Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Chapter One - Let the Bamboozling Commence!

"Goodness gracious. I've been bamboozled!"

Artemis had a daughter! He was staring at the child that had seemingly fallen from the skies in an ungodly manner. A mini replica of Artemis, with her own set of armor plates adorning her little shoulders, and her hair, one red swoop. The same as her mother's. Oh my God. Artemis was a mother. The realization hit him hard once again. A fucking mother! He kept staring back and forth between the child and his girlfriend. "Oh my!", he managed to press out. Artemis waved her daughter towards them. "Come here, Akila, meet Jason; he is my..." she smiled innocently. "Boyfriend."

Jason had always liked their apartment. Yes, it was barely big enough for the three of them, especially for Brian's ass. Also, it was in a shady part of town. Near some brothels, and yes, there was also a trash burning facility nearby. But he didn't mind. He didn't mind at all. After the vastness of the manor, the sterile environment of the Ra's Al Ghul compounds, the streets, and even his run-down safe houses, it felt cozy. It was a space for only the three of them. A small kitchen and bunk beds included. Granted, after Artemis and him had become more... intimate, it had been a bit more difficult to deal with the lack of space, but...

"Fuck, we really need to move out", he muttered.

He was kneeling on the floor between piles and piles of clothes and boxes, and there was barely any space left for him to enjoy his book. Three grown-ass adults and a child? Hell no! How could he have been so naive?

"Jay!"

Akila leaped towards him headfirst, like a red-hazed bull. She grunted as she jumped up, nostrils flared. Jason braced himself; he could already see her elbow dangerously nearing his groin. He turned to the side, dropping his book, as he caught her arm.

"Nice try, Aki."

Akila was struggling to escape from Jason's grip when he finally let loose. A pair of emerald eyes were now looking at him accusingly.

"Why did you stop, Jay? I was trying out my new moves on you."

Jason gently pulled her up. "Old moves, sunshine. You already tried them yesterday."

She pushed her lower lip forward, like Artemis did when she wanted something from Jason. He knew that look. Now she was moping. Great.

"Youuuu promised you would train with me today!"

Jason picked up his book. "As you can see, I'm reading. Can't you see that?" Akila tilted her head to the right. She was eyeing the cover.

"What's that?" She asked.

"Pride and Prejudice by Austin A literary classic."

"A literally boooring! You promised! ", she exclaimed, puffing her cheeks. "When's Mom coming back?"

"Two days." Jason flipped a page.

"Uncle Brian?"

"On a date."

"Boooring!", she repeated again, now with even more pathos.

"Urhh." Jason closed the book once more and shoved it into a pile. "Fine. We'll go out!" He couldn't stand this crammed space anyway.

A few minutes later they had left the apartment.

"Jay? What's that woman doing?" Akila peaked around the corner. Jason barely had any time to react.

"Hell no!", he exclaimed and immediately covered Akila's eyes.

"Ja.."

"Lady, children are present!" He yapped at the woman. She got up from her work and smiled apologetically. "A woman's gotta work, Jason." Jason pulled Akila closer. "Sorry, Julia. I know. We better keep going." He pulled Akila further along.

"What...?" She asked, questions in here eyes.

"I'll explain later." Jason interrupted her as he made sure that the coast was clear before releasing Akila.

"Let's go somewhere else then," he laughed awkwardly.

What to do with a child in Crime Alley? This was a shitty place for a child, he now realized. He had grown up here.

"Let's grab some food, shall we? Milkshakes?" He suggested.

Jason watched as Akila gobbled down some fries. They had also ordered milkshakes. Chocolate and vanilla.

"Dip it," Jason demanded.

Akila looked at him, her nose pinched in disgust.

"Ewww. Nooo."

"Just trust me."

Jason took a bunch of her fries and dipped them into her chocolate milkshake until they were soaked and gooey, sticking together, then he shoved them into his own mouth.

"Try it!" he assured her, mouth still full of fry-mush.

Akila took a single fry and reluctantly dipped it into her shake before taking a small bite out of it.

"It's okay..."

"It's more than okay, and you know it, kiddo." Jason grinned.

Akila dipped another fry into her shake without looking at him. He knew it! The combination of sweet and salty would never disappoint. Take that, Tim!

"Todd."

He turned around as he heard a familiar voice behind him approach. Akila stopped mid-fry.

"Who's that, Jay?", she asked straight out.

Jason looked at the teenager. He had the same distinct and sharp facial features as Bruce, even if they were still somewhat hidden behind the chubbiness of childhood. But he shared his skin and eye color with his mom, Thalia.

"This is Damian. My... little brother." He introduced the kid.

Damian raised his left eyebrow, but he had the decency not to say anything. Not today, at least.

"You said there would be milkshakes. I only see two."

He sat down on the stool beside Jason as Jason waved the waitress to them. Damian looked at her as if he were eyeing a servant.

"One triple chocolate-chip vanilla milkshake with a caramel swirl on top and extra whipped cream." Now it was Jason's turn to raise an eyebrow. The waitress smiled politely. "Coming right up!" Damian furrowed his eyebrows after she had left.

"What Todd, what?!" He hissed.

"Nothing." Jason shrugged, and Akila was chuckling.

"You don't look like brothers." Akila stated this after the waitress had brought Damian's monstrosity of a shake to their table. Damian took a sip. He looked satisfied.

"That is because," he said, shooting a quick glance at Jason. "Todd was adopted by Father. Which makes us siblings by law. Not by blood."

Akila seemed to think for a moment. "Sorta like Uncle Brian. He's not my real uncle, but he's still my uncle."

Jason nodded. "Exactly, kiddo." He wasn't quite sure how Akila would react, but she didn't seem to care.

"You should dip the fries into your shake." She then addressed Damian in a very serious voice.

She was indeed a good student. Jason could feel some pride swelling up in his chest.

Jason had panicked when he texted Damian to come as soon as possible. Granted, Damian was not his first choice, but Dick was out of town, Tim was worse with children than he was, and Duke was on vacation with his friends. He certainly didn't want to fuel the gossip by inviting Steph and Cass, who was downright scary, even on a sunny day like this. So, Damian, it was. Also, wasn't he kind of still a kid and thus closer in age to Akila? He figured that could work.

Oh, God, was he wrong!

It had been half an hour since they left the diner. Now he was chasing his pubescent brother and his girlfriend's 8-year-old Amazon daughter through the streets of downtown Gotham. He half regretted the milkshake he had chugged down before they left the diner. He could feel the taste of cheap vanilla extract coming up. He swallowed. "Wait you little, asshat!", he yelled after his brother, which garnered him some judgmental looks, even here.

"Complicated family dynamics", he mumbled under his breath as he continued the chase after Damian. For fucks sake!

He finally caught up with them. Damian was holding Akila down on the patchy lawn of some playground that had definitely seen better days. Jason quickly looked around. This playground had probably not been used by children for a while now. Jason recognized the place. This was where dealers met with their especially desperate clients. He knew this from his time as a makeshift underground drug lord. A period he was particularly proud of. He looked at Damian and Akila. Damian was triumphantly holding up a wristwatch in his right hand.

"Got you, you little thief!" he exclaimed.

Akila was trying to kick him. "Now fight me!" She gritted her teeth.

Jason couldn't help but roll his eyes. "Seriously? Damian, get up, for fucks sake!"

Damian mumbled something that vaguely sounded like an insult as he slowly released Akila and got back up on his feet. He looked at Jason like a hurt child.

"Father gave it to me. She took it and ran off! What was I supposed to do, Todd?"

Jason sighed. "Remind me, how old are you again, kid?"

"Fourteen."

Damian avoided eye contact with Jason. He even seemed mildly regretful. Something that rarely happened with that kid. If ever.

"Yeah, man. You should know better than to attack a child."

Jason sounded strict. Reprimanding even. He didn't know if he liked it. He then looked at the red-haired girl. She had that stubborn look on her face.

"And Aki, why would you take his stuff? Also, don't go running off by yourself. What am I supposed to tell your mom, huh? What if someone other than Damian had gotten to you first?"

Akila furrowed her brows and looked at Jason. "I can look after myself!"

She exclaimed. Jason nodded. "I'm sure you can, sunshine, but if there's just the slimmest chance that something happens to you, I am not willing to take it. This place isn't exactly like a walk-through central park." Jason noticed Akila's confused look. "By which I mean it can be dangerous here."

He had seen it all as a former street rat. The mugging, the hitting, the kidnapping, the drug abuse, and even the killing. Hell, he had done some of the things himself to survive and later, as Red Hood, to quench the insatiable anger that the Lazarus Pit had inflicted on him. He didn't want any of these things to happen to Akila. He wanted her to be safe.

"And I was just trying to see how he would react. It was a joke," she added more quietly. "And I also wanted to try my moves on him..."

Seriously? Jason thought.

Jason shot a quick glance between the two kids. Damian had the usual look of slight discontent and distant arrogance on his face. Akila was kicking a patch of grass. What was the best course of action here? He could only think of the obvious. Jason hadn't exactly studied parenting, nor had he had any exceptional role models during his own childhood to draw inspiration from. Except for Alfred, maybe. But this seemed logical enough.

"Well then, apologize to each other", he demanded creatively. Damian crossed his arms, then looked at Akila and gave in with a small sigh.

"Fine. I am truly sorry for attacking you." He held out his hand to the girl in a formal gesture, which seemed to confuse her slightly.

"I'm sorry, too." She finally mumbled, looking at the ground but not taking his hand. "Shouldn't have snatched away that watch your dad gave you."

After a minute of quiet, Jason clapped his hands once. "All right. Well done, kids. Let's move along then, shall we?"

Jason was now suddenly aware of how this whole situation must have looked from the outside. Also, he didn't want to stay in this place for longer than necessary. Was this what it was like to have children? If yes, it was fucking exhausting.

"I am willing to look at your moves once we get back home, child," Damian said as he put his wristwatch back on. Jason smiled.

Chapter Text

Chapter 2

Too Cool for School

Jason went to elementary school until the third grade. He then dropped out to take care of his junkie mother. He briefly went to fifth grade with a foster family, then ran away and was educated on the streets of Gotham City instead. There was a brief stint at a criminal boarding school until he moved in with Bruce.

From age fourteen to sixteen, Jason went to private school. He wanted to hate it. More than anything. He wanted to hate the starchy uniform, the uptight teachers, the entitled students, and most of all, he wanted to hate the concept of private school. To him, it was the embodiment of privilege and decadence, and it wasn't fair. It wasn't fair that he got to enjoy an excellent education while his former friends in Crime Alley couldn't even afford to go to public school. He told Bruce that he hated it. Why couldn't he just study at home? Or go somewhere else.

But that was an outright lie. Jason loved school. Jason loved learning. He soaked up every bit of knowledge he could find. He loved walking around the old campus, he read every book in the library. The former street rat was a straight-A student and teacher's pet. And he loved getting all the recognition and attention for his academic achievements. He even dreamed of going to college. He wanted to study literature and history. Not because of the college parties Dick told him about, but because the idea of immersing himself academically in his favorite books was so enticing.

But then Jason died. After his death and subsequent resurrection, the madness of the Pit drove him forward. From that point on, the only thing he studied was the art of killing and murder. In any way possible. Jason could easily gather intel on secret organizations, concoct deadly poisons, and shoot a guy from a rooftop a few blocks away, but he didn't even have a high school diploma to show for it. Tim had just finished college and Jason would never admit it, but he was jealous. It was too late for him. But it wasn't too late for Akila.

"What do you want, Jason?" Bruce looked at him skeptically.

They'd met late in the afternoon when he was taking a break from work. Jason was sitting opposite him in his office. This entire situation was terribly formal. He certainly wouldn't have come if it hadn't been absolutely necessary.

"Naww B, can't I just drop by from time to time to, you know, catch up?" Bruce tilted his head to the right.

"We never catch up. Either you come here when Alfred begs you to, or when I force you to go to family functions, which, as you keep reminding me, you hate."

Jason scoffed. "See? Maybe that's the problem, old man. You shouldn't make me do things. That's not how it works."

As if he knew how it worked.

"Yes, I should know. You've always been stubborn to a fault, Jaylad."

Jason bit his lower lip. He didn't like it when Bruce called him that. He wasn't a kid anymore, but that name made him feel like one, and it made Bruce feel like a father, which was worse.

"Well, I need help, old man. Happy?!" He finally admitted. Bruce smiled slightly, which made Jason angry. Smug fuck.

"Go on."

Jason tried to control his anger. This was neither the time nor the place. He was doing this for Artemis. As a favor. Because he loved her. Very much.

"I... We... The outlaws and I... We need to move. Away from Crime Alley."

Bruce's restrained smile turned into a wide grin.

"Am I hearing this right? You want to leave Crime Alley. Red Hood? Jason, quote." I will never fucking leave again. You rich prick, you can't make me. I'd rather die again." You said that a few months ago." Bruce raised an eyebrow. Hearing him repeat those words made Jason nervous. This was just weird. That wasn't the way Bruce talked. Never. Not even in quotes.

"I...well. It's different now. We are with child," he finally admitted.

Jason half expected Bruce to fall out of his chair or something like that. But he didn't react in any special way. He just nodded.

"You knew?!" Jason couldn't believe it. Only he could. "Damian, that little fuck," he muttered.

Bruce sighed. "We talk, you know. He is my son. Besides, Dick told me first."

"Traitor!" Jason called out. He would never tell them anything again.

"What about Tim, did he tell you too?" he asked Bruce reluctantly.

"No. He's in Berlin." Bruce shrugged.

Tim had left for Berlin three days ago to celebrate his graduation with his boyfriend and friends. He sent Jason pictures of raves. It looked fun. Meanwhile, he was stuck with a kid.

"Well?" He asked Bruce after a while.

"If you want, you can always move into the manor. We have plenty of room and Alfred would love to see you. He is quite fond of Artemis too. He says she has got spunk." He smiled again.

Alfred was right about Artemis, of course. She had more than enough spunk. But the thought of moving back to the manor was stifling for Jason.

"No way, Bruce. No way in hell." Bruce looked a little disappointed, but he wouldn't have been surprised now, would he? It had always been like that.

"Fine. Then how about the family house on Ford Street?" he suggested.

Jason thought about it. The house hadn't been used for a while, as far as he knew. Bruce and he had spent some training sessions there away from the mansion. He had fond memories of the place. And it was close, but not too close. Besides, it was more than big enough for the four of them. They would each have their own room, and it had a garden, too. And a pool.

"That could work..." Jason finally looked into Bruce's eyes. "Thanks... Dad."

Bruce's smile turned warm. "Of course, son."

Jason shivered when he heard the word son, but it didn't feel too bad. A few years ago, he would have jumped across the table and tried to hit Bruce with one of those stupid awards he kept on his desk. He noticed that one of them was an award he himself had won in a debate contest in high school. It had the words "Jason Wayne Todd - First Place Brentwood Academy Debate Contest" engraved on it. Jason swallowed hard.

"On one condition." He heard Bruce add, which snapped him out of it.

"I want to meet the girl first. Does Friday sound good? I'll have Alfred work out the details. We could have some tea and some of those scones that your friends seem to enjoy so much."

Jason couldn't believe he was almost getting sentimental. "Fine!" He pushed out. A typical old man- move.

"Good." Bruce threw a set of keys in Jason's direction. He caught them with ease and dangled them from his right index finger before standing up.

"See you on Friday then, old man." He said before leaving the office.

________________________________________________

"Why is this place so huuuge?" Akila asked her mother when they arrived at the mansion.

They had to take a cab. The whole way over, the driver eyed them suspiciously. No one usually drove up to Wayne Manor.

"That's because Jason's dad is super rich." Artemis explained to her daughter. Akila looked at him with disdain. He had kept it a secret from her. On purpose.

Jason caught the cab driver's eye in the rearview mirror. He stood up to leave the cab, suddenly feeling self-conscious.

"Uh, thanks, man."

He paid the driver generously on his way out. He was well aware that he didn't look like a son of Bruce. Not with his leather jacket, combat boots, and well-worn cargo pants. As they approached the mansion, he brushed aside a strand of white hair. He was technically a rich kid. Wasn't he?

He heard a few "Oohs" and "Aahs" from Akila's mouth. When the girl saw Alfred in front of the mansion, she lost it.

"Mom! Mom! He looks like a penguin!" She ran towards Alfred. Alfred looked a little confused at first, but then reverted to his usual demeanor.

"Yes, indeed. I suppose I do look a bit like a bird from Antarctica." He smiled. He meant it in a sarcastic way, but it wasn't noticeable at all. Well, it was to Jason. Because it was Alfred.

"Hey, Alfie." Jason greeted him.

Alfred patted him on the shoulder, albeit a little stiffly. "Good to see you, my boy."

Jason smiled. "Good to see you too. You remember Artemis." He stepped to the side to reveal his girlfriend.

Artemis nodded politely. "Of course, I remember. Welcome back, Lady Artemis."

Artemis blushed slightly. No one had called her lady for a long time. In Jason's eyes it was adorable.

