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Dick woke to the soft pitter patter of rain, against the penthouse roof. He woke to the feeling of blankets and pillows and a bed beneath him.
He woke to the feeling that there was someone small, curled up near him.
He opened his eyes against the dim light of the bedroom- the curtains were open, but there was only fiant light outside from the rain. He stretched, glancing down, expected to find Jason curled up against him-
Instead, he found a tussled mess of long, black hair, a small body curled up on itself, pushed back to the point that it was almost touching him. The kid was still sleeping, his chest rising and falling evenly- and Dick went tense, wondered how the hell the kid had gotten in here-
How he had gotten in here.
“Jason,” he whispered, catching sight of his boyfriend, passed out on the other side of the kid. Jason mumbled, didn’t open his eyes, and so, a little louder, “Jaybird.”
Jason sighed, cracking his eyes open, mumbling out, “what?” as he tugged the blanket higher up on his shoulder. Dick lifted a hand, silently pointing to the body between them, and Jason yawned. “Yeah,” he mumbled, “found him laying on the floor in the living room, holding your hand while you slept. Think the storm freaked him out.”
“It did,” Dick whispered, “He had a panic attack. But how did he get here? How did I get here?”
“Carried you,” Jason offered, closing his eyes again. “He followed. Couldn’t let him-” he broke off to yawn, “stay out there alone freaked out.”
“So you had him sleep in our bed?”
Jason cracked his eyes open again, frowning. “Yeah. I did. I thought it might help. I used to,” he paused, licked his lips, sighed. “I used to crawl in with Bruce when I was freaked out. It always helped me. I thought maybe it would. And it looks like it did.”
Dick glanced down at him, couldn’t deny that. “I can’t believe he’s still sleeping.”
Jason only smiled, closing his eyes again. Dick watched him, watched the way his face looked so much younger, when he was sleepy, when he was contemplating letting himself drift again. “It was cute, how he held your hand.”
Dick smiled himself, wanting to reach out and touch the kid. He thought better of it though, and kept within his own space. “I wonder why the thunder set him off,” he whispered, and Jason shrugged.
“Who knows. Maybe we can ask him sometime soon.” Dick stared at Jason, who after a moment opened his eyes again. “What?”
“...What are we doing with him, Jason?” Jason sat up slowly, looking at Dick. He followed, a moment later, sitting up so the blanket pooled in his lap. “What are we doing? We don’t know what to do with a kid… and what if the Court comes looking for him...hell, how do we even know he wants to stay?”
“I think if he wanted to leave he would have,” Jason offered, “And what we’re doing is keeping a kid away from the Court of Owls. A kid that is afraid of thunderstorms and apparently likes the Wizard of Oz. And probably thinks your hair is pretty.” Jason smiled at Dick, shrugging a shoulder. “Honestly? I have no fucking clue what we’re doing. But we’re doing it. Are you having second thoughts?”
Dick looked down at the kid, still asleep between them. And, softly smiling, said, “No… no I’m not. I guess I just need to make sure we’re both on the same page. We’re… keeping him, right?”
Jason snorted. “He’s not a stray dog, Dickiebird. But yes. At least, I’m for that. Unless we can find something better for him…” Jason glanced down at him to, and Dick could see the twitch in his finger, the urge to reach out and touch, to soothe.
He held it back, just as Dick had.
Their conversation must have been slowly easing into Talon’s mind, because before either could continue, his eyes suddenly fluttered open. He took a moment to stare up-
Before he jerked his body up, eyes going wide. He looked terrified, and Dick, without thinking, reached out.
“Woah kiddo, hold on,” he offered, his hands palm up and out. “You’re okay. We’re not going to hurt you.” Talon turned from Dick, reaching out to brace himself as his balance teetered- and Jason reached out to brace him. His hands slide around the kid’s waist, holding him up, and in the moment of contact the talon was reaching down, blunt nails of one hand digging sharply into Jason’s arm, digging.
Jason jerked back, hissing as the skin gave. He pulled it into his chest, as Talon tumbled down, sitting there dazed. Dick reached over for Jason, trying to get a look at his arm.
“Shit, Jaybird, are you alright?”
Jason pushed him off- but his expression wasn’t angry. “Fine,” he said, turning towards talon- who seemed to be coming to his senses. He looked between Dick and Jason, before a visible tremble ran through him, shaking him to his very core. Dick didn’t move- wasn’t exactly sure what to do- but Jason was already moving, reaching out with his unscratched arm, offering his hand.
“It’s okay,” he said, giving the kid a small smile. “You were just startled. I’m fine.” He kept his arm turned into his chest though, hiding the blood welling up in the scratches. Talon trembled again, staring down at the bed, his tussled hair falling over his shoulders. Jason slid closer, still holding his hand out. “I shouldn’t have touched you. I was trying to keep you from falling- but I didn’t ask. I’m sorry. Can you forgive me?” The kid glanced up at him- and Dick couldn’t believe Jason was still smiling. Couldn’t believe it as Talon carefully reached out, pressed his fingertips to Jason’ out stretched palm. He traced the lines there, as Jason said again, “I’m really sorry kiddo. Still friends?”
Talon furrowed his brow, like he didn’t understand the word.
“Friends,” Jason said again, before he took his hand back, pointing to himself, and then Dick. “We’re friends.”
Dick almost laughed. Friends was a bit of an understatement, but he bit his tongue for the sake of the lesson.
“I like Dick, and Dick likes me,” Jason offered. “I like you. And so does Dick. If you like us, we want to be your friend.” He held his hand out again, and this time the kid took it, let Jason’s fingers circle around his wrist. He squeezed gently, their palms pressing together, and the kid’s trembling began to subside.
