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“Jason! Could you just listen! No patrol!” yelled Dick at his brother.
Currently they were both in the Titans tower and they were arguing whether Jason was allowed to go on patrol after Dick had seen him try to sneak out.
“You're not my dad!” Jason yelled back. It was a weak argument and he knew it but he just wanted him to leave him alone and for people to stop looking at him.
It did the opposite thing however and people continued to stare at him and Dick ragged on twice as hard
“Thank the Lord for that!” snapped Dick, glaring at his little brother. Why couldn't he not just listen to him?
“Dick, maybe you should stop.” suggested Dawn, but she was also looking at Jason in slight disappointment. “Jason, I thought you weren't going to sneak out?”
Jason didn't say anything and just continued to glare. He just wanted them gone. Why couldn't his mother be here? Or Bruce. His mother wouldn't treat him like this and Bruce would give him his freedom.
“Maybe we should leave the kid here while we go out.” suggested Hank, but there was a slight smirk on his face. Jason so desperately wanted to smack that smirk of his face but he didn't want his punishment to be increased so he just stayed silent.
“Might as well. We're going to be late to the restaurant and it took months to get the reservations.” complained Donna.
“Okay, fine. Jason you stay here. I don't want any more trouble and if you get out of here…” the sentence wasn't finished but it held a warning. Jason slightly felt himself shake and he stopped himself before it came obvious. However, Kory noticed and she narrowed her eyes.
“Come on Grayson. Let's go. You've threatened the kid enough as it is.” snapped Kory already heading to the elevator. Rachel and Gar joined her shooting him slightly apologetic looks with Rose behind them throwing him an unsympathetic look.
Dick sent him one last glare and went with them. Donna and Dawn sent him small looks of disappointment but Hank just smirked at him and it took everything in Jason not to punch him.
When he felt the door of the elevator slide shut he collapsed into tears. He wanted his mom back. She would cuddle him and wouldn't shoot him a disappointed look. She would protect him from his dad. She would help him feel safe.
He wanted Bruce. He would give him his freedom and love him. He would give him actual reasons on why he wasn't allowed to do stuff. He would make him feel loved.
Jason suddenly stood up, and looked around to make sure that truly no one was here and quickly went to the kitchen area of the open plan house. He got out all of his supplies to start baking. He took his phone out from his pocket and quickly blasted some music on it and began singing to it. And soon he got lost to the world of sweet treats and music.
~With the rest of the titans~
“Why can't he just understand? He could get hurt or worse out there if he doesn't have the back up.” complained Dick at the restaurant.
“The kid's a little asshole, Dick. He'll grow out of it.” reassured Hank.
“Hank! Jason is not an asshole. He just needs time.” reprimanded Dawn, slapping her boyfriend's chest.
“Jason's a kid. Aren't all kids assholes?” asked Rose boredly, sending them a critical gaze.
“You, Rachel and Gar aren't. And sure you're kinda bitchy but you're an angel compared to him. And Rachel and Gar are beyond sweet.” replied Donna after swallowing her bite of food.
Rose didn't say anything. Just raised an eyebrow at them and went back to her food
“But Jason is nice!” protested Gar, defending his friend. He couldn't understand why people were so against Jason. He wasn't even a rebel or a bad boy. He was a total nerd!
“Jason? Nice?” asked Rachel, shooting him an incredulous look. Call her biased; she still wasn't over the church comment.
“Okay! We are not going to isnull a fellow team member! We are especially not going to insult him when he's not here to defend himself! We have more honour than that!” snapped Kori, interrupting all comments about Jason.
Everyone looked down slightly ashamed. One of the many powers of Kori, making people feel ashamed of their actions with just a few simple words.
“Eh, my appetite’s spoilt. Let's just go.” muttered Dick. Donna glared at him slightly before standing up too.
“You are paying for pizza, Grayson!” she snapped turning around to exit. Everyone followed after her quickly and Dick quickly put everything on Bruce's card.
