Work Text:
March 19, 2015
Jason was, frankly, quite done with these vampires.
To make it worse, they weren’t just vampires, they were vampire lawyers , and they were ruining a perfectly nice Saturday night. What sort of vicious, bloodsucking assholes even worked weekends anyway? It was ridiculous and Jason had had about enough of it.
Leaping over a fallen trashcan, he came careening out of the alley, dodging through a surprisingly thick crowd of people as he raced down the streets of the Narrows. Behind him, Jason could hear the slap of far too expensive Italian shoes on the asphalt along with outraged cries as the vampires pushed people out of their way. Bolting down another alley, Jason dodged a pair of shady looking men, snatching the little bag of white powder out of the one’s hand and the money from the other’s, barely stopping to shout, “Drugs! Kids! Bad!”
Angry shouts followed him out the other end of the alley and Jason took a sharp left, heading instinctively towards the warehouses that lined the river. The fewer innocent people around when everything went up in flames, the better. He was breathing hard, pointedly ignoring the irregular grinding sensation in the left side of his chest. The warehouses were in view when a strange whooshing sound registered just in time for Jason to duck as an entire dumpster went flying over his head.
“TODD!”
Jason peeked over his shoulder, feeling a strange sense of satisfaction that all three of the vampire’s he’d started out with were still racing along behind him. Good, he thought, crashing through a door into a thankfully empty warehouse. No one sneaking up behind me .
“Well aren’t you just a predictable little morsel.”
Jason pulled up sharply, pulse pounding in his ears as he stared a little unbelieving at a fourth vampire who had apparently been waiting in the shadows. The sounds of three sets of running leeches echoed up behind him, falling silent as they stopped a few yards away. Since none of them were angrily attacking him, Jason figured the vampire standing in front of him was the leader. Raising an unimpressed eyebrow, Jason said, “And who the fuck are you supposed to be?”
The vampire curled his lip, fangs flashing as he sneered, “You’re even more foolish than I thought, witch. Everyone knows who I am! I’m the most feared and respected vampire in all of Gotham!” He raised his arms dramatically, eyes looking a little manic as he seemed to wait for Jason to recognize him and crumple to the floor in a cowering mess.
“Uh… Sorry. Can’t say I recognize you.” Jason squinted, taking a moment to look the vampire up and down. “Do you… work for Falcone? Wait, no, you’ve got more the sleazy gangster thing going on. Maroni, then?”
The vampire actually screeched, his face twisting into some sort of horrified disgust. “You dare to imply that mere mortals could command me ?”
Jason shrugged. It had been worth a shot.
The vampire shrieked again, waving a dramatic hand at Jason as he gestured broadly. “We are the feared Levi, Goldstein, Goldstein, & Goldstein! Scourge of the sick, the poor, and the elderly! Defenders of the corrupt (but lucrative) capitalist healthcare machine!”
“You sick bastard,” Jason breathed. “You’re corporate lawyers.”
“The very same!” The vampire was grinning broadly now, just on this side of a classic villain laugh. “I am Levi and these are my associates. And you , Mr. Todd, are about to die.”
Jason decided it was about time to get rid of these upper-class money-grubbers. He knew that if he made any sudden movements, the Three Goldsteins would be on him in a matter of seconds. Which was unfortunate, because his lighter was still nestled safely in his pocket. Fingers flexing slowly, Jason took a slow breath, knowing his next move better be flawless if he was going to make it out of this alive. In front of him, Levi was monologuing about the absolutely horrible and dastardly ways they would kill him, but Jason wasn’t paying attention. Instead, he was focusing on reaching out with his mind, feeling out the nearest ley line which he knew ran through the river. When he plunged his imaginary hands into it, he felt a rush of power flow through him, and Jason silently thanked whoever cared enough to listen that the river’s influence on the ley line seemed to be acting as a natural dampener on his power. Maybe he could pull this off without the lighter as a focus after all.
“--and then , we’ll--”
“Hey! Leroy!”
“It’s Levi !”
“Whatever.” Jason shifted his feet slightly apart, softening his knees. “As great as all that murder and torture shit sounds, I’ve got places to be, so I’m gonna have to ask you to get this show on the road.”
