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Jason swears he is never playing fucking monopoly with his family again.
He doesn’t know how, but he is certain that Tim and Cass were cheating. There is no way they should have had as much money they ended up with.
Never again.
But, that does not get him out of his current predicament.
See, because Jason is apparently an idiot, the family had placed a bet on this game of monopoly. The first to go bankrupt would have to do this stupid trend that Dick had seen online, where grown children go up to their parents randomly and climb into their laps to see how they react.
Sure, why the hell not! This will be so funny when anyone but him loses.
… and then Jason goes bankrupt first.
“Son of a bitch!”
Tim just grins manically.
“Oh this is gonna be so good.”
“Bruce is gonna freak out!”
Jason groans, knocking his head against the table as he sighs in defeat.
“He’s gonna fucking kill me.”
Dick places a hand on his shoulder.
“No, he won’t. It’ll be really awkward, and you might die from the embarrassment, but he won’t actually physically kill you.”
Jason turns his head to look at Dick.
“I already died once, don’t fancy doing it again.”
Dick sighs.
“I’ll go with you and if Bruce starts attacking you, I’ll hold him off.”
“You better also get a video of this!”
Stephanie starts giggling, and Tim and Cass quickly join in. Dick grins back at them.
“Oh you bet! Come on little wing, let's do this.”
Jason rolls his eyes as he gets up to follow Dick to Bruce’s office, Dick already with his phone in hand. Jason looks at Dick, who gives him another grin and a thumbs up, causing Jason to roll his eyes.
“Fuck you.”
“In your dreams.”
Jason scoffs, before rapping his knuckles against the wooden door, and making his way inside. He quickly spots Bruce at his desk, typing away on his computer, the blue glow of the screen reflecting back on him. He looks lost in thought, deep in concentration, but his eyes flick up to the door and register Jason’s presence.
“Jaylad.”
Jason only nods at the affectionate moniker as he approaches. Bruce raises an eyebrow.
“Is everything o-”
Jason rounds the desk and stands in front of Bruce, who turns in his seat to face him, looking up at him puzzled.
Before Bruce can finish his sentence (and before Jason can chicken out), Jason bites the bullet and sets himself down on Bruce’s lap, resting his head on his shoulder. He squeezes his eyes shut and tenses as he waits for any kind of response. He expects shouting, perhaps a shove, or even just awkward unsure silence.
What he doesn’t expect is for Bruce to choke on his breath, wrapping his arms around Jason and holding him tight, tucking Jason’s head under his chin, Bruce’s scent blooming around them with contentment and pure joy.
Jason initially stiffens before relaxing into Bruce’s hold, revelling in the warmth of being held. Jason can’t remember being held like this since he was extremely young, having believed he’d long outgrown this kind of affection. But lo and behold, Bruce is indeed cradling him close, just as he would when Jason was small.
Jason wants to lose himself in the feeling, give in to that warmth and love. However, that plan is ruined when Dick’s laughter can be heard by the door of the study. Both Jason and Bruce look towards him.
Dick can barely contain himself.
“Sorry! Sorry. This is just the best bet we have ever made.”
Jason scowls at his brother, planning on just ignoring the comment, but he cannot when he feels Bruce tense underneath him. Jason is about to say something when he is cut off by a sound.
It takes Jason a moment to realise the sound is coming from Bruce.
It is by far the most wounded, devastated, painful whine that Jason has ever heard.
In a panic, thinking he hurt the older man, Jason scrambles off of him, holding his hands out, but not touching Bruce.
“Bruce? You okay?”
Bruce’s scent quickly shifts from that comforting warmth to one of hurt, anguish, and grief. It smells so sour that Jason struggles not to flinch at the scent, and even Dick lets out a few coughs as he slowly approaches.
“Bruce…?”
The man doesn’t respond, frozen in place at his desk. Jason slowly waves a hand in front of him.
“Earth to Bruce, come back to us.”
