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Jason is not coming often to the Manor these days. Some of his brothers think he fought with Bruce or maybe he just needed to be alone. It happened sometimes, Jason was disappearing for weeks, only letting Alfred know about his location. They were used to it, but Bruce still missed his son. He always missed Jason dearly.
Bruce was asleep for a few hours when he heard the window open slowly and someone sneaking into his bedroom.
Bruce didn’t really care about it: he had a security system that would knock out the intruder, so he fell back asleep.
Bruce woke up again, alarmed as he felt someone lying into his bed next to him: he raised his head enough to see a familiar silhouette and white streaks on black, messy hair.
“Jaylad?” he mumbled.
His son didn’t answer but curled up against him, and started to snore softly in a few seconds. Bruce didn’t understand much of what was happening, but his son was next to him, sleeping soundly and he couldn’t help but smile as he pulled him close, falling back asleep.
At 4 AM, the door opened slowly. Tim entered, intending to wake up his father so he could help him with a case. But when he noticed the mop of black hair with white streaks in the bed next to his father and the content smile Bruce had plastered on his face he closed back the door slowly. That could wait for tomorrow.
Bruce was surprised to see Alfred acting completely normal in the morning when he woke up the two men.
“I brought you coffee Master Bruce, and hot cocoa for you, Master Jason.”
“Thanks, Al’,” mumbled Jason, still half asleep.
Bruce thanked the old butler, drinking his coffee before getting up. He wanted to hug his son, ask him what he was doing here and why he entered by the window in the middle of the night, but he didn’t want to scare him away. So he decided to act as if everything was normal.
They both came down for breakfast, and Bruce was surprised to see all of his children acting as if everything was completely normal. Dick teased Jason about waking up late, as always; Tim and Damian bickered about who will eat the biggest pancake, and Cass read a small grammar book as she was picking strawberries from her bowl.
Maybe Alfred told them to act as if everything was as usual, or maybe these kids were way too clever for their own good, but Bruce was relieved when he saw Jason eat his breakfast calmly.
Jason was gone when Bruce came back from work, but Alfred told the adult that he seemed happy as he left, and promised the old butler he’ll come more often.
Jason did come back more often. Always entering by the window in the middle of the night and leaving before Bruce comes back from work, but it was nice to have him around. And Bruce sleeps better knowing that his son is safe and sound next to him.
Things changed one night when the bedroom window opened, Bruce wasn’t expecting to find himself with arms full of a sobbing Jason.
The boy still had his vigilante clothes on and was shaking like crazy in his father’s arms.
“Jaybird, hey. What happened, sweety?”
“Don’ wan’ talk ‘bout it.” sniffed his son and Bruce kissed his temple. “Alright, we don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to. Do you want me to make you some hot chocolate? Tea, maybe?”
Jason chuckled at that: “You know how to make tea?”
“Hey! I practiced, alright? And tea or hot chocolate shouldn’t be that hard to make.”
Jason let out a wet laugh and Bruce considered that as a win when he took his son down to the kitchen.
Jason sat on the kitchen counter as his father was looking for milk in the fridge: “I don’t think Alfred would approve this.” remarked Bruce, and Jason rolled his eyes.
“Alfie’s not here.”
“I’ll find you sweatpants, and a tee-shirt for the night. They might be a bit too big for you, but they will be fine for the night. I’ll get you clothes if you want to stay longer, though.”
Jason didn’t answer, and Bruce didn’t insist. His son reminds him of a stray cat, sometimes. Coming when he wants to, but leaving if you try to force him to stay.
Bruce gave the hot cocoa to his son and Jason looked genuinely surprised.
“So you can fucking do hot cocoa?”
Bruce grinned: “I told you, I practiced.”
“Thanks, dad.”
Dick arrived at that moment. He looked at his father and his brother, then frowned when he saw that Jason’s red-rimmed eyes and wet cheeks.
“You’re okay, Little Wing?”
Jason nodded slowly, but Dick was clearly dubitative.
“Bruce made me hot cocoa.” Added Jason, and his older brother’s eyes widened: “You can do hot cocoa?”
Bruce rolled his eyes but smiled at his children.
“Alright, what about we go back to bed. It’s late, and I’m tired.” Bruce suggested as he was leading his sons to the stairs.
“You’re sure you’re going to be fine, Jaybird?” Dick seemed worried, but his father shook his head: “I’ll take care of him. Get some rest, Dick.”
Dick pressed a kiss on his brother’s temple and joined his bedroom, after wishing them a good night.
Jason finished his warm drink slowly, before putting on the clothes Bruce gave him and joined his father in the large king-size bed.
“I will never force you to talk, Jaylad. But if you ever feel the need to tell you what’s upsetting you, I'll be there.”
Jason nodded, still sniffing a bit.
“Get some sleep, son. I’ll be there.”
Things went back to normal. Jason was still coming, he was also coming earlier, for dinner and movie night sometimes. Bruce was always happy to see his son safe next to him. Sleeping, Jason really looked younger. He seemed softer, also more relaxed, as if he had no problems at all. And Bruce could run a hand through his hair to comfort him, and himself at the same time. Bruce was finally feeling less alone.