Levi sniffed, obviously annoyed that his monologuing was being cut short. “Well, I suppose it’s only polite to allow you your final wish and utterly decimate--”
Jason didn’t wait for Levi to finish. Instead, he threw his hands out, yanking power from the ley line and releasing a massive gout of flames from his palms. Immediately, the vampires started screaming, Levi running in circles as his faux Italian suit caught fire while the Three Goldsteins flailed to get away. Using the vampire’s temporary panic as an opportunity, Jason dodged around Levi, digging out his lighter and flicking it open, urging the small flame to grow into a sort of flaming knife. A furious scream drew his attention and Jason barely had time to dodge as one of the Goldsteins, greatly resembling some sort of vampire tiki torch, swung burning claws at him. Pouring power into his knife construct, Jason heated the blade so that it resembled the white hot flame of a blowtorch, lashing out with precision at the Goldstein’s extended arm. A howl of pain followed by the dull thud of the arm landing on the ground cut through the warehouse, drawing the attention of the other vampires who seemed to have had at least mild success in quenching the worst of the flames.
“YOU WILL DIE PAINFULLY, TODD!” Levi screeched, motioning for the other two Goldsteins to circle Jason.
“Been there, done that,” Jason shot back, not waiting for the vampires to fully organize before leaping forward. He had to hand it to them, for being money-mad office-dwellers, the vampires did know how to fight, landing more than their fair share of hits on Jason as he sliced and hacked his way through them. At one point, Jason barely managed to dodge a set of claws aimed at his heart, stepping back as they tore a ragged hole in his shirt. Grinning triumphantly, clearly emboldened by the near miss, Levi moved as if to strike again, only to falter as he caught sight of the glimmering copper plate that had been revealed beneath Jason’s shirt.
“Wait… that…”
Eyes glowing with a sudden fierceness, Jason didn’t let Levi finish his thought, taking the opportunity to slash cleanly through the vampire’s neck and sending his head sailing. Immediately, the Goldsteins paused, watching with poorly concealed horror as Jason kicked Levi’s body over, snarling as he willed it to burst into flames, incinerating the remains in minutes. Glaring at the remaining vampires over the smouldering body of their leader, Jason growled, “Leave.”
Without another word, they fled, trailing ash and smoke in their wake. Trying to control his breathing, Jason let the blade in his hand sputter out, hand trembling as he gripped the warm metal of the lighter. He could feel his pulse, terrifyingly even as it pounded in his ears, drumming out a rhythm as if to remind him of just where it came from. Fingers tracing idly up to rest against the copper plate shielding his heart, Jason shivered, squeezing his eyes shut. After a moment of running through the breathing exercises Selina had taught him, Jason felt calm enough to open his eyes again, quickly scanning the room for any possible threats. Coming up empty, he sighed and turned to step towards the exit.
Pain shot through his body like a lightning bolt, vision going blurry momentarily as he tried to regain his footing. Sucking in a sharp breath, Jason glanced down, noticing the growing patch of blood across his hip and upper thigh. Deep claw marks cut across the area, ripping through skin and into the muscle. How the fuck did I miss that… ? Grimacing, Jason took another ginger step, wincing as his injured leg throbbed. One of the vampires must have gotten a lucky hit in while Jason’s adrenaline was up and now he was paying the price. Gritting his teeth, he pulled off his ruined shirt, tearing it into a few strips and making a quick compression bandage. It wouldn’t last long, but it should get him home.
Limping slowly towards the exit, Jason mentally cursed the vampires. He hadn’t even been able to get out of them what they wanted with him. Stupid bloodsuckers. Stupid fucking Lazarus juice. This wasn’t the first time something like this had happened. Although Selina’s coaching had helped, Jason still found it difficult to control the raging impulses caused by the drops of water from the Lazarus Pit that swam through his veins. While he was still light years better than when he’d first been brought back, Jason still felt like the Pit was controlling him, as if the twisted lump of stone and metal in his chest were a cage holding him down.
