CHAPTER TWO

Tim listened to the meeting and took notes. He'd done the same things a few times for Bruce. No one really knew about those though. It hadn't happened too often. The first time had been because Bruce was in the middle of working a case. He'd thought that he was close to solving it so when he'd gone to the meeting he had spent the entire time mentally working the case while Tim took notes. His favorite time though was a night when Bruce had been out late with Dick. They'd had trouble with a few guys right before the end of patrol that had ended up lasting until well after dawn. Bruce had been nearly asleep when he had zeta'd to the tower. He could still hear the quiet snores as Bruce slept through the meeting, the cowl's microphone was turned off so no one else heard it. Tim was pretty sure that Clark had noticed, but he'd never said anything. He seemed to agree that Bruce sleeping was high on the list of things not to stop from happening. He'd listened and shouted Bruce's name into the mic when it was his turn. To Bruce's credit he'd stood up and covered the status of Gotham like he'd been awake the entire time. When he'd gotten back to the cave he'd just pulled off the cowl and passed out on the cot.

He glanced up out of habit when the door opened and Batman walked in. His heart leapt in his chest and Tim had to force himself to look away. To swallow that hope. There was no use in letting it grow. Jason was smiling. Even with the cowl, he looked more at ease than he'd seen him in years. A sour feeling filled his stomach. Jason looked like he belonged there, belonged as Batman. He'd seen it earlier when he had smiled at him in his new suit. He was settling into himself.

Tim knew that Jason was the right choice. He knew that he could do it, could be Batman. He stared at the computer. He hated himself for it, but he didn't want that. Not yet. The more Jason settled into himself the less he'd need him. He'd lose his place in this too.

He coughed and pulled up a few of the files he'd pulled from the tower database. "This might become a bigger issue." He stood and let Jason take the chair at the main computer. He watched out of the corner of his eye as Jason pulled off the cowl and gloves. "If I were him, I'd just wait for the next shipment to arrive and then attack."

Jason turned. "Why didn't you say anything during the meeting?" He clicked and flipped through the pages of the file. "We could stop it before they attacked."

"The league can't be everywhere at once. I could be wrong. If I am and you'd said for them to be there, how would that go over?" he shook his head. "Just be ready if it happens."

"At least tell me next time. That way I can decide."

Tim bit back the yes sir that bubbled up and nodded instead before he headed for one of Dick's training rooms. He'd never been one to fight through his issues. Instead he took to the trampoline, or on truly bad days the trapeze. He liked the subtle burn of his muscles. He bounced idly. Until his thighs began to burn. He'd always loved this room. Dick had brought him here to teach him how to move. He'd swing through the air while Dick laughed and yelled to him. He'd known since the moment he decided to become Robin that he'd never be as good. He didn't have the love for the air that Dick had. He flipped, his feet sinking into the bed. His favorite part was the landing. His feet finding their purchase. When his feet left the ground, or more often the roof, his thoughts were on the next landing. He knew the angle, the time to pull and where his feet would hit. He needed that security. He needed the next step. He needed to know where to go next.

He didn't know where he stood. Another of his fathers was dead. He flipped, fighting the knot in his stomach. His little brother hated him. They'd never been close. They fought more than they talked, but it didn't matter. Damian was his to protect and it was his fault that he was hurting. His team was gone, already replaced. He flipped, form sloppy. He could practically hear Dick telling him to focus.

And Jason. He'd always known where he was with Jason. Until he hadn't. His feet sunk into the bed of the trampoline. As he flew into the air his mind drifted. He'd been tired. Too tired. All he had wanted was to walk into Jason's arms and let go. To be with him. To tell him what he'd realized. To finally put words to what they were.

Tim stumbled, foot too far on the edge. He bounced unsteady until he sat down on the edge of the trampoline. His heart hammering in his chest. His breaths coming too fast. He stared at his hands as they trembled. "Fuck." He had to get out of there. He couldn't do it again.

