To Steal a Rose

by Ephy

In fairy tales, Stockholm syndrome doesn't exist… But then, this is Gotham. Do you really believe fairies are *nice* here? -Jason Todd/Lex Luthor, Dick Grayson/Bruce Wayne. Like a fairy tale, part1.

1. Damsel in Distress

Warning: Alternated verse, Dub con, Stockholm syndrome, Underage

Characters: Jason Todd, Lex Luthor, Tim Drake, Bruce Wayne, Dick Grayson, Clark Kent, Conner Kent

Chapter 1 – Damsel in Distress

Fairies eat babies. Well, if they existed in Gotham they totally would, wouldn't they? Granting wishes is overrated.

(There actually is an urban legend about dark fairies who take mean children from their beds. It's merely used by nannies to calm children down. Or so people think. I mean, how many legends didn't gothamites see come to life?)

And yet. Who believes in fairies nowadays? No one! And it's a pity. I just love fairy tales.

In fairy tale, when a princess is kidnapped, it's either by a bad guy or by a good guy with whom they will eventually find True Love.

You don't believe me? Ever heard of the Beauty and the Beast? That's what I thought.

(And don't let me start on how originally, the Sleeping Beauty's step mother was an ogress who tried to eat her children. I love twisted tales.)

Where was I? Ah, yes! True Love. Believe it or not, that's exactly what happened to me.

Well. You know. "Exactly".

After all, in fairy tales, Stockholm syndrome doesn't exist.

I'm not a fairy (though some might call me exactly that!), but this is my tale.

sososo

Jason was starting to go past anger to enter the gloomy valley of boredom.

He'd woken up three hours ago in a closed room with no windows. His utility belt hadn't been taken away but none of his tools seemed to work on the fucking door – or on the walls, for that matter. There was a cam' in the up-left corner, which he didn't manage to stop, hack or destroy, even with the glue he usually used specifically to disable those shits.

His com' only produced static. Considering the tech level of Bruce's toys, it probably was armoured concrete all around.

He almost felt flattered. He wasn't a metahuman and yet, they took drastic measures to make sure he wouldn't be able to flee.

But for crying out loud, what the hell was the supervillain waiting for? And he hoped it was a supervillain because it would be a disgrace to be caught by anything else. He didn't even remember what had happened: there'd been patrol, then black, then – the room. He'd probably been gazed right on the roof where he was standing.

Jason sighed and went around the cell for the umpteenth time. He was getting out of ideas.

At least the bed was comfortable?

Not that he was worried or anything, but whoever kidnapped him looked professional. The room was a perfect containment place. They didn't reduce security because he was a kid or for some other stupid reason. And they were waiting for him to get angry, which was always a good technique when one wanted information: it destabilized the vic'.

His only chance was either for Bruce to find him – no way he'd wait for that! – or for him to get out when Big Supervillain would show up and open the door.

If he came alone, or with a clumsy bodyguard.

Damnit.

Being abducted was one of the downsides of being Robin, or so Dick told him. Jason never quite accepted it would be his fate as much as it had been his predecessor's: a sidekick he might be, but he was Batman's sidekick, he was worth more than that!

And yet.

The door opened silently; Jason jumped on his feet. When he recognized the person entering the room, he all but squealed.

Lex Luthor addressed him a cold smile while getting in, Mercy Grave on his heels.

Shit.

Bruce had had him memorized all major supervillains files – yeah, even from those who weren't crazy enough to ever put foot in Gotham – and while being 100% human, Luthor's bodyguard was actually on the red list. The one Jason was supposed to run away off on sight.

And, of course, so was the man himself.

"Luthor. I didn't know you were into kidnapping."

"Your adoptive father is very, very annoying", Luthor said carelessly. "I thought I'd distract him from wasting my time."

Jason fought back the urge to check if his mask was still on: it was. Luthor probably just assumed Batman was Robin's father and knew enough to note there had been more than one, hence the adoption hypothesis. Not reacting was the best way not to give in any information.

Luthor was filed in the Batcomputer as likely to know, but still.

Jason raised his eyebrows.

"Distract him? By kidnapping me? Do you realize he's going to be even worse after he finds out?"

Somehow, Luthor's smile managed to become even more irking.

"That's why I left your corpse behind."

Jason's heart missed a beat.

"What do you mean my corpse?"

"Grief is a very effective distraction. Your body has been found earlier today and I'm sure Bruce would have run all necessary tests by now. DNA might take a few more days to kick in, but…"

"It's impossible, I'm right here!"

Luthor smiled kindly, the jerk. Jason tried to fight back panic – and, incidentally, get over the fact he just called Bruce by his name.

So he did know. And that didn't matter at all because Bruce thought he was dead! What the fuck was wrong with that guy!? That couldn't be happening, it was insane – and he was a gothamite, born and raised, he knew insane when he saw it.

"I'm sure you heard about Bizarro", Luthor said in that insufferable posh' tone of his.

"Superman's clone? Who didn't hear about… You meant you cloned me!? But Bizarro is all weird, Batman wouldn't be fooled by such a thing!"

"All problem related to Bizarro's nature are linked to the difficulty to clone kryptonian genes", Luthor pointed out.

Jason turned livid. If Luthor had been good enough to clone a kryptonian, the only one to succeed so far, of course cloning a mere human would be easy for him. Especially if the clone wouldn't need to actually be alive and was to be found in the midst of an explosion somewhere.

Right behind the supervillain, Graves kept staring at him, not leaving him any opening. She wouldn't miss him if she tried to shot him. He wasn't getting out anytime soon.

Shit. Shit, shit, shit.

"How long do you intend to play this joke?" Jason finally asked.

"I don't intend to stop."

"Don't shit me", Jason spat. "If you didn't, you'd just kill me."

Luthor actually looked pleased at that.

"I might need to have a wild card in hand if I ever… vex Batman. And if I never do… Well. I don't kill children but you're 15, are you not? You'll turn 18 in a few years. My scruples should have calmed down at that point."

… Seriously? Luthor was telling him that, except if he'd really screw up – something Luthor never did or he would be in prison by nom – he, Jason, would spend his next three years in this place, only to be killed afterwards?

"I see we understand each other", Luthor beamed.

Jason pushed the panic back, only allowing himself to rage. He smirked.

"You don't know what's coming for you. But that was a good try, fucker."

"You are so deep underground that Superman couldn't hear you scream, let alone Bruce's computer get the signal of your tracers. And the last few hours proved you aren't able to break out by yourself."

Jason's smirk widened.

"Oh, that's not what I meant. He'll grieve alright. And you will be sorry that he does, because without his Robin, Luthor, Batman doesn't have to stop at anything."

"Let him rage", Luthor said, dismissive. "He won't be able to think."

"You're underestimating him. Put another penny and play again, asshole."

To hell Graves and her gun! He wasn't going to just wait and a fluid movement, Jason attacked – the gun went off – then the dark.

sososo

The view form Lex Luthor's office was astounding: Metropolis laid at the window, surrounding the tower like a city should its lord's castle. On winters' clear days, one could spot Superman wherever he was flying around.

Or shot him with a kryptonite riffle.

"I don't like it."

Lex glanced at Mercy over his shoulder.

"Everything is going according to plan."

A plan she had validated, as his head of security. She pursed her lips. Lex looked back at the city, knowing why she was so miffed.

She didn't like children and she didn't like having dangerous individuals around. Even in closed cells. People tended to suddenly grow superpowers for no apparent reason those last few years.

Jason Todd was both a child and dangerous.

He conveyed a barely bottled rage probably acquired during his years in the streets. Because of if, he would likely have met either a lifetime in prison or an early death, had he not been adopted.

His training with Bruce hadn't given him nearly enough discipline to master that anger. Instead, it had handed him better tools to reach his goals – goals induced by said anger.

Thankfully, Lex doubted any of those was more structured than "punching people in the face". Yet. Bruce had failed to give him purpose.

Mhh. Maybe he could work with that.

"Why did you tell him you were going to kill him?" Mercy asked.

She certainly didn't blink, more disturbed by his lie than by his possibly murderous intentions. It wasn't her place to ask but he could humor her.

"I don't want him to hope to get out someday."

He could have heard her frown.

"He wouldn't have expected me to keep him locked in ad vitam aeternam", he elaborated. "And since I barely operate in Gotham at all, Bruce wouldn't have given him a detailed explanation about my usual goals."

That much was obvious, since the child seemed to think he would stop at killing him just because he was underage. For a street kid, he had lot to learn yet.

"So. How long do you think before he disables one of the guards?"

He didn't have to turn around to know Mercy was frowning. She'd taken care of the security details herself.

"A week", she answered at last. "Maybe three days."

Lex smiled at his own reflection on the glass. Good. He had been bored for too long. If the child could entertain him, maybe he would amend his plans regarding his future.

sososo

Jason came back to himself in the very same room, without much more than a bruise. The bitch had used a tranq' gun. Well, that was better than ending up with a bullet in the head.

He struggled, then realized he wasn't wearing his mask anymore. He sat down in a jump. His belt was missing too. And, after a quick check, all of his tools.

So they'd taken his weapons away this time. They probably hadn't the first time just so he would know he couldn't escape even with them, to induce he would be even less capable now that he was left without.

Yeah, right. Like that would stop him from trying again.

He got up. Since Luthor had taken the mask, Jason hoped he'd get some pants. What 12-years-old Dick Grayson had considered trendy ten years ago could be labeled as eccentric at the very best – and Jason didn't do eccentric. Pixie boots, seriously.

Alright, so security was good. But it couldn't be perfect.

The bed was bolted to the ground. No sheet. Table and chair, bolted too. No other furniture. No windows, of course; the only exit was the door. There was but a small aeration pipe on the top left corner of the room, way too small for Jason to slip inside even if he'd been able to open it. But at some point, someone would have to come in order to bring him food or something.

Jason snorted.