Lost in his own thoughts, Jason stumbled into an alleyway, completely missing the sprawled form of a man lying half across the narrow walkway. Foot catching on the man’s leg, Jason was yanked out of his reverie with a shout as he went plummeting to the pavement, managing to twist his body just in time to avoid landing too hard on his injured leg. Jason groaned, mentally flipping off whatever deity had decided to abandon him in his moment of need, and rolled onto his side. As he scanned the alleyway, Jason’s eyes came to rest on the man he’d tripped over, brows furrowing dispassionately at the man’s disheveled appearance.
The man was definitely human, alarmingly thin and pale, with long, stringy red hair and a scruffy beard. A ratty looking coat was sliding off his shoulders, and his t-shirt and jeans had certainly seen better days. The man’s eyes were closed, but Jason could see the tell-tale, sickly green track marks around his eyes, marking him as a Dust user. Jason’s frown deepened, eyes narrowing as he half-dragged, half-crawled over to the man’s side and rolled him from his side onto his back. Jason recognized the signs of an addict, having watched his mom dwindle away to nothing when he was a kid. He knew plenty of addicts could hardly be blamed for their addiction, coming to it by necessity or circumstance. This man was probably no different, and considering the downright deadly side effects of his particular drug of choice, Jason felt obligated to help him out.
Struggling a bit, Jason dragged the man up so that he was propped up against the wall, head lolling to the side. Biting the inside of his cheek to distract from the pain in his leg, Jason did a quick check for injuries or other problems, coming up empty. That was a good sign, Jason figured as he rooted around in the man’s pockets, looking for his stash of Dust and producing a small packet of the glimmering powder. Produced by Unseelie or sometimes Solitary fey, Dust was a drug commonly used as a recreational stimulant by the fey population, but in humans, it could cause hallucinations, erratic heartbeat, paranoia, fever, and even death. Jason had heard of humans using the drug in small quantities to gain the Sight, or the ability to see through glamours, but seeing as the drug was highly addictive, good intentions could easily go awry.
Pocketing the powder, Jason was reaching out to check the man’s vitals when a small voice shouted, “Geddaway fom Papa!”
The blow was quick and excruciatingly painful.
Buckling as something hard made contact with his skull, Jason saw stars and toppled sideways into a pile of garbage. Groaning at the throbbing pain behind his ear, Jason blinked rapidly as he attempted to roll over, trying to glance around at who had hit him. Squinting in an attempt to focus, Jason gaped at the little girl, likely no more than three or four, fiercely clutching a rusty looking pipe as she glared down at him. She was small and a little thin, clothes worn, but sturdy enough for the weather. Brain attempting to process what the hell was going on, Jason tried to shift himself into a sitting position and failed miserably. When he moved, the little girl tensed, raising the pipe slightly. Thinking as fast as his addled brain would allow, Jason quickly raised a hand in a placating gesture. “Hey! Hey, don’t swing! I don’t wanna hurt you.”
The little girl glared, her dark eyes filled with distrust, but she didn’t make any moves to hit him again, so Jason took it as a win. Sighing, he grit his teeth and shifted backwards slowly, putting some space between himself and the still unconscious man. “See? Not gonna hurt anyone.”
“Whadda want wif Papa?” The girl struggled a little with the words, but Jason got the gist.
Levering himself into a sitting position, Jason replied, “I just wanna help. Your dad, he’s sick and I wanna help him get better.”
“Da sparky pepo say dey help, bu’ s’not twu.” The girl sniffed, eyes daring Jason to contradict her.
“Yeah?” He asked, pain fading to a dull throb now so that his thoughts were a little more clear. By ‘sparky pepo’, Jason could only assume the girl meant the fey, which meant she had at least a little of the Sight. “Well, I’m not sparkly, right?”
The girl considered him before carefully nodding.
“Okay. Good, um…” Jason was mentally flailing, completely unsure of how to try and convince a three-year-old with a pipe that he wasn’t dangerous. Much of this struggle came from the honest truth that he was actually very dangerous. Nodding slowly, Jason cast around for something to try and make the situation better. “Uh… do you, er, what’s your name?”
The girl scrunched her face up, her mouth pouting in that way only little kids can manage. “Not ‘spose talk wif strangers.”
“Well, hey, um… my name’s Jason. See?” Jason smiled, going for something warm and not ‘I’m a crazy murderer out to get you and your dad’. “Now I’m not a stranger anymore.”
