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It was easy to fall back into old habits.
Jason sat on the fire escape of one of his oldest safe houses, - an apartmen he owned up in north Park Row - eyes glued to the horizon as he gripped a cigarette between his fingers at let smoke exhale through his open mouth. It blended right into Gotham's foggy air, the pollution mixing together like old friends. It was bittersweet, feeling the nicotine in his head that made it buzz slightly like TV static.
(Then the slight guilt of betraying Dick's trust was there, but he stamped that feeling out with another drag. He was lucky Jason didn't drink as much as Bruce. Not that he would, anyway. He couldn't risk his constant state of awareness to a depressant.)
It had been a long night after Scarecrow released fear toxin all over south Row. He was lucky to have been around as it hit, having to locate civilians and get as many as they could wearing gas masks and away from the contaminated area as possible before dealing with Crane's goons.
The man wasn't brave enough to rear his ugly mug, but it was satisfying enough to beat the ever-loving shit out of the goons either way.
The sun was rising, high and mighty like it always was. Not that you could see much of it in Gotham's slums, but a bit of light usually shone through, enough for the citizens of Park Row to slink out of their households and go about their day.
Jason took another puff, finishing off the worn thing and dropping it to the step beneath him and stepping on it to put it out. Then he stood up, his joints popping satisfyingly as he headed up the stairs and through the window of his apartment.
It was dimly lit, with only a light or two on to conserve energy and he stepped around his sofa - sat with the side facing the window he stepped through- and headed into the one room the studio had.
(Jason had many safe houses located around Park Row, but the slums didnt have many choices when it came to places to stay. Smaller spaces made him feel more like he belonged to the place he was born, with dimmed lights to prevent the energy bill - already in horrible shape with Gotham's recent grid crisis- from going through the roof.)
He swung open the door, staring at the small bed that was tucked into the corner of his room. The wall parallel to it sported the gear he kept in every safe house, which included a spare helmet, a utility belt filled flash bombs and batarangs, his metal box with ammo -excessive for a normal person but a normal amount for his safe houses, and his armor mounted on the wall. Jason himself was wearing his civilian clothing, not wanting to risk being found in Red Hood gear with no helmet on.
And then, he froze.
He heard a small shuffle, unnoticeable to a normal person but to a trained ear like Jason, it was everything. The noise came from the wall that his bedside headboard sat at.The slight in and out from the nose, controlled breathing as if they were taught how to. Judging by how heavy each intake was, he could guess that the person was young.
He pulled the gun from his side and in a flash, was pointing it at the origin of the noise. He didnt need to say anything, but if this person knew anything about him, they'd show.
A sigh.
Then, like magic, a familiar face showed as Duke lifted his arms up in surrender.
His face looked awful, with a black eye and a bruised chin that had turned purple. He looked dead on his feet, the little light show he played earlier probably draining him of whatever energy he has left.
Jason flicked the safety back on and lowered his arms with a breath of relief.
"Whaddaya doing here, Narrows? And what happened to your face?"
Duke shrugged.
"Needed to pick up something for my, you know," he gestures at his face. "Knew your safe house was near and decided to drop by."
Jason narrowed his eyes, scanning the younger boy. He was wearing civilian clothes, with a red hoodie and sweats and his hands in his pockets.
"You should be asleep by now." He pointed out, and he watched Duke's eyes shift to the ground.
"I woke up to a call."
Now he knew something was up.
"Cass' shift ends at 6. You get going around 7:30. And guess what, ninõ? Its 5:30."
"Are you gonna let me get myself cleaned up or not?" Duke snapped.
Jason pinched the bridge of his nose in annoyance.
"Just tell me what's up, and I'll let you go. He'll, I'll even help you out."
Duke shook his head and started to approach the doorway. Jason blocked him off as he tried to slip past, eyes boring holes into the younger boy's. He crossed his arms and settled into a threading stance and he was satisfied when Duke gulped.
"What happened."
"Nothin' man! Just let me get-"
"Tell me, and I will."
Jesus, this boy was a tough cookie. Most of the Bat's kids were, but Duke was a lot more like him then he'd expected.
"Got into a fight," Duke finally said. "Had to let them beat me 'round so that I didnt look too weird. Set 'em straight in a bit, though. Now can you just let me get fixed up?"
