Chapter Text
I. BATCAT (BASED ON TELLTALE'S BATCAT)
“So what are we calling them again?”
Sarah, ever the dramatic, performed a triple backflip and launched Jason’s favorite bottle of soda across the Bat Cave to where he was sitting in the chair in front of the computer. Bruce had given them both specific instructions tonight: Robin and Spectral were not to go on patrol, and Robin was in charge of comms.
So while Jason ‘’ran’’ comms, Sarah painted.
This one was of Dick. Gotham Academy’s art show was coming up in a month, and she was doing portraits of all the significant people in her life to finish her first collection titled: From The Circus To The Spotlight. He was wearing the costume their parents had picked out for him when he’d started doing his solo act.
She gingerly ran her fingers over that Golden Boy smile. It was hard to paint something that beautiful when she hadn’t gazed upon it nearly enough recently.
After Sarah had visited the Titans, Dick had made her a promise to connect more often and had even invited her to the Tower on more than one occasion. Her schooling and training as Batman’s partner made it difficult to find the time, but her Big Wing was constantly sending her photos and text messages so she didn’t forget how much he loved her.
Jason had taken advantage of that and broke into her phone to rename Dick to Dickface. It had made Sarah laugh hard enough to elicit tears.
He had encouraged her to invite Dick to the art show. With where he stood with Bruce, however, Sarah wasn’t sure if Dick would even be willing to be in the same room with him. Or the boy who looked far too much like Dick that had been given Dick’s title.
Another elephant in the room.
“Batcat,” Jason said casually. “He’s a Bat, she’s a Cat… it works! Doesn’t it?”
“It sounds cringe. Did you come up with that one on your own?”
Jason turned to look at her over his shoulder and waggled his finger. “Test me, Sarah Grayson. I dare you.”
Sarah tended to bicker with Jason solely for the ability to hear his laugh. Since he’d come to the Manor, Jason’s stand-offish tendencies from being raised on the streets had slowly melted away into a thirteen-year-old boy who was solely looking for the love he hadn’t gotten from Catherine and Willis. He needed a dad, and so he found one in Bruce.
He needed to know what it was like to have a best friend, and he’d found it in Sarah.
“Cringe? Cringe?!” Jason flailed his hands at the Bat Computer. He had a clear view of the rooftop of City Hall where Batman seemed to be in conversation with Cat Woman. They’d only met Selina Kyle recently. She seemed to be in Gotham for a business transaction with a client she had refused to tell Bruce about. The clever mind of a thief. “Look at Dad, Sarah! He’s practically undressing her with his eyes!”
Sarah walked up the staircase from the center of the Bat Cave to where Jason was sitting and tapped the unmute button of the comms Bruce had installed to listen to their conversation.
“I have a few moves, courtesy of being flexible.. that I think you’d enjoy.”
“I look forward to seeing those in person-“
Bruce froze as his children’s shrieking entered his ears, and it took all of his willpower not to wrench the cowl off and toss it behind him as “Gross!” and “GOOD GRIEF I WOULD LIKE TO MAINTAIN MY INNOCENCE WHILE I CAN-“
Selina smirked. “Cat got your tongue, Bat?”
If she could see the blush on his face, Selina would never let him live it down. “More like my-“ Kids? Partners? Sidekicks? He raked through his brain for the correct words and paused, “Daughter.”
Selina’s eyes widened. “A baby bat is listening on the other line? A female baby bat?” She flashed her signature wicked smirk and traced her fingers across the top of his lip. “Tell her I said hello.”
“BOO YOU WH-“
Jason didn’t let it show that Bruce not calling him his son bothered him. He hadn’t lived in the Manor long enough to earn the title yet, but he would.
For now, he’d settle on building the prank list he and Sarah would be pulling on Bruce once he came home from patrol to sleep. How do you think Batman would look with bright red and orange hair?
ii. THE ART SHOW - DICK MEETS JASON
She had been pacing for nearly ten minutes. There were more people than she had been counting on in the crowd, none of which were Dick, and Sarah was growing increasingly more anxious at having to present this line of paintings with her brother not there. All of the time and commitment she'd put into this was to honor their mother and father and their roots.
It was pointless if Dick didn't show up.