Jason looked up as he rushed through the cave. "Timbo?" he winced at the nickname but didn't stop. He heard the chair roll back and knew he didn't have much time before Jason would be following after him. The fact that Jason had to change out of the suit gave him the time he'd need. He ran up the stairs.

Dick was walking in the front door as he reached it. He hadn't been back since the day they read the letters. "Hey are you okay?"

Tim looked over his shoulder, back at the door to the cave. He had to go. He nodded and pushed past him.

"Tim?" Jason called as he stepped into the hall. He saw Dick turn, eyes going flinty.

Tim grabbed Dick's elbow and pulled him out the door. He couldn't let them explode at each other. Not because of him. "I need your help with something."

Dick drove them to his apartment. He was grateful that he'd brought the bike. It gave him time to think, to regroup. He knew that Dick was just waiting for the right time, he was good at that. They rode up the elevator in silence and Tim opened the door. He didn't think Dick had ever walked through the front door- the balcony, sure.

"How's Bludhaven?" he asked as he popped a cup in his coffee maker. He could manage putting a cup under the spout.

"It's fine. It's Bludhaven. You know. Damian's been spending all his time with the Titans. I told him he could take time, but you know him." Tim nodded, his throat tightening again. "How's Jaybird?" Dick asked finally, managing to not sound completely bitter.

"He's doing great. He looks just like him. You could almost forget." He bit his lip.

Dick made a wounded noise and all of a sudden Tim was wrapped in his arms. Dick shook slightly, fighting for even breaths. Before they had left for the cemetery he had watched Dick in Bruce's office. He'd had his head down on the desk as he sobbed, his shoulders shaking as he tried to stay quiet. He had kept calm around the rest of them. A pillar of strength for them to rely on. He was still trying. Tim wanted to say something to let Dick know that he didn't have to. But he was pretty sure that Dick needed that. He needed to comfort his family, because he found his own comfort in it. He gripped the back of Dick's shirt. His eyes closed tightly as breathed in the cologne on Dick's shirt. It was the same kind Bruce wore when he had a function to attend. He wondered if Dick even realized.

"I'm sorry for how I reacted." Dick said quietly.

"You shouldn't be apologizing to me," Tim added, letting his hands drop. Dick let go of him a few seconds later. He stepped back. "Thanks for the ride. Now go apologize. And be a fucking adult about it."

"Language," Dick said with a laugh. "You've been hanging out with Jay too much." Dick hugged him again before leaving. He shut the door and leaned against it. He had. He could feel the line blurring. He looked toward his bed. Then collapsed onto the couch. He just needed a nap. He'd be fine after his nap. Bruce wouldn't be dead. Damian wouldn't hate him. He wouldn't still be in love with Jason. Everything would be better when he woke up.

There was only Alfred by the time he got back up to the manor. Tim had run before he had even had a chance to sit down and talk to him about the meeting. He had taken notes, written in large messy handwriting that was overly loopy and pressed so hard into the paper that Jason would know what it had said with his eyes closed. Tim had been very fond of leaving Jason notes before they broke up. It had started before they were even dating. If he got to the crime scene first, he would leave a note for Jason to find, rubbing it in his face- and vice versa. It was only natural that it passed into their personal life. Jason missed those notes more than anything. He missed waking up to a piece of carefully folded paper on the pillow next to him. He missed the the way they felt and how they made him smile, and the gaping hole that was left when he stopped getting those notes. The hole he had been trying to pack for five years.

He didn't blame Tim for running. He didn't know why he had to run, but he didn't need to. They had spent more time together in the past two weeks than they had spent for the full two years before that- and even Jason had to admit that it hurt. He closed the notebook and tossed it into the drawer next to the desk, not wanting to go down that road today, and pushed back from the desk. There were still five open cases that he needed to look at, but the cough in the doorway told him that may not happen tonight.

