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"I have a problem," Dick said when he stuck his head into the room at the manor where Damian was trying to figure out his bow tie.
"I don't know how to tie these either," Damian said, glancing at Dick's reflection in the full-length mirror.
"What? No," Dick shook his head and slipped inside, shutting the door behind him. "Jason's gone."
"I beg your pardon?"
"I just went to his room to go over a few things for the ceremony," Dick said as he hurried over with a piece of paper in his hand. "And this was on the bed, but Jason was gone."
"Let me," Damian said, sticking out his hand to take the letter.
Roy,
I'm sorry. I can't let you do this. I love you too much to let you fuck up your life by marrying me.
-J. T.
Damian read it over three times, flipped it over to see if there was any indication of where he might be, any more explanation, anything. But there were just the words written there that told Damian that Jason had gotten cold feet.
"I don't know what to do," Dick shook his head. "I can't take that letter to Roy, it'll break his heart."
"How much longer do we have?" Damian asked diving for his phone on the nightstand.
"It's 10 now, ceremony is at 4, so we have time," Dick shrugged. "But Roy's going to be getting ready, and I can't let him walk down the aisle either knowing Jason won't meet him there."
"Richard-"
"I mean, Roy's my best friend, how am I supposed to tell him that the other groom ran off? It'll kill him."
"But I could-"
"He's going to be crushed. Oh, God, what the hell am I going to do?"
"You are going to get yourself together and stay here," Damian said, tossing his un-tied bow tie onto the bed and undoing his dress pants. He reached for the jeans he wore the day before and started to change. "Don't tell anyone until I come back."
"Where are you going?"
"I'm going to find Ahki," Damian said as he wiggled into his jeans and did them up. "Give me your car keys."
"What if someone notices the cars missing?"
"Just cover for us," Damian said, holding out his hand. "Richard, now."
"Alright, here," Dick pulled his keys out of his pocket and slapped them into Damian's palm. "Do you have any idea where he is? I think he turned his phone off, I can't track it."
"I have a few ideas," Damian nodded. "Just don't tell anyone he's gone."
"I can try," Dick said taking a deep breath. "Good luck."
It only took Damian a half an hour to find Jason.
He was a creature of habit, though he never liked to admit it, and when he was struggling with something he always liked to be home, near Park Row.
Damian spotted his bike parked out in front of a diner, one he remembered sitting in while Jason stopped a mugging years ago. That was the night that inspired him to get back into the vigilante game, to become Red Hood.
The diner was full, since it was a Saturday morning, but he saw Jason easily with his dark t-shirt and jeans at the bar counter. He had a mug of coffee steaming in front of him, and a plate of toast that looked mostly untouched.
Luckily, the seat beside him was open.
"How'd you find me?" Jason asked, wrapping his hands around his coffee mug and staring into it like it held all the answers.
"Don't insult my intelligence," Damian scoffed, reaching for a piece of toast. "Though I am a little insulted you ran out and didn't mention it to me."
"I was worried you'd talk me out of it," Jason mumbled. "Like you're here to do right now."
"Ahki, I'm here because I love you," Damian said, leaning against his shoulder. "And you are struggling. You always talk to me when you're struggling."
"I love you too, Habibi," Jason whispered, finally turning to look at him, giving him a kiss on his forehead.
"And you love Roy," Damian mumbled, still keeping his head on Jason's shoulder.
"Of course I do."
"Yet you are here," Damian pointed out. "Why?"
Jason took a deep breath, then another. Damian gave him the chance to collect his thoughts and reached for another piece of toast. He hadn't eaten breakfast yet anyway.
"My whole life has just been a disaster," Jason said, pushing his coffee mug over to Damian. "Everything just crashes and burns. And I can't let that happen to Roy. I don't want to ruin his life."
"Not everything, Ahki," Damian said, taking a sip of coffee. It wasn't very good, and he grimaced, which made Jason chuckle.
"What haven't I destroyed?"
"Me," Damian mumbled. "Ahki, you gave up everything to give me a childhood, and a life that was safe and happy. Without you, I don't know what would have happened to me."
Jason was quiet for a few moments, then wrapped his arm around Damian's shoulders, pulling him in for a side hug.
"You are a good person, Ahki," Damian whispered. "You loved me and cared for me even when I made that difficult to do. You became a father to a child that was not wanted by his family, and I won't let you think that everything you touch becomes disaster, because that was the best thing you ever did for me. It wasn't a disaster."
"Honey-"
"Let me finish," Damian said, sitting up to look at Jason. He looked as though he hadn't slept, his eyes teary and bloodshot and dark circles under them. His hair was messy, and he had stubble that he usually shaved. "Ahki, you gave up everything for me, to make me happy. And now, you deserve to make yourself happy. And I've never seen you happier than you have been with Roy."
Jason took a shakey breath and pulled Damian in for a full hug, arms tight around him.
"Honey, you are the best thing to ever happen to me," Jason whispered as he let him go. Damian's own eyes welled up at that, and the thought that Jason thought so low of himself that he thought everything he touched was destroyed. "Don't cry, Dames, you're making me cry."
