Work Text:
can you pick me up from school
Dick squinted down at the text. Jason sent it half an hour ago, and it was followed by a few increasingly desperate pleas and bribes.
He wasn’t clairvoyant, but he had the feeling that being asked to pick Jason up was a sign that something had gone wrong. After all, Jason knew Dick was working today, and he’d never asked him to pick him up from school before.
All signs pointed to a blaring wrong, wrong, wrong marquee flashing neon in his mind.
Deep breath, Grayson. It might be nothing. Maybe something happened and he’s just embarrassed? God knows you would have killed to have someone other than Bruce pick you up after… select… incidents.
(Creating a Slip ‘N Slide in the basement hallway of Gotham Academy out of olive oil and Jello cups came to mind. It was his magnum opus. It was also the first time Alfred grounded him.)
Maybe it was something serious. Jason hadn’t had a panic attack or migraine at school in weeks, but that didn’t mean they wouldn’t happen again. Actually, that didn’t make sense, either. Jason always asked Bruce to pick him up early after those.
Dick needed to stop overthinking it and just text Jason back. If he was going to pick his brother up, he’d need to leave within the next few minutes. Traffic from Blüdhaven to Gotham Academy was a beast during rush hour.
Dick finally settled on, Can’t Bruce get you?
He needed to get a feel for what to expect.
The reply was almost instant.
please? I have to be picked up by an adult and Bruce is going to be mad
Dick felt a sliver of unease creep up his chest. So, not a migraine or a panic attack. He couldn’t help himself from murmuring, “Oh, Little Wing- what did you do?”
I’m going to be late but I’ll come get you. Tell Bruce. He’s going to know something’s up, but you can deal with that when we get home I guess
The typing bubbles popped up, disappeared, popped up, disappeared.
Fuck. Anything that Jason was thinking about that deeply was 100% not going to go down well with Bruce.
thanks dickface
I owe you
Dick grimaced again and pocketed his phone.
“Hey, Kelsey?” Dick flagged down one of the other gymnastics instructors. “Sorry about this, but I need to leave early to pick up my brother. Can you combine my 3pm private with yours? I’ll take the difference out of my paycheck.”
“You’re in luck, Grayson,” she answered, fiddling with her ponytail. “Mine just cancelled. I can just sub and you’ll owe me. Get out of here.” She squinted. He tried to smile reassuringly but it probably just made everything look worse. His eyes always gave away exactly what he was feeling. Sure enough, she asked, “Is everything okay?”
Dick waved a hand in the air, dispelling the nerves crawling up his arm. “Oh, yeah. Of course. Everything’s fine. You’re the best.”
She snapped her gum. Cocked one eyebrow in disbelief. “Sure. Okay.”
Dick beelined for the locker room and tried not to jump to the worst case scenario.
It was going to be fine. Everything was fine. With Jason’s smart mouth, and diversifying vocabulary, he probably just talked back to a teacher, or got in a verbal spat with a classmate over which Victorian writer was the most influential.
(Dick made the mistake of gandering an opinion on that last one one time. He didn’t realize middle schoolers could have such strong convictions on whose commentary on the 1800s British social caste system was superior. He lost hours.)
Dick slipped into his street clothes and shouldered his gym bag.
It was fine.
—-
The moment Dick entered the principal’s office, where Jason was being held against his will if the slew of texts were any indication, he realized that he needed to stop spending so much time with idealistic Uncle Clark.
Since he had spent the whole care ride affirming his own mantra of how completely and totally good everything was going to be, he wasn’t prepared for what was waiting for him in a tacky plastic chair next to the receptionist’s desk.
There was Jason, slouching in his seat, arms crossed and scowling. His tie had been yanked off and his hair was messier than usual. His backpack lay on its side, half zipped, discarded at his feet. A pencil case and composition notebook were hanging more out than in.
Most notable, though, was the fact that Jason had a fresh black eye and a nasty cut on his jaw, two butterfly bandaids holding it closed.
As soon as Jason caught his brother’s eyes, he flinched and squirmed in his seat. “It’s not as bad as it looks.”
“Like hell it isn’t,” Dick snapped. Jason flinched again and Dick took a breath. He didn’t know who to be mad at yet, and it wasn’t fair to freak Jason out if it turned out not to be his fault. “What happened?”
“Mr. Todd-Wayne was in a fight,” Principal Yancey cut in, stepping out of his office and motioning for both of them to come with him. “It’s nice to see you again, Mr. Grayson-Wayne. I wish it wasn’t over this. I was hoping Mr. Wayne himself was going to make an appearance.”
“Bruce is in Metropolis,” Jason lied, slouching past Dick into Principal Yancey’s office. “Please don’t bother him with this. I’ll take detention or whatever.”
“Bruce would be comfortable with me handling this,” Dick replied, his eyes rapt on Jason’s almost imperceptible limp. What the fuck. “I wouldn’t worry about that. I’m more concerned with why Jason is bleeding in your waiting room.”
Goddamn, he sounded just like Bruce.
“Yes, about that.” Principal Yancey closed his door and sat behind his desk. Templed his fingers and put on his best “I’m deeply troubled by this” expression. Dick recognized it well from his own time at Gotham Academy.
