Archive of Our Own

One

The beach was crowded despite the hour. It made Jason clenched his jaw, his patience thinning as the sound of kids screaming in joy near the shore followed by sounds of splashing. And seriously, whoever was playing that stupid music better shut it off before—

"JAY!"

Before the bane of his existence popped into view, grinning down at him with his own sunglasses.

"Dickhead," Jason growled. "What do you want?"

But of course, Dick was unfazed. "Why aren't you swimming? It's summer, Jay."

"So?"

But his brother just blinked confusedly at him. "…and we're at the beach?" like it was obvious.

"No shit Sherlock." That didn't mean Jason had to pretend that they're all one big happy family.

Jason would very much would like to know how on earth Dickie managed to convince him to go to the beach with them for some "family bonding" bullshit. He could barely tolerate their presence—the old man, as always, being a pain in the ass about his methods—yet it seemed Dick has gotten in his head that once Red Hood had accepted the tentative truce with the Bats it was all the signal he needed to make it his life mission to pester him for some "quality family time" Every. Damn. Second. whether Jason liked it or not.

But Jason knew better. All they ever cared about was missing the boy he can never be. What they aimed for was something that was barely there.

A version of Jason they kept reaching for every time they tried to invite him to movie nights or family dinners or stupid trips like this.

Not him.

That boy is dead, Jason grimly thought as he watched Tim squawking in protest before he was thrown into the water. Steph cackling in the background.

Jason looked away from that chaos before Dickie started getting ideas of roping him into it.

"Come on, little wing," Dick rolled his eyes dramatically before nudging Jason's leg with his foot. "At least get in the water."

That was never going to happen. No amount of bullying was going to make him budge on this.

"No."

"You haven't moved from this spot in like an hour."

"And?" Being purposefully difficult, because he was very much talented in that department. He made a career out of it.

"It's hot. And very far from where we all set up."

But Jason was made of steel. "No. I'm relaxing. I like staying here." he said, holding out a book as a clear sign.

That wasn't true, but since he's been blackmailed to coming here ever since Dick's dramatic proclamation: "if I can’t convince Jay to attend weekly family dinners, then I’m going to absolutely drag Jason to this family vacation even if it kills him”.

Jason might let him.

Dick crossed his arms. "Aren't you sweating? We came all this way and you've been sitting here on this hot sand, not to mention under this blazing sun, dressed like that?"

Not unless Jason suddenly developed a desire for the whole world to see the scars. Especially the autopsy one.

And besides, white t shirt and broadshorts were definitely and perfectly normal beach clothes the last time Jason had checked.

Jason glanced pointedly at Dick's open Hawaiian shirt with judgment. Sneering."Some of us don't feel the need to audition for Baywatch, Dickhead." Deflected.

But Dick laughed, all good natured and easy that had Jason almost caught off guard. How the hell can he still act like that? Like nothing has changed between them?

Like Jason hadn't died.

Then Dick's expression softened, and more gentle, "You know you don't have to sit here alone, right?"

Oh fuck. There it was.

Jason felt his shoulders tightened instinctively. "I'm fine here," he tightly said.

Unfortunately, Dick Grayson didn't know the word boundaries. "Jay," he pleaded.

"I SAID I'M FINE," Jason snapped, words sharper.

Why can't he just leave me alone?

Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Dick's smile faltered before quickly covering it again.

"Okay…" Dick said lightly like Jason hadn't just bitten his head off. "Fine. Don't swim." All bright smile again.

Jason narrowed his eyes. Suspicious.

"But you could at least come closer to the shore with us."

He glared. "No."

"Jaaaaay."

"No."

Dick huffed dramatically. "Come on. You can't spend the whole time brooding like Bruce—"

"Excuse me?" Jason gripped his book tighter.

"It's supposed to be a family vacation—"

"For the last time, we are not family." Jason bit out, because honestly, Dick should've gotten the memo by now. How many times was he going to spell it out before it finally sank into that stubborn thick brain of Dick's that that the old Jason was dead?

Jason was getting really fucking tired of everyone acting like, with enough persistence, they could all pretend it never happened.

And he hated that. Hated that they're not getting it. Hated that they're too fixated on that dead kid and not the Jason standing right here in front of him.

I’m just a defective toy that you guys are too desperate to fix, Jason grumbled internally.

Another beat of awkward silence passed before Dick's voice, this time hesitant and quiet, came out.

"We're not asking for much, you know."

Fuck.

Jason could tell Dick was trying to hide it, but the way his brother's shoulders dropped, the way he rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. He could tell that that Dick was trying. Like really trying hard not to cry but failing miserably anyway.

Jason looked away toward the beach. Distantly, he could hear the kids shrieking in the background. Tim was loudly complaining something while Damian responded in a disdainful "tsk" as if disappointed before it was drowned out by Steph's laughing at them. Nearby, Cass sat cross-legged in the sand just quietly focusing on building the sandcastle.

And then there's Bruce.

Just a few feet away beneath the umbrella, watching the others with that soft look on his face as if Jason's death hadn't affected him.

It was a picture of a happy family. All of this screamed easy. Carefree.

And that hurt.

Because they've been trying to get him back now. All these attempts to join their 'family get-together', constantly inviting him as if he could slide neatly back into place if they pushed hard enough.

As if dying hadn’t changed everything.

As if Jason himself hadn’t changed.

"I just…" Dick began again and Jason turned his attention back to him. His brother looked like he was struggling to find the right words before he exhaling roughly, and continued. "I just want us to hang out together. That's all."

Jason said nothing. Instead, his eyes moving towards the ocean instead. At the waves crashing. At the vastness that could stretch for miles.

And so deep and bottomless.

It almost looked hungry.

He could feel a cold shiver down his spine the more Jason stared at it before he quickly looked away.

"We were supposed to go to the beach together, remember?" Dick tried to smile, but Jason knew better. "After I got back from space. I remember you used to complaining about the ski trip we did, of how cold it was—"

Jason swallowed, feeling his stomach twisting.

"—so I suggested the beach. I had it all booked and everything. Only…" Then Dick bit his lips.

Only I died, Jason finished in his head.

Something like guilt flickered in his chest.

He imagined Dick coming home, expecting his little brother alive. But instead, he got a coffin.

And all those plans buried right alongside him before they ever had the chance to happen. Never fulfilled.

Jason quickly shoved that feeling down before it started to take root itself.

Not my problem, he told himself.

Still, his grip tightened around the book in his hand. With the silence retuning between them. Jason could practically feel Dick thinking, which was never a good sign.

"Ok new plan," Dick clapped his hands. "How about we go for a walk?"

"No I'm not."

'Yes you are."

"I will shoot you," he threatened.

