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“Class, we only have ten minutes left with your buddies! Remember, all your materials need to be put away before we go for lunch.”
Jason heard Ms. Cheryl just fine, but he was also a little annoyed that he had to stop his game of chess with Duke. It had only taken one match for Duke to realize he didn’t need to go easy on Jason, and even with that, Jason was doing pretty good!
But Duke was way too much of a rule follower to not listen to the teachers. He shrugged and then smiled at Jason across the table. “We can pick it up next time, right? Oh, hey, Ms. Cheryl! Can you take a picture of our game so me and Jason can set it up again next class?”
She smiled right back at Duke because everyone liked him. “Of course. We can print it when we get back to our room, okay, Jason? You can keep it in your cubby.”
Well, that wouldn’t be too bad. And it’d give Jason more time to think of his next move. With a shrug, he let Ms. Cheryl take the picture of their gameboard, and then he started helping Duke put the pieces away.
But Ms. Cheryl didn’t leave right away to check on the other kids. Instead, she asked, “Have you told Duke about the math showcase next week?”
Right away, Jason hunched his shoulders up. “No…”
“What math showcase?” Duke asked.
“Jason’s working with some of the other students in the accelerated math stream to do a little sharing competition. It’s all for fun, and mostly just to show off what they’ve learned. Even though it’s during the school day, Mr. Ruiz is more than happy to let the classroom buddies come watch.”
Ms. Cheryl had to go help out some other kids right after that, but Duke didn’t forget about it at all.
“It sounds really awesome, Jay! I’d totally love to come.”
“You don’t have to,” Jason said. “I don’t know why Ms. Cheryl’s making it such a big deal; it’s just fourth grade math shi—- stuff.”
Duke raised an eyebrow. “Maybe cause it’s the fourth grade accelerated program and you’re in third grade? That sounds pretty impressive to me.”
“Yeah, and you’re doing college level math! You told me that already.”
“Well, yeah, but I’m older than you, Jay.”
“I know. I—” Jason squeezed the rook he still had in his hand so he could try to calm down. It wasn’t like Duke would know why this was so weird for him, and he couldn’t let himself get too upset.
“Hey, if you don’t want me there, I don’t have to come,” Duke said. “It’s really whatever you feel like.”
And… that didn’t solve it, either. Because Jason kind of did like the idea of Duke being there to watch him. He liked Duke.
Duke was cool and fun and really nice. He always waved at Jason when they saw each other in other places at school, and he actually didn’t mind hanging out when it wasn’t their official ‘buddy’ time. Duke didn’t make a big deal of helping Jason with all of the little kid shit he needed help with like carrying heavy things and writing neatly and remembering directions. There wasn’t much Jason could do to help Duke back, but he had started doing a little secret investigation on the batcomputer to see if there was anything he could find out about Duke’s missing parents.
It wasn’t like Jason could actually tell Duke about that, though, and it didn’t seem like Duke cared that he was doing more than Jason was. He’d actually probably really have fun watching Jason show off his multiplying or whatever.
But it was still a really bad idea. Jason was a lot like a kid now, but he wasn’t really a kid. He didn’t need to have his class buddy come to cheer him on for some stupid showcase thing. That was for all the other kids in Jason’s class who hadn’t gone through all of this before.
“You don’t need to come,” he told Duke again. “It’s not that big of a deal.”
“Well, if you’re sure…”
“I’m sure,” Jason insisted. Although… maybe he wasn’t actually sure. Everything was still all mixed up in his head, and there was a sort of bad feeling in his stomach.
Mostly, he was just really confused.
Bruce scrubbed a towel over his damp hair as he came out of the showers and looked across the cave. It was early evening, so it was still only Jason down here, with strict instructions to stay at the computer while Bruce had his post-workout shower.
He was deeply engrossed in whatever was on the monitors, and it wasn’t until Bruce had almost come around to the front of the desk that Jason noticed, startled, and minimized his files.
