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“How long did you say you were going to be out of the country?”
“About four days, a week at the most.”
There´s a big difference between four and seven days.
“You think it´s going to be complicated?”
“We hope not, but we´re taking an extra day or two if something does happen.”
Yeah right. I bet you already have it all figured out and will settle it in like a day. You´re taking the rest of the days to walk and fuck your boyfriend on the beach or something.
“Well, with you there I´m sure it will all turn out okay. More than okay, actually. So, you want to leave him here with us?”
“If it isn’t a problem. He´s still too young to travel.”
No, you don’t want him spoiling this little improved honeymoon of yours, that´s why you want to drop him off here with us.”
“No, of course it isn´t a problem. It´s about time we get some alone time with him. He´s going to be in good hands.”
“I really appreciate it, Dick. I know you´ve got your hands full with Damian already…”
This time, Jason couldn’t keep his very polite reply inside his own head. “Oh, just shut up and tell us when you´re dropping Jackie off. This unnecessary small talk is getting on my nerves.”
Tim and Dick stopped talking and turned to look at him from their spot on Jason´s couch. Tim stopped bouncing the baby on his lap and frowned. Dick rolled his eyes.
“It´s not like you need to listen to what we´re saying,” Tim muttered.
“Actually it does mean that even though I don’t want to listen to you guys, I have to, since you came and decided to have this conversation in my basement.”
“What, we´re invading your ‘man cave’?”
“Only Dick calls it that, Timmy, so shut it. And I didn’t ask you to come down here. Why the hell did you need to have this conversation in here anyway?” he asked frowning at Dick as he said the last words.
Dick shrugged. “Damian had his art supplies spread all over the living room, even on top of the television, the cat was pouncing on the yarn lying around. It wasn’t safe for Jackie, and you banned me from the kitchen, remember? It was easier to come down here than go upstairs. Besides, didn’t you say last week that you wanted to see Jackie?”
Jason stiffened, Tim let out a laugh, one that the baby quickly followed. It was one of the most adorable sounds he´d heard in his life, which was the only reason why he didn’t throw the brush he had in his hand at Tim. The nine-month-old baby had saved his dad on many occasions since he´d become part of the Wayne family. Now, everyone could say Jason was a rough, insensible and unfriendly bastard, and most of the time they weren’t wrong. But if there was one thing Jason loved, it was kids, and Jackson Drake-Kent had quickly wormed himself into his life and his heart as much as Dick had when they´d first met. If anybody expected him to admit that they´d have to kill him, bring him back as a zombie and order him to talk, though.
“You´re such a sucker for kids. It´s both funny and embarrassing,” Tim said with a smirk.
Jason stuck his tongue out at him because why the hell not. He left his brush on the worktable and wiped his hands with the nearest towel before walking to the couch where his boyfriend, his brother-in-law and nephew sat.
“He´s going to want and come live with us when he grows up because we are way cooler parents than you and Conner will ever be,” he said, and held his hands out. Jackie gurgled, held out his tiny arms. Jason grinned, swooped the baby into his arms and held him above his head. “Dickie and I will take great care of you if you want to come live with us, we´ll even adopt you if you don’t want to live with the constant honeymooners anymore. Ain´t that right, Dickie?” he asked, and tilted his head a couple of times. Dick and Tim made a space for him, and Jason dropped to the couch between them, cradling the baby against his chest.
“You think we´re good parents?” was all Dick said, but he was smiling. He leaned in close to let Jackie toy with his fingers, rested his face against Jason´s shoulder.
“Damian was a demon send straight from hell when Talia first dropped him off with Bruce, and it´s not like the big man´s been father of the year. He´s been living with us for almost five years, Dickie, and if his reports are anything to go by, he´s not as big a problem as before. Sure, he´s still an arrogant and annoying pre-teen, but the teachers actually like the kid. A lot,” Jason responded with a shrug.
Tim snorted from his other side, but he leaned in close to Jason as well and watched his son laugh. “He´s not totally unbearable anymore, I´ll give you that much. And now he even talks about him liking art and animals. You and Dick have made him soft.”
