Chapter Text
Everything hurt.
He thinks his arm may be broken, his ribs bruised, and he may have a mild concussion.
But all that was nothing compared to the pain consuming his heart. Reaching his burning throat.
Bruce chooses the Joker.
He chose to slight his throat.
With a Batarang to save the Joker, his murderer. It never had been about him, was it?
Always Batman and Joker, Joker and Batman.
Stuck on a sick game of mouse and cat or, more precisely in a bad joke without any punchline. Jason snorted, at least tried, but the pain stopped him and made him whimper.
He had to move now, he could hear the siren of the GCPD, and if they caught him, it would be a straight ticket to Arkham.
He would rather slit his own throat than have to hear that mad laugh again (not that was left much to do thanks to Bruce Batman.)
So he ran, a hand pressed against his throat, trying to stop the bleeding. He ran as fast and far away as he could.
Right ahead, without looking back.
He didn't have anywhere to go, no home, no family. He couldn't go back to Talia, to whom he was grateful for what she didn't but couldn't trust.
Because he was nothing more than a pawn to her, and he had been fine with it. They both got what they wanted (sort of), but Jason was tired of being used and left. Willis, Sheila, Bruce, and Talia, all of them took and took, but he didn't have anything to give anymore.
He must have been running for three weeks when he found himself in France, some 80 km from the capital, Paris. His throat sour still hurt him, but at least it was scaring nicely. Sitting on a bench in the park observing as people went by their day, slightly hurrying when passing him.
He couldn't fault them. He looked as if he went to war and back. His clothes were mostly covered with dirt and blood, he didn't shave nor bathed in the last week, and black-blue bruises adorned his eyes from exhaustion.
It isn't as if he didn't try to sleep, but it was harder to run from the past and his demons than from a place, as such he could barely close his eyes before getting haunted by nightmares full of cemeteries, clowns, bats, and robins.
All in all, he was a mess, and he couldn't find it in himself to change that.
There was just something comforting in letting himself get shallowed, not putting any front.
Looking around his eyes landed on a young woman who seemed to be in her early twenties, maybe his age (God, was he really only nineteen . He felt so much older), seated too on a bench, nose buried in a book, face slipt on one of the biggest smile he ever saw.
It reminded him of Dick.
It hurt.
She seemed happy and content without any worries. He felt his heart clench at the sight. Jealousy showing its ugly head. It could have been him in another life. Head in books running across the campus to reach the next lecture.
Instead, here he was, running a continent away from his past, his own cursed existence. Not wanted even by death.
Sighed, he got up. He had a contact to meet who will, hopefully, provide him with paper to maybe make it in a country in North Africa, and then who knows.
Strolling through the street, his mind started to wander in all the wrong places. Trying to center himself, he started to recite quotes from books and different firearms with their use.
So absorbed in his thought, he didn't realize that he took a wrong turn. Ready to make his way back he stopped in his track, noticing a group of four men, seemingly cornering another one.
Jason couldn't move. Hand instinctively reaching for a gun.
What was he supposed to do? Help? Ignore? Kill them?
No, no, that was wrong. Help, then? How? How could a murderer, a monster be of any help?
'Still trying to play hero, little robin ?'
Whispered a voice in his ear, followed by a too-familiar cackle.
Breathe quickening, he slowly turned back, but his eyes caught the sight of what he first mistook as a man. It wasn't. It was a kid .
In an overgrow t-shirt, upper lip swollen, blood tipping from messy brown hair.
How dare they hurt a kid? Four grown-ups ganging up against one child. How dare they!
Static surrounded him, his vision tunneling on the boy who needed help. The next time he blinked, three of the thugs were on the floor unconscious. Searching for the child, he found him at the end of the alley, back pressed against the wall. He took a step forward when he heard a sound behind him just in time to see a crowbar going stray for his head.
The shock sent him sprawling on the ground, vision fading all he could think about was not again before fainting.
He woke up at the sound of shouting.
They seemed muffled as if coming from another room.
Good, that may leave some time to figure out where he was and run away before his kidnapper decided what to do with him and come back.
Keeping his eyes closed, he started to take all his injuries into account. For some reason, it seemed that his captor decided to heal him first since he could feel bandages around his ribcage and head.
Assessing that he was, in fact, alone he cracked his eyes open. Slowly rising up, he found himself, to his great surprise in a bedroom.
The room was filled with things. To his left stood a bookcase taking the majority of the wall filled with books, photos, and trinkets of all sorts.
To his right, there was a large window with an even larger cupboard next to it, and without forgetting all kinds of stuffed toys varying in colors and shapes alike.
The room seemed to exude an air of happiness and peace.
It looked lived.