“Hey, bud.” Bruce tossed his towel to the side, scooped up his son, and reclaimed the command chair, plopping Jason down onto his lap at the same time. “The Pokémon research is going to have to wait a bit; I’ve got to start prepping for the night.”
“Bruce!” Jason squawked in protest, even though he didn’t try to break free from the embrace.
The name pinged something in Bruce’s mind; it wasn’t one that Jason used much anymore. It was almost always ‘dad’ now, which Bruce loved. When Jason did use Bruce’s given name, it was usually when he was trying to show his independence, or when he had been working at things that involved more of a grown-up mindset.
It had been unfair of Bruce to assume he knew what Jason was doing. While the Pokémon obsession was very real, there were other legitimate, helpful projects that Jason did down here.
“I’m sorry, Jay. If you were working on a new design for the 3D printer—”
“I wasn’t,” Jason answered quickly. “I was— Well, it doesn’t matter. I don’t need to be on right now.”
“Hn.” Bruce could still make a better solution for that. A high-quality laptop with the appropriate securities could give Jason all the processing power he needed for his projects, plus have plenty of space for as many Pokémon files as he wanted.
Jason always balked at those sorts of expensive purchases, but his eighth birthday was coming up in a couple months. That loophole had worked for Jason in the past, so Bruce could probably get away with it again now.
With that settled in his mind, Bruce pulled up his active map of Gotham and began to review the latest data in preparation for tonight. Although there was one more thing he needed to confirm with Jason.
“So, it looks like that math showcase next week is going to wrap up before end of day dismissal. How do you want to handle that? I can do some other errands in the area before coming back to pick you up, or I can sign you out early that day. We can go for ice cream.”
Jason jolted in his spot. “How’d you find out about the math thing?”
Bruce frowned. “Ms. Cheryl’s newsletter. I’m looking forward to it.” He had also been meaning to spread the word to the other kids, but now that he was seeing Jason’s reaction, he was glad he hadn’t.
“You don’t have to come!” Jason wriggled off Bruce’s lap and took a step away, crossing his arms over the Batgirl logo on his t-shirt. “It’s just a stupid kid math trivia game. It’s not actually hard.”
“I thought you were getting enough of a challenge in your classes.” Bruce meant the comment genuinely. If Jason wasn’t being given work that was advanced enough for him, it was a problem. Unfortunately, saying that was somehow a misstep because a furiously embarrassed flush rose up on Jason’s face.
“Well— I mean, it’s hard enough for me, yeah, but that doesn’t mean it’s actually, you know…” With a grimace, Jason dropped his gaze to the floor. “Look, you just really don’t need to come.”
“Jay…” Bruce pushed his hand through his wet hair. He genuinely had no idea where things had gone off the rails. “I’ll only come if you want me to, okay? It’s the same as always; I want to take care of you, whatever that ends up being.”
“I know…” Gradually, Jason’s shoulders began to lower. He took in a slow, soft breath. “I just— don’t want this to be a big deal. I probably shouldn’t even have signed up for it.”
“Don’t pull out because of this.” That would be the worst possible outcome. “I won’t make it a big deal, I promise. I won’t even mention it to anyone else.”
“Okay.” Jason nodded to himself. “Then, yeah, that’s what I want. And you don’t need to come watch; you can just… pick me up from school at the end of the day like normal.”
It was the opposite of what Bruce had been planning in his mind. He’d thought the event would be worth celebrating, that Jason would be happy to show off his knowledge. The ice cream should have been a guaranteed win, and Bruce had also been working on a vague plan to gather up at least a few of the other kids to come with and show support.
But it was clearly not what Jason wanted. Bruce didn’t understand it in the slightest, and something about it was still rubbing him the wrong way, but he had meant what he’d said. This was about doing what Jason wanted.
“Okay,” he finally promised. “We’ll treat it just like any other normal day.”
