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The date was the 25th of August.
All was peace and quiet until a voice exclaimed “Fuck, it’s Peter’s birthday!”
The alarm on Duke’s bedside table hadn’t rung, despite him being almost certain he had turned it on last night. His bed was warm and the urge to just stay in bed was big, but not bigger than the guilt that had settled in his stomach, he had forgotten all about Peter’s birthday.
Frantically he fumbled for his phone, finding it under his bed with no battery, the search for a charger began, he looked everywhere, under his bed, on his bedside table, in his dresser but it was nowhere to be found, life hated him, he should have just stayed in bed.
Jason!
Jason had to have a gift for the agent.
Duke’s faith in humanity was restored and he got dressed quickly, surely Jason wouldn’t mind sharing the gift with him? Right? He was the favourite sibling of Jason’s, so that would help.
His socks didn’t match.
Did that really matter? No. Duke chose to live life on the edge.
A carton stood on his kitchen counter, it was apple juice, he had forgotten to put it in the fridge yesterday. Still he unscrewed the cap and emptied it, it was lukewarm and the taste was slightly off, in an attempt to save himself from unnecessary worry he didn’t check the expiration date and just threw the carton away. Ignorance was bliss.
He had to lock his door to be able to leave his place and go over to beg Jason to share the gift. Problem? He didn’t know where his keys were, he felt like he had looked everywhere, the fridge, the kitchen counter, the bathroom when he brushed his teeth, his bed, under his bed, the list continued.
If this was Gotham he wouldn’t have bothered to lock the door, if people wanted to break in they would do it no matter what. New York was honestly a mystery to Duke, sure some people had class, while others were like him; desperate to succeed in the world.
He didn’t lock the door.
When he reached his car he realised that it didn’t have any fuel. Glancing to the side he saw Jason’s forgotten motorcycle, it wouldn’t hurt to borrow it.
The feeling you got when you rode a motorcycle was unmatched, he didn’t get why Bruce insisted on using the Batmobile, perhaps it was in an attempt to lure new kids towards him. It had worked once, so why not try again? (Preferably without getting the kid killed)
He parked the motorcycle a few houses down from June’s place, he didn’t want to piss off Jason right now, he needed a miracle in a box right now, and it hurt to admit it but his adopted brother was his only hope right now.
There was a ladder situated nearby the balcony that belonged to Jason’s apartment. Duke decided to scale it, it would be quicker and it was there, so why not climb?
He didn’t bother to knock on the window, he just unlocked it and walked in.
“Honey I’m home!!”
A shocked sound sounded from the closet, and then a string of words that best not be repeated. A scowling Jason walked out of the closet. Shame, he really did belong in there.
“I don’t want what you’re selling” He said trying to hide a smile on his face, Duke had to wonder sometimes if Bruce’s emotional constipation was infectioness.
“Great” Duke smiled “We are sharing the present for Peter, right?”
Jason’s smile dropped, and a calculating look appeared “What date is it?”
“The 25th of August” Duke replied, he looked around Jason’s apartment, surely he had a phone charger?
“Fuck, it’s Peter’s birthday!” Jason sounded panicked “Did you really not buy a gift?”
“I thought you did!” Duke exclaimed, he was looking in a kitchen drawer, no charger in sight.
…But, an idea popped into his head.
“We can bake a cake!” Duke held up a cake mix “You just have to decorate it nicely”
“Huh” Jason let out a contemplative noise “You aren’t that stupid”
The pair began preparing for baking, Duke turned on the oven at 220°C, Jason found a bowl and eggs. It was clear to see why Jason was allowed in the kitchen and why Duke had been banned just like the remainder of the family. Jason poured in the cake mix and the rest of the ingredients, then he had asked Duke to stir it around.
Within minutes there was cake batter everywhere, but the end result was what mattered, the batter was poured into a pan that Jason had sprayed with butter.
“Do you have a phone charger?” Duke asked.
“A what…?”
“Phone charger, to charge my phone” He held up his old phone, it was battered and the screen was cracked, but it still worked.
Jason squinted his eyes “What brand is that even?”
Duke laughed “I don’t know, Tim gave me it without an explanation.”
“Mhm…” Jason opened a small decorative box on the kitchen counter to reveal chargers for every phone. Duke didn’t dare to question it, he was just thankful that he could get his phone charged.
***************
The alarm for the cake rang, and Duke was tasked with taking it out the oven, equipped with oven mitts he prepared for the task, quickly he bowed down and snatched the cake nearly throwing it on the table to get it out of his hands, the oven mitts didn’t fucking work.
“What the actual fuck Jason.” Duke yelled out as he ran his hands under cold water.
“Huh?” Jason looked confused, he was stirring some icing.’
“The oven mitts!”
“What?”
“Oh, yeah just act like you didn’t know they didn’t work”
“They don’t?” Jason raised an eyebrow “Are you sure?”
He walked over and tried the mitts on and held up the cake, demonstrating that he apparently had no sense of warmth and cold.
“I don’t see a problem?”
“I hope you die again,” Duke said, frowning.
“Shut up, buttercup”
Jason took over assembling the cake, and smearing icing over it, it wasn’t the prettiest cake, but alas it was homemade. Peter better be thankful for it.
“So,” Jason trailed off, “are we driving in your car?”
Duke’s smile fell off his face “Haha… about that”
************
A powerful motor could be heard making its way down their street. Peter shook his head, he loathed people who seeked out attention by making their vehicles louder than necessary.
El was at work, so he and Satchmo were sitting and watching the game. Later he and El were going to a new restaurant that had just opened, he couldn’t say he was excited, he would rather just have a barbeque.
The doorbell rang and Satchmo jumped up in excitement running over to the door barking. Peter was forced to leave the comfort of the sofa, he walked over and opened the door, revealing Jones and… Neal?
“What happened?” Peter sighed, he didn’t want to deal with Neal’s problems right now, not on his birthday.
“-Happy Birthday!” Jones said smiling.
“-A welcome would have been nice” Neal said scowling, he was in a bad mood.
The two voices overlapped. Neal was holding a white cake box, Peter felt a swell in his stomach, they had remembered his birthday.
“Thank you Jones. ”
A scoff escaped Neal, Satchmo wasn’t the best at reading the room so he jumped up against Neal, he was close to loosing his balance.
“Come in before we smear cake on our front steps.”
The pair followed him inside, Jones was wearing mismatched socks, it didn’t surprise Peter, he had seen the state of his apartment, he felt like he needed to sign a paper stating that he wouldn’t sue if he got injured upon making it further inside.
Gently Neal put down the cake box, the game was still on the television so Peter went over to turn down the volume.
“What kind of cake is it?”
“That’s a surprise!” Neal said, a small smile crept up on his face.
Tenderly he opened up the box to reveal… A banged up cake.
“I told you-” Neal turned towards Jones “A motorcycle isn’t great for transporting cakes!”
Jones shrugged “It probably still tastes good.”