(He may or may not have been a frequent flyer in the principal’s office.)
“Jason was in an altercation with another student this afternoon,” Principal Yancey began. Dick gave Jason an incredulous look and Jason sank down, looking thoroughly chastised. “I received conflicting accounts from the boys over what the fight was about, but witnesses have confirmed that Jason made first contact–”
Jason rolled his eyes. “I’m not a liar. I told you what he said. And, yes, I “touched” him first.” Jason’s airquotes were vicious and pointed. “But I pushed him. Derek punched me in the face.”
Dick’s eyes snapped away from Jason to Principal Yancey. “That doesn’t sound like a fair fight.”
“It wasn’t,” Jason supplied. “We all know I could’ve decked him with one blow. But, like the model student I am–”
“Laying it on a little thick there, Jay,” Dick whispered out the side of his mouth.
“–like the respectable student I am, I chose to ignore him.”
Principal Yancey sighed. “Until you pushed him.”
“Trust me, for what he said…” Jason fiddled with his tie. “He’s lucky I didn’t–”
Dick didn’t want to let him finish that thought. He doubted it was Gotham Academy friendly.
“Where is the other student?” Dick asked. “If he punched first, he should be here, too.”
“Derek Jenkins,” Jason sneered, “was picked up by his parents right after the fight. They’re talking shit about suing me. What is Derek going to sue me for? I’m the one who got punched in the face. He didn’t even trip when I pushed him!”
Dick raised an eyebrow. “The other kid is trying to sue?”
“No, no,” Principal Yancey rushed to assure them. “I’m sure that was all said out of anger and will have simmered down by morning. Please tell Mr. Wayne that I highly doubt anything serious will come of it. Especially, since, as you have said,” he gestured to Jason, “you only pushed him. What I want to discuss today, and why I wanted to meet with Mr. Wayne, is to ensure that Mr. Todd-Wayne understands that violence is not the answer to conflict here at Gotham Academy.”
Jason smiled and it was obviously to anyone who knew him that it was fake. “Got it. Touching Derek probably gave me a rash anyway. Can I go now?”
Principal Yancey held up a hand. “In a moment. First, I need you to tell me the full story of what happened. I need to know so I can decide on a suitable course of disciplinary action for both you and Mr. Jenkins.”
Jason’s leg began twitching and bouncing. “Seriously? I already told you. We were talking, he said something out of line. I told him to shut up, he didn’t. I pushed him, he punched me. That’s all.”
“What did he say?”
Jason just stared defiantly at the wall behind Principal Yancey’s head.
Dick discreetly shifted his own leg so his knee rested against Jason’s. “C’mon. I’m sure there was a reason you pushed him, Li’l.” He shot a look at Principal Yancey, a yeah, yeah, I’m not condoning violence, before nudging Jason’s knee again with his own. “Tell us.”
Jason’s eyes flicked to his, and after a moment, he settled back into his seat. “He said that Bruce was a pervert because there was no other reason he would adopt a piece of Gotham trash like me.”
Dick’s blood cooled and his fists balled up. “That’s so out of line–”
Jason gulped. “I, uh, didn’t push him over that.”
Principal Yancey was starting to look pale. “He said more?”
Jason nodded. “I was ignoring him. Really. He kept going on and on about Bruce, but I was like the fuck do I care what Derek Jenkins thinks? The guy is an asshole and everyone knows it.” Jason’s voice dropped. “I went to get up and sit somewhere else, since he was pissing me off, and he called Dick a… a slur.” His eyes went dark. “He called you a slur and I just saw red. I told him to never say it again, but he did, and I pushed him. That’s all.”
Dick swallowed and dropped a hand onto Jason’s shoulder. “You don’t have to defend me, Jay. I could not care less about what Derek Jenkins thinks about me.”
At Jason’s words, Principal Yancey had suddenly looked just as beaten down and tired as Dick felt. While Dick didn’t love the guy, he did have to admit that Gotham Academy had been a safe space when he was a student and a big part of that was Principal Yancey’s zero tolerance policy for all forms of bigotry. “I’m sorry you had to hear that, Jason. Everything Derek said was completely inappropriate.” His tone had even lost some of its crafted authority when he switched to using first names. “Can you tell me exactly what Derek said? I’ll need to amend my report in the morning and make sure the Jenkins are aware of why their son is going to be facing serious disciplinary action.”
“I’m not going to repeat it.” Jason pressed his knee against Dick’s. “I don’t say slurs.”
Principal Yancey nodded. “I understand. Completely. And I respect you even more for taking that stance. But I need to know so I can confront Derek. Would you be willing to write it down on a sticky note and pass it to me? Would that be easier?”
Jason shrugged. “Okay.”
Dick watched as Jason shakily scratched out a five-letter slur in sloppy penmanship.
Oh.
He hadn’t been expecting that.
He was so used to slurs about his sexuality that he had never once considered it would be an ethnic slur.
He must have visibly reacted because Jason rushed to pass the sticky note back and turned to Dick, panic on his face. “I’m sorry, okay? I didn’t want you to see it. Derek’s an idiot.”