"Cass already took away your guns." Dick grinned. Fuck. He knew he should have been suspicious when Cass suddenly want to sit next to him in the car.

So Jason only scowled at him. And Dick just grinned back at him, too stubbornly affectionate for Jason's sanity, even after all that.

Dick took a step closer. "C'mon, little wing. Just walk with me for five minutes." And he's bringing out the puppy eyes.

"No."

"Three minutes?" he offered.

"No.

"One minute?"

"No."

Dick let out an exaggerated breath. "You are impossible," he huffed before making a grab for his wrist.

Jason immediately yanked back on reflex, his pulse spiking unpleasantly at the sudden contact.

Dick froze just slightly at the force of it, before something like hurt flickered across his face before it was gone like it never happened.

Jason pretended he hadn't seen it. He just covered it all smoothly.

"Touch me again and I'll bury your body where nobody ain't going to find it," Jason threatened.

"Geez, Jay. Lighten up," Dick said with a strained smile, hands in a placating gesture as if it would calm him down.

It didn't.

Before Jason could react, Dick suddenly darted forward and snatched his book right off his hands.

What the—

"Catch me if you want it back!" Dick winked at him, well as much as he could behind the sunglasses, before he quickly sprinted toward the shoreline.

"You absolute dick—" Jason swore and lunged after him before he could think better of it, because he sure as hell didn't trust Dick, especially when he's holding a copy of The Scarlet Pimpernel.

"GET BACK HERE DICKHEAD!"

"Language," Bruce distantly called out in the distance.

"I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!"

"You say that like it's new. And so far, I'm not dead." Dick said cheerily as he sprinted across the sand with the unfair speed for an acrobat.

Jason just let out a frustrated growl.

So help me if even a single drop of water touched that book, he swore viciously, eyes narrowed at his target.

So lost and fixated at going after his brother that Jason didn't notice how far he's gone to the water until a large wave crashed hard enough to stagger him.

"Shit." was the last thing Jason said before something cold was slammed into his chest to the point he lost his footing completely before it felt like the whole ground disappeared underneath him, dragging his legs sideway to the point he crashed under.

And panic hit him instantly.

Jason tried. He really tried to reach towards the surface.

But the whole world was tilting. Everything was too deep and it felt like there were hands dragging him down, desperate for him to not reach the surface. And before he knew it.

Green.

Lazarus Green.

Jason couldn't help but gasp before realizing it was a stupid mistake as his lungs immediately seized. Pure terror clawing through his chest as seawater quickly rushed into his mouth.

For a second, he thought he heard someone calling out his name. But it felt far away and the sound was warped around against this roar surrounding him.

He kicked harder. Arms thrashing just blindly through the pit water.

Please. Help me! Jason begged in his head, struggling to…no, he couldn't breathe. He can't fucking breathe.

He was drowning. Just drowning and drowning and drowning and burning—

He was dying all over again.

DAD!

Helplessness washed over him.

Oh God. I'm going to die again, Jason realized with a heavy heart as his vision at the edges started to turn into black dots. A sense of nausea, his body felt tingly and rigid. There was a load throbbing in his ears, and it took a few seconds before he realized that he can hear his own heartbeat hammering loudly.

His lungs were burning, everything felt like he was burning all over again, a tight pressure building up in his chest like someone was squeezing his insides, pulling and stretching apart at the same time. Like the Pit—

And before Jason knew it, he found himself vomiting onto the wet sand.

Whoever said it would be like the movies with some kind of giant gasp of air was a liar because all Jason felt was nausea. An intense one as he felt sick, he could feel his lungs were still burning. His head pounding and dizzy. Lips tingling.

For a second, he thought he was dying all over again.

Closing his eyes, fists clenching at the sand. He tried to calm his heart as the sand dig into his face.

I’m not at the Pit. I’m not at the Pit. I’m not at the Pit.

Jason realized the beat wasn’t coming from him.

"Hey, hey, hey. I got you." A voice cut through the panic.

His brain quickly registered something tapping his back before he thrashed instinctively to get away from it.

"Easy there. Easy," someone said, sounding breathless but steady. Calm. "I've got you."

Jason snapped his head up, a threat already rising to his lips—

And immediately forgot every single word in the English language because holy shit.

He was the most majestic thing he had ever laid eyes on.

"You're hot," Jason breathed.

Somewhere behind him, Tim slapped his own forehead while the cute twink frowned at him, concerned.

"Well, yeah, it's like 90 degrees here," the cute lifeguard said slowly, oblivious.

Oh god. He was so done for.

Jason was in love.

He could feel the lifeguard pressing the back of his hand against Jason's forehead, brows furrowing harder. Jason leaned into the touch, just soaking in that warmth greedily.

Meanwhile, his brothers made faces at Jason over the lifeguard's shoulder.

"I think you’ve been out in the sun for too long," the twink frowned at him. "Do you know your name?"

Jason blinked dreamily.

"…Jason," he giggled. All hearts in his eyes.

"Okay, that's good," The cute lifeguard nodded approvingly. "Do you know where you are?"

"Heaven." It has to be. This was too good for him.

Dick choked.

Meanwhile, the man of his dreams looked alarm for a second. No, Jason can't have that. He didn't like that look on his face.

"At the beach," he reluctantly said. That must be what his future husband meant.

"Sure." The lifeguard's frown deepened. No. Turn that frown upside down. "Hmm. How many fingers am I holding up?"

Jason looked directly into his eyes.

"Two beautiful ones."

Distantly, he could hear demon brat let out a "tsk" sound while Steph burst into hysterical laughter for some reason.

"Oh my god," Tim muttered to Dick. "Maybe he did get brain damage."

The love of his life blinked before lowering his hand. "…okay?" he said carefully like Jason was a wild animal right now. But Jason would never hurt him. If the twink asked for a head of the president, Jason would happily deliver it for him. "I'm just going to go and grab some water, alright. Sit tight. BRB."

"Anything you say, beautiful," Jason smiled brightly for him.

The guy just stared at him for a few seconds before getting up and jogging back toward the lifeguard.

And wow. He looks great in those red shorts, Jason thought, watching him with pure devotion.

"He kissed me," Jason said, dazedly the second the lifeguard was out of earshot.

Dick was baffled. "He gave you CPR—you almost DROWNED, Jason!"

Dickie didn't get it.

"He kissed me." He repeated.

"He still seems out of it—" Dick muttered, crouching down to check his forehead. "Should we have Alfred look at him? Jason, are you feeling—"

"I am trying to SAVOR this moment, Dick!" Jason slapped his hands away. If there was one good thing that came out of this "attempt of sibling bonding by going to the beach" experience, it was this.