“Hey, don’t look at me. I´m the strict parent here. Dickie´s the one who spoils him and talks to him about feelings and shit,” Jason protested.
“Oh yeah? And when Damian asked if he could have a pet which one of us took him to the shelter instead of the pet store because ‘it is better to adopt than to buy since most of them, like us, once had a family and were looking for a new one’?” Dick mused.
Tim burst out laughing. Jason´s jaw tightened. “I took him to the shelter because it was way cheaper than the store,” he muttered.
Dick joined in with Tim´s laughter. “I won´t allow you to adopt Jackie, we both know Conner and Tim have fought hard enough to adopt him as it is, but I promise not to tell anybody about how much you spoil him as he grows up,” he said, and raised his head to give Jason a light kiss.
Tim groaned. “Not in front of Jackie, guys.”
Jason deepened the kiss, dragged it out as long as possible until Dick pulled back with a breathless laugh. “Jason,” he chastised.
Jason gave him a toothy grin, then turned to face a somewhat uncomfortable Tim. “Don’t you talk to me about what to do in front of a kid. Poor Jackie´s probably laid in his crib every night staring at the roof of his room wondering what are those horrendous sounds coming from your and Conner´s bedroom.”
Tim´s mouth dropped open. A slow but intense blush crept slowly up his neck to his cheeks to the tips of his ears.
Jason wiggled his phone from his pocket and snapped a picture. “Thought so. So, you´re off to do business and have a second, or is it third? honeymoon with your boyfriend. When are you dropping Jackie off?”
Tim didn’t speak until his face was pink instead of red. “We´re leaving Friday at noon. Can I drop him off in the morning?”
Jason turned to Dick for confirmation. The latter nodded. “Sure thing, Timmy. We´ll get his room ready and all.”
“Damian will love being a big brother for a while,” Dick said.
“Don´t let that demon teach Jackie how to use his stupid katana,” Tim said.
Dick smiled.
“Knowing Damian, he´ll teach Jackie with a butter knife first,” Jason replied with a shrug.
~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~
“The ridiculous social event will be held this Friday evening.”
Jason stopped stirring the rice in front of him. Dick stopped squeezing lemon juice into the pitcher on the counter next to the stove. The two of them exchanged glances, then Jason went back to stirring and adding soy sauce to the pan.
“Social event?” Dick asked, turning around and leaning his butt against the counter.
Damian scowled as he kept putting the plates on the table, as he folded the napkins into some silly swans. “The dance, Grayson. The absurd… homecoming dance, I believe is what Colin called it.”
Dick and Jason exchanged glances again, then Jason smirked, and Dick´s eyes sparkled. “Oh, the dance! It´s your first dance, isn´t it, little D? First year of middle school, you being almost thirteen, oh yeah, it was about time.”
Damian pursed his lips. He finished with the napkins and went to stand next to Jason, stared at the fried rice in the making, probably waiting until he could help serve it. “I do not wish to go,” he said after a couple of minutes.
Dick inched closer to them. Jason´s eyes flicked to him for a second. “Why?” they asked at the same time.
Damian frowned again. He laid his hands on the counter, took a deep breath. “I find the idea completely unnecessary and see it as nothing but a waste of money. I do not understand why we need to be welcomed to school with a party, nor why they would want to exaggerate the occasion, choosing a motif for the party, for example.”
“Motif?”
“A theme,” Jason said.
Dick brightened. “Oh! Damian come on, school dances are always fun! And you should totally go, you only get a first middle school dance once in a lifetime.”
“Grayson, the motif the majority of the student body chose involves an ocean, mermaids, shellfish and giant oysters. I do not believe I will miss much.”
“It´s easier if you say it´s an underwater theme,” Jason said.
Damian glared at him. “My point remains, Todd. It is a foolish choice, and I have better things to do on a Friday night. Drake will drop Jackie off that day, correct? He is better company than all the people at school.”