"Ho tu es enfin reveillé, tant mieux. Faut dire qu'on commencait à s'inquiéter."
Jason jumped slightly at the sound, admonishing himself for letting his attention slip away so carelessly.
Reading himself for what he thought would be the start of a mental game, he put on his most threatening look and raised his head only to see the girl of the park.
And since he was still mildly concussed, he couldn't keep his mouth shut.
"You are the girl from the park, the crazy one!"
"Je... Excuse me?! Crazy one!"
Silence filled the room. Leaving Jason the time to process what he just said. And some agonizing moment later, the information seemed to finally make it to his brain. Causing him to furiously blush and scramble for an excuse. Not that it helped him very much.
"I mean just the smile. No. I mean your smile isn't weird or anything! It is very pretty. Not that you are not pretty or-or. Oh, God. Just shut me up already."
Eyebrows raising higher and higher at each word, the brunette let a chuckle escape her lips.
"Pfft. You sure are a funny one. It's alright you know. My sister keeps telling me that I should practice my poker face while reading. I tend to let all my emotions show, especially the crazy/pretty smile."
Then she dared to wink at him.
Blushing even more, Jason crossed his arms slightly wincing at the pain, and glared at the girl.
"You are making fun of me. You shouldn't make fun of a patient, especially one as concussed as me."
Eyes twinkling from amusement. She lifted her dress a little to mockingly bow before him.
"Hm, Hmm. Of course, do please excuse my discourtesy, your Majesty."
Sniffing, Jason looked her up and down.
"Well, I suppose that I could let it slide for this time, but beware of my vengeance must this situation occur again."
Silence stretched as both looked each other in the eyes before dissolving into a fit of laughter.
He laughed like he didn't in years. It came from his belly and all the way up to his throat, making his body shake and his eyes water.
"Well. If you are still able to laugh like that you may have a nice recovery."
Sticking her hand out to shake, she gently smiled at him, brown eyes sparkling with mirth.
"My name's Norra. Thanks for helping my little brother Samir. Axel is the one that found you and brought you here. My sister Daria is a nurse. She was the one to patch you up since we kind of figured out that you would like to avoid the hospital."
She told him all in one breath.
"Huh, yeah. You were right, and it's no worry, I couldn't let them beat your brother. But why were there even doing it? Is he in some kind of trouble?"
Shaking her head, long wavy hair following the movement she replied to him.
"You don't need to worry about that. Here are some clothes they should fit. You can take a shower in the bathroom just across the room. Then we will have dinner downstairs. Any questions, Mister..."
"Ho, right. Jason, that's my, hum, name."
Norra tested the name on her tongue, looking contemplative.
"Jason, Jayray, Jasinne, Jay, Jasonalita. It does have a nice ring to it. Well, see you downstairs Jay."
With that, she waved at him and exited the room leaving him very confused.
Red Hood stretched, listening to his family bickering on the line. Some nights, like tonight, he couldn't stop himself from wondering how things turned out like this. If someone told him nearly a decade ago that he would be able to patrol with his family (to call this cluster of dysfunctional people his family ) in relative peace, he would have laughed at their faces and maybe put a bullet or two through them to prove a point. But here he was, happy and with little to no secret between them.
"Little Wing! How is patrol going on for you?"
His Big brother, Nightwing, gracefully flipped to land next to him on the roof flashing him a Hollywood smile.
"Nothing interesting I think I'm gonna wrap it up here and head back."
"Aww, already. Why don't you drop by the Manor first?"
"No, can't do. Sorry Dickie, promised Roy to meet up tonight."
"Fine, tell him I said Hi then."
"Will do." And with a finger salute, Jason launched himself into the sky.
After swinging by a safehouse to change into a civilian get-up, Jason took his bike to one of the many BatBurger littering the city, where he could already see his friend waving at him through the window.
"Jay, man! How have you been?"
Chuckling, Jason took the hand of his best friend to lean into a hug. It was good to see him again. After years on and off the job, Roy finally settled as a social worker taking care of his daughter Lian who was getting into middle school. Only going out nowadays as an informant.
"Good since I put Marcelo Plunio behind bars. Dick says Hi by the way."
"I should call him sometimes soon. So, how is the family going?"
Rolling his eyes, he started to complain.
"Urgh, Bruce is still giving me those looks as if I may explode if he so much as glanced at me. Dick is his usual ass, and Tim is cool, less afraid. I guess. Cass tolerates me. Damian is Damian, not sure what the brat thinks about, Steph is still trying to get me to try all the waffle houses of the West coast, and Duke is alright."
At that statement, the red hair gave him the look, face stuffed with fries and an eyebrow raised in judgment.
"What! You asked I answered."