Tim looked lke he was seconds away from burying himself alive in the castle. "That kiss certainly took Jason's breath away," he muttered

"You mean more like he gave Todd the 'breath of life', Drake." Damian grumbled.

"You know, one of us could have given you CPR since we're Bat-trained." Dick said suspiciously, eyeing at the lifeguard from the distance. "We didn't need a lifeguard..."

"HELL NO!" Jason snapped, out of stupor that it startled half the family.

"I didn't drown shit just to get kissed by one of you, you dumbass."

"Wow. Rude." Steph quipped while Tim gagged.

Jason immediately shuddered at the thought that his first kiss taken because of his brothers. Yeah, no thanks. He'll take that cute twink of that lifeguard over them.

Nevermind that it was CPR and not a kiss technically. But Jason's a hopeless romantic, give him a fucking break.

After dying twice, he deserved this.

Jason let out another dreamy sigh, staring at the tower. When was he going to come back?

Then suddenly, Bruce was looming over him.

Jason blinked up him. Slowly. Because, for some reason, Bruce looked concerned. What's got on B's head now?

"Is Jason alright?" Bruce asked carefully, eyes scanning over him for injuries while Cass hovered quietly nearby. This was weird because the old man never cared about him.

Jason vaguely registered Cass signing something to Bruce with an expression somewhere between amused and concerned.

The amount of sighs he heard was becoming concerning. But Jason didn't care. It didn't hold a candle to this majestic creature he laid eyes on.

"Todd is distracted by his beau," Damian said flatly.

In the corner of his eye, Jason could see Bruce’s mind immediately bluescreened for a second.

"…his what?"

"The lifeguard," Tim supplied tired. Hello, rude. He was more than just a lifeguard.

"The one who performed CPR, Bruce," Dick clarified with the exhausted tone of someone who had been trying and failing to explain this for the last five minutes.

Jason sighed wistfully. "He's so brave." So happily.

"Oh. My. God." Steph wheezed.

The old man looked alarmed. "Jaylad, how hard did you hit your hard?"

Jason huffed. "I didn't." Shouldn't it be obvious by now?

"You called the lifeguard 'beautiful' and when he asked where you are, you said 'heaven'," Tim supplied unhelpfully.

"So what?" Jason snapped. "He IS."

Dick sighed, looking so done. "That's not really helping, Jay."

Bruce crouched down in front of him, expression shifting into full Batman-level concern now. "Jason," he said carefully. "How many fingers am I holding up?"

Jason stared at him blankly. "…Why would I look at your fingers when my future husband is over there?"

Dick collapsed face-first into the sand while Cass silently covered his mouth, eyes twinkling in amusement. Tim just sighed while the brat looked disappointed.

Bruce meanwhile looked like he's regretting every decision that led him to this moment. "Your future husband?" he repeated.

Right on cue, that cute lifeguard jogged back towards them. Holding a bottle of water and a small first aid kid in his hands.

Jason immediately sat up straighter. Trying to smooth his hair in a cool and suave manner as if he had never drowned in the first place. He ignored the sounds of his family groaning.

Oh thank god. His beautiful and wonderful savior has returned.

"Okay," the twink said as he knelt beside Jason again, almost pushing Bruce to the side, which was impressive. "How's the dizziness? Do you feel nauseated? Blurry vision there? How's your lungs there, buddy?"

Jason stared at him, and declared, "I think I'm in love with you."

Dead silence greeted him.

In the background, he could hear his brothers groaning again. Then what sounded like forehead slaps.

His soulmate blinked before recovering surprisingly fast.

So quick, Jason swooned.

"…disorientation, right," the lifeguard muttered under his breath. Before giving him a patient smile, "Let’s maybe hold off on any major life decisions until you stop coughing up seawater, okay?"

"But your eyes are sooo pwetty," Jason tried to argue.

"Oh my god," Tim whispered.

The lifeguard looked increasingly overwhelmed so Bruce smoothly stepped in.

"Sorry," Bruce said with the deeply exhausted expression of a father who had reached his limit hours ago. "My son nearly drowned." As if that was a perfectly good explanation.

Jason squawked in outrage. How dare he. "I'm a grown man."

"I don't think a grown man would call a stranger 'husband' within 30 seconds of meeting each other?" Tim muttered.

Fuck you, Replacement. Clearly Timbo didn't understand what it was like with his poor excuse single life.

"So?"

An awkward cough. And Jason suddenly remembered the love of his life was still there. How could he forget him so quickly?

The twink held out a water bottle towards him. "Um. You should probably drink this?" And oh my god, his smile was perfect. He looked like a dork.

Distantly, he accepted the bottle. So reverently like he was being handed over a gift from the gods.

Till his fingers brushed briefly.

Jason stopped breathing.

Oh god. He felt like he's drowning all over again.

Help.

He's drowning in love.

"Oh no," Dickiebird whispered.

"Oh yes," Steph whispered delightedly, like the chaos gremlin she was. While Bruce pinched the bridge of his nose.

And of course, his beautiful future husband didn't acknowledged them. Eyes completely fixed at him. Jason Todd. Like he's the only thing that mattered in this universe.

I'm going to marry you if it's the last thing I'll do.

"I'm Danny, by the way," he added.

Danny. Jason internally tested the name in his head. His name was Danny.

He had never heard a more beautiful sound in his life.

"Jason and Danny," Jason said softly. He could see the future now. They will have beautiful children together. With a white picket fence and all of that. And a dog.

Danny would probably insist adopting every injured strays because he's such a bleeding heart. Like an angel.

And speaking of an angel, Danny just smiled wider.

Even his smile is perfect.

It's a shame that Jason didn't remember their first kiss together.

"I don't think I have air now," Jason faintly said. "I'm struggling to breathe." Because you have stolen my breath away.

"Oh god. He's planning their wedding," Dick muttered.

Danny frowned, eyes immediately filled with concern. "Shit. Is there still water in your lungs?"

Noooooo. Don't be sad for me, sweetheart.

"You can make it go away," Jason smiled brightly. His lips puckered. All ready and set. This time, he will remember this.

Before Jason could achieve his true happiness, ready for his happily ever after, Dick abruptly slapped a hand over his mouth like an asshole.

"Mmph—!"

Dick smiled sheepishly at Danny while looking like he was at the end of his rope. "We can take it over here, if you don't mind. Thanks for saving my brother."

What the hell was he doing?

His beau's eyes darted back and forth between them. "…Are you sure?"

Before Jason could try bite his hand off, Dickiebird just squeezed his cheeks together like an aggressive grandma pinching her favorite grandchild. "Positive," he said.

Jason glared murderously at him.

Danny—his sweet and beautiful Danny—looked unsure for a second before nodding reluctantly. "Okay. If you say so."