Jason rolled his eyes. Dick let out a soft laugh and slung an arm over Damian´s shoulder, hugged him tight, only received a weak elbow to the ribs in protest. “I know you and Jay like Jackie very much, but he´s still going to be here when you come back from the dance, and for a week after. You really shouldn’t miss this dance, Damian,” he said.
Damian shook his head. “There is nothing to do there.”
“There´s going to be a lot of good food, lots of music too.”
“I despise modern music.”
“Even if you don’t like the music you can ignore it and have a good time with your friends,” Dick kept on insisting. “And no, don´t tell me you don´t have any friends. Despite you insisting Jon and Colin are acquaintances, we both know they are your best friends. Think about it, the three of you can get some nice suits, head down to the school, hang out and talk about whatever young boys talk about, get some food and enjoy your night.”
Damian didn’t look the least bit convinced. Jason turned the stove off and laid a hand on Damian´s hair. When Damian only glared daggers at him but didn’t bat his hand away, he smiled.
“Do you know who´s cooking for the dance?”
Damian´s eyes narrowed. “No. Why do you ask?”
Jason shrugged. “Well, if you could find out, I could try and get myself an opening to help with a tray or two of food. I´m sure a lot of parents offered to chaperone, but there are other ways to help. You love cannoli, right?”
This time, both Dick and Damian stared at him. “Yes,” Damian said slowly.
“Would you go if we got you a new suit so you wouldn’t have to ask Bruce for it and if I send a couple trays of cannoli for you and the rest of the kids to eat?”
Damian seemed to think about it. “Would I get an extra bag for myself?”
“Only if you promise to share at least one with Colin and Jon.”
“Deal.”
Jason´s grin was triumphant.
~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~
“So you´re going to be busy in the shop tomorrow and the day after, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Got it. I´m taking Damian to the stores tomorrow, and we´ll get the suit to Alfred for alterations the day after. Should I get him a corset?”
“It´s a homecoming dance, Dick, not his senior prom. The corset might be overdoing it a bit.”
“He´d look cute with it though. I can get Jon and Colin one as well.”
“Dick.”
Dick laughed, scooted closer on the couch to the side where Jason was sitting. He leaned his back against Jason´s chest, pulled the blankets over their legs. “Ok, no corsets. Maybe a little handkerchief for them to put in their front pocket?”
Jason sighed, slid his arm over Dick´s shoulders and pressed his lips against the dark hair. “Yeah, that wouldn’t be so bad. You have to let them pick the colors though. Their clothes have to match, down to the handkerchief.”
“Hey! Don’t you trust me to make Damian and his friends look good?”
“You´re scrumptious from the tip of your pretty hair to your pretty toes, but you´re a walking disaster when it comes to fashion, Dickie. Remember the orange and pink checkered pants?”
“I brought them from Europe, Jay. I saw them on a runway.”
Jason rolled his eyes. He opened his mouth to voice his very humble opinion on current fashion trends, but Dick´s ringtone filled the air.
“Hold that thought,” Dick said, pressing a finger to Jason´s lips. He dug the phone out of his pocket and glanced at the screen before hitting the answering button. “Hey, Babs. What´s wrong?”
Oh, that didn’t sound good already. Commissioner Gordon calling late at night personal cellphone Dick´s instead of beeping him? Jason hoped it wasn’t because of some dead body.
He watched Dick carefully, searching his expression, his body language, his tone of voice. He didn’t rise the moment Barbara started speaking, nor did he tense up. He stayed pressed against Jason´s chest, running the blankets through his fingers. His lips were set in calm and soft lines, and maybe Jason got a bit distracted with the last bit, given he didn’t snap out of his reverie until Dick put his phone away.
“Everything okay?” he asked.
Dick tilted his head back and kissed his chin. “Distracted?”
“Not really. What´s up?”
“Liar.” Another kiss. “Nothing much. Babs just wanted to know if I´ll be attending the lectures down in Colorado and Utah.”
“Oh yeah, I remember you mentioned something about that. The Gotham PD was asked to go and give seminars at precincts and talks at school. Because of the good work you and the rest of the guys do keeping the streets safe.”