The girl considered this, her face making a series of rather amusing expressions as if mimicking the turning gears in her head. Apparently deciding that Jason wasn’t as scary as she thought, the girl settled on wary acceptance, letting the pipe drop unceremoniously as she fiercely declared, “I’m Lian!”
“Hey, Lian. It’s nice to meet you.” Jason felt an honest smile tugging at his lips as he watched Lian’s eyes light up, her downright alarming trust stirring something warm and protective in him. Now, more than ever, Jason was determined to help Lian and her father. All he had to do was convince Lian to let him get near her dad. “So, Lian, how long has your dad been, uh, sick?”
Lian frowned, glancing sadly over at her father’s slumped form. Whispering almost too softly for Jason to hear, she said, “Papa’s not bad.”
Jason’s chest felt tight and he couldn’t help leaning forward, tilting his head as he caught Lian’s gaze. Slowly and seriously, he told her, “You’re dad’s going to be fine, Lian. I promise.”
She held his gaze for a long moment, her eyes sharp and intelligent as they bore through him. Time stood still as they took one another’s measure, Jason holding his breath until Lian slowly nodded. “Okee, Jay… uh, Jay…” Her little brows furrowed in frustration as she struggled with his name.
Smiling softly, he encouraged, “You can call me Jay, if you want.”
Lian squinted at him long and hard. “Jayjay.”
“Huh?”
Nodding solemnly, she announced, “You can be Jayjay!”
Jason blinked. “Uh, yeah. Okay. That works, too.”
Feeling a little bolder now, Lian reached out, patting Jason’s cheek. Surprised, Jason took a moment to gather himself as Lian turned away, moving to crouch beside her father. Taking that as his cue, Jason struggled to his feet, grimacing as his leg reminded him to hurry. Lian watched as Jason leaned down, checking both the man’s eyes, his pulse, and breathing. Determining that Lian’s father wasn’t in any direct danger of dying on them, Jason gritted his teeth and grabbed one of the man’s arms, dragging him up off the ground to lean against Jason. Grunting under the weight, Jason glanced down at Lian who was watching him carefully.
“Right. Why don’t we get outta here?”
Lian nodded vigorously, grabbing hold of her father’s coat as Jason began to half-carry, half-drag the man towards the mouth of the alley. The going was slow and Jason had to take numerous breaks here and there as his injured leg threatened to crumple beneath him. As they went, Jason could feel eyes on them, but something about their aura seemed to keep the crowds at bay. By the time the three of them stumbled into Jason’s apartment, the hazy grey light of morning was just clawing at the edges of the city skyline. Dropping Lian’s father rather unceremoniously onto his couch, Jason felt his head spinning, vision blurring at the edges. Gingerly touching his makeshift bandages, Jason wasn’t really surprised to find his fingers stained lightly red.
“Lian, I…” But as Jason tried to take a step towards the bathroom where he kept his medical supplies, his leg gave out and he crumpled to the ground, head colliding unceremoniously with the table.
--
“...sounds rather dangerous, little one.”
“Nope! Watch!”
Jason’s eyes fluttered open, light seeming to stab into his corneas with a vengeance. Groaning lowly, he took quick stock of his body, noting the dull ache in his leg and the incessant throbbing in his head. Overall, not the worst he has ever woken up to. Jason glanced from side to side, noting that he was lying on his bed, a light blanket over him and the door open. Through the doorway, Jason could just make out the arm of the couch, a little dark head poking over it.
Taking a slow breath, Jason shifted, planting his hands on the bed and pushing up with great difficulty. Almost immediately, pain shot through his body and he cried out, collapsing back onto the pillow. The conversation that had been floating in from the living room cut off, and the sounds of little feet pattering down the hallway came his way. Lian launched herself onto the bed, eyes round and worried as she glanced down at Jason’s pained face.
“Jayjay! Are you dead?”
“Heh, uh, no. Not yet, anyway.”
