and Robin waiting in the jet. Get changed. We have an operation to bust.”

Tim blinked at him, finally feeling some sense of certainty and control return to him. He nodded and knelt to unzip the bag. He pulled out his uniform with a full utility belt. He turned from Bruce and started stripping out of his clothes more relieved to get suited up than he had been in a long time.

“What’s wrong with you Drake?”

Tim startled and turned to look at Damian who was scowling at him. “What?” he asked.

“Are you finished tapping your foot and staring out the side of the jet?”

Tim blinked at him, gaze moving between where he’d been facing, but hadn’t been seeing anything, and Damian. He looked past Damian to where Dick and Bruce were flying the plane.

“I’m fine,” he argued. “I’m just ready to get this case wrapped up so I don’t have to deal with anymore privileged contestants on that stupid dating show.”

Damian scoffed and turned away. Tim scowled at his back and let out a sigh, trying to release the tension in his body. He slowly swung his head back to the window, catching his reflection in the dark glass. He blinked at himself, kind of surprised by how unforgiving and determined he looked. He couldn’t remember being this involved in a mission in a while.

But he also hadn’t had as much personal stock in a mission in even longer.

“Five minutes until we reach destination,” Bruce announced.

Tim watched his lips pull to the side and knew that this was going to be one of the most intense experiences of his life. He tore his gaze from the window and double-checked his utility belt, making sure he had everything he needed. He wrapped his hand securely around his collapsed bo staff, ready to give this fight everything he had because he wasn’t going to walk out of there without Jason.

And if anyone had hurt him, they wouldn’t be walking out of there at all.

“Two minutes,” Bruce confirmed. “Perimeter sensors are down, but the number of guards will raise the alarm quickly if we’re slow moving in.”

Tim pulled his bo from his belt and extended it with a flick of his wrist. He moved to the rear of the plane where the door would open and set them free. Damian stepped up next to him, katana drawn and pointed to the ground at his side.

“Care for a little competition?” Tim asked as the jet made the final bank as they approached their landing sight.

“You’ll lose,” Damian said easily, but Tim could tell he was interested.

“No I won’t.”

Damian scoffed. “What are your terms?”

Tim’s eyes locked on the ramp as it started to open with their descent to the ground. “Highest number of guards you can cripple.”

“Boys,” Bruce’s warning was low in their ears through the comms, but it fell on deaf ears as Tim and Damian jumped the last few feet from the jet and sprinted across the lawn. They got the jump on the first couple of guards who got in the way of their path, but soon enough pained and startled shouts were attracting more attention and groups were sprinting across the yard from the compound to meet them.

By that time, Bruce and Dick had made it out of the jet and were helping take down the guards. When Tim knocked his most recent opponent down and one didn’t immediately replace him, he took his chance, running towards the compound.

It wasn’t incredibly large and was obviously designed for short-term storage. A middle point for the people who were being trafficked. It gave them enough time to make the changeover: new clothes, new identity, before they were shipped off to their fate. And Tim was going to get each one of them out.

He busted through the door, whacking the first person he met on the back of the head, sending them crumpling to the floor. The compound was one level and the walls were a disgusting white that made it obvious this is where dreams came to die.

Tim pulled up the sensory tracker on his wrist computer and found Jason blipping strong in his range. He took off down the hallway, keeping an eye out for any other guards who might get in his way. He sucked in a breath when someone turned the corner. They startled back in surprise at his appearance and Tim swung his staff up, knocking them to the floor.

They made a noise in the back of their throat and tried to get a foot underneath them, but Tim landed a kick to their chest and sent them flying backwards into the wall. He swooped down on them and pressed a nerve strike against their neck, leaving them to sag against the wall.

Tim got back on his path and kept an eye on where Jason was located, every turn of his bringing him closer and closer to where he needed to be. He heard boots pounding down the hallway ahead of him and pulled a smoke bomb from his belt. He threw it as soon as he caught sight of the first pair of boots.

He weaved around the group as they struggled to reorient themselves and swept their feet out from underneath them with his staff. They fell into a heap and Tim hit each of them on the side of the head, barely taking any time before he was hurrying down the hallway. He watched as the distance between his tracker and Jason’s closed and pushed himself faster. He was going to break down the door if it meant getting Jason out that much sooner.

He swept around the last corner, aiming for the last door on the right. He braced his shoulder and rammed into the door, forcing it open. The door slammed against the wall, rebounding slightly. Jason was sitting against the far wall, watching the door. Tim could see the shackle around his ankle that was keeping him chained to the wall.

He grinned at Tim. “It’s about time you showed up. I was starting to get bored.”

Tim scoffed in a way that was eerily similar to Damian. He stalked across the floor and grabbed Jason by the front of his shirt. He pulled him to his feet, making Jason raise an eyebrow.

“You’re an idiot,” Tim spat.

“It got you to find their base didn’t it?” Jason asked.

Tim’s grip tightened in Jason’s shirt and he allowed himself a scowl for a moment before he yanked Jason down and pressed their lips together. Jason gasped into the kiss, but Tim broke it off before much more could happen. Instead, he dropped to his knees and pulled out his lock picking kit, undoing the shackle around his ankle and freeing him from confinement.

“Help me get the rest of these guys out of here,” Tim said, turning away. He slipped back into the hallway and got to work on the other doors, picking their locks instead of forcing the doors open. Jason raised a foot and kicked in the door next to him.

Tim rolled his eyes, turning the last tumbler in the lock and letting the door swing open. He hurried over to the man who was chained. He looked startled to see him.

“I’m here to get you out of here,” Tim offered. “You’re going to be safe now.”

“Th-thank you so much,” he stammered, holding his arms close to his body and shivering.

“There,” Tim said, letting the shackle fall free. He held out a hand. “Can you walk?”

“I-I think so,” he said, grasping Tim’s hand. Tim pulled him to his feet and he staggered once before regaining his feeling.

“Follow me,” Tim said, turning on his heel and heading back out to the hallway. Jason had made great progress and most of the doors had been kicked open. Tim opened his comm link and heard a few muttered sentences from Bruce and Dick. “Batman, Nightwing,” he said. “I’ve located the prisoners and am working to get them out. We’re at the rear of the building.”

“Understood, Red Robin,” Bruce said, voice tight.

Tim knew he was probably going to get an earful later, but it wasn’t something he was going to worry about anytime soon. He started working on the shackles, slowly freeing each prisoner and increasing the group in the hallway until he was finished.

“Do any of you know how to fight?” he asked.

“I took a few classes,” Jason said with a smirk, raising his hand.

Tim rolled his eyes for the second time. “You any good with a staff?” he asked.

“My skills could use some work.”

Tim pulled the spare bo from his belt and tossed it to Jason who flicked it open easily.

“I’m going to get you out of here. I need you to stay calm and follow me through the compound and if anyone starts shooting, run as fast as you can in the opposite direction, understood?” Tim asked, looking around at all of them.

He got a few hesitant nods in return and knew that was the best he was going to get. Tim spun on his heel and broke into a light jog, listening as everyone fell into step beside him. Jason obviously had no qualms about hiding his abilities and fell into step beside him.

“You have much trouble getting in?” he asked, voice low.

“Not too much. Your tracker came through easily enough and I left N and B to deal with the swarm of guards, much to their annoyance I’m sure.”

“If it gets us out of here faster,” Jason shot back, keeping his eyes trained on the hallway in front of them.

“The compound isn’t that large so we-“ he cut himself off as a group rounded the corner. Tim and Jason moved around each other, wielding the staffs expertly as they took the guards off their feet and knocked them out with carefully placed nerve strikes.

“Needs a little work, huh?” Tim asked.

Jason smirked and held out a hand, waving at the hallway in front of them. “Lead the way, our savior in spandex."

Tim sighed and shook his head, taking the lead again as they moved through the halls to the other end of the compound. They didn’t encounter any other groups and Tim suspected they’d either missed the other guards or they were too preoccupied on the lawn with Bruce and Dick.

