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When Lian and Roy had come into Jason’s life, they had decided to stay in his small apartment. However, three years later, their family grew to five. It was at that point that Jason and Roy started looking for other options.
It had happened on patrol when he spotted it. Red Hood stopped when a ‘For Sale’ sign caught his eye. The sign was plastered against the cracked brick of a warehouse across the street, the company’s logo faded beyond recognition. The building, having seen better days, had three floors and, from what he could tell, the structural integrity was sound.
Making his way down a nearby fire escape, the vigilante crept up to the building before sneaking in through a broken door. He wasn’t surprised to find the inside trashed, broken beer bottles and other junk scattered about the main floor and graffiti marring the brick walls. Besides that, it looked promising.
As Jason moved on to the next floor, the metal stairs creaked under his weight. Those would need to be replaced, he thought to himself. In the back of his mind, he had already started making plans. It would take a lot of work, but it would be worth it. They even had the money for the renovations, Roy having saved the money he received from Queen and Jason from his short time as a mob boss. The only problem though? Getting Roy to agree.
Tapping his communicator, he called his boyfriend. “Arsenal, you awake?”
There was a yawn from the other end. “I am now. Everything alright, Jay?”
“Yeah, everything’s great.” Jason couldn’t keep the smile out of his voice. “Roy, I think I found the perfect house. It needs a lot of work, but it’s the one. I know it.”
“Where is it?” Roy asked, sounding excited.
“Right at the edge of Crime Alley, on the main street.” Despite the name, Crime Alley wasn’t as dangerous as most thought. It was part of Gotham’s extensive slums and had since garnered a reputation after the murders of Martha and Thomas Wayne.
Roy hummed, a sign that he was thinking. “That’s a bit of a seedy area. Not sure I want the kids growing up there-” Jason felt his heart drop at Roy’s words. “But if you really think this is the one, then I guess it can’t be too bad.”
Jason perked up, “Really?”
“Yes, really,” Roy chuckled. “Do you think you can show me tomorrow?”
Jason nodded absently. “Sure. We can go when the little ones are at school.”
“Sounds good. I’ll see you at home. Be safe out there.”
“You know I will. G‘night.” Right after he ended the call, Jason fist pumped the air. Even though Roy hadn’t said yes, it was still a small victory.
“When you said you found a house, I thought you meant an actual house.” Roy was standing on the sidewalk, giving the building a skeptical look. “I mean really, Jason? A warehouse?”
“It’s got ‘house’ in the name.” The joke got a glare from Roy.
Jason sighed. “Look, I know it isn’t an actual house, but it could be. Just bear with me, okay?”
“Fine.” Roy crossed his arms, clearly not sold on the idea. “So, you going to show me around?”
Jason grinned. “Follow me.”
When they got inside, Roy grimaced at their surroundings. There was not a lot to be desired about the place.
Jason soon began gesturing around the room, listing off where he thought everything could go. “-the kitchen could be right here and maybe put up a half wall, separate it from the living room, which could be over here...”
As Jason continued, Roy couldn’t stop himself from imaging what it would look like. He pictured the room, fully furnished and walls fixed; their kids, playing on the carpet as he and Jason prepared dinner. The fantasy soon disappeared, replaced by graffiti laced walls and empty space.
“I can see it. It would take a lot of work, though. What about the other floors?” Roy asked.
Jason shrugged, leading them upstairs. “Looks about the same, give or take a few more broken windows. There’s enough floor space that we could section off areas for bedrooms, maybe four regular and a master? We could probably fit a bathroom up there too.”
Before they could reach the top of the stairs, Roy paused.
Jason turned around. “Something wrong?”
“What’s that?” Roy pointed to something below them out of Jason's line of sight.
Confused, Jason came down a few steps so he was standing beside the other man. “What’s what?”
“That.”
Following Roy’s finger, Jason was surprised at what lay beneath the stairs.
“How the hell did I not notice that?” He said to himself, staring at the rusted door that was connected to the floor. They turned to look at each other. “Wanna check it out?”
“Hell yeah.”
The door, it turned out, led to a basement. It was huge, practically the size of the main floor itself.
Roy gaped. “This is amazing! I could have my own workshop down here and a training area.”
Jason watched as Roy flitted around, smiling to himself. If this didn’t get him to agree, nothing would.
“So, how ‘bout it?”
Roy didn’t say anything for a moment, gaze drifting around the room. “As I said before, it’s going to take a lot of work. But I think this is someplace we can call home.”
Throwing his hands up in the air, Jason cheered. He then proceeded to run and embrace his partner. “Have I ever told you how much I love you?”
“Only all the time.”