Jason, however, was poised perfectly in the auditorium so he could see the attendants coming in and out of the main doors and maintain a perfect view of the stage. Alfred had dropped him off at the same time as Sarah with the promise that Bruce would be along as soon as his meeting at Wayne Tower concluded. Sarah had given Jason a total of two minutes for a pep talk before she'd disappeared.
The pep talk had mostly been him begging her to call her brother and a promise to punch him in the face if he didn't show up.
"I might be short and only thirteen, but I will still punch Dickface in the chin if he doesn't show up for his sister's art show."
After adjusting her outfit for the seventeenth time, Sarah removed her phone from her pocket to find one unread message glowing on the screen.
Dickface: Out and to your left, sweetheart.
Blue eyes and dark, braided hair - which Bruce had done earlier that morning, and he'd been so proud of how it had turned out that she didn't have the heart to take it out- snapped out of the wing to peer into the crowd. Dick stood exactly where he'd said he'd be.
Jason just happened to be walking in that direction at the same time, presumably to introduce himself properly.
Crap.
***
Jason Todd was never a kid who was afraid of many things. The only thing he could think of that had ever really given him pause was some of Willis'.. methods he'd exercised when he was younger. He was afraid of needles... of what he'd seen them do to his mother. He was afraid of what Willis was capable of. Dick Grayson, however, was not someone Jason was intimidated by in the least bit. The man - boy, whatever Jason was supposed to call him - was like the living embodiment of sunshine.
He squared his jaw and settled himself in the seat next to Dick with a bag of popcorn. "I don't know what I'm supposed to say to you," He said quietly, careful not to draw attention. "Considering you've been purposefully avoiding coming back to the Manor for over a year and I still don't know why."
"You don't need to know why." There's some semblance of resentment lingering in Dick's voice. "All you need to know is that I'm grateful for what you've done for my sister. Thanks kiddo."
Well. That's that. "I'll always do it, so you're welcome, Dickface." The unprecedented joke makes Dick snort, and that sparks some type of pride deep in Jason's chest. "And for the record, I'm guessing I'm right when I say it's daddy issues. Am I right? Can I finally win this bet with Sarah?"
Dick considered that for a moment before he replied, "What were the winnings?"
"She has to teach me her most difficult acrobatic move."
Dick knew that move himself, he'd taught it to her. It would be invaluable as Robin. "Oh, oh... you sure you're up for that?" He mused lightly. "It's not easy."
Jason popped a kernel into his mouth and followed the broad form of Bruce Wayne from the back of the auditorium in their direction. He must not have noticed Dick's presence yet. At least he showed up on time. That's a win. "Rule one about Jason Todd: I am always up for a challenge." He nodded his head in Bruce's direction. "Case in point, dear Dad, and his head that's so hard it could rival steel."
That makes Dick laugh. Unsolicited, deep belly laughter that has his face turning red and tears burning his eyes. "Oh, Jaybird." He wiped at his eyes with the back of his hands and heaved a sigh. "Sarah mentioned you were funny. She was not wrong. Thank you-" He froze as his eyes met Bruce's over Jason's shoulder. The clock above the stage signaled five minutes until it started. "I needed that."
Jason didn't have to look behind him to know Bruce was there. He gave a sympathetic pat on Dick's shoulder and breezed past him towards the wings with his popcorn tucked under his arm.
***
Dick
He'd been thinking about how this conversation was going to go for days. When Sarah had shown up to the Tower without Bruce's knowledge, there had been a deeper part of Dick - the part that loved Bruce, had always loved Bruce but had been hurt by his dad - that hoped Bruce would be with her. That Bruce would apologize for what happened and he could move past this.
Bruce was sitting right beside him at that moment and Dick froze. Again.
"Chum," Bruce said lowly, careful not to draw attention to himself. "I'm glad you're here. It's good to see you."
Well, that was certainly not how he saw this conversation going. Dick swallowed the knot in his throat and nodded. "It's good to see you too." He replied quietly. They couldn't quite meet each other's eyes yet. "Thanks for coming. I'm sure she appreciates it."