Then his eyes met his. Fuck. It's a beautiful baby blue. It's a sign of serenity, right? The color of calm and reliability. A perfect color for this man.

"If you have trouble breathing, you come get me, alright?"

Jason's heart melted on the spot. HE CARES! Oh shit. He cares about me.

"We will," Bruce assured him with the grave seriousness like a man trying desperately to preserve what little dignity remained for this family.

"Hopefully, we don't need you for that," Dick quipped, like a dick.

What a dickblock, Jason huffed as his soulmate walked away from them until he disappeared.

"Todd, you disappointed this family," the brat spoke up.

He wanted to snap "I'm always a disappointment in this family". But he just said, "You guys don't understand. I have just met my soulmate."

Bruce just let out a life-sufferring sigh while his brothers groaned, except the girls who just looked at him amused.

Two.

After escaping Dickiebird's motherhen mode "FOR THE LAST TIME, DICKHEAD, WE ARE NOT FAMILY. YOU DON'T GET TO DO THIS TO ME!" and other unflattering words exchanged, Jason had finally managed to flee the Manor with what remained of his dignity intact. If he had any, that was.

It was a shame that he didn't get Danny's number. Honestly, Jason was so prepared to walk up to that twink after the whole ordeal, he'd even prepared an actual conversation starter and cute pick-up lines, but before he could even make a single step towards his beautiful savior, he found himself being carried away by his family toward the car for a thorough medical check-up.

Let's just say the whole car ride was filled with Jason going ballistic at them.

Overall, they were the worst.

Fast forward to one week later, Jason had just finished patrol and decided to take a walk through Gotham in civilian mode style.

The air felt cold. With the city lights reflecting across the river, that you almost forgot Gotham water wasn't a dumping waste ground.

Everything was relatively peaceful in Gotham standards.

Till Jason looked up and nearly fucking died on the spot.

Danny.

Who was standing across the sidewalk under a flickering streetlamp. Wearing those ridiculously oversized hoodie and was carrying a takeout bag from that Chinese restaurant over there.

Here. In Gotham.

Jason bluescreened. So shocked and astounded.

Oh my god.

"This has to be fate," Jason said to himself. Because what else could it be? There was literally no other explanation.

Jason continued to stare in complete disbelief while the love of his life was frowning slightly in concentration, trying to balance the paperbag and two drinks in his hands.

Fuck. He's adorable. Very and dangerously adorable.

Jason found himself moving automatically before his brain caught up. Brain scrambling for the words he would have to say. Okay. He's supposed to say something cool, right? Something smooth and memorable that would make Danny fall in love with him too. Oh shit. Did Jason even brush his teeth before patrol? His breath probably smell like garlic and onions.

Nobody insane would want to kiss someone who smelled like garlic and onions.

Before Jason could even panic and start scrambling a place to hide, Danny suddenly looked up. Their eyes meeting before Danny's face lit up in recognition.

Fuck. Jason could have sworn he felt his soul leaving his body.

"Jason?"

Shit. He remembered him. He remembered HIM.

Why did his name sounded so angelic coming from Danny's mouth?

Jason took a step backward, stumbling in complete awe at how this angelic being remembered his name.

Unfortunately. Gotham's sidewalk must be designed by Satan.

It was the only explanation for why Jason completely failed to notice the canal directly behind him. Which he completely forgotten it existed.

Everything happened in a horrifying slow motion after that. He watched as Danny's expression abruptly shifted from pleasantly surprised to horrified.

"WAIT—"

Sadly, when in this moment, Jason wasn't thinking of his impeding death. The only thing Jason was thinking of was:

This is the most humiliating moment of my entire second life.

Before he plunged backward straight into the canal in a massive splash and was hit by the most disgusting smell he unfortunately had the displeasure of smelling. And he lived in Crime Alley for christ sake.

"Oh Ancients!" Jason could hear his sweetheart yelling somewhere above him.

But Jason was too busy sputtering violently, trying to get ride of this chunky and green grime out of his tongue. It's like sewage, rotting fish and gasoline mixed all together.

"Yuck," he gagged. Before something green floated past him.

SHIT.

Before panic could properly settle in, he found warm arms wrapped around him from behind, pulling him to the surface.

Well.

That was one way to make an impression, Jason mournfully thought.

Three

After that humiliating experience, Danny didn't even need to do CPR. But Jason did end up with a cute twink pressing his ear against Jason’s chest with an adorably worried frown while checking his heartbeat after falling in the canal.

Jason died that day.

"Your heartbeat is kinda fast," his soulmate muttered.

No shit. Jason was currently experiencing the world’s most romantic near sewage death experience. His family can never know about this.

Danny pulled back slightly, still kneeling beside him on the sidewalk while Jason sat there drenched in Gotham canal sludge and what Jason was pretty sure was motor oil and vomit.

"You sure you're okay?" Danny asked, because of course he had a compassionate heart. "Gotham water isn't exactly…" He grimaced. "Clean."

But Jason just stared at him. Completely lost in those stupidly pretty blue eyes.

"Take me now."

Danny blinked. "…to the hospital, right?"

"To dinner."

For a second, Jason could have sworn he heard what suspiciously sounded like Timbit choking with that horrified noise in a distance.

Danny meanwhile just looked even more concerned. "Oh. You definitely hit your head."

No, Jason disagreed internally. Just a cupid arrow.

…although if it meant Danny kept touching him like this, then he would gladly hit his head again.

"My savior," Jason grinned, feeling loopy. "I can't believe you remembered me."

"Um, yeah? You're kind of hard to forget."

His soul must have been sent directly into heaven.

"Jesus Christ." Nightwing whispered in comms with pure despair. Oh right. How could Jason forget? Now his entire family got to witness this disaster.

One thing was for sure, Jason was never inviting them to his wedding.

"Come on. You need to get cleaned. Who knows in Gotham? The water is completely bio hazard," Danny said, smiling again. A hand stretched out to him.

Before Jason could gladly sell his soul (and offer his hand in marriage on the spot) to him, his hand was knocked to the side and, to his irritation and almost in horror, found his vision blocked by Nightwing standing in between them.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Jason snarled, glaring at him so hard enough that it could rival Superman's heat vision.

Nightwing ignored him completely, offering Danny a painfully and awkward strained smile. "Don't worry, kind citizen. I'll take it from here," he said in forced cheerfulness.

Jason’s eye twitched violently. Internally, he's cursing his older brother to hell with promising plans of fratricide.

Danny only frowned before, uncertain. "You sure? I'm a lifeguard, I can still help him get cleaned up—"

YES PLEASE!

"No," Nightwing answered. Killjoy.