Tim paused at the open doorway he’d run through, hearing the sounds of pained grunts and fighting. He peeked around the edge and found the lawn littered with unconscious bodies while Bruce and Dick fought off the last few people who were still on their feet. The path to the plane was easy enough and they’d be able to make it with little trouble.

“We’ve got a jet on the other side of the lawn,” Tim explained to the people behind him. “There are only a few guards still on their feet and Batman and Nightwing should have no problem taking them out. I’ll watch the rest of you as you get to safety. No need to worry about stealth, just get across as fast as you can.”

The group nodded at him and he took the invitation to move through the door. Jason kept close next to him but as soon as the other prisoners were free of the building, they had no qualms about taking off across the lawn to where they could see the plane. Tim’s eyes roved over the field before scanning the outside and rooftop of the compound. He was glad when there wasn’t any movement.

Two shouts of pain reached his ears and he turned to find Bruce and Dick had finally finished their fights and were standing among the bodies.

“I’ve notified the authorities,” Bruce said as he hurried over to where Tim was standing in front of the shivering group of captives.

Tim nodded. “I’ve gotten everyone out of the compound. I encountered a few guards inside, but most of them had come out to engage in the fighting. I’m not sure what the condition is going to be with the other contestants. We should get someone there to keep the situation calm until we can get more police officers out there to make some arrests.”

“Nightwing, you take the jet and go back. We need to make sure the guest bachelor is secure,” he said pointedly.

Tim bit back a curse and nodded when Bruce looked in his direction. He followed Dick back towards the plane.

“Batman is going to watch over you until the authorities arrive and you’ll be questioned. You’re in good hands,” Tim offered as he passed. He could tell several people wanted to reach out to him and keep him close since he’d been their saving grace when they thought they’d been left for good. He offered them a smile and could tell Jason wanted to go with them, but he was stuck playing the part of the unfortunate captive.

Tim took the co-pilot seat as Dick started the engines. The ramp slowly rose until they were once again cut off from the outside world. Their plane rose into the air, turning to face the way they’d come and took off across the trees towards the main house. Below them, a group of police cars tore down the road, lights blaring and sirens echoing strangely along the road.

The world blurred underneath them and in a matter of minutes they slowed on their approach to the estate. Everything looked calm, some of the lights in the main house were still on and Dick dropped Tim off at the perimeter of his house so he could climb inside and change.

Once he was inside the window he watched Dick land the plane in the middle of the field with more flourish than their initial approach. Tim stripped out of his suit quickly and put his clothes from earlier back on, stuffing his suit in the duffle and stashed it under the sink, not that anyone was going to be searching his room.

Once he was dressed he hurried from the bedroom and out the front door. Dick was striding across the lawn and a few of the contestants were looking out the windows. The camera crew had already come out to the lawn. Tim heard the squeal of tires and stepped around his house, finding a pair of black cars had come to a stop at the front of the house.

Shelly jumped out of the back of one of the cars and hurried around the house. She looked angrier than Tim had ever seen her and he suspected it was because she could finally drop the nice host act that she’d had to front for the past few days.

“What do you think you’re doing here?” she hissed, striding towards Dick. “This is private property.”

“Not so private anymore,” Dick said. “Not when you’ve been using your reality show to front human trafficking for years. You’re being shut down so I’d suggest you keep quiet until the cops arrive.”

“You can’t do this,” she growled.

Tim was sure Dick was rolling his eyes behind his mask.

“That’s what they all say,” he sighed, spinning her around and zip-tying her hands behind her back before she could even think to protest. “You might want to stop filming,” he said to the camera crew. “Not sure how good this is going to be for the ratings.”

The crew guys looked at each other before lowering their tech.

“Good choice. Now are you going to sit quietly or do I need to tie you up too?”

They all shook their heads and Shelly spat a curse in their direction. Dick stepped back and put his hands on his hips, looking up at the contestants who’d pushed the windows open.

“Will all of you come outside? I’d rather have you out of the building so I know you’re safe.”

There were a few murmurs between them before they collectively nodded and moved away from the windows.

By the time all of the contestants had filed out of the house and huddled in a group on the lawn, the first cop cars were pulling into the drive at the front of the house. Dick met the officers and Tim hung to the side, not wanting to get sucked into the conversations with the contestants because the only person on his mind was Jason and he knew he wouldn’t see him again for a while yet.

Tim rubbed at his forehead, trying to fight off the tension and the headache that had long ago developed because of the relentless questioning from the officers who were trying to gather evidence and testimonials for the case. He trudged down the stairs into the Cave, hoping that everyone else would be back and they could get the debriefing over with and he could sleep. Or see Jason. He wasn’t sure which he wanted more. He just knew he wanted this whole thing to be over.

He was surprised that Dick and Bruce weren’t in the middle of the Cave going over details and everything else. What he did see was Jason being tended to by Alfred on a medical cot.

Tim’s breath stuck in his throat and his earlier exhaustions fell away, replaced by the need to close the space between them to find out exactly what had happened to him. He rushed over to him, both Alfred and Jason looked up at his approach, Jason’s lips stretching into a soft smile that didn’t erase the exhaustion that no doubt would linger around his eyes for a while.

Where a normal person would stop at the edge of the cot and ask how he was doing, Tim had no patience for such niceties. He wedged himself between Alfred and Jason, Alfred stepping back to give them space. Tim grabbed Jason’s face between his hands and smashed their lips together. It was messy and desperate and nothing like the other kisses they’d shared, but it was what he needed.

Jason was still against him for only a moment before he wrapped his arms around Tim’s waist and pulled him against him, pressing their bodies together in a way that was everything but sensual. It was driven by a need to feel each other, yearning for them both to be safe and okay and that they’d made it through without too many problems.

Once the initial desperation had faded and they were both driven by a need to breath, Tim pulled back and pressed their foreheads together, keeping his eyes shut to quell everything that threatened to overwhelm him.

“Sorry,” Tim said. “Guess I should’ve asked first.”

Jason shook his head, making Tim’s head move too. “Don’t apologize. I’d been hoping that the acting had stopped somewhere on the show, but I wasn’t sure until I saw the look on your face when I was being kicked off the show. You looked heartbroken and I’d hated that I’d done that, but…”

“But the mission,” Tim murmured. “I’m not sure I can forgive you for that yet. You made my whole world tilt. I wasn’t ready for that kind of thing. Not when we hadn’t talked about it.”

“I’m sorry,” Jason said.

Tim finally opened his eyes and found Jason’s blue-green eyes boring into his. “I’m just glad you’re okay.”

Jason’s hand rubbed up and down Tim’s back, offering comfort.

“Hey, Tim?” Jason asked.

“Yeah?”

“Do you think we can go out on an actual date?”

Tim smirked. “You mean we haven’t already?”

Jason rolled his eyes, but his smile was fond. “I mean one where we didn’t have to do it under the pretense of acting for the mission. And without any other annoying people getting in the way. Dinner or a movie or chilling on a couch with a box of pizza.”

“All of those sound great,” Tim breathed, feeling something finally settle back in his chest where it belonged.

If you enjoy my work, please reblog or consider buying me a ko-fi!

#jaytim #jaytimweek #molim writes #fake dating #fake dating au #bachelor au #undercover au

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avengerdragoness · 7 years ago

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Unofficial Firefighter [Jason Todd x Reader]

Requested by @shortycraft13: “Hey, girlfriend! Congrats on 1,400!!! thats awesome! How about 8. and 14. from the prompt list? Thanks, love you!😘🎉”

A/n: So this was for my 1400 drabble milestone but I ended up making it a full fic because I finally got some inspiration and just wanted to let loose and write. I hope everyone likes it! @jxsontxdds you asked to be tagged!

8. “Why are you so jealous?” 14. “Just please be my best friend right now, not the guy I just confessed my love to. _________

It was a brisk Gotham evening as you made the trek to your best friend’s apartment. That best friend being Jason Todd, son of the Bat himself. Even though Jason would never openly admit it. You two had been best friends since before he died at the hands of the Joker, since before he met Bruce! You were street kids together, always had the other’s back. But when he came back, it felt like you two picked up right where you left off. It was the dose of normal and stability he needed after something as drastic as what he’d gone through. The man died for goodness sake.