"Thank you for having us, Alfred. Akila, this is Alfred, Jason's..." she looked at Jason questioningly. "Um, he's like my grandpa, you could say." Jason's eyes searched Alfred's. Alfred gave him a slight nod.

"Indeed." He said then. That made Jason feel warm and fuzzy inside. Artemis took his hand and squeezed it once.

"I want to see inside, Alfred. Can we? Mom? Jay?" Akila seemed to be losing her patience.

"Of course, young lady, Akila." Alfred stepped aside for them to enter. Akila giggled.

"Master Bruce is waiting in the living room."

Jason tensed when he heard about Bruce but exhaled quickly. This was good. Artemis was here. She smiled at him reassuringly. Oh God, he loved her so much. With her by his side, he was invincible.

He swore he saw Alfred light up with joy.

They took off their jackets and shoes. Artemis wore a white blouse and tight gray pants that barely hid her figure. Her long hair was pulled back into a bun. She looked stunning as always. "Let's not keep him waiting too long." She said.

"Oh yes. I want to see Jay's dad. I bet he's just as super grumpy as Jay." Akila pushed forward. He heard Alfred chuckle softly.

________________________________________________

Bruce was sitting in an armchair in the formal living room. He got up when he heard them approach and folded up a newspaper. In this day and age, who still read newspapers, anyway? Jason hadn't touched one in ages.

"Jason. Artemis." He gave them a nod.

Artemis held out her hand. "Good to see you again, Mr. Wayne. The wedding was truly wonderful."

 They had last seen each other a few months ago at Dick and Bab's wedding. Jason had brought Artemis and Brian with him. That was before he learned of Akila's existence.

Bruce nodded. "Indeed, it was. Please call me Bruce."

Artemis smiled. "Alright, Bruce."

Bruce turned his attention to Akila, who was pacing the room in disbelief. "And this is?"

"My daughter Akila." Akila stopped when she heard her name.

"You're Jay's dad?" She asked, running towards her mother and Bruce.

"Yes I am."

Akila looked at Jason and then at Bruce. "Hmm. You look like Damian in big. But you have the same eyes as Jay."

Bruce laughed. It wasn't technically possible for him and Jason to look alike because they weren't related by blood, but Jason didn't really bother to explain it to Akila again. They had the same eyes. That was that.

"Now that you mention it..." Artemis sat down on the couch across from the armchair. Between them was a round coffee table. "You two do look alike."

"No!" Jason groaned. "I'm much better looking than he is." No one could deny that Bruce, now in his mid to late forties, was still a very handsome man. Some might even have called him a silver fox. "He's old, too," Jason added quickly. Did he really not think of anything better?

Artemis rolled her eyes. "Sure you are, babe. And age is not really a valid category of comparison here, is it?"

Before Jason or Bruce could add anything, they were interrupted by Alfred, who entered the room. He was holding a silver platter with cookies, scones, sandwiches, and tea. It smelled divine.

"Food, anyone?" He asked, causing Akila to jump up and down in excitement.

________________________________________________

After they had stuffed themselves with scones and sandwiches, especially Akila who was now lying on her mother's lap and breathing softly, Bruce cleared his throat. Jason looked at him. He made his back-to-business face.

"Have you thought about her education? She has to go to school."

Jason was ready to yell at the man again. What kind of question was that? Of course, they had thought about her education. They had even talked about school districts. Akila certainly had some catching up to do. Bana-Mighdall was a very different place, with a very different kind of education. But Akila spoke English and could read and write quite well. So Jason wasn't too worried. After all, he had made it.

"Yes, we have, Bruce. But we couldn't possibly burden you any more than we already have. We have already found a good school for her to attend. It is quite far away, but Jason can take her by bike in the morning. I can pick her up in the afternoon." Artemis explained diplomatically.

Bruce looked as if he wanted to protest, but he seemed to hold back. "That could be an option," he said slowly, careful not to upset Jason. "But you should also consider other options. Brentwood Academy is not far from here. It is an excellent school. Jason and all of his brothers went there. Damian is also there at the moment. They were all quite pleased with the education."

Jason felt his anger rise. "Are you kidding, Bruce?" He raised his voice a bit too much, Akila mumbled something in her sleep. He calmed down immediately. "I mean, that place is f... frigging expensive, Bruce. We can't possibly afford it."

Bruce looked at him as if he obviously knew what his next reaction would be. "If you would take up that job on the board of Wayne Industries that I offered you the other day... I could pay part of her tuition for a while, I am good friends with the principal, and I can put in a good word with him to let her transfer in the middle of the semester. It would be easy. And the job would pay for college down the road..."

Jason felt his blood start to boil, his eyes were gleaming in a frightening shade of green. "And be another nepo-baby? No way, man!" he hissed. "I have a job. You know what it is."

"Vigilante work and headhunting is hardly a real job now, is it, Jaylad? Especially if you want to provide..."

Jason jumped up. "Says the guy in the f... flipping bat costume!" He pointed at Bruce's face.

There they went again. It was always the same with them. They could barely stand to be in the same room for more than ten minutes. Artemis looked at Bruce and then at Jason and sighed.

"You're going to wake her, geez, Jay," she whispered, frowning.

Jason's eyes wandered to Akila, suddenly feeling guilty. He sat down again and tried to calm down. He had tried to work through his anger issues in therapy. Still, it wasn't easy for him when Bruce was being his usual entitled self. What nerve he had! Pushing him into this stupid job. It was emotional blackmail, for sure! He looked away. He wasn't Tim or Dick. He wasn't cut out for a normal job. At least not one like this. Wearing a suit and tie, talking about assets and stocks and charity work. He wasn't qualified enough to do any of that. He hadn't even finished high school. He was not as smart and well-spoken as Tim, nor as charming and persuasive as Dick. But he wasn't ashamed of it, not really. After all, he was Jason fucking Todd.

"It's okay, Bruce," Artemis said calmly. She looked at Jason as if she knew what he was feeling. "It's not like Jay's the one paying all the rent. The three of us can pitch in and it will be enough in the long run. We really appreciate your input, but her schooling is set." She sounded sure. No more questions allowed.

Bruce nodded. "But if you change your mind... you know."

Jason shook his head. "You know I won't." He had calmed down a bit. He was so happy that Artemis was here. Damn, he almost lost it in front of Akila. He didn't want to be that guy. All out of control and violent. He wasn't that guy anymore. And even Bruce fucking Wayne couldn't change that.

They tiptoed around each other for the rest of the afternoon. Thank God Akila was there, and Alfred came to the rescue by pulling out old pictures of Jason in his teenage years. It was embarrassing as hell, but at least it was a welcome distraction from the awkwardness. Akila and Artemis giggled at a picture of Jason on horseback.

"I didn't know you could ride." Artemis looked at him amused.

"I'm a man of many talents." He grinned at them both.

"Back in Bana-Mighdall we rode camels all the time!" Akila looked proud. Jason smiled warmly at her.

"That's much cooler, little bird."

He noticed Bruce's expression. It was a mixture of sadness and pride. Jason didn't know Bruce could look at him like that.

___________________________________________

They left the manor after a few hours. Bruce insisted on driving them back. Jason wished he hadn't, but it was easier than taking a cab and Akila was sleepy again. They pulled up in front of a run-down block of apartments. Jason noticed Bruce's look, even though the older man tried to hide it. He knew what this part of the city looked like. He shouldn't be surprised.

"I hope to see you again soon, Bruce. Thanks for everything." Artemis lifted Akila onto her back. The little girl made a satisfied sound.

"You too." Bruce watched them enter the apartment. Jason stood there for a few seconds, half expecting something. Then he turned around.

"I should go, then. Thanks for the ride..." He raised his hand to say goodbye.

"Wait, Jason." Jason stopped in mid-movement when Bruce touched his shoulder, then let go.

"Yeah?" Jason asked.

Bruce sighed and rubbed his temple. He looked tired as fuck. "You know I'm not good at this kind of thing, son. I'm sorry if I insinuated..."

"Bruce, you didn't just insinuate. That was fucking inappropriate." Jason shook his head. "You know, it made us look like inadequate guardians." As he said the words, he realized that was how he felt about Akila. Like a parent. "Especially Artemis," he added. "It was disrespectful to her, man. She knows what's best. And I am not the man of the house or some shit like that. We are all equals."

Bruce looked at him in surprise. "I didn't want it to come out like this. I am not... sexist... and I really think you would be a good fit for Wayne Enterprises. You are a smart negotiator, and you have the tenacity to get things done." Now it was Jason's turn to sigh.

"Well. You have old-fashioned ideas about family structures and such. We're just not like that, the three of us, you know. And what do you think your other employees would say if I suddenly started working in the company, or even worse, on the board? I don't even have any qualifications. Is that fair to other people who have worked all their lives to reach such a position?"

Bruce nodded slowly. "When you put it like that... I suppose you have a point. And I guess I was a little insensitive to your... situation."

Jason rolled his eyes. "You think?" he asked the man sarcastically. Bruce didn't seem to understand him. Typical. Alfred and Tim were the only ones in the family who understood his sarcasm.

"But you love her, don't you?" He sounded almost shy when he asked Jason this.

Jason laughed with a shrug. "Of course, I do, man. They are everything to me."

"Look at you, talking like a real family man."

"Fuck off." Jason blushed and looked away.

Bruce frowned. "You should really watch your language."

"Never."

_______________________________________

Akila was watching a show in the bedroom/common area and Jason and Artemis were preparing dinner. Or rather, Jason was preparing dinner and Artemis was watching him. She couldn't cook for the life of her. Nobody wanted food poisoning tonight.

"I'm sorry about Bruce." Jason said after a while. "He can be an entitled jerk sometimes." He diced some tomatoes for a side salad.

"Nah, it's fine." Artemis grabbed a carrot cube from the cutting board and put it between her lips. She chewed. "He means well, I can tell. He's just unaware of things."

"Painfully so." Jason sighed. "He never had to experience poverty the way we did." He found himself making excuses for Bruce, of all people. Unbelievable!

"Look who's talking, rich boy," Artemis grinned at him.

"Two years, Ar. Two years!" Artemis obviously wasn't ready to let it go.

"Oh my God! I can't believe you grew up in a place like that. Riding horses and shit." She grinned even more. Jason pointed his knife at her.

"Shut up, warrior princess."

Artemis raised her hands. "Touché," she said, still grinning.

"You know, Jay, you could get your diploma. High school, I mean. You could even go to community college. It's not too late. You're only 26. You'd be done by thirty if you put in the work," she said after a while. Jason put the tomatoes in a bowl and stopped chopping.

"Nah." He replied and resumed his work with the onions. "What's the point of that now? I'm happy with this..." He nodded in her direction and glanced at the door. With his family.

Artemis didn't look convinced. "Whatever you say, babe. I'll have a look at Aki for a bit. I don't want her watching one of Brian's movies."

Jason frowned. During the rest of the meal preparation, he tried his best not to think about school, college and jobs. But what Bruce had said kept creeping back into his mind: I really think you would be a good fit for Wayne Enterprises. You are a smart negotiator, and you have the tenacity to get things done. As if. It is not too late, Artemis had said. Bullshit. This wasn't what he wanted. He was content, as he had said. He didn't even like the thought of school.

Chapter Text

Chapter three

Suburban Fairy Tale

It had taken them a few weeks to move into the new house. They did it bit by bit, with the help of Dick, Babs, and Alfred. Bruce was too busy working with the Justice League. Jason hadn't seen him since their last conversation outside the car. After everything was finally done, Jason invited everyone to dinner. Brian had brought Black Canary as his date, Dinah, apparently, they were dating now. Jason didn't mind her company. She was fantastic. And he was happy for his friend. He had had it rough, losing his family and all. This was good.

Brian chased Akila around the garden. Babs, Artemis, and Dinah were chatting on the patio. It was like a fucking suburban fairy tale or something. Fucking surreal. But it meant he had some time alone with Dick. They hadn't talked for a while, just the two of them.

"How's married life treating you?" he asked his brother.

They each shared a can of bear in the kitchen, which was a definite upgrade from his old place. It was huge, with bright marble counters and a cooking station. Large glass windows lit up the room and there was a door that led directly to the patio. He loved this kitchen.

"Good. Good. I've been traveling a lot between Bludhaven and Gotham, but I'm trying to come by more often. Babs has her job here. She's not that flexible. But man, look at you! Who would have thought you'd end up here? In this house of all places. I wanted this house. I was hoping Bruce would give it to us as a wedding present. How is that fair? I came first." He crossed his legs.

Jason rolled his eyes. "Can't have everything now, can you, Boy Wonder?"

Dick frowned. "Don't be mean, Jay. I'm happy for you. I really am. Family life, huh?" He took a sip from his beer can.

"It's not..." Jason sighed. "I mean, I guess it is. Sort of. We had to move; this was just convenient."

"Now you sound like Bruce, Jay."

Jason punched him in the shoulder, almost causing Dick to drop his drink. Almost. Unfortunately, his reflexes were too good.

"Jackass." Jason shook his head.

"You're welcome. But man, this kitchen is almost as big as the one in the mansion. And boy, can you cook, Jaybird. You should host more often."

Jason knew he could cook. Alfred had taught him, of course he could cook.

"Don't get used to it." He mumbled, but he took the compliment. It made him happy too. Although he wouldn't admit it. Not ever.

They enjoyed each other's company for a while. It was never awkward or complicated with Dick. They had known each other for a long time and were far beyond that. There had been a time, though, when they were at each other's throats all the time. Jason had been too eager to prove that he was better than Dick. And Dick was jealous because Jason was his replacement, which no one had told him about. Bruce hadn't been very good at negotiating the feelings of the two teenagers. But now it was good. Dick had been the first to welcome him back into the family. Jason would be forever grateful.

"Can I ask you something, Dick?", Jason looked at his brother.

He wasn't sure how to bring it up. It made him nervous. He fidgeted in his chair. He never did that.

Dick looked at him with a little surprise in his eyes. "Sure, go ahead, Jaybird."

Jason bit his lower lip. "Well, man, I've been thinking. With Akila's school coming up and everything. What if I did that?"

Dick laughed. "What? Go to grade school?"

Jason shook his head. "No, dickhead! Like high school. Get my diploma. Even... college? I've been thinking about this a while. Would that be weird?"

He feared Dick's answer. It sounded ridiculous to say it out loud. He was sure that Dick would laugh at him again. But Dick's expression was serious.

"Sounds good. Why not?" He opened another can of beer. It made a zshhh sound.

"Really?" Jason felt relief flood his body.

"Yeah, sure." Dick shrugged like it was no big deal. "I was wondering why you didn't mention this before. We all know you used to love school. But with Red Hood and all, it wasn't really an option for you for a while. So I figured it was probably not something you wanted anymore."

He sounded very casual when he said all this. They all knew that he loved school, didn't they? That he loved education.

"Don't look surprised, Jay. You read more than all of us put together. You keep mentioning those history documentaries. Plus, you're kind of a nerd."

Jason looked at him in disgust. "I am not! Do I look like Tim to you? I am so not a nerd." He blushed. Dick grinned. "Seriously, Dick!"

"You love nerd shit! Just admit it. You bought those tickets to Wicked when we went to New York for my bachelor party. You can quote Shakespeare from memory. You nerd out about comics and cartoons with Tim. And let's not even talk about your old-ass record collection."

"Vintage, jackass!"

Dick laughed even more. "See? You are such a nerd. Who would have thought I'd be the cool one in the family?"

"You're a circus freak!" Jason protested. He was cool. He was suave. He was Red Hood. Former Robin turned criminal turned protector-vigilante. What was cooler than that?

"Whatever you say, man." Dick shook his head. "Keep on being in denial. Anyway, it's a good idea, I think. I can find you some night schools. Babs probably has some contacts as well."

Jason nodded, still embarrassed. "Thanks, man. I appreciate it."

"Oh, wow, okay. This must be really serious. Your appreciation is hard to come by."

Jason hit his brother again. "That's because you don't deserve it!"

The next day they sat in the living room. Akila was already in bed. Although it had been quite difficult to convince her that night. She didn't want to sleep at all. They tried everything. Jason read her Little Women. That usually worked. Brian carried her around the garden and raced her to the bedroom, and Artemis made her hot milk with honey. The only edible or drinkable thing Jason trusted her with.

"She's nervous. School starts soon for her. She's having a hard time sleeping. She told me the other day." Artemis sounded worried.

"She won't be well. She is weak." Brian, formerly known as Bizarro, gave her an encouraging smile.

Artemis sighed. "I know. It's just. This place is so different from Bana-Mighdall. There she had a community, friends her own age with similar interests. Maybe I shouldn't have brought her here."

Jason touched her arm. "That's not true, and you know it. She will adjust to school. And everything else, too. She's a good kid. A smart kid."

Artemis smiled and hugged Brian, then kissed Jason on the cheek. "Thank you both. What would I ever do without Uncle Jay and Uncle Brian." Brian stroked her arm. "You can't count on us," he reassured her. "Whatever he said." Jason looked happily at his family. He should tell them.