Jason tried to force a smile through the pain even as he glanced behind her, meeting the steady gaze of Lian’s new playmate. The woman was tall, taller even than Jason, with dark olive skin and eyes a vibrant shade of green that complemented her fiery hair strikingly. And by fiery, Jason actually meant on fire , little tongues of flame licking out from the ends. Jason had first met her as he juggled several boxes while attempting to open his door the week after he’d moved in. Probably hearing his frustrated grumbling, Kori had poked her head out of her apartment, the only other one on his floor, and asked if he needed a hand. Too shocked at finding an honest to god ifrit just casually living next door, Jason had just nodded dumbly and their friendship began.
Catching his eye, Kori smiled. “ Sabahu Al-khair .”
“Um, Sabahu An-nur , Kori. Did you, uh…?” He gestured a little aimlessly, feeling slightly embarrassed about the whole situation.
Kori nodded. “The little one came to my door early this morning. You are lucky to have such a capable daughter, Jason.”
“Uh, I--She’s not mine! I mean… shit…” He tried to sit up again, eyes going wide as he remembered that he had left Lian’s actual father unconscious before tipping himself into a glorious oblivion. “The other man--”
“Is resting now in the spare room. He appeared to be working out the last of the Dust from his system, so I prepared a traditional salve to help relieve the damage to his eyes. You, however…” She fixed Jason with a firm stare, eyebrow raised as she glanced pointedly at his injured leg. “You must be cautious with wounds like yours, Jason. I stitched and sanitized the lacerations as best I could, but they will need time to heal fully, despite your… good health. As for your head injuries… I recommend bed rest for at least a few days.”
“I…” Jason’s mouth moved wordlessly before managing a stilted, “Thanks, I… how can I…?”
Kori smiled, the flames in her hair flickering warmly. “There is no need to concern yourself with payment for these services. You are my friend, Jason. Or so I have chosen to think. It is my honor to help when you are in need.”
Sighing and shaking his head, Jason gave her a tired smile. “Thanks, Kori.”
“You are welcome, Jason.”
--
It took only a couple of days before Jason was healed enough to walk around on his own. In that time, Lian had firmly ensconced herself into his life. When Kori would gently nudge her out of the room where her father was healing, Lian took to sitting in bed with Jason, telling him stories using utensils and knick-knacks she’d picked up around the apartment as her characters. Kori stopped by at least twice a day, sometimes staying to play with Lian. He asked a few times about Lian’s dad, but Kori just shook her head and said these things take time . The whole situation was surreal, the only thing remotely normal about the whole thing being the panicked phone call from Dick after Kori ratted Jason out.
“ JASON! YOU’RE ALIVE! ”
“Calm down, asshole, it’s just a fleshwound.” Jason glanced over at the door, suddenly concerned that Lian might have overheard his little language slip-up. Kori had already given him a lecture about the impressionable age Lian was at and how he shouldn’t encourage her to use language like some sort of sailor.
“ But Kori said it was really, really bad! Like, your whole leg was gonna fall off and you had a concussion and-- ”
“I highly doubt she said any of that,” Jason huffed. “Anyway, I’m fine. Already up on my feet, so there’s no reason to break down my door or send out the search party or whatever stupid shit you were gonna try and pull.” Jason could practically hear Dick pouting on the other end of the line.
“ Is a man not allowed to be concerned for his baby brother anymore? ”
“If anyone’s a baby, you are.”
“ Hey! ”
“I’m going to hang up now, Dick.”
“ Jason, wait! I’m s-- ”
Sighing, Jason tossed the phone onto the nightstand and threw back the covers. Today was the first day Kori had given him permission to walk around on his own and Jason planned to make the most of it. Swinging his legs over the side of the bed and standing slowly, Jason tested his injured leg gingerly. Pleased with the way the wound only ached slightly, he hobbled a little unsteadily over to the bathroom. Turning the shower on, Jason stripped down, humming softly to himself while he waited for the water to warm up. Stepping under the spray, Jason actually let out a soft moan, relishing in the absolutely delightful sensation. He took his time, letting the water wash away the stale feeling bedrest always seemed to leave him with. When his fingers began to wrinkle, Jason shut the water off, toweling off quickly before wrapping a towel around his waist and heading out into his room to look for new clothes.
“Oh shit ! Sorry…?!”