Jason could almost hear others in comms. losing their shit over this with B grunting in displeasure.

"'Wing, you are ruining my true love story," Jason snapped, so furious. How dare he.

"You fell into a canal," Dick hissed.

"And Danny saved me."

"And now we need to get you to the clinic. Again." Nightwing glared so heatedly even with that domino mask.

Danny’s eyes darted awkwardly between them. "You guys know each other…?"

"No."

"Yes," Jason said, feeling contrary.

Dickhead elbowed him. Hard. And Jason, not afraid, pushed him back. Very hard. While plotting for revenge. A very slow and painful one.

That involved sharks.

Danny still looked suspicious, but eventually rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. “Okay… well…" He pointed vaguely down the street. "Try not to fall into any more biohazards?"

Jason could feel himself softening. "For you, I'll fall into anything if it means being in your arms again."

A groan was heard. Followed by multiple forehead slaps and a suspicious choking laughter in the background.

And of course, the holder of heart just blinked. "Right." Confused. Before disappearing into the night with a wave.

And the second Danny turned around the corner, Jason's head snapped toward Nightwing with a promise of murder in his eyes.

"You cockblocking bastard," He snarled.

"I saved you from embarrassing yourself," Nightwing sounded offended.

"You denied me my happily ever after, dickhead,"

"And now you probably have hepatitis now," he snapped.

After that, he swore that he wasn't trying to intentionally drown himself, but he also will not look a gift horse in the mouth if it kept resulting Danny touching him.

So naturally, the third time they met, Jason was in full Red Hood gear.

He was interrogating a weapons dealer, fist ready to punch the living daylights out of him because this was going nowhere.

But Red Hood was immediately distracted when he spotted that cute lifeguard walking past by him, in this alley, who even gave him a wave with that cute grin on his face.

He noticed me. And he's waving at me. ME, Jason thought in complete disbelief, dazed as he shyly waved back—

—and proceeded to fall into the manhole.

How that happened when he was, just a few seconds ago, interrogating the guy. But in Jason's defense, Danny looked so cute tonight. This precious civilian was completely unaware that Gotham's most dangerous crime lord was a few second away from writing their wedding vows.

So lost and distracted in admiring this beauty and figuring out if this could be their meet-cute, as Red Hood, he missed the weapons dealer taking advantage of it, shoving him so hard in attempts of getting away. To the point Jason, in his utter humiliation once again, fell into an open manhole beside him.

There was a second of horrible silence during this before Jason let out a curse, "Seriously. Again?!"

Before gravity betrayed him. For the third fucking time.

"Red Hood!" Danny yelped as Jason vanished into the darkness with an undignified metallic CLANG followed by a loud splash from somewhere below before pain exploded through his spine, sewer water socked through in every inch of his suit.

"….ow," came out weakly. From the sewer.

From high above him, his sweet and beautiful future husband stared down the open manhole in complete shock.

"Kill me please," was what Red Hood ended up saying.

"…oh my Ancients." And to Jason's shock, Danny burst out of laughter. Not the casual kind, but the full body kind of laughter.

Him? This tiny and cute twink was laughing at him. Red Hood. The crime lord.

"I can't believe it" he gasped between laughs.

Jason felt strangely betrayed. While at the same time, he felt captivated.

God. That laugh. So bright and warm. He could listen to that all day. And for the rest of his life.

"You okay down there?" Danny called, sadly the laughter gone. No. Come back.

Jason looked up at him from several feet below, soaking wet for the third time in under a month. Yuck.

Then, just at the right angle, Danny's face appeared. With an unimaginable glow like a starlight behind him that he's practically radiant.

Beautiful. Absolutely beautiful.

He was so hopelessly in love with this twink.

"Marry me," he said immediately. Hoping he would say yes.

But Danny snorted so hard he almost slipped into the manhole too, completely oblivious. "You definitely have a concussion even with that helmet on."

Jason kind of wished he did slip. He would totally catch him in his arms. Bridal style.

Four.

The fourth time Danny rescued him, well…

It involved a giant dam.

It was supposed to be a quick mission. Just some armed mercenaries who had stolen Wayne tech weapons and prototypes not meant for the public, then somehow dragged the whole operation all the way to the Seli'š Ksanka Qlispe Dam in Montana.

That honestly should have been Jason's first red flag. Especially if someone was willing to smuggle weapons across the state lines to hide out at a massive hydroelectric dam surrounded by mountains and freezing water, then clearly they had issues.

But Jason had been struck speechless when Batman had, for one rare occasion, reluctantly called him for backup. Because, of course, the rest of the birds were occupied with their own cases, and with Demon Brat still recovering from a sprained ankle, Bruce was left with Jason.

The fact that Bruce had asked at all still left a strange and conflicting mess of a feelings in Jason's chest. When their truce was still tentative and not to mention shaky.

Still. Bruce had called him. Still trusted him enough to have his back.

And Jason hated how much that still mattered, for some reason.

The Seli'š Ksanka Qlispe Dam loomed around them like a concrete monster carved directly into the mountainside. It's massive gray walls stretched over the river below while spillways thundered beneath them loud enough to vibrate through Red Hood’s boots. The catwalks and maintenance platforms crisscrossed the structure high above the churning water, all rusted metal railings and industrial floodlights.

The drop below was dizzying when he and old man had arrived in a Batjet earlier. From the glimpse through the window, he could see the cold mist rose from the crashing water far beneath them.

Jason really fucking hated heights over water.

Especially Lazarus-Pit-adjacent kind of water.

"LEFT!"

Red Hood reacted instantly, pivoting just as a mercenary lunged toward Batman from behind. And before he knew it, he was back to back against Batman, falling back to the familiar rhythm of covering each others back as he fought against their assailants.

It almost felt like the old days. Just Robin and Batman against the world.

But he was not that kid anymore. So he shoved that thought away violently as he ducked beneat a rifle swing before unloading a rubber round into the mercenary's shoulder, sending them crashing backward.

"Hood!" Batman snapped.

Hood clenched his jaw. "I'm a little busy, old man." He snapped over the sound of gunfire.

He either take it or leave it, he thought.

Batman just grunted as he disarmed another attack.

And for a brief second, it almost felt easy. Natural. Like all those broken years between them had never happened.

Then the sound of the dam alarms started blaring. Red emergency lights blinking in the platform. Enough that everyone paused mid-fight.

"What does this mean?" Hood demanded, something like the beginning of fear taking root in his chest.

Then suddenly, the metal started to groan loudly. Something was moving beneath him.

"MOVE!" Batman snapped.

But it was too late. Before Hood could roll over, the explosion rocked the entire catwalk beneath them. And Jason lost his footing immediately as he crashed against the railing. He could feel it screeching against his weight before it completely gave out.