Dick watched- and somewhere inside him, something was unfolding, some sort of realization that Jason was just good with this kid. That it was coming naturally to him-
Had Jason always been this good with kids? Had he somehow never noticed?
“I’m not mad,” Jason stressed again, “You’re not in trouble. You didn’t do anything bad. You’re still a good kid.” Talon pulled his hand back, staring at Jason, confused again, as he pointed to himself. Jason only nodded. “Yes, you. You’re good. Not bad.” Jason reached down, shoving the blanket off. “Now, I do need to go clean this up a bit- but you can stay here with Dick if you want.”
Dick watched him climb out of bed, padding towards the door. The kid looked back at him, as Jason left- and Dick only smiled at him too.
“You heard him,” he said, “You’re not a bad kid. You were just scared. Trust me- we both understand being scared. Way more than we’d like to admit.”
Talon pursed his lips together, glancing back down, and Dick wondered what this kid was afraid of- and if they had any of the same fears.
Well, he figured thunderstorms for one.
*
Jason pulled the first aid kit out, as he turned on the sink. He pressed his arm under the cold water, wincing a it stung. The kid’s nails had dug in fairly deep, but it hadn’t caused any real damage, aside of some broken skin. The sting of cleaning it would be worse than anything.
He shut the water off, popping open the peroxide and pouring it over the red tracks. He grimaced, growled between his teeth- and god, he always hated cleaning wounds, even if he never admitted it- before he set the bottle aside, just took a breath to ease the burning sting.
He had the water back on when he heard it, the door gently pushing open wider. He glanced over at the doorway, and there was the kid, clutching at the frame, peeking in. He looked timid, which was the last thing Jason expected, from a Talon.
“Hey Junior. Did Dick take up the whole bed and kick you out?” He pressed his arm under the water, fought down the urge to wince. “See? Everything’s all good here. Just have to wrap it up.”
He turned the water off, grabbing a towel to pat off his arm. As he did so, the kid stepped in, walking silently in his bare feet- he hadn’t seemed interested in the socks Jason and Dick had offered him, after his bath- and grabbed the first aid kid. He plucked out the roll of gauze, and just as Jason was setting the towel down, reached out and took his arm.
Jason went with the motion, didn’t stop him as the kid pressed the gauze to the top of his arm, held it as he began wrapping it around Jason’s forearm, slowly covering the wound. Jason watched, until the entire length of the scratches was covered, and talon was lifting the gauze, tearing it off with his teeth. He tucked the loose end in, before he dropped it back in the first aid kit.
“Not bad,” Jason offered, lifting up his arm. He smiled down at him. “You have to patch yourself up a lot?” Talon nodded. “Well you’re good at it. How about you play doctor for me the next time I take a bullet?”
Talon frowned then, and shook his head. He reached out, pressed his fingers to one fot he puckered scars at Jason’s side, from a bullet o long ago he couldn’t even remember the years. He shook his head again, as he held his fingers against it.
“Don’t want me to get myself shot?” A nod. Jason grinned. “Well hey, that’s you and me both kid. Now,” he reached down, offering his hand again, “How about we go get some breakfast? It’s not good to start a morning like this, and on an empty stomach.”
Talon stared at Jason’s hand, before he tentatively reached out, taking it. Jason squeezed, before he slowly led him out of the bathroom, into the hallway. He kept his hold loose, so if Talon wanted to pull free at any point, he could.
He didn’t.
*
He liked the feeling of Jason’s hand over his. He liked his palm, the lines there, the crease of each knuckle. Jason’s hand was warm. Jason’s want was rough. It was a plethora of sensations that Talon tried to take in a catalog.
There was a churning in his gut, seeing the bandage he has wrapped around Jason’s arm. He hadn’t meant to hurt him. He hadn’t. But he had woken up disoriented- he never slept on something so soft, which meant he had to be somewhere he shouldn’t- and Dick and Jason’s faces had been blurs to him, as he moved, as he tried to distance himself so escape punishment that had to come for being where he shouldn’t.
Jason’s touch, it had brought that up in him. He’d thought of hands grabbing and pulling him, situating him so that his back could be bared, so that he would learn his lesson. He’d reacted out of defense- in his just waking state, it had seemed like a good idea.
He had learned in the past it never was.
And he had been so sure Jason would have hit him. So sure his face would have been pushed into the wood floor until he tasted blood. Sure that Dick, he would have defended his partner.
And yet, Jason had smiled.
“What the hell are you doing?” Talon glanced up, dragged his eyes from the floor. They had stopped moving, Jason still holding his hand, and the man was looking at Dick. He was holding a box, pouring small pieces of something into a bowl.
“Getting breakfast?” Dick seemed confused as he continued to fill the bowl, before setting it and the box on the counter, moving towards the frdige.
“I was going to cook,” Jason pointed out, and all this talk of food had Talon’s belly growling. He glanced back at the floor as Jason looked over at him, before he squeezed his hand.
“C’mon Junior, Dick can rot himself with all that sugar, but I’ll make you something.”
Dick snorted, pulling- what, what was that? It was white- milk he filled in. He was pulling it from the fridge, opening it and pouring it into the bowl.
“How about we all just eat cereal on the couch and curl up like, you know, regular people do,” Dick offered instead, leaving the milk on the counter and already moving towards the cupboard. He pulled down two more bowls, and Talon heard Jason sigh- one of resignation, he knew.
Jason pulled away from his hand, and he was sad to see it go. He wondered if he walked over to Dick, if he could take his instead- but then Jason was there, crowding behind him, reaching out to grip his hips gently, to line his body against Dick’s and press his mouth once to his neck.
