"Hurry up Jason!" Dick yells as he runs out through the kitchen with his arms full of boxes labeled 'dangerous, Damian keep out' in big black letters on the sides.
Jason rolls his eyes, remembering why he was here in the first place. It's almost midnight. They were all dragged from everywhere to the manor by either Dick or Alfred to celebrate with the rest of the normal people that apparently exist in the world. You know, the guys that don't risk their lives everyday doing crazy stunts off of giant buildings and fighting psycho's in the dark.
Yah - nobody in the family ever really thought about holidays until Dick dragged them all together for them. Christmas had been horrendous - new years . . . explosives and Damian and Tim and Jason all in one spot? And yah - Jason figures Dick has a secret death wish since he insists on bringing all of them together for this holiday.
On the plus side, Jason likes blowing stuff up. And he gets to do it without Bruce giving him the scowl of disapproval so - thumbs up there too.
"Hold your horses Dickie bird - why do we need like a thousand cans of soda again?" He grouches almost stumbling off the Terrence into the grass.
Tim snorts at his little slip and shuts up when Jason throws him a death glare.
"'Cuz - Steph and Tim and you drink like hoarders, last time half of us went thirsty." Dick explains calmly, adjusting like fifty rockets into launching position in record time. Flash would have been jealous.
Somewhere some over excited nut had already started shooting off fire works. They'd go off in random burst with a few minutes between each. Like early surprise celebrating. It was all Alfred could do to keep Dick from doing the same thing.
"Hey! If you're going to keep me here all night for some reason other than case studies than - at least let me drink my fill of carbonated corn syrup, ok." Tim defends and goes back to forcing a folding chair back into position. They have a perfectly good patio lounge but do they use it? Nooo, Dick insists on the regular-ness of cursed folding chairs in the grass.
"Tt - you'd fall asleep before midnight anyway Drake." Damian scoffs tottering out with his dog following behind.
Tim glares.
Jason winces.
Dick sighs and thank God, Alfred walks in before anything can get too sappy or ugly. Or both.
"I have the sandwiches Master Dick." The butler says calmly placing the platter stacked with sandwiches in a pyramid shape. Jason's eyes chili dogs. Cool - ok - he can stick around now.
"Guuuuuys!" Stephanie comes crashing through the door like a tornado - she does everything like a tornado- and shakes a paper bag upside down at them her face the picture of horror.
Cassandra's right behind her with a few plastic bags hanging from her elbows and a slightly exasperated look on her small face.
"What is it now Brown? Have you finally lost your mind completely?" Damian jabs unnecessarily and almost snorts at Tim's red faced exasperation when a folding chair nearly eats his head with a snap.
Stephanie rolls her eyes - to her credit that's all she does - Jason would have probably insulted the kids height or something. "No! I don't know where all the chips went! Cass and I went out this afternoon to buy them and they're gone! Someone ate them all! Jason - "
Jason throws up his bare hands in surrender. "Don't look at me blondie, I ain't the chip thief."
Cass smiles at him and hands him bags of snickers. "I think Tim stole them." She says calmly.
"Hey! I did not!" Tim cries out in indignation, mostly because of the war he was fighting with those damn chairs -and loosing. Damian was enjoying that.
Dick sighs loudly. "Never mind Steph - "
"You can't have new years without chips!"
"I got sparklers instead." Dick tries to distract the suffering blond.
Jason snickers as Dick throws a box at her and her face looks like a sparkler.
"Awesome!" Chips have been forgotten.
"Here." Cass hands him jelly beans.
"Seriously? Did Dick request all this stuff for real?" Jason wants to know - really.
She shakes her dark head with a ghost of a smile. "I like Jelly beans."
Jason smiles at that, a real smile - might as well have one before this years out. God knows he didn't smile much this year. "'Course you do."
"Ok, ok - everyone grab a match - it's almost time." Dick calls excitedly, like he's not almost thirty years old. Sheesh.