Oh shit.

"HOOD!" Batman was lunging forward, hands outstretched. But he was too far away.

Too late because, in that horrible second, Jason fell over a 204 feet high dam.

It felt endless. A never-ending drop as the wind tore past him violently with only water crashing downward in a deafening roar next to him, against the massive concrete wall of the dam.

Realistically, there was no way Jason could survive this. Unfortunately, his grappling gun wasn't working. It sparked uselessly in his hand, damaged from the explosion, nevermind that even if it did, it wouldn't be fast enough to grab onto something before he inevitably hit the water.

This is going to hurt.

So Jason tried to twist on mid-air just before the impact.

He must have hit the spillway as pain exploded through him, even with the armor, because he definitely felt his bones cracked on his side before the water completely swallowed him afterward.

It felt like he was hit by a train as the current dragged him.

It was so violent that his helmet couldn't handle this kind of pressure, enough that the current was dragging him mercilessly hard enough that water started to forced its way inside his helmet, now a liability.

Everything was roaring in his head. And disorientating. Even if Jason was the best and olympic level swimmer, it was impossible to fight against this.

At some point, he managed to take off his helmet after it cracked against the concrete. All that he cared about was air.

He just needed air.

But every time he barely broke the surface long enough to gasp, the current was dragged him back under again. Over and over again and again. And the moments became farther in between each time he gasped for air.

It reminded him of the Pit.

Except it felt like he could never escape, with no way out this time, as his shoulder was slammed down into something underwater before the whole world spun again. He felt helpless.

It was too late. He could feel his chest burning. His vision blurring as he choked against the freezing water filling his mouth.

He was drowning. Again.

And this time, not even Bruce could save him.

Please.

….I don't want to die again, Jason pleaded as black spots started to appear at the edge of his vision.

And the next thing Jason knew, he was coughing violently onto a concrete floor. It looked like some kind of maintenance ledge just next to the lower spillway tunnel based on the sounds of water thundering nearby.

Shit. It hurts. He could feel his lungs burning painfully as water continued to pour out from his mouth with every ragged breath. His ribs. His shoulder. All of that hurt.

Then something was thumping his back.

Jason looked up weakly, thank god he had a domino mask, through soaked strands of hair sticking to his face.

And Danny stared down at him, his bright blue eyes filled with concern.

Jason blinked, making sure he was not seeing things. "…Danny?" Almost afraid. Stunned. And in disbelief.

"Yeah, we gotta stop meeting like this," Danny deadpanned, but it was hard not to mistake the utter worried in his tone as he continued to pat his soaked jacket, checking him over frantically for injuries.

Jason groaned weakly. "…what are you doing here?" How are you even here? was left unsaid.

"I work here. Welllll…more like an internship program."

What?

It was then Jason noticed a bright orange safety jacket and some kind of mechanic and water proof jumpsuit underneath all that, with a harness gear attached to it.

…you know what. Jason was not going to ask why Danny's interning all the way in Montana. Of course he did. Of course his soulmate worked at the one hydroelectric dam Jason nearly died at.

Behind them, he could hear the alarms continuing the blare out through the hydroelectric station.

Above them, grappling lines suddenly shot downward.

Batman landed hard onto the maintenance ledge seconds later. The second Bruce saw Jason breathing, there was that visible relief flashing across his face so quickly that Jason almost thought he imagined it.

"Hey, old man," was all Jason could say before immediately dissolving into another coughing fit.

Then Bruce’s gaze snapped toward Danny. And the way he went still told Jason that Bruce hadn't forgotten him.

"You…" he said slowly. And Jason could tell that was his "disbelief" voice.

But Danny just blinked, completely unafraid of this 6 foot looming figure before him. "Oh! Hi!" Then he smiled proudly while gesturing toward Jason like he’d just rescued a particularly pathetic stray cat. "Here's your son."

Jason choked even more violently after that to the point Bruce had to grab him before he pitched sideways off the ledge.

"Easy," Bruce muttered, so gentle. He sounded like Dad for a second instead of Batman.

Damnnit. He could feel something painful tighten in his chest at that.

Batman's attention was now focused on checking for his injuries. "Hn." He said grimly. "You hit the spillway, didn't you? The fact after all that, you shouldn't be conscious, son."

Jason managed a shrug before immediately regretting it because pain exploded through his ribs. Fuck.

Danny only frowned at the big guy. "He cracked at least three ribs."

Batman's head snapped toward him immediately.

"And how did you manage to get him without any injuries?" He demanded.

Danny now looked at him like he was an idiot. Jason almost swooned at that sight. If anyone can stand on their ground and faced Bruce was automatically marriage material in Jason’s book. "What, like it's hard?" he said, gesturing vaguely at the harness clipped around his waist. "In this station, we are literally trained for emergency water retrievals here. After what happened last time," he muttered in the end.

Jason stared dreamily. So competent. Beautiful. And so caring for everyone to the point he would risk his life for me.

Jason was absolutely going to marry this man.

Batman grunted, displeased.

Then Danny turned his attention to Jason.

"You need medical and professional care," he declared firmly. "I could only do so much. I'm only certified for CPR and first aid. Not this…sadly." He pointed vaguely at him.

"You worried about me?" he tried.

"You fell off a dam," Danny deadpanned.

Bruce closed his eyes briefly like he was developing a migraine. Before opening his eyes to face the love of his life, his savior once again.

"You saved him," Batman said, voice quieter now.

Danny shrugged sheepishly. "I mean… this is kinda the fourth time now."

Silence.

Absolute silence.

Even the dam alarms suddenly felt quieter somehow.

Batman slowly turned toward Jason, who immediately looked away.

"…Fourth?" Batman asked flatly. Unamused. And this time, Jason could hear "explain" behind that message.

Jason could only laugh. Nervously before wincing because, son of a bitch, it still hurt. "What a crazy coincidence, right B?"

This time, not even Jason could escape Bruce's own version of motherhen when he realized his own son nearly died for the fourth time. Nevermind that the two other times weren't serious death-related scenarios that required CPR.

But clearly, Bruce did not see the fucking distinction.

It only occurred to him, days later, did Jason realized that Danny said "fourth" when Danny only saved Red Hood on two occasions. And the other two were—

Jason sat upright so fast he nearly aggravated his ribs again.

"Fuck. He knows who I am now," Jason groaned.

Five.

The fifth time Danny saved him, it involved the League of Assassins, Nanda Parbat, several explosions, and Jason very nearly falling into a Lazarus Pit. Again.

Which was frankly annoying at this point. Jason was starting to wonder if the universe was out to get him purely because of his existence.

One minute he was fighting along side with his brothers against assassins—because this was 'all hands on deck' kind of situation.