“I don’t know what to do with you,” he mumbled, and Talon cocked his head. What was there to do? Dick laughed- and it was lovely. Talon sucked on his tongue, twisted his hands together. His laugh was different from those he had heard before. Rang like music up into the air, held a melody, wasn’t laced with some sort of sick, perverse amusement.
It was free.
He was still mulling it over, when the fridge door was opening and then closing, and Dick was looking at him then, smiling. “C’mon kid,” he offered, picking up two bowls from the counter. Jason had a third, and Talon walked over to them reaching up tentatively-
And taking Jason’s hand.
They walked back into the living room, and Talon pulled away to settle himself on the couch. He was beginning to think this was his spot, and it seemed that anytime they were in this room, the reason was always the flashing television- or sleeping.
“Can we sit with you?” Jason asked, looking down at him. Talon looked at the space to his left, and to his right, before he pointed to one, and then the other. These spots? Jason nodded.
Talon reached out to one, patted it, like Jason had, when he wanted him to sit on the bed, so he could brush his hair. Both men smiled at him, settling on either side of him- not touching, but close enough that he could push his leg out, brush a thigh.
Dick passed him a bowl, and he stared down at it, felt Jason shifting and heard the sudden speaking of the television. There were tiny, colorful rings floating in the milk, and Talon gripped the spoon, pushing them around a bit.
“It’s cereal,” Dick offered next to him. “Trust me, it’s good.” Jason snorted, and apparently there was something amusing about this- but Talon didn’t see what. He gripped the spoon tighter, lifting it up with a clump of the cereal settled on it, framed in milk.
He pushed it into his mouth, and the cereal gave a surprising crunch between his teeth. It made him think of the bread Jason had given him yesterday- that he had cooked. Except it was sharper here- and this, this was sweet. Like nothing Talon had ever had.
He swallowed, before he spooned another clump into his mouth. And another. The crunch was shockingly pleasant, everything dissolving into the milk in his mouth as he chewed. But the sweetness- he wasn’t sure he’d ever tasted anything this good in his entire life.
“See, he likes it,” Dick offered, when Talon glanced up. The man was smiling at him, and next to him, Jason sighed.
“Well, he is you. I wouldn’t expect anything less.” Talon glanced out, and Jason had lifted his hand, held it near him, but not touching. There was a question in his eyes- Talon saw he. He was used to reading faces. He nodded, and that hand came down in his hair, ruffling it gently.
He found his lips, trying to curve, and he quickly crammed the spoon into his mouth to stop it. The ruffling turned to Jason gently petting back his sleep tussled hair, before he pulled away and settled back into the couch, lifting his feet and resting them on the edge of the coffee table.
It was calm, and to Talon, all strangely soothing. He liked being between these two. If he was honest, his moment of confused and sleep driven terror that morning- he didn’t think he had ever slept that well in his life. It was like having two walls around him- ones that he could easily scale if he wanted, but no one else could. Or doors he only had the keys to.
It felt oddly safe. He didn’t know that was a thing he could truly feel.
*
The rain continued, through out the morning. Hours after breakfast- and after a marathon of old Scrubs episodes that had had Dick nearly cackling and falling off the couch, the man had finally gotten restless. Jason could see it, in the twitching of his movement. The kid had seemed fairly content between them, eyes darting along the TV, taking in movements. And Jason figured the constant speech might be good for him.
Dick complained that he’d wanted to go for a run, but the rain had ruined that idea. Which, if Jason was honest, was a bit of a shame. He liked how Dick looked when he came back from running- breathy with his hair sticking to his forehead, the nape of his neck. Liked the sweat on his skin and how he radiated heat.
He’d forced himself to push the thought from his head. Wouldn’t have mattered even if Dick had gone out- there was a kid here now. He couldn’t exactly just drop down to his knees the moment Dick walked in the door and do whatever he pleased.
That was going to take getting used to.
“I think I need a workout,” Dick finally said, standing up and stretching. Jason was aware of Talon watching him, seeming intrigued by his every movement. “Since you’ve cut me off from my typical nightly exercise.”
That felt like a two sided statement. Jason only grinned.
“I bet we could all use a little movement,” he offered, glancing over at the kid. “What do you say? You’re probably used to moving a lot, and I bet you’re a little restless.” Those dark eyes stared up at Jason, before he reached up, pointed to Dick, then Jason, and then himself. Jason nodded. “Yeah, the three of us.”
He nodded again, agreeing.
Once Dick had changed into his running shorts, Jason led them towards the door. He glanced down at the Talon as he twisted the lock- and the kid was peeking around him, looking intrigued. He opened the door into the hallway, heading for the stairwell. The top two floors of the complex were their’s- so there was no risk of a neighbor seeing the kid. It left Jason feeling a little more at ease, suddenly having him outside the penthouse.
Down the stairwell opened up into the smaller level, which had they split into a large open training area, and a closed off workshop. The stairwell leading down from it opened only with a key and a custom security code, so Jason didn’t worry that they’d be interrupted.
Talon was staring around them. His eyes darted over all the equipment, as Dick walked past the group, flicking on the stereo system and flooding the room with music. Talon’s eyes darted at that- and Jason realized he was looking for the source. It took him maybe seven seconds to find the speakers, and Jason was impressed.
“You can do whatever you want in here,” Jason offered, “You know, let some energy out. Dick and I come here to train, so we don’t get our asses handed to us at night.”
Dick grinned at that, already across the room stretching. Jason forced himself to step away from the kid, as much as he wanted to hover. He had to give him space, let him explore on his own. Let him realize he had freedom, and to discover for himself. He chose to focus on wrapping his knuckles, thinking beating up a punching bag sounded like a great idea, in that moment. He would have asked Dick to spar- it was always better, against a living person, especially one capable of besting him-
A few times. Jason wasn’t about to give Dick all to talent.
