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Chili Dogs, some loved them, others hated them, and others didn't know they existed. But Jason? Oh, Jason loved them more than life itself. This wouldn't be the best comparison seeing as how he was planning to make a helmet with a bomb inside but still. Chilli Dogs were great. What wasn't great was talking to people to get said Chili Dogs.
To talk to the people, Jason Todd, who had been legally dead for the past three years, had to leave his safe house. Which would put him at risk. What risks one might ask, the risk was his "Father" Bruce Wayne. Jason still saw him as his father. The father who didn't kill his murderer to avenge Jason. The father who covered his death up, stopping him from getting justice.
All in all, getting Chilli Dogs was a pain in the ass for Jason nowadays. Which sucked. But one had to make sacrifices for chill dogs and Jason Peter Todd was no quitter! So he put on his red hoodie with a fluffy cap, blue jeans, and red sneakers and headed out. He still had his soft black curls. But now had a streak of white hair on his forehead. Due to stress. Talia must be lying as he had overheard Ra's saying that Jason had just gone grey early, which, if it was true. Jason should be getting back in his grave because what the fu-
He shook his head. No. Don't think about it. Chilli Dogs. He had to get those damn delicious Chilli Dogs. So setting his head straight he marched to a higher district of Gotham to get to the restaurant which sold the best Chilli Dogs in Gotham (In Hindsight he should’ve stuck to the alley.) He entered the cafe, gave his order at the counter, and then sat down at a table. A person sitting at a table away from him. A black-haired and blue-eyed someone. He scrolled through his phone, reading some Shakespearean fanfiction when he heard his name being called by a familiar voice.
“Jason….?” Jason’s blood ran cold, he, slowly, very slowly, looked up from his phone to the man sitting one table away from him. It was Bruce. Oh fuck no, Bruce’s eyes widened and he stood up. “Jason, is it you!?” He asked, sounding frantic. Jason had two options. Lie and fail miserably or run. He chose the second one. Shooting up from his seat he bolted out of the cafe, ignoring Bruce’s yells for him to wait.
He didn’t look back, but he knew Bruce was chasing him. “LEAVE ME ALONE ASSHOLE!” Jason yelled. “JASON STOP!” Bruce yelled back, like hell, he would. He ran faster, forgetting he needed to breathe, rushing past crowded streets and diving into random alleys to lose Bruce, but he was still hot on his trail! Goddammit! Alas, it had to come to an end, as when Jason was about to jump onto a fire escape he was tackled onto the ground from behind. “WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU!?” Jason screamed in rage.
Bruce? Well he couldn’t believe his eyes, it was Jason, the same face but more adult, the curls, although some were white, and the rage behind those green eyes…Jason had blue eyes, it wasn’t hard to piece together what happened.
Bruce turned Jason around, sitting on his stomach. All air was squeezed out of Jason. He was about to ask Bruce what he thought he was doing, but his voice died when he saw the look in Bruce's eye. The look that he received when he let out a stream of disgusting swear words, snuck out at night to go to the library. Snuck away to help Eddie, Donna. The look meant that he was screwed.
"How.long.were.you.alive." Bruce's voice and tone broke no argument. "You can't ju-" Jason tried to say. "HOW LONG!?" Bruce demanded. "Th-Three years…" Jason muttered. "Three years. You were alive. For three fucking years." Bruce was visibly seething. Jason however was cursing his tastebuds and stomach for wanting Chilli Dogs this damn day.
His thoughts were interrupted when Bruce grabbed him by the throat as he got off of him and hefted him up. "You have no idea how much trouble you are in…" Bruce said darkly, Jason tried to get his hand off but Bruce's grip was unwavering on his throat. "Don't you dare." Bruce growled. Then he shifted his grip to Jason's ear instead and pulled him forward.
A few rooftops ago Talia al ghul rubbed her temples and sighed at the sight of her ex-lover dragging her child away. She knew she should've kept him with her.