And the next thing Hood knew, he found the entire platform cracking loudly underneath his feet.

And did he mentioned they were fighting across the narrow stone walkways that happened to suspended above the same shitty ass Lazarus Pit that Jason had once been dumped into years ago?

Yeah. You can picture the shitty lucky Jason had right now.

"HOOD!" Batman barked, head turning to his direction.

But it was already too late. The stone gave out beneath him, chunks of rock crashing into the glowing green water below with loud splashes.

Hauntingly inviting him.

Oh fuck no. He was absolutely not doing this again.

"LITTLE WING!" was the last word he heard before he found himself plummeting straight toward the Pit.

No, no, no, no, no. Jason's eyes widened, the panic slamming into him. Not again. Not again.

Jason squeezed his eyes shut immediately, unable to look at the glowing green water rushing closer beneath him. He could already imagine it. Even though it's been so long, he had never forgotten the feeling of the burn, the screaming madness clawing through his skull…

He's already bracing the inevitable.

But instead, Jason found himself jerked back so fast that his shoulder screamed in protest at the sudden stop till he realized a hand caught the back of his jacket in midair, stopping his fall.

What—

Then a familiar voice spoke up overhead.

"Why do I keep saving buff guys from drowning?" Danny tutted thoughtfully, oblivious.

Jason eyes snapped open before looking up instantly and oh shit.

It's Danny. Except he's glowing.

Jason stared at him, immediately recognizing the person who saved him was the same twink, but inverted colors. But who cares that Danny has some vigilante life going on (Batman had mentioned bringing in one of the JLD members for this mission but Jason hadn't paid attention), that just makes Danny even more perfect, and all Jason could think about was—

"You think I'm buff?" Jason asked, hearts in the eyes.

HE NOTICES ME!

The cutie just stared at him, confused before glancing vaguely at his arms. "I mean, you are." Shrug.

Jason's heart melted.

Meanwhile, the Batfamily just sighed as the fight seemed to finally died down.

"Oh god." Red Robin muttered.

Nightwing agreed. "Here we go AGAIN."

While Batman looked exhausted beyond human comprehension.

But while that was going on, Jason was still hung several feet above the Lazarus Pit with a goofy grin. At some point in the fight, he had used his helmet for explosions.

Danny frowned before readjusting his grip on his leather jacket and, to Jason’s utter delight, he shifted him effortlessly into a bridal carry.

Jason nearly swooned. So strong that he can lift me. What else can this man do?

"You know, you really should pay attention to your surroundings. You keep falling off someplace everytime we meet for some reason."

"Clearly Todd needs a revisit in situational awareness training again," Robin sniffed while Batman grunted in agreement.

But Jason didn't care to listen. They didn't matter when the love of his life was here. It was perfect.

"But you caught me," he said with a goofy grin.

Danny stared at him for a long moment before very and deliberately looked towards Batman. "…is he always like this?"

"No." the old man said while his shit of a siblings answered in unison, "Yes."

+1

The next time Jason saw Danny, fortunately, it didn't require Danny saving his life for once. But it was still concerning and probably the worst Jason had ever faced.

Jason had been working on a trafficking case, incognito mode, when he spotted a movement in the water below the docks.

That familiar black hair with that cute oversized hoodie just drifting in the water.

And so still.

No.

Jason felt the pit on his stomach dropped as his brain comprehended it was Danny. And that he wasn't moving.

Before he even knew it, he found himself launching straight into Gotham Harbor, despite every instincts was screaming him not to as the cold water hit him.

The beginnings of panic surfaced with memories of the Pit lurking at the edges, he could almost smell the Pit again, but Jason violently shoved it down—Not now—pushing that aside, letting his determination rule over him, because what's important was that Danny was right there, so still and not breathing.

And he needed to save him.

He forced himseld to swim deeper through the water, eyes darting back and forth for the sight till he spotted Danny.

The relief punched him so hard at the sight, and it wasn't long before he finally grasped him, dragging him back to shore. His arm wrapped around Danny tightly. Shit he's that light.

And when they finally reached the land, Jason felt the wind had knocked the breath from him as he dragged Danny carefully onto the dock, as gentle as he could, hands shaking.

"Danny," he cried, worried as he dropped to his knees beside him. He patted his cheek frantically, "Come on, Danny. Please wake the fuck up—"

But there was no response.

No. Please no.

He quickly pressed his fingers against Danny's throat. But there was nothing. No heartbeat.

Shit. The panic was slowly coming back, but this time, it wasn't the trauma of the Pit water but the thought of losing Danny.

"Come on, sweetheart. Please don't do this to me," He muttered desperately.

He could feel his hands shaking as he tilted Danny's head back, almost fumbling as he tried to compartmentalize and dredge back his CPR training to kick in as he pinched Danny's nose.

Nothing.

Fuck. Guess he had to do this.

So he started chest compressions. One-Two-Three… "Come on, come, come on."

Nothing.

"Danny, please."

But still nothing. He continued chest compressions.

Jason swallowed hard against the panic clawing up his throat.

Fuck it.

Just as Jason was ready to deliver for rescue breaths, mouth inches, Danny's eyes suddenly opened. With bright blue eyes blinking curiously at him.

Jason froze inches from his face.

"…what are you doing?" Danny asked.

"You weren't breathing!" Jason said, incredulous.

"Oh." Danny blinked before casually sitting up, before looking down at himself. "I don't need it. But thanks for your attempt in CPR though, Then the twink dared to smile at him, completely nonplussed at what just happened.

Silence.

While Jason gaped at him. "…what?" What the fuck?

But his sweetheart just smiled sheepishly at him. "I don't need to breathe. Probably why I was hired as a lifeguard, to be honest. Still. that was really sweet of you to do."

Jason practically melted into a puddle.

Behind him, he could hear the sound of footsteps coming their way before Nightwing came to view, followed closely by Red Robin and Spoiler, who all heard the rescue attempt till they were greeted at the sight of two young men soaking wet, their brother already fallen so hard while Danny smiled warmly at him. Nightwing only had to take one look at Jason’s expression and sighed in immediate resignation.

Then Danny tilted his head slightly, like a cat that found something interesting. "You know…I could give you CPR lessons, if you want?"

"Oh no," Red Robin muttered.

Jason immediately bluescreened once again.

"You would do that?" For me?

"And maybe swimming lessons while we're at it. I mean, it's not bad or anything with your techniques. But you were panicking halfway through."

Well I thought you were dead, Jason defensively thought.

Then Danny's eyes drifted briefly toward the harbor. "…and maybe we can work on the water thing as well."

Jason stilled.