But he didn’t think that was a good idea, with the kid there. Whatever he and Dcik were doing, if they were going to help this kid, Jaosn figured they had to seperate the violence from him. Show him other things.
It didn’t seem like he’d ever known anything else.
He was rolling his neck, was about to start, when he glanced over at the climbing wall. The kid was looking at it, studying the layout- before he was tugging at his over sized tshirt, stripping of it and leaving it in a heap on the floor. He hopped up, bare feet clutching at the rocks easily, as he scaled it with such a steadiness that Jason let his arms, poised for his first hit, fall to his sides.
The kid really was fast. Whatever Jason had seen that morning, when he’d jumped away in the bed- that was him still sluggish from sleep. Each grasp on the tiny climbing rocks was sure, and in no time he was up at the top, holding on with one arm and one foot as he turned, glanced about-
And leapt, right off it, grasped one of Dick’s hanging rings. He hoisted himself up into it, sat on the ring and held the sides with one hand, swinging gently and simply watching from up top. Perched, like a bird.
Like an owl.
Jason glanced over, saw Dick had stopped his weight lifting to watch as well. The kid didn’t seem to notice, was content with the height, with the space, taking in details of the room from this new advantage point. Taking in how everything looked, when you looked down at it. Jason figured this was how he saw the world, most of the time. That he was in a space he at least knew.
He had no intention of taking that away from the kid. He forced himself to turn back to his punching back, pulling back and letting a hard hit send it swinging. As much as he wanted to just watch, because this kid was fascinating, he wasn’t some science project Jason could gawk at. And he knew that.
He was a human being. Clone or not or whatever he was, he was a person, and Jason would be damned before he let him be treated any other way.
*
It became a routine. Dick stayed up with the kid at night until they were both too tired to see straight. They watched anything Dick could find on TV, and he talked about it. He asked the kid questions whenever he could- didn’t limit it to yes or no. And the kid, he always found a way.
It made him think of Cassandra- how this kid didn’t needs words to communicate. He obviously understood them, but he didn’t need to use them back. His gestures played to Dick’s understanding, and it was so clever it was almost scary.
Jason had told Dick he thought constant speech around the kid might be a good idea- that they weren’t sure he couldn’t talk. Just that he wasn’t. Dick saw the merit in that- and also the importance of not pushing him, yet. Not asking him. They wanted him to be comfortable first. They wanted him to know he could trust them.
He hoped they were making progress with that.
But it was a routine, the late night television until they were falling asleep. Talon hadn’t come back to their bed, was sleeping on the couch again. When Jason came in from patrol he checked on him- half the time, he found him sleeping on the floor again. But he never moved him.
Mornings were the sound of the bedroom door creaking open- a lot of sudden heartbeats skipped when Dick woke up and those dark eyes were looking at him. But it was worth it, when the kid didn’t jump back when Dick was startled. And they bled from breakfast- cereal, Dick was so thrilled that this kid took a liking to it, even if Jason seemed flustered- to time spent in their gym. The kid seemed to like having the chance to move, and he climbed everything.
Dick hated that he wondered if the kid ever fell.
It was almost a week of this, of this strange calm, before things finally had to change. Dick knew Jason was running ragged, constant, endless nights out on patrol. He needed a hand, there was a big drug shipment coming in that they’d heard about, and they wanted to stop it full force. But even with the police, Dick knew it’d be easier if Jason had backup he could count on.
The argument had of course been- we can’t just leave him here alone for the night. And Dick didn’t disagree, but they didn’t have a choice. Wasn’t like they could call a babysitter- as it was, they hadn’t breathed a word about Talon to the family, and they couldn’t just hire someone. That wasn’t safe for anyone.
Dick didn’t want to fight with Jason on it, and he tried to keep his voice low, in their bedroom, while the kid was sitting in the living room, perched on the back of the couch. But he knew they weren’t quiet for long, and he wondered if he had heard them.
The look in his dark eyes when they emerged said he had.
But Dick had gotten his way, and here he was, out in the night again, moving like he had months of pent up energy. Jason was handling the main drop point with the police- even if Dick had wanted to take that himself- and he was simply cleaning up the backup coming in when the alarm went up that the drop had gone bad.
Still, last word from Jason was that it had been a success, so he couldn’t complain. It wasn’t even that late- at least, not for them- and once he was done with this, maybe they could both head in early. He smiled to himself as he blocked a guy’s punch, grabbing him and tossing him into another guy. The second man’s gun went off, but the shot was skewed, passed Dick by a solid few inches and left him grinning.
“C’mon boys,” he said, as the first one ran towards him again. Dick grabbed him, flipping them both over and smacking him into the ground, using his body to give himself the extra push to land perfectly. “I’d really love to wrap this up and get home.”
He reached back for one of his escrima sticks as the second man was steadying himself, threw it the moment before he pulled the trigger a second time. He knocked the gun from his hand and it skidded along the pavement, as Dick closed in, turned him and shoved him against a lamp post.
“Really. I don’t normally get early nights with my guy.” He twisted the man’s arm, heard him groan. “And trust me, I’ve got someone-”
He cut off at the sound of a gunshot and a scream. They came at the same time, and he jerked his head towards the sounds. The first man was on his knees, gun dropped to the ground- the one the man Dick was holding had dropped-
And someone was on him. Someone small, legs wrapped around his waist, clutching at his back, hands tight around his neck. Squeezing the life out of him.
No.
Dick tossed the man he was holding to the ground, heard him crash, the clunk of his head. He bolted towards the bodies, heard himself screaming Talon stop! at the top of his lungs. The kid’s head jerked up, dark eyes staring at him- and in the distance, Dick heard the sound of a motor.