He didn't wait for long. An hour later, he heard noise in the corridor. He prepared himself to attack, waiting for the door to open…

When it did, a damn android came in – and the military kind.

"What the fuck…"

Those didn't do mistakes, they wouldn't fall for an act, they wouldn't think he was just a child, and they sure as hell would be hard to disable. Shit. And fuck Luthor and his damn brain.

"Enjoy-your-meal, Robin", the android said in a mechanic voice, putting a plate with food on the table.

"If-you-need-anything, we-are-programmed-to-answer-to-your-needs", a second android said, from the door.

There was a third one waiting in the corridor. Alright, they weren't underestimating him. He should feel flattered but that was actually getting on his nerves.

"Everything I need, huh?" Jason didn't make a sex joke – no one was there to appreciate it – and went to the point. "Get me out."

"I-am-afraid-I-can't-do-that, Robin."

"I'd figured." Screw them. "Can I have clothes?"

"Clothes-will-be-provided-with-next-meal", the android agreed.

"Avoid colorful ones", Jason added. Better to be prudent. If Luthor happened to have a sense of humor, he might keep dressing him in green and red. "Blue, gray, black."

"Your-request-has-been-noted."

Which wasn't a yes. Jason glared.

The android couldn't care less.

"Enjoy-your-meal."

It turned to get out.

That was the opportunity Jason had been waiting for. He didn't miss it.

He kicked the android out of balance and used its own weight to crash it on the wall, then tensed as if to attack the one out the door. It reacted as planned, firing its laser. Jason jumped on the one he'd put to the ground like on a trampoline, pushing it back down, and retreated into the cell.

It didn't have the time to move away; the laser cut into its armor. Jason grabbed the now unprotected circuits and pulled, disabling it permanently. He dodged the second android which was trying to catch his arm and found himself in the corridor.

Between the two remaining androids, both pointing their guns at him.

Shit.

"Please-go-back-to-your-room."

"Go to hell!"

But, hey. They did have guns. Jason glared at them again and went back in. The fried robot was still lying on the ground; they dragged it outside as they left.

Jason sat down at the table and started eating. Missing an opportunity to get food in your stomach was unthinkable when you knew what hunger really meant. The meal was actually good, though not as good as Alfred's. Still better than he'd expected, being a prisoner and all.

He was finishing when the door opened to let Luthor in.

"I heard you destroyed one of my androids." He said, eyebrows raised. "Not that I care, but those cost several thousand dollars. Thank you for testing them for me, by the way."

Jason smirked. He couldn't stand the damn smell of him.

"You'll be given access to a training room", Luthor continued. "That should provide you with the opportunity to destroy more affordable material."

And as many openings to get away. Jason smirk widened. That would do it.

sososo

The Batman was angry. He was angry, and grieving. Tim didn't quite know what to do about that; he was just a fanboy among so many. Alright, he knew Batman's identity, but still…

Jason Todd was dead.

Tim had attended his funeral, hidden among the crowd. His parents had received an invitation anyway, like most upper-class gothamites. They didn't come – they were in Brazil – but no one noticed Tim had been alone with so many people around.

He'd recognized a few people – Clark Kent, Diana Price, Jim Gordon and his daughter, Barbara. Tim had noted Dick Grayson's odd absence, but then again perhaps he had been off world. Tim had heard something had happened involving the Titans, but didn't manage to find out what just yet.

It had been sad. Of course, funeral always were, but here… Tim had noted how Bruce's friends where there to support him, not to cry themselves. No one had, actually. It wasn't Bruce's of Alfred's type.

Perhaps it was just because they were all so strong. But still…

Tim sighed. He didn't know what to do. He just had to do something.

Perhaps he should talk with Dick Grayson when he would be back on Earth. Batman was alone and grieving – and he needed his Robin.

sososo

Ah, yes. I'm sure you all know how that ended up. Most people were really happy about it – but some… Well.

Anyway, this only became important later. At this point, getting what happened between dear old Lex and bratty Jason is much funnier.

sososo

The training room was great. Jason could concede as much to Luthor: the guy was only content with the best.

Jason had unfortunately been moved to another cell, right in front of the room. He'd still have an opening each time the androids would escort him across the corridor.

In the meantime, he could enjoy himself.

One of the walls was made of glass, probably unbreakable. Well, one had to check, right? Jason punched it, then kicked it. The sneakers provided by the androids were more comfortable than the pixie boots Dick had chosen for his costume, but they were still very far from the combat boots Jason favored. Anyway, they were enough of a test to know he wasn't able to break the glass by himself.

So he started looking around to find some tool he might use.

The heavy weight machines were, of course, bolted to the ground. The rest of the available material was either useless – carpets and stuff – or firmly tied to a wall – skipping ropes and dumbbells. He spent a solid hour trying to untie one but the metallic ropes were too hard to bend and he didn't manage to unknot a single one of them.

When his fingers started hurting too much, he decided he could take a break and went through some katas. After all, he needed to stay in shape if he wanted a chance to run away.

He was barely starting to relax when he saw Luthor coming in on the other side of the glass. The man casted him a glance then just sat down and opened his newspaper to read it. Graves settled on a chair next to the door.

They must be fucking kidding him.

"What the hell are you doing there?"

"Reading, obviously."

"You can go somewhere else!"

Luthor ignored him and kept reading. Jason resumed training, observing him from the corner of his eye. He was sure the supervillain was doing the same. He felt the weight of his attention.

He didn't like it.

sososo

The next day, Luthor came in the afternoon. Jason ignored him.

sososo

The next day, he was there again. And the next.

sososo

This was starting to be really unnerving. He wasn't a pet in a zoo!

How the hell did Luthor find so much time to spend in there? Of course he could work at that desk he'd installed behind the glass as well as at his office's, but still.

They had to be in one of the main Lexcorp facilities.

Which meant Jason was in the middle of Metropolis, right under Superman's nose, and yet no one seemed to notice. Not that he'd expect anything better from Kal-I'm-a-judgmental-ass-El, who wasn't even able to stop his own damn nemesis.

sososo

Jason finished his kata's last movement – and jumped. Luthor was right in front of him, behind the glass, observing him.

"Do you want to give me a heart attack!?" Jason blurted before realizing he'd just broken the silence.

Luthor smirked.

"I'll make sure to warn you next time."

Jason turned away from him, furious against himself.

sososo

The next day, Luthor greeted him when he arrived. Jason didn't answer.

"Your burial has been lovely", Luthor said, reading his paper. "Pity your brother couldn't make it."

Jason had seen the big photograph on the front-page. It was the Gotham Gazette, not the usual Economic Times or Daily Planet. And it was outdated. The jerk had brought it just to show him how everyone really believed him dead.

He didn't care to answer, punching the sandbag instead.

He was starting to get really, really sick of seeing Luthor. There was no other fucking human being around – Graves definitively didn't count – and that got on his nerves almost as much as being closed in.

And now that Luthor finally started talking, he was being an ass.

"Batman was a bit too preoccupied today to spot my last evil plan near Gotham", he added. "Apparently, grief is still ongoing."

Alright, maybe he didn't use words like "evil plan" but that was close enough as far as Jason was concerned. He didn't care about what Luthor was doing and he really didn't want to listen to his banter.

What he wanted was to fucking punch him.

sososo

Lex found fascinating how the child was fighting against human nature. Most people, being secluded, would try to talk to their jailor, to reach to his compassion, or even just to share a conversation.

But not Jason Todd. Jason Todd tried to ignore him.

Of course, that was bound to fail in the long run but that he actually tried was… interesting. Lex did his best to make it difficult and went to watch him at every other occasion. It had however taken several weeks for the child to finally acknowledge him, and only by mistake.

Lex had been bored for a long time. He was glad to finally get a new pet project to work on.

Since the child tended to anger easily, he decided to provoke him. It worked well enough but Todd apparently had learnt more discipline than Lex had given him credit for. He was able to report his rage on suitable targets, such as the training room's sandbag. This display of – limited – self-control pleased Lex. He wouldn't have been worth his time if he had broken so easily.

The child was still, however, a child. Lex had manipulated grown men into doing what he wanted.

He irritated him in many ways, not even trying to be subtle. Since he was the only available human being – Mercy had taken care to be as talkative as a prison door when they were downstairs – Todd didn't have the occasion to release his anger on anyone else but Lex. Moreover, Lex took care to push him the most little before his time in the training room was over, to make sure he wouldn't even have the space to let it go, fuming in his little cell.

And that worked. Though he still avoided talking to him, Jason Todd was done ignoring him, now.

When he was sure the child was ready, he sent Mercy away and stepped inside the other half of the room.

sososo

With Luthor entering the training room, Jason ought to be wary, or careful at the very least. He did take the time to check that Graves wasn't around but when he saw she wasn't – he didn't hesitate. His fist hit Luthor's jaw with a satisfying crack.

A punch caught his face in retaliation. Astonished, he kicked Luthor away and took some distance. What the hell!? The guy was supposed to rely on robotics and bodyguards to defend himself, not to know how to fight!

The supervillain smirked at him. He had a scratch on the jaw where Jason's blow had landed but looked more amused than annoyed.

Now, what could Jason do but smirk back – and attack?

Luthor blocked him. Being an adult, the jerk was more massive than Jason. He also obviously had martial arts training though he was far from Bruce's skill level.

Rich boy fancying himself a fighter, huh? Well, that was going to end quickly.

Jason played on his speed to land a few blows on Luthor's flank, then quickly turned on himself to aim at his knee in a vicious kick that had nothing to do with Bruce's training and everything with the years he'd spent on the streets.

Luthor gripped his ankle at mid-movement and twisted it, making him loose his balance. He fell on the floor with a yelp.

"Underestimating your opponent, Robin?" Luthor mocked.

Jason glared.

"Fuck yourself!"

"I'm a bit rusty, what with being a genius who got into university at 15. But I'm from the Suicide Slums."

