Chapter Text
Alfred had told him that he would take him to a pub in England once he turned 18. Jason didn’t plan on dying before he was old enough to drink. He didn’t plan on dying twice before he was old enough to drink overseas.
He was mostly himself again since the first fiasco, when one night Talia entered the room he decided to share with her son. Damian was sleeping quietly as she sat down on Jason’s makeshift floor bed.
“Do you think he knows I love him?”
He hadn’t expected the first thing out of her mouth to be anything other than an order. He turned to face her, but she was looking at her sleeping child.
“Course he does. Feel like most kids assume their mom loves them.”
“I know I’m harsh on him sometimes. But I would rather he make mistakes in front of me than my father.”
Talia, like many in the league, carried many scars indicating years of violent corrections. Despite her frequent encounters with the pit, some scars remain. Just like the Y shaped scar on Jason’s chest, Talia had a jagged line across her throat.
“When I was eight years old, my father slit my throat for interrupting a meeting with a king he planned to kill anyway. He immediately threw me in the Lazarus pit, but he wanted me to know what dying felt like.” Jason couldn’t say he was surprised. If things were hard in the league now, he couldn’t imagine how it was when it was first starting out. Talia was like a general, so before her Ra’s was the only one calling the shots. The old man was mostly cold and calculating, but anyone who bathed in the pit that often was bound to have a temper.
“Sounds like you had a great role model for parenting.”
“I actually did, my Beloved. Even if I thought you were brats, I watched how he took care of you and Grayson.”
“I wouldn’t say he is the best example. B is the most emotionally constipated person on this planet.”
“Well, he seemed pretty competent when we were together. The second he got drunk, he would sob about how much he loves his family. Really ruined the mood.” Jason couldn’t help but laugh. Talia had never been so informal, and it was quite surprising in comparison to her usual composure.
“I do not want to hear about you trying to sleep with my dad.”
“You know we have. Our son is right in front of us.” She chuckled, before looking again at the ground sadly.
“You cannot tell my father. But I have a plan to leave this place.”
“Ra’s will kill you if you get caught.”
“We won’t. But I will need your help. I want you to guard this room with your life. This window is the only one with a route out of sight of the watchtowers.”
Jason just nodded.
“You will see us again. My Beloved will come for you. If not, I will.”
Talia kissed Damian on the head, before doing the same to Jason.
“You make a wonderful big brother.”
She left the room quietly, leaving Jason on the blanket covered floor with his thoughts.