“That is not what I said, but you get the gist,” Dick protested with a laugh.
“So, when are you leaving?”
“I´m not. I told Babs I couldn’t attend.”
Jason frowned. “Why?”
“I´d have to leave Thursday evening, Jason. Damian´s dance is the next day, Tim is dropping Jackie off and you have to bake the cannoli. I am not going to leave you alone.”
“I can handle it.”
“If anyone can, it´s you,” Dick agreed. “But it´s not the right thing to do. We both agreed to help with Jackie and you´ll need someone to help prepare Damian and look after Jackie while you get the cannoli ready. I want to stay home and help. Besides, the talks aren’t that important.”
Jason´s frown deepened. Dick gave him big and innocent blue eyes back. Boy Scout eyes. Jason hated them.
“Oh no, you´re not getting out of this with a look, pretty boy. Or out of those talks for that matter.”
“Jason, it really is okay. I swear it´s not a big deal, and I don’t want to leave you alone with everything,” Dick insisted, and his expression was going from innocent to stubborn. If he managed to set it, Jason was not going to make him chance his mind.
He better act quick then.
It was the silly screams and thrashing sounds – plus something heavy hitting the floor – what brought Damian downstairs not half an hour later. He´d been ready to face the worst, had his eyes already half covered. He´d also prepared himself mentally to see Grayson and Todd naked rolling around the floor on the living room. He´d also brought a bat in case it was an intruder inside and he needed to defend his family and his house.
He wasn’t expecting to see Grayson and Todd rolling around the living room floor fully clothed, tangled in a blanket and with a cell phone going back and forth between their hands as they laughed and yelled into the speaker.
“What is going on?!” Damian screamed, looking both appalled and furious. He ran forward, and without thinking much about it he lunged between the two men. Elbows and knees flew all over the place, the blanket became a lethal weapon, but by the time Damian sat between a breathless Jason and a laughing Dick, with the blanket wrapped around himself and the cell phone in his hand, Barbara had hung up, and Damian wouldn’t return the phone nor let anyone sleep until he got an explanation for the ruckus he´d just witnessed and put an end to.
~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~
Friday morning began with Alfred the cat swatting at his nose and Damian standing next to his bed holding the car keys. It took Jason about ten minutes to realize neither Alfred nor Damian would go away until he paid attention to them.
“What?” he grumbled, taking the cat off his face and letting him cuddle on Dick´s pillow.
“Pennyworth called. Alterations have been made, and my suit is ready for pick up,” Damian announced.
Jason rubbed his hand across his face. “What time is it?”
“Almost nine o´ clock. You overslept, Todd.”
“Hey, I came back from dropping Dick at the airport after one, kid, had to leave the pastry for the cannoli ready before going to bed. I haven’t slept that much.”
Damian shrugged. “My suit is ready,” he repeated.
Jason groaned.
“I am only asking out of courtesy, Todd. I can take your car and drive to the manor by myself.”
“And luck would have it a cop who isn’t one of Dick´s friends decided to go on patrol right now and stopped you. No, I´m not taking any chances.” Jason threw back the covers, sat up. “Get the car ready, I´ll be down there in five.”
Damian gave one of his rare smiles, then left.
Jason got into the car wearing one of Dick´s horrendous sweaters and the jeans from the day before because they were the first thing he could find. Damian snorted, and Jason pointed a finger at him. “You laugh and I will take my risk with the cops catching you and throwing you into a cell for at least a couple of hours.”
“I am not afraid of the police, or a jail cell,” Damian said.
“I´ll tell Dick you said that. Get in.”
They were halfway to the manor when Jason´s phone rang. He glanced at the caller ID before handing it to Damian. “Be nice,” he warned.
Damian glanced at the screen, scoffed. “Only for Jackie,” he said, then, “Drake.” The call lasted a couple of minutes, most if it was Tim and Damian bickering, but Jason caught the important bits.
“Drake and Kent will drop Jackie off at ten,” Damian informed him after he hung up.
