Work Text:
“I’m not going to hurt you—” Grayson’s lips quirked into a knowing smirk. “—but I can’t exactly let you go. I’m sure you understand.”
Jason dropped his gaze to the polished hardwood floor under his chair. How rich did you have to be for your interrogation room to be immaculately preserved?
“You don’t have to look so sour,” Grayson teased. “I caught you fair and square. More than fair. You could’ve been halfway to New York by now if you hadn’t tried to kill me.”
“I didn’t try to kill you!” Jason rushed, raising his face.
His cheeks flushed with shame, he hated having to defend himself to this asshole, but if he thought Jason had been trying to kill him…if he told his father that Jason had tried to kill him.
“Ah, of course.” Grayson touched the raw red line on his temple. “So the bullet that grazed my head was a figment of my imagination. Good to know. Now I’ll just let the baby assassin go and—”
“There weren’t any bullets in the gun! I took them out!” Jason cried in frustration. “And it wouldn’t even have gone off if you hadn’t grabbed it!”
“You’re blaming me!” Grayson looked more amused than angry. “Let’s say I believe you left a bullet in the chamber on accident, you came into my house with a gun. Now, why don’t you tell me who sent you?”
Because Sionis would kill him. That was the deal, his debt wiped out plus ten grand if he could get into Wayne Manor, get some stupid little notebook from the office, and get out. If he got caught, he got nothing. If he got caught and talked, Sionis was going to drown him in the harbor.
Wayne’s guys usually killed pretty quickly, even Grayson. He only really took his time for people he really hated.
Like people who’d tried to kill him.
Grayson said he wouldn’t hurt him, though, which probably meant he’d feel bad about torturing a twelve year old and was planning to just shoot Jason in the head and be done with it once he knew who to kill next.
Jason traced the lines in the woodgrain with his eyes. Grayson might torture him anyways just for the novelty of it. He hadn’t killed a kid before, at least not that Jason knew of.
When he got no answer, Grayson sighed and tapped his polished shoe against the floor, the rhythm almost like the tick of a clock. He wasn’t known for his patience.
“You didn’t come here for this just for the hell of it.” Grayson raised the notebook Jason had almost gotten away with. “Someone told you to come here. Maybe they threatened you, maybe the bribed you, but it wasn’t your idea, and we both know it. Now, are you trying to protect yourself, or someone else?”
Jason scowled. “Maybe I just like to live life on the edge. Ever thought of that?”
Grayson didn’t answer. It was, to be fair, a pretty fucking stupid lie.
“I don’t got no one else,” Jason finally grumbled. He scuffed the worn out toe of his sneaker on the floor, the duct tape holding it together squeaking against the wood. “Just gotta decide who’s gonna kill me quickest.”
Grayson hummed thoughtfully. “Well, if you tell me who sent you, I’ll kill them, and then since I am not going to kill you, that ought to make you pretty safe.”
Jason glumly lifted his eyes to meet Grayson’s. How dumb did this asshole think he was? Jason hadn’t tried to kill Grayson, so hopefully Grayson would make it quick and not tell his dad first, but he was going to kill Jason. That was basically the rules of crime.
“You don’t believe me,” Grayson surmised with a shake of his head. “Kid, I’m hurt. You know, it won’t take me very long to figure this out. Gotham’s a big city, but it’s a small world. Someone’s going to know who’s been looking for this information. Someone told that someone where this is. That’s two people I need to handle, and if you help me…Well, I can make it very worth your while.”
“As soon as I tell you, you’re going to kill me,” Jason bit out. “You’re gonna kill me, then you’re gonna kill those people, and you’re going to kill anyone in your way! Why would I help you?!”
“There’s a lot of things I don’t know at this moment, but I do know three things.” Grayson said, spreading his hands in a broad gesture. “The first is that you’re going to live, the second is that you’re not going to leave, and the third is that I am going to find out who sent you with or without your help.”
“Then stop asking me!” Jason snarled. He wished he could sock Grayson in his stupid face, but the ropes holding him to the chair were too tight. “Just leave me alone!”
“See, if I have to find out my way, the people I’m looking for might find out,” Grayson said. “They’ll know I caught you, they’ll probably think you talked. They’re going to want you dead.”
“So I should just actually talk?”
“Yes!” Grayson agreed chipperly. “Then we can take them out before they know what hit them. Really safer for everyone, except Sionis of course.”