"No matter what happens between you and me or her and me, you two are my children," Bruce says it with such confidence and such heart that it catches Dick off guard. He's never been so sure of himself over something like this. The confidence is ever-present as Batman. He knows what he's doing and he knows he excels at it. As a parent, though... Dick had never imagined Bruce would be so sure of the depths of his love for his first two kids. "Not wards. My children. Both of you."
He has to ask this one question. Just this one.. and then he can move on.
"Did the kid replace me? Why-" Dick grimaced. "Why is he, Robin? Why did you let him take that from me?" There's another pause before Dick continues, and his voice is much smaller, "That's what my mother used to call me when I was little, Bruce. That's why I wanted Robin. And you just gave it to him without asking."
It's a fitting question, and Bruce absolutely understands why he asked it. The fact that Dick thinks he's been replaced, however, is something that absolutely cannot stand. "You've never told me that before." Bruce admitted. "And while that's no excuse for it, I should have asked you before I gave the mantle over to Jason." Both pairs of eyes flicker up to the stage. Sarah is the first presenter. "I was wrong."
It's not an I'm sorry but right now it's the closest thing he'll get to one.
Dick nodded and turned forward in his seat. There's something about sitting beside his father for the first time in a few years that makes the tension and unease easily read in his body language bleed into contentment, and Sarah recognizes it immediately as she steps out onto the stage and beams at her father and brother.
The words on the screen above her head read: From The Stage To The Spotlight
IN HONOR OF THE FLYING GRAYSONS
Dick had no idea that Sarah's entire first line of paintings were homages to their family. He steepled his hands against his lips and blinked away tears, stunned as she removed the tarp from the first painting to show a photo of... himself.
Is that how she sees me?
For the first time in over a year, Dick was comforted by the steady, solid presence of his father who laid a hand on his shoulder as Sarah began explaining the significance of each piece in her collection.
From the wings of the stage, Jason Todd smiled.
iii. A LONG DECEMBER'S NIGHT
It was very rare to have winters in Gotham where they were snowed in at Wayne Manor. The Bat-Mobile was not configured for this kind of weather, and Bruce had little to no awareness of what the conditions were like in the city.
He decided to take that night off from being Batman. That was a rarity as well, and he found it difficult to keep himself occupied with the free time he now had. Bruce’s curiosity led him out of the study and venturing into parts of the Manor he dare not step into since his parents had passed.
Warm light streamed from under the door to Jason’s room. He was close enough to the door that he could hear music - jazz music, not something he believed Jason would like - and the soft sound of a girl’s laughter. They seemed to be talking about something.
Careful not to disturb them, Bruce lingered in the hall and peered into the bedroom through the crack in the door.
A sharp pang resounded in his chest at the sight. He hadn’t stepped foot into Jason’s room since he and Alfred had it renovated when he’d moved in. The two children were the only children in the Manor and only a door apart from one another, Jason and Sarah had given themselves corners in his bedroom to do their respective hobbies.
He noticed they rarely spent time in each other’s rooms alone. They were always together. And for someone who tended to have introverted tendencies, Bruce had noticed that Jason found his best of friends in Sarah.
Sarah was so welcoming and open to everyone.
Bruce ached for that kind of companionship himself.
The soft amber and gold glow were from the candles in the corner by the bed where Sarah was tucked in front of her easel, dark hair loose around her face and lips quirked in that brilliant smile he only ever saw her use around Jason.
Her fingers were stained with paint.
His daughter was happy. Happier than he’d ever seen her.
In the opposite corner of the room was where Jason sat at his desk in front of the window. The surface was littered with crumpled pieces of paper and the ever-growing collection of Jason’s favorite classic literature. From the angle Bruce could see him, it seemed that Jason was in the middle of writing something.
His fingers were stained with ink and his son was smiling.
“You’re gonna get cold, Jay.’’
Jason yawned and set his writings aside, standing to his feet to shuffle over to Sarah. He was usually averse to physical touch - it had taken him a considerable amount of time just to let Bruce touch him - but with Sarah, he seemed so open to it. The same way that Dick was when they were younger.
Sarah swooped into the hug before Jason could deny it to her. She'd worked with him, slow and gradual, since the moment he'd moved into the Manor on being open to accepting touches from other people. It had started with a brush of fingers and a graze of their hands. When he'd shown acceptance of that, Sarah had escalated to the same type of hugs Dick had been giving since he was nine.
