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“Jason is baking,” Dick says, his head peeking around the corner into the game room where Tim and Damian were playing Mario Kart. Tim’s head whips around so fast Dick worries he’ll get whiplash. “Jason… Is baking?” A loud clang of baking dishes confirms their fears. “I do not understand your reactions to this,” Damian says as he sets down his controller, having won the game due to the distraction. “Jason only bakes when something is wrong with him,” Tim explains as he gets up to leave. “Isn’t something always wrong with him?” Damian digs at his absent brother. It worries him when Tim doesn’t crack a smile.
He follows Tim and Dick down the hall. Duke is already watching in horror as Jason attempts to pull out Duke’s stand mixer. Steph is leaning in the doorway with a juicebox, watching Jason struggle. “Did something happen recently?” Dick asks with a worried tone of voice. Steph shrugs. Cass comes down the hall and steps into the kitchen bravely, standing next to Jason. She asks if he needs help, her hands signing fast and her face just as worried as Dick. He shakes his head and waves her off.
The group watches as he throws together ingredients seemingly from memory into the bowls around him. “What is he making?” Tim asks as he squints at the ingredients. “Sugar cookies,” Duke says in horror as Jason fiddles with the stand mixer. He doesn’t seem to realize what order to use it in. He puts in the bowl, then takes it out, then puts on the attachment, then fails to put the bowl back. He realizes the top lifts and tilts it back, putting the bowl back in place. Cass winces at the two full sticks of completely cold butter among the pile of sugar. Jason figures out how to turn the mixer on and stands with his arms crossed as he watches it go. He’s absent-mindedly humming a song as he does, one Dick recognizes but no one else does, one he plays on patrol sometimes. Jason looks over at the group with an annoyed expression, “Quit staring. You’ll get some when they’re done.” After being discovered, the group scatters to the lounge room a ways down the hall. “What do you think happened,” Steph asks.
“Can’t he just bake?” Damian asks, still confused about this whole ordeal. “The last time he baked, it was because he was having PTSD flashbacks nonstop for a few days.” Cass nods at Tim’s example, remembering the carrot cake that had come out of that, and the sound of Jason aggressively chopping the top of each carrot and grating them slowly and distractedly. “Do you think it’s flashbacks again?” Duke asks, concerned. Tim shakes his head, “I think flashbacks mean a more complicated recipe. Sugar cookies are pretty simple.”
Dick types something on his phone, then makes a call. Whoever it is picks up fast. “Hey Roy. Jason is baking.” “He’s what?” The reply comes fast. “Baking. Sugar cookies.” “I’m on my way, with Lian.” The phone hangs up. “Did Roy do something, maybe?” Steph asks. Dick shrugs, “We’ll find out.” Damian fiddles with his hoodie strings. Dick hands him an infinity cube that was on the table. He fiddles with the cube. Everyone around him freaking out about this is making him nervous. “All we can do right now is wait,” Dick says with a sigh.
After a few minutes, the doorbell rings, and Dick welcomes Roy and Lian into the manor. Lian quickly gravitates to Damian, and the two go off to talk about kid stuff. Dick and Roy have a hushed conversation by the door about Jason, Damian sneaking a few glances at their worried faces before Lian fully pulls him away.
Banging and cursing can be heard a few times from the kitchen, but nothing super worrying happens.
“Cookies are done,” Jason calls as he sets the plate of sugar cookies down on a platter on the dining table. The whole group comes rushing in, pushing through the doorway with a bit of difficulty. Roy and Lian walk in last, and Jason looks surprised, then guilty to see them. Duke and Cass look the cookies over and determine them to be safe to eat, but a few are burned. Not wanting to make Jason’s mood worse, they eat the burned ones first, washing it down with the tastier ones on top. Damian follows Lian’s lead in taking a cookie, but he pays more attention to the small group in the corner consisting of Jason, Roy, and Dick. He notices Tim listening in as well.
“Did something happen, Jay?” Roy’s voice is just as gentle and worried as Dick’s. “You can tell us, whatever it is,” Dick adds. Jason is avoiding eye contact, “Nothing happened. Can’t I just do something nice for you all? Am I that much of an asshole?” “Well you are kind of a dick,” Roy teases lightly, “But we all know how much you care about us.” Dick nods in agreement, glaring at Roy. “I’m not gonna lie to him,” He says defensively. Jason crosses his arms, closing himself off. “I just needed to do something… nice. To prove that I could, I guess.”
“Jaybird…” Dick struggles to not pull his brother into a hug. “What is this really about?” He asks instead. Jason’s voice gets low, and Damian has to strain to hear it. “I just. Feel like I’m pissing everyone off lately and they’re avoiding me.” “That’s not true,” Roy says immediately, and Dick nods in agreement. “I know a couple of us have been busy, but I know none of us are avoiding you. You haven’t hurt us. I mean, look at the others.” Damian and Tim immediately switch to looking at each other to avoid being caught snooping. Tim grins as he tried to suppress a giggle. Damian glares. “We were all worried for you, Jaybird,” Dick says softly.
“The cookies are great, Jay,” Steph says around a mouthful of cookies. “Steph, don’t talk with your mouth full, it’s gross,” Tim says. She rolls her eyes and turns back to Duke and Cass. Damian looks back at Jason, who has a small smile on his face. The conversation seems to have had a long pause, so Damian marches up. “Todd,” He says, staring his brother down, “You will be accompanying me to the store. We will be getting ice cream to go with your cookies.” Jason raises his eyebrow in suspicion, “Okay?” “Meet me by your motorcycle in 5 minutes.” Damian quickly leaves the room to find his shoes.
Jason is two minutes late to the rendezvous point. “You’re late,” Damian says, with no venom in his voice like it usually would have. Jason shrugs. “So, you got ice cream money?” “No,” Damian says firmly, “Because I know you will buy it. Because I know you are late because you were locating and stealing father’s card. Because I know you were planning on paying without me knowing. Because I know that you care, because that is the kind of person you are. You care, Todd, in your own way, and everyone knows it, even if you snap at people. And we care for you.” Jason looks bewildered at Damian’s moment of… whatever this was. “Now get on the bike. I want strawberry and Lian wants mint chocolate chip. We have to get it before Harper and Father say it’s too late at night for sweets.” Jason grins, “Sure little man, let’s go.”
Once the two of them were properly leather clad and helmeted (Jason had brought down an extra set for Damian. Because he cares.) they speed off to the nearest store to buy three pints of ice cream. Damian sneakily buys Jason his own cookie dough pint. “Because I care,” He says simply.