Everyone was grumbling about having to leave but all complaints stopped when they heard the voice of an angel coming from the kitchen and the beautiful smell of baked goods.
Everyone quickly stiffened and silently crept into the kitchen expecting some psycho meta who could sing someone to death. Ridiculous, but could you blame them.
However, that was not what greeted them. Instead it was Jason Todd in an oversized Hoodie, singing along to a song on his phone, that sat on the counter, baking some of the amazing treats, any of them have ever seen.
The smell made Donna drool slightly and everyone eyed the treats greedily but they didn't advance. Instead they refocused their attention on Jason.
He looked positively…adorable. There was no other word for it. He was singing slightly, a smile on his face, a small blush decorating his pale cheeks, curly hair whitening at the tips with flour and his mouth was open singing happily to the song in the background.
They all couldn't help but notice that this was the first time that they've all seen him so… free. Innocent.
However, the peaceful image was stopped by Hank. “You actually bake!?!” he hadn't meant to sound so rude about it but sometimes his brain to mouth filter didn't work.
Jason quickly turned around and dropped whatever baked good he had just finished and Donna moaned in despair as those beautiful treats dropped on the floor.
Jason wasn't focused on that however. He was just looking at everyone and slowly he began shaking and his face paled dramatically. He began sweating and phantom illusions of his dad began appearing and telling him that he's such a hussy for doing this.
Telling him that he isn't a boy and he should die. He hadn't realised the tears falling but suddenly he felt warm, almost too warm, arms wrapping around him, rubbing his back and soothingly talking to him in a quiet voice.
The shaking stopped and when he looked up he saw Kory’s warm face looking down at him and he would have expected her to be looking at him in disappointment. But she was smiling, her eyes shining prettily.
“Jason, could you please teach me how to make pancakes? I actually want to be able to eat something other than take out and cereal.” she asked. And she was asking. Not demanding.
Jason just nodded slightly. “Um, y-y-yeah s-sure.” he stammered and blushed bright red. Kory however didn't laugh at him, just smiled and quickly began making some space on the counter
This, however, gave him the view of everyone else behind her and he thought they would all look at him in disgust instead Donna was looking at him in adoration and she quickly approached him, picked him up, and gave both his cheeks a kiss.
“Oh my Zeus, you can cook! You're my hero!” she exclaimed and her tone wasn't mocking or sarcastic. It was genuine and there was a small sparkle in her eyes. Jason just blushed a darker red and looked down, bashful. He swore he heard the women coo but he wasn't going to ask who it was.
“Jason, these taste so good!!” moaned out Gar after taking a bite from one of the cookies he made. He looked over and saw Rachel biting into them and closing her eyes and moaning in delight. Rose just bit one and nodded her head. Practically a scream of delight for her.
“So, is this how Bruce magically manages to get through the day without Alfred there for him?” asked Dick holding a bitten cupcake.
“Um, yeah.” Jason said quietly. He was confused. Why were none of them threatening to throw him out? Why were none of them making fun out of him?
Kory came back and put an arm around him and quickly steered him in front of a bowl. Everyone was looking at him intently. Even Hank had put down the slice of cake he was devouring to look at Jason.
“What?” he asked defensively when no one looked like they were going to talk.
“Sorry. We were all wondering if you could show us how to make some of these.” said Dawn when she realised why he was so defensive. Everyone flushed lightly but they still continued to look at Jason.
Jason just nodded, not trusting his mouth to speak, and quickly began to demonstrate how to make pancakes. Everyone watched in rapt interest and Jason desperately tried not to mess up.
“You are the designated cook of the Titans! No one is allowed to attack you when in the kitchen or anywhere else. You get to decide whoever comes into the kitchen and who stays out of it!” announced Rachel as she dug into her pancakes.
“Dick isn't allowed.” he said immediately and flushed again and turned to Dick, expecting him to be pissed. Instead he had a soft smile in his face and there was an odd twinkle in his eyes.
“That's understandable. Alfred also banned me from his kitchen when I set fire to a pot of water.” Everyone laughed slightly but Jason just shot him a horrified look and looked as if he was going to faint.