The supervillain's smile was now more predatory than sarcastic. Jason snorted. So, the man wasn't born in the upper class.

"Aw, please, tell me more about your sob story."

Not waiting for an answer, Jason attacked again, careful this time. No way would the old man be able to block his blows for long, not if he really meant it. He landed one on his spleen, then another on his fucking smiling face. Why was he still smiling!?

"With pleasure", Luthor said. "It taught me a great many things. First, that junkie parents are better off drowned in Metropolis' river." Jason almost lost his focus at that, which explained what happened next. "Second, that scruples are for the weak."

The man got a goddamn Taser out of his suit's pocket and hit Jason before he could get away. Jason let himself fall on the ground to roll away from him. That put a few feet between them but when he tried to get up, he just fell back on the ground. His muscles ached with the drain caused by the electric charge.

He managed to get on his knees and glared.

"And third, 'don't bring a knife to a knife fight, bring a damn gun'", Luthor concluded. "Though in this specific case, a Taser looked like more than enough."

Fuck him. Jason almost wanted to yell that this was cheating but, hey, he had lived in the streets as well. Luthor was right. Denying oneself an advantage was just plain stupid.

Jason lips twisted in a savage smile.

Then, he noted something else. There was still blood on Luthor's cheek right where the scratch had been – but the scratch itself had disappeared. What the hell…?

"Nanomachines", the supervillain answered to his unasked question.

Now that was… fascinating. But no way Luthor would tell him anything about it, right?

Well, Jason had nothing to lose by trying.

"How does it work?"

"Simply put, it knit the cells back. I'm quite proud of that particular invention."

Proud of that particular invention, fucking jerk. Of course the damn supervillain would be able to be the CEO of one of the country's major company, a multi-powered freak's nemesis, and still find time to develop out of the box tech.

"Don't you have people to invent things for you?" he spat.

Luthor looked disappointed.

"Jason, how do you think I dragged myself out of the Slums?"

His tone irked the teenager. He sounded like Bruce, except Bruce had the right to talk to him like that.

"And I asked how it worked, not what it did", Jason pointed out, leaning on the wall to get back on his feet despite his shaking limbs.

Luthor gauged him, as if wondering if he was able to understand. Jason glared.

Then, to his surprise, Luthor nodded.

"We'll talk about that again tomorrow. Except if you hope to get detailed explanations about the last cutting-edge Lexcorp technology from scratch?"

Jason snorted and didn't reply to that. Of course he wouldn't. But being ignorant didn't mean he was stupid!

Luthor looked amused by his determination.

"Very well. I'd suggest you to go back to your cell and sleep; I'll send a few android to escort you. You will need those muscles to work if you want to learn anything."

On those words, he left, leaving a raging Jason behind.

sososo

Jason had hoped Luthor would actually show him something interesting. He'd intended to ask about the nanomachines, their possible applications, their cost, their complexity, about how they could be made cheap enough to reach the market…

Why had he been so retarded? The supervillain came back the next day with books.

Books!

Jason casted him a dirty look and took the first one presented by the android – Luthor was back behind the glass. Well. At least they were about electronic theory. And he did like electronics. He knew a bit about how those things worked.

It had started as survival skill, to get inside some buildings to find shelter or food. Since he'd liked it, he had tried to learn more about it when Bruce had taken him in. Unfortunately, it had been too hard for him to continue. The manor's library books weren't meant for street kids. Bruce himself didn't see any interest in teaching him and advised him to concentrate on catching up the actual school program.

He'd been right. Jason had left school when he ended up in the streets at 10 and had had a hard time going back. He'd hated being closed inside the whole day with younger kids and judgmental adults who thought he was stupid because he was late.

And he hated having to learn in books.

"What the hell am I supposed to do with that?"

"I'm sure you can figure it out", Luthor answered. "You open it and look at the pretty letters. They form words. You don't need me to bring you a dictionary as well, do you?"

The fucking supergenius could fucking bite him.

"Stop whining." Luthor opened his laptop. "You wanted to know how nanomachine worked? Study the basics, then we'll see. It's not like you don't have time to kill."

"You overestimate my curiosity", Jason hissed.

Luthor started to work, ignoring him. The android left the books on a desk that had appeared in the gym overnight – and been bolted to the ground, of course. Jason glared at the glass and went back to his training tools. Maybe if he imagined Luthor's face on the punching ball, that would make him feel better.

Two hours later, his muscles started to ache, as usual. Luthor had moved away from his computer to pick up his phone. Jason couldn't hear a word he said: the glass could apparently be turned soundproof as well.

Jason kept punching.

One more hour and he was out of breath. He ought to stop: he couldn't take the risk to tear a muscle. Luthor would probably provide with medical facilities but – just no way.

The books were laying on the desk.

Jason showered. Everything was automated. There was no mirror, nothing he could use as a weapon. He had almost broken a bone when he had tried to get a tile out of the concrete. Even to dry he didn't have a towel but hot airing which did the work effectively without giving him any tool to work with. When he had to shave – which wasn't nearly every day yet – an android took care of it while Jason's hands were tied in his back.

Well, at least, he didn't have to stay all sweaty.

Jason looked at the gym, exhausted. He might train again later in the evening. Until then…

He sighed, and sat at the desk.

sososo

Lex could feel Mercy staring at him. Annoyed, he kept reading the last lab reports on the new armor suit LexCorp was going to provide to the US army.

Then, he thought that might be about the child, and glanced up.

"What?" he barked, still irritated at the interruption.

"Todd tried to talk to me."

Lex blinked at that. Since his arrival, the child had tried to ignore Lex, of course – but Mercy… He looked at her exactly the same way he looked at the androids. Which was wise. Mercy was both more dangerous and less corruptible than them.

"What did he say?"

"'What the hell does he want from me?'" she quoted, with a very good reproduction of the teenager's rasp consonants.

Lex raised his eyebrows.

"What did you answer?"

"I didn't."

Lex couldn't stop the smile to stretch his lips at that answer. Mercy's absence of reaction had been, of course, the correct way to handle this. Lex didn't want the child to consider her a potential help, even just to get useless information about his intentions toward him.

"He's been here for two months now", he stated. "What do you think of him?"

"He's dangerous."

Count on Mercy to point out what irked her most first. Lex waited for her to elaborate.

"He fights well", she admitted with despise. "And he's studying."

"Though he loathes that."

She thought for a moment.

"He might think himself incompetent in that regard."

The idea startled Lex. Most people considered themselves much more intelligent than they were, he knew, and the child had always seemed to know exactly what he was worth. However…

Bruce was a genius by most standards. Dick Grayson, though far from being as intelligent as his former mentor, was also not entirely stupid and the leader of his team. The other few allies Bruce would accept around him from time to time, such as Barbara Gordon, were far beyond average.

Would it be possible that Jason Todd didn't realize that so was he?

Would it be possible that Bruce didn't either? Actually, that sounded so much like him.

"He was still one year late at school", he mentioned out loud.

She didn't have to check the file to nod a confirmation.

"And his grades were far from perfect", she pointed out. "Failing in two classes, only one or two Bs to balance it, mostly Ds and Cs."

Ah, yes, and then…

"What were Grayson's results at the same age?"

This time, she had to double check on her computer, but only for precision's sake.

"One B minus in science which you noted being linked to a case going wrong", she said. "Only As on the other classes."

Lex shook his head. People tended to give too much credit to the national education system which was, after all, only suited to the average teenagers, leaving out too many people with more specific skills.

"None of the books we gave him were rated as a specific school level, were they?"

Mercy glared at him. Of course they weren't. The child didn't realize they were above his grade – not by much, not yet, but enough so for it to be pertinent. Especially since he was mostly left to his own device, only asking questions when he felt the need to. Usually not stupid ones.

"Let's keep it that way."

"Of course, Lex."

Lex smiled then went back to the document his R&D team sent him, reviewing their plans while he was reading. The child kept being entertaining, which was a good thing.

Maybe there was more to him than just a sidekick.

sososo

For weeks and weeks Jason didn't do anything else. It almost became a routine, which infuriated him more than anything else. Get up, eat, train, shower, study, try to escape, sleep.

Jason didn't even like to read. He just had nothing else to do. And maybe the books were interesting.

Sometimes, he'd ignore Luthor for several days straight. But he always ended up talking to him. There was no one else to talk to.

At least, he could bitch at the guy. When he pointed out how obscure some of the theory was, he sometimes managed to annoy Luthor enough for him to get away from his screen and give some explanation.

He wasn't a bad teacher but always talked so theoretically. Jason brain was about to explode.

"Can't you just show me!?" he ended up asking, his blood pounding at his temples.

The training room's door opened. Jason was so surprised he didn't even take the chance to attack – last time he had, Graves had intervened even before he could reach him anyway. She wasn't there right now but the androids could be just as quick.

"Over here."

And at this point, Jason just wanted to see something else than the gym and his damn cell. He followed Luthor in the corridors, two androids behind them. They crossed a few doors – all secured. On each of them, Jason noted several cameras and a fingerprint screen in addition to the code. He still took good note of the numbers Luthor typed, just in case.

Then, they arrived in a lab.

It definitively was a lab, or perhaps a workshop, though it was much less organized than anything he'd expected from Luthor. Bits and pieces of tech were lying around in boxes, apparently where they'd been needed last. Half-finished machines were aligned on the selves. The android he'd destroyed was lying in a corner. On a table, a robotic hand was connected to some kind of generator.

Jason gaped. He felt like the first time he'd stepped into theCave.

"I don't even want to know how much all this cost", Jason grumbled, walking to the hand to take a better look.

"A few billion dollars, R&D included."

Jason let out a strangled noise. Several billion dollars!? Alright, Luthor was rich, but…

"That's a waste", he said.

"That's practice."

Luthor unplugged the half-finished hand and sat down to resume working on it. He reached for his tools without looking at them, apparently knowing exactly where everything was in the room. Jason had expected him to give some explanation – but he was used by now to Luthor not meeting his expectation.