“It’s fine,” Dick smiled. It didn’t reach his eyes. He was shocked to find out how much that word hurt. He hadn’t heard it in years. “You did nothing wrong, Jay.”
Principal Yancey’s eyes went wide and his mouth set. “Again, I’m sorry you had to hear something so inappropriate. This goes completely against the code and spirit of Gotham Academy.” He sighed and dragged a hand down his face. “You’re free to go, Mr. Todd-Wayne. Mr. Grayson-Wayne, my apologies that you had to read that. Know that young Mr. Jenkins will be facing full disciplinary action for what he said and did.”
Dick tried to smile but he couldn’t fake it anymore. He hadn’t dealt with something like this since the early days of his tenure with Bruce.
Most reporters and journalists were well educated. They always used the correct term for him and much of his old family at Haly’s. Romani.
But sometimes, idiots with notepads and cheap cameras would use the other word. The g-word.
The word itself didn’t even hold that much power over Dick. It was the slew of hateful stereotypes and the history of anti-Roma violence behind it that messed with him so much.
“Can I skip school tomorrow?” Jason asked.
Dick looked up to answer but Jason was looking at Principal Yancey.
“Why?”
Jason shrugged and motioned to his face. His black eye wasn’t swollen shut, but it was red and watery. He carefully dabbed at it with a corner of his sleeve and winced. “My face hurts and I don’t want to be here when everything goes down with the Jenkins.”
Principal Yancey considered this. “I’ll make sure you’re marked excused.” He made a quick note before pausing, tapping his pen thoughtfully. “I know it’s not much, but I’ve heard about how well you’ve been doing in your classes. Especially English. Keep it up. The upper grade English teachers are excited to have you in future classes.”
Jason went scarlet and Dick laughed. “My Little Wing, the scholar! Who knew?” He reached out to ruffle Jason’s hair but his brother ducked away before he could.
“If you touch me right now,” Jason hissed, cheeks still a bright pink, “I’ll kill you.”
Dick thanked Principal Yancey and rushed them both out before Jason could say something that would get him the disciplinary action they’d dodged earlier.
They were in Dick’s car, clicking their seatbelts into place, when Jason finally spoke.
“How mad is Bruce going to be? I swear– I didn’t use any Robin training or anything.”
“Bruce will probably be more freaked out that you have a black eye and split chin.” Dick turned to his brother to get a better look. The cut was pretty superficial– not even swollen. The eye was worse, the white pinked with blood and the skin mottled a horrific mosaic of purple, green, yellow. “Yikes. Those have to hurt.”
“I’ve had worse.”
Dick fought down his nausea. “That doesn't make it okay.”
Jason crossed his arms and stared out the window. “Thanks for picking me up.”
Dick could tell he wasn’t going to get anything more out of his brother right now. He was shutting down. But he had to ask. “You okay?”
Jason shrugged. “You?”
Dick bit his lip. “Not really.”
Jason nodded, like that about summed it up.
Dick pulled the car out of the school parking lot and onto the road. They weren’t far from the manor.
“Can we grab burgers and milkshakes before we go home?” Jason blurted out. “I need some time before I have to recount all of this to Bruce.”
Dick smirked and dramatically– and illegally– executed a U-turn in the middle of the street. “Oh, thank God. I’m not ready, either. He’s going to be so… extra.”
“He’ll probably call the school.”
“For sure.”
“And give Yancey a Batman-worthy monologue about justice.” Jason’s voice dropped into a gravelly impression of Bruce’s Batman tone. “You’ve failed to promote justice at my son’s school.”
Dick laughed. The impression wasn’t half bad. “Wouldn’t be our B if he didn’t.”
Jason fought down a smile. “Yeah. Still, though. I’m not sure Yancey is ready for him.”
Dick gently punched Jason’s thigh. “No one is, Li’l.”
They drove in silence for a minute. The dappled late afternoon sun peeked through the trees and upscale rowhouses around them, casting Jason’s bruised face in a soft light. Jason’s voice was so quiet Dick could barely hear him. “I wanted to punch him so bad, Dick.”
“I know.”
“Do you wish I had?”
“No.” Dick had surprised himself. He didn’t realize he believed it until he said it, but he meant it. “Like you said. Derek is an idiot. He’s not worth your time. Or mine.”
“I hope he gets expelled,” Jason muttered.
“Honestly? Me, too.” They pulled into the Bat Burger drive thru and Dick turned to Jason. “Just so we’re clear–”
Jason shrank down. “Dick, please spare me the moralizing–”
Dick waved him off. “No. Not that.” Well, it had been exactly that but Dick was nothing if not an excellent improviser. “I was going to say, are we clear that we’re going to eat all of this in the parking lot and discard the evidence so Alfred never knows? We’ve had enough lectures today.”
Jason grinned wide and winced when it pulled on his chin. He pressed the back of hand to his skin to make sure the cut hadn’t started bleeding again. It hadn’t. Jason grinned again and pumped his fist in the air. “Hell, yeah. The perfect Nightwing and Robin team up.”
Dick held his fist out for a bump. Jason complied. “Okay, Robin. What milkshake are you getting?”
“Holy fuck there are so many options–”