“How do you…?”
“Best not to ask, nerd. Now sing. It's actually one of the few pleasant things in this tower.” said Rose boredly, but there was a small, almost invisible, smile on her face. Everyone squawked in indignation so she amended. “Except for the fire lady.” Nobody tried to fight with her on that however and looked at Jason.
Jason just flushed red again and opened his mouth and began to sing a tune his mother taught him when she wasn't high on the drugs. Everyone listened in rapt attention and swayed to his voice
Soon everyone had finished eating their pancakes and Jason began cleaning up the dishes while they were eating. Suddenly, he felt arms wrap around his shoulder and pull him closer.
When he looked up he saw Kori’s face and she had a small frown in her face. Jason quickly shrunk in on himself when he realised that now they were going to beat him up for baking but he was surprised again when she guided him to the living room and set him down and pushed the TV controller into his hand.
Suddenly, a plate of pancakes was deposited on his lap and when he looked up he saw Rachel standing there and she had a small blush on her cheeks.
“You are going to sit here and enjoy your food. While you do that the rest of us are going to clean up.” said Kory and when it looked like Jason was going to protest she kneeled down. “Please Jason. You deserve to relax. Especially after what we did to you before. Just stay here and watch something.” said Kori softly and in his peripheral vision he could see the older Titans looking down in shame.
He just nodded and turned on the TV. He looked around and quickly picked Tangled. No one made fun out of his movie but he did see Rose quirk her lips up and Dick smiling softly before Kori dragged them over to the kitchen.
~Later~
By the time everyone had finished cleaning up the kitchen Jason had already passed out. Everybody couldn't help but coo at the small boy wrapped in a blanket, sleeping so peacefully with Tangled playing in the background.
“And to think that we thought he was a bad boy.” said Donna as she took out her phone and began snapping photos. She was so going to show these to Diana and she knew that her former mentor was going to show those to Bruce. He might not act like to but he would break his no kill rule just to have a quick glimpse at Jason looking like this.
“Nah, he's just a big nerd.” said Gar, smiling at his best friends sleeping form.
“He's so innocent.” Rachel said quietly approaching the sleeping boy but Dick held her back, some big brother instinct telling him to protect his brother.
“Let him sleep. He needs it.” said Dick guiltily.
“I still want to know who's going to cook in the morning.” said Rose. When everyone turned to look at her she just raised her eyebrow. “We are going to let sleeping beauty sleep, aren't we? Especially after what you dumb fuck’s said.” she added just to see all the older titans except Kory wince.
“Of course we are. And we are going to use those cooking techniques he so graciously taught us to make him an apology breakfast.” Kory’s tone held no argument and everyone nodded their heads at her.
Dick cautiously approached his brother and couldn't help but notice how tiny he was. It made his instincts flare higher as well as his guilt.
He picked the body up with little to no resistance and walked to the boy’s room. He would worry about his weight tomorrow. Right now he was worried about his sleep. He put the boy down in the bed and covered him with the blanket and looked at him.
“Wallowing in your guilt isn't going to help anyone, Grayson.” came Kory’s voice from behind him.
“Kory, I know little to nothing about this kid. I don't know what his favourite food is or what his favourite color is. I don't know his favourite book or movie.” he rambled and his guilt grew.
God, he was such a hypocrite and a bad brother. Years of hating Bruce and then he does this to Jason. At least Bruce knew what Jason likes and doesn't.
“Sure you were a dick when this all began. But you can start bettering yourself now. The kid needs to feel needed and wanted. So start making sure he feels loved and wanted.” Bless Kori and her soul.
“What would I do without you?”
“Drown in depression and stupidity.” she answered easily and leaned over and kissed his lips softly. “Come on Grayson. Let's leave the kid alone”
Silently both of the adults walked out of the teen’s room and quickly closed the door behind them.
Sure this didn't start out like Dick wanted but he wasn't going to make it worse. He was going to be the best brother ever.