Another night, Bruce was woken up by his alarm system and a pained groan followed by the sound of a body falling.
It took him only two seconds to understand that it was his son.
“Jay? Shit, did you forget to deactivate the alarm?”
His son didn’t answer, knocked out by the electric shock. Alfred and Damian ran into the bedroom, woken up by the alarm too. When he saw the young man on the ground, Alfred rushed to him, trying to see if he was injured.
“Master Bruce, it seems that Master Jason is badly injured. I think it is gun wounds.”
That probably explains why he was too out of it to take care of the security system.
Bruce stood out of the bed in an instant and helped Alfred to carry his son to the Cave, putting one of Jason’s arms around his neck, letting Alfred do the same with the other one before lifting one of his legs, as the old butler was mirroring him.
They carried him this way to the med bay, laying him down on the bed.
Bruce took off his son’s jacket and tee-shirt, in order to see better the injuries.
“Master Bruce, you might want to stay away while I’m treating him. I will call you when I will be finished here.”
Bruce didn’t want to leave his son’s side, but Dick took his hand to push him back to the manor.
Forty minutes later, Bruce was called back to the Cave. Jason was looking better: still a bit pale, but he was breathing normally and his wounds were cleaned and all bandaged up.
Bruce sat next to him, waiting for his son to wake up. “He’ll be fine, Bruce. Alfred is the best to stitch us up,” Dick tried to comfort him “and Jason is strong. He’ll be back on his feet in no time.”
Bruce nodded, petting his older son’s hair: “Thank you, Dick.”
A few hours later, Jason opened his eyes slowly. Bruce watched his son as he groaned and tried to figure out where he was.
“Dad?” The boy slurred, and Bruce took his son’s hand in his. “I’m right there, Jaybaby. How are you feeling?”
“M thi’sty ‘nd my body hurts.”
“Alright, you were badly wounded, and you took a shock from the security system. But Alfred patched you up. You’ll be fine in a few days.” Explained Bruce had he was helping his son to drink from a bottle of water with a straw.
Jason let out a content sigh as his head fell back on the pillow.
“Thanks again, Dad.”
“You don’t have to thank me, Jay. I’m your father: taking care of you, making sure you’re fine… It’s my job, son.”
Jason smiled at his father and let him kiss his temple.
“How can you deactivate the alarms, usually?”
“It’s a secret, dad. If I tell you it will not be funny anymore.”
Bruce groaned: “I tried. Do you want hot cocoa?”
“I can’t let that new ability of yours fall into oblivion.”
“Listen here, you little—
Jason burst out in laughter and winced when his torso started hurting again.
“Alright, don’t move, I’m coming back with a hot cocoa, and I’ll ask Alfred to check on you.”
Alfred arrived a few seconds later, checking gently on Jason’s injuries and adding something in the IV that made him feel instantly better.
“I will stay by your side until your father comes back from whatever he is doing, my boy.”
“He’s making me a hot cocoa.”
Alfred frowned at that, “Master Bruce can do hot cocoa?”
“It seems he learned it by himself,” Jason giggled.
When Bruce arrived with the hot drink, Alfred looked at him with wide eyes, and Bruce couldn’t help but blush at the attention.
Bruce doesn’t blush often, but it was the first time, literally , that his old butler was seeing him make something that looked drinkable . And the man had on his face a “proud-dad” smile.
Jason’s siblings came visiting him an hour later, Dick hugged every part of Jason that wasn’t hurting, Tim kept asking him about the security system, Damian and Steph were bickering and Cass sat on the floor to read her book.
In the evening, they carried him to the Manor, and Bruce convinced them to put him in his bedroom, arguing that the bed was bigger for Jason.
Dick and Damian stayed in the bedroom with him for dinner, as the others were eating downstairs, then Tim, Steph, Cass, and Bruce joined them for the movie night in bed. As usual, Jason fell asleep at the beginning and woke up when everyone was gone except Bruce, who had woken him up to give him his painkillers for the night.
“Now get under the blankets, it’s freezing out there.”
Jason rolled under the covers and curled up against his father, letting him pet his hair slowly. “I miss you, Jaylad.”
“I’m right there.”
“I mean… I wish I could see you more often and not only when you’re hurt or sad or not feeling well. I wish I could see you when you’re happy, see you laugh more, and see you more often. You’re my son, and I wish nothing more than spending more time with you, to watch more movies with you even though I don’t think you’ll ever stay awake long enough to finish them. That doesn’t mean I won’t be there when you feel bad, it means I want to always be there for you, baby.”
Jason’s eyes were filled with tears and he let his father kiss him on the forehead.
“I’ll try dad, I promise I’ll try. It’s just that… You know it’s hard for me. It’s hard to come back here knowing that I used to be an innocent fifteen-year-old boy having my own room, that no one here really considers me like family here. It’s hard to be there knowing that eventually, you’ll get tired of me.”
“Jason, my baby, my son,” Bruce’s voice was filled with emotion as he held his son close, “I’ll never get tired of you.”