As Jason is about to finally reach out and put his hand on Bruce’s shoulder, Bruce shoots up from his seat, startling Jason backwards. Bruce slowly turns his head towards him, and Jason is stunned to see that his eyes are glassy as he furiously blinks back tears.
Bruce opens his mouth as if to speak, but no words come out. Just more broken sounds that Jason doesn’t know what to do with.
Before Jason or Dick can get any kind of explanation, Bruce flees his study, very much running into the manor, slamming the door behind him, leaving a shocked and very confused Dick and Jason in the study. The two stand in silence for some time, before Jason finally speaks.
“What… the fuck was that.”
“I… I have no idea.”
At that moment, Tim pokes his head into the study, his face screwing up at the smell.
“Jesus, did it go that badly?”
Dick hisses.
“Tim!”
“Bruce’s scent is all over the manor. The last time it was this bad was when Jason…”
Tim doesn’t finish that sentence. He doesn’t need to.
That really could not have gone worse.
What the hell are they supposed to do now?
Bruce doesn’t show for family dinner that night.
The entire table is silent for the whole meal. No one dares utter a word. Alfred doesn’t even say anything. Most of them are simply playing with their food. It is Damian who cuts through the silence.
“Something must be done about Father.”
Dick shakes his head.
“Just give him time, he’ll tell us what’s wrong eventually.”
“Since when does Bruce ever tell us what's wrong?”
“Tim-”
“I’m not wrong!”
“He’s not wrong.”
“Bruce, not okay.”
“We can’t just-”
Suddenly, Jason slams his hand on the table, his chair screeching as it moves back. The table falls into silence once more. Jason clears his throat.
“Clearly, whatever is wrong with him is my fault. So I’ll go find him so he can get it out of his system, then I’m fucking off.”
He looks over to Alfred, who only looks at him with sadness.
“He is in the nesting room.”
Jason nods curtly, before turning on his heel and making his way through the manor towards the nesting room. He hasn’t been in there since he was a pup, but he can’t take this anymore. If Bruce really hates him that much, then he can say it to Jason’s face.
Yet… he pulled Jason into that hug. He can’t hate him that much, can he?
He only changed after what Dick said.
“Sorry! Sorry. This is just the best bet we have ever made.”
What about that could’ve possibly set the man off like that?
No, it had to be something to do with Jason. That was the only option.
Jason shakes his head, and before he knows it, he finds himself at the door of the nesting room. He takes a breath for a moment, steeling himself to go in.
He knew he wasn’t really a part of the family. Not anymore. Not since he returned. He knew he wasn’t welcome in the family nest, and he had no intention of barging in like this. But he needs Bruce to be straight with him. If he doesn’t want Jason here, Jason needs to hear it now so he knows he isn’t wasting his time trying to make amends.
Jason puts a hand on the door knob, about to open it, but he hesitates after hearing a small sound coming from inside.
He leans against the door, pressing his ear to it. It takes him a moment to figure out what he is listening to, but when he does it lands like a punch to the gut.
Bruce is crying.
Not the normal kind of crying where you’re letting out all of your anguish. No, this is the broken kind of crying where you try to hold back tears, swallow your sobs, keep yourself as quiet as possible in the hope that no one else notices.
The kind Jason knows all too well.
Jason swallows, before finally opening the door and taking a step inside.
“Bruce.”
Jason quickly spots the man, buried under several different blankets towards the back of the nest. Bruce doesn’t move to greet him. Jason sighs before closing the door.
“Look… whatever I did, I’m sorry. I won’t do it again. I don’t know what exactly got you like this, but I know it's my fault so… I won’t hug you again-”
Jason is cut off by another pained noise, and Bruce finally sits up, looking at Jason with wide eyes that causes Jason to freeze on the spot. Bruce’s eyes are blood-shot and bright red, and his tear-streaked cheeks shine in the low light of the room.
“Jaylad.”