***
"Bruce please you've dragged me by the ear through the entire city- you cannot ban me from reading-"
"DO NOT TELL ME WHAT I CAN'T OR CAN DO YOUNG MAN!" Bruce snapped as he pulled Jason onto the threshold of the manor. Alfred came barreling out of the kitchen to see what the ruckus was about and froze when he saw the father-son duo. "Master Jason? How in the world are you-"
"He crawled out of his grave and Talia took him. He regained consciousness via the Lazarus pit but didn't reach out to me once. Do not let him leave his room and remove all the books from there." Bruce said firmly pulling Jason forward, Jason's ear was completely red by now.
***
Dick sighed as he flopped down onto his couch to stretch, it had been a stressful day at work. There was one strange thing, however. He had been getting this strange feeling all day…He checked his phone, 55 missed calls from Bruce??? Well that didn't happen often. He checked the news app, and his eyes almost fell out of their sockets. “Bruce Wayne spotted dragging a familiar looking young man by the ear, later confirmed to be Jason Todd, his first adoptive child thought to be dead.”
Dick pinched himself, just a little after it was proven that yes he was in the world of the awake and not in the world of dreams he grabbed the keys of his bike.
***
“TIM TIM TIM TIM TIM-” Bart barged into Tim Drake’s room at titans tower, he had to know this! Tim sat there on his computer, sipping coffee. “What’s up, Bart?”
Bart looks at him. “Dude why are you up, it’s 2 in the morning,” Bart said squinting at him. “Irrelevant, what did you want?” Bart blinked and shook his head, he zoomed over to Tim, i-pad in his hand, and shoved it under the dark-haired teen’s nose.
Tim’s eyes widened and he dropped his coffee cup. Bart caught it. “Bart, can you give me a lift to Gotham?”
“SURE!”
***
“Mrs. Thompkins?” Stephanie said looking for the doctor at the clinic, “Yes Steph?” Mrs Thompkins replied coming out of the room. “I have to go back to Gotham, it’s important.”
Leslie raised an eyebrow “Why’s that?”
“I just have to.”
***
Cassandra Cain was already on her way back to Gotham when Oracle contacted her.
***
“You know Ace, it’s not fair. First, he doesn’t kill the Joker, replaces me, then he grounds me? Like Dick would stay at the Titans for months! Drake is allowed to drink coffee! I wasn’t allowed to do either of those things!” Ace ruffed and just burrowed himself deeper into Jason’s lap, Jason sighed and rubbed the overgrown pup's belly, as he sat on his bed, his legs chained to it. He could break them, but Bruce would have his head if he left again.
Then he heard a bunch of footsteps coming from the hallway, Ace raised his head, his tail wagging. His door flew open revealing Dick, Babs, Tim Drake, and Cassandra Cain. Oh, Joy. “JAY!?” Dick exclaimed as Babs wheeled over to him with Dick. Ace jumped up on his bed, his tail wagging. “Dickface. Barbie.” Jason said grumpily, Dick poked him on the cheek and then pulled him in a hug. Babs joined them, Jason sighed and patted them on their backs.
“Can you let me out of these chains? Bruce put me here…” Jason asked Dick and Babs, they looked at each other, Bruce’s warning still fresh in their minds. “Yeah, I don’t think that’s a good idea.” Dick said, Jason sighed, Cass walked over in his line of sight and waved. Well, at least he wouldn’t be bored.
***
Sleeping while he was chained to the bed, well this was an experience, what surprised him was when someone broke his window with a brick. Jason sprang up, he spotted a figure, in a purple-clad costume, and a black mask with white lenses, it took its mask off revealing a blonde girl. Jason blinked, “Stephanie Brown?” He asked as she nodded. “Good, you already know me. Listen I’ll break you out but you gotta make me waffles and the best mashed potatoes you can make.”
“Deal, I got the materials at my safehouse.”
***
Bruce rubbed his eyes as he walked toward his son’s room. Alfred was right, chaining Jason to the bed was too harsh, he should be talking to him about his insolence of not telling him that he had been alive. He knocked and then entered, maybe he should let him read again…But as he entered, he didn’t see his son on the bed. Which was strange, seeing as how he was 6 feet now..then he saw the window.
“JASOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONNNNNN”
***
“I feel like I am in danger….” Jason said as he took a bite of his waffle. Steph shrugged, he probably was.