The whole situation still bothered him, somehow, and so after another day of trying to ignore it, he gave Cheryl a call.
“I’m just wondering…” He didn’t even know how to put it into words. Was the problem because he had assumed what Jason wanted? Or was there something else at work?
“I’m not entirely sure myself,” Cheryl admitted. “Jason definitely wants to do the showcase; I’ve asked him outright, and he seems excited when we’re preparing for it in class. And I don’t think it’s an issue of performance anxiety.”
“No, that’s not usually a problem for Jay.”
“The only thing I can think of…”
The moment of silence over the phone was too much tension for Bruce to put up with. “Yes?”
“There’s been a few times where he’s been… well, reluctant, let’s say, to celebrate his achievements. It’s not what I’d typically expect for a child his age, but I’m sure you’re aware that his past experiences will still influence his current behaviour.”
Bruce gripped his phone tighter. “Oh.”
“And as I’ve told you before, I don’t need to know any details about what his life was like before he came to live with you, but if that seems to make sense for you…”
“Yes. It does.” Bruce had seen it himself multiple times.
Jason was a kid again and had that childish level of excitement about so many things now, but there were a lot of times where he didn’t get as excited about new academic accomplishments compared to how he used to. Maybe it was hard to feel that way since he’d already done it once, but as far as Bruce was concerned, this was an important part of growing up, and Jason always deserved to be celebrated.
“How do you suggest we fix this?” he asked.
“Well, pushing Jason before he’s ready isn’t going to help anything,” Cheryl said, somehow already guessing where Bruce’s mind had gone. “If he’s still determined that he doesn’t want you there for the showcase, it’s best to respect that.”
“...right.” He clenched his hand into a fist and then slowly loosened it.
She gave him a sympathetic sigh. “I know how difficult that would be, trust me. But you know how savvy Jason is. If he feels like you’re not respecting his wishes…”
“I know.” He’d been down that exact road before, although he could hardly tell Cheryl that.
“At the very least, I’ll take lots of photos,” Cheryl promised. “And this can be a goal we can work on throughout this year. Jason’s an amazing kid, and he deserves to feel that way. If we keep communicating between the two of us, I’m sure that we’ll get there. You’ll just have to be patient.”
Bruce held back a heavy sigh. Cheryl was right, of course. He respected her experience, and she clearly had a very good handle on Jason despite missing some key details.
He just hated that phrase. Patience was never something he was very good at.
“Yeah, so, it’s still harder to do some of the tricks I’m working on with Dick, but the rest of the time I barely even feel it anymore.” To make his point, Jason waved his totally healed arm to the camera on his phone so that Roy could see it.
“That’s great, Jaybird. I’m glad to hear it.”
“So that means you can stop being all weird and guilty and whatever and actually come back to Gotham for a visit soon!”
Roy laughed. “I promise I haven’t been avoiding you or anything; life’s just been busy. But I was going to ask: Lian and I are passing through next week. You think you can get your old man to let you out of school a few hours early on Thursday?”
“Oh.” Jason squirmed in his chair. “Um, it’s actually… Well, there’s this, uh, special thing happening at school that day, so…”
“Special how?”
“Just— nothing. It’s not a big deal.”
And of course that didn’t work. Jason was super bad at lying now, so Roy could tell that something was up. And he never fucking let that kind of thing go.
“Sounds like a big deal to me,” he said. “You know, if you don’t spill, I’m just gonna ask Dick—”
“No! Don’t. He… doesn’t know about it, either.”
“Really.” Roy tilted his head and leaned closer to the camera. “How come?”
“It’s…” Fuck, there was no way Jason was getting out of it. He might as well spill. “It’s this math showcase thing, okay?”
“...and you’re not telling the guy who was a literal mathlete in high school?”
“Yeah, that’s exactly why I’m not saying anything to him!”
Roy stared at Jason, not saying anything at all. After a little bit, he gave his head a shake and let out a sigh. “Okay, I’m totally lost; you gotta explain that one to me.”