Almost dumbfounded by how quickly Danny had noticed.. How Danny immediately noticed Jason had frozen up the second he hit the water.

Because it had never been a skill issue, that had never been the problem. Jason knew how to swim. The problem was what happened when his brain stopped seeing water and started seeing the Pit instead.

Danny didn’t pry. He didn’t ask questions nor did he push. He just looked back at Jason and smiled softly. "Only if you want to though." Like an angel he was.

And stupidly enough, Jason realized he did want to.

Not even because Danny was cute (though that's a bonus), but because maybe, just maybe, he was tired of letting the Pit dictate parts of his life now.

Tired of always freezing.

Tired of the feeling of panic clawing up his throat every time the water closed over his head.

Tired of feeling like some part of him was still trapped there years later.

He just wanted it to stop. And just…live.

Jason looked away and…wondered. Was he really going to do this?

And yet, before he could second-guess himself, the words slipped out anyway. "…Yeah. Okay."

In the corner of his eyes, he could see Nightwing nearly falling into the harbor himself from sheer shock for some reason.

Before Danny left though, he suddenly leaved over and grabbed hold of Jason's phone.

How he did that was a wild mystery but Jason wouldn't complain. Later, he would spend forty-five uninterrupted minutes talking about how great Danny’s hands were…

"No! I do NOT want to hear about your boyfriend's hands, Jason!" Tim cried out in genuine distress.

"Not my boyfriend yet," Jason corrected before going back to his daydream.

Back on the dock, Danny had typed his number there before handing it back.

"We can set up a time and place," Danny explained when Jason kept staring at him in disbelief that he finally got Danny's number. "Call me whenever you're available for those lessons."

Jason looked down at his phone. Only to find a new text popped up in his notification.

Danny: Hi Jason!

He immediately collapsed to the ground, sighing in happiness as his brothers scrambled to catch him.

It became a regular thing after that.

"Oh wow, you're a natural, Jason." Danny gushed, looking pleased at the first lesson.

Meanwhile, Jason stood there, completely dazed.

"And when someone is choking—" Danny immediately went behind Jason, wrapping his arms around him.

Jason froze as Danny squeezed, knocking the wind out of him. Chest pressing flushed against his back.

He stopped functioning after that.

"You're doing okay there, bud?" Danny asked, pausing his demonstration of a Heimlich maneuver.

"Hot," Jason dazedly said.

Danny frowned. "Oh, I'm sorry. Am I squeezing you too hard?"

"You can squeeze me as hard as you want.”

Danny’s frown deepened with concern while Jason was too lost at heaven's touch, savoring this moment like a dying Victorian.

Perfect.

Absolutely perfect.

From across the room, Dick just slowly lowered his face into his hands.

"Please tell me you're recording this," Steph whispered to Tim, who only nodded silently at the phone he's holding.

His family wondered how long it'll go on before they actually kiss for real. Nevermind that Jason knew how to do CPR.

"Maybe we can get your brothers to join with us," Danny frowned a few lessons later, wondering why Jason kept coming back for more lessons. "Hey you three—“

"HELL NO!" Jason cut in. In the background, he could see Dickie rolling his eyes so hard.

Other times, when Danny was examining the equipment. Jason had this idea.

"Can I practice CPR... on you?" Jason asked, trying for suave but it landed somewhere around hopeful.

Oblivious as ever, Danny nodded. "Sure. Let me just get the dummy right over here—" Completely missing the memo.

Jason briefly mourned at that.

But that's what he got for falling for an oblivious twink.

"So what do you prefer? Hard? Or shall we go soft and easy?" Danny said, thoughtful as he looked at the settings.

"Definitely hard." He answered, with no hesitation.

Tim choked on his coffee in the background with Bruce pinching the bridge of his nose.

The worst incident, however, was during chest compression practice.

Jason showed Danny how to administer CPR—a fucking miracle that he hadn't once stuttered, but he knew what he was doing.

And when Danny asked, point blank, how he knew where to put his fingers on a person to begin chest compression, Jason's reply? Well, his mind had been pretty distracted at how close this twink was—

"First, locate the scrotum," Jason said automatically.

The silence was deafening.

"...I'm sorry?" Danny blinked. "The what?"

"The scrotum," Jason repeated. And then it clicked as his brain registered what he said.

"STERNUM!" Jason squawked, his cheeks turning red in embarrassment. If he had to die for the second time, he would rather not be due to utter humiliation.

In the background, Steph collapsed onto the ground laughing in tears.

Bruce looked resigned.

Tim looked like he was hit with a brick on his face.

Damian tutting in disappointment while Cass smiled in amusement.

And lastly, Dick blanched, feeling secondhand embarrassment for his little brother.

"I meant the sternum, not the scrotum," Jason stuttered, face burning.

Can the ground swallow him now, please? He would like to die for—how many times actually? Thank you.

Danny, meanwhile, stared at him for a long moment before patting his shoulder sympathetically.

"You’re really pretty bad at flirting, huh?"

Behind them, all hell broke loose.

He could see his brothers choking in surprise, with Steph cheering triumphantly, pointing accusingly at the others, "BITCHES! I TOLD YOU HE CAN'T BE OBLIVIOUS THAT LONG! Pay up!"

Tim looked personally betrayed. "HOW WAS I SUPPOSED TO KNOW HE’D OPEN WITH SCROTUM?"

Meanwhile Dick was too busy choking on air.

Jason considered drowning himself for real this time.

Danny just tapped softly on his shoulder to grab his attention. When Jason looked back at him, Danny was smiling. Soft. Fondly amused. Eyes bright with laughter.

"Instead of a marriage proposal, how about you take me out to dinner?"

Jason stared at him.

Then immediately whipped toward his family with the most vindicated expression imaginable.

"I FUCKING TOLD YOU HE IS MY SOULMATE!"

BONUS.

Frankly, Jason was going to blame this one on the old man.

Because for some reason, Batman ended up unconscious after trapped in an underground waterways.

Which was how Danny ended up kneeling beside Batman, checking for pulse while Red Hood landed on the ground nearby who immediately froze when he saw Danny was tilting Bruce's head back.

Oh hell no.

"Fuck no, don't save him!" Red Hood snapped while Danny, clueless, blinked at him.

"…what?" Confused.

"Leave him dead, he doesn't matter," Red Hood said, dismissive. Ignoring the cries of "Little Wing!" "Todd, I swear to god—" "Seriously, Hood?"

"I can't leave him," Danny protested, staring at him in almost disbelief.

Fuck, why did this stupidly attractive man have to have a bleeding heart?

"Just have Superman do CPR, then," Red Hood said, ignoring the choking sounds coming from the comms.

No way was he or his crush gonna do CPR on the old man.

Bruce deserved it anyway.