Jason wheeled around, stumbling against the wall a little as he stared wide-eyed at the door to his room. Lian’s father was standing, or rather, leaning heavily against the doorframe, face bright red and expression more than slightly confused. Towel held in place with a white-knuckle grip, Jason tried to come up with something to say, stuttering out, “Uh… shit, um… you, er, I…?”
They stared at each other for a long, awkward moment.
“I’m gonna put some clothes on,” Jason finally managed, inching backwards towards his dresser without breaking eye contact.
“Uh, yeah… um… I’ll just…” Lian’s father blinked hurriedly before wheeling around and staggering back down the hallway.
Watching him go, Jason had to take a few moments to collect the scattered pieces of his brain. Deciding it was best to just get on with what he had been doing, Jason tugged a fresh set of clothes out of the drawers, throwing them on as quickly as possible. As he headed down the hall and towards the living room, Jason mentally tried to come up with anything to make this situation seem less weird. He failed miserably, pulling up as he saw the scene in his living room.
Lian was chatting animatedly to her father, eyes bright as she pantomimed whatever story she was telling. For his part, her father had that look on his face that screamed this child is the light of my life . A twisting feeling in Jason’s chest made him want to hold back a moment longer, uncertain about ruining such a precious moment. Unfortunately, that was precisely when Lian caught sight of him, grin widening as she shouted, “Jayjay!”
“Hey, Lian.” Jason waved, stepping into the room and tactfully avoiding looking at Lian’s dad who was watching Jason with interest. Instead, Jason limped over, crouching awkwardly to ask, “Did you get something to eat already?”
“Mhmm! Miss Kowi maked pancakes!”
Glancing over at the table, Jason noticed a plate with foil over it and sent a silent thanks next door. “That’s great, Lian. Hey,” Jason swallowed awkwardly, eyes quickly flashing over to Lian’s father before flicking back to the little girl. “Why don’t you introduce me to your dad?”
Lian jumped up and down in excitement, grabbing at Jason’s hand to tug him closer to where her dad was sitting on the couch. Jason settled at the other end of the couch while Lian scrambling up in between the two men, being careful of his mending leg. Lian bounced on the cushion, chattering, “Papa! Papa!! This is Jayjay! He helpded when you was sick!”
“Oh really?” Lian’s dad smiled at her, casting his eyes up briefly to meet Jason’s before suggesting, “Well, that was really nice of him. Hey, pumpkin, why don’t you let me and Jayjay talk for a bit, okay?”
“M’not puckin,” Lian grumbled, but she slid off the couch, wandering off to find something to play with.
Once she had disappeared down the hall, Lian’s dad turned to Jason, expression a little wary, but more exhausted than anything else. “So... “
“Yeah… um, this is a little weird, but I found you passed out in an alley a couple nights ago and brought you back here to let you heal up a bit.” Jason knew it was a pretty weak explanation, but he wasn’t really sure how to approach this.
"So...guess I owe you a thank you," Lian's dad said, not quite meeting Jason's eye.
Jason shrugged, shifting awkwardly as he crossed his arms. "You were in pretty rough shape. It's what anyone would have done."
The man chuckled, the sound hollow and a little cold, as he said dryly, "Right. 'Cuz the Narrows are just crawling with charitable types."
Jason felt his jaded look and wished he didn't know that automatic, distrustful instinct so well. No one took care of each other on those streets. Not without a price. Maybe that's why he couldn't stop coming back.
He chanced a better look at the man's face, cautiously meeting his eyes. They were nothing like Lian's, a cool grey-green that seemed faded like an old photograph, probably the result of the Dust.
"Look, there's no strings to this ok? You needed help, I helped, end of story."
"Not to sound ungrateful, but why make it your business, then?" Lian's dad asked bluntly, looking away again as his cheeks went slightly red, brow furrowing in something like shame. "If there's nothing in it for you, I mean."
Jason sighed, unsure how best to explain. "If you're mixed up with the types that deal Dust then I probably don't need to tell you there's a lot of weird magical shit that goes on in the Narrows," Jason said carefully. "Let's just say I've made it my business to keep regular people safe from the more dangerous parts of it, when I can."