“How did you know—” Jason realized a split second too late that he’d been played.
Grayson’s grin broadened and darkened. “Knew it was that asshole.”
“It’s—it isn’t!” Jason rushed, but the lie sounded hollow even to him.
“Who else would spook you more than me?” Grayson chuckled. “Let me guess, you owe him?”
If Jason did survive whatever the hell Grayson was going to do to him, he wouldn’t survive Sionis, not now. He was dead already.
Tears sprang to Jason’s eyes. Damnit. Damnit, he didn’t want to die.
“Hey, calm down, kid,” Grayson said, suddenly all gentle and patronizing.
“Fuck you,” Jason spat, his voice choked with fear. “He’s gonna make it hurt so much now, fuck you.”
Grayson stared down at him as Jason started to cry like the stupid baby he was. He was so dumb, his dad was right. Sionis was probably going to kill him either way, wasn’t he? Jason’s dream of getting out of the city and finding some way to get back to school had been stupid from the start, just like him.
Once the tears started, they didn’t stop. What started as a few small drops spilling from his eyes grew to sobs that wracked his body till he’d cried all his strength out and was left with only hitched breaths and resignation.
Grayson, who hadn’t said a word during Jason’s meltdown, knelt slowly in front of Jason. He laid one hand on Jason’s knee. Jason stared numbly at the hand and wondered if Grayson would use that hand to kill him or let Sionis do it.
Or maybe he’d really keep Jason alive. He’d just torture him for fun. Maybe he wouldn’t even do anything. Grayson could just lock Jason away and let him dread what came next forever.
Grayson raised his hand from Jason’s knee to his chin and tilted his face up.
“Look at me, kiddo.” Grayson said, his voice gentle and firm.
All the strength and defiance had been wrung out with his tears. Jason didn’t want to look Grayson in the eye, but he finally forced himself to.
Grayson’s eyes were very blue. Jason’s eyes were more of a gray color that were called blue by default, but Grayson’s eyes were proper blue that stuck out this close. If he didn’t know better, Jason might’ve thought those true-blue eyes actually held some concern.
“Do you think I let Sionis take things that belong to me?” Grayson asked.
Jason winced. So Grayson was finally getting to the point.
“Do I?” Grayson pushed.
“No,” Jason whispered.
“Do I let him damage things that belong to me?” Grayson was going to make him pay for the broken window, wasn’t he?
Jason’s eyes and skin stung in anticipation of what was to come. Everyone knew Grayson had done most the work flaying the guy who killed his parents. That must’ve hurt like hell, even if the guy deserved it.
Jason flinched when Grayson reached for his face with his free hand, but Grayson tightened his grip on his chin so Jason couldn’t get away. His breath hitched as Grayson’s calloused hand cupped the side of his head and Grayson ran his thumb along Jason’s cheekbone to brush away a single tear.
“So, I don’t let Sionis take or hurt things that are mine, yes?”
“Please just get it over with,” Jason whispered hoarsely.
Grayson sighed. “You’re not very good at answering questions.”
Jason scowled bitterly and tried to shake his head free. “I hate you.”
Grayson’s grip was unyielding. “Also not what I asked. Do I let Sionis take things or hurt things that are mine? Do I let anyone take things or hurt things that are mine?”
“No!” Jason snapped. “No, you don’t, I get it, okay!”
Grayson hummed thoughtfully and ran his thumb across Jason’s cheek again even though he wasn’t even crying anymore. The defiance he thought he’d cried back reared its ugly head, and Jason snapped his teeth at Grayson’s hand, barely missing when Grayson snatched his hand back.
Grayson laughed. “Oh, you’re adorable. So, now that we’ve established that I’m pretty possessive, do you think I damage my own things?”
“I don’t know!” He didn’t fucking care either. Why did it matter if Grayson took care of his shit?
“I take very good of my things,” Grayson said, his grin broadening again. “Do you know what you are, kiddo?”
Jason dropped his gaze, staring again at the floor. No one was going to know who he was when they found his body. If they ever found his body. No one was going to care enough to bury him next to his mom. They were both going to be all alone forever.
“What are you?”
Jason closed his eyes and drew in a deep breath. “Dead.”
“No, silly.” Grayson released Jason’s chin with a patronizing pat on the cheek. “You’re mine.”