It’s been a couple years since he returned and everything seemed to be more stable in his life. He was on good terms with his family again, you two still were the best of friends, he was even thinking about getting a dog! But that’s beside the point. The only thing missing really was a relationship, and you wished you could fit that bill. His family rooted for you, everyone wanted Jason and you to get together. But, you were too nervous to tell him and risk your friendship.

So, you settled for your movie nights and bar nights the both of you shared. Knocking on his apartment door you waited patiently. However, no sign of life came from the apartment. Had Jason forgotten your movie night? It wouldn’t be the first time he went out on patrol or a big mission early without realizing you two had plans.

Figuring that the case you sighed before heading back out of the building. Night had fallen over the city, thinking it best you called for a cab while sitting on the stairs to Jason’s apartment building. Sighing your chin rested in your palm, watching cars speed down the street in front of you. That was until you heard a girl’s higher pitched laughter and a man’s low chuckle. However, you recognized that chuckle. Standing to see Jason walking toward the building with a girl with bright blonde hair hanging on his arm in a tiny dress.

You had to admit the woman was gorgeous, making you even more aware of the fact you wore a baggy sweatshirt and simple sweat pants. Jason looked up to see you there, “[F/n]? What are you doing here?”

You stared between them, feeling jealousy bubble in your chest. “Movie night. Which you obviously forgot.” A bit of sharpness in your tone. Jason rose an eyebrow at you, not used to such an aggressive presence from you. He asked his date to head inside and that he’d meet her at her door. Meaning she lived there too.

“Why are you so jealous?” He questioned, obviously confused. “I’m not jealous” You spat at him. Jason crossed his arms unconvinced, “Is it because I forgot movie night? I’m sorry, it just completely slipped my mind and this was the only night me and her could --” Rattling off his excuse before you cut him off. “IT’S NOT ABOUT THE MOVIE JASON!” Yelling at him, feeling even more jealousy and anger bubble in your heart.

“I don’t understand.”

“Of course you don’t” Scoffing as he took a step toward you. “[F/n] what is it I’m not understanding?”

Was he really this oblivious? This out of tune with your emotions? Sick and tired of holding in your feelings, they all just spilled out like a can of paint on the pavement.

“THAT I LOVE YOU DAMMIT! That I love and have loved you since before the pit! Since before Bruce! Fuck, I don’t know how you never noticed!” Yelling at him. All the anger in your chest turning to sadness as he didn’t respond but just stared at you. “I love you Jason.” Shrugging as tears stung your eyes.

Right then the cab pulled up, you looked at it then Jason who didn’t look at you. Just stared at the pavement. Sniffling you wiped your eyes before walking to the cab and opening the door. “Bye Jason” mumbling before climbing in and shutting the door behind you.

After that night you avidly avoided Jason and his family. He tried calling you and texting you but you never had the heart to answer. It hurt like hell to know he didn’t love you back, now you lost your best friend too.

Sitting on your sofa in your run down but cozy apartment. You tapped your finger in your mug thinking. About what happened with him, along with how this was your last sick day usable before you had to return to work. Sighing you took a deep breath, but caught a whiff of something in the air. It smelled like... smoke?

Shooting up from your couch you ran to the door. Pulling it open and looking around the hall. You didn’t see any fire but smoke was bellowing up from the service stairs. People were in the same state as you, currently freaking out because of the sheer amount of smoke and that their was a fire on lower levels. Of course your shit apartment building’s smoke detectors didn’t work.

Hacking and coughing you looked around. Remembering that there were a second set of stairs. Hurriedly you got everyone’s attention and rushed them in the direction. You and another man got all kids and women down into the less smoke filled staircase before the smoke and fire got there. Though the fire had grown to your level and was eating the building like it was nothing. You had just began to hear sirens. Everyone was down before another woman rushed back up to where you and the man stood. “M-my son! He was home alone and I just got back! I can’t find him.”

Your instincts kicked in and the small amount of training Bruce and Jason taught you took over. “What apartment?!” You questioned quickly. “6C, please, please help me!” Looking at the man, “Get her outside!” Ordering before running back into the smoke. “HEY WAIT!” Hearing the deep voice of them man yell before you reached to where the fire had spread.

Pulling your shirt up over your face you ran through the hallway, avoiding flames. Finding the apartment you banged on the door. “HEY! IS ANYONE IN THERE!” Screaming before hacking from the smoke.

“help please!” Hearing a quiet voice on the other side. Throwing your shoulder against the door a few times it but open with the third. Looking around you saw a boy no older than 9 huddled under a table as beams fell around him. Running over you tried to crawl up to him but a beam blocked your way. “Come on buddy, I need you to be strong and come with me” saying before you coughed again. He timidly looked at you, another smouldering piece of wood falling beside him. “I CAN’T” He yelled scared and hid further. “You can do it come on sweetie. I know you can, you’re strong. I’m friends with the Red Hood and I can tell you’re just as strong as him. You can do it.” Encouraging him further. “Really?” He asked.

Nodding at him, he began to crawl to you. “That’s it come on” Beckoning him, he was only a foot away when you heard something snap. Looking up, dry wall came crumbling down. On instinct you launched yourself forward, covering the boy with your body as the smouldering dry wall hit your back. Knocking the wind out of you.

He looked at you concerned but with a burst of adrenaline you shook off the drywall and picked him up. Zipping off your jacket you covered him up with it as you ran out of the apartment and toward the staircase. You maneuvered around debris, and inhaled far too much smoke but you pushed your legs as hard as you could.

Down the stairs you ran to and out the front doors, the burst of cool hair filling your lungs hurt and you hacked and coughed, falling to your knees on the pavement. Clutching the boy to your chest as he coughed too. Paramedics rushed over to you, taking the boy and examining you.

Due to sheer exhaustion you couldn’t get up. Everything felt numb and you just wanted to go to sleep. The paramedics kept yelling at you to stay awake but it was too hard, the last thing you heard was a familiar voice yelling to you.

“Jason?” Mumbling before you lost it all.

You woke up to the sound of beeping and felt something around your face. Your throat and lungs felt like they were on fire as you took a deep breath. Wincing at the pain breathing caused. Your back ached and you could feel the bandages wrapped around you. Opening your eyes, the room was empty, it being completely white except for a few vases of flowers on the window sill. ‘Who would send me flowers? I don’t have any family.’ Thinking before hearing the door open.

Eyes shooting there you saw a familiar mess of black hair and blue eyes staring at you. “You’re awake!” Jason smiled at you before rushing over. “Oh thank god! How do you feel?” He sat down beside you.

You just shook your head, trying to speak but it only came out as a rough noise. Jason poured some water and handed it to you, the cool sensation of it running down your throat feeling amazing. “I-I feel like I swallowed hot coals and got hit in the back by Harley’s baseball bat” Your voice sounding gruff and broken. Though you didn’t look at Jason.

Everything came rushing back to you when you saw him. That night but also the fire. “It’s all gone... Everything.” You whispered to yourself. Jason’s expression softened, “[F/n] I..” He tried to speak but you stopped him. “Just please be my best friend right now, not the guy I just confessed my love to.“ He blinked at you before smiling and taking your hand. “Why can’t I be both?”

You stared at him shocked, waiting for him to elaborate. “I know I’m an idiot. I don’t know why I went out with that girl. I knew from the beginning she wasn’t for me but I did it anyway. And I don’t know why because I’ve known I’ve loved you since we were kids. I thought you didn’t feel that way about me and I now see how wrong I was. I did it to try and hide my feelings for you, but when you confessed I was shocked and you were gone before I could tell you how I felt. Then you wouldn’t answer my calls and I go to your apartment to see smoke bellowing it from it and news that you ran back inside. I was terrified I’d never get to tell you or see you again.” He explained and caressed your hand with his thumb.