Lian's dad stiffened, eyes going round. "Regular people..." he repeated tightly, mistrustful gaze boring into Jason's. "The hell does that make you then?"
Jason held his gaze, replying coolly, “A friend with resources. I’m not the bad guy here… usually. In case the whole saving your life thing wasn’t good enough proof of that.”
“Right…” The redhead shifted, muscles tensing as he stood, his eyes darting quickly towards Lian, then the door. “Look, uh… thanks for the assist and all, but I’m not really in the market for friends. My kid and I are already mixed up in more magic shit than I’d like, so…”
Jason stood as well, careful to keep the weight off his healing leg, and reached out to catch the other man’s arm in a firm but unrestricting grip. “Don’t be an idiot. You’re still healing, and going back out on the street in your condition… Well, I’m pretty sure a roof over your head is better than a pipe-wielding three-year-old. Honestly, a kid that young shouldn’t have to be taking care of her dad.” The words came out harsher than Jason had originally intended and the man actually flinched as if Jason had slapped him. Sighing, Jason let go of the man’s arm, pinching his nose in frustration. “Sorry, that was kinda uncalled for.”
Lian’s dad hunched in on himself slightly, expression painfully guilty. “You’re not wrong,” he said softly, glancing up to give Jason a searching look. “But… How do I know I can trust you?”
His tone, the raw, desperate want to trust, cut though Jason like a knife. “You don’t,” Jason replied honestly. “But, for what it’s worth, my name’s Jason Todd. I’m… a witch, and I really do just want to help people. You can make of it what you want, but those are my cards.”
Lian’s dad shifted, clearly weighing Jason’s words. Feeling tense under the man’s scrutiny, Jason ran a hand through his hair, trying to think of something to put the guy more at ease.
“Look, I can’t actually hold you here against your will, ‘specially with my leg like this. Kori’d kill me if I messed up her stitches.” Lian’s dad didn’t look amused, but Jason soldiered on, hurriedly saying, “I meant it, though, what I said about being a friend if you want to stay. I know Dust’s a pretty nasty drug, particularly for humans. Kicking the habit is not a cakewalk and by the looks of it, you’ve been using for a while. It’s bound to take its toll.”
Lian’s dad was quiet, somehow looking older and more tired than he had before. Jason felt a twist in his chest. The man was clearly trying, clearly cared about his kid, even though he was in a shitty situation. Hell, Jason knew all too much about what drugs could do to a person, and he’d be damned if he didn’t at least offer to help. Whether Lian’s dad wanted that help was something else entirely. Fingers fidgeting, Lian’s dad frowned slightly. “You said you can help. That you’ve got… resources. What d’you mean?”
“Well, Kori’s already been treating you with some salves to help with the eye strain and corneal damage from the Dust. Personally, I can help with some dampening charms to cut some of the effects of withdrawal, if you wanna take a stab at quitting. It won’t be easy, but it helps to have someone keeping an eye on you during the process. That and I can offer you a place to stay ‘til you get back on your feet. Living on the streets isn’t really the safest here. ‘Specially with a kid.”
Lian’s dad seemed to waver, as if this were too much to process, which, Jason supposed it probably was. He didn’t know how long Lian and her dad had been living on the streets, how long he’d been using. Jason just hoped playing the daughter card was enough to push the man past his doubts and his tattered pride. Still visibly tense, the man asked, “Why…? We’re total strangers…”
With firm seriousness, Jason asked, “What’s your name?”
“Uh…” Lian’s dad blinked. “What?”
“Your name,” Jason repeated, eyebrow raised. “You got one?”
Shakily, a little confused, Lian’s dad answered, “Roy. Roy Harper.”
With practiced nonchalance, Jason shrugged and sat back on the couch, shooting Roy a sly grin, “There. Not strangers anymore.”
Roy’s face cycled through several stages of disbelief, confusion, and incredulity before the tension seemed to seep out of his body and an inkling of hope touched his eyes. “I… I guess, just temporarily…” His voice wavered slightly as he glanced back towards where Lian could be heard chattering to herself in the spare room. Then, an odd look crossed Roy’s face and he glanced back at Jason. “Wait… what was that you said about pipe-wielding ?”
Jason laughed.