It took him a moment, but Jason eventually melted into her and hid his face in her shoulder.
Bruce shut the door as quietly as he could and continued back down the hall to where Alfred resided. Those long December nights in Gotham deserved to be spent with someone other than the ghosts and the cold, empty rooms.
It wasn’t until after Bruce was gone that Sarah said, “If you’ll let me, I’d hug you forever.”
Jason had allowed himself to believe that he was not worthy of these kinds of things. He was a street kid. A thief. A liar. Why would someone like him be worthy of what Sarah was willing to give him?
Especially when it seemed like she’d given him everything?
Jason hummed quietly and lifted his eyes to meet hers, fingertips drumming against the small of her back. He didn’t feel twelve at that moment. He felt.. older. So much older. “I think I would like to hold you for the rest of my life, Sar.” He murmured. Fearful it would be interpreted exactly how he intended, Jason added, “Because you’re practically a walking furnace anyway and I’m cold.”
“Sure I am.” Sarah yawned and fisted his teeshirt in her fingers, desperately trying not to admit to that deeper part of herself that she wanted this to be something more than just being two best friends. She wanted him to be hers. “Sure I am.”
Sarah bid him goodnight with a kiss on his cheek as she swept from the room to her own. She wanted to do that again.
Jason ran his fingers over his cheek with a quiet sigh and settled under the blankets. Those long December nights in Gotham deserved to be spent with someone other than the ghosts and the cold, empty rooms.
Tonight though… tonight it was just a little bit warmer.
iv. ALL TOO FAMILIAR - BRUCE GETS SHOT
Sarah - 15
Jason - 14
She doesn’t get in front of him in time. It’s one singular goon, one who managed to slip away just long enough for Bats to forget he was there, and then the bullet has been fired and it lodges itself in a chink of Bruce’s armor that knocks him onto his knees before he can catch himself.
Sarah Grayson forgot until that moment how much she hated the color red.
Snarling, Spectral disengaged her cloaking and swept up one of the guns of the incapacitated man that Batman had managed to already take out. She didn’t hesitate to fire two shots into his kneecaps before throwing the weapon down the alleyway and kneeling to drag Batman away.
Or attempting to. He was heavy.
He was gonna kill her once he found out she hadn’t hesitated to fire that gun.
Sarah pressed her hand against her ear and hissed, “Robin. You still have your ears on?”
Jason was running comms tonight for patrol. “Yeah, Spec. I got called away for a sec.” He leaned forward to peer at the CCTV cameras spread across the Bat Computer that gave a clear view of the street and surrounding alleys and buildings. “Is B okay? What’s the situation?” He asked. “Do I need to call in Agent A?”
“I-I’ll call Gordon, tell him what happened here.” Sarah collapsed further down the alley behind the dumpster with Bruce in her arms, his head lolling uncomfortably on her shoulder as she struggled to adjust his position with the cowl on. It was dark enough that no one should be able to see his face if she took it off… “Call Nightwing. He’s already in town.” A pause. “Please.”
Before Robin could reply, she muted herself and pressed her face into Bruce’s shoulder to stifle her cry. Not you too. Not you. It can’t be you… I still need my dad. Her fingers were trembling as she pressed them deeper into his wound to staunch the blood flow. It felt too familiar. Like something she could’ve and would’ve done as a little girl to try and save her dat.
That had been different. There was no saving her parents from Zucco. Bruce thought… Bruce she could save. Bruce, she would save.
Sarah activated the tracker that routed the GCPD to Batman’s location. It wouldn’t be long now before Gordon found her.
Unless Nightwing got there first.
***
When Dick got the phone call from Jason that Bruce had been shot on patrol with Sarah, he’d frozen. It was the first time he’d allowed Bruce to affect him this deeply since their conversation at the art show.
He’d stopped letting Bruce’s words permeate his heart years ago. They would never be what they were when he was Robin. Whenever Dick was capable of making Bruce proud. Dick could take care of his own bleeding heart for the time being. Once time passed and they’d both allowed themselves to heal… maybe there would be time for reconciliation then.