Jason glanced at the car clock. He gripped the steering wheel, dug his foot into the pedal. It was nine fifteen. Ten more minutes to the mansion, a quick pick up and talk with Alfred and lucky they´d make it back in time to receive Jackie.
“We would go faster if I were driving,” Damian offered.
“Damian, no.”
The child crossed his arms and pouted the rest of the way. Because of course Damian pouted like a two-year-old, no matter what he said.
Alfred, bless his sassy old heart, was waiting for them right on the doorway, holding the suit in one hand and a small…lunchbox in the other.
Jason walked up the driveway smoothing out the horrible sweater. Hopefully it would go unnoticed, but knowing Alfred, the possibilities were slim. Unlike Damian though, he couldn’t threaten Alfred.
“Good morning, Master Damian, Master Jason. It is good to see you both on this…colorful morning,” Alfred greeted them, with twitching lips and a raised eyebrow.
Jason´s cheeks turned a light shade of pink. “It´s Dick´s,” he defended himself. “I was in a hurry. This was the first thing I could find.”
Damian sniggered, the little bastard. Alfred´s other eyebrow went up. “Of course. It does seem to fit Master´s Dick questionable taste in clothing rather than yours. He told me about his trip for work. Do you know if he arrived safely?”
Jason rubbed the back of his neck. “Ah, I haven’t managed to give him a call yet. We came here straight after I woke up and…”
Alfred nodded before he could finish. He handed Damian the suit, Jason the lunchbox. “Of course, when Master Dick stopped by he said you were going to have a difficult day. Which is why I have prepared enough breakfast for the two of you to eat at home. You can stop worrying about that, at least.”
Jason blinked, glanced at the lunchbox, and he was yet again reminded of how awesome this man was, how much Jason admired him, and how spoiled he´d be if when first deciding to live together he´d agreed on moving into the manor with Dick.
“Thank you so much. You´re a lifesaver, Al,” he said with a soft smile.
Alfred gave a slight bow. “Not quite. After knowing what you will be facing today, I find the need to offer you my assistance, Master Jason. It is not like I have a busy day here at the empty manor. I would have no problem in returning to your house with you and help with at least baking.”
No, Jason didn’t admire Alfred. He fucking loved him, he loved him so much it was embarrassing.
“I would like you to come with us,” Damian said, looking thoughtful.
Jason´s head snapped to look at him. “Hey!”
“Not that I don’t trust you, Todd. Oh wait, I don´t…”
“One more word and the cannoli goes out the window, midget.”
Damian gasped, opened his mouth to protest. However, he ended up closing it, glaring at him instead. Jason tilted his chin forward, and Alfred hit the tiniest of chuckles behind his hand. “It is good to see you being such nice and typical family,” he said.
Jason and Damian glared at each other, then Jason turned his attention back to Alfred, patted the old man´s shoulder. “I appreciate your offer, I really but, but like I told Dick, I can handle this myself. The shit isn’t going to hit the fan. I´ll take care of the kitchen stuff and Damian will watch Jackie. Correct?”
Damian sniffled. “Only because I like Jackie way more than you.”
“Right.” Jason nodded at Alfred and pulled back. “Thanks for the suit and the food, Alfred. You´re the best.”
“Which is why I suggest you accept my offer to help, Master Jason.”
Jason shook his head. “We´ll be fine, Al, really. See you soon! Come over for dinner anytime!” He walked down the driveway, Damian following after he´d said goodbye to Alfred.
Once they were in the car again, Damian threw him a curious look. “You truly believe the day will go on without a problem?”
“With your help, I think everything will turn out okay. Let´s just hope nothing happens to or with you. It´s all going to hell otherwise.”
~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~
It all went to hell and beyond.
Jackie was sick, that´s what Tim and Conner told him when Jason arrived home fifteen minutes past ten. He had colic and they´d taken him to the doctor earlier that morning. They´d also given him his medicine, but he´d most likely be fussy the rest of the day.
‘Fussy’ soon became an understatement. Damian did his best, Jason had to give him that. The kid managed to take a grumpy, sick and crying baby away from the kitchen and into the living room for almost a bit over two hours. It gave Jason enough time to do some chores around the house, finish up Jackie´s temporary bedroom and get what he needed for the cannoli ready.