After a while, he dragged another chair to the desk and sat down to watch.

Luthor's movements were easy. He didn't seem to think while working but Jason was starting to get exactly how intelligent the man was. He was used at being around geniuses like Bruce and Babs. But this was something else entirely.

"There's one finished in the second drawer at your left", Luthor said.

Jason went to take it. Luthor ignored him, so he guessed he could play with it. Well. It sure was more interesting than a freaking book. He took the time to select several screwdrivers and started putting it apart.

Hours passed quietly. From time to time, he would watch Luthor assemble a more complex part. Then Jason would disassemble the same part on the arm he was working on. It was much easier after having observed how it was done in the first place.

It was fascinating to see such a high tech item stripped to its most elemental pieces. It almost looked like it was possible to make one at home. Which was stupid: you needed specific microchips for it to work, not merely bare metal and wires. But still.

After a while, Jason tried to reassemble some parts. It wasn't easy; he was breaking the material while manipulating it. He probably had broken it when he'd put it apart in the first place. The hand would never work now – but if he got another one, well, maybe he'd be able to disassemble it properly, this time.

"Robotics", Luthor said. "My hobby."

Jason winced. He'd almost forgotten the supervillain was there. And, apparently, the guy had been watching him. Again.

"Rich boy hobby", he gritted, annoyed at himself. Bruce would have his head for loosing focus like that. He had left himself vulnerable to an attack. He wasn't even trying to get away.

Shit.

"I get to enjoy my money", Luthor said. "I worked hard for it. Park Row has nothing over the Suicide Slums."

"Yeah, yeah, yours was worse than mine, cry me a river", Jason spat.

Then he grabbed his screwdriver and aimed at Luthor's eye. The closest android grabbed his arm before he could even scratch him, unmovable steel around his wrist.

"Fuck you", Jason screamed.

"Take him back to the gym. He looks like he needs some exercise."

Jason twisted and howled when the second android's metallic hand closed around his other harm. He couldn't get away from them, not if they got a hold on him like that, he couldn't even attack them he couldn't move he couldn't get away he had to fucking get away.

They dragged him in the corridors, back to the gym. He kept fighting but it was an impossible mission, they were too strong, no one was supposed to be so strong! They closed the door behind him and he saw Luthor, behind the damn glass, watching him.

"Fuck you, fuck you!"

Jason punched the glass. Then again. Then again. Then. A. Gain. His skin broke, his bones creaked. The glass didn't stir.

"Don't go crazy", Luthor said. "You'd bore me."

"Then will you kill me at last?" Jason asked.

Luthor laughed. Jason spat at the window, disgusted, then curled in the corner, fighting back his tears. He was never going out. He had to get out.

He had to get out, or he was going to go mad.

sososo

Of course, Luthor didn't let him go. However, he did bring some more books – military stories, history, law enforcement, you name it – and took him at the lab from time to time. He also started playing chess and go and other silly strategic games with him. Through the glass, of course.

It was a vain tentative to distract him from both boredom and detention.

Jason didn't know if it made things better or worse. For one, he still wanted to punch Luthor in the face. Luthor was a fucking enemy. For two, Luthor was a genius and sure wasn't going to play dumb. Jason kept loosing again and again which made every the games frustrating at best.

He was getting better. He was sure he was getting better. But that meant nothing against Luthor's brains. And the guy kept working at his computer while they played! Fuck him.

"Your games are boring. Your books are boring."

"It would be quite difficult to explain to telecom technicians why I want to install TV in a concealed basement, wouldn't it? So read."

Jason snorted, moving a pawn in what he hoped to be an intelligent move.

"Like that was a problem for you. TV is even worse, anyway. Dumb programs for dumb people."

Luthor played back after merely glancing at the board. Fucker. Jerk.

"I'll have a truck assembled so you can lounge on it with a cigarette and a can of terrible beer."

Jason couldn't help but smirk at that. Alright, the guy at least had the sense of humor.

"I wouldn't mind the cigarettes."

Luthor actually glanced up at that. Jason smirk widened. Luthor snorted.

Hell, they were starting to communicate without talking. It was creepy. He really ought to see other human beings. Soon he'd start talking to robots – or to Graves. Huh. Considering how she had looked at him last time he had tried, he wasn't eager to repeat the experience.

"You smoked enough as it is. The x-ray scans we ran when you first arrived show that your lungs are precancerous already. I'm not helping them along."

"I doubt cancer will kill me."

"Well, in here, it will be that or old age."

Jason froze. Luthor was looking at him straight in the eyes. The bastard was pushing him on purpose – but, at least, he didn't lie about his intentions.

And at that moment Jason knew. And he smirked, moving his queen in the middle of Luthor's defences.

"I will kill you before that", he said.

And yeah, he would. Fuck Batman's rules.

sososo

Sometimes, the child's coldness talked to him. His determination felt unscrupulous. His threats sounded like promises he intended to keep.

Lex liked that.

He enjoyed less the way Todd was starting to snap from time to time. On his screen, he could see him trashing around his cell, trying to punch the metal door purposelessly. He sighed.

"It's been six months", Mercy stated.

Lex nodded. This kind of reaction was normal after being secluded for so long. He felt disappointed nevertheless.

"He will be more useful if he stays sane", he said, annoyed.

Except, he wouldn't be, would he? The whole point of abducting him had been to 'safe him from a terrible villain' once Bruce Wayne would be dead – an event that wasn't scheduled until the next year at best, except if someone else managed to kill him first.

Grayson might be Bruce's ward but only Todd had been adopted, so Lex would be able to take all he wanted from Wayne enterprises But only for two years, since Todd would already be 16 by then.

Of course, if Todd was to be declared unable to take care of himself, Lex woul be able to take advantage of the situation quite longer.

But that idea didn't appeal to him anymore. He still wanted Wayne enterprises – obviously – but… Twisted, the child wasn't half as entertaining than when he was sane.

"You're annoyed."

Mercy's tone was warning. She hadn't liked having someone dangerous around when she'd thought Lex wasn't going to be near him more than a few times a month. Now that it was obvious he intended to keep frequenting the boy, she was more and more pissed about his presence.

She was right to be, of course.

"Merely wondering how I could twist him the way I want", he answered.

It was only half a lie. If he managed to find a way to push Todd just the right way… maybe he could turn him into an ally instead than a puppet.

Lex switched the camera from the cell to the surveillance footage he'd receive from his operatives in Gotham. Bruce sure did everything to help the way.

On the screen, a new Robin was running next to Batman.

sososo

Sometimes, Jason snapped. Luthor complained about it a lot but, the truth was, he didn't snap quite often enough. He should keep punching him until Luthor got bored enough to free him – in a way or another.

He should fight. He should ignore him. He should play dumb, make himself uninteresting.

But he didn't manage to – not for long. He would just go crazy if he didn't talk, or if he tried to hide himself for any length of time. Hell, for all he knew, he already was going crazy.

He felt so weak.

He needed to punch something.

"Come over here, I need to hit you", Jason said.

Luthor raised his eyebrows. Of course he wouldn't come; why would he humor a prisoner? Especially to get punched on. But, as always, Luthor surprised him. He got up and stepped inside the training room, not even taking the time to remove his jacket.

"Well? I'm warning you, if you want to land a blow, you'd better try seriously."

Jason didn't wait to be told twice. This time, he didn't try tricks: he just went for the dirty fight.

Luthor followed his lead. There were no niceties, no complex martial movements, just good, straight punches.

That actually played in the adult's favor but Jason didn't care. He hit his jaw, then got a knee in the stomach and fought to get his breath back. He kicked his knee, managed to get his flank, then Luthor grabbed him by the collar and send him over his shoulders to the ground.

Instead of rolling away like Bruce taught him, Jason kicked Luthor in the legs to make him fall. He got his hands on his tie and rolled over him to strangle him, taking advantage of the silly clothe.

Luthor was hard.

Jason almost dropped the tie. Then he just – started laughing. After all this time, meeting Bruce, his training, becoming Robin, it was all down to that again?

"Seriously?" He couldn't help but ask. "Is that it? God, it's so fucking typical. I thought you might be different. Stupid me. But you know, you could have just asked."

"It's not really it." Luthor merely looked annoyed. "It hadn't occurred to me, but all that writhing on the floor does get a body in a state."

Jason snorted.

"Yeah, right."

"Why would I lie?"

Jason struggled. How the fuck did this man brain work? He didn't manage to unsettle him even for a second. He'd always managed to provoke people, even Superman, even Bruce. But Luthor? No. The man was made out of fucking ice.

"But yes, I can ask", Luthor suddenly added. "Would you, if I did?"

Jason smirked, pulling on the tie just a bit to remind him of their position.

"Would that get me out?" he asked, before realizing which words had gotten out of his mouth.

"No."

Luthor's short answer got all the fight out of him in a slip of second. The tie escaped his now shaking hands. His shoulders dropped. Fuck. He couldn't even be angry anymore.

The supervillain sighed.

"Kid…"

"Fuck you."

"I'll get you outside if you wear sound dampeners."

"I'm not a dog to be kept on a leash", Jason said, not managing to sound threatening, just defeated.

Luthor stroke his cheek. The gesture was more comforting than sexual, despite the hard on Jason was still sitting on.

"I cannot let you go. I don't fancy dying. But I grew fond of you; I would if I could."

"I'll manage to kill you", Jason said matter-of-factly. "If you keep me here. I will."

Luthor tried to sit. Jason let him. When the supervillain kissed him, he didn't move away.

"I'll work on a memory eraser and then I'll replace you with the new bird."

Jason froze. The new bird. The new bird. Bruce had… The color drained from his face.

"He didn't."

Luthor blinked, seeming to realize only then what he had dropped on Jason.

"Ah."

"He replaced me!?"

Jason sounded more hurt than angry but didn't manage to care. Bruce had found himself another Robin, another boy. Fuck him, fuck him too!