"Speaking of school. I have some news." He announced after a while. Artemis looked at him with a curious gleam in her eyes. Brian crossed his arms. "Guys, nothing serious. Relax." Jason was getting nervous himself now. Dick had said it was okay, and Artemis was the one who had suggested it in the first place. Jason took a deep breath.

"I want to go back to school. Night school. I want to get my high school diploma and then go to college. I mean, it would take a while and I promise I will only be busy in the evenings. We can still do Outlaw stuff and I can take care of Aki during the day. No problem!" He found himself babbling on. "So, nothing would change at all."

Artemis smiled at him. It made him feel warm inside and seen. "Good for you, Jay. I think it's a wonderful idea. I mean, I suggested it, but still. I'm glad you're seriously considering it."

Jason tried to shrug it off but he cared about her opinion. "Well. Yeah. Dick has already found a school for me. I told him yesterday. Sorry."

Brian nodded. "He's not your brother. So this is not normal." Jason slammed his fist into his best friend's massive shoulder. "Thanks for understanding, buddy."

"Never." Brian replied, which made Jason smile even more. He hadn't been this happy since he and Artemis had decided to be exclusive. More than that. His heart was racing in excitement. This was good. No, this was really good.

"So, you're both going back to school." Artemis grinned.

"I guess we are."

"Wack!" Brian exclaimed and they all had to laugh.

Two weeks later, Jason was dropping Akila off at her new school. She rode on the back of his bike.

The principal had been kind enough to let her start in the middle of the school year. Jason parked his bike in front of the building. They were early. He took off his helmet and then helped Akila with hers. They had bought it a while ago. It had red flames on a black background. Akila loved that helmet. Badass, she had commented. Jason had no idea where she got that word from.

Some people stared at them. This place wasn't Crime Alley, after all, and Jason looked young as he walked over to the principal. Akila followed him shyly. She wasn't usually this quiet.

"Ms. Lawrence." Jason held out his hand to the headmistress.

"Mr. Todd. Good to see you again." She nodded formally.

Artemis and Jason had met the principal a few weeks ago when they applied for Akila's new school. She was strict but seemed fair and caring. Qualities of a good teacher, Jason thought.

"I'm sorry Artemis couldn't make it. She couldn't get off work."

Ms. Lawrence nodded again. "That's all right. Sometimes work gets in the way."

Jason smiled politely. "Thank you for understanding." He turned to Akila. "It's all right, sunshine. Can you say hello to Ms. Lawrence?" Akila emerged from behind his back.

"Hello," she greeted the headmistress quietly.

"Hello dear." Ms. Lawrence smiled for the first time. She made a sign and a young woman, probably a teacher as well, left the building and came towards them. "Ms. Valentina will show you to your classroom. If you don't mind. I would like to speak with your father for a moment."

Jason looked at Akila, then at the principal. "I'm not her... she's not my..." Then he shook his head when he saw the face Akila made. She looked legitimately frightened. This child was usually not afraid of anything. She would jump at the first opportunity. And she loved exploring new places.

Jason got down on his knees to face Akila directly. "Would you give us a moment?" He asked the headmistress.

"Of course." Ms. Lawrence went inside. Jason could now give Akila his full attention.

"Hey, baby bird. It's okay. Everything's going to be all right," he whispered reassuringly.

Akila looked at him with big, round, emerald green eyes.

"I'm scared, Jay. What if they don't like me? What if I really am a brutish child, like Damian said?"

Jason sighed. Damian be damned. "Don't listen to that idiot, sunshine. He doesn't know what he's talking about. Besides, he was scared on his first day of school too. His father told me."

Akila smiled and it made Jason's heart melt. "Really?"

Jason nodded. "Yes. Really. But it worked out well for him. It will for you too. It's going to be okay. You'll meet new kids your own age. And Ms. Valentina seemed cool."

"I don't know, Jay..."

"Hey. Worst case, you call me, I'll pick you up right away."

"Are you coming on your bike?" She looked at him questioningly.

"Sure, I will. And your mom will pick you up in the afternoon."

Akila searched Jason’s eyes again, then suddenly hugged him tightly. "I'll go then."

"Yes, yes, baby bird." Jason gave her a surprised pat on the head before he let her go.

He handed her her backpack and she smiled for a last time, now brightly. Then she ran to the building without looking back. Jason stood there for a while, beaming with pride, but also worried. It was hard to let her go. Was this a normal feeling? Ms. Lawrence made a sound that brought him back to reality.

"Please follow me to my office, Mr. Todd." Jason straightened his back and followed her inside. Akila was long gone. But he could hear the muffled sounds of children around him. She would be okay, wouldn't she?

Jason sat on the opposite side of the principal in der office. There was a desk between them, and it felt awfully like the conversation he had with Bruce the other day. Actually, he preferred talking to Bruce.

"I understand that Akila's circumstances are special, Mr. Todd. So it would be great if you could closely monitor her academic success and go over her schoolwork with her as often as possible."

Jason nodded. He was already aware of that and he wasn't going to let her do her homework alone.

"We will do our best to help her catch up with her education."

The principal continued.  "Of course, after Mr. Wayne's more than generous donation, we want to make sure you have nothing to worry about, but these things can take time, so your cooperation would be greatly appreciated."

Jason's jaw almost dropped. "His what?" he asked the teacher.

"Oh my, yes. Mr. Wayne contacted us after our first meeting. He wanted to personally make sure his granddaughter was taken care of. He told us that you had specifically chosen this school. I have to say, we are honored. "

Had Jason not known better, he might have thought Mrs. Lawrence was swooning for Bruce. Jason shook his head in disbelief.

"He called her what now and how in the..."

Hell. He shouldn't be surprised. This was typical Bruce. He was a meddler. He couldn't help it. And that explained why the school was more than willing to take Akila in on short and and mid-term. It all made sense now. Jason could feel the anger rising, but he tried to stay calm.  It didn't make sense to go for the lady's throat. She had taken a bribe from Bruce Wayne. But at least this meant that Akila's education was taken care of. For now.

"Fine." He cleared his throat. "I mean, thank you, Ms. Lawrence. We'll take care of it. If there is nothing else to add, I have some business to attend to."

They shook hands and Jason walked out of the office. On his way out, he started texting Dick.

I'm going to murder him.

No explanation needed. Jason didn't particularly mind that Bruce had tried to get in a good word with the principal. What bothered him was that Bruce was doing it behind their backs. Even worse, he had bribed the woman. He only hoped that Akila would never find out. No one wanted to know that they were treated differently because of their background. It became abundantly clear that Akila would be a privileged child because Jason was a privileged son.

Jason had thought that he left that life behind. The life of privilege, etiquette and rules, and now it was coming back to bite him in the ass. He did not like the feeling. Suddenly there were expectations. Suddenly he was Bruce Wayne's son again. He had seen how the principle looked at him. Eventually, he would turn into some kind of disappointment. It wouldn't be the first time.

Jason got on his bike. He had to talk to Bruce. But not today. Today was Akila's first day at school. And so was his.

Jason and about ten other people had gathered in a classroom. The night classes were held at the Dixon High School, and they started in the late afternoon, not in the middle of the night. Jason hadn't been to school in almost ten years. The feeling of sitting as a grown-up in a classroom that was usually used by a bunch of 14- to 18-year-olds was odd and at the same time strangely familiar. Of course, this wasn't Brentwood Academy at all. It reminded Jason of his brief experience in middle school. But that had been much worse. This place was decent. The desks weren't as scratched. And no one had written Fuck Ms. Woodheim. PENIS in permanent marker on the blackboard. Wow, they really still used those, huh? According to Damian, Brentwood had switched to personal tablets a long time ago.

He looked around a little more, trying not to stare at anyone overtly. The ten people in this class were all different ages. Some were in their twenties like Jason. Some were older, some looked like they had just dropped out of high school a year or two ago. But what they all had in common was that they had nothing in common. They were clearly a group of misfits. There was one woman with tattoos that covered most of her body, as far as Jason could tell. He recognized some of them as prison tattoos from his time in Arkham. And a girl in a green dress who looked like she was about to have a nervous breakdown. A guy wearing a jogging suit. He had a gold tiger embroidered on his back. Tacky. An old man who looked like he spent too much time in the sun. His skin was all wrinkly and blotchy. And there was a kid in a red hoodie who was just staring at his phone, typing something every few seconds. Jason shook his head.

"What'cha looking at, pretty boy?" the woman with the tattoos sitting right next to him raised her voice. She seemed hostile, but Jason wasn't really impressed.

"Sick sleeve, lady." He grinned. "I especially like the woman with the huge boobs, yeah. Real creative. Good line work too."

She looked at him confused for a moment, then tensed up again. "I did that one myself... Wait, you're fucking with me, aren't you?" He could hear the girl in green muttering something. The boy in the hoodie was chewing his nails. Probably a nervous habit. The others didn't really seem to care.

"Nah. I'm serious. Got some myself."

Jason took off his jacket and put it on his chair. Then he pushed up his sleeve to reveal the geometric shapes and symbols in black ink that wrapped around his biceps and up to his shoulder.

"Tribal, huh?" The woman guessed.

Jason nodded. "Something like that." He pulled down his sleeve. He couldn't really say that the tattoo was a reminder of his time with the All Caste and the Al Ghuls.

The door opened and a teacher walked into the classroom. Jason looked to the front of the classroom. The teacher was a middle-aged man with small round glasses and a bald head. He wore a bleached light blue shirt and a red tie. He placed his leather briefcase on top of his chair before turning to face the class.

"People!" he declared. "You are all here because it is never too late to get an education. This is a big step, and I want you all to reach the end of this journey together. And the best thing about night school is..." He straightened his tie. "We are all adults here. So we all want to be here."

The last statement sounded exhausted. Jason didn't want to imagine what it would be like to deal with teenagers all the time and then thirty of them at the same time. Damian was more than enough for him.

"Before we get started. Let us introduce ourselves. And to make it more fun and personal, which I love. How about each of you tell us why you are here and who your favorite superhero is. I'll start."

Jason could barely contain his laughter. Oh boy. This would be hilarious. And he would have to tell Dick about it later.

The teacher cleared his throat.

"My name is Thomas; you can all call me Tom. I teach English Literature and Math. My favorite hero is Green Lantern." He smiled and gestured toward the woman who had antagonized Jason. She scoffed.

"Fine. My name is Hellen. I got to restart high school in prison. I want to get my diploma now. I don't like heroes. But I guess if I had to pick someone, it would be my mom."

Naww. That was somehow unexpectedly heartwarming. Jason liked Helen more and more.

Tom nodded. "Very admirable, Helen. Good to have you. Next, please? How about you?" He looked at Jason expectantly. Jason ran his fingers through his white streak.

"My name is Jason." He started. "I dropped out of high school about ten years ago for... medical reasons." Well, that was the understatement of the century. "Best heroine is Wonder Woman. Hands down."

He grinned. Bruce would be furious with him. Which made it all the better. It was a quiet victory. Tom smiled at him. Endless patience.

"Good. We are glad that you seem to be doing much better and can now pick up where you left off."

Jason was happy too. And that was strange.

"I'm Mel... I couldn't finish last time. I didn't feel so good mentally. So now I'm back?" The girl in green chuckled nervously. She looked as if she wanted to run away. She continued in a low voice. "I like Wonder Woman and Wonder Girl too."

Oh yes, one of Dick's old flames. Jason had always liked Donna.

The next student in question was Tiger Guy. "Name's Tylor. You can call me Ty, everybody does. Had to work for my family, couldn't really focus on school. Got time now."

Jason could appreciate a hustler. He still hated on tiger-guy’s style hard, though.

"The best hero is Batman.” Tiger-guy continued, “The guy is just cool and mysterious."

Jason frowned. Tiger-guy's bad taste was not only in clothes.

Tom seemed to find this amusing because he was laughing at them. "Jason seems to disagree."

Jason immediately raised his hands in response.

"Of course, I do. Batman as an answer is just basic. Might as well go with Super Man. At least he's the original."

Tylor made a sound of disapproval.

"Says the guy who picked Wonder Woman!"

Jason crossed his arms in protest. That was different.

"I was going to say Superman." The old man in the back spoke up. "I hope you don't mind. My name is Walter. It has been my dream to go to college, and now that I am retired, I can finally fulfill my wish. This is my first stop." His voice sounded like his skin. Rough, like sandpaper. Jason wondered what kind of life the old man had led. He didn't know many older people. Except maybe Alfred.

Five more people introduced themselves, but Jason was already zoning out. He would try to remember their names later. Maybe. He wasn't here to make friends. Finally, it was the boy's turn. The one with the phone. He didn't look much older than nineteen.

"I'm Tobias. I don't really need to say why I'm here, do I?" He looked at Tom.

"Of course not. It is up to you. Tobias." The teacher reassured him.

Tobias nodded. "Okay. Thank you." He sounded grateful. "Anyway, my favorite hero is Red Hood. He saved me once. It was pretty cool."

Jason froze for a second. He had not expected to hear his vigilante name here of all places. Besides, he wasn't exactly popular outside of Crime Alley. Which meant that the boy had to be from there. But Jason didn't recognize him, which wasn't too surprising. He had helped a lot of kids over the years. Still, he always tried to at least remember their faces.

The rest of the class they talked about schedules and books they needed to buy. Jason took notes, but in the end he couldn't read his scribbles properly. He hadn't written that much in a long time, and nothing here was digitized. And the classes hadn't even really started yet.

His bike was parked in front of the building. He took out his keys, when he left.

"Nice ride." Helen appeared beside him. She grinned.

"Thanks." Jason put on his helmet. "Restored it myself."

"Obviously. They don't sell them like that anymore. Well, uh...Jason. Sorry I was rude to you back there. I don't like people looking at me. Feels like they judge."

Jason shook his head.

"I know what you mean. I shouldn't have done that. So don't worry about it." Helen looked relieved. She was a nice person.

"Okay. Cool then. See you tomorrow."

Jason got on his bike.

"See you tomorrow."

He held up his hand to wave goodbye before starting the engine.

Chapter Text

Chapter Four

In Cat Patrol we trust

"Again!"

Bruce Wayne stood beside him, holding a punching bag tightly. His voice was commanding.

 Jason gritted his teeth and struck again. His fists were sore from punching.

"Now kick!"

Jason shifted his weight to his left leg and kicked the bag with his right. It made a little "poof" sound. "Put some power into it, kid. Twist your hips and ankle!"

Jason tried to gather his strength and kick again. He just couldn't. His legs were a wobbly mess. With a sound of frustration, he stepped away from the bag.

"I know! I'm tired, Bruce. Can't we take a break?"

He huffed out of breath. It had been hour after hour of drills and training. His whole body felt numb at this point, and he could barely hold his arms up because they were shaking so badly.

Bruce didn't look impressed. He had a stern expression on his face.

"We take a break when I say so, kid. You should be able to take at least this much if you want to be Robin. Back when Dick started..."

Jason rolled his eyes. There he went again. Dick this, Dick that. Dick the fucking boy wonder.

"Why don't you teach Dick then, if he's so much better." He heard himself say.

It sounded ungrateful, even accusatory. More so than he had intended it to be. This man had taken him in from the streets just a few months ago. And Jason had insisted on being trained. On being Robin. He wanted to fight. But he hadn't known how much it hurt. Bruce let go of the bag and turned away. Mentioning Dick had been a low blow. Dick had left Bruce. Jason knew it was a sore subject. He shouldn't have mentioned Dick, but he couldn't help it. It sucked to have to fill the shoes of the former Robin. It was an almost unattainable legacy. And he was jealous. That jealousy made him say mean things from time to time.

Bruce turned back to him. He tried to hide his emotions, but this time Jason could see the pain in his eyes. It was a terrible feeling to think that it was because of him.

"Shit... I didn't mean it like that. I'm sorry, Bruce."

Jason looked at the man, not sure if his apology was good enough.

"I'm just really tired, I swear!" He added.

A few seconds passed, then Bruce finally relented with a small sigh.

"All right, we'll take ten then."

Jason felt a wave of relief wash over his body as he dropped down onto the mat. His legs felt as if they were made out of pudding.

"Don't sit down. You won't be able to get up again, trust me." He heard Bruce warning him.

He looked at Bruce, whose face had regained it's usual emotionless expression and groaned.

"Fine!"

He tried to push himself up, but he had no strength left in his arms. This sucked. He was so embarrassingly weak. He didn't dare look Bruce in the eye.

"Let me help you, boy." He suddenly felt the man's strong grip pull him up. Jason got to his feet; a little unsteady, but he managed to keep his balance.

"Have something to drink."

Bruce handed him a water bottle that he must have gotten from somewhere. Jason only realized how dehydrated he was when he hastily unscrewed the cap and put the bottle to his lips.

"Small sips, Jaylad."

Jason took a few big gulps and started coughing.

"Told you." He felt Bruce's big hand gently pat his back until he could breathe again.

"Now let me see those hands."

Jason was not sure if that was concern in Bruce's voice. But he complied and held his hands out to Bruce.  Jason hadn't even looked at his hands. He only knew that they were a throbbing mess. His knuckles were swollen and bleeding through the bandages. He hadn't noticed.

"I'll get an ice pack and fresh bandages."