And then Alfred yowled, Damian gasped and something shattered. Jackie started crying right after, and Damian stomped into the kitchen looking… ah, ‘fussy’ as well.
“Todd, I cannot do this anymore! Jackie is misbehaving in a horrendous manner and he needs his diaper changed. Again! I cannot change him once more. Not with him being ill.” Damian threw his hands into the air. “And he shattered the vase Father brought us back from China!”
Jason stopped chopping vegetables and wiped his hands on a dishtowel, one he then threw over Damian´s head. “You´ve done an amazing job as it is, kid, props to you for lasting more than one hour. Finish cutting the veggies, will you? I´ll go deal with Jackie for now.”
Damian nodded and headed for the sink. Jason walked into the living room to find Jackie squirming and crying on the couch, a pile of pillows keeping him from falling to the floor. There was glass everywhere and… oh yeah, Jason could pick up the smell.
It only got worse when he looked into the bag Conner and Tim left him and noticed no more diapers were left.
He´d only gotten back from the nearest store, with ringing ears and a soiled and crying Jackie in his arms, when Damian rushed into the living room. In all the years Dick and him had had him, Jason had seen him scared about to times. This was that second time.
“What´s wrong?” he asked, laying a blanket on the couch and Jackie over it. He began working on changing his diaper.
Damian came to stand next to him and held up a blue and pink shirt. What was Damian doing with another one of Dick´s…? Oh. No, it was in truth a long sleeved white shirt, now mostly tainted blue and pink in odd irregular patches. It looked like… like a laundry mistake.
Jason went pale. “Please tell me that is not the silk shirt you and Dick bought to wear with your suit for the dance.”
Damian went even paler than him. “I checked the labels when washing. It said the clothes didn’t stain, not even the black ones. I didn’t want to wash it by itself so I… I…”
Jason made a mental note to give Damian a crash course on doing laundry. He groaned, finished with Jackie and almost rubbed his hand against his face, but he remembered what he´d been doing just in time. “Fucking hell. Do you not have any other shirt to go with the suit? Any shirt? At all?” he asked.
“All the formal clothing Father gave me was left at the manor. I have turtlenecks, even some t-shirts,” Damian replied grimly.
Great. “Bring out the white ones or the ones matching the color of your handkerchief. We´ll figure something out.”
“Todd, I refuse to wear something other than a formal shirt to the dance. Despite everything, I am Bruce Wayne's son and I will not look tacky!”
Jason wanted to throw the dirty diaper at his head. “Damian, for fuck´s sake, I still have some baking to do. For once humor me and let´s try my way first.”
Damian glared. Jackie went ‘fussy’ all over again. It couldn’t possibly get any worse.
~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~
But it did get worse.
Jason gave Jackie his medicine again while waiting for Damian to bring downstairs all the shirts and turtlenecks available. Turns out the medicine did calm the baby a bit, but it brought on another problem. Jackie didn’t want to be put down after that. He went quiet, he stopped moving around impatiently, but every time Jason tried to at least put him down on the couch he would burst into tears and scream so loud it had to hurt his little throat.
So Jason didn’t put him down, not while Damian changed over and over again and they argued whether a turtleneck would work or not. None of the turtlenecks Damian had would work, but the two of them went to look into Dick´s side of the closet and at the very back they found something Bruce had probably given to him as a gift several years ago but Dick never used. It was a white turtleneck with gold undertones that actually matched the handkerchief Dick had gotten for Damian. The kid admitted it looked good with the suit, so it was one problem solved
But Jason still had to bake the cannoli and drive Damian down to the school and he was at least half an hour behind. Another problem came when Jason handed Jackie over. Turned out not only did the baby want to be carried around, he only wanted Jason to hold him, as proven when Jackie started crying as soon as he was in Damian´s arms.
That added another fifteen minutes of delay to the baking process. By the time Jason decided to let Damian do the hardest parts of the process while he explained step by step and delegated himself to helper position, he had a bit over an hour to get everything done.