The nickname comes out distorted, Bruce’s voice hoarse from his hours of crying. Jason inhales sharply. He begins to approach slowly.
“Bruce…?”
Bruce watches him carefully.
“That… was the first time you’ve hugged me, since you came back.”
Bruce’s voice breaks when he speaks. Jason hardly dares breathe.
“I finally had my pup in my arms again. After so long… after I thought- I thought I’d never have that chance again.”
Jason waits on the edge of the nest, hesitating.
And… you hugged me because of a bet… not- not because you wanted to.”
Sobs begin to wrack Bruce’s body as Jason puts the pieces together.
“Sorry! Sorry. This is just the best bet we have ever made.”
“I don’t…”
Bruce inhales shakily.
“I don’t want you to make yourself do that. I don’t want you to make yourself-”
Bruce chokes on his tears.
“Make yourself pretend.”
Jason pauses, and quietly asks.
“Pretend?”
Bruce smiles sadly at him, and his voice comes out no louder than a whisper.
“Pretend that you don't hate me.”
Jason’s eyes widened in disbelief.
“What?”
“I didn’t save you. Didn’t avenge you. Didn’t protect you.”
“Bruce-”
“You have every reason to hate me. I know I failed you, Jay, and I am so, so sorry. And I will spend the rest of my life making it up to you. I just…”
Jason remains still, unsure what to do at this moment.
“I was just so… happy to have you in my arms again. But you didn’t want that, and I’m so sorry-”
Bruce is cut off by Jason making a snap decision, climbing into the nest and scrambling to Bruce, wrapping his arms around him. Bruce freezes in place as Jason holds him, squeezing him tight. Bruce whines, unsure what to do. Jason’s voice is low, but firm in his conviction.
“This is my decision, right here, right now. Take it or leave it.”
“Ja-”
“It’s not a bet, it’s not pity, it’s not forced. This is me choosing this. Do what you want with it.”
Bruce remains frozen for a beat more, before crying out in relief and wrapping his arms around Jason, manoeuvring the two of them into the nest so they are laying down facing each other, Jason’s head in the crook of Bruce’s neck. Bruce focuses on scenting Jason, and Jason relaxes into Bruce’s hold, letting himself really have this.
Having this comfort, this missing care that he hadn’t had in so long, didn’t think he deserved for the longest time.
He has it now. Bruce is willingly giving him this.
Jason closes his eyes, and lets himself enjoy every moment of it.
“I’ve got you, Jason. You can rest.”
Jason nods, hiding his face in Bruce’s shoulder, hoping the tears that are beginning to form don’t slip through, and lets himself drift off to sleep.
When Jason slowly wakes, the first thing that hits him is the mix of scents around him, telling him that the rest of the family joined him and Bruce in their nest.
He lifts his head and looks around, seeing everyone else asleep, with the exception of Alfred, who is sitting in his favourite spot, a seat in the corner of the room, reading a book by the low lamp light. He makes eye contact with Jason, and gives him a soft smile. Jason returns it, before looking away once more, scanning over the nest once more. His gaze eventually returns to Bruce, who throughout their sleep, hasn’t let go of Jason once. Jason huffs a quiet laugh, before resting his head once more. But just before he closes his eyes, he notices something under Bruce’s head.
A familiar fabric.
He grabs the edge of it, not wanting to wake Bruce up, and studies it carefully, wondering where he recognises it from.
All the air rushes out of his lungs when he realises what it is.
It’s one of his old Wonder Woman hoodies.
He remembers putting it in the nest years ago, a symbolic gesture of joining the family, when he was only a pup. Bruce must’ve never taken it out of the nest.
Bruce never took it out of the nest.
Jason feels his eyes begin to well up again, and he squeezes them shut. Clearly sensing his heightened emotions, even in his sleep, Bruce pulls Jason closer, softly purring. Jason melts into it, and lets himself rest once more.
With his family, where he belongs.