Jason stumbled back and held himself up against the wall when Bruce came back a few minutes later. Jason held out his hands again and watched as Bruce removed the bloody bandages.

"Does it hurt?" he asked matter-of-factly.

Jason shook his head.

"Nah. Just feels numb."

Bruce nodded.

"Well, this is going to sting a little."

He put some brown tincture on a cotton pad and spread it over Jason's knuckles. Jason tensed and breathed through his teeth, but he didn't say anything. He didn't want to look even weaker in front of Bruce. He could handle it. He had handled worse. After disinfecting the wound, Bruce carefully wrapped fresh bandages around his fists. In eights, over and under across the fingers and his palms. Jason clenched his fists once or twice after Bruce was done.

"Put some ice on it."

Bruce pressed the ice pack on his knuckles. The cold felt good.

"You must harden your fists. Get tougher. It'll get better in a few months, I promise."

Jason looked up at the man. He knew this of course. The last weeks of training had been hell. He had a hard time adjusting but it got better slowly.

"I know. You already said that."

He couldn't read Bruce's emotions well. Usually, he had been pretty good at it when it came to people. A skill he had picked up on the streets in order to survive. You had to be able to tell who was on your side and who was out to get you. But Bruce was different. He hardly showed any emotions at all, especially not during their training sessions or when he was Batman.

"I'm fine now."

Jason said after a few minutes. His body still felt tired, but his pulse had come down and his breathing was steady again.

"Let's go old man."

He raised his fists again, ready for the next punch.

Bruce smiled.

“Good.”

"Again, Sunshine!"

Jason waved Akila toward him. She sprinted and tackled him with surprising strength for an 8-year-old. Still, Jason easily held her back.

"When facing a bigger and stronger opponent, you should be resourceful and use your smaller frame to your advantage. You are far more agile than I am."

He explained as he gently pushed her back, careful not to hurt her.

They practiced in the garden on a Saturday afternoon. It was a surprisingly nice day and Jason didn't mind getting in a workout like this. A few neighbors peeked over the fence and bushes from time to time, but no one said anything. Not yet. 

"Now try again."

The girl lunged at him again. She was surprisingly fast and ducked away from his grabs. He could barely see her, somewhere around his legs. She had to be behind him by now.

"Good."

He complimented her as he quickly turned to block her kick. She tried to kick him a second time. This time Jason did not dodge.

"How's school going?" He asked her as he made Akila punch him in the palms of his hands.

"Um, I made a new friend. Christina. She's super cool and nice. I'm going over to her house tomorrow to play. Mom said it's okay."

Jason nodded. "Hmm. Sounds good, sunshine." He smiled.

"And I hit some guys, but they kicked a pigeon. And the pigeon couldn't kick them back. And they were super weak, too." She smiled victoriously.

Jason stopped her in mid-movement with a gentle push and turned away to sit down on the lawn instead. Akila looked at him, confused.

"Let's talk about this, Aki. Come sit down." He patted the patch of grass beside him.

"You're not in trouble." He added to calm her down.

Reluctantly, she sat down next to him on the soft grass.

"They were mean." She explained. "And Ms. Valentina didn't see it, I swear!"

She raised her arms.

Jason looked at her, not sure how to react. Sure, violence against birds was bad, but it was also bad to hit kids who didn't know how to fight.

"Although it is admirable that you tried to protect an animal." He began cautiously.

"I think sometimes it is good to talk first. You could have told them to stop."

Akila shook her head in a pout.

"They don't listen at all! Christina told me they do it all the time!"

Jason put his hand on her small shoulder. "In that case, you could have told Ms. Valentina."

Akila furrowed her brows. "I don't want to be a snitch."

"I understand that."

A part of Jason was a little proud. It was something he would say. Don't sell out to the authorities. But then again, this was a school fight, not a fight against the systemic oppression by the Gotham police force.

Akila folded her arms as if she could read his mind. She had that stubborn look on her face.

"You and Mom and Uncle Brian beat up bad guys all the time. Why can't I?"

That was a good point. They did beat up bad guys all the time. Jason held back a grin.

"Yes, we do."

He answered slowly, trying to hide his emotions. He wished Artemis was here. She would have known how to deal with this. But she was on a mission. So, it was up to Uncle Jay to avert a parental crisis.

"But you must choose your battles." He continued to explain. "Your mother and I are happy to teach you how to fight, but that doesn't mean it should be the first thing you do to make someone stop something you don't agree with. Even if you have to fight, it is important to hold back. Don't hurt someone weaker than you and know when to stop.

Now that was good parenting.

Akila looked at him with her big eyes. She seemed to be thinking about what he had said. It took her a while to answer. And when she did, the answer came reluctantly, and her voice had a questioning tone.

"So.... like I should not fight everyone. Like when I took Damian's watch. That made him sad, right?"

Jason tried to listen without commenting. She was in the middle of a thought process. 

"Okay, Jay." She said and smiled.

Jason smiled too.

"Okay."

"Do you want to show me some more moves or should we stop?" He asked her after a few seconds.

She shook her head.

"Can we watch Cat Patrol instead?"

Jason hated Cat Patrol. It was the most obnoxious cartoon on earth. He hated cats too. Sneaky bastards. But Akila adored the show.

So...

"Sure, sunshine."

He held out his hand to pull her up.

"Bruce?"

Jason had dialed Bruce's number before he could think clearly. To his surprise, he picked up right away.

"Jaylad! Is everything okay? Why are you calling? " He sounded as if he didn't expect a call from Jason at all.

Jason sat down on the green couch in the living room and let out a small sigh. Akıla was away at school. He was alone at home and somehow he just picked up the phone, following a strange impulse that made him call Bruce of all people. Maybe it was because this house felt so big and it was lonely and quiet without his family around. It made him think about things. Things he usually pushed aside.

"Again. Do I need a special reason to call you?" Jason asked.

He himself knew that this was unusual. But lately something had changed in him. The anger had subsided, if only a little. Things Bruce said or did did not have the same effect on him anymore. There was still hurt and there was unresolved conflict. But Jason felt this urge to make things right and not let them be.

Bruce didn't answer for a while.

"I guess not." He finally said. He still sounded skeptical.

"I just wanted to say that I don't appreciate you going behind our backs and bribing Akila's school."

Maybe he had a reason to call after all. More than that, the words just came out.

"So she started school. How is it going? The principal, Mrs. Lawrence, she was extremely forthcoming."

Bruce obviously brushed Jason's complaints aside, as he usually did.

Jason rolled his eyes, although Bruce couldn't see it. That was so not the point.

"What do you want me to say? I knew you wouldn't tolerate me helping out in any other way. She shouldn't have told you."

Jason clenched his phone. He wanted to throw it away, but phones were expensive.

"And that makes it better how dude?!" He asked Bruce. Typical.

"I can't take the money back now, can I? It is for educational purposes."

Jason groaned. The calm and introspection he had felt a few moments ago vanished. Bruce was, as usual, ifuriating.

"Fine!"

After a while he added, "She's doing well, okay? She even made a friend. She just got into some trouble with some kids in her class. Got into a fight because they kicked a pigeon. Anyway, don't you have work to do or something?"

"No. I have some time now. There's a board meeting in two hours. So she got into a fight. A pigeon? Hmmm." Bruce sounded lost in thought.

"Yeah. I don't know. Told her to be responsible and shit. Don't hurt people for no good reason, or when they're weaker, show restraint, etcetera, etcetera.”

Jason could practically see Bruce raise his eyebrows.

"Restraint?"

"What else am I supposed to tell her? Please beat the shit out of a bunch of kids?"

Jason scoffed. Why did Bruce have to be so righteous? Why? He knew exactly what he meant. That Jason shouldn't be telling people to show restraint because he himself didn't know how. That he was a hypocrite.

"You're right, of course." Jason heard the smile in Bruce's voice.

He jumped up. "Really?"

"Yeah. I would have said the same thing. You did good."

Jason didn't know what to say. Praise wasn't something he was used to from Bruce. The yelling, the judging. That was what their relationship had been like for the last ten years or so.

"Okay. Thanks..." Jason sat down again after he had calmed down.

"You know, I was thinking about you. Um, us. I guess that's why I called." He admitted.

"Back when I was younger, you always told me to hold back. To know when to stop, to pick my fights and not let anger drive my actions."

The words just came out, suddenly. And then Jason couldn't stop.

"And well, I always thought that was bullshit. At least to some extent. I thought, why me? Didn't you beat people up? Wasn't Dick just as violent? I was mad at you because it felt like you were only hard on me when I felt it was justified to hurt those who had hurt so many. Who were scum in my eyes. Why hold back? But now..."

Jason took a deep breath.

"Now I'm beginning to understand how you must have felt. I don't want Akıla to go through half of the shit I went through. I don't want her to get hurt or to hurt others in a way that is irreversible. But why were you so hard on me, Bruce? No, Dad! Surely there were other ways to teach me? "

Jason could hear his own voice breaking. He hadn't meant to get emotional.

Bruce was silent for a while. Jason was almost afraid he had hung up. Then he spoke again.

"Jaylad... " Bruce's voice suddenly sounded incredibly tired.

"That's because I didn't want you to make the same mistakes I did. Because I was afraid. I didn't want you to be consumed by your anger and I didn't want you to go to that dark place I went to after my parents died. You and I were so much alike. With Dick, I knew he would be okay. He had love and support growing up and a strong moral compass. But with you, I saw the same darkness in you that sometimes consumed me, that I could barely contain, and it scared me. Because parents don't want to see their children struggle and get hurt the way they did. I'm sorry I let you down. After you reappeared, I was angry with myself. I felt so guilty and at the same time my self-imposed righteousness made me hurt you, made me see you as a villain. To be honest, it was also easier. That way I didn't have to admit that I had lost my son to things beyond my control. Twice. I don't know if you can ever forgive me, Jason.”

Jason swallowed hard. Bruce felt guilty. Better still, he had thought about it. Obviously a lot. And Jason hadn't noticed. He had thought that Bruce didn't care about him. Or that Jason was the problem. The disappointment and the dark sheep of the family, because he couldn't be like Dick or Tim. Because he was somehow messed up. Because all the shit he had seen had corrupted him and made him violent. Less likeable. So he became just that. Maybe it was the pit, but maybe he just gave up along the way. But that didn't make the feelings of hurt go away. He had felt abandoned by his father because Bruce had chosen to hide his feelings and push Jason away. He had beaten him countless times, blackmailed him and lied to him, and it was hard to forget. It would always be a part of their relationship. Still, Jason felt relief when he heard Bruce's words. It gave him some closure.

"I can't forgive you, old man." Jason whispered, a lumb in his throat that he couldn’t swallow away. His voice was shaking.

"But we can try to move on...  And I feel like I am beginning to understand you better." He added softly.

"Th... thank you, my son." Now Bruce sounded like he was crying.

"Oh God. Please stop! " Jason aggressively wiped a tear from his own cheek.

"Did I tell you I'm getting my high school diploma? " He tried to change the subject.

"Really?" Bruce still sounded weak, but there was a grin in his voice. As if he wasn't the least bit surprised.

"Dick already told you, didn't he?"

"Yes. Yes, he did."

So I called Bruce.

Jason was texting Tim during class. He was bored.

You should be in class. Watch out, don't text.

Jason kept his phone under his desk and went on. They were taking advanced chemistry. Nothing a former drug lord didn't already know.

I can multitask.

He typed. He knew that Tim had just returned from Berlin and was now at another charity event that bored him to death. So he had nothing better to do.

Yeah, right. So you called Bruce. Did you set the house on fire?

Jason sent an angry emoji.

Ffs, Tim. Why does everyone keep saying that? No. We were talking about parenting and shit.

Tim was typing.

If you find this phone, please text.

The little fucker, Jason thought.

It was real. Good to finally get some shit off my chest.

Jason copied a molecule from the blackboard before looking at his phone again. Tim was still typing. Then the typing stopped.

Have you done that before?

He wrote. The answer came immediately.

Yes.

Of course he had.

How?

He raised his hand. The teacher looked at him.

"Yes, Jason?"

"It's carbon monoxide."

"Correct." The teacher wrote something down.

Jason checked his phone again.

I asked?

Tim had written.

Besides, I am more in touch with my feelings. You'd rather beat people senseless.

Jason couldn't help frowning. After a while another message appeared.

Jay? You know that was a joke, right? I have forgiven you.

Yes, Drake.

Good. Glad you and Bruce had another talk. It was long overdue.

Jason didn't answer. Instead he wrote.

Are we still on for Saturday?

They wanted to see the new Seoul Drive at the movies. Jason had been a die-hard fan since childhood when he used to sneak into the theater through the emergency exit.

Ofc.

Tim replied.

Is it okay if B comes too? I mentioned the movies to him and...

Sure. And at least he doesn't comment on every scene.

Tim sent an eyeroll emoji. Jason sent him a GIF of a duck hitting a TV screen. Then he put his phone away to concentrate on the class again.

Chapter Text

Chapter Five

Road Rage

"I like action." Brian shook his head.

He looked like he was judging Jason for his taste in movies. Jason didn't like that at all.

"It's interesting. Never the same." The big guy crossed his arms and looked down the street.

Jason and Brian were waiting on the front porch of their house. Jason had just cut their lawn two days ago, so it was now the appropriate length for their neighbors not to complain. Isabel and Kaitlyn had been keeping an eye on the neatness of their front yard. It was important to keep it looking neat and tidy. For the community, they had said. What kind of community this was, Jason hadn't been able to figure out yet.

Today Tim was going to pick them up by car to take them to the movies. Maybe Jason should get a car. It would make things easier for the family. If he had the money for a car. It had been a while since he had gotten or done any work. He wasn't actively patrolling either. He was at school and babysitting most days.

"Hey, why are you coming if you hate it so much?" He asked Brian.

They were on their way to see Seoul Drive! Everyone loved car movies. The thrill of the chase, the roar of the engines, the fragile masculinities.

"Because I spend so much time with you."

Brian had this sad puppy look on his face that was oddly misfitting for a menacing giant man, and it made Jason feel terrible. But Jason knew they hadn't spent much time together lately. Jason looked at his friend and smiled affectionately. Brian was a big softie, maybe the most pacifist person he knew and the most caring. It was important that they supported each other.

"Naww buddy. I hear you. Things have been hectic with school and Aki and you going out with BC. We should totally hang out more."

Brian nodded. "That would be awful." Jason opened his arms.

"Bring it in, B!"

As they hugged, a black Mercedes sped past them, then turned around, tires screeching. Jason immediately let go of Brian. It was at that very moment that Timothy Drake got out of the car. Jason instantly recognized it as one of Bruce's rides.

Drake wore a long gray trench coat and brown chinos. He looked like a damn movie detective.

"Am I interrupting something?" Tim asked them, raised eyebrow.

Jason grinned and spread his arms again.

"You want some, huh?" He asked.

Tim frowned, almost in disgust.

"Nah. I'm good."

Jason let his arms fall to his sides.

"Bye Tim." Brian smiled.

"Hi Brian. Ready for some car action?"

"Yes."

Jason rolled his eyes.

"Speaking of cars. You little motherfucker are driving Bruce's car?! How?"

Tim grinned. He looked proud.

"He lent it to me. Jealous?"

"Unbelievable. The guy never lets me drive his cars!"

Tim shrugged.

"That's because you wrecked his favorite Bentley when you were fifteen. He tells Damian that story all the time so he doesn't get any ideas."

Jason groaned.

"So now I am a cautionary tale? To Damian of all people."

He shook his head. He couldn't believe it.

"By the way, you should let me drive, Drake!"

Brian just looked at them confused. "Not brothers." He mumbled.

"No way, Jay. Bruce gave me permission to drive. No one else..."

Jason ran up to Tim and suddenly leapt out, trying to headlock him. Tim tensed for a moment, as if he hadn't expected it. Jason could feel his heart beating faster, but then Tim's reflexes seemed to kick in.

"Hey! Let me go, asshole!"

Tim demanded and started to kick him. Jason didn't care. He ruffled Tim's hair.

"You let me drive, Timmy, or I won't let go!"

Tim squeezed his arm hard and tried to struggle out of his grip, but he was stronger than Tim. Jason shot a quick glance at Brian, who didn't seem sure if he should intervene.

"Never!" Tim snapped, his jaw clenched.

Jason was about to hurl another insult at him when Akika ran out onto the front porch, followed by Artemis.

"Jay! Uncle Brian! What are you doing?"

A look from Akila and Artemis respectively and Jason immediately let go of Tim. "Hey, sunshine." Jason greeted the little girl who ran up to him. "Want to say goodbye?" He hid his hands behind his back and grinned innocently. Tim was still huffing and puffing next to him.

"What's wrong with him, Jay?" Akila asked, her eyes wide.

"I hugged him so hard he couldn't breathe!"

Akila giggled and Tim smiled at her, but he looked like he was in a lot of pain.

"Aki, they're leaving, let's leave them alone." Jason could hear Artemis' voice. "Hi Tim." She added.

"Hey Artemis." Tim's voice sounded hoarse. He cleared his throat a few times.