Jason slouched in his seat, and he felt his face heat up. He was seriously going to have to explain the obvious to Roy?
“Well, it’s… It’s just a bunch of little kids doing elementary school math. It’s not like it's actually hard. It’s not worth coming to watch.”
Roy sighed. “Jaybird, I know it sucks that you levelled down like this, but that doesn’t mean this stuff doesn’t matter. I bet all the other kids are working really hard, and—”
Jason’s cheeks got even hotter. “Okay, fine! It’s hard for them. So then I extra shouldn’t be doing it.”
“What? Wait, that wasn’t— Where’d you even get that from?”
“Well… you said! The real kids are working really hard, and it’s a big deal for them, so it wouldn’t be fair if I took up a spot.”
“Jason.”
“What?”
Roy had his eyebrows pinched together like he had a headache. It looked a lot like the expression he used to get when they were fighting about the best plan for a mission and he thought Jason was being really stupid about something.
“You are a real kid,” he said. “Remember when you made a really big deal about that exact thing? Decided we couldn’t be friends anymore and tried ghosting me?”
“… yeah.”
“And wasn’t that around the time you were also super choked about the math thing? Pretty sure I remember you saying you’d lost basically everything that you learned after second grade.”
Jason wrinkled his nose. Yeah, he had. Tim’s tests from back then had made all of that really obvious.
“So, it seems like you’ve also been working pretty hard,” Roy finished. “And that this mathlete thing—”
“It’s a showcase—”
“Well, whatever your weird hippy school calls it. It matters, and you deserve to feel proud about what you’ve learned.”
Jason kept his arms crossed, squeezing them tight against his middle. It still felt weird to think about being all proud of knowing how to multiply again.
“I know it doesn’t really make sense,” he mumbled. “It’s like— I already learned it once, so it doesn’t feel like that big of a deal, but also maybe like it’s not fair? Because I’m still, you know… different.”
“Well… the effort’s real, isn’t it?”
Jason nodded silently. He’d worked really hard in his math all last school year, and even a little bit over the summer.
“Right, so, that counts for something! And I know it probably really sucks because you’ve already learned all this stuff once already and so it doesn’t feel as special the second time around.”
“Yeah…” Maybe it would feel different when he got to high school, because Jason didn’t really get to do much of that the first time. For now, though, there were a lot of times where elementary school felt like having to start at the beginning of a video game that he’d already halfway beat.
“Look, I’m not telling you how to live your life or anything, but I think the next few years will be way less of a slog if you lean into the good part of it a little and let your ridiculous family show up for this kind of stuff and have fun with you.”
Jason shifted in his spot a little. “Well… who says that’s ‘leaning in’ to anything? Maybe I don’t actually want…”
Roy let out a laugh. “I’ve got a kid that’s only a month older than you, remember? She loves when I show up for school stuff. That’s how all kids feel at your age.”
Fuck. Roy was actually really right about that. Jason fucking loved it when Bruce was at school for a field trip or something else, and he also liked school pickups on Wednesdays because that’s when everyone got to see Tim come and get Jason from school, which felt even cooler somehow? Probably all the adults could tell that Jason thought that, too.
He was really shitty at playing things cool, so what was the point in trying to deny it? He liked having his family show up for school things. That’s just how it was right now.
So, well… maybe he could try the other thing, too. Leaning into it. Having people come and cheer him on for stuff that he’d actually been working pretty hard on. Maybe it wouldn’t be that bad.
As soon as Cheryl spotted Duke Thomas sitting in the school auditorium, she leaned close to Marcos Ruiz, nudged his shoulder, and gave him a very smug look.
“I told you the classroom buddies would be a good thing.”
Marcos huffed out a sigh. “You remember that I never doubted you, right?”
“But still,” Cheryl pressed.