Hell. So that was why Dick had hated him so much in the beginning.

God, it hurt. It hurt. Jason heard his breath shorten, panic twisting his stomach. Bruce though he was dead, he tried to rationalize. He wasn't even the first Robin. That would have happened, eventually.

Fuck.

"In case you didn't realize, Bruce has a fetish for black haired teenagers", Luthor uselessly reminded him.

Jason finally managed to get a hold on himself at those words, and smirked. He knew, now. What he would do if he'd ever killed Luthor and got out.

He'd kill that bird.

The thought must have showed on his face, because Luthor grinned.

"Say, would you want me to procure said bird before I release you? So you can give him a piece of your mind?"

"I'm not playing your games, Luthor." Jason got up, smirking widely. "And I don't need your help to get the bird."

sososo

Lex listened absentmindedly to the live the conversation he had paid to get wired. He had wanted to make sure the head of LexCorp's Osaka division was indeed stealing from him. Of course, he had been right. He had never liked the man anyway.

Not that he was incompetent, or he would never have ended up in the position, but he had this condescendence some older men kept showing to anyone younger. Lex had endured enough of that when he was 16 and starting his thesis not to want more of it now that he was in his thirties and had proved to everyone on Earth he could reach much farther than anyone else his age.

He shut the sound down. He didn't feel like handling this himself, it didn't deserve anymore of his time. He would forward the registration to his legal department and make sure they take care of it.

Then only he realized that Mercy had been starting at him. He raised his eyebrows.

"Yes?"

"He got you hard."

Oh, so that's what it was about.

"Yes?"

She pointedly didn't start strumming her fingers, but still frowned.

"He was a prostitute, before Wayne adopted him."

"He probably just sold himself a few times to get enough money to eat."

Mercy squinted, glaring. Lex smiled at her, waiting for her to get to the point.

"What are you going to do when he'll try to fuck you?"

"I will take advantage of it, of course", Lex answered pleasantly. "It should be at least a bit enjoyable."

Her eyes widened when she realized that was what he was now waiting for. In her defense, he hadn't expected this to happen, but since Todd was starting to show interest, well… It was not as if the teenager was still a virgin, after all.

A virgin would have been even easier to manipulate.

"He probably will stop consider me as an enemy, on a more or less conscious level", Lex elaborated. "After all, villains are Robin's enemies, and he isn't Robin anymore. Of course, technically, I am responsible of the current situation, since Bruce might not have taken another kid in if he hadn't thought Jason dead. But there is a difference between knowing it and integrating it. It's still Bruce he is mad at."

Mercy nodded slowly. She was back at frowning: for this to work, he would have to get even closer to Todd. Of course she didn't like the idea.

Too bad he didn't need her to.

sososo

Actually, the new Robin made things easy. Jason didn't need to get out anymore. There was someone else filling Robin's role. And if he wasn't Robin… Well, he never really cared about Jason Todd. Who ever did?

No, okay. He still hated to be closed in. But he didn't want to go back somewhere anymore, just to get out. And that made a hell of a difference.

Luthor brought him newspapers. There were scarcely any picture at all, of course, but he could read between the lines. And there were more than rumors: horrid things happened back in Gotham – Bane terrorizing the population, earthquakes and politics turning the city into a no man's land… It seemed even crazier than when Jason had been in the streets.

It felt remote.

Perhaps it was because Jason was weak. Perhaps he should keep the mission in mind.

He didn't care.

Instead, he looked for distraction. He found himself very interested in the first sketches of the memory eraser Luthor was working on. He followed his progress.

And there were some other changes.

Firstly, he turned 16, happy birthday to him. Luthor didn't mention it, for which Jason had been grateful; it would have been worse to pretend celebrating when he still was a prisoner.

Secondly…

"Did-you-finish-your-lunch, Jason?" the android asked one day.

Jason tensed. It didn't call him Robin.

"Why, you call me Jason now?"

"I-was-told-there-is-another-Robin", the android replied. "I-thought-it-would-be-confusing."

It thought, huh? Jason snorted.

"Do-you-want-to-go-to-the-training-room?"

"Are you trying to comfort me?"

"New-generation-androids-aren't-equipped-for-caring", it answered. Then, after a silence Jason couldn't only qualify as a hesitation: "Humans-seem-to-be-more-productive-when-not-depressed."

Jason shook his head. The robots Luthor created were amazing. Its remark was weird, though. There had been a previous generation able to actually care? And Luthor went back on more traditional, less human models? Interesting.

"Let's go train", Jason agreed.

sososo

The day Luthor showed him the prototype's results on mouse, Jason kissed him.

He didn't want Luthor – he still found him arrogant and annoying and whatever. But who was he fooling? Luthor wasn't the enemy anymore. He'd been Robin's enemy, not Jason's. And said not-Robin Jason needed distraction.

Bruce would be so pissed if he knew. Which only made it better.

Luthor appreciated the kiss without pushing him away. When Jason broke it, he raised his eyebrows.

"That's new."

"That's how bored I am. Why, not interested anymore?"

Instead of answering, Luthor put the prototype away to kiss him properly. Jason arched and grabbed his neck to pull himself closer, devouring his mouth, biting his lips. Luthor didn't seem to mind.

Nor did he mind him being underage, apparently.

They fucked messily, on the ground. Half dressed, no words, no lube. Jason bit Luthor's shoulder when he took him. It fucking hurt, but he needed that, he needed the pain, he needed to feel he was still alive. Luthor came inside him, then took Jason's cock in his hand and stroke him quickly until he followed.

Jason panted. God. That didn't even feel good. Only sticky. But that's what he'd wanted.

"You really don't know how to fuck", Luthor commented.

Jason casted him an annoyed glance. Of course he didn't, he was 16. And had gotten most of his experience in the streets, where one didn't have the luxury to take his time. If Luthor indeed was from the Suicide Slums like he kept telling him, he should know that much.

"I propose another round", Luthor continued. "You know, to demonstrate."

Jason shrugged. He hadn't intended to make this a thing but he was bored, so…

"Enjoy yourself."

Luthor smirked. When he kissed him this time, he did it softly. One arm got around Jason's waist as to support him while Luthor left butterfly kisses on his jaw, barely touching his skin at all. His hand brushed his hip, then touched it, then moved around his waist to caress his belly over his shirt. He smiled tenderly.

Jason started to laugh.

"Oh god, that's just so, so fake."

"It works wonder on rich old ladies with weak hearts" Luthor said, back at his neck, kissing. "And by that I mean 'medical conditions that will make them croak soon'."

"You're such a bastard, you know that, right?" Jason gasped as Luthor moved his hand under his clothes. "I like that in a man."

"You don't build a fortune without a few sacrifices." Luthor's voice was hoarse, and it had to be faked as well because Jason hadn't touched him back. "I'd rather have the sacrifices be made by other people than myself."

Jason let him remove his shirt. Luthor's hands were warm on his body, purposeful. He hesitated as little as in his workshop, like he already knew what Jason would like.

It really shouldn't turn him on so much.

"Yeah, that's kind of what makes you a supervillain."

Luthor made a noncommittal noise. He apparently was getting impatient for some reason because he rolled Jason on his stomach and spread his legs, dropping the tenderly act. Jason smirked, then bit his lip. Luthor was getting in.

It still hurt, but thankfully he hadn't drawn blood earlier so it was tolerable. Cum provided enough lube to ease the way. Kind of.

Luthor started moving. By millimeters. What the hell was he playing at now? Jason felt him brush against his prostate and shuddered. Alright, maybe starting slow was good.

Maybe it was really good. His body was adjusting, relaxing around the man's cock. Luthor's hands kept his legs apart, pinning him to the ground. Lips brushed his neck. He hit his prostate again, as if by mistake.

Jason bit his lip harder.

The hands left his legs to caress his tights, his stomach, not stopping at his cock. Jason was panting and hated himself for it. He wasn't supposed to feel so… vulnerable! A stronger push hit his prostate, making him shake with need. Fuck, fuck, fuck. The asshole was good at this.

And was back to that maddeningly slow rhythm of his.

"Stop loosing time!" Jason demanded, wishing he didn't sound that pleading.

"Shh, be patient."

Jason swore under his breath. Luthor laughed and started moving – just a little bit faster. God, that was maddening, that was it, the guy was trying to turn him mad, since the beginning, that's what he'd been planning!

Another strong stroke. This time, Jason's body arched to take him in deeper.

"Fuck you!"

He could feel Luthor's smirk on his neck. And finally, finally the jerk started moving fast, and hard, and deep, and let Jason meet him halfway and closed his hand around his own cock to stroke it and fuck that was brilliant, and he came, he came hard, growling not to moan, shuddering.

Luthor followed little after with a satisfied sigh.

"Jerk", Jason mumbled.

Luthor slipped out and kissed his neck.

"Anytime."

Jason glared. His body felt all lazy in the afterglow, and it was exclusively because of those damn endorphins. Mnhg.

"See? Better."

"Yeah, yeah. You're still a bastard."

Luthor put his arm back around Jason's waist, lounging comfortably on the gym's floor.

"I did give my son to Kal El. I sometimes make sacrifices."

"Oh right, the Kon guy." He'd heard about Superboy briefly before being abducted and didn't have the chance to meet him yet. Not that he was eager to meet Superman's clone. Hell, even Luthor was better. Maybe having him as second donor had made the boy less maddening than he would have been if he'd been only Kal's. "And that was a sacrifice for you?"

"I have no heir."

Jason laughed.

"And here I was almost accusing you of sentimentality. My mistake."

"I could have had a superpowered heir", Luthor insisted.

Jason yawned. Damn, he was tired, but no way was he going to sleep on the training room floor. With Lex fucking Luthor. Who'd just fucked him. Twice.

Nhhg.

"Superpowers mean more problems, not more solutions."

"Just like Kal El", Luthor approved. "Bringing divinity to the world and sending humanity back to the Dark Ages."