“You love me?” Voice still being a rough whisper. Nodding he smiled at you. “I do.”

Tugging on his hand you pulled him to hug you. Tears welling in your eyes. “I want you to move in with me. I don’t want you in some shabby apartment like that again. I want you where I can keep you safe and from running into burning buildings” He whispered. Your hands gripped his jacket tighter before you nodded, “Thank you.”

“Anything for the one I love.”

>>>

I WROTE SOMETHING FINALLY! I FEEL SO ALIVE!

I kinda want to do a part two where the reader gets offered a job as a firefighter and she accepts the job and goes to training and Jason is a worried mess. Thoughts?

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t0mat0-pot4to · 7 years ago

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#JayDickWeek2017 Day 1: De-Aging

This is the first time I'm publishing in Tumblr in English so don't be too harsh on my writing.

It's kinda messed up and hard to follow near the end but yeah~

And also, pieces were missing so in your mind fill it up.

Don't mind the time. I really have a messed up schedule and all the international times. And so on and on.

Jason is a kid.

It's weird.

"Thanks Dick...Really..." Zatanna gave him a little smirk, before letting him in. She noticed, quite quickly, someone following him close behind. Once the door was closed from the outside, she turned and stared at them. "I thought practices were between us only."

The guy, who was taller than Dick by a few inches, just remained near Dick. They whispered something to each other before facing her, ready to explain.

"Zatanna, we both know how the magic rules goes around here. And... Well, I pretty much broke the first rule..."

"Just get to the point Grayson," pleaded the host. A faint feeling forced her to keep track of the new-comer, whom looked familiar in a weird way.

"Yeah...I'm sorry. Zatanna, this is...Jason..."

By the introduction, the new guy took the hood and sunglasses used as a disguise. He clearly didn't look at her, he couldn't. Not with with his new reputation. But he was thoughtful to her reaction anyways.

A single gasp. Then quiet. Both men knew where this was leading. It had happened a few times back with other members of the Young Justice and once with the Teen Titans. They expectations were high to get them surprise.

"He is the Red Hood, isn't he? Why is he here? Does Batman know about this? Dick! Why on Earth did you think bringing a serial killer to my house was a good idea?! Do you know what he has done?" Fear mixed with anger, and a touch of confusion was the recipe of her reaction. Before she even knew it, she was on a defensive pose. Dim clouds of purple glitter covered her fists.

Instantly, Dick's body reacted to stand in front of Jason as a shield of some sort. He knew his friend was more than capable to get to Jason, but he had to pretend he could protect his brother for some peace of mind.

Nobody moved in three minutes. Just standing there like a photo. Zatanna didn't even bother looking at Dick, who was to blame if anything happened in the next long hours, but had eyes fixed on Jason's.

The Red Hood.

The killer.

"Zatanna, please listen to me. I am more than aware of Jason's previous actions...on Gotham and outside but you also have to know that..."

Somehow, those words struck Jason like lightning. He knew better than anyone what he did on the streets. He knew why Zatanna was scared and angry. Yet the never noticed how calm Dick was about it, like he didn't even knew the truth. But then...they have fought about it. Every single time they saw each other, they fought. Dick screaming that he should stop, that he could still be good and Jason just giving nothing less than careless words. It had always been that way ever since the Red Hood was born.

"...Just this one time, please. You won't even noticed he is here..." The oldest of the three still tried to convince his friend. Not moving an inche away from Jason. And again, Jason had just noticed how protective his older brother was of him no matter what. "I know he doesn't have any weapons on him right now. I promise that. And...I swear on my life that if anything happens today, I'll take all the blame..."

Things seem to lighten up. Not at the speed of light but improvement was being made. It was a hard time on Zatanna. Surely, she didn't really truly know who Jason Todd was. However first impression meant everything in the world of superheroes. A single mistake could ruin a hero.

"How can I be sure of that?" Her words came out like a silent cry, almost a whine. Of course she hesitated at every single word Dick had said, it was understandable from her.

"You trusted me with your life. Today is no difference." Dick slowly left Jason to approach her. Hands lifted in the air as a sign of safety. A soft grin ran across his face as her hands lowered to her side, eyes now locked in his. "See? It's okay now. You can trust me. He won't hurt you."

"I'll trust you for now. But if he does anything stupid, I won't hold back."

Dick's grin widened quite a lot. He was back to his usual self. Then his attention was drawn back to the other male guest, Jason. With a normal speed he was back in front of him, now facing him.

Jason grunted as the image of his brother appeared in front of him. He really had an ego and was to clearly too proud to let in lower. The recent memory of this morning's chat was fresh on his mind, now regretting the proposal.

"Lil' wing," his voice as soft as usual called, "are you okay? I'm sorry this happened...Guess I should've call her ahead and all that..." He was a bit embarrassed at the scene he has just played, a sign of this were the pale red in his cheeks. His right hand settled behind his head as his eyes looked down.

"Do you ever shut up?" Jason's answer came out aggressive. But this time he wasn't looking at Dick directly. He couldn't do it, even if he tried. Thoughts messed his head around and soon he could no longer think straight.

"You wish I would, don't you?" Joked less worried. At least things weren't awkward as he planned, good news for everybody. Without waiting for an answer, he dragged Jason to follow Zatanna to a special-secret room.

Jason was just staring at the way Zatanna smiled in concentration and how Dick tried his best not to move when something was going his way. It amazed him how real everything was.

As a kid, he used to spend a lot of time in the streets. So often he encountered magicians, even if their tricks were cheap, he loved them. It was one of the few things that kept him busy during the day and out of trouble.

Watching the practice reminded him of himself as a kid. He felt the same way. The exact same feeling of happiness and peace inside of him. The more he thought about it, the less he believed it was all real. But somehow Dick's cries and Zatanna's chuckles kept him with both feet on ground.

Soon he found himself closer to the practice and smirking. He forgot his new life for once since it all started. For once he was not scared nor worried. It was all okay as long as the show kept going.

On the other hand, Dick couldn't stop thinking about Jason. All though his body looked forwards for some attacks, his mind was going on and on about how Jason was smiling again. He noticed Jay's eyes fixed on every inche of him at some point, but didn't gave it much thought.

"Guess the old Jason is still there." Thought Dick.

Dick remembers vividly how, back when he just started the Nightwing thing and Jason was Robin, Jason had told him about loving magicians so much. That they made him happy but taught him that he could change reality at will, and wasn't anywhere near wrong.

That boy, who he holds dearly in his heart, was beginning to show himself without even noticing. Maybe bringing him along was, after all, not a bad idea. Even if Jason hasn't said anything at all, he was showing enough emotions and for Dick, that's enough.

"How 'bout a break now? I seriously need a quick break." Zatanna said as she relaxed all her muscle. It's been no less than three hours, and she could feel the pain in her muscles already. She looked over at Dick, who just nodded in respond. "Okay, I'll be back in thirty. Help yourself with anything you please." Then she disappeared through the door.

Dick quickly took seat in front of Jason, whom tried concentrating on the room instead of the older of them two.

"Sooooo...You do like it?" He asked after failing to wait for him to look at him.

"What can I say?" Came out as a whisper. A really quiet one. And Dick was nothing less than surprise, even if he was faking it.

"You liked it. I saw you smirking and all. Even sat closer to watch." Teased the older with a playful smile.

A delicate blush was painted in Jason's face.

"What the f* is wrong with me?!"

"So you just won't talk to me, huh? Guess I was expecting too much."

"Just talk Jason...Say something for the love of whoever!"

"You know? If Bruce ever finds out about this, I'm probably gonna be send of to Bludhaven or somewhere out of Gotham. I'm not sure anymore about the old man, but he's a good guy."

"Why the hell is he tellin' me this? Wait...Does he think he's gonna get in trouble with B?"

"Bruce is having a harsh time with Damian. The little kid is really getting in his nerves to a whole new level. However, he's is good kid...beneath all that cruel, indifference towards other people, is a scared kid." Dick's voice decrease in tone as he talked, with his small grin as usual. "I'm really trying my best...but sometimes I feel I'm not good enough. Nothing will erase those years with the League of Assasins...And I'm scared that I won't do enough..."