“Still. Okay, yes, Duke’s attendance has been much better at Pathways compared to his previous schools, and yeah, a lot of that’s probably because he really likes his little third grade buddy. It’s been good for him.”
“Good for both of them,” Cheryl added. “Jason loves Duke, and it’s nice that he has an older friend here at the school. He’s… I can’t quite put my finger on it; maybe an old soul?”
Marcos shrugged. “Some kids are like that.”
“Yeah. And he’s had to grow up faster than most.” He was still a puzzle that Cheryl was working through, but that oddly mature demeanor hadn’t changed much from the day she first met him. Compared to all of the other buddy pairs in her and Marcos’ classes, Jason and Duke seemed more like equals.
The partnership was also helping Jason be more of a kid. Cheryl had been overjoyed when, a couple days ago, he’d told her that he was actually okay with Duke coming to watch the showcase today, as well as his dad. It was a huge step forward, as far as Cheryl was concerned, and she had said exactly that on the phone when she’d called Bruce to celebrate.
For now, however, the afternoon was quickly becoming too busy to continue gloating to Marcos. Parents and other family members of the students steadily filled the auditorium, and Cheryl had to get in a quick conversation with Lexi’s dad about her copying her homework, and also troubleshoot the sound system for the high school team running the event. She had just managed to dodge yet another litany of complaints from Gavin’s mom when she saw the Wayne family arrive.
And it looked like the entire Wayne family. They were a mismatched crew, dressed in a range from daytime formal all the way to a casual t-shirt and jeans. The oldest had to be Mr. Pennyworth, whom Cheryl had only spoken to on the phone, and the youngest normally would have been Damian, Jason’s high school-aged brother, but there was an even younger girl in the group. She seemed to be about Jason’s age and stood close to a man in his mid-twenties who was still shaking the ballcap-shaped dent out of his red hair as they entered the auditorium.
“I’m Roy,” he shared with a crooked grin as the round of introductions passed to him. “And this is my daughter Lian. We’re— family friends. We’re visiting Gotham this weekend and I thought it’d be nice to come to Jaybird’s math competition.”
“Showcase,” Cheryl corrected, only halfway listening. This was Roy? The same Roy who had been there when Jason broke his wrist? Somehow, when Jason had told that story, Cheryl had been picturing another boy around his age.
“Right. Showcase.” Roy kept right on beaming. “Well, no matter what, we’re here to support him. I guess we better find seats, huh? I want to make sure we can all be together.”
“Right…” Cheryl took another glance at the massive crew that had come out to support Jason. “I’ll let you get settled. But, Mr. Wayne, a word?”
He stayed behind as his family found a section on the left side of the auditorium. That bland, irritatingly polite expression of his was out in full force.
“Thank you for organizing this,” he said, as if nothing at all was amiss. “I know it can’t be easy corralling all the students and the parents.”
“It’s well worth the effort, but— Mr. Wayne, this is not what we discussed on the phone. The plan was for only you—”
“I know. But, well, Dick heard about it, and he got excited. Word spread on one of those group chats the kids are all on and… well, you know how it goes.”
Cheryl felt a twinge behind her eye. “But if Jason isn’t comfortable—”
“He is; I checked. Apparently, he had a conversation with Roy that helped him out with the whole thing. I don’t really know what it was but I’m glad it made a difference.”
Roy. The grown man that was somehow a friend of Jason’s? That was a whole other issue that had blindsided Cheryl, and she hated being taken off guard.
“I was under the impression that we were communicating about this,” she said in a clipped tone.
Somehow, Mr. Wayne actually managed to look confused about that. “Well, yes, I was communicating with Jason. I thought he would have told you.”
Cheryl’s headache worsened by a notch. “Mr. Wayne, Jason is seven years old. If there’s anything especially important that I need to know, it’d be best if you told me directly.”
“Right.” He nodded, with a faint frown visible on his face. “Well, I hope it’s not a problem…”
“It’s not.” Assuming that Jason was actually aware and okay with having such a large audience today. “Why don’t you go get settled with your family? I need to check on a few other things before we get started.”
