Disclaimer: I don't own Batman or any of its characters. Big surprise there.
This is just a belated little fic to celebrate Jason's birthday and because I needed good Daddy!Bats in my life.
...
Title: A Little Black Box.
Jason slipped away while the birds were busy taking care of the last goons; rounding them up and kicking guns away as they secured zip ties around the wrists of the unconscious men. Batman wasn't within his line of sight, but he still had to be around here somewhere.
There were always higher stakes when they worked to shut down big operations, but things had gone as well as could be expected in this business. Nobody had been seriously hurt, at least.
After a moment's thought, he bid Oracle a short goodbye before turning his comm off. Jason secured one of his guns in his holster, thinking about doing just a quick patrol before turning in for the night when he sensed more than heard the familiar presence behind him.
Any other day Jason would have stalked away without a word, maybe spare a hand gesture or something, but tonight he was in a good mood.
It had been a pretty great week, really. The best he had had in years maybe. And, even if he would never admit it, fighting alongside Batman and the others felt pretty damn good too. But, that didn't mean he was going to make things easy.
One of his guns was back in his hand again with a quick movement, and he held it up as if to examine it all the while making sure it was in B's line of sight. Sure, it was one of the guns filled with rubber bullets, but it was still a gun.
"Looks like you guys have everything under control for once so I'm taking off. Places to be, people to see. You know how it is."
He shot his grapple gun to a nearby building, ready to leave before B opened his mouth and ruined his good night. They may be in a better place than they had in years, but that didn't mean the arguments and fights were over.
"Jay."
He froze. That was Bruce's voice calling him, no Batman's.
"No names on the-" Jason's imitation of the Bat-growl was cut short when he turned around and saw Bruce's bare face. B freaking took off the cowl. In the middle of the street, like it didn't mean shit. What the actual fuck?!
Sure, it was dark and all the thugs were knocked out, the police still ten or fifteen minutes away because this was Gotham, but that meant shit against Bats's legendary paranoia. The man could rip anyone a new one for the most trivial thing if he perceived it as a danger to their precious secret identities.
"What the-"
"Happy Birthday," Bruce said softly, holding in his gauntleted hand a small dark box he pulled from who the fucks knew where.
Jason didn't make any move to reach for it, watching him.
So this was planned, then. He had no doubt the rest of the birds were watching the perimeter while B did whatever the fuck he thought he was doing. That at least explained a little why he even considered taking off the cowl here, even if did nothing to explain why the hell he did it.
At Jason's lack of response, Bruce crossed the distance between them on silent feet, coming to stand far too close for comfort the next time Jason blinked. He took Jason's hand in his and handed the box over, his soft dark eyes never leaving Jason's. The boy's fingers curled instinctively around the object, his mouth screwed shut.
Something like a smile tugged at the corner of Bruce's lips for a fleeting second as he squeezed Jason's shoulder, his hand lingering just a moment longer before pulling back.
"I-" Bruce pressed his lips together. "Take care of yourself, Jay."
The next time he blinked the cowl was covering Bruce's face again as he turned to walk away, disappearing among the shadows just a second later.
Jason could do nothing but look at the empty spot before him for a long time. He forced himself to move eventually, shoving the box into his jacket pocket before he could think better of it and took off.
Jason glared down at the box between his hands, eyebrows knitted together.
He was in one of his safe houses, standing in the middle of the crappy but tidy living room as he examined the box with a critical eye. His guns had been put away, his helmet and jacket discarded on the couch, and the dirty boots placed by the door to be cleaned later. He didn't go take a shower like he had planned or even grabbed something to eat from the kitchen, too distracted by the mystery object he was holding.
The box was metal, plain black and with a simple locking hatch at the side. No extra security or a silly little bat painted on it. There wasn't even a little bow on top of it. The only reason to think it was a gift would be Bruce's words.
Jason hadn't expected this. He really hadn't.
Sure, he got a nice call from Alfred early in the morning, and the birds had wished him a happy birthday each in their own way. From Dick's annoying appearance with a cupcake and a party hat on his head to Tim's equally annoying but actually useful USB stick with info on a case he was working on, handed to him without a word. He kind of liked the replacement.