Not what he needed right now.
Talon let go of the man’s throat, and the guy slumped forward, unconscious from lack of oxygen. He leaned back, still sitting on his body, as Dick crouched down. “What the hell are you doing out here?” he asked, looking the kid over. He was still in the clothes Dick had left him in, when he and Jason had told him they would be back in a few hours, when they’d left him out a snack like he was a normal kid and told him to just relax and watch the television and get some sleep.
They’d locked everything, Dick swore. And Talon hadn’t shown any real interest in leaving.
The only different were his pants were tucked haphazardly into his boots. Boots from his suit- and Dick realized they might have locked the front door, the windows- or god so he thought- they hadn’t locked that room. Force of habit- there never was anyone in the penthouse who needed to be locked out of the room where they kept their suits.
Where they had tossed Talon’s old gear.
“You’ve gotta go,” Dick said, eyes darting back towards the engines. “Shit, I’m not done, you have to go.” He didn’t have time to take him anywhere, didn’t have time for a get away- there was a motorcycle, speeding down the street, full force at him, and behind that, a car.
Dick stood up, pulled a small smoke grenade off his back and tossed it. It gave him cover, forced the motorcycle to pull off, as he ran towards the men. If he tried to hide, Talon would be visible- and he didn’t doubt these men were willing to mow down anything with a pulse that wasn’t their’s tonight. After all, he and Jason were costing them a lot of money, botching this sale.
He hoped it would teach them to keep their filth out of Blüdhaven.
He grasped the motorcycle, launched himself up and shoved his elbow right into the rider’s neck. She stumbled, and Dick kept his momentum, kicked her in the stomach, sent her down. She was coughing behind her helmet- the smoke was burning his own lungs, but he fought through it. The mask at least kept his eyes from burning. Another hit, and she was down, and Dick was taking her gun that she had barely been able to raise, smacking it against her bike. He heard something shatter, dent, and left it on the ground.
The car had closed in now, swerved to a stop, and Dick hopped the kid had listened, that he had moved. Thinking about it was distracting him, and he couldn’t afford that right now. As the car doors flew open he bolted to the side, threw himself down behind a set of concrete stairs, reaching up and pressing his comlink.
“Jaybird!” he said, as they started firing. “Jaybird, fuck, we have a problem. I don’t know how but the kid is out here, and I’ve got some serious company. Can you hear me?” He got nothing, and Dick cursed, daring a glance around the stairs.
The bullets didn’t ease up, and he had to figure out a way to get out there. A decent toss of an escrima stick would take one out, but that left two others- that was a lot of bullets to dodge- and he had to ask himself if he felt like dealing with Jason digging a bullet out of him later.
Before Dick could make a decision, he saw something breaking through the smoke. A small body hopped up onto the hood of the car, and then the roof- and a second later was pulling one of the men still firing up onto the roof. Dick stared for a moment- this guy was twice this kid’s bulk easily, and he had yanked him up as if he was a damned stuffed animal-
And he had to remind himself, this wasn’t a kid. This was a talon-
And fuck he would kill that guy if Dick didn’t do something.
The action was enough to distract the other two, and he was up and running. He grabbed the closest, smacked his head right into the car and let him flop down, unconscious to the ground, before he shoved on the open, back driver side door and smacked it into the third. The guy dropped his gun, and Dick ignored him for a moment, reaching up and grabbing the ankle of the guy the kid was holding.
“Kid, let go!” Dick yelled- and a moment later the body was tumbling down onto him. Dick stumbled back, shoving at the flailing man and rolling them over, pinning him down onto the ground. He was panting as he pushed between his shoulder blades, reaching back for something to secure him with-
The motion broke off when something sharp dug into his calf. Dick gave a shout, whirling around- found the one he’d hit with the car door gasping for breath- had he broken a rib? Punctured a lung?- twisting the handle of a knife as the blade dug into his calf.
Dick bared his teeth- but his shout had dragged the kid from the roof of the car. He was landing, pressing his feet into his man’s back and driving him into the ground. He buried his hand in his hair, tugged it back, shoved it down once- twice-
“Stop!” Dick yelled it, sharp and angry, and the kid ceased, staring up at him. The man beneath Dick had gone limp- and Dick wondered if the shock of it all had caused him to pass out, and oh, this wasn’t the group for him then- and he reached out, grabbed the kid by the wrist and pulled his hands from the guy’s hair. “You’ll kill him,” he said, sounding desperate, “we don’t do that!”
Talon stared up at him, before he pulled his hands free and pointed to both of them men on the ground, then the knife, still shoved into Dick’s calf- and then at Dick himself.
They were trying to hurt you.
Dick’ eyes softened, and he reached out, didn’t touch his time, just offered his gloved hand. “I know they were trying to hurt me,” Dick said, “But that doesn’t mean we kill them. We don’t kill. It’s a rule. It’s a very important rule.” Talon looked at Dick’s hand, before he ignored it, reaching back instead and pressing his hands around the knife, in Dick’s calf. Dick hissed, before he kid pulled it out, dropped it to the pavement. Blood welled within the wound, leaked out through the tear in Dick’s suit- but Dick figured he could walk on it. Figured he wouldn’t bleed out too badly.
Talon was staring at the wound, his eyes big, before he looked back up at Dick. Dick sighed, and this time when he held his hand out, the kid took it.
“Let’s get you home,” Dick offered, “And get me cleaned up. You shouldn’t be out here.” He looked at the mess, sighed. “I’ll call it in on the way. My bike is two blocks down- we’ll have to walk.” Each step hurt, Dick realized, only a few feet from the mess, but he tried to ignore it.
