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“Happy birthday!”
His mom’s voice is weak, but she smiles when she gives him the cupcake. A single cupcake with a candle. This isn’t much, but her eyes have some lucidity, and she managed to find a single cupcake and a candle. This is love, he realizes. This is what she could give him, and she did. Despite everything. Despite all the days she isn’t there. She figured a way to make him feel loved.
“Happy birthday,” he mutters to himself, sitting down in the corner of two buildings. The food bank had some peanut butter for him today, he’s not one to pass on a birthday blessing, and he’s not ready to let a taller and stronger kid steal it.
He pushes his finger in the small jar, licking them until there is nothing left. He tries not to think of his previous birthday, of the cupcake, of love. He tries not to cry. He will get away from this. He will get out.
“Happy birthday!” Alfred’s voice is warm, and the manor is big. Sometimes, Jason still isn’t sure if all of this is real. Maybe someone dosed him with something. Maybe he’s still dying on a street somewhere. There is a cake, big, bigger than anything Jason has ever seen in his life. There is still something, someone missing in his heart, but he smiles. It might be a dream, but for now he just wants to enjoy it.
“Happy birthday,” he hears Bruce say when he passes him in the living room.
“Alfred already started cooking?” he asks. “I told him to wait for me!”
Bruce just shakes his head fondly, as Jason rushes to the kitchen. He knows this is real, now. He’s Robin. He’s the adoptive son of Bruce Wayne. He got out of his old life. He can do anything.
And it feels good.
“Happy birthday.” Dick pushes his hands on the ground, next to the grave. “I’m sorry I… I’m sorry couldn’t…”
He takes a breath. “But I’m here now, I guess. Too little too late, I know. I won’t stay long; I plan to go away before B sees me. You know how it is.” A laugh. “Well, maybe you don’t. Anyway, I… There is a kid who came to my door, asking me to be Robin again, to save Bruce.”
A beat. “I don’t think I can. I don’t think anyone can save Bruce, now. Anyone but you.” A sigh. A noise. “And that’s my cue to go, see you soon, Jay.” Maybe sooner than later.
“Happy birthday,” Talia drops a kiss on his forehead. Jason doesn’t say anything, but he doesn’t say much, nowadays. “You will become a beautiful warrior,” she says, like a promise. She leaves. Somewhere, there is a kid waiting for her. Just like Jason, he’s waiting for his story to be told.
“Happy birthday, boss.”
“How did you get that information,” Jason barks back at his man. He hopes the mask makes his voice older.
The man puts his hands in front of himself. “Just rumors, just rumors, boss.”
“Well?” Jason asks. “Do you have anything nice to tell me as a gift? How did the bust go?”
“Happy birthday. TD.”
Jason looks at the text. He doesn’t know the number, but these initials can only be one person. How can that kid be that stupid? Jason tried to kill him, and he sends birthday texts?
There is probably another though in this attempt at friendliness. Something Tim needs him for. There always is.
Jason doesn’t reply to the text.
“Happy birthday.”
How did the bats learn about this safe house? How did Batgirl enter?
“From Alfred,” she says, pushing a small package, with eyes that say : don’t shoot the messenger, though I would like to see you try. He doesn’t get her. She’s an assassin, smart enough to see his point, yet she stubbornly refuses to.
And, before he knows it, she’s gone. The package contains tea and a novel. He doesn’t want to, but he feels the same way he did when his mother presented him a cupcake.
“Happy birthday,” Spoiler hands him the documents.
“Does the Bat know you’re giving this to me?”
She winks. “Does he need to? I need this fixed, but Hood: no casualty.”
He leaves, muttering something about Bats and stupid rules.
No one dies that night.
“Happy birthday, Crime Alley,”
“Focus, Narrows.”
He finds working with Duke easy. Easier than most people he worked with. The kid has that kind of power, on top of, well. His actual powers. Duke replies something, and they fall back in friendly banter and fighting.
Being friendly with a direct ally of the Bat. He didn’t think that day would come. And yet.
“Happy birthday Todd. To your impressive feat of staying alive. This time.”
Damian rises his glass of orange juice. “Yeah, yeah,” Jason replies. “Speak for yourself, kid.” But there is no heat in the words.
The manor garden is full of animation. Dick is excitedly talking with Roy and Kory in the corner. Jason hadn’t realized so many people would come.
He hadn’t realized so many people would come for him.
Bruce is looking at him, thinking he’s so stealthy, with a smile on his face. Jason knows he won’t come talk to him, unless he wants to start a fight and ruin everything.
But he organized this party.
The garden is full.
This isn’t perfect, but this is love, Jason realizes.