Now that was an opinion you didn't hear often. Well. If Superman's nemesis had secretly worshipped him, Jason would have stolen a screwdriver to slit his own wrists in disgust. Because, come on! The man was a gigantic ass.

"Batman can take Kal El whenever you want", Jason protested nonetheless. "He ain't all-powerful, as you well know."

"Yes, but Bruce has the unfair advantage of a brain."

Jason snorted.

"Hey, I could take Kal El as well, no need to be brainy. He has neat weaknesses."

"The kryptonite."

"The red lights."

"The ridiculous fondness for strangers' lives."

"The trust."

Luthor smirked. Maybe Jason could actually get along with the guy. He had a soft spot for pragmatic, shameless, powerful people. Bruce would blow a fuse if he'd ever told him but he actually fitted that description as well.

Luthor kissed him, slow again, licking his way in. Jason let him.

sososo

Lex expected Mercy to comment. It took four hours, the time for them to go back to his office at the top of the tower and to work until the day shift switched to night. The last autumnal leaves had been pushed up to the balcony by the wind. He was absent-mindedly looking at their dance in the sunset while thinking about the last political developments in the Arabic countries when she mentioned:

"You did enjoy it."

Lex blinked his thoughts away.

"Why wouldn't I? Besides, he's learning. He managed to put the automated hand back and even to make a comment about how the wrist join might be improved. He was wrong, of course, but it's a start."

Mercy looked at him, both doubtful and annoyed. Lex kept going; since she felt the need to launch the topic, he didn't see why he should stop.

"Also, he's untamed and doesn't submit, which is a welcome change. And contrarily to what I was afraid of, he's bending, not breaking."

"The memory eraser wasn't part of the plan".

Of course, she would be more concerned about his original objective than on how he saw Jason. Mostly because she would want him to be more interested in Wayne enterprise than in a child.

Also, he had never intended to use the eraser, but she would throw a fit if he admitted as much.

"Not part of the original plan", he corrected.

It didn't miss: she bit her lips, furious to hear about an alternative plan elaborated without her knowledge. She was a flexible woman but of course, as head of security, she wanted to know as much as possible about his actions. It was almost cute.

"A new plan, mh? Bullshit. You are fond of him."

Ah, yes, now he remembered why she was his head of security, and many other things. He still had to answer to that right away.

"With the opening he gave me, I had to manipulate him into wanting to stay at my side. Appreciating his company only makes it more enjoyable."

She frowned. Then snorted.

He really didn't like it when she realized she had a sense of humor.

"What now?"

"Nothing."

Lex glared. She only went back to her screen, a secretive smile on her lips. Damn women and their unspoken comments.

He wasn't fond of the boy. Fucking him and being amused when he showed some level of intellect didn't mean anything else than that. Even if Jason had improved on both sides.

"Very well, think what you want. As long as you don't imply in public that I have a conscience, that would ruin my reputation."

She didn't even as much as glanced at him and kept working. After some time, he went back to his reading, annoyed at her – and even more so, at himself.

sososo

Jason's routine had improved a lot. He kept training and studying electronics under Luthor's tutelage, and still looked lazily for a way out, but he also got sex out of the deal. And it came in many flavors: angry sex, fake tender sex, funny sex. In any case, it always ended up to be really good sex.

The memory eraser had reached the stage of human experimentation. Browsing the data, Jason had doubted any of the subjects had been willing, but failed to care.

Except for Bruce, whom he tried not to think about, and the still unavailable freedom, which Jason wasn't looking for as strongly as when he still had a purpose, the only black spot was how unreachable Luthor seemed. Though Jason had never quite understood how to make friends, he'd always been good at provoking people – but Luthor remained unmoved. He could bite or punch or curse without provoking any reaction whatsoever.

Thankfully, Jason had more than one trick up his sleeves.

"Hnng."

Luthor wasn't as much groaning as he was panting.

Still… That was an arousing noise.

Jason sucked him harder. Finally, finally a crack in that man's ice! He didn't think he'd ever suck someone again, not willingly. But, hey, he'd never imagined giving a blowjob could feel like a power game.

Luthor groaned. Oh, yeah, it was one. Jason let the man's cock go to bite his thigh. That made Luthor laugh – of course. The guy wouldn't beg if his life was in danger.

Jason liked that.

He put his mouth back on the cock, swallowing it deep. Luthor gripped his hair with one hand. Jason growled. He wasn't a pet.

"Feral", Luthor laughed, hoarse.

Jason tightened his teeth around his cock, warningly. That was enough to send Luthor over the edge. He came, filling Jason's mouth with cum; Jason swallowed, satisfied.

Power. Game.

He sat down, wiping his lips with the back of his hand.

"Good boy", he said to Luthor.

The man smirked. He'd just come, but still pushed Jason to the ground to bite his neck.

"Mmh, I should fit you with healing tech", he said, like an afterthought, sucking his skin.

"Aw, you don't like to see your marks on me?" Jason mocked.

Luthor smirked again and gripped his hips. Jason arched; that would leave bruises for sure.

Then the speaker suddenly went on.

"The delivery you requested just arrived, sir. Where should I put the package?"

It was Graves, of course. The bitch.

Luthor got back on his feet. Jason groaned. He stayed on the floor, spread, inviting – but the supervillain ignored him.

"Bring it to the training room. We're coming."

Jason frowned.

"We?"

"Yes."

Jason rolled his eyes. Why should he ever get more information about something? He still stood up; any opportunity to get out of that cell was an opportunity he'd take.

They showered quietly and dressed up. The usual three androids escorted them in the corridor but Luthor didn't stop at the first door. Instead, he took Jason to the next one – the one on the other side of the unbreakable glass.

Jason blinked.

A boy in greens and reds was asleep in a wheelchair. Black hair. A mask hid his eyes, which were most probably blue.

The new kid. His replacement.

Graves nodded at them, standing next to him.

"He will wake up shortly", she warned.

Jason tightened his lips.

"The memory wiper is nearly done", Luthor said, "so I needed to get this one before freeing you so you could tell Bruce you'd been abducted by some unknown stranger."

"I'm not going back to him", Jason spat.

"I know. But you wanted freedom and you will have it."

Jason shrugged. Yeah, he wanted to get out, but… He glanced at the sleeping kid. Who was just some kid. How would he deal with confinement? Alright, that was his replacement, but still.

And something else bothered Jason.

"I don't like the idea of forgetting everything."

Luthor kissed him.

"Even this?"

"Like I care about that", Jason snorted.

"We have fun, don't we?"

Jason rolled his eyes.

"Fuck yourself, Luthor."

The supervillain laughed.

"At this point, most people would call me Lex, you know?"

"I'm not most people."

Luthor snorted.

"I realized as much."

Jason glared. Luthor preventively shut him up with another kiss. Jason bit his lips as retaliation. No one had the right to shut him up.

"Ah, damn", Luthor sighed. "I'll miss this."

"Buhu", Jason mocked. He hesitated, then added: "Don't make me forget. I won't go back to Bruce."

Luthor – Lex – kissed him. Damn him. The kiss was deep, and long. Luthor apparently liked the idea of having corrupted him.

Jason smirked.

"Robin…?" a small voice hesitantly asked.

Luthor stepped aside. Jason looked at the awakening kid, who was observing him with big eyes. When he saw Jason's full face, he brightened.

"Robin! That's really you, you're alive!"

Jason blinked. He hadn't expected that.

Hell. It was hard to stay angry with the kid looking at him as if he was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen. He sounded happy.

Jason felt his throat tighten.

"My God, that mean Luthor did this!" Robin started thinking out loud. "And it's been months, he held you for so long, that's horrible!"

Jason looked at Lex, uncertain. The supervillain sighed and casted an annoyed look at the kid.

"You were supposed to be much more whiny and unlikable, boy." Which didn't stop him from adding. "Here is how things will go. This one will be freed after a mind wipe, while Bruce mourns your untimely death."

The kid blinked.

"Another unexplained death? You do know Bruce, don't you?"

He didn't even seem surprised about Lex knowing. Jason snorted. Maybe he was still a little bit annoying.

Especially since he had a point, damn it. Bruce wouldn't fall for it twice, even with a body. He would feel something was amiss.

He didn't check twice, for Jason. But for that bright, cute, adorable young Robin? Who wouldn't check twice, even thrice, just in case?

Shit.

Jason had really liked to hate him. It had given him purpose, now that he was back at being a nobody.

The kid raised his eyes at him again and smiled. How old was he? Jason didn't remember ever looking so young. Well, that one didn't come from the streets, that much was certain. Lex probably had more information.

He sure didn't look impressed by Robin's latest comment. He raised his eyebrows at Jason.

"So, no punching?"

"No punching", Jason confirmed.

"Very well. Mercy, would you please bring the kid to his room?"

Jason felt a tear in his chest at that idea. This kid, he realized suddenly, was the first person he saw since his abduction, excepted for Lex. He didn't want him to be taken away. He wanted to talk to him, to hear about the outside, to…

Graves glared at Jason warningly. Jason smirked, controlling himself. She pushed the wheelchair outside. The kid tried not to stop looking at Jason, as if afraid he'd disappeared, until the door closed on them.

"Robin! That's really you, you're alive!"

Jason suddenly felt his knees weaken and had to sit on Lex's desk. That freaking kid… He had sounded as if he had known about him, as if he'd worried about him being gone.

Jason hadn't even thought about anyone else than Bruce grieving him.

Dick would have, of course, because he was a good guy and that's something a good guy would do. But they'd never really gone along. And let's not even mention the JLA and the Titans, who always had looked at him and saw some second-rate version of the Big Dick Grayson, Robin the First.

And then, that kid…

Jason remembered very well why he had taken Robin's name himself. Of course, he had followed Bruce for lots of reason, but he could have made a name for himself instead than borrowing the one created by The Previous Kid.