That is, until suddenly the kid was sliding up along his side, an arm going around Dick’s waist- pushing up, as if he was trying to support him. Dick leaned against the smaller body, alleviating the pressure on his leg- felt Talon’s hand grip tighter on his waist.
“Are you okay?” Dick asked, as they rounded the corner- and he could see the alley, where he’d stashed his bike. Jason would have yelled at him, that he was terrible at leaving them in almost plain sight. But at least that meant it was close.
Talon nodded, his other hand reaching across his body, bracing Dick a bit. Dick nodded, kept himself quiet for the last bit, until they were inside the alley, and he was leaning against his bike. He swung his leg over it, wincing at the pain, before looking at Talon. The kid hesitated for a moment, before climbing on behind him, his arms going around his waist. He pressed tight to Dick’s back, squeezed- and it felt as if he was simply holding onto Dick, like he had almost disappeared. Like he’d almost lost him.
Dick smiled to himself, revved the engine. And then again, offered up as he sped out of the alleyway, “Let’s go home.”
*
Talon had expected to hear Jason yell, like Dick had, out on the streets. He had expected Dick to yell again, and he had braced himself for it. But once inside, Dick hadn’t. And when Jason arrived, shortly after as Dick was trying to peel off pieces of his suit, he hadn’t yelled either.
Jason had asked if he was okay. If they were both okay.
He kept back a step, unsure how to react. He had obviously acted in a way they had not wanted. He had thought it would be useful, for him to follow. Dick and Jason’s voices, the pitch of it, had indicated stress, when they spoke of leaving him that night to go out. He thought perhaps if he followed, he might be able to help.
And also, he wanted to see the gray son moving again. When he had followed him, before accidentally revealing himself, he had found so much joy in the way Dick moved. He seemed to feel his body in a way that Talon understood- each of his movements, he could imagine for his own body.
Dick was settled on the kitchen table, had been stripped down to his underwear, while Jason was cleaning his leg. Dick winced, but was otherwise smiling.
“You know, might have been some of the best damn backup I’ve had in a while,” Dick admitted, glancing over at Talon. Jason glanced up, before narrowing his eyes.
“Grayson-”
“I sort of forgot what you’re capable of,” Dick offered, “I mean, I know you’re a kid, but you’re a talon. I feel like I should apologize for worrying about you.” He sighed. “I just didn’t want to see you get hurt.”
Talon inclined his head, watched as Dick grimaced- and noticed that Jason had begun to stitch the wound.
“I’m just glad you’re both home in one piece,” Jason offered, glancing back at Talon. “But don’t do that again, okay? It’s… it’s better if you stay here for now kiddo.” Talon said nothing, and Jason sighed. “We’ll talk about it later. How about you go change into something clean. You remember where your clothes are?”
Talon nodded, turning and leaving Jason to continue stitching up Dick. He headed for Dick and Jason’ bedroom, let himself in and pulled at his tshirt. It was damp with sweat, with the water that clung to the night air, and he shivered when it came off. He’d kicked his boots off when he and Dick had first gotten in- mostly because Dick had done that, and it seemed right, to do what he did.
He shucked his pants and underwear off, stood naked for a moment in the room, before heading for the dresser that seemed to belong to Jason. It was far more organized than what he had seen of Dick’s, and the middle drawer was filled with things they had been dressing him in, nicely folded. There wasn’t another pair of pants, but he grabbed a pair of underwear and one of the tshirts Dick and Jason seemed to believe would fit him best.
He was about to step into them, when he caught sight of the large mirror that hung on the back of the bedroom door. Clothing balled up in one arm, he walked over, let it all fall to the floor, and paused to look at himself.
He had seen his reflection before. He had seen mirrors. He knew they let one see themselves, allowed them to study and alter things about their appearance. He’d seen people when he had stalked the city at night, using them. He had seen members of the Court, without their masks, preening in them.
They didn’t know he had seen. He wasn’t allowed to see them, without masks. He kept those little moments tucked into his ribs, for fear they might have gone for his eyes as punishment.
He reached forward, pressed his fingertips to the mirror. His eyes were so much darker than the gray son’s, still blue but barely, so near a black they looked like an animal’s. He had seen pictures of owls, and thought it was fitting that his eyes were so round, so dark. He cocked his head slightly, peered down at the veins in his neck, racing up along his cheek. The gray son didn’t have those- but it seemed to him no one did, except for the talons. It had never mattered, before. He wore so much clothing that his face was barely visible- and who would be looking at it, except his creators, his trainers, and the Court?
The Court expected him to look as he did.
He pulled one hand back, rubbed his cheek, rubbed harder as if he could make them disappear. Dick and Jason didn’t have them, and he wondered if he was strange for them. Strange for the weird ashen hue to his skin- strange for the large darkness of his eyes.
Strange for all of it.
He pulled his hand down, turned completely, glanced over his shoulder. The veins on his back were broken by all the scars, crossing in heavy and thin lines. More scar than actual skin, he flexed his shoulders, watched them move. He reached back, pressed his fingers into some, fought down the urge to dig into them, to open them up. He hated them, hated that they itched and writhed and made his skin crawl- hated that he always wanted to make them work.
Hated that they were proof that he wasn’t good.
Except Jason had said he was. Despite that it had been days- a week, if he was counting, or more- since he had scratched Jason, he hadn’t forgotten. He was good.
And Dick- he had said best. Talon knew what that word meant, it was good above all other good. And it had never been applied to him.
He was told it was what he should be- but he had never gotten there. He had continuously failed.
Except in the eyes of the gray son, and the one with the kind voice.