And before Jason had a chance to even open his mouth to respond, the host entered the room. Those few seconds he stopped looking at Dick, made him missed such a drastic change in his expression. When he glanced again, he saw a big smile but knew better than anyone that he was faking it. No-ones goes from talking about a troubled-kid who kills to a happy guy who's life is perfect.

He knew better than no-one how many times this had happened.

And it scared him too.

"Am I interrupting? I can come back later if you want me."

"Oh, no. It's okay. Just trying to get some talk out of Jay." He stood up and stretched. They were going to continue with practice until 4:30 was on the clock, just when everyone knew practice was finish.

Zatanna just nodded and shrugged. She didn't have any siblings so she didn't really knew about the topic.

"So, ready to continue?"

"Sure thing, lady."

The next two hours went okay. Jason couldn't stopped wondering about Dick and it really was pissing him off. Did he do it on purpose? Was he thinking about this through practice? Why did he tell me that? Was he indirectly talking about me? Whatever reason Dick had, it was making Jason paranoid.

...

A spell away from Zatanna.

...

Passed Dick.

...

A direct hit to Jason.

A heavy cloud of purple glitter covered him full body. It spread throughout the room, which wasn't good. The two who didn't get hit, covered their mouths and closed their eyes instinctively. Not a sound was heard until the cloud had completely vanished. As their instincts kicked in again, they rushed to Jason just to find a small child in his place. His clothes were too many sizes bigger. They figure out, without words, the impact must have had knocked him out.

"Zatanna...What...What is happened to Jason?" Fear dripped out of his words. He trembled and couldn't even think of hiding it. Knees were weak. His whole body was sweaty. Words struggled to come out his throat.

Zatanna was quiet.

She was frozen.

A big part of her felt guilty. Felt bad. What has she just done? How was she going to fix it? Was there a way to fix it? But a small side of her was so... happy. Jason couldn't kill anyone, if he doesn't remember who he is. Even if he did, he'd be too weak to go hand-on-hand with anyone.

"Zatanna." Called Dick again. Now with a broken voice.

"I'm...I...This wasn't...I didn't mean..." Guilt was the main reason she feared. Not on what she did but what Dick's actual reaction will be. She didn't know what happened at all. It was too fast.

They both had to take a break. Really. They needed it.

A few minutes of silence, sitting quite far from each other. Zatanna going through the list of spell she was practicing. Dick holding that kid with Jason's hoodie. He wasn't even sure if it is Jason. The first time they meet was when Jay was around 12 and this kid looked 4 at least.

But...

Looking at the bright side, Dick felt quite calm with him in his arms. The slow breathing and tiny body was just too much for him. He had to hold back the tears from his eyes. This little kid was too cute to handle. He did have characteristics that reminded him of Jason.

"Hey, Dick? I think I found out what happened," Zatanna mentioned dropping books on the floor then walked over to the oldest with one. She opened a book in front of him and showed him the spell. It has weird drawing and un-readable writing, if it was actual writing. "It's a de-aging spell, as you could tell by the result. It was an accident. I misunderstood two spells and mixed them and that happened. I might take a bit of time to find a cure...I'm really sorry..."

Sigh. "It wasn't your fault. It wasn't anyone's fault. Just try and look for something that will reverse this... I'll see what I'll do with him..."

"I think it's only fair that I take full responsibility. You know how everyone is going to react..."

"No. I know you mean good but it'll slow your work." Dick gave her a grin to calm her off, before locking his eyes into Jason's body. He wasn't truly sure what was going to happened but the sooner Zatanna starts working, the sooner everything will be back to normal. "He's a kid. I deal with them in a daily basis. It's not gonna be so different at what I already do."

She just stood there silently. Not sure what to say.

"I think it's the perfect moment for me to spend some queality time with him, since I've missed him so much this passed few years." And he meant it. Meant every word. Maybe he wanted to spend time with Jason so bad that everybody else had just disappeared all of the sudden. "Listen to me Zatanna, I really want this to work. And this is the only way it will."

"Dick...I don't want to do this but...if it makes you happy, then we'll do as you say." She said, with a little smirk.

Now Dick was walking with a kid in his arms. It was late as he decided to wait until dark, when he could go from roof to roof without anyone catching him. Although Zatanna had a house near the Wayne manor, he had to be careful in every corner of the streets. No-one could catch him, at least not without his Nightwing suit. His eyes caught dim lights that rushed below him. He feared.

"May I know what you are trying to do?" A soft voice made Dick stop, frantically turning to find the owner of the voice. Someone landed in front of him, and showed himself.

"Tim, what are you doing out so early?" He asked, covering the kid the best he could. However, he knew Tim had seen his actions. He just wondered if his little brother knew who it was.

"I asked first. You tell me, then I'll tell you. That's the fairest exchange I can offer." His hands reached his hips, waiting for an answer.

"Fine. I just came back from Zatanna's house. You know, I help her to practice with her spells and whatever she needs."

"B send me early today as he had to go to a Justice League meeting. Riddler was going to hit Gotham's museum." Explained Red Robin before pointing at whatever his older brother was holding. "What is it?"

"Who is it...Come home and I'll explain. Any chance you could reach B?"

"Always."

After Dick explained everything to the whole Bat-fam, with a straight face before having to take a step back to chuckle under his breath. Nobody said anything for a few seconds, they just looked at each other in confusion. Half of them opened their mouths to talk but closed it later when the words wouldn't come out. The other half still had to put two and two together.

"I know what you might be thinking...No, actually no. Together or not, I'll make this work." Dick's voice echoed in the bat-cave, bouncing at everybody's ears. Jason was still sleeping in Dick's arms, breathing slow and eyes closed tight. "I know he is...I know what he does in his Red Hood suit but now...Now he's a kid and I promise you he doesn't know this. Zatanna is trying her hardest to solve this, and my part is to give him a good time...Just...I'm not asking for everybody's help...I just want all of you to not give him a hard time...That's all I'm asking you...Please."

Still no words from anyone. Dick was starting to panic and his eyes gave him away. They were looking at everyone, not still for a second. And somehow that made things worst for the others. It was hard and nobody knew what to do.

"Are...Hum...Are you sure he doesn't anything about being a grown up?" Tim finally asked, taking a step toward from the back of the room. Although all eyes were fixed in the youngest, he knew that their thought were on him.

"He shouldn't know. Even if he does know, there's nothing he can do until Zatanna finds a cure or something."

"Why don't, I mean, why don't we leave him as a child? You know, if he doesn't know anything then he wouldn't be the Red Hood." Stephanie brought up, even if her own words sounded unsure.

"That's just wrong." His answer was cold and his expression changed.

"I didn't...I didn't really mean it...I'm sorry Dick..." She quickly apologized. Somehow Dick's response just was too much, in a weird way.

"So, B, it's up to you know. Can Jason stay in here or do I have to go somewhere were he can be safe?"

"He is your responsibility now, until Zatanna finds a way to reverse all of this mess." Replied Bruce, taking his Batman mask off to see Dick. Slow steps then a hand in Dick's right shoulder. "Don't worry. He's still family after all." Those words were soft and only the receiver could hear them. Those words were from Bruce, not the Bat, which only calmed him down.

"Thank you Bruce." Whispered back, after offering a small smile. He was tired but he had no reasons to be, he just was. Bruce seem to picked this up easily, since he didn't demand to him to change to his suit.

"Listen up all. I'll be going back to the meeting. I want Kate and Babs covering East side. Damian and Luke will go West. Steph and Duke will go North. Tim and Cass will cover South and the heart of Gotham." Ordered the Bat putting his mask back on, voice deeper now. "Dick will stay as back-up if anything happens, but I trust everyone to do just fine. If by any mean things start getting out of hand, do not hesitate to call me. Understood?"

Everyone replied with nods and ‘yes’.