But Robin meant something. It meant hope in the darkness, it meant laughs on the roofs, bright colors and stupid jokes. On the streets, kids had been worried not to see Robin for several months straight. They hadn't known, back then, that Batman and he had fought. They'd thought him dead.

The new kid, too, had thought Robin was dead. And he had taken the mantle to raise hope again.

Curse him.

"Are you alright?"

Lex actually sounded concerned. Jason nodded sharply.

"Tell me what you know", he demanded.

"Tim Drake, 14, has taken the mantle a few weeks after you vanished. IQ of 197. His mother died little after he started playing the vigilante."

Lex kept enumerating a few facts. Jason listened attentively. The kid apparently was Gotham-raised, but from upper society. Smart, though not such a good fighter. And, as Jason already knew, cute as hell. No wonder Bruce had taken him in.

"A brainy one, then."

"Quite", Lex confirmed, and it wasn't a compliment he served often. Not that he served any compliment often. "He has been trying to hack Lexcorp databases for the last five years."

"Isn't he only 14?"

"IQ of 197", Lex reminded him.

Jason closed his eyes.

Robin, you're alive!

Robin was, indeed, alive.

sososo

Dick parked his bike in front of the manor's entrance and all but jumped from it to climb the stairs. Alfred opened the door before he could ring the bell.

"He is in the blue room."

The old butler looked weary. Dick stopped to hug him, not knowing what to say but wanting to share some – some what? He didn't have any warmth, any courage left after that.

Oh Tim, Tim.

Alfred gently patted his back.

"Go to him."

Dick nodded. He still kept Alfred close for a moment before releasing him to get inside. There, he went past the hall directly to the blue room, where Bruce had his desk and usually sat to read his newspaper. The walls were covered in old books. Back in the days, Dick would always make sure there also were a few detective comics he could read while Bruce was working.

There weren't any of those right now. The ground was covered in papers, two different computers were open on the desk. A cell phone laid next to the chair.

Bruce was standing in the middle of the room, his face blank.

Dick entered quietly, careful not to startle him. Bruce didn't seem to notice him until he put a hand on his shoulder.

"Dick", he said then.

"Hey", Dick answered. He nodded at the mess. "Found anything?"

Bruce tensed, which was an answer all by itself. Dick gripped his shoulder more firmly.

"You should rest."

"Not until I find him."

You have his body in the Cave! Dick wanted to scream.

But it was the second Robin in a year, so he didn't. Instead, he pushed that though far away – he didn't want to think about the corpse. God, Tim.

He took a deep breath and insisted patiently:

"You will have more chances to find something if you take some rest. Come on. I'll be looking while you sleep."

Bruce wouldn't move. Then, he started shaking.

Dick winced. Bruce never shook. He never flinched, he was never hurt, he… Damn, he was grieving two Robins and it was Dick's fault, because Dick was the one who pushed until he accepted to take Tim in, because the kid had been right, Batman needed a Robin, and more importantly, Bruce needed a Robin.

And now, two Robins were dead.

"Bruce, please", Dick begged.

Bruce's arms suddenly closed around him. Dick almost tensed before realizing he was being hugged. So strongly he would have to hurt Bruce to get away.

Dick wasn't getting away. He slowly let go Bruce's shoulder to get his own arms around him, to hug him back.

They stayed like that for a few minutes. Bruce stopped shaking. Which was a good thing, wasn't it?

"It's okay", Dick whispered. "I've got you. Everything is going to be alright."

Lies, he knew, but he had to say something. He had to be there, to be strong. For Bruce.

Then Bruce started nuzzling at his neck. Dick opened his eyes wide. He was… he was kissing his neck. Bruce – Bruce was kissing his skin, and his hands were moving to his hips, caressing, and…

Dick closed his eyes. This was a mistake. They'd both regret it in the morning. He knew that as certainly as the sky was blue.

Bruce had been standing alone in this room, shaking.

When his lips found Dick's mouth, Dick kissed him back, then dragged him to the ground.

sososo

Jason didn't like that situation. At all.

The kid had been abducted and probably put in a cute little box by Graves. They'd been kept separate since their first meeting, and now, well. Lex had the two of them.

Jason was still mad at Bruce. But the kid? The kid didn't do anything wrong. He sure didn't do anything Jason hadn't done.

Which meant, he and Lex needed to talk.

And he needed all the advantages he could get for that conversation. Which was why he'd waited to be on Lex's lap, both of them panting, to bring up the topic.

"So", he said, rolling his hips lazily. "What do you intend to do now that you have both of us?"

"You'll have to admit that it is risky to release you", Lex answered.

It was only risky if he didn't wipe his memory. Which meant he'd been considering it.

Jason shuddered.

"You collecting birds now?"

"Only torturing them", Lex panted.

"Huh", Jason snorted. He liked that specific kind of torture. "No need to keep both of us, then. I would be enough."

Lex smirked. And wrapped his tie around Jason's neck, tight, choking him.

"I do whatever I want", the supervillain reminded him.

Jason felt his cock harden. Right. Pragmatic, shameless, powerful people. Lex Luthor had corrupted him, and knew he had.

Lex released him, allowing him to breathe, and lifted him by the hips so he could quietly let him down on his cock.

"Nhhg."

Not moaning was always difficult when Lex got that bossy.

"Beg", Lex ordered.

Jason grinned.

"Like hell. What, is that one of your kinks?"

Lex smirked and gripped his hips to make them roll.

"I just think birds should sing."

Jason shuddered. Fuck him.

And yet, he started to sing.

sososo

The kid had tried to manipulate Lex into doing what he wanted. That was so cute. Jason had good instincts though he still had so much to learn.

Not that Lex was going to teach him anything. No need to give him more weapons than he already had.

"You are fond of him."

"Why do you have to darken my day?" Lex asked Mercy. "Do you want me to feel so bad I have to organize a trap for Superman to fall in? I know I haven't done it in a while, but still…"

Mercy kept checking the security report from the previous day.

"You are fond of him and you're starting to become possessive."

"I am not."

He was. Damnit.

So, maybe the plan wasn't as important as manipulating Jason into staying anymore. But since he needed to do just that for his new plan to work, he didn't see why he shouldn't enjoy it.

If he managed to make Jason his, now that would turn Bruce green. Not that he needed any sidekick. He could, however, do with a management assistant. Especially one that willing to manipulate others.

But then, Jason should first learn not to do that to Lex.

The businessman glared at his computer. The day had started beautifully, but not he felt annoyed. Oh, well, it was the perfect opportunity for a surprise inspection in his R&D department. They sure deserved it after the stupid proposition they sent him last week for the new assault rifles.

sososo

The next day, Lex brought him to Tim's room. It was the same than Jason's, except with more books. The kid brightened when he saw him and visibly had to refrain from hugging him.

"Robin! You look fine!"

"Don't call me that", Jason snorted. "It sounds schizophrenic."

Tim blushed. Blushed. Well, at least, he'd understood Jason was calling him Robin. But still. Was he really from Gotham? One couldn't be raise in Gotham and stay that cute.

"I'll leave you two birds alone", Lex commented, his amusement audible in his voice.

The door closed. Jason shrugged, a bit embarrassed and not sure of what to say. He also felt kind of hungry but safely hid that deep. No need to scare the little one off.

"Did you figure out how to open the door yet?" he asked.

Tim blushed. Again.

"I tried, but to no avail."

Jason blinked. To no avail, seriously?

"Do you always talk like you're reading from a book?"

Tim winced.

"I'm sorry, I'll try not to…"

"Oh Christ", Jason groaned. "Stop being that cute! Right now!"

Oh, Christ? Damn. He was being contaminated.

"Hum, so, if you don't want me to call you Robin, can I call you Jason?"

Bright eyes full of hope. And Jason had been right: they were blue. If he ever talked to Bruce again, he would have to point out how creepy that was. Especially since Bruce himself had dark hair and blue eyes.

Except if he was actually making a fixation on Kal El? Ew.

"'course you can. Even Jay, if you want."

No one had called him Jay since Bruce had adopted him, except Dick, sometimes. It had been his nickname on the streets. Dick had loved it of course, once he'd accepted to actually talk to him like to a human being. He'd even said that must have been fate.

Tim seemed to think the same. He was grinning.

"Jay it is then. That's a great name."

"What were you readin' about?" Jason asked, embarrassed.

Tim made a face.

"Luthor wouldn't give me anything else than novels."

"Really?" Jason was actually surprised. "The first book he brought me was about robotics. Well. Electronics, I had to start with the basics."

Tim's eyes were wide opened.

"You mean Lex Luthor taught you about robotics?"

"A little bit."

"Did you get to see his workshop? His schematics?"

Jason laughed at his enthusiasm. It felt good to talk with someone… normal. Not supervillainic. And the kid made it easy.

"He did. Why? You a fan?"

Tim struggled, obviously embarrassed.

"Well, he is a genius. But he also is a supervillain so, well, you know, not exactly a fan but…"

"But a fan all the same", Jason concluded.

Tim grinned.

"Don't tell Bruce?"

Jason tensed. He glared at the kid, who paled.

"Then, you really aren't going back", Tim whispered. "It shook him deeply, you know? Your death. He broke into pieces. He became restless, and violent, and… That's why I went to talk to him. Because he needed someone to be there." He hesitated. "I… didn't think it would be me", he admitted.

What could Jason do but to fluff his hair? Tim wrinkled his nose, which only made him even more adorable.

"He will be alright with you."

Jason was surer and surer of that. The kid was perfect to be Robin, in a way Jason himself had never been.

Tim looked doubtful, but decided to switch topic.

"Tell me more about Luthor's work!"

"Little geek. But alright."

Jason tried to explain what he understood. He still wasn't very far in his studies, but he knew much more than when he arrived. He ended up requesting pen and paper from the androids. They gave that to him which was kind of amazing – they wouldn't have, when he'd arrived.

Well, he wasn't trying to use it as a weapon now.