"Who's this Jay?" Akila didn't seem to mind her mother at all. Jason slapped Tim's back.

"This is my little brother, Timothy. Say hi, Tim!"

"Hello." Tim's smile looked awkward now.

"Oh!" Akila exclaimed.

"You have too many brothers. It is confusing." She crossed her arms. "There's Dami and Dickie..."

Tim raised his left eyebrow. "Dickie?"

Artemis laughed softly.

"He told her to call him Uncle Dickie. Don't worry. She won't say uncle, though, because that's Brian."

Brian looked proud.

"Of course he would." Tim muttered.

"I'm older than Damian. I'm the third oldest brother."

Akila looked at him confused. "Then why are you so short?" She asked and Jason started to laugh immediately.

"He's not short because some people are tall." Brian tried to explain. The sentence was confusing even for Jason. Akila nodded, thinking.

"Okay."

Artemis approached them soon after. "Aki, let's go back inside. You'll see Jason and Brian later." Akila moped. She looked at Jason and he almost became weak.

"Listen to your mom, sunshine. We'll read together later, okay?" He promised her instead.

Akila furrowed her brow.

"Okaaay...fine. See you."

She ran back inside as quickly as she had appeared. Artemis kissed Jason goodbye, then kissed Brian and Tim on the cheek before following her daughter inside.

"Now let me drive!" Jason demanded.

"Fuck off!"

Tim aggressively opened the driver's door and sat down. They took off and Jason wasn't moping. Not at all. He wasn't even upset that his family had decided he wasn't fit to drive. Tim and Brian were talking and he was staring out the window of the passenger seat. The scenery was slowly changing from perfectly manicured lawns and houses that all looked the same to more urban streets and corner stores. Jason felt a rush of relief. This was it, this was the real Gotham for him.

"Oh my God, Jay!"

Tim honked. A sports car had wormed its way in front of them, blocking the entrance to the side street where the movie theater was located. The guy behind the wheel was talking on his phone and smoking.

"Move!" Tim yelled, raising his arms.

The man in the car gave him the middle finger, which made Jason laugh.

"Is this funny to you?!" Tim snapped at him.

"Yeah, kind of." Jason grinned. "You know, if you would have let me..."

"Shut up!"

Tim cut him off and rushed out of the car. Slamming the door behind him. Little Timmy losing his temper wasn't something that happened often. All the more reason to enjoy the show. Jason leaned back in his seat.

"Everything bad?" Brian asked him.

"Yeah, yeah, buddy. Just watch." Jason reassured him.

Brian nodded. They watched as Tim banged on the guy's front window. Jason could hear Tim's muffled voice.

"Hey, mister! Would you mind moving your car? You are blocking the way!"

The guy didn't look like he had any intention of moving. He said something, but Jason could only make out the words "wait" from his lip movements. Whatever his words, they obviously had the effect of infuriating Tim further. The hammering increased.

"You asshole!" He heard Tim shout again.

It seemed that this was too much for the guy. He was looking for something in the glove compartment. Jason could only guess what that meant.

"Wait here, buddy!"

He instructed Brian and immediately got out of the car. Tim's opponent was about to get out of his own car.

"Back off Drake." Jason said in a calm but loud voice.

Tim turned around in surprise. It only took a few big steps for Jason to get there. Suddenly he was standing next to the guy, grabbing his shoulders and twisting his arm before he could even react. The guy screamed, surprised but also in pain, and dropped a gun to the ground. As expected, Jason thought. Typical Gotham scum behavior. Jason kicked the gun away.

"Nice try, asshole." Jason rolled his eyes.

It was always the same with these little mobster types. Tim looked surprised for a second, then collected himself.

"I could have handled this myself, Jay." He protested.

He sounded defeated, though.

"Yeah, yeah. I know. Call it big brother instinct. This shithole never changes."

Jason shook his head and grabbed the guy by the collar. Then he pushed him against his car. He didn't use much force, but it was enough to make the guy groan in agony.

"Now fuck off, man, you are holding up traffic. Don't you see?" Jason hissed at him.

It was true. Several cars were waiting behind them, some drivers honking impatiently. Now the mobster looked at him in fear. Jason grinned as the guy quickly got up and jumped into his car to hastily start the engine. Tim and Jason stepped back. The tires of the car screeched as the guy drove off. Jason nodded to Tim.

"You okay, little wing?" He asked his little brother. This wasn't like Tim at all. Losing his cool like that in the middle of the street. It was mostly funny, but Jason was also a bit worried.

Tim flicked his tongue. "I told you, I could have handled it."

Jason walked over to his brother and put a hand on Tim's shoulder.

"I know. But you seem really stressed. Are you all right?"

Tim seemed to think for a moment. Then he probably realized that they were still standing in the middle of the street and that people were still waiting. So did Jason. "I'm fine." Tim answered eventually.

"Let's just go. We are already late."

Jason sighed and followed Tim back to the car. If he said so...

Brian smiled at them happily as they sat down again.

"Worse than Seoul Drive."

Seoul Drive was mediocre at best. Jason tried to hide his disappointment as they left the theater. When had the franchise become so bad? The action scenes were cheesy at best and the car crashes didn't excite him anymore.

"Good movie." Brian said.

They sat in a sushi place around the corner. Jason struggled to pick up his California roll with his chopsticks.

"Ah dang!" He snapped.

"You're not supposed to cross them. Let me show you again."

Tim picked up his own set to demonstrate. He really loved it when he was better at something than Jason.

"I'm good." Jason set his chopsticks aside. "Whatever."

He hesitated for a moment, then picked up the roll with his fingers and dipped it in soy sauce before shoving it into his mouth. He couldn't look at Tim. He could already guess that he was grinning. "The movie was fun," he mumbled as he ate.

Tim laughed. "It was terrible. The effects looked ridiculous. The plot was nonsensical. And why were all the women half naked?" He effortlessly picked up his maki roll with his chopsticks and popped it into his mouth. Jason looked at him with contempt.

"Don't agree." Brian shook his head.

Jason sighed. "You two," he grabbed his chopsticks again and pointed them at Tim and Brian. "Are no fun! "

His childhood was officially over.

"Timothy." Jason said after a while.

The restaurant was quite crowded now that it was evening. He was skewering an inside-out tuna roll with a single chopstick. Tim rolled his eyes.

"What?" He asked. And then added. "You're impaling your sushi. I will never take you out to eat again."

Jason just ignored him.

"What's wrong with you? Are you stressed out?"

Tim shrugged. "Why would I be stressed? I'm fine."

Jason raised an eyebrow. "The road rage.. ?"

"What about it? The guy was an asshole!" Tim interrupted him.

He had raised his voice a little too much. A few people in the restaurant turned their heads in their direction.

"Sorry." Tim apologized immediately in a quiet voice.

Jason could see him sinking further into his chair. He looked tired, small. But most of all, he looked like a sad puppy. Jason would never admit it, but he had a soft spot for Tim. Maybe it was out of guilt because Jason had hurt him so much. He had been jealous and spiteful and violent. He felt like he had to atone for his sins somehow. But he also wanted to be to Tim what Dick had been to him. A reliable older brother to lean on. Who wouldn't judge. Jason smiled gently at Tim.

"It's all right, little bird."

Brian looked at them. "Should I stay?" He asked, but Tim shook his head.

"No, stay. I.."

He looked like he was going to choke. Now Jason was really worried. But he didn’t inquire any further. Sometimes it was better to wait. Let Tim take his time.

"He broke up with me... In Berlin. Bernard. "It was barely a whisper.

"Everything was going great. I was... I thought we were..." Tears were now streaming from his eyes. Some rolled down his cheeks.

"I'm sorry, man." Jason put his hand on his brother's shoulder.

"No! It's my fault!" Tim shook his head.

"Of course he would leave me! I'm useless."

He tried to wipe away his tears, but they wouldn't stop. Brian handed him a handkerchief, Tim took it with a weak smile.

"Don't say that, Tim." Jason looked at his little brother.

It hurt him to see him like this. He had assumed that Tim was having fun in Berlin. They had looked so happy on the pictures. He had been wrong.

"You don't know that!" Tim's voice was sharp now.

Jason removed his hand from Tim's shoulder. He hadn't expected this tone from Tim. But he was not angry. He knew that Tim blamed himself. He knew the feeling.

"Apparently I am too busy." Tim continued. "I don't have time for our relationship. He said he couldn't take it anymore. And now I've lost him. Do you understand?! I fucked up again, Jay! I'm a huge fuck-up!"

Jason could tell that Tim was spiraling. It was obvious. He had seen that side of him before. His father had constantly told him he wasn't good enough until Tim had internalized it. He had gotten better. But from time to time, even a small setback could trigger him, could make him feel like a child again, at the mercy of others' approval. And this was more than a minor setback.

"Hey. Look at me." Jason tried to get Tim's attention by cupping his cheeks between his hands and carefully turning his head toward him.

"Look at me. You are not a fuck - up, do you understand? These things happen. Have you two had a talk about it?"

Tim's eyes searched his. And Jason tried to look reassuring. He nodded slowly. Tim was still sobbing, but he seemed to have calmed down a bit.

"Of course. He says he needs time... Doesn't want to talk right now." He managed to say meekly.

Jason nodded. "Understandable. Give him some space to figure things out. And maybe you should take some time off. I'm sure Bruce would understand..."

"No! I can't." Tim shot out immediately. He sounded like he was panicking. "I promised Bruce that I would be there. There's a big event in two days and a board meeting next week. Dick is out of town. And the Titans..."

"Shh. Don't worry." Jason interrupted him. 

"I'll talk to Bruce for you. And I guess I could go to..." Ugh, Jason thought. "One or two events and meetings." He heard himself say.

Jason couldn't believe he was actually suggesting that. It was self-torture.

Tim looked at him with big eyes.

"You would do that for me?" He asked.

He had the same look on his face as Akila had when she got to eat the last icicle from the box in the freezer.

"Yes. Fine. I already said I would." Jason groaned.

"You could be my assistant! Even my intern!” Tim smiled again, eyes swollen, cheeks blotchy.

Jason hated this thought more than anything.

"If it makes you happy..." He muttered, turning his head away as he continued to stab his sushi.

Chapter Text

Chapter 6

For Old Time's Sake

"An excellent look on you, master Jason."

Alfred looked proud, but Jason, Jason looked at himself in the mirror and felt ridiculous. The last time he had worn a suit was at Dick's wedding. And this was a tuxedo. It was far worse.

"It's so tight, Alfie." He complained.

The tie was almost strangling him. He tried to loosen it, but Alfred glared at him, making Jason freeze in mid-movement.

"It was hand-tailored for you, Master Jason. It is a perfect fit."

The voice of the old man was dripping with contempt.

Jason groaned. "Fine."

He rolled his shoulders back. The fabric was stretched tight against the small of his back. If he were to tear the thing by mistake, Alfred would really kill him.

"Now for your hair, Master Jason."

Jason saw no problem with his hair. It was the way he always wore it. Alfred seemed to think differently.

"If you would just comb it to the side..."

Jason raised his hand. "Do not touch the hair!"

He hissed. That was enough! Going to this gala was pure torture. But he had promised Tim and he always kept his promises. Even if it meant that he had to wear this ridiculous outfit. Artemis would have loved to have seen this.

When he was younger, Jason sometimes had to attend these events. He'd usually sneak out after a few hours. Sometimes he would steal some champagne from the staff, sometimes he would manage to slip out the back door without Bruce noticing. But this time there was no escape. He was here as an adult. The grown son of Bruce Wayne. Philanthropist millionaire and chairman of the Wayne Foundation and Enterprises. That meant the press would be involved. Which in turn meant Jason had to be on his best behavior. He did not care about ruining Bruce's image, but Tim's? He couldn't do that to Tim.

Jason took a deep breath.

"It's time to go. The car is waiting outside, Master Jason."

Alfred appeared beside him again with an encouraging smile. Jason nodded.

"See you later then."

He looked at his reflection in the mirror one last time. The man in the suit was staring back at him. He seemed skeptical at best. This was definitely weird. Finally, Jason left the room. With a satisfied grin, Alfred watched him go.

"Took you long enough."

Bruce insisted on driving. Of course he did. He would never let Jason touch the wheel in his presence again. That much was clear. Jason sighed and sat down beside him.

"Shut up, old man."

"You look nice." Bruce's eyes scanned Jason. He was obviously trying to judge how Jason looked.

"I hate this."

Jason rolled his eyes and buckled his seat belt with a click. He made a clear effort not to look at Bruce at all. Suddenly the view out to the cave garage was super interesting.

"Did you read the briefing?"

Bruce asked him as he started the engine. It made a soft noise. The start was smooth and the car glided out of the garage without any resistance. Jason hated this stupid car. He really wanted to drive it.

"Yeah. Yeah, I read the briefing. And yes, I've memorized all of its contents."

Jason tapped his temple.

"And yes, I also know who Lord and Lady Adaire are. And before you mention it, yes, I know the cause. The cause is yet another stupid, fucking award that is gathering dust on your stupid awards shelf."

Jason didn't give two flying fucks about this event. This was for Tim. Tim owed him big now. They drove up the porch and left the manor swiftly. Bruce looked in the rearview mirror with a smile on his face.

"Alfred is keeping the shelf free of dust. Don't you worry about it."

He chuckled. Was that a joke?

Jason frowned.

They passed parkways and avenues, one bigger than the other. But the last one just wouldn't end. Jason didn't even count the trees anymore. Finally, they approached a mansion that at least rivaled the grandeur of Wayne Manor. Jason whistled. These people were filthy rich. Akila would have loved to explore this house. She would have called it a hunted and tried to find secret passageways and doors. Suddenly Jason was sad that Akila wasn't here. But it was probably for the best. These events were boring and took forever. She would hate that.

A driver took their car and Bruce led Jason to the entrance of the estate. Statues of Greek gods and goddesses greeted them with their naked, chiseled bodies. "Athena, Zeus." Jason bowed mockingly to them. Bruce raised an eyebrow. The Ancient Greek theme seemed to encompass the entire decor of the house. The interior was a palace of marble floors and octagonal columns.

"Remember, they are big sponsors of the Foundation."

Bruce whispered in his ear as they approached the main hall.

Jason had a hatred of small, cramped spaces. When he closed his eyes, he could still feel the suffocating sensation, his lungs screaming for air. The pressure of the layers of earth pressing down on his tattered body and the screeching of the wood his bloody nails scratched. This place was the exact opposite. The grand hall was, as the name suggested, grand. The ceiling must have been about 20 feet high. Huge crystal chandeliers hung from it, illuminating the surroundings. There was an orchestra somewhere in the back, because soft waltz music filled the room. And the people, so many people dressed in fancy clothes, eating those tiny canapés that were being rotated around on silver plates in a circular motion. Jason had trouble taking it all in. It had been ages since he had been to a place like this. It was overwhelming. The worst part was that a lot of people turned to them. Jason could feel their eyes, analyzing and judging him.The stream of people wanting to chat or introduce themselves to Bruce was never ending. He greeted them all politely, shook their hands and made small talk about their mutual friends. Jason tried his best to stay in the background, but it was almost impossible as Bruce kept pulling him into the conversation.

Finally it was time to say hello to the hosts of the evening. Mrs. Adaire kissed Bruce on the cheek as a greeting. She looked to be about 60 or 65, with dyed blonde locks that were artistically pulled back into a bun. She wore a long red dress that seemed to be made almost entirely of frills. A huge necklace with teardrop-shaped blue sapphires adorned her neck. She smiled as she approached Jason.

"And this young man is?"

The lady looked at him expectantly. Jason didn't know what to say. It was a simple question, but it felt so loaded.

"This is my second oldest, Vivienne. Jason. He will be here today in Tim's place, if you don't mind."

The woman shook her head, letting her matching saphire earrings dangle.

"No. Not at all."

Jason managed a slight nod. He could do this. He could act like someone else if he had to. They all could. Bruce had taught them.

"It's a pleasure, ma'am." He said.

The hostess smiled. "The pleasure is mine, young man. If you two will excuse me for a moment. More esteemed guests are arriving. But Bruce, we must catch up later and discuss our plans."

Bruce bowed his head elegantly.

"Of course, Lady Adaire."

Jason let out a long sigh as she left. He felt the tension leave his body. Only now did he realize that he was standing as straight as an arrow. As if someone had shoved at stick up his ass. That had been intense. Bruce patted him on the back and nodded in the direction of the entrance. New people were approaching them quickly. Shit.

"Buckle up, there's more coming."

After what seemed like hours of polite small talk, it was finally time for the awards ceremony. Jason was seated at a round table draped in a white cotton tablecloth. His glass of wine kept him company, and he expertly told the waiters, "Keep 'em coming." The whole event was starting to look more and more like the set of a bad comedy show, and the alcohol helped him maintain his ironic distance.

The old man is about to get his award. He's on stage now.

He wrote Tim and sent him a picture of Bruce smiling his best toothpaste smile smile for the cameras.

Cheers to that!

Tim wrote back and sent him a picture of him holding up a coffee mug with the words "Early bird" printed on it. Jason had to laugh. Tim with his coffee. Hilarious!