Talon turned again, sucked on his tongue. He had panicked, seeming Dick bleed. He had felt the urge to defend- not the command to do so, as he had been given, endless times, over and over and over again. But his own desire for it-
He hadn’t wanted Dick to be hurt. He wanted him to be safe. He was important- he made Talon feel safe. Jason made Talon feel safe.
He thought of the word he had said, home. Home meant a place, it meant somewhere one slept, one returned to. Home was a habit-
But it didn’t feel like that, here. Home felt like Dick stroking his hair and Jason laughing. Home felt like Dick had, solid, when he ahd clutched at him, on the bike. Home looked like blue and grey eyes and the dash of freckles on Jason’s face that Talon had the urge to count, whenever he stared too long.
Home felt like someone- like two someones- and not a thing.
He curled his tongue in his mouth, inhaling slowly. His throat was constricting, as he tried to make the noise. He swallowed thickly, pressed his hands tight to the mirror and leaned closer, staring at his mouth as he silently formed the word. His breath rushed out, and he inhaled one more time, felt his stomach turning as he tried again.
And this time, in a voice hoarse from disuse, he whispered home. It came out almost a squeak, and Talon couldn’t remember the last time he had spoken. Had it been years? How close had he been to being the gray son, when he had last been whipped for being caught whispering to himself?
He shook his head, forced himself to do it again. “Home. Home.” It was still quiet, his voice sounding strange to him, but he felt his lips trying to curve as he said it. Said it and had a new meaning for it.
He could have stayed like that, staring at his own mouth as he practiced the word. But he knew eventually Dick or Jason would look for him. He hurriedly hopped into his boxer briefs, tugged his tshirt on, and then opened the door, heading back out into the kitchen. Jason still had Dick on the table, had taped a bandage over the area he stitched, and was leaning over him. Had an arm around his waist, was mumbling something. Talon made out the words too many pieces to stitch back together, but couldn’t piece it into a conversation.
Dick caught sight of them though, and straightened up, smiling. “Hey there kid. You missed all the fun stuff. You know, my faces when someone stitches me up.”
Jason chuckled. “Damian did always made fun of those.”
Dick reached up, gently smacked Jason’s arm- and who was Damian? Talon didn’t know, but didn’t bother to try and question it. He simply walked over, pulling out the kitchen chair and climbing up on it, before settling on the table, next to Dick. Dick reached out, gently draped his arm over his shoulders, asking, “Is this okay?”
Talon nodded. He liked when Dick touched him. He liked his heat and the comfort from it and the security- and he wished he touched him more. He wished Jason touched him more. But yet, he couldn’t bring himself to try and encourage it. He couldn’t break the thought that if he touched, they would hurt, and he would be rejected. Unwanted.
Dick gave him a gentle squeeze. “I think that’s enough excitement for one night,” Jason offered, closing up the first aid kit. “How about we get some sleep? And in the morning, we can have our talk.” He glanced at Talon, who nodded- knew that he still had done something Dick and Jason did not want.
But their lack of anger, it still made him nearly shiver.
Dick gave him another squeeze, and he leaned closer, not wanting to leave. Jason was reaching for Dick though, helping him to climb off the table, forcing him to lean on him despite Dick protesting. Talon took a moment to study the bandage on his leg- knew that the weight of his steps would pull and push at muscle there- that it made sense to have support.
He hopped off the table, following them, hovering in the doorway as Dick crawled into the bed. He flopped down on his back, sighing- and Jason seemed to be fretting about him. Leaning over him and kissing his forehead, his cheek- and Talon reached up, touched his own mouth. Still didn’t understand this sign of affection- but knew it had to mean something. Had to feel good if they kept doing it.
He swallowed, walking into the room, as Jason was picking blankets up off the floor that had fallen, when Dick climbed in. He grasped the edge of the bed, leaned over it but didn’t crawl on, until Dick turned his head and smiled at him.
“You wanna come up here and say goodnight?” he asked, and Talon nodded. Nodded because he wanted to be close to him, again. Even if for only a moment. He pulled himself up, climbing onto the bed, and Dick lifted one of his arms. Talon balanced on his knees, looking at him, confused. “Come down here,” Dick offered, “I’m gonna show you something. I promise it’s good.”
Talon sucked on his tongue- but he trusted Dick. He got onto his hands and knees, crawling closer, until Dick could hook one arm around him, tugging him down. He lost his balance, sprawled against Dick’s chest and felt his arm tightening.
For a moment, he panicked. He squirmed, thinking he needed to get away, that he was going to be crushed and his ribs were going to snap and his lungs rupture-
But this was the gray son, this was the one that had shown him his home. That had given it to him. This was the one who was warm and smelled like sugar flowers and suddenly, he wasn’t struggling, but relaxing. Dick’s other arm was around him, squeezing gently.
His ribs didn’t crack. His lungs didn’t tear. The hold was comforting- the firmness of it, like he was encased, but still free to move.
“It’s called a hug,” Dick mumbled, reaching up to stroke at Talon’s hair. He exhaled, letting his cheek rest to Dick’s chest- could hear his heart beat. He closed his eyes for a moment, relaxing more as Dick continued to stroke his hair. He felt Jason’s eyes, watching. “It’s something you give someone you like, to show them you care.” He gave him another squeeze. “Sometimes you give it to someone to thank them. And I owe you a thank you, for what you did tonight.” Talon glanced up at him, and Dick was smiling at him. “You helped me out, and when I said stop, you did. You did good, kid.”
Talon sucked on his lower lip, fighting the urge to smile. Fighting that curve. In a fit he pressed his face into Dick’s chest, trying to hide- felt his chest rumbling as he chuckled, as he continued to simply hold him.
