Work Text:
"What a sweet kid!" Someone says, pinching Jason's cheeks.
"Bruce has such a good eye to adopt good kids."
"Indeed, this little one looks like a gentleman at such young age."
It's shocking. Bruce isn't here to listen but his peers don't stop lying. Jason isn't sweet. He isn't a kid to flourish in high society. Jason is... He isn't sure exactly what kind of kid he is beyond someone who is trying—every day, every night—trying so hard to fill Robin's boots.
Stupid people. Stupid party, Jason thinks, giving his all to stay silent with a smiley face.
"This party is a circus!" Jason says loudly, closing the kitchen door behind him. Sadly, Alfred isn't here.
But someone else is.
"A circus is a far better place than Wayne Galas. Trust me, I'm a reliable source." The young man talking is taller than Jason remembers. He looks exhausted like he hasn't slept well in a few days. Despite that, the dark bags under his eyes don't take away the kindness in his eyes.
"Were you escaping from Bruce's ass-kissers? I get it. They can be quite annoying." Dick speaks and moves with ease as if he still lived here. He grabs an apple and offers it to Jason.
Jason shakes his head. He doesn't want an apple or Dick's empathy. He wants the party to end, so everyone leaves, and he can think in peace again.
"What about water? You look dehydrated." Dick doesn't shut up. He opens the refrigerator door to pick up a bottle of water and hands it to Jason.
"I never said I wanted water!" Jason screams, pushing Dick's hand away. He's bothered by people like Dick, who accept him right away and claim to care for him. It's unknown territory.
"Oh, my bad. I shouldn't have pretended I was asking," Dick smiles lightly, but behind his eyes, it's easy to see he's calculating something. "You need water because your skin looks dehydrated, so here, have a bottle of water."
Jason scoffs, "pushy," but takes it. Though he is, indeed, thirsty, he won't drink from the bottle yet. Not giving Dick the satisfaction to be right is his newfound purpose as a young brother.
"You're overwhelmed by big crowds," Dick says as a matter of fact, studying attentively Jason's reactions.
"That's stupid!" Jason shouts out, feeling reduced to a kid.
"Doesn't mean I'm wrong."
Dick is not wrong.
Just a year ago, Jason would have been a stranger in the manor, but now he is not. As an official member of the Wayne family, he would like to ask all the strangers to leave.
"You need a place to hide." Dick is so certain about it that Jason believes it too. "Follow me, I'll show you my hidden den."
Jason doesn't want to be the type of brother that does everything the eldest says. Still, he follows Dick upstairs to the top floor of the manor, where they sneak into a hidden door, and then walk into a secret room. The door is locked but Dick has an old key that unlocks the door effortlessly. "I replaced the lock to make it my own place," Dick says with pride.
And Dick is not wrong, again. This place screams Dick Grayson, the only flying Grayson left. The trapezes are now chairs, the floor is covered in brightly coloured mats, and there's a huge bed that could fit Dick and the Titans.
"What do you think? Do you like it?" Dick sits on the bed, takes off his jacket and his shoes.
"It's... fine," Jason says, looking around. He turns to Dick to say something snarky, but then he notices the bandages on Dick's arms. "What the hell, Dick? What happened?" In spite of himself, he sounds alarmed.
"Missions... sometimes we need to sacrifice a part of ourselves to save someone." Dick is no longer smiling.
"Bro... that's not... it's not okay." Expressing his feelings doesn't come naturally to him. It's like he has forgotten how to speak. Fortunately, exhaustion catches up with Dick, so Jason doesn't have to keep talking.
The hours pass by and Jason doesn't have the heart to leave Dick sleeping alone.
When the morning comes, Jason wakes up feeling hopeful, only to realize that Dick is gone, and only Alfred is there to greet him.
"Master Richard asked me to bring you hot chocolate before he left. He said he was sorry for leaving so soon, but the Titans requested his help for urgent matters."
"More urgent than breakfast, I guess," Jason jokes with a sad smile.
Alfred must've seen the sadness in his eyes, for he added, "I assure you Master Jason that Master Richard left reluctantly."
"Right."
"And he left you this."
It's a key to Dick's secret place.