"I'd like to thank the lovely hosts for the evening, Mr. and Mrs. Adaire. Thank you for all the kindness and generosity that you have shown us over the years. Without you and the help of everyone else tonight, we at The Wayne Foundation would not be able to do half of the good work we do.”

Bruce triumphantly held up the award with both hands, the flashes from the cameras reflecting off its shiny surface. Jason could barely make out its shape. He squinted his eyes. It looked like some kind of cylinder. Bruce's voice and presence filled the entire room. He was like a star up there.

"Finally, I'd like to thank my family. They've supported me for as long as I can remember, and the Wayne Foundation has always been a family effort. My son Jason is here with me today."

Bruce waved. Waved at him. Immediately a ton of people turned around. He could feel hundreds of eyes on him. Fuck you. He thought.

Worst of all, the cameras noticed too. They were suddenly focused on him. Jason clenched his wine glass awkwardly and turned to his father. He tried his best to smile. The blinding lights made it even harder. His heart was pounding in his chest. Then it was over and the floor was Bruce's again. He sighed in relief. Thank God.

Bruce shook hands left and right. People congratulated him heartily on his accomplishment. Meanwhile, Jason was still sitting at the table, trying to get over his shock with more wine.

This sucks. Get me out of here.

He wrote to Tim.

"Um Jason?"

Someone called out to him. Jason put the phone down unwillingly. He had really hoped that they would leave him alone for the rest of the night. After all, they had Bruce to entertain them. Glittering celebrity Bruce. He was just the rejected second son who was the cheap replacement, which was ironic because he used to call Tim replacement. Apparently he was wrong and someone else wanted to be a massive pain in the ass tonight. Jason reluctantly turned his head towards the unfamiliar voice. A young guy with short blond hair and round glasses stood in front of him. He flashed a smile and his teeth were so unbelievably blindingly white and straight. Jason almost had to look away.

"How can I help you?"

Jason asked him, barely trying to keep a polite smile on his face.

"Oh, you don't remember me, do you? It's been so long. We went to Brentwood together."

The guy straightened his fly and took a step forward.

Jason tried to get closer to the man. He was trying to work his way through the catalog of former students that he remembered. Bruce had taught him to memorize characteristic features of people's faces. Like, say, the way his guy had a mole on his left temple. There weren't many people he knew with such a mark.

"Ed. Sure. Of course I remember. We went to summer school together. Roommates. Room 201."

Jason grinned and stood up to shake hands with Edward Pines. Son of Norton Pines. Heir to Pine Industries. As far as Jason knew, they were in the tool manufacturing business. Ed had been the awkward, nerdy kid he had to share a room with after Bruce had forced him to attend summer school when he was fifteen.

"Oh, you remember. Can I sit down?"

Ed asked him after shaking his hand. He looked surprised, as if he hadn't expected Jason to recognize him again. Jason nodded and sat down with a small sigh.

"Sure, man. Have some wine while you are at it. The dry red is really good. Trust me."

Ed sat down beside him. Jason grabbed the wine bottle and filled one of the empty wine glasses to the brim, drawing a worried look from one of the waiters. Not that he cared. He placed it next to Ed.

"I wasn't sure it was really you. But after that speech. Well."

Ed took a reluctant sip from his glass.

Jason made a pained sound of laughter. He really did not want to think about that. He wanted to forget.

"Yup. It's me." He relented. 

"So anyway. How you been, Ed. Haven't seen you since we were about sixteen, I think."

Some of his memories from when he was sixteen were still a little bit fuzzy. It was hard to tell the time before and after the pit apart. But Jason was pretty sure that he and Ed hadn't been in the same classes after summer school.

"Well. I went to Yale and Harvard and got my MBA. Now I work at my dad's company. What about you?"

Ed smiled politely, well aware of his accomplishments.

Figures. Jason thought and poured more wine into his own glass. This guy was exactly how Jason imagined a rich kid to be. In fact, all the people at this gala were one and the same. They all went to some Ivy League school out of their parents' pockets. They'd never even seen or talked to the people they were giving money to. And they did not care. This was all just a show to them and a way for them to relieve their own guilt and their own greed. And Jason, he would have been just the same had he not died. Another charity project. Another rags to riches story and another "Wow, he turned out so great despite his prospects" comment. A part of him was relived that it turned out differently.

He did not say any of this to Ed.

Instead, he held up his glass and nodded at the young man with a grin.

"Well. I'm here on behalf of my brother. He's taking some time off and I'm his humble substitute. You know Tim, right?"

Ed laughed awkwardly and clinked his glass with Jason's.

"Cheers. Sure, we have met on a few occasions. He's going to take over your dad's business, I heard."

Jason shrugged and took another sip of wine. The slightly bitter taste was about the only comforting thing in this place.

"What about you, do you work for Wayne Enterprises?"

Ed asked, taking another sip himself. It was obvious that he wanted to sound nonchalant, but his eyes sparkled with curiosity. He was more than obvious.

"Nah." Jason shook his head. "I work freelance, running errands for people. Nothing interesting."

It was almost a truth. He ran errands. The errands were taking people out for money.

"I see."

Ed bit his lower lip. He was now nervously checking the area behind Jason's head, as if to make sure they were not being watched.

"I thought you were dead!" he suddenly blurted out a little too loudly.

Thank God the orchestra had just started playing a jazz piece and the trumpet player was a little too enthusiastic. No one heard Ed and Jason tried to hide his surprise. He had to play it cool. There was a protocol to follow. An official story that he and Bruce had made up.

"Nah."

Jason smiled, trying to put up a cool front. "I was in a bike accident. It was pretty bad and I was out for a few months." He explained calmly, still smiling. "When I came to, I was out of it. Think about it at that age. I felt terrible and stupid. I went away for a while, and Bruce thought that it would be better for me to keep a low profile about it. After rehab I just wanted to travel and shit. I didn't want to have anything to do with the family. Guess I'm back now."

He shrugged again to indicate that it was totally cool. That it didn't bother him at all. Was Ed buying it? Jason tried to study the man before him. Ed looked confused, but not hostile or skeptical, which was good. Of course, this story was much more believable to most people than him dying and then coming back to life. And people wanted to believe what was easiest to believe.

"That makes sense." Ed said after a while. "So I guess it was just rumors at school..."

Jason smiled apologetically.

"I'm sure. And I was a pain in the ass, man. Always getting into trouble. You know how it is."

Ed grinned shyly.

"To be honest, I thought you were pretty cool back then." He admitted.

Jason shook his head. It was embarrassing to think about. He had thought he was so cool and above everyone else because he had been Robin. But in the end he had been just another privileged brat who had trashed his father's Bentley while high.

"I was a little piece of shit who hid a stash of weed under his bed."

Ed set his glass down on the table. Jason had filled it so full that the red wine in it almost spilled over.

"I knew it!" He exclaimed. "You didn't want to tell me, but I knew it!"

Jason laughed amusedly.

"I had to keep my secrets, you know. And I was afraid you would be a snitch." He shrugged.

Ed and him were having fun. Remembering old times. Jason had almost forgotten his high school years, but Ed seemed to remember a lot of details about their time in Brentwood. For example, they had sneaked out to spy on the teachers. But that was a story for another day. Suddenly, Ed tensed. Behind him, Steve Pines, Ed's father, approached them. He reeked of expensive cologne and too much alcohol. A smell that made Jason's stomach turn in disgust. And he had that self-righteous aura that rich people usually carried around with them, spreading around with every judgmental smile and condescending look.

"Edward, it's time to go. Your mother is going to make another scene, and by God, I don't want another Crystal Dinner!"

He stood next to his son, taking up an awful lot of space so that the waiters could barely squeeze through to get to the other tables. He didn't seem to care. Jason came close to throwing the half-empty bottle of wine in his smug face. But Ed, Ed immediately shot up. He quickly grabbed his jacket and put it on. He looked nervous.

"Yes, Dad. Of course!"

Then he turned to Jason with an apologetic smile, as if he had forgotten for a second that Jason was even there.

"You remember Jason Todd, Dad? We went to the Academy together."

Steve looked at Jason and pinched his nose. He looked like he was trying to chase away a rabid dog. The insides of Jason's stomach turned.

"Yes, I remember. Say hello to Bruce for me."

Steve said with a smile that did not reach his eyes at all.

"I will."

Jason smiled back and gave the older man a polite nod, but his voice was cold and emotionless. He could barely contain his anger now. He knew such people all too well. He knew that this man was silently judging him for how he acted and looked. And he probably hated Bruce as well, for whatever reason.

"If you'll excuse us. We have to be on our way." He said then, practically pushing his son aside. "See you." Ed managed to mumble before they disappeared.

"Sure." Jason called after them. It wasn't Ed's fault.

What a tool. Jason thought.

The gala was thankfully drawing to a close. He saw Bruce walk over to his table. He seemed to be done with the socializing.

"Are you drunk?" He asked Jason with a raised eyebrow.

Jason scoffed and fell into his chair. Bruce joined him.

"How else am I supposed to take all this? I hate it."

Bruce shook his head but didn't add anything else.

"I see you've met Steven. He is quite difficult to deal with." He then said.

Jason rolled his eyes.

"You can say that again! He was a complete asshole to his son and to me, mind you. I pulled myself together. But I swear I would have put my fist right in his ugly face if I had not promised you to be on my best behavior tonight." Jason whispered sharply.

"Yes. I would like to do that too." Bruce said dryly. "He's insufferable."

Jason gave him a look of surprise. Bruce fighting a rich jerk. The thought was hilarious. He had to laugh. And even Bruce grinned a little.

"Anyway, I'm proud of you. You got an award and everything."

Jason took a closer look at the award Bruce had received. He had put it on the table in front of them.

"Looked cool on stage, old man."

Bruce shook his head. "This?" He nodded toward the award. "Nothing special. I'm just glad you were there."

Jason shrugged, but it made him happy to hear that. Even if he would never admit it. "I did it for Tim, not for you. Remember that."

"Yes, of course. By the way, Vivienne kept going on about how good-looking you are. She said I should bring you around more often." Bruce chuckled.

Jason cringed. "Ugh, lady, no way. Besides, I'm taken."

He raised his arms in protest. He didn't want to imagine the old woman checking him out. The thought alone was disgusting. Bruce laughed. Really laughed. The sound was strange and alien. But it was nice to see his father enjoying himself. Maybe because he was piss-drunk.

Chapter Text

Chapter 7 - Red Hood and the Board of Business

During a break from class, Jason lounged on the steps behind the gym, the unofficial smoking spot for those rebellious enough to risk it. The school may have frowned upon it, but the telltale butts strewn across the grass painted a different picture. The steps led up to what looked like a storage container or locker room, its tin walls serving as a canvas for a colorful array of graffiti. Jason lit a cigarette and his eyes fell on a particularly wild mural - a demon with a huge purple head spewing green flames and a menacing set of yellow teeth. Not bad, he thought, and took a drag.

Out of the blue, Tobias, his scrawny classmate, snuck up on him. Nervously, he eyed Jason and the pack of cigarettes sticking out of the pocket of his jacket.

Tobias hesitated before asking, "Can I have one?"

Jason wasn't even sure if Tobias was of age, but he shrugged and handed over a cigarette.

"Thanks..." Tobias mumbled, placing the cigarette between his lips. Jason lit it for him, and they settled down on the chilly steps. Jason could feel the cold seeping in.

"You know," he began, studying Tobias' distant gaze, "I've been meaning to ask. You mentioned that Red Hood was your favorite hero on the first day. Why's that?"

The mystery of how and when he had saved Tobias had been nagging at him. He just couldn't seem to remember. Leaning against the graffiti-covered wall, Tobias replied skeptically,

"Why do you want to know that?"

Jason wasn't quite sure why it mattered. But the chance to chat with someone he'd saved was rare. In a thoughtful moment, he wondered if being a hero really made a difference in places like Crime Alley. To Tobias at least, it seemed like it did.

"Well, I've run into the guy a few times, myself. Used to live in the same neighborhood as him. You know how it is in the alley," Jason shared, offering a glimpse of the truth. Living in the same neighborhood had been a fact, though he had conveniently left out that he was the guy under the Red Hood.

"Relax, man. I'm just curious," Jason added with a nonchalant shrug.

He noticed Tobias nervously tapping his left foot up and down, a sure sign of his rising anxiety.

"Well, you see, when I was about fourteen, things went to shit." He started, taking a final long drag of his cigarette.

"I was on my way home, got into some trouble. These idiots singled me out, tried to beat the crap out of me. That's when the Hood swooped in, saved the day, and those losers never dared touch me again."

Tobias flicked his cigarette to the ground and crushed it under his heel. Another addition to the collection. His hands disappeared into the pockets of his bright red hoodie.

"Hmm, I always thought that guy was kind of full of it," Jason grinned, unable to resist probing further. Talking to a fan always put things into an interesting perspective.

"No way!"

Tobias objected vehemently, looking Jason straight in the eye.

"He's nice. Most heroes don't give a damn about the alley, but he cares. I can tell. I just know it."

The usual nervous energy that surrounded Tobias seemed to be replaced by genuine conviction. Jason thought the Hood must have meant a lot to him.

"If he hadn't been there, I wouldn't be here," Tobias added with unwavering certainty.

Touched by Tobias' sincerity, Jason reflected on his efforts. The alley was tough, and sometimes it felt like his actions were futile, like hitting a concrete wall. But maybe he was wrong. Maybe, despite the challenges, he could make a positive difference.

"If you say so..."

Jason shrugged, trying to hide his smile. Tobias continued to stare, but now there was a hint of contempt in his eyes.

"As if you would know!" He burst out. "Don't even pretend you do. Because that's obviously not true."

Jason stubbed out his cigarette on the wall, leaving a coin-shaped gray mark on the dirty surface. Perplexed, he looked at Tobias, trying to understand the sudden change.

"Yes, I saw you on TV the other day. It was definitely you. You're Bruce Wayne's son! So don't go around acting like you know anything about the Alley, or about the Hood, or about me!"

Tobias crossed his arms, clearly surprised by his own emotional outburst. He quickly looked away and shoved his hands back into his pockets.

"You saw that, huh?" Jason sighed.

He had hoped that no one would recognize him. But of course, they did. National television had broadcast his identity for all to see.

"So, it's true..." Tobias muttered after he had seemed to calm down. "What are you doing here anyway? Shouldn't you be at some fancy school or, I don't know..."

Jason shook his head and threw away the cigarette butt.

"It's true. But I don't care about all that charity bullshit. I was just doing my brother a favor. He couldn't be there that day, and..."

Jason realized he was getting off topic.

"Anyway, yeah. I was adopted by Bruce when I was fourteen. But it's also true that I grew up in the alley," Jason explained hastily.

"He had some business in the alley with some foundation or other, and that's when I decided to bust his tires..."

Not sure if Jason was spinning a story or not, Tobias looked at him eyes full of doubt. Jason raised his arms in defense.

"I swear it's true, kid. I don't know why, but the great philanthropist took pity on me and decided to adopt me shortly after. Believe me, I was as shocked and surprised as you are now. I was a street rat, and this famous guy picked me up off the street out of nowhere and gave me a roof over my head."

The story was nothing short of incredible. At the time, Jason thought the Batman was messing with him. Worse, he suspected the Bat was planning to kidnap him or throw him in juvie. Instead, that fateful night turned into a hamburger dinner that changed Jason's life forever. From street rat to billionaire's son in less than a month, it was a transition that hadn't always been smooth.

"After that, Bruce and I got into our fair share of fights. Some worse than others. I was a bit of a stubborn bastard, and to be honest, he can be too."

Tobias let out a surprised laugh.

"That's right," Jason added with a grin. "At one point we didn't speak for several years because we hated each other so much. I flunked out of school, too. But now we're okay again. I guess that's why I'm here now and why I was on TV, even though it was a waste of time, if you ask me..."

Tobias looked at him with a mixture of admiration and disbelief.

"That's ridiculous. Busting his tires. He could have called the cops."

He shook his head and Jason shrugged. He'd been so poor by then, he'd have sold those tires cheap, just to buy something to eat for the week.

"Why did you make up?" Tobias asked after a while, real interest in his eyes.

Jason sighed.

"I grew up, I guess. I have my own family now, and that put things into perspective. I also realized that I was blaming myself all these years. Maybe if I hadn't been born in the alley to two crappy parents, I would have turned out different. That's what I used to think. That you can take the kid out of the alley, but you can't take the alley out of the kid. And that I wasn't worthy of love and affection. But that's all bull.”

Jason turned to Tobias and locked eyes with him.

"Everyone deserves a second chance. No one is to blame for the circumstances they were born into. We all try to make the best of the cards we were dealt. I was lucky enough to find people who could show me that."

Thoughts of Artemis, Brian, his brothers, and most recently Akila flashed through his mind and brought a smile to his lips.

"Sorry for the lecture, kid. I'm sure it's boring. Maybe I'm getting old."

Jason shrugged apologetically. Sharing his story and his thoughts with this random kid from his class felt good, but it also felt like they were connected somehow. He and Tobias. Through Gotham and Crime Alley.