What Dick was not willing to do was let Sarah lose another parent. She was still young enough to need a father and a brother and a family. Six-year-old Sarah Grayson had desperately clung to people. She needed people as much as she needed to breathe.
Nightwing did a soft roll on the floor of the alleyway and lifted his head to peer into the shadows. The GCPD had done a clean-up of the goons who had littered the alleyway before his arrival, but the Bat Mobile hadn’t been called and he could still see two heat signatures through his domino.
When he got to the dumpster, Sarah was humming. Bruce’s cowl was off and tucked by her hip. “I had to shoot them, Big Wing.” She whispered, fingers still pressed tightly to the kevlar. Dick knew the suit had been upgraded at some point to take care of sealing superficial injuries. He could see the bio-foam from where he stood above them. “The last guy. I put two in his knees. Went down hard. I… I shot someone-“
Dick kneels down and gently presses a hand to the top of her head. Sarah shudders at the contact and leans outward to seek more, a desperate need for an anchor as Bruce’s breathing remains labored beneath her hand.
“We can talk about it later. Let’s get B home. Can you walk?”
Part of Sarah wanted to shove Dick away and stomp back to the Bat-Mobile herself. Instead, she nodded and allowed her older brother to pull her to her feet after he’d situated Bruce in his embrace.
The Grayson siblings took their father home.
Dick tried not to pay attention to the red. It was everywhere, just like it had been back then.
Red is impossible to get rid of.
***
Dick knows Jason is in love with his sister. It’s been several months since he took on Robin and began building a relationship with Spectral. He’s excelling at it. This kind of life - one free of the threat of Gotham’s streets - is exactly what Jason needed to learn the difference between what living and surviving looked like.
Dick knows Jason Todd is in love with his sister because when they return to the Cave, Todd is waiting by the bathroom with Sarah’s favorite shirt and sweats and a supply of toiletries that she can shower with.
Sarah shakes her head and leans into Jason. Murmuring something only he can hear, Robin nods and together they disappear into the bathroom.
He doesn’t need to hear it to know. That same tenderness was evident in his expression when he was around Starfire.
“N.”
Dick drew his attention away from the Cave’s bathroom to the medical cot closest to him, stunned to find Bruce’s weary blue-grey eyes looking back at him. It was getting more difficult to look at his face when he looked so anguished. “B?” He said softly, wincing at how young he sounded. Dick couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt or heard such pain within himself willingly.
Calloused fingers wound around his wrist. Bruce was trying to say something, to tell him something he’d always had difficulty saying when he was in the wrong.
His father took a deep breath and allowed his eyes to close before he murmured, “I’m sorry.” so lowly that Dick nearly didn’t hear him. Despite the obvious strain to his voice and the way he was favoring his left side, Dick knew Bruce was telling the truth. He was sorry. Sorry for everything that had happened since he’d left the Manor.
“I know.” He said gently. It wasn’t an I forgive you, but it was a start.
When Alfred hushes his frantic questions following Bruce falling asleep, Dick returns his attention to the bathroom. Sarah and Jason had just removed themselves from it.
His little sister seems so.. small. Jason had most definitely started puberty given how much taller he’d gotten since the art show - coupled with his training as Robin over the last year or more - and was with some difficulty able to hoist Sarah into his arms.
Dick swallowed his pride - which was already such a hard thing to do - and crossed the Cave to rest a hand on Jason’s shoulder. The younger Robin’s eyes narrowed as he tilted his head upward to meet Dick’s gaze.
“Can I help you, Dickface?”
Dick couldn’t help the snort that followed his indignant question. “You’re on the right track of maintaining your obnoxious younger brother status, Jaybird.” Dick mused. “I thought you could use some help. I’ll take it from here.”
The hesitance to give in was quite obvious. Jason chewed lightly on his lip and eased Sarah into her brother’s arms, gaze softening as she settled against his shoulder and promptly fell asleep.
Dick Grayson knew Jason Todd was in love with his little sister. Jason just didn’t know it yet.
He flashed a grin and winked. “I’m proud of you, kid. You’re living up to the name.” He said. “Keep it up.” Dick paused mid-stride to then look at Jason over his shoulder before he moved toward the elevator. “And Jay? Thank you.”
That was the silent agreement they’d made at the art show: Protect Sarah, no matter the cost.