Dick opted for a bedroom near his or B's for Jason, since he hasn't woken up yet. But because none were available, Alfred just recommended to share his bedroom since the bed it's big enough for both of them and that will be a sure way to keep him in sight. He absolutely didn't think of that and thanked Alfred.

After getting some clothes from Damian, due to the fact that his clothes will never fit him at that age. They were a few sizes bigger but nothing compared to Jason's hood. Jason was dressed and sleeping in bed. Then e changed his clothes for sweatpants and a skin-tight shirt. Comfy and simple. Now, to work.

As hard as it might sound, he managed to convince Alfred to let him stay watching the others for a few hours before bed. Nevertheless, his eyes were watching the screen with a mind around Jason. Ever since this morning he couldn't stop thinking about him. Not only because of the spell but in general.

How much he's changed. How much he missed him. It was a weird feeling. Of course it was. Growing up, at least a few years, had an impact on him...on both. Sure, Jason wasn't the perfect role model back then either but...Compared to now days, Dick can truly say they've grown up.

"Master Grayson, I'd like to point out you've staring at a message for more than 20 minutes. Should I be concerned?" Alfred's voice bought Dick back in his feet. Perfect timing like always. Just there when you needed him, or advise.

"Yes...I mean no. No. I'm just so over-worked with the Jason thing and some other cases from Bludhaven."

"May I recommend you something master Grayson?"

"Sure. I can't say no to advises when I need them."

"Go to bed. Now you're tired, so is your brain. Rest and tomorrow you'll see the image better."

Everything happened so fast. But now things seemed to go as slow as it could just to annoy him and the worst part is that it was working. Again, he had no real reason to be annoyed but he was. And he hates it.

"Hey, Jason?"

"Get the hell out of my house."

"Just listen, ok? Today, I've got practice with a magician. Want to come?"

"Why on Earth, on my right mind, on my common sense will I go with you?"

"C'mon. I promise you'll enjoy it."

"Sure pretty boy."

"Do it for the good old times."

"It wasn't good for me. Dick, hear yourself talk for a second. B doesn't even know you are here. You're asking me to go somewhere with you for the 'good old times' crab. But have you forgotten what really happened in the old times?"

"No, I haven't. Not a single day of my life. B's parent died. My parents did too, then yours. Tim's...I get the point but what I mean is when being a Robin gave you magic."

"Don't use that on me."

"Just..For the old Jason Todd and Dick Grayson, ok?"

"Whatever..."

And now he was that one regrets taking him. If only he had knew but there was no way he could know. Still he blame himself although he told Zatanna that it was nobody's fault.

Eyes caught on empty-nothingness dark. He had heard the others coming back and quietly getting to their rooms, he grew up there. He knew every single sound, even Bruce's. One thing he was glad for was that no-one checked on him as he knew he wouldn't be able to provide a convincing answer.

Midnight and his eyes were as open as today's morning. Thoughts, thoughts and more thoughts. One lead to another, then two more, then four, then twenty. All around the one little person sleeping in front of him.

Despite the fact that it was way over bed-time, he stood up and walked to the training room. Not the only below in the Bat-cave. Admitting defeat to his mind, his body did nothing more than train as a way to feel tired. He became so numb about everything when he trained that completely forgot to go to bed that night. Basically just working out like mad with short breaks.

"Dick?" Tim's voice alerted Dick's senses. "What are you doing in the gym? It's like five in the morning right now."

"Is it? Sorry, I didn't know what time it was. You know how I get when I work out." A bad excuse, even he was aware of it, that Tim would never take.

"You've been acting weird ever since yersterday. Something's off?"

"Perfectly fine. I just didn't feel like sleeping so I got myself busy with something." Standing tall, not showing any signs of exhaustion compared to the younger brother. "Why are you up so early anyways?"

"Just woke up and couldn't go to sleep again. I was passing by then I saw the door opened and I had a feeling it was you. Since Kate didn't stay, neither did Babs. Steph is too noise. Cass wouldn't come here if she was to wake up early. Duke is usually up right after Alfred is. Luke doesn't wake up 'til breakfast. And Damian will be on the cave."

"Well, they don't call you a detective for nothing, huh?" Dick joked before stretching his legs and lower body. "Wanna join me? I promise I'll be quiet."

"Then I should be scared." Tim chuckled like Dick did. He entered the gym, closing the door behind him. As much as he hated it, he choose something near Dick. It was always safe near him, in all senses and he didn't have a clue on why this is. "Wanna tell me some juice story?"

"Wow, I thought you wanted quiet."

"Did I?"

"Ever since you joined the Young Justice and Damian joined the Teen Titans, I've been pretty lonely." The oldest started, focusing his eyes in his own workout. "And Jason's been with the Outlaw thing with Bizarro and Artemis."

"Huh? I thought it was Arsenal and Kori. Wait, no. Nevermind. I don't even know who is in who's team anymore." Tim held his head with his left hand, trying to remember the last files of the lastest team from the Watchtower and Bat-computer. When nothing popped in his mind, he gave up. It was his normal morning schedule but without coffee yet.

"All of you make me proud." Mumbled Dick without looking up. His muscles started to ache but time taught him that he could take more than this in worst conditions. "Teams. Leaders or not, you have teams. And that's all I care about right now, so go make your big bro' proud."

"I can't do it without coffee..." The younger one struggled to stand up, which was obviously faking. Dick glazed over his shoulder to see his brother trying to stand up, with a little laugh he stood up and helped him get up on his feet. "Thank you my knight in spandex...Wait, now that was awkward."

"Let's get you your coffee then we'll come back later." With his right arm he pulled Tim to his chest by his neck. They both laughed as some memory was remembered, both two different memory. "It's Saturday, wanna come with me to the mall to get some clothes for Jason? I could use an extra hand."

"Sure...It's just...You are gonna...WE are gonna be on the news, know that?"

"Hum...Like I care at this point.

(Jason is only 4 years old and his first languaje isn't English so~ <Yep, it's pretty basic English>)

It was probably around seven-thirty that Jason finally woke up.

He was a confused little boy in a giant bed. Clothes bigger than him. Nothing around him looked familiar but they just woke his curiosity up. As fast as he could, he got up and started checking all the drawers and closest. Going on and on around a stranger's stuff, with a careless carisma. Although the was careful not to take anything out...just in case.

"Well, morning. You've been sleeping a long time." Jason's eyes caught someone big and built up. Not a scary person but he didn't trust a stranger. It was strange because, well, he looked familiar. Their eyes meet and it was tricky somehow. The mix of excitement and confusion was equally divided between them two. No a word. No a motion. Just staring into each other's eyes trying to figure out what to do next.

"Who you?" His shy question drew Dick's attention quickly, but he didn't move. A few second more of silence before an answer came out.

"I'm your friend," responded softly. Suddenly he found himself shaking slightly like he never experience nervousness. Like it was a new feeling. Absolutely nothing stayed in his mind long enough to give it much thought, only few broken phrases and loose words.

On the other hand, Jason was just curious. This man, standing feets away from him, was just an interesting person. Not only because he was older but the fact that he claimed himself as his friend played a big role. Three steps closer, their gazes still holding together.

"I am hungry," demanded the youngest holding his tummy. "I wan' foo'."

A chuckle filled the room and without noticing Jason was high above the ground, held in the stranger's arms. He couldn't help but hold himself to the shirt. He also notice he was moving from his initial place, maybe a few inches but nothing big.

"My name is Richard, but you can call me big brother." Wanted to say Dick but restrained himself from doing it. Perhaps it wasn't the right moment...Perhaps he didn't want to be seen that way to Jason.

"What your name?"

"My name is Richard, and you're Jason."

"Hum...Jason?"

Nobody complained, really. Considering the fact that neither actually had full time to take care of him, they let it passed. But whenever Dick needs them, they don't hesitate to lend him a hand.

"Tem?" Asked the little boy walking towards his caretaker with a drawing in his hands. Tim left enough space in the solo sofa for the little one to climb up.