"We should head back. Class starts soon. I don't want to be late for Lit. It's my favorite subject."

Jason stood up and stretched his arms. Tobias, who was now staring at him intensely, seemed to be whispering something to himself. Jason felt an unexpected pang of unease.

"What..."

"You're him!" 

Tobias interrupted him abruptly. He looked at Jason as if he'd seen a ghost.

"You're Red Hood!"

Jason froze for a millisecond. How could he know? Then he relaxed again. He couldn't know. Not after one encounter. Not while Jason had been in gear, with his mask and voice changed and all.

Forcing himself to laugh, Jason said, "Sorry to disappoint you."

He tried to sound casual.

"But I'll take the compliment."

Tobias squinted his eyes slightly. He looked like he didn’t buy a single word of what Jason had just tried to sell him. But he got up anyway. They didn't talk at all on the way back to the classroom. The silence was probably incriminating. Plus, it was awkward as hell even though Jason tried to act as normal as possible. A few people knew his secret identity, mostly friends or family, but almost never civilians. What would Bruce do? Jason wondered.

He would deny it to the end, a voice inside him answered.

Jason rolled his eyes. "Could you please stop following me?" He asked the kid.

For days now, Tobias had become an annoying, teenage-sized shadow. Since their conversation behind the gym, he was suddenly everywhere - next to him in class, during breaks, and waiting in front of the school building when Jason arrived in the afternoon, relentlessly pestering him with questions about his great hero, Red Hood. Jason wouldn't have been surprised if the boy had followed him to take a piss.

Sticking to his decision not to admit anything, Jason found Tobias standing in front of his bike, as if to prevent him from leaving. Tobias crossed his arms.

"Not if you don't tell me the truth. You are him. I just know it."

"Well, jokes on you, kid," Jason muttered, gently pushing him aside. "I gotta go. I have work to do. Go write some fanfiction at home or something."

He put on his helmet and started the engine of his bike. Not that reading fanfiction was something he would ever do.

"Ha ha. I'll see you tomorrow," Tobias rolled his eyes and seemed to have given up. For now. "You'll tell me. Sooner or later, you will!" He called behind Jason as he drove off.

"Damn stubborn boy," Jason thought.

He had enough to worry about, as it was. Besides, what good would it do him to tell Tobias? It wasn't as if Jason wanted to take the boy under his wing. Worst-case scenario: the kid blabs to the media, causing a whole mess. Jason hoped that Tobias would lose interest sooner rather than later. If Jason had to push him away even harder, then so be it.

Jason weaved and squeezed through Gotham's traffic on his bike, earning him honks and curses - nothing he wasn't used to. Unfortunately, it was rush-hour, and he was already late for the meeting. When he finally arrived in front of the Wayne Foundation headquarters, a tall skyscraper with a huge glass front and more than 20 floors, he was more than half an hour late. Tim would probably kill him, and so would Bruce. The sleek, modern architecture of the building loomed over him as he parked his bike, adding to the weight on his shoulders.

He hurried past the security guards to the elevator. And they let him pass. Bruce must have told them he was running late.

Inside the elevator, he took a quick look in the mirror to fix his helmet hair as best he could. Jason had managed to look somewhat presentable by the time the elevator came to a stop on the 20th floor with a sharp ping. Granted, his shirt was a little wrinkled, but that was the best he could do.

He paced forward, stopping before what seemed to be the largest door in the entire building.  It was probably about four feet high and made of dark wood. Jason took a deep breath and knocked.

Enter

Someone opened the door and Jason entered shortly after. He then stopped for a moment to take in the atmosphere.

Now that the sun was setting, the interior of the room was tinted orange. The panoramic windows stretched from the top of the paneled ceiling to the floor, revealing the skyline of Gotham City's business district. Jason took a step toward the long oval table of dark polished wood in the center of the room. He searched for the gaze of his father, who was seated all the way in the front of the room. His hands were folded. Bruce nodded slightly in greeting. Sitting next to him was his father's longtime business partner, Lucius Fox. Jason had known him since he was a teenager, but to this day he couldn't say exactly how involved this guy was. He seemed to know. Know everything, but at the same time Jason couldn't read him at all. All he knew for sure was that this guy was the brains of the operation here.

"Sorry I'm late."

Jason hurried to the only available place. It was very quiet, and he could feel seven men staring at him intently. Not a single woman, Jason noticed. So much for the patriarchy. Someone cleared their throat. Jason looked up. The middle-aged man in a gray suit sitting in front of him eyed him suspiciously.

"Now that we are finally all here, we can begin." He said, impatience in his voice.

Someone handed Jason a folder with the agenda for the meeting. Jason flipped through it and quickly skimmed the contents.

"As most of you know, the annual figures for the Foundation have come in. I suggest you take a look at the statistics in front of you."

Jason turned the first page of the binder to reveal a graph.

"We have been able to maintain a steady flow of profits due to the success of last year's events." A satisfied murmur rippled through the room. Jason saw Bruce smile.

"However," the man in front of Jason added. "The hospital is running at a deficit. As I said in a previous meeting, I recommend that we cut costs wherever we can. For example, by laying off staff or reinstating..."

Bruce interrupted him immediately.

"Carl, while I appreciate your input, I cannot agree to that course of action. This hospital is a pillar of the community. People count on the free medical care that our facility can provide. We should not cut corners where people's lives depend on it."

Jason found himself agreeing with his father for a change. But he didn't say anything.

Carl exchanged glances with his neighbor. A guy with a tiny brown mustache who had barely any hair left. No one had the guts to speak up to Bruce. But it was obvious that they wanted to.

"With all due respect, Mr. Wayne, sir."

Carl began again. He sounded meek, almost scared, but he continued.

"We cannot continue to pay all the medical bills. It is simply not feasible. If you'd at least reinstate some of the fees..."

"No!"

Bruce raised his voice. He sounded absolutely certain. No one was allowed to challenge his authority. That much was clear. "I cannot and will not change my mind on this, Carl."

Everyone became even more silent if that was even possible.

Especially Carl looked as if he had bitten into a sour apple. 

"Well, then we will have to cut corners elsewhere!"

He pinched his nose. Bruce closed his folder with a grand gesture.

"No. I can't compromise on this, Carl."

Carl looked like he was going to explode, but he couldn't. He couldn't because it was Bruce. The whole situation had a somewhat comical effect. And Jason almost felt sorry for Carl and his lack of power. But he decided to just listen. At least for now.

"With all due respect, sir, we can't keep spending."

Carl tried again.

"Sure, this year's numbers are stable, but if we don't get more revenue, I hate to think what our financial situation will be like in two years. We can't continue to rely on donations. That would just be irresponsible."

Carl looked at Bruce, then shifted uncomfortably in his chair, looking as if he had been burned. Some of the men around Carl held their breath. Someone was gasping. Jason turned his head toward Bruce. His father was rubbing the bridge of his nose.

"May I remind you, Carl, who is running this operation?"

He sounded as if he could barely contain his anger. The tension in the room was almost palpable. Jason took a deep breath.

"Hey man, can I make a suggestion?"

He heard himself say. Why, he did not know. He had told himself not to get involved and to get these meetings over with as quickly as possible. But this guy, Carl, he seemed so helpless. It was painful to watch. Every single pair of eyes was on him now. Bruce looked up as well. He raised his trademark eyebrow.

“Sure Jason. Go ahead."

He signaled to Jason that he could speak.

"Well."

Jason tried to sound confident even though he was nervous as hell. His heart was racing. How did Tim handle all this? Sure, it was no problem for him to give a speech in front of a bunch of thugs and underground mobsters and dealers. He could easily make snide comments or assess the dominance of the Red Hood. Really no problem. But this room, this situation was different. On the other hand, it was a bunch of middle-aged and old men. He wasn't afraid of them. He looked at Bruce again and calmed down.

"Look." He began.

"I've been going over the numbers here." He pointed to the folder with his index finger. "And you spent $20,000 on champagne alone last quarter. And I don't even want to get started on the catering expenses, and what is this? Ambience sounds and air-fresheners? Really?"

Jason couldn't believe these people. Carl chuckled. But there was no joy in it.

"Well, Mr. Todd, if you attended more of our events, you'd know that our clientele expects a certain... level of luxury. And we want everyone to be happy since our guests are our biggest revenue, yes?"

Bruce put on his reading glasses. He seemed to be looking at the numbers, but he said nothing. Not yet.

"I've been to enough charity events to know that they are a frivolous waste of money. Let me be honest here."

Jason crossed his arms. Another round of gasps went through the room.

Carl stood up. His chair squeaked loudly as he pushed it back. "How dare you!" He snapped, pointing a finger at Jason. "What do you know?! You come here after, what, ten years? And now you want to tell us how to run our business? You are lucky your daddy even let you in this room! At least Timothy Drake knows his place!" His nostrils flared in anger. Jason groaned. This was hurtful, but it wasn't as if Carl was wrong. Jason looked at Bruce again. He still said nothing.

"Yeah, I agree."

Jason shifted his attention back to Carl. The guy looked like he had given his life to the company and also like he hadn't slept properly in days. His cheeks were sagging, and his mouth had deep lines. As if he frowned too much.

"I don't know anything about business."

Carl scoffed.

"But," Jason added. "I know about Crime Alley. I know about the people you try to support and help. And I can tell you, Carl, that all of this..." He pointed to the folder again. "Is not helping them. As you would say in business terms. It is not sustainable."

Jason shook his head, glancing briefly in Bruce's direction. The old man smiled. "Go on," he said. Jason nodded slightly.

"As I was saying. How about instead of throwing these exorbitant events every two weeks, you actually go straight to the alley?"

Carl laughed.

"We have the hospital. We have the fund. You are not the first to suggest this. And then there are those pesky vigilantes who claim to be taking care of the immediate threats."

Jason exchanged another quick glance with Bruce who looked amused.

"Of course, I know. And that's a good start. But it's not enough."

He paused, thinking for a moment.

"I want people to see what it's really like. How about instead of charity events, we have people do some kind of sponsorship for local businesses. They're run by people from the neighborhood, and they're already pillars of the community. They are struggling to stay afloat because of money problems and the increase in the price of protection money.”

Some of the board members shook their heads in disbelief.

"Also." Jason added, trying to ignore their reaction. "We could have them meet regularly to check on progress. Better businesses lead to better job opportunities, reducing unemployment. Do you see where I am going with this? We could also get more food distributed and collected if we connect with those outside." Jason said.

For the first time since the meeting began, Jason heard Lucius Fox make a noise. Jason had almost forgotten that he was there as well. Next to his father like a stoic sculpture of a businessman. He shifted his papers around as if ready to add something. Then he folded his hands. Jason could feel Lucius analytical gaze resting on him. He squared his shoulders.

"So, Jason. How exactly do you plan to involve the people? And how will we guarantee that the money actually ends up in the hands of the owners and not in the criminal structures of the city?"

Jason saw Carl's smirk and some others in the room nodded in agreement. His father said nothing.

Jason looked directly into Lucius’s brown eyes now.

"How do you ever get people to do anything? Rich people want to feel good about their wealth, right? They don't want to be pegged as a mindless capitalist prick with no morals at all. Isn't that why they donate in the first place? You could start a campaign online, it's cheaper than an actual event and someone should set an example. They and a local business could be the face of the campaign. This is just off the top of my head."

Jason shrugged.  He heard his father chuckle. Some of the men on the board looked as if they had never seen Bruce smile before.

Lucius nodded slowly. Then scribbled something down onto a tablet.

"All right.” He said, still looking at his notes. What about the money?"

Jason thought for a second. He knew these criminal organizations better than anyone. If they talked to the right people...

"Then we should work with the vigilantes." Jason suggested. "They can make sure the money ends up where it's supposed to."

Before Jason could add anything else, Carl stood up again.

"Ridiculous!" He exclaimed. "You can't be serious! We are a legitimate organization; we cannot be associated with the likes of Batman and his gang!"

He saw Batman and Lucius exchange a knowing look. He knew, didn't he? He knew!

"Calm down, Carl." Bruce ordered.

His voice filled the room. Everyone was looking at him now. Jason included.

"Sit down."

Carl looked like he was going to protest, but finally sat down with a resigned sigh.

"I think this is a good idea. I'd like to try it. What do you think, Lucius?"

Jason now turned his attention to Lucius Fox. So did everyone else.

"It could work." The man didn't seem very convinced, Jason thought. "But... We'd have to find someone who would be willing to be the face of the campaign."

Jason almost sighed with relief. He hadn't realized how involved he already felt. This had not been his intention at all.

"Well, what about the Adaires? They seem like generous people." He suggested.

His father raised an eyebrow. He seemed to contemplate the suggestion for a moment, then he nodded.

"Why not?"

After a short pause, he stood up.

"All right, then it's settled!" He announced, clapping his hands.

"Let's take fifteen before we look at the numbers again, shall we?"

As soon as Bruce said that people started chattering excitedly, only Carl looked like he had been run over a fucking bus. He averted Jason’s gaze and then rushed toward the door accompanied by other board members who went out to get coffee or documents. Bruce waved Jason over to his side and to Lucius' side. Jason got up to join them.

"What's up, old man?"

Jason asked his father as he approached the end of the table. He briefly glanced over to acknowledge Lucius.

"Well, that was something," Bruce said with a rueful shake of his head. "I enjoyed myself immensely for a change."

Lucius touched his chin and offered an unexpected smile, given his skeptical demeanor earlier.

"That not-so-subtle social critique and Carl's facial expressions. Priceless. The man is a great financial advisor, but he's so serious all the time."

Bruce nodded in agreement.

"Unfortunately, we need them, don't we?"

Bruce chuckled again. Jason watched the two men, behave like schoolboys who were picking on a less popular kid. It was fucking weird and also kind of mean.  Still, he was not sure what to expect next.

"Anyway," Bruce continued, "I want you to lead this operation, since you suggested it, Jason." Jason started to voice his objections, but Bruce cut him off. "I know what you're going to say. You're busy with school and not qualified enough."

This look of Bruce's held certain expectations. Jason was aware of that. So was everyone else in his family. Prove yourself to me, son! He seemed to say. Prove yourself and you can be one of us again.

"So you say…," Jason replied, feeling himself tense up. He could barely stand the pressure this was putting on him. "Bruce, look. I'm only here for one more meeting. I promised Tim I'd be here. That's it. After that I'll go back to minding my own business. You can do whatever you want with my idea. It's all yours."

He shrugged his shoulders to emphasize his indifference. This world was not his, this work was not his. He had no desire to get more involved than he already was. He couldn't help but wonder why he had suggested anything at all. Why some part of him enjoyed this even. But he couldn’t… He just…

Bruce looked tired, as if he did not want to argue anymore.

"How many times do I have to assure you that you're great at this? You are! Look at you. You came up with this pretty much on the spot. None of the people in this room could have done that, Jason."

He spoke with real conviction and Jason could feel it. He almost gave in, but the part of him that always won in the end, resisted. To accept would be to embrace the life he had tried to distance himself from - being a Wayne, being Bruce's son in the public eye.

"No, Bruce. I feel like an imposter around all these people. I'm not Tim; don't you get it? I can't do this! Just let it go!"

Jason raised his voice, his frustration and bitterness evident. It was an all too familiar pattern of conflict that seemed to repeat itself over and over again. It wasn’t like he wanted to yell at his father. He just did. And he saw it all in front of him as if it wasn’t really him who was making a scene but someone who looked like him. Even the anger felt more like a habit rather than an actual emotion. He just couldn’t stop.

"Jason," Bruce sounded concerned. He stood up and reached his hand out toward Jason "No one thinks that son…"

Jason backed away immediately. He almost automatically did. "Tell that to Carl, man. You are the worst liar!" He yelled.

 It was loud. He was Lucius flinch. And he knew that it was unkind. But his anger offered that familiar sensation, a feeling that had grown in him over the years, both before and after the pit. A feeling that helped numb everything else.

"I'm done here! See you next week, old man. Bye, Lucius," he added coldly before leaving the room.

Jason didn't even look back.

"You shouldn't force him, Bruce," Lucius remarked as the door closed behind him.

Outside the boardroom, Jason rushed to the elevator, ignoring the others. He took it all the way down to the building's parking lot. He stood there gasping for breath, realizing he was hyperventilating. He reached into the back pocket of his pants for a pack of cigarettes, his hands shaking. He hadn't touched them since the last time he smoked with Tobias behind the gym. He managed to pull out a cigarette, put it between his lips and frantically searched his pockets for a lighter, to no avail.

"Fuck," he muttered, the unlit cigarette still hanging from his lips.

Still shaking, he leaned against the cool concrete wall and closed his eyes for a moment.

Chapter Text

Chapter 8 – Busted

"Jay!"

Jason knelt down beside Akila. He could swear that the little girl had grown by a couple of inches in the last two weeks, but that must have been his imagination.

"Hey Sunshine. What's up?" He asked her.