Jason knew it wasnt the whole truth, but it was as good as he was getting at the moment, judging by the slight raise of brightness in the room and Duke's extremely pissed off face.
"Alright. Check the fridge. Got some ice in there for the eye and bruisies.
Duke walked through without saying a word, huffing as he headed to the kitchen.
He's never seen the kid so riled up, hackles raised and something akin to a tired rage in eyes. He was usually a pretty laid back kid, not at all close to Daimian or even Tim in his constant ability to get ticked off. If something got him, it got him good.
(Duke wasn't a kid who grew up sheltered. He'd seen the worst of the city, living in the Narrows for most of his life. Jason knew from the haunted look in his eyes whenever it was brought up. He knew that look because he had it too.)
Jason trailed after Duke, watching as the boy hobbled into the kitchen and open the freezer and pull out a couple of ice packs.
"Why didntcha head to the Manor?" Jason asked. "Not far from here, anyway."
Duke ignored him, holding the packs in both hands as he dropped down onto the sofa and placed one directly onto his eye.
Jason didnt comment on it.
Duke's eyes faced the ceiling, blankly staring at nothing and Jason took that as an invite to sit down on the armchair that accompanied it.
"Did you run from there?"
Duke's breath hitched.
"I dont know? I mean, I just kinda got mad cause Bruce was being, I dont know, like stupid or something? I just... didnt wanna be there anymore."
That still didnt explain why he got into a fight, but at least Jason knew why he wasnt at the Manor.
"And so you decided to pay me a visit."
Duke nodded slightly.
"I guess, yeah."
Jason hummed noncommittally, gaze still focused on Duke.
He understood the decision, with Jasom being someone that lived nearby and had enough shit for injuries that Duke could use.
(Jason also understood wanting to be near someone who famously wasnt on best terms with Bruce.)
"Then how the fuck did you end up lookin' like this, linterna?"
Duke pulled off his hoodie, revealing a white tank top that he placed another ice pack on. This time, it covered his stomach.
"People were talking."
"'Bout what?"
Duke closed his eyes.
"Man called out to me. Something round 6 feet, bald and white with his friends. Recognized me from the news about Bruce's new ward."
Duke fiddled with his hand, wringing then as he kept talking.
"Said that I was street scum who managed to get lucky from Bruce taking in any boy with a sob story. Then, he said... said that a boy like me belonged to the streets."
Jason stayed silent.
"His friends started laughing, and I tried to walk by but he blocked my path. Said that I didn't deserve it, and that someone who looked like me was destined to live under everyone else snd that Bruce took me in to make himself look better."
Duke exhaled softly.
"And I punched him."
Jason understood what oppression felt like.
He was naturally paler, but he had an accent for years that made people look at him strange. He got rid of it when he was young, his love for English literature and media managing to wipe out his accent, but he knew the feeling of people hating him for the way he looked or talked.
But when he looked at Duke, he saw a boy who struggled his entire life.
Gotham was never friendly, not to the white or colored folk, but colored people always got it worse from a world that made others feel like they needed to prove they were better in some way. People who are oppressed oppress others, and the cycle continues.
"Its funny, cause the reason why I ran from the Manor wasnt even Bruce's fault." Duke continued. "He was being logical, and I- I just didnt care. I wanted some night patrol time, and he said no. And I... I just felt so stupid. Why does everyone else get to patrol at night and im the only one stuck in the daytime?"
Duke scoffed, pulling his ice pack upwards and near his ribs.
"I dont wanna be treated like shit, man."
Jason heard his voice crack.
"I wish I could fix people talking to you like that."
Duke's eyes narrowed.
"Huh?"
"Wish I could fix it. Cause you know, Gotham is fucked up. The rich are richer, and the poor just get poorer. And then everyone else gets fucked."
Jason leaned back in his chair.
"I cant fix the problem cause the problem is the system. But I sure as hell can tell you this. You are valued in the Wayne Manor."
Duke opened his mouth, and Jason silenced him with a glare.
"You are welcome," he repeated. "Not just as a member of the Wayne family, but as a member of the Bat's."
Duke kept quiet.
"Bruce is overprotective. He's an idiot, and ai can go and talk to him if you need me too. But dont you go around thinking that what that man and those assholes in the street think matters. Cause you do what you do for good."
Duke's hands turned into fists, and tears streamed from his eyes. He pulled himself up and rubbed at them with his forearm.