"What's up Jay?" His book rested in his lap as he offered full attention to the new-comer. It didn't take him long to see what was the matter.

"I draw thi'." He held the paper above his head in a weird angle but tilted enough to let Tim see it. After that he lowered in his lap, glancing at it proudly. Then he started pointing at the drawings. "Thi' is you! And thi' is Damien." He named first. The oldest noticed something particular about the drawing.

"Why are we dressing like that?" Curiosity took over as they were all dressing in their suits.

"Wayson show me photos!"

"Oh! Silly me." A laugh scaped his lips. "Do you have a pencil?"

"For what?"

"To write our names in the paper."

"Oh! Yes!"

"Bab!" Called the young one as he rushed to the kitchen.

"I'm here Jay. What happened?" She questioned closing the fridge after putting some stuff on the bench. When Jason was next to her, she crouched down running her right hand on his cheek.

"Alfew say to go shopping for thi'." Carefully, like it was glass, he handed a piece of paper to her. He didn't know what were those things but figure out that were food since he had heard them talk about it before.

"Oh, sure. Wanna come?" She asked folding the paper and putting it inside his jean pocket. The enthusiasm in his face gave himself away. "Ok. I'll get my purse. You go tell Alfred. No running." He nodded in response before walking away, but started running when he thought she couldn't see or hear him.

"Kath," sobbed the little one as she rushed to him. When she was close enough, he pointed to his knees with a few scratches and blood.

"Oh dear, what happened?" She interrogated as she picked him up to take him inside the manor. Inaudible sobs still coming from Jay kept him from telling her. "See baby, if you don't tell me, I can't do anything to avoid that happening again. Do you understand me?"

"I was on the tree and I fall." Confessed hugging her by the neck. "It hurt."

"Worry not! I'll take care of you baby."

"Damean?"

"What is wrong?"

"I found hurt bird. Me want to help bird."

Damian went for everything they will need while Jason cleared a table to work in. Once the older one was back, the younger sat patiently. Due to his lack of understanding of the animal world, Damian did everything to help the bird.

"Where did you found it?" Asked Damian while patching the creature.

"Outside under tree. You think he fall from tree?"

"I think a lot of things but that sound accurate."

"Stef, Stef." It was late night and Dick wasn't home from a mission so Steph offered to look after the toddler. "I wan' cookie!" He demanded in a non-scary way, more like a plea.

"It's almost midnight Jay-Jay." She picked him up as she headed to the kitchen for some water. Although she was an active person, Jason had more energy in him for some reason. "Why are you still up?"

"Wayson not hea'. Me waiting for him."

"Aww, that's so sweet of you but I promised Richard that you'll be in bed before midnight." Carefully she settle the younger one on top of the table so she could grab a glass for water. Always double-checking he wasn't grabbing anything or moving.

"But me hungry."

"Jay-Jay, you know I'm not allowed to give you treats after dinner." She glanced at the cookie jar on the other side of the table. "But if you don't tell anyone, I could give you one."

"I pomised."

"Luk, is Wayson home?"

"No. Richard is in a meeting with Bruce." He just stood there, fixing his tie in front of the mirror with a toddler leaning in the door.

"Can I go too?" Jason requested, hopefull. In some way he wasn't looking to get out of the mansion. Sure, it was cool and big and had a lot of things but he felt like he belonged in the streets...And he wasn't seeking for answer...yet.

"Gotta ask Alfred first, ok?" His hands rested in his hips as he turned to him the little kid. Maybe it wasn't that bad after all, nobody seemed to complained so why not take care of Jason for once.

"I go ask him!"

"Caz? *Alfew say you hea'." Before entering the room, he waited for an answer. Which was a simple 'Come in'. "Can you read book for me? Everybody is busy." He was hugging a book, which was almost the size of his chest.

"Hum, sure thing Jason." She settled her own book down, and lowered the classical music playing on her phone. Jason swiftly sat next to her giving her his book. "Where did you got this from?" She asked curiously as she recalled seen this somewhere on the manor.

"Wayson say the book is mine." He replied with confusion in his voice. He doesn't remember this book from anywhere, and he can't even read at this level. Something seemed odd but suddenly increased when Cass started reading. Even the text sounded familiar. The book cover too.

"You okay Jason?" She asked leaning the book on her lap after she noticed him not listening at all. The thought of smacking Dick in the head for giving Jason one of his old possessions rushed to her mind.

"Thi' book mine?" He asked, looking at the pages filled with words in amazement. He hasn't connected two and two together and hopefully he wouldn't do it now, at least that's what Cass wished.

"How about you read with me?" She rested the book between them, catching Jason's attention. She started pointing at the first words then read them, a mumble tried following her. "Slowly Jason. I don't understand you."

"Sowwy."

"Duk, I like thi' park very much." Chanted Jason while swinging back and forth. The other kid's laugh was as loud as his, so there wasn't any competition between who's the loudest.

"Yeah, it's nice." Duke planted himself next to the swings, to looked after a Jason. Anyone who had taken Jason out had to run to chase him down and he didn't really wish to do that. "Did anyone take you here before me?"

"Dunno. I remember me hea' but dunno who take me." The thought of having been here already was present every passing second. Maybe it was just his imagination but it felt real. Even he felt like someone was pushing him in those visions. Familiar laughter. The sun bright and hot. But then it all faded away whenever he was about to see that person behind him.

"Oh...Hum...Forget it chump. Let's go to the slides, shall we?" He always messed things up but Jason just got up and pulled him to the slides. Saved by the bell. He feared not running the same fate later on.

"Buise! Buise! Look! Look!" He was doing simple backflips, which he learned watching the rest doing it. Bruce had to stop looking at his computer to see the marvelous work Jason was doing on his own.

"That's amazing." He forced himself to get up and go to the bed were Jason was, and patted him in the head. "I'm so proud of you Jason."

"Dad...?" He called not sure if he could use that word.

Warmth filled Bruce. And as much as he hate to admit it, he was touched.

"One day, I gonna be like you!"

"You don't want to be like me Jason."

"I do! You good person! You help people! You give them your money and they build better things."

"Yes but..." It was wrong telling him off. He was a kid after all but soon he'll be his old self. "When you grow up you will understand what I mean, but now you have to be Jason. The one and only Jason Todd. And trust me when I say that I'm proud of you...Even if you have done wrong. I'll always be."

Jason didn't understand what Bruce meant but felt like hugging him, so that's exactly what he did. He got up and hugged Bruce. Soon strong arms surrounded his tiny body.

"I love you dada." He whispered.

"I love you too, Jason.”

Nearly two months had passed and Dick will always check on Zatanna at the end of the week. Since the others were getting along with Jason, he had time to continue his Nightwing role around Gotham...

But it was extraordinary how everything was different without the Red Hood on t streets. Kids will usually come up to him and ask for Red Hood, and each time he made a new excuse. From fighting aliens in another universe to punching death in the face. The more he tried to convince them that Jason was coming back, the more anxious he was about it.

He couldn't denied loving Jason as a toddler but...

He wanted his Jason back.

He wanted it more than anyone knew.

He wanted the boy that got stolen from him. The boy who died on the job and came back later to become an outlaw. The boy who saw him grow up in the Nightwing suit. He wanted that boy back.

And the more he craved for it, the farther it looked.

Those nights with the kid in his arms were the only thing that kept him sane.

The fact that Jason, as Robin, would come up to him to cuddle to sleep hunted him in the little boy.

<<Hey, Dick?>>

The ringing of his phone woke him up at four in the morning. Without trouble he managed to grab his phone and answer. "Zatanna?"

<<I finally found it. I'm so so so sorry it took me this long.>>

"It's okay." He gave a pause to yawn. "When do you want me be there?"

A pause.

<<I thought I'd call you before-hand so you could spend some quality time with Jason, since things are gonna go back to the way they were before.>>

"Oh..."

<<Is everything okay?>>

"You have no idea how much I've been longing for this moment...But now that you found a cure...I just realize how little time I had spend with Jason this 2 months...How selfish of me..." He smiled bitterly. His eyes searched for Jason's body, who was hugging his chest from one side.

