He was asleep, and that's when Dick liked to watch him.
Jason turned over in his sleep and groaned, mumbling. Looking at him as he slept made it hard to tell he was seventeen, but Dick knew better than to argue with him at that. Jason knew what Jason knew and there was no telling him otherwise.
When he'd finally settled in to Dick's home and life, the older man had gone searching for Jason's past to no avail. There was no record of his birth and he was not in the system. Dick himself got that taken care of, and Jason's birthday was listed there was December 24th, which is one thing Jason did know was true.
Still, he wanted to know more, to be sure Jason wouldn't be taken away from him.
"Gluhh…," came the moan and then Jason reached out to touch him, finding Dick's hand and then blinking his eyes open.
"Good morning, Sunshine."
Jason stuck out his tongue. "It's not morning yet. Is it?"
"It's seven forty-five."
Jason closed his eyes and groaned, loudly. He didn't let go of Dick's hand and Dick didn't either.
"I hate Mondays."
"You hate every morning."
The young man opened one eye and grinned. "Yesterday morning was pretty nice, though. Why didn't you wake me up like that, again?"
Dick smirked. "I wanted to kiss you awake again but seeing as how you attacked me quite a few times during the night for touching you, I didn't want to get a black eye in return. Bringing work home now?"
Jason took their joined hands and kissed Dick's knuckles. "Sorry. I was dreaming about me and Terry again."
Me and Terry. The phrase was becoming a constant since their introduction, and it was getting to Dick more than he liked. But he didn't voice his aversion to it, only smiled and nodded along with the stories, the outings, and the makings of a partnership.
He wondered if Bruce felt the same way, or if he was more supportive than jealous.
"What about?"
"Fighting Jokers and stuff. Also this new maneuver on the bike that we tried out last night. It was pretty schway. I…"
Dick leaned in to kiss him softly and cut him off, which proved to be the only effective method to combat this kind of talk.
Jason pulled him in, like always, and the kissed for some time, until Dick's hands started to wander and Jason pushed him off, panting.
"I….not….um…."
He kissed Jason's forehead. "It's all right. I'm ready when you are."
Jason closed his eyes. "I love you."
Dick felt his heart ache. "I know."
His head refused to let his heart express the same, even though he longed to. There was no way he would, because this would all end sooner or later.
It always did.
There was one area of life that Bruce Wayne prided himself on, and that was discipline.
Which was why while Terry kissed him soundly every morning, laughing and trying to get him to blush, he kissed back, forcing himself not to show as much emotion as he wanted.
Because it was always better to love someone more than they loved you, but he refused to let Terry know that he was the hopeless one, the one who would give up completely when Terry got old enough to realize the mistake he'd made.
Old men do not fall in love with young men and get to have their desires fulfilled, but in his case, God smiled on them. For now.
Terry was going through the morning wake up routine, kissing him, and he held on tightly to Terry's back, pulling a bit on the younger man's hair and making Terry growl.
"Ow."
"Serves you right. I'm an old man, another morning like this and I'll have a heart attack."
Terry grinned and kissed him quick. "Shut up."
Terry laid his head on Bruce's chest, sighing. "I missed this. School is boring and I hate living there."
"One year."
"I know. One year in the dorms, and then I can move here. You promised. No changing your mind next September."
Bruce ran his fingers through Terry's hair. "I won't. I want you to experience everything you are due."
"Hmm…oh, did I tell you? Jason and I did this really schway maneuver with the bike last night where he…"
Bruce tuned it out, having heard the story already and having had enough of the new adventures of the Dynamic Duo, Batman and Robin. He had been there; Terry more often than not forgot the fact Bruce could see him on his patrols.
He'd also been witness to their playful banter, in jokes, and constant touching. Shoulders, hands, arms.
Yes, he'd been there.
If he were less disciplined man, he'd have calibrated the suit to electrocute anyone who touched it, but since he was versed in all kinds of discipline, he'd only thought of a way.
There was something to be said about acting out contingency plans in your head before implementing them.
"Bruce, are you listening?"
"Hmm? Oh, yes. Motorcycles."
"You heard me say it already, huh?"
"Twice last night, while you were eating."
"Oh. Sorry. It was pretty cool."
"Hmm."
Terry sat up, watching him. "I'm talking about Jason a lot, huh? Does it bother you?"
Bruce reached out to lay his hand on Terry's cheek, and Terry leaned into his touch.
"No, not at all."