"You know what I meant Jay. Fiiine, if you want to be difficult. So tell me, Jason, how are your lovely wife and three kids doing nowadays? You know, I still can't believe that from the majority of the hero community, you would be one of those who end up with a healthy and normal family."
At that, Jason groaned, finger tapping on the table, he softly answered.
"For the normal, I am not so sure. Arina nearly gave her mother a heart attack by climbing the house roof, and the twins managed to get their teacher fired by finding evidence that she was having a relationship with a minor. I still can't understand how they did it. They are only seven years old! Besides, if it wasn't for Norra. I wouldn't have all of this."
Snorting, the redhead gave him an amused look. All the while inhaling his burger.
"Well, she is one hell of a woman. Your wife sure now what she wants, and she doesn't waste time walking circles."
"That's true. If I was to start a list of everything I did because she said so. We would be here until tomorrow morning. But there isn't a single time where I regret the decision we've made. Anyways, to answer your question, there are doing fine. Want to go to a movie? There is this new one. I think you would like it."
"Sure things Jaybird. Let's go."
"DAAAAAAAAD!!!"
Groaning, Jason got up from the couch where he had fallen asleep playing with the twins Aaron and Ezra. He barely had the time to stand up before having the wind knocked out of him by a hyperactive eleven years old talking one mile the seconds. Blonde hair all over the place and piercing blue eyes looking right at him.
"Remember to breathe Arina. I am not going anywhere."
Tutted gently Jason, scooping the young girl in his arms as he went looking for the boys.
"I know dad! But that is not the most important thing. Guess what! Guess what! Mom subscribed me to a gym class! The mister was super kind, and he is going to teach me how to do roll and jump and swing and thrown punch and-"
Cutting his daughter shatter, he looked at her quizically.
"I thought this was a gymnastic class. Why would you learn to throw a punch?"
And with the most dramatic eyes roll ever witnessed by humankind, Arina looked at him as if it was obvious.
"Because. Dad. I asked! I want to learn how to fight like Nightwing. He is sooooo cool! Did you see how he jumped and then kicked those thugs in the news? Like swoop, pang, kick, padoum!"
Stiffening a laugh at his daughter's enthusiasm and rearranging her in his arms to stop her from toppling to the ground. He crossed the living room to finally enter the garden to see two mops of black hair bent over a shared book, legs swinging from the too-tall bench they were sitting on. Looking around, Jason couldn't help but feels at peace. Thanks to Axel's effort to design it when he visited four years ago, the semi-abandoned garden took a new life. Now there was a lot of vegetation in the back with essentially aromatic plants and some flowers. Next to it could be found a little vegetable garden that Ezra loved caring for. The only tree was an apple tree that offered shadow in summer, cooling the temperatures. Which still left a place for a patio with a long table and some cozy chairs without forgetting some place for the kids and Dog to run and play around. Joining them, Jason sat at an opposite chair letting go of Arinna who went to her brothers to share the good news.
"Already back to the land of the living."
Teased a voice, followed by his wife supporting a plate of food for everyone.
Returning her smile, Jason helped her put the table.
"You should have woken me up. I know you have been busy with your latest project. I would have cooked the food."
"Maybe, but I am not the one running around the city. You looked really exhausted. You are sure you can't take a day off?"
Shaking his head as he made a place for his wife. Already dreading the following conversation. Knowing where it would lead and that the answer wouldn't please her.
"I am sure. Bruce himself handed me the case. If I refuse I would have to give him a reason and-"
"You are too much of a coward to tell him that you are busy with your own family."
Snapped his wife, shoulder high in tension putting a distance between them.
"I- Norra. You know just like me why he doesn't know. You agreed to this. I can't- If he-"
He fumbled with his words as always when it concerned Bruce. Their past was too heavy, the fear of what he may think no matter how many years he tried to deny him as his father was still there. There must have been something in his tone because Norra turned fully to him, voice dropping to not attract the kids' attention currently disputing a game of some sort.
"I know what I said Jason, and I think it was somehow the best option. But now, it has been nearly three years since you had this truce with your father. You told me yourself that everything is going fine. I want my children to grow up knowing your family too. Besides, I think it's better if you took the lead before they learn about it themself."
And like always she was right. Things could escalate pretty quickly with the Bats and Birds. If he didn't want this to end up blowing in his face he was going to need to man up.
Kissing his wife's temple, he finally gave her his answer, and resolves to settle on him.
"Okay, I will tell them. I am sorry I made you feel worried."
Norra smiled back at him ready to tease when her eyes widened scrambling up.
"Arina!! What do you think you are doing?!"
Turning around to follow his wife's gaze he stifled a laugh at the scene.