 Jason was getting ready for Roy and Lian's visit. They had arranged a play date for Akila and his goddaughter. Mostly because Jason needed to see Roy. He really fucking had to see his best friend. For weeks he could feel the anxiety gnawing away at him. What he had successfully pushed down for the last few years was now hitting him in the face, and hard in the gut. To the point where he could not breathe. Like he was locked in a fucking coffin several feet underground, looking for a way out, swallowing dirt. It was bad. Especially when he closed his eyes or at night when he couldn't sleep. Sometimes during class, even, his mind drifted away to the past. He saw his mother in front of him. He hadn't seen her for a long time. The image of her swirled in his head although he had hardly known her. His real mother, that was. The woman who had abandoned him as a child and sold him out to the Joker. Still, when he had seen the terror in her eyes that day, he had decided to jump on the bomb to save her. Later. Years later, he found out that she had died that day. But Jason. Jason was alive somehow. And a small part of him still couldn't comprehend how.

"Jay! Come on!"

Jason absentmindedly stroked Akila's red hair. He couldn't tell her all this. Couldn't tell his family. Couldn't tell them that a single failed meeting with Bruce had triggered it all again. That he could barely keep it together right now. That one comment from his father was enough to make him doubt his whole life. He didn't know what was going on anymore. What was he fighting for? Why was he fighting? What did he want?

There was a part of him that knew he had it in him to be that person, to be that son. The Wayne. The Robin. But he had spent his entire later life trying to rebel against that notion. Now that the rebellion was over and the hatred had subsided, there was nothing left but the fact that he was a psychologically damaged wreck who needed therapy. But that was too difficult to admit to his family. His long-cultivated image of nonchalance would crumble in an instant, and with it the rest of his will to carry on. He'd give in to being a complete and utter mess. The next best thing to therapy he had was Roy. And he happened to have a daughter the same age as Akila.

Akila shook herself like a wet dog. "Let go, Jay!"

Jason blinked twice and realized what was happening around him. He was dissociating again. But there was this little child. His girlfriend's daughter. And Roy and Lian were coming over. Right.

"Do you think she will like me?" Akila asked him wide-eyed.

Jason smiled lovingly at her. He had to give it his best. If not for himself then for Akila.

"Of course, sunshine. But don't attack without asking first!"

Akila giggled. "Sure thing!" She grinned.

She had recently lost a front tooth, which Jason found to be very adorable. Akila tugged at the sleeve of Jason's gray t-shirt.

"Are you okay, Jay?"

Jason could see worry in her little face. Real concern. He could barely stand it. The last thing he wanted to do was worry Akila. He must have been too obvious.

"I'm fine, Princess. Just a little tired. Lots of schoolwork."

He patted her on the head again which made her pout and got up with a soft groan.

"Want to help me with the cupcakes?" He asked.

She squealed excitedly, which Jason took as a yes.

They piped yellow and purple frosting onto the pecan blueberry cupcakes that Jason had made earlier. Jason helped Akila put the right amount on each cupcake. He was a little proud of how good she was at it. Then they went mayhem on the sprinkles.

"Rainbow!" Akila exclaimed as she threw a handful of multicolored ones on top of the frosting. Jason let her be. He would clean up the mess later.

When Akila was done, he held out his hand for a high five.

"Nice!" Akila replied, clapping her small hand against his. Jason grinned at her.

"How about you go out and play for a while I clean up this mess, yeah?" He asked her. Akila jumped up and down and nodded at the same time.

"Yes! I'll go outside, okay?"

Jason started to wash the mixing bowl in the sink.

"Sure. But you stay where I can still see you from the window, okay?"

Akila nodded and then ran away as Jason continued to wash the dishes with a sigh. Fortunately, they had a dishwasher, so the job was done fairly quickly. Finally, he was cleaning the counters and vacuuming the floor when he heard Akila approaching again. You could always tell when she was about because it sounded like a tiny elephant storming the house.

"Jay!"

Jason tossed the paper towel into the trash.

"Jay!"

Jason resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

 "Yes, sunshine... I'm listening."

He looked at the girl. She seemed somehow excited. More than usual.

"There's a man outside. He says he wants to see you!"

Jason immediately tensed up.

"Are you okay, Aki?"

Akila nodded. "Yeah. He looked super weak."

Jason relaxed a little. But he knew that sometimes the worst villains were the meek and plain types. Scarecrow, for example. Jason had run into him a few times as a teenager. The guy looked weak as shit, but he had almost managed to turn Jason into his junkie underling. Jason looked at Akila again. She might have been strong for her age, but she was still a child. And typically, nothing good ever happened to children around the Wayne and Bat Family.

"Please stay here." He nodded in her direction.

She looked as if she wanted to protest. Jason gave her a stern look. At least he hoped he could channel his inner strict Bruce.

"I'll be right back, I promise."

Akila didn't move, so it seemed to have worked.

Jason prepared himself for a possible attack outside. You never knew. Maybe the guy had come for his life. At least he didn't seem to be into kidnapping children, or he would have already done that. That was a plus. But how would a villain know about their suburban home anyway? Or was it a company spy? He slowly opened the front door, bracing himself for any possible outcome of the situation, but instead of a murderous psychopath or overly ambitious businessperson, he only saw Tobias loitering on his porch.

"You're looking at me like you're ready to jump me, man. Were you expecting your nemesis or something?"

Tobias gave him a knowing look.

Jason couldn't believe the kid! What did he have to do to get rid of him? And now he came all the way to his house?!

"Are you stalking me?"

Jason looked around. He didn't want the neighbors to hear or see him. Tobias followed his gaze.

"Relax man, I brought you your homework. You didn't come to school for a week. And what can I say, I volunteered and they gave me your address."

Tobias pulled a pile of papers out of his battered black backpack. So apparently it was true. Jason shook his head.

"Shit. They could have just sent it by e-mail. Digital age and all..."

This was yet another one of Tobias' brilliant ideas to get him to confess to being the Red Hood. Jason wasn't having it. But on the other hand, he felt somehow responsible for the kid since he had come all this way. Jason groaned.

"Fine. But we are expecting guests, so you better leave in an hour."

He stepped aside to let Tobias enter. Then he checked again for neighbors. Fortunately, no one was around. He went in and closed the door behind him. Inside, Akila was already waiting for them in front of the door.

"See, I told you he looked weak. I could take him!" She exclaimed, crossing her arms. Jason ignored her.

"Give me your jacket." He ordered Tobias. "And take off your shoes. My girlfriend hates shoes in the house."

He eyed Tobias' dirty sneakers that looked like he had deliberately dragged them through the mud. Tobias handed Jason his dark blue bomber jacket. Akila watched them the whole time. Her eyes were sparkling. Jason knew that look too well.

"No." He reprimanded her. "No fighting. You can ask Roy later, he will give you some pointers."

Tobias grinned. "Listen to your dad. I'm a terrible fighter. But I'm pretty good at Call of Duty, though."

Jason was used to people assuming that Akila was his daughter at this point. It was easier than explaining the situation, so he just accepted it.

"What's Call of Duty?" Akila asked Tobias. Jason gave him a warning look.

"It's a video game. Nothing you should be concerned with, sunshine. Can you show our guest inside? I'll make some coffee and hot chocolate."

Jason left them alone and went back into the kitchen. He could hear Akila babbling in the living room. Jason had to find a way to tell Tobias off. Maybe he hadn't been clear enough. But what else could he do. Especially in front of Aki. Absent-mindedly he placed two cups under the coffee maker and pressed the button. Then he readied a small plate with one of the cupcakes they had made earlier. He put everything on a tray and went back to the living room where Akila was already showing Tobias her rock collection. She had neatly stored all her rocks in a shoebox that she kept next to the TV in the bookshelf. That was also where Jason's Jane Austen book collection was. This would take a while.

"We found this one in the desert."

She pointed to a white rock with a bunch of small and large holes in it.

"Jay told me the holes were made by the sand and wind. It's super light. Here, hold it!"

She handed the stone to Tobias, who had to at least pretend to be interested. Jason put the tray on the coffee table and watched them.

"And this!" Akila pointed to a rose-coloured gemstone. "This is my treasure! Bruce gave it to me when we first met. He said it was rose quartz and it sparkles in the sun. Super cool. You can hold it, but you can't have it!"

She handed Tobias the crystal.

"Wow, it's so pretty," Tobias said not sounding the least enthusiastic.

He held the stone between his forefinger and thumb and held it up against the sunlight. Jason took a sip of coffee.

"So." Tobias put the crystal back in the shoebox.

"Do you ever go on patrol with your dad?"

Jason almost spit out his coffee. That sneaky...

"He's not my dad. He's Jay."

Tobias shrugged impatiently. "Yeah, okay, but is Jay taking you on patrol?"

She stood up and sat down beside Jason on their couch.

"No. He doesn't even go. It's boooring. He's just doing stuff for school all day and then he's working for Bruce." She rolled her green eyes. "He said he'd take me when I'm older..."

"Take her to the inspection of the buildings Bruce owns in the alley. Yes. We call it patrolling."

Jason winked at Akila. She pouted.

"That's not fair!"

Jason ignored her and handed Tobias his coffee.

"Cream?"

Tobias shook his head. "No, thanks. I drink it black."

Jason frowned. "Disgusting. Just like my brother."

Tobias took a sip from the cup. "So is Robin like your brother or cousin or?"

Jason looked away. "There you go again, man. I don't know what you're talking about. Here, have a cupcake."

He passed the plate to Tobias.

"I put the sprinkles on the cupcakes. I really like the red ones."

Akila must have forgotten that she was pouting. She now looked a Tobias.

"Man. You know I know. So stop pretending! It's getting ridiculous."

Tobias licked the topping off of his cupcake, which made Akila laugh. Oh yes, Alfred would have freaked if he had seen that. Then he wiped his mouth with the sleeve of his hoodie.

"We got napkins right here, kid!"

Jason shook his head in disapproval and pointed to the pile of napkins in the middle of the coffee table. Akila had picked them out. They had little unicorns on them. Akila giggled some more. Tobias grabbed a napkin.

"It's obvious. Look at you, man! You have his build; you have his eye color. And I just realized you have his tattoo. Even the hair matches. And you talk like him, too!"

Jason looked at the boy. He wasn't going to let it go, was he? Things like this happened from time to time. He had heard that Tim had been one of Dick's super fans and had found out about him and Bruce when he was a teenager. Damian had had a stalker once. And Lucius obviously knew. But usually, Bruce took care of it. Memory wipe, bribes, whatever it took. But it had never been Jason. He wasn't exactly Gotham's favorite hero.

"Look, kid. I'm telling you again. It's not me. Okay, you got me. I'm a Wayne's son. Isn't that enough? I would really advise you to stop obsessing over some hero. Trust me, they don't give a fuck…" He remembered that Akila was in the room. "They don't care about you. Focus your energy on graduating instead. Go to college. Get out of the alley. That's more important."

Tobias looked like he was about to protest. Jason interrupted him.

"Even if I were Red Hood, which I'm not, what good would that do you, hmm? Have you thought about that? At worst you'll get killed by some drug lord. At best he'll just ignore you. And no, don't even think about him taking you under his wing. He won't. That's not a position you want to be in anyway. Because it'll ruin your life!"

Jason realized that he had raised his voice. He took a deep breath. He felt his pulse quicken. He had to keep it together. Aki was here. He checked on her quickly, but it seemed she had lost interest in this conversation and had gotten up to play with her rock collection instead.

"You seem to know an awful lot about this for someone who claims not to be involved."

Jason saw the victorious grin on Tobias' face and nothing else. It made him dizzy. He shot up from the couch.

"I'm going out for a smoke!"

He turned his back to them and left the living room in a hurry. In fact, he ran. Outside, he leaned against the front door of the house. He couldn't even smoke. It was too much. He dropped to his knees and waited for the panic attack to subside.

Count backwards from forty. Slowly, Jaylad. Take deep breaths…

He could hear Bruce's voice in his mind. It calmed him down a bit. His count was interrupted by Tobias. At least Jason saw his dirty sneakers in front of his face.

"I didn't want to upset you, Jason. I'm sorry."

Jason pulled himself up. He felt miserable. It was only so long that he could play house without having a nervous breakdown. He had only hoped that this would happen when Roy was here and preferably when they were alone. Jason could barely look Tobias in the eye.

"I don't know what you want from me, boy." His voice sounded hoarse.

"I just wanted you to admit it. It's like... I have to prove it to myself... I just didn't... You're so cool, I..."

Jason thought that was a stupid reason. He wasn't cool. This wasn't cool.

"Fuck fine! I am the Hood! Now leave me the fuck alone!" Jason snapped, his voice an intimidating growl. He could feel the anger rising, but it wasn't really anger. It was self-loathing. Tobias' surprised face turned to fear.

"I'm sorry... I'll go..."

His shoulders slumped and he looked like a sad, dejected puppy or a little boy someone had left outside the store. Jason felt an immediate pang of guilt. He sighed. Suddenly the anger was gone.

"No, I'm sorry, kid. I shouldn't have yelled at you. It really wasn't cool." He gave Tobias a weak smile.

"Come on. Let's talk. Inside." Tobias nodded. He looked like he was still in shock.

Jason told Akila to go to her room for a while. At least until Roy and Lian arrived. She didn't even protest. She seemed to have caught the vibe.

Jason and Tobias were sitting in the living room again. This time Jason was facing Tobias who was nervously tapping his foot up and down. Jason had seen him do this before. Even during class. Apparently it was a habit.

"So you saw me have a panic attack. Great."

This was embarrassing for sure. Especially in front of someone who seemed to admire him.Tobias chewed his lower lip and didn't answer Jason. Instead, he looked at the ground

"So, um... what is it like to be a hero?"

Jason sighed. What a cliché question.

"I don't really think of myself as a hero. I'm more like the masked neighborhood freak who helps out some people. Sometimes."

Jason shrugged. Tobias didn't say anything. Why was he so quiet all of a sudden?

"I've been doing it since I was fourteen. After a while it's just routine. It's normal." Jason explained in more detail. "It's really not that interesting."

Tobias shook his head. "How can you say that? You can do all that stuff." He finally looked up. "I've been watching, you see. Like when you saved those guys from the old steel mill."

"Yeah. They were really cooking up something nice and managed to blow that shit up. That place burned down because of it, if I remember correctly. I guess you could say I support local business."

Jason raised an eyebrow. Tobias clearly needed to take off those fanboy glasses.

Tobias rolled his eyes.

"Ha ha. How about when you saved that little girl a few years ago? She's the daughter of my mother's boss. Did you know about that?"

"No."

"How about when you stopped Black Mask? He's like the second worst villain ever."

Jason scoffed. "Oh boy. That's a big one. You mean before or after I took over his drug business?"

Tobias fixed his eyes on Jason.

"You knew you had no choice. Either you regulated the business, which was going to happen anyway, or you let a psychopath run the alley."

Jason felt Tobias' gaze, but he didn't look back. He knew he was doing the usual. Using his humor and snide remarks as a shield and to deflect. But this time he didn't feel superior or even clever. He was just going through the motions. No, he hated himself. That was what was going on.

"Do you know what state of mind I was in back then?" He looked at the door. Thank goodness Akila was in her room. "I was practically high on bloodlust." He continued. "Wanted to murder my old man so badly. Even tried to kill my little brother. It's not a proud moment for me."

Jason crossed his arms. He didn't even know why he was telling Tobias this. It was too personal. He had hardly told Artemis and Brian. He just dumped his fears on this boy. Tobias didn't say anything. Maybe he was too shocked that his idol turned out to be a fake.

"Wait.... Back then.. Your father so... Batman is Bruce Wayne." Tobias looked at him incredulously. "That makes so much sense! Oh my God." He shook his head in disbelief.

Now it was Jason's turn to be silent. He had just admitted everything. Now Tobias had access to all that information. All those secret identities. His whole family. All the children. Even Bruce. Jason stood up.

"Sorry. Gotta make a phone call."

Tobias held his arm. Jason could see that he panicked a little. He didn't know what Jason wanted to do. But he could probably guess and he didn't want to lose the new information he had just found out. That much was clear. But then again, most people didn't like the idea of having their memories erased.

"Woah! No, wait. I swear I won't tell anyone. I just wanted to know, that's all. Like it'll be our secret and I'll feel good about myself. That's all."

Jason shook his head. "Sorry, kid. It has to be done."

Jason shook himself out of Tobias' grip with ease. Tobias' eyes darted between Jason and the door.

"You weren't exactly subtle. Anyone could have guessed." He tried again.

Jason walked towards the living room door, ignoring him. He had to talk to Bruce. Even if it was the last thing he wanted to do right now.

"Right. Well, then I can't make any expectations either." Jason shrugged.

It was probably for the best.

Then the doorbell rang, and he stopped. Oh shit, they were here. Jason thought for a moment. Then he gave in.

"Fine, kid." He said reluctantly. "After Akila and Lian's playdate, which you'll be babysitting, by the way, I'll see what I can do with you." He added with a slight grin.

Tobias sighed in relief. "Sure Jason. She can even show me her rock collection again."

Jason wasn't sure if he could trust Tobias.

"Don't you dare run away."

He watched Tobias intently. He would be able to tell. Then he left the living room to open the door for his best friend and goddaughter.