Jason nodded. There wasn’t much else he could say.
And with that Dick was gone, leaving Jason alone in the Bat Cave with the gentle thrum of Bruce’s heartbeat resounding in the background.
He fell asleep with his head resting on the bed beside Bruce.
v. GRADUAL AND GENTLE, LOVING YOU IS THAT WAY
Sarah - 16
Jason - 15
Jason was almost positive he was dead. There was no way he was hearing this correctly. Sarah was one of the best and most well-known artists in Gotham, well on the rise with gaining a reputation for herself despite still being so young.
That was what happened in the Wayne spotlight.
Jason had grown more confident in his abilities as a writer and a student, excelling above all the other kids in literature and English. Bruce had even gotten him the beginnings of this first edition collection for his bedroom last Christmas. If this was Heaven, he never wanted to leave.
“You want to-“ Wow, was that a voice crack? Stupid puberty. “You want to what?”
“I want you to kiss me.” Sarah lightly tapped her lips. “Come on Jay, we’re teenagers! Who else are we going to learn how to do it from?”
Bruce and Alfred had both left for a Wayne Enterprises event earlier that evening with the promise of returning with Bat Burger after it was over. Their departure left Jason and Sarah alone in the Manor for several hours.
Jason had spent all four hours, six minutes, and fifty-three seconds thinking about this exact scenario.
Instead of that false, confident bravado he often wore as Robin, Jason Todd took one look at the impatient younger Grayson and shifted uneasily on his feet. Dick had already known for three years he was in love with his sister.
Sarah had remained clueless. Jason was thrilled. The last thing he needed was for his best friend to realize he’d harbored a serious crush on her for years.
“But Bruce is going to be home soon, and Alfred-“
“Are not here, Jay,” Sarah said softly as she stepped into his space. Taking his hands in her own, she lightly rested them on her waist and wound her fingers into the hair at the nape of his neck. “What is there to be nervous about? It’s just me.”
Yeah, the girl I’m in love with.
Jason steeled his expression and gave a short nod as he attempted to relax the tension in his shoulders. “Nothing,” He said. “You’re the-“ Oh… screw this, I’m not this sappy romantic idiot.
“I know Mr. Hates His Feelings gets it from Dad,” Sarah grinned and lightly tugged on his hair, curling her fingers into the dark strands as she watched his expression flicker from uncertainty to eagerness. He seemed to want it as much as she did, but wasn’t sure how to approach it in a way that wouldn’t ruin their deeply bonded friendship. “But you’ve known since the start you can trust me with anything. What was our first secret?”
“Whatever is said in the den, stays in the den,” Jason repeated. “We need a cooler name than The Den. It’s boring.”
Sarah laughed and shook her head. “We’ll get to that,” She said. “Now I want you to close your eyes and take a deep breath. We’re alone. There’s nowhere else in Gotham as safe as where we are standing right now. I want this.”
She leaned forward to slowly press her forehead to his own. The silent question hung in the air as Jason slowly curled his fingers into the fabric of her handmade DISCOWING t-shirt she’d made as a joke over Dick’s most appalling Nightwing attire.
Jason’s quiet admission of, “Me too.” was what prompted that last little bit of courage she needed to close the gap between them.
It’s not elegant or mind-blowing or anything like she thought it would be. It’s awkward and they’re not sure what to do with their hands but the ease she feels is what prompts Sarah to press her lips to Jason’s just a little bit harder.
Jason’s hands move to cup her cheeks as they slowly break apart, and that idiot is smiling so brightly she wants to engrave it into her brain and never forget what it looks like.
“How does that go for a first kiss, Grayson?” He mused, laughing as scarlet dusted Sarah’s cheeks. She enjoyed it more than Jason was anticipating. “You know-“
“Know what?” Sarah asked.
“If you wanted to do that again, I wouldn’t mind.”
It’s quite the picturesque moment then. Sarah Grayson, so simple and so beautiful all the same, sixteen years old and the image of gentleness cradled in the arms of someone who had never quite learned what that meant.
And Jason Todd, who would give her the entire world in his hands, no matter what it took him to get there.
“That’s good,” She whispered. “Because we’ve got a lot of learning to do, Todd.”