It was nice.
Talon never wanted it to stop.
He felt the bed moving, and suddenly there was another hand on his lower back, rubbing gently. “It’s just me,” Jason whispered, “Is this okay?” He nodded, not lifting his face, sighing as the heat of Jason’s hand radiated through his tshirt.
He wondered if Jason would hug him. Jason was bigger than Dick, and Talon thought it might be nice, to disappear against him. That it might feel safe, like this.
That it might feel like home.
He mouthed the word to himself again, silently, as Jason moved to stroke up along the length of his spine. It eased the itch of his scars, made Talon forget for a moment that he wanted to claw them open- all there was was the heat of Jason’s hand, and the rhythm of Dick’s heart beat.
Home. He mouthed it again, exhaled against Dick’s chest as he did so.
“Kiddo?” Dick whispered, and Talon lifted his head. Dick was looking at him, expecting something. Carefully, Talon pushed himself up, until Dick’s arms fell away. He straddled him, felt Jason’s hand leaving his back.
Carefully, he pointed to Dick, and then over to Jason. And then, trying to hide the shake in his fingers, he whispered in what was barely a squeak, “home.”
Dick’s eyes went wide, staring up at him- and he felt Jason’s hand on his back again, between his shoulders. “Holy shit,” Jason said, “you said something.”
Talon nodded. He reached out, pressed his finger tip to Jason’s chest, and then to Dick’s-
And then to his own.
“Home,” he said again. Home, the two of them, they were his. It wasn’t a place, it was people. It was the strange curling of comfort, in his belly.
It was the heat of having someone tell him he was good
He felt Dick’s hands on him, and suddenly he was yanked down again. He crashed into Dick’s chest- squirmed but didn’t fight it, as his arms locked tightly around him. Talon let his cheek rest against him again, as Dick hugged him tightly.
“Yeah kid,” he whispered, “You’re home. I promise.”
Talon believed him.
He felt Jason’s hand again, and then suddenly the weight of a blanket, as it was tugged up over he and Dick. He glanced over at Jason, watched him climbed from the bed, crossing the room to flick off the light. When he came back, he stretched out on his side, just watching them.
“I think you’re sleeping in here tonight,” he offered, and Talon turned to properly face him, his cheek still resting on Dick’s chest. Jason reached out, gently brushed his knuckles against it, and Talon lifted his head, turned with the motion, trying to chase it. Jason smiled at him. “How about you roll off Dick so he can breathe for the night, and settle right here.”
Jason patted the space between them- and even though he didn’t want to leave the secure feel of Dick’s arms, Talon pulled himself free, gently dropping down to the space. He settled on his side- before there was an arm, draping over him, a hand splaying on Dick’s belly.
Jason, shifting closer- not quite touching otherwise, but the weight of his arm over Talon’s body was calming.
“Sweet dreams kiddo,” he whispered, “We’ll be right here when you wake up.”
Talon reached out, found Dick’s arm and clutched at it, pressed his face into it. He closed his eyes- and chose to trust Jason, as well.
Home would be there, when he woke up. Home wouldn’t disappear, when he opened his eyes.
Home wouldn’t leave him.
*
Jason felt the kid relaxing under his arm. He was quiet, until his breathing was steady- until he was sure he was asleep.
And then, quietly, in the dark, “Dick?”
“Hmm?”
Jason licked his lips. His stomach was in excited knots, and he just- he needed to know Dick felt the same strange giddiness.
“He spoke.”
Dick turned his head, offered Jason a dazzling smile in the dark. A smile that didn’t need words to accompany it. He was giddy too- shocked, unsure how to categorize what he was feeling.
But feeling exactly what Jason was.
“He called us home,” Jason whispered. He carefully lifted his hands from Dick’s belly, reached up and brushed the kid’s hair back. In his sleep, Talon pushed back against Jason, until he was curled up into his body, still clutching at Dick’s arm. Jason stroked again, smiled to himself. “Dick.”
“Yeah?”
“We’ve got a kid.” Jason dragged his knuckles along the kid’s cheek again, over ashen skin and inky veins, before he reached out to cover him with his arm, to settle his hand back on Dick. “We’ve got someone who needs us.”
It was true. Up until this point, they had known this kid needed help, they had wanted to do whatever they could to care for him, to give him a chance-
But now, now? The kid was choosing them. He’d put a meaning to them, he had faith in them.
And there was no way, no way, Jason could let anyone else take him now. Didn’t think Dick could either- with the way he had held onto him, as if he was holding a piece of himself, trying to soothe something that had been ripped from him.
Jason sighed, and quietly, offered up into the dark, “We can’t do this alone.”
“I know,” Dick whispered back, reaching down. He tangled his fingers in with Jason’s, squeezing them. “I know we can’t little wing.” He sighed. “But for now? Let it go. We’ll talk about it in the morning. Just… go to sleep.” Dick glanced over at the kid, smiling at him. “It’s kind of nice, having him here like this.”
Jason smiled, settling better into his pillow. He kept his fingers tangled with Dick’s as he closed his eyes. The kid’s subtle breathing was soft in the air, a gentle rhythm that worked well with Dick’s, as he began to relax, closing his eyes, chasing sleep.
Jason watched them, silently, before leaning down, pressing his lips to the back of the kid’s head.
“You’re okay,” he whispered, closing his own eyes. Something was twisting in him, over the fact that his hair smelled like Dick’s- that as Jason spoke, he sighed, pushing back against him again, like he wanted to steal his heat, wrap himself up in it. “You’re safe now kiddo. We’re not letting you go.”
Jason took one final breath, and added, like he was speaking to not just Talon, but the three of them, as a single breathing entity,
“You’re home.”