<<Well, you are the one who's gonna decided when I change Jason. So, you still have a lot of time.>>

"Yeah but...But he deserves to be himself..." He changed the hand he used to answer the phone to his left hand so his right hand was free. Cautiously he ran his hand across his messy hair, while he thought.

<<There's no hurry Dick, don't stress yourself over it.>>

"I'm trying Zatanna. I'm really trying."

<<You know, spend today with him and tomorrow both of you come to my house. That's my option for you. Now it's all up to you.>>

"Yeah...Anyways, what are you doing up right now?"

<<Couldn't sleep but now that you mentione it, I'm getting kinda tired.>>

"Take care."

<<You too Dick and don't give it too much thought.>>

Dick switched his phone off and left it on the night table. It was dark in his room but early birds were singing outside his window.

"Wayson?" A tired child voice woke Dick up from his thinking. "You ok?"

"Yeah, yeah. Go back to sleep lil' wing, it's too early."

"Is okay. I not tired." He let Dick go, sitting up to see the oldest in the eyes. Something like a flame sparked in the oldest one's eyes, with even as a child he could tell that flame was tired and sad. "You sad, why?"

Dick didn't reply instantly like usual, now he really needed to think every single word he was to say. It was his last chance and he was losing it already.

"Want to hit Gotham up?" He proposed before standing up to stretch. He felt eyes staring at him in confusion, so that was his clue to turn around and face the toddler finally. Smile as bright as a sun, eyes shining like midnight stars. "Come on lil' wing, it's early and I don't want to sleep anymore. You coming or staying. Hit or miss. Last and only chance."

Jason was quiet but didn't take long to respond.

"Where we going?" The youngest asked standing up in a jump. His hands were fists ready to punch the sky. He was ready to rock anything.

"We'll see when we are out there."

So now, there were two guys dressed in black. One old enough to have a job and the other one older enough to still have his night lights. The oldest clearly knew what he was doing, jumping from roof to roof like there was a safe net underneath it all but no. He looked freed after so long. He was one with a wind and each jump meant less and less fear. On the other hand, the toddler was as excited as his partner. Sitting in his shoulders, holding himself from letting go.

Their first stop was the Gotham Museum. They climbed, the oldest climbed while the youngest held him, to the top were glass panels that served as roof-tops. With clean moves and noiseless actions they managed to open one of the locks without breaking it. With rope and a hook they slided down to the first floor. Like child's game they outsmarted every security lock and every security gadget they had. Careless of being caught on camera as masks covered their faces, even smiled at them before disappearing to the next room. Fourty minutes was up and they were gone.

Second stop was the zoo. It was easier as the only obstacle were slippery walls. Most animals were woken up by smells and some stayed in their sleep. As entering the zoo wasn't a challenge, they traced down the aquarium. It was a whole new view of the zoo.

Hospitals to leave some cards.

Business. Fire-department. Anything that was a building could be entered by them. Even the Wayne Company was infiltrated. By the time 11 in the morning they were done with a big part of the main buildings.

"That was fun!" Exclaimed Jason taking his mask off to set it aside. Dick was changing his clothes to more *normal clothes, so did Jason. "Now?"

"Breakfast then I'll show you another part of the city."

Dick was in his Nightwing suit, and Jason with old clothes. They were in the sewerage, in an abandoned part of it. It was all dry and stuffy. Rats and rubbish, like a typical American-movies. Although Nightwing was just checking some weird vibration that the Bat-computer picked up from last night. Jason kept asking questions about it, especially why it was abandoned. At the end they made up a non-real reason.

Dressed as normal people, covering most of their main characteristics. They hit the poor side of Gotham were the streets were busy like every other street. Magicians doing cheap tricks was the main show that caught Jason's attention. It was a total deja vu. But didn't say anything. They kept moving. Helping whoever needed it. With Dick beating few bad guys who thought were king of kings.

Afternoon came and now the theater was the point. Movies and movies. Popcorn. Drinks. Candy. More movies. More candies. And because it was sort, they went to the mall to see and purchase random items they just gave away randomly to strangers they saw.

Then night came. It wasn't safe to take Jason on patrol so that was out of boundaries, so instead they just stayed home and read some books. Time passed really fast as they had a good time together.

Midnight was here and Dick's mind started getting serious. He had clearly enjoyed today's activities more than any other day but it was time to face what he's been avoiding all day.

Jason was so different to Dick now. It wasn't a side he'd never been allowed to see from Jason, but now things started to make sense or at least to him. Jason's childhood was taken away from him the day he was born. It was rough but he managed to pass another day each night. The kid was the only part the was worth keeping after all...

Now he had to say goodbye to it all, once again. Tomorrow Jason will be back and the kid will be hidden in the deep of their memories. It was too much for Dick. It was always too much for him. The second everything happened, he knew things weren't going to be easy...especially for himself.

"Jason?" Dick called sitting on the edge of his bed. It was time to say goodbye. Jason rushed to his side with no hesitation, but the look in the foreign eyes told him it was serious. "You had fun today?" He started.

"Yes..."

"I'm glad." He bit his lower lip to hold back everything for a few more seconds. "I love you, did you know that? But...I know you aren't going to understand what I'm talking about but...

••••••••••••••••••

"Don't talk to me Grayson. Stay away from me...please..." Jason was back, just like Dick wanted at the beginning. Zatanna let them talk so it was only them two in the room. Jason was backing away from Dick, even if he didn't want to do it he had to. After revealing the truth.

"Jason, please, listen to me..." pleaded the oldest. Voice at the edge of breaking and eyes cristalized. "Just...Just tell me...Tell me and I'll leave you alone...I'll never bother do anymore..."

...I know you aren't going to understand what I'm talking about but...I love you. Not the way I love Damian or Tim...Not even Babs...

"I can't do it!"

This is probably my hardest fight ever since, well, you are a kid right now. Everytime I see you in this state, I blame myself. If this was an accident, I can't imagine what will happened if someone try to hurt you on purpose...

"I can't answer..."

And I know that you don't love me...I don't even think you see me as a trusted person. And I understand. I have failed you many times...But now...But I'm making my biggest mistake...

"Dick, don't do this..."

...by loving you and telling you. Maybe you won't remember this tomorrow when Zatanna reverses you to your normal age and it'll be okay, but if you do...

"Don't do this to me..."

If you do remember this tomorrow. I just want to let you know that I'll accept whatever your answer is...I can't force you but I can't keep myself from breaking everytime I see you and know...

"Don't do this to yourself..."

...and know that you are slipping away from me. It hunts me to know that I can't be you with. It hurts me to know somebody else will make you happy... But I need to get this out of me. I'm sorry if I ever disappointed you...

"You'd never disappointed me Dick..." Jason's whisper brought tears to his eyes. Dick rushed and hugged him tight. "You are an idiot."

"I'm sorry..." He whispered back. "But I love you. And I don't know if that's enough to warm up a broken heart..."

Jason was crying in Dick's shoulder. He hated that he remembered everything that happened when he was a toddler. Especially because of Dick.

"I've loved you since I saw you. And I felt in love with a kid with issues. I had just broken up with Babs, so I didn't know if it was right to do a move. Then years passed and you died...You don't know how devastated I was. Knowing I could have done something...Stayed back in Gotham...Going as back-up...And my chance was off...

}But I never learnt to stop loving you so I lived with a broken heart hidden far away from anyone. Then the Red Hood and the outlaws. Another chance gone... I saw my chance come and go...And didn't do anything...

}And I hate myself for it. All this years and I just needed to ask a simple question...Since this is my last chance...Jason, will you be my boyfriend?"

Dick was home.

Dick was all he ever wanted.

All he ever needed.

"If it doesn't work?"

"We'll make it work. As long as you are with me, everything will work..."

"Then we are in this...together."

#jaydickweek #jaydickweek2017 #jaydick #Toddler!jason #Batfam #batfamily #my writing sucks #Jason todd #richard Grayson

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