"Thanks, Alley."
Jason smiled.
"No problem kid."
~
Jason woke up to the smell of food.
He pulled himself up from the sofa, eyes already as he focused on the figure standing in the kitchen.
Duke Thomas, with focused eyes and a slight smile, was making an omelet.
"Morning to you too, kid." Jason muttered, rubbing his eyes and squinting.
"Morning, Jason. I made omelets!"
Jason chuckled.
"What time is it?"
"Around 4."
"Four?" He groaned.
"Yeah dude. You were out a while. Went on my shift, avoided everyone, including Orcale -which was hard but I managed- and came back for some food."
Jason felt something warm in his chest.
"Seems like you're not as bad of a chef as the rest of the Bats."
"Nah, I learnt from my mom. Best Chef ever, im telling you. She could make anything if she had thw right ingredients."
He stopped himself.
Jason didng say anything, opting to stand up and walk over to the kitchen. He plopped himself on the singular barstool he owned.
"Thanks, linterna."
"No problem, man. Gotta pay you back somehow!"
Jason nodded and they settled into a comfortable silence. It felt different, to have someone in his house after all this time. It was usually empty, with the occasional Roy dropping in to say hi. This was his most frequented house, so it felt most like home.
Duke pulled out a plate for each of then, choosing to stand up as he ate.
"This is good." Jason said, taking a bite of what seemed to be the fluffiest omlete he'd ever seen.
"Yup." Duke grinned. "Still got it."
They kept eating, choose silence over a conversation that they both felt they didnt need. This was good enough.
"So," Jason started. "Did you tell Bruce you spent the night?"
Duke shook his head.
"No. But I told Cass I was leaving. She probably told him, anyway. Also probably why my phone hasn't exploded."
Jason huffed a laugh.
"Yeah. I left a couple times too. If he doesnt find you, he doesnt want to."
They fell back into silence.
After they both ate, Jason dumped the dishes into the sink and rinsed them. Then, he turned to Duke.
"Whaddya wanna do then, kid?"
Duke cocked his head.
"Thought i was supposed to leave."
Jason shook his head.
"Nah. Stay here for a bit till you feel like going back. I could put on a movie or something."
Duke cracked a smile at that.
"Sure."
They headed back to the couch, where Jason snatched the remote and started surfing through channels. They were both sitting on the main sofa, a seat apart as Duke lounge backwards and Jason placed his elbow on the arm rest. He finally landed on what looked like Mean Girls and he just let it play out.
"Mean Girls?" Duke asked.
"What, got a problem?"
"No, none at all."
~
The movie ended, and Jason turned to Duke.
"Alright kid. Movie's done. You ready to go home?"
Duke looked hesitant.
"I really jave to, don't i."
Jason shrugged.
"I dont mind if you hang around here a bit longer."
Duke shook his head.
"Can you drop me?"
Jason nodded.
"Let's get on my bike."
Duke gathered his stuff, throwing his hoodibe back on and shoving his phone into it's pocket. Jason grabbed his keys from where they hung in front of the door and walked them both down to the parking lot.
And then they both stopped.
Because there, in all his glory, was Bruce Wayne.
He stared them both down, before finally sighing.
"I'll take him home, Jason."
Jason turned to Duke.
"Go. I'll be fine."
Jason nodded and walked back.
He took the stairs, listening for the car to drive away as he biked the 3 floors it took to get to his. The older apartment complex didnt have a proper elevator, but he didnt mind too much.
He finally got to his apartment, looking the door behind him and popping right down on the sofa thst he slept on.
Last night's debacle made him think about memories he usually didnt like to uncover.
Life was unfair. That was it.
But was it always gonna be that way?
For people like Duke, were people always allowed to judge him for the color of his skin or the way he looked? People who loved in slums attacked each other with no one else to attack because there was nothing they could do about the thumb the rich had on the poor.
Everyday, Gotham rotted.
Everyday, kids came back home with bruises and a newfound hatred for their roots. People screaming at them, learning young to hate what's different from them.
And as those people grew up, it never changed. Because why would it?
In the end, it was just a way to keep them in line.
Fire, bright and vengeful, blooming in his stomach and he felt his eyes flash green.
Maybe the city was unfair.
But Red Hood would try his goddamned hardest to fix it.
Whatever it took.
~