Or only to allow Tim to go.

They didn't seem to fear that Tim himself would use it as a weapon. From what Lex told him, the kid wasn't much of a fighter. Yet. He'd better learn.

Jason intended to make sure he would.

sososo

Tim should have known. The Batcomputer's reports labeled Jason as a very good fighter, able to reproduce techniques he had merely seen once or twice and good at improvisation. The files didn't mention intelligence out of the norm.

But then, they didn't point Dick as especially intelligent either. Of course, Dick wasn't a bookworm, contrarily to Tim himself, but he had another kind of intelligence. He was good with people. And not acing school tests didn't mean he was stupid.

It was the same for Jason. The teenager had been a bit ignorant – his file said he'd dropped school at 10 and had had to start from there when Bruce had adopted him. He'd actually managed to make it to high school little before being abducted, only a year late instead of three.

But now? Now, he could talk about robotics like he had been playing with it for years. Tim could follow, but Tim himself was far from average. The point was, so was Jason, and Jason didn't seem to notice.

Worse: Bruce didn't seem to notice.

But Lex Luthor obviously had.

Tim blushed. The way they'd been kissing when he'd first woke up… That was going to make some very disturbing dreams.

And he didn't want to dream about a supervillain, however brilliant!

Luthor also knew Tim was above average, which probably explained why he visited from time to time.

"You should release him", Tim told him.

"I can't."

"Of course you can, it's easy! You just have to open the doors…"

"I don't intend to be caught by Batman", Luthor replied, annoyed.

"What can Batman possibly do to you that he doesn't try now? Besides, you can keep me. He'd know you'd hurt me if he tries anything."

Luthor looked amused at that.

"He'd know I wouldn't."

"And you know he wouldn't do much worse than he does now", Tim insisted.

"Are you disturbed by our relationship?"

Now that was a sudden change of topic. Tim dropped it, knowing he couldn't press him more without having him brake.

"Of course I am. You're taking advantage of the situation and you know it. It is the very definition of abuse."

That brought a shark smile out of Luthor.

"He wouldn't like to hear that."

"That doesn't make it any less true", Tim pointed out. "Abused people all tend to react like that."

"I know", Luthor admitted easily. "Bruce was the same back when we were teenagers. So easy to get and so eager to prove it felt right."

Tim glared at that. He knew that wouldn't make him look impressive, but he couldn't help it.

"And yet, you take advantage. It's really sick you know? It's not like you couldn't get normal, perfectly balanced people. I mean, you're Lex Luthor."

By that, he meant most people didn't believe he was a supervillain and the man was rich, charming, powerful.

Luthor didn't seem even a bit repentant.

"There's no such thing as normal, balanced people", he said instead. "You read too many books."

Tim crossed his arms on his chest. He knew he could as well argue with a wall, but he had to try nonetheless.

"There are, however, people you didn't abduct and who aren't teenagers."

"You hurt me", Luthor said in what had to be his sorry tone. He didn't even try to make it sound anything else than fake. "I've slept with teenagers since I was one. They never complained."

He could mock all he wanted, that tone made Tim wonder. The guy knew it was wrong, he just didn't care. At all.

"How close to sociopathy are you?" he asked, curious.

Luthor dismissed the question with a wave of the hand.

"I tend not to self-diagnose and find psychiatry to be in a medieval state of development."

"I could ask you how close about not caring at all about other people you are, if you prefer", Tim said, starting to feel annoyed.

Luthor snorted. Apparently, he had been waiting for him to indeed be exasperated and was very satisfied to see him reach that point.

"I'm able to enjoy the company of people and have found I can grow attached. But you must know that. Hope was quite a famous lady."

Tim felt himself shudder. Hope. The perfect android, so close to human she would have fooled anyone. Feeling emotions. Able to make mistakes.

"She was", Tim said. "An amazing lady."

"Until she met Superman", Luthor pressed.

"Until she dropped a man to his death", Tim corrected. "But we're not discussing this. Not if she was close to you."

"She was."

Tim looked at his face. She was, he said. And yet… Yet he'd killed her, Tim knew from Bruce's files. Just to trap Superman. That hadn't even worked.

He shuddered again. However charming and brilliant, Luthor was dangerous. But then, he knew as much already.

Tim smiled innocently.

"So. Will you release Jason?"

sososo

Alright, you got it: one cute, one bratty, and Luthor yet again the evil one. If this was a fairy tale, he would have abducted Dick next (or Dick first, well, you know). Dick wouldn't have made the same mistakes or their Dark Prince would have come to save all three of them…

But I think I already pointed out fairy tales aren't quite that close to reality, didn't I?

Let's go a few weeks forward.

sososo

That day was different. Jason felt it as soon as Lex entered his cell. They still fucked, because, hell, why shouldn't they? But after they were done once, Lex let him shower. When Jason came back, he found him back into his suit, all business.

"Let's go", Lex said.

Jason followed. He didn't dare to ask. It was a strange feeling; he'd usually dare everything. Very much like Lex himself.

They walked past the training room, then past the door on the other side of the glass, then past Tim's cell. Jason hesitated in front of that last door, but ended up following Lex anyway.

They arrived in a garage. A van was waiting for them, Graves at the wheel. Lex sat next to her. Jason had to go in the back. The glass was tinted.

They drove. Jason tensed more and more with the time passing. He wanted to scream, to drum at the glass. Instead, he waited.

Warmth exuded from the cabin. It was summer, Jason realized. It has been winter when he had been abducted, more than a year ago. He hadn't felt the cycle of the seasons at all from underground.

So much time had passed…

And kept passing, considering how long this trip was taking. Worry twisted Jason's stomach.

The van finally stopped after several hours. The doors opened. He got out.

They were right outside Gotham.

"Now what?" he asked, because – what else could he ask?

"Now you're free", Lex answered.

Thankfully, Graves was waiting inside the van. Jason felt weak and pale, and he was glad she wasn't glaring at him right now. Or maybe she was. With the tinted glass, he couldn't tell, and that would have to be enough.

"Just like that?"

"Not just like that. It took some thinking."

Jason smirked. He had to, or he'd break.

"You sure didn't tell me."

"You're not to be privy to my every thought."

It sounded like most of their arguments. It tasted like last times.

"Aw, and here I thought we had something", Jason said, because hell.

Lex laughed softly. Jason got close, then kissed him. The man actually put an arm around his waist to kiss him back.

The jerk. He wasn't freeing him. He was making sure Jason wouldn't ever been able to walk away. In the long run, anyway. Did he even realized?

Well. Jason had something to do before becoming anything else than a captive for Lex. In the meantime, he could play his assigned role of half-fallen, freshly freed teenager.

"You were interesting", Lex commented, breaking the kiss.

Or maybe he meant it. Maybe he just wanted to release him, in a thank-you-that-was-fun kind of way.

Huh. Well, Jason couldn't complain. It wasn't like he hadn't known Lex was a supervillain from the very start.

"So were you, old man", he answered.

"Now run off, brat."

Jason smirked, put his hands in his pockets, and walked away. He didn't look back. After a few steps, he heads the door closing and the van's motor starting.

He took his time to choose a car. It had been a while since the last time he'd stolen one. So he decided to take an old model despite the chance it wouldn't have any air conditioning; better safe than sorry. Thankfully, old cars weren't scarce in those suburbs, situated on Blüdhaven's side of the city.

He drove for a few miles, less to get away than to give Lex time to get out of town.

Hey, it was the first time he did that mostly legally. He didn't have his license yet but he was 16 now. One out of two, not bad.

His banter didn't fool his own feelings. He had some not-so-hard choices to make.

He hadn't been lying: he didn't intend to go back to the manor. That life had never been meant for him in the first place. He wasn't Bruce's perfect son.

Besides, Tim was now Robin, and a good one. Better for Bruce than Jason had ever been; better for Gotham. Hell, the kid was probably loved by everyone! Jason himself couldn't help but to like that cute, bright boy.

So. No manor. But for Tim to be Robin, he had to be freed. Lex might or might not decide to release him. If he did, he might wait too long.

Jason had to contact the one person he really didn't want to talk to.

He parked the car at a service station and circled the block to find an old public phone. There had been money in Lex's pocked when they'd kissed. He put some coins in the slot and waited.

"Wayne manor, Alfred Pennyworth. Can I be of assistance?"

Jason swallowed. Damn. Alfred. He should have thought of that.

He loved the old man.

Not that he'd shown as much. But he at least could make himself polite.

"Hi, Alfred. 'Just wanted you to know that Timmie is alive. Luthor's keeping him. So pray tell the big guy to stop moping and to get his ass to work."

Well. Polite. You know.

There was a startled silence on the other side of the phone.

"Master Jason?" Alfred asked in a voice Jason couldn't label as trembling.

"Love you too, Alfie", he added, and hanged up before the butler could trace the call.

His hands weren't shaking. He was not feeling homesick. And he was going to move, get back to the car, and out of town.

Jason swallowed again, and moved.

sososo

Gotham disappeared quickly from view. They hadn't gotten entirely into town, only close enough for Jason to find his way easily. The last thing Lex needed was to be found by Bruce in his own territory. With Jason alive.

Well, he was going to learn the truth soon enough, now. At least Lex still held Drake as hostage.

Mercy wasn't talking, very pointedly. He knew she disapproved of his relationship with Jason so he was actually surprised she would be upset that he'd release the boy.

"What is it?" he asked.

"What about your plan to take over Wayne enterprises?"

Oh. He had forgotten to give her the details, in the end. Was she still afraid he'd gotten soft over the boy?

"I have taken a risk right now but do not worry."

"You are aware that Drake is not Wayne's son?"

"Obviously."

She frowned, glaring at the road while she drove.

"You have another way to acquire the company than to kill Bruce Wayne then save his heir from a fake villain?"

Lex nodded thoughtfully.

"Yes." He smirked. "Now, they're going to hand it over to me."