Damian let out a half sob, half laugh as Jason thumbed away the tears at his water line, stroking his cheek that still had a little baby fat.
"Don't throw everything away because you're scared," Damian whispered, leaning into Jason's palm.
"I don't know if Roy would even want to marry me after that," Jason shook his head. "I left him a fucking letter-"
"He doesn't know about it," Damian said, letting Jason's hand fall. "Richard found it and told me. I told him not to tell anyone until I came back."
Jason took a deep breath.
"I also need your help tying my bow tie," Damian said, and Jason laughed.
"Alright, babes, let's get back to the manor," Jason said, taking a twenty dollar bill out of his pocket and setting it on the counter. "I'll show you how to tie a bow tie."
The garden looked beautiful, which was a testament to Alfred's care and attention to detail. Roses were blooming, fountains were sparkling, and not a leaf was put of place.
Jason took a deep breath as he walked up the aisle with Dick, who was officiating. Their friends and family all turned to stare at them, smiling, crying, and generally exuding happiness to a nauseating degree.
He was the one who said yes in the first place. The one who saw the scribbly little signs their children and friends made to ask for Jason's hand.
Of course he wanted to marry him.
"You ready?" Dick asked when they got to the front, and Jason nodded. He was beyond ready.
He watched the best man and maid of honor, Damian and Lian, walk down the aisle arm in arm. Damian was in a light gray suit with a gray vest and a sage green bow tie that brought out the green in his eyes, and Lian was in a dress of the same shade that made her look so much older than 11.
Damian gave his arm a reassuring squeeze as he moved into place beside him.
"Try not to look so nauseous," Damian whispered, and Jason scowled at him. Damian childishly stuck his tongue out in response.
Though he did feel a little queasy. That was more a product of standing up in front of all of these people.
Roy came walking down next, wearing a dark grey suit that looked incredibly handsome on him. Jason's stomach fluttered, watching the love of his life walk down the aisle towards him.
"Welcome friends and family to the joyous wedding of Roy Harper and Jason Todd," Dick started, and Roy laughed. "I'm honored to be here today performing the wedding of one of my best friends and my brotber."
Jason zoned out a little as he stared at Roy, their joined hands, his smile, and the little girl grinning over his shoulder.
"Now, Jason and Roy have chosen to write their own vows, so, Roy?" Dick said, and Roy turned around for Lian to hand him a folded up piece of paper.
"Jason," Roy started, then took a deep breath. "I've said before that I'm not the best with words. But, I think what really happens is that words aren't enough to say everything I feel about you. You are kind, and selfless, and smart, and I love you. I never thought I'd love someone as much as I love you. And I promise to spend the rest of my life trying to express that to you, better than I can with words."
"You are a man of action," Jason nodded, and Roy winked at him.
"Jay," Dick said, turning to him for his own vows.
Jason turned around to get his paper from Damian, but he wasn't getting it. Damian raised a brow at him, and Jason got the message.
"Roy," Jason started when he turned back, Roy's brows furrowed slightly. "When I got up this morning, all I could think was that you were making a mistake because everything I touch turns to a disaster."
Roy started to shake his head, but Jason grabbed his hand to stop him.
"And I love you too much to see you do that. But then, someone helped me realize that's not the case. And that I was just scared to be happy for once. Because you make me happier than I thought was ever possible. You accepted me, and my family, without hesitation. And I love you so much. You made us feel safe and loved and like we deserved this happiness."
"Because you do," Roy whispered, then he leaned forward to grab Jason's face and pull him in for a kiss.
"Hold on, we have like 3 more steps before that part," Dick said, and Jason and Roy pulled back laughing.
"So, you got over your cold feet," Roy said when he found Jason sitting at their table during the reception. They hadn't had much time just the two of them what with all the photos and toasts and food and child-wrangling when Damian and Lian went rogue with the cake cutting and started throwing cake at each other.
"You knew?" Jason asked as Roy sat down.
"Of course I knew," Roy chuckled. "Dick isn't very good at keeping secrets like that. Besides, I saw Damian leave."
"It wasn't anything about you, Roy," Jason sighed.
"I know," he nodded. "But Damian is right. You deserve happiness."
Jason looked at the dance floor where Damian and Tim were dancing together, giggling like children. Lian was dancing with Dick, standing on his feet like she was a little girl again.
"This morning I would have told you that you're wrong," Jason sighed. "But not everything I do ends in disaster like I thought. Because marrying you could never be a disaster."
"And because you have Damian," Roy said, and Jason nodded. "You're such a good person, Jaybird. And I'm so lucky to have you in my life."
"I love you," Jason said, and Roy leaned in to give him a kiss, deep and sweet and faintly tasting like cigarettes.
"You know, I don't think anyone is paying attention," Roy said, nodding to everyone swinging around the dance floor. "I don't think they'll notice if we disappear for a little while."
"Yeah?" Jason asked, raising a brow. "Let's go."
The two of them got up from their seats, linking hands and heading for the manor as discretely as possible. No one noticed them, except Damian, whi caught Jason's eye through the crowd and smiled softly at him.
Jason gave him a wink, and Damian was off and dancing to be the center of attention, giving them the cover they needed to escape together.