But, this was different.
Bruce had done nothing to acknowledge his birthday in all the years since his return, so there had been no reason for Jason to think that was going to change this time.
Of course, there was the small detail of them being at each other's throats back when he first came back from the dead, so he really couldn't have expected Bruce to take a moment to wish him a happy birthday between their fights. Last year he made sure to be well away from Gotham the whole month, while also keeping busy to avoid any stupid thoughts.
So, this was pretty much the first time things were mostly okay between them when the date came.
He tossed the box from one hand to the other, hoping to catch any sound that could help him figure out what was inside without having to shake it against his ear like a little kid.
Jason wasn't sure how long he stood there like an idiot before dropping the box on the floor with a growl and stalking to his bedroom.
Like he cared about whatever stupid thing Bruce thought he should have.
Jason lay awake in bed, tossing and turning in all directions as he attempted to fucking go to sleep. It didn't work. Because, of course it didn't. Not like he needed sleep or anything like that.
The clock marked 4:23 AM when he finally gave up, getting out of bed with a groan and heading to the kitchen for something to drink. He wasn't sure if there was any milk he could heat so he may have to settle for water or even a beer. Whatever.
He didn't reach the kitchen. Halfway there his eyes were drawn to where he could barely see the black box still on the floor. He was moving before he could think better of it.
The box was back in his hands one more time, and Jason could do nothing but curse the man viciously.
Why did Bruce get to keep having so much power over him? Was it truly so hard to just ignore whatever he said or did and go on with his life?
He glared down at the box, willing it to just burst open so he could at least pretend he didn't have a choice.
He didn't even get that, of course.
Jason closed his eyes, his grip on the box tightening almost painfully before he finally opened it.
He blinked down at the thick dark protective padding that lined the box (because of course Bruce anticipated he wasn't going to handle it carefully) and the tiny device nestled inside. Jason knew what it was, of course, even if he had never seen one up close.
Each of the Bats had one of these little fuckers so they could get pass all the security surrounding the Manor.
Jason didn't actually need it and they both knew it, but he supposed this was just a symbolic act or some shit like that.
Like, Bats' version of trusting the house keys to the black sheep of the family in a time where they didn't use keys anymore because Bat-technology. Something Jason earned only after ten months of sticking to the sacred 'no killing rule', of course. It was just his reward for being a good boy.
He snorted at the thought. That was typical Bat bullshit.
Jason fully ignored the way his hand shook as he took the thing from its box or the tight knot he could feel forming in his stomach.
This didn't have to mean anything. He already visited the cave often enough and had been in the Manor more times in the last six months than in the years before. But it did. It meant something.
It meant being welcomed back to what had once been his home. He could now enter the Manor using the front door like the rest of the Bats instead of breaking in through a window or entering via the cave.
Of course, this was also something else to add to the list of things Jason would lose if he stepped out of line.
God fucking dammit!
Jason barely resisted the urge to throw the device against the wall. He didn't really mean to do it and he doubted B would give him a replacement so quickly, so that little show of self-control was a good thing this time.
Just once he wished something Bruce did or didn't do wouldn't cause such a fucking tornado of emotions inside him.
As if, he thought with a snort. Whatever. He should just take advantage of this while it lasted.
He could even use it tomorrow (or later today more like it) to visit Alfie. The man did promise him cake.
...
a/n: This was supposed to be a super short drabble about Bruce giving Jason a birthday gift, but then I started wondering what was in the box and so the rest was written. And yes, I'm fully ignoring the mess going on in the comics right now because that's not my Batman.
Also, a friendly reminder this story was told from Jason's POV and that he isn't always the most objective person when it comes to his relationship with the Bats. And while I agree Bruce is far from a perfect parent, and the fact Jason hadn't killed anyone for months certainly helped, the reason Bruce waited until now to do this was the fear Jason would run away. And considering the mini freak out he had here, I think we can agree it probably wasn't the worst decision he could have made.
English is not my native language, so any tips or corrections are welcome.