And then Jon´s mother called.
Jason took the call himself and when Lois asked if he could pick up Jon and take him to the dance, he couldn't say no. Her car broke down as she was returning home from work and she wouldn’t be able to take him down to the school in time.
Jason almost asked why Clark couldn’t take Jon instead. Sure, the two had gotten divorced and stuff, but as far as he knew, he and Lois were on friendly and speaking terms. Then Jason remembered Clark now spent a good chunk of his time traveling with Bruce, and since Bruce was in Philippines at the moment…
“Yeah. No problem. Damian and I will take him,” he found himself saying, and then he had to hang up because Damian screamed from the kitchen. Something about setting the right temperature, a lack of time and the cannoli not cooking at all.
Jason had to call Lois back about twenty minutes later over Jackie´s renewed ear-splitting sobs to tell her they were running a bit late, but that they´d go pick Jon up. Eventually.
They were finally on the road with two trays of almost perfect cannoli in the trunk of the car, a very spiffy and grown-up Damian in the back and a quiet Jackie drinking his bottle held in his arms half an hour after the dance had started, but for once Damian didn’t bitch about it, and of course Jason wasn’t going to mention it.
Lois did give Jason a worried look when he pulled down the car window to say hi. Maybe it was due to how tired he looked despite not being even six o´clock yet, maybe it was his bandaged hand or the baby stuff thrown on the front passenger seat. Whatever it was, Jason was grateful she ignored her reporter nature and didn’t ask questions, not even when Jon greeted Jason with a “Hi, Damian´s mom! Are you okay? You look like you need some sleep. Hi, Damian! Why are you holding a baby?”
“Do you want me go pick them up?” Lois asked when they were about to leave. “I won´t have my car yet but I think I can pay a cab and then drop Damian off at your…”
Jason shook his head. “Colin´s dad has that covered. Unless there´s a new problem he told Dick when they went looking for suits that he´d bring Damian home. Not sure about Jon? Maybe you should give him a call, a cab would be too expensive.”
Lois sighed, then smiled. “I´ll figure it out. Thanks Jason, now go drop the kids off, put the baby to sleep and grab a glass of whiskey. You look like you need it.”
In truth, Jason needed two or three bottles, but a single glass didn’t sound like a bad offer.
~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~
Jackie had finally gone to sleep. He now laid in his big bed, surrounded by a pillow fortress with his pacifier in his mouth and a clean diaper. The house was silent, and Jason had never felt so grateful for it.
He threw the baby once last glance and went to the kitchen to grab some ice, a glass and a bottle of the best scotch he and Dick had in their little collection. After pouring himself a generous amount, he took his glass, the bottle and went to the living room. He turned on the television, lowered the volume and flopped down on the couch. He was taking his shoes off when his phone rang, and Jason realized he hadn’t had time to check it all that day.
He smiled when he saw Dick´s name flashing across the screen, and he took the first swig of his glass as he brought the phone to his ear. “Yeah?”
Dick´s voice barreled through right away. “Jason! Holy shit, Jay! Hi! I´m sorry I didn’t call or text before, I´m so sorry! Just, we got delayed in Colorado, the wouldn’t let us out of the airport and Barbara dragged us into drug busting along with the security guards while we were there and I couldn’t even get my phone out to send a measly little text. Are you okay? Is everything okay? How did it all go? Jason, I´m sorry, I didn’t want to leave you alone. I am so sorry!”
Jason listened as Dick rambled on and tripped over his own words trying to apologize. One day and he already missed the guy. Damn, he was in deep. Not that he hadn’t known it before.
“Jay?” Dick´s soft question made him blink, and he took another sip from his drink.
“Nice to hear your annoying voice, Dickie,” he said.
Silence. Then Dick let out a chuckle. “Nice to hear your deep rumbly voice too, Jay. How´d it go? Jackie, Damian, the food, did you have a hard time?”
Jason let out a soft laugh. “Nah. It went more than fine. You won´t believe how boring a day it was,” he said as he closed his eyes, smile widening.