"New years resolutions anyone?" Barbara walks in now, Bruce is surprisingly behind her. And she looks very smug about something. Judging by the dejected look on Bruce's face - Jason guesses he was in the middle of a very important case and she's laid on the heavy guilt tripping to get him up here. Nice.
"I want a new car!" Steph says instantly. Her eyes subtly flickering to Bruce who sighs. "I know I have an awesome Batgirl cycle but - a car for everyday life would be nice. I hate the bus."
Jason nods. "Sounds fair - "
"I want Drake to move to the other side of the world - but -" Damian ignores Tim's death glare. "Father won't like that so - I'll settle for an elephant."
Bruce lets out an exasperated groan. "Damian - you aren't - we can't get an elephant. Where would we put it?" He says calmly.
Jason almost laughs at how obvious his tone is. Like, it's possible to get an elephant if they had room for it. Spoiled little brat.
Damian turns up his nose and scratches Titan behind his ears. "We'll think of something."
Tim scoffs. "Well - I want - "
"Don't say more coffee." Steph butts in.
Tim glares at her. "No - I was going to say a new utility belt and access to my own satellite."
Yah - figures.
Barbara laughs at that. "I think I could help out." She grins at the tired youth. Tim looks grateful.
"I for one wish everyone to be safe and come home more often." Alfred says easily - nobody else can say that and get away with not sounding sappy. Only good ol' Al.
"I want more cases settled, less people dead." Bruce adds flatly as he sinks into a dangerous looking open chair.
Dick brightens. "Good one. A little out of our control but - yah - ok, I wish this year we could . . . go on like a vacation but without a secret motive for it or somebody trying to kill us or a drug ring to disband. Just a normal vacation with all of us." Somehow that seemed even more impossible than Bruce's resolution.
"It's a nice thought Dick." Barbara smiles gently at him and reaches for his hand. "I think I'd like to do something normal this year too." She pinches her lips in thought. "Maye I'll take up sewing."
Nobody dares laughs at that.
Cass nods fondly. "I want to read more books. Bigger ones." Simple if you aren't Cassandra. She's really stepping up here.
Then it goes silent.
Jason realizes - they're waiting for him. Oh - oh yah . . . great um, he hasn't given this much thought.
"Um - well - " He could always go for something cliché like finding love or whatever but - Dick would never let it go. "Ok - " He wracks his brain . . . he's basically lived his life up until now wondering if he'd make it until tomorrow - he never thinks far ahead. He's just surprised he's seeing another year which is honestly . . . kind of sad.
But he wasn't the dwelling type.
"Here's to another year of being us." He says instead. Because that's all they're really gonna accomplish. Being them. Being crazy, broken, patched together but - them.
Surprisingly Jason sees a look of understanding and agreement in all of their faces. They get it. And they don't need to say anything either.
"11: 42!" Tim calls, dropping his phone.
Dick almost giggles and passes the matches quickly. Barbara laughs as she helps Alfred move all the snacks to a makeshift campfire and they all gather around, Steph handing Damian and Cass sparklers that light up and fizzle into the dark brisk air. Alfred promptly turns off all the lights and they each pick a fire work. Some weirdo's are still shooting off at random moments. Jason watches Dick's hands shake in excitement. Bird boy really does love this. Maybe he was happy they lived another year too.
Maybe they all were kind of relieved.
Well - here's to another year of gore, blood, fights, arguing and healing together or apart. As long as they all come back here in the end.
"Five."
"Four."
"Three."
"Two."
"One! Happy New Yeeear!" They all shout in variouse tones and the fireworks are lit. The entire sky is filled with mildly dangerous but plenty pretty explosions for the next ten minutes and -
Well - Jason isn't going to say it out loud but - he's glad Dick makes them do this stuff after all.
Last story of 2018 *tears* where has the time gone.
I hope your new year is better than your last!
Thanks to all who read my stories this year!
Look forward to seeing you all in the next!