Despite all of that, her frustration faded as she watched the Waynes from a distance. They really did seem like a nice family. Tim had recognized Duke from after school pickup and invited him to sit with them. Mr. Pennyworth, of all people, was currently engaging him in some sort of conversation. The sister, Cassandra, had saved a seat for Mr. Wayne.
There was a sense of anticipation in the group, and Cheryl didn’t want to dampen it if it wasn’t needed. So, she went and sought out Jason, who was standing in line in the back hallway with the rest of the students that were participating. Cheryl pulled him to the side and then knelt down so she could look at him straight on.
“I just saw your dad in the audience.”
“Oh. Okay. And did everyone else come, too?”
“Looks like it,” she answered carefully. “Are you feeling okay about that?”
He shrugged, glancing sideways. “Yeah, I— Wait, Dick didn’t bring a big sign or anything, did he? He said he was gonna, but I thought it was just supposed to be a joke.”
“No, there was no sign, just all the people. But if you’ve decided that that’s okay…”
“Well… yeah. Mostly.” He gave her a sheepish little smile. “It’s pretty cool they want to come see, and I thought it’d be, um, fun maybe. Dad says we can go for ice cream after.”
“That does sound like fun.”
“Yeah. I know I didn’t want to have anyone here at first, but… I mean, it’s okay, right? There’s not a rule, or—-”
“Oh, no, honey, it’s fine. Kids are allowed to invite as many people as they like. And it’s more than okay to change your mind about who you wanted to come.”
His small shoulders relaxed. “Yeah, I’m just, like… trying it out. Leaning into the whole… thing.” He waved his hand vaguely, words failing to explain the situation.
Cheryl felt she got a good sense for it anyway. There had been a lot of changes in little Jason Wayne’s life over the last year, and that sort of adjustment didn’t come instantaneously. This felt like a very positive step forward, though, and she was glad to see that he did seem genuinely on board with it.
It was so much better than the strangely flat affect she often got when Jason unlocked a new achievement or hit a new milestone. While he was still tempering his expression, she could see a small, excited smile sneaking through.
There was still a little worry simmering within her, but it was small enough that she could place it in the back of her mind for now, along with other questions such as who exactly Roy was and how he fit into anything.
“Well, I think this is a great idea,” she told Jason. “And now you’ve got a big group of people out there who are very excited to see you show off everything you’ve worked hard to learn. How about we get this thing started?”
With a skip in his step, Jason rejoined his place in the line. Cheryl did one last check to make sure that everything was ready, and then she led her class out onto the auditorium stage.
There was a buzz of excitement from the crowd. A ripple of cell phones rose into the air as all the parents tried to get a snapshot of their child walking into place. Cheryl placed her stack of papers on the podium at the front and then turned to make sure the students were settling in their seats.
Joey was already bouncing in his chair, while Claudia was pushing through her nerves like a champ. Gavin was scowling at his mother, and as for Jason…
He skimmed the crowd with his eyes as his fingers fiddled with the hem of his Batman sweatshirt. When he caught sight of his large family, his expression lit up and he straightened in his chair. He waved excitedly and then caught himself, tucking his hand back onto his lap while he swung his feet sheepishly.
Cheryl smothered a smile as she turned back to her papers. She had yet to run an event where she didn’t have at least one child pull that exact move, and it was adorable every single time it happened. Then when she looked up at the audience, she had to swallow a laugh along with that smile because the entire Wayne clan was still enthusiastically returning little Jason’s wave.
They really did care for him. And Jason seemed settled, happy with his decision to include his family in this event. It was exactly what Cheryl had hoped for, and it had happened much faster than she thought it would.
And it was fortunate, too, because if this was anything to go off of, Jason should get used to this kind of attention sooner rather than later. Cheryl had a feeling that it was going to continue for many more years to come.