Because his daughter was currently climbing the only tree in the garden that shouldn't even be able to hold her weight. At the side, He could see Aaron and Ezra laughing quietly to themself. They surely must have tricked her into it, considering that Norra specially banned her from doing it. And by the dumfounded face of his daughter, still hanging upside down, she must have just realized how much she screwed up, sending him a pleading look. Huffing, he got up to join them. It was time for the parenting.
In the end, he didn't have to say anything as he literally bumped into Bruce three days later.
After finally closing the case that had took him three weeks of intense work. They all decided to celebrate with a family outgoing at the park. But first Norra wanted to skip by the mall as she had to buy some clothes for the kids. So there he stood in the clothing department with Aaron, trying to dissuade him from buying a whole new wardrobe as he only needed new trousers. Which wasn't easy with Arina who kept running right and left always coming back with a new article. After long minutes of talk and convincing he was able to pick up what was needed without too much trouble. And the promises of Ice cream for the kids.
"Okay, kids you've got everything?"
"Aye, Aye Dad!"
Proudly exclaimed Arina displaying the marble game she found during her exploration. Warily looking at her, Jason thought if it was a good idea to let her have them. His daughter had a terrific accurate throw.
Next to her Aaron sniffed, as he crossed his arms in front of him. Chubby's cheeks bounced as he pouted.
"Yes, dad. Even though I still think we should buy at least one new shirt."
"Maybe next time hon. Don't forget that you still have a lot of them at home. Wanna get in the cart?"
Asked Jason, winning him a gasp from Arina.
"You hear that little brother! You get to go in the cart. And there will be Ice cream after! You can't pout like a baby forever."
At that Aaron turned sharply to his sister, horror written all over his face.
"I am not a baby! You take that back!"
"Nuhu. Aaron is a baby. Still need daddy. Can't do anything by himself."
Singsonged the girl as the two started to run in circles trying to catch each other.
Until Aaron sharply stopped to turn back to him.
"Dad, there is a weird man that kept watching us since earlier."
"What! Where?"
Panicked Jason. It wasn't every day that someone could sneak on him. Especially when he was out with his family where he stayed super vigilant with all the enemies he made across the years in the front of his mind.
"There!"
Shouted Arina dragging a black-haired man from around the aisle. Soon Jason found himself facing familiar blue eyes.
Bruce seemed in shock, like a fish out of water, and Jason wasn't faring much better as they stared at each other for who knows long.
"I think you broke dad." Whispered Aaron.
The charm ended broken when his wife appeared with Ezra in her arms.
"Jay! You wouldn't believe the incredible discount I just found. I know you said no more plushies, but hear me out... Ho!"
Finally taking the scene, Norra stopped, eyes wide, jumping from him to Bruce, then Bruce to him. To finally settle back to him. Even though she looked one second away from breaking down in laughter, he could see a real concern in her eyes. The kids that have been bickering until now, tensed too, feeling their parents' uneasiness. He had to take a decision now.
"Norra, could you take the kids with you? I'll catch you up."
"What? Why? You know him dad?"
"Not now Arina. Your Dad has to talk with his coworker. Come on, let's get going."
Admonished Norra, taking her daughter's hand.
"Can we go to Ice cream? Dad promised."
"Of course. Ezra comes."
Called Norra, looking at her son that stood frozen seemingly lost, sensing that something was wrong Jason squatted at him smiling reassuringly.
"Hey buddy, everything's okay. I am not going to take long. Go on with your siblings."
"Are you sure dad? He is not going to hurt you. Right?"
Asked quietly the little boy, fear making his voice tremble, yet his eyes were determined, ready to take action if necessary.
Stabbing pain blossomed in his heart at those words, and by the sharp intake of breath coming from his wife. She, too, remembered why those questions were asked. But before he could respond, Bruce kneeled by his side, looking Ezra right in the eyes and offering him a friendly smile, voice warm and gentle.
"Don't worry chum. I am just going to talk to your dad and then bring him back in one piece before you know it."
"You promise."
"Pinky promise."
Added Bruce giving him his pinky for the sacred sermon, which elicited a laugh out of his son.
"You have a silly friend, dad."
"I know Ezra. Now go with your sibling and make sure they behave with mom okay."
"Mhm"
With that, Ezra gave him a kiss on the cheek before running back towards the others, and with one last look at them Jason finally turned back shoulder squared.
Bruce mirrored his position, body tense, ready to strike. His face lost most of its friendly demeanor leaving behind only a stoic face and an emotion behind those stormy eyes that Jason did not want to find out.
"Come on, old man. Let's get somewhere quieter. I am not doing this in the middle of the store."
With that, the two men departed. Time to face the music thought grimly Jason.