Dick wasn't looking at him exactly. His eyes were set just to the side of Jason, hands in his pockets. He wasn't smiling but he didn't look angry either, and that was just about as good as they ever got. Jason waited. He didn't feel like being the first one to reveal his cards and Dick reluctantly stepped up to the plate. "How was the meeting?" he asked finally.

Jason crossed his arms and leaned back further in the chair. "Not horrible." He offered him with his own frown. "How is being a suffocating asshat?"

He could practically see the vein in Dick's forehead twitch as he forced himself not to roll his eyes. "Okay," he nodded and fully walked into the cave. He leaned against the desk and finally fixed on Jason, pursing his lips. "I deserve that."

Jason relaxed at that, the exhaustion that came after the panic he had been feeling all week hitting him hard. "Well if you aren't here to tell me I'm an undeserving brat… why are you here?" he asked finally.

Dick winced at that, no doubt thinking of the last time they were standing in this room. "I'm sorry." He told Jason, "I wasn't being fair to you. I was… angry at Bruce for dying and scared about letting go of," he gestured to the cave. "But I know you didn't want this. And I'm sorry for taking that out on you." Jason didn't say anything so Dick pushed off the desk and looked around. "Have you patrolled as Batman yet?"

They spent the rest of the day in the training rooms alternating between beating the crap out of each other and fighting about the way that Bruce had moved. Dick was too deep into his rose colored glasses, seeing Bruce as nothing but smoke and grace. He didn't have what Jason had, the years of experience that he had hunting Batman, studying the careful force he put into each hit. The persuasion and the silence. He had always thought that Dick invested too much time in set up, Bruce didn't need set up- he just moved.

They patrolled together that night when Tim didn't come back to the cave, painting Gotham in streaks of red and blue as they took turns jumping further and further over rooftops. He had forgotten how fun this was. When he had been Robin, before he had died and come back to see his spot had been passed on. Bruce would send him off with Dick in the early days, insisting that what he had to do was too much for Jason to handle and that he wasn't ready. He had wanted Jason to pick up Dick's habits, become the same boy that he was losing - even going far enough to have him dye his hair, the streak of gray from the damage still falling into his eyes. Bruce had wanted Robin, the Robin he'd first gone into business with, who was comfortable and safe. But Jason had never been interested in Robin. He'd always wanted to be like Batman.

Dick only stayed for a couple of days, but as much as Jason hated to admit it, he was glad to have him around. Dick had been his first teacher, and as much as he hated him for it he also learned more from Dick than he had anyone else. By the time that he left, Jason was moving more like Bruce than he ever had.

He spent the rest of the week in the basement of Wayne Enterprise with Lucius working on the new types of bullets and adjusting the suit to fit without hindering his movements. They had just gotten everything finished and stuffed into a briefcase when he realised that he hadn't seen Tim since Dick had gotten there. He hadn't thought enough about it, using the time to decompress and try to fit into his new position. He knew that it was stupid, and he wouldn't admit it at gunpoint, but there was a part of him- the part of him that had never gotten over Tim- that thought if he could pull this off, then everything would work out. Batman was the kind of person who deserved to be with someone like Tim.

"Mr. Todd," the receptionist smiled sweetly at him when he stepped into the lobby. He clenched the briefcase tighter and smiled at her as he walked over, "All done for the day?" she asked.

"I have been bothering Lucius too much today," he told her, pulling out his best impression of Dick, "He kicked me out."

She laughed too much but didn't stop him as he started off again, "Oh! And tell Tim that we all hope he feels better soon."

Jason knocked three times, "Tim?" he said loudly into the door. "I know you are in there." He waited but there wasn't any sound of approach. He would take that as a sign of the apartment being empty if it were anyone else. "I'll take the door off if you don't open it." He continued, giving Tim a minute as the door clicked open and he was glaring out at him.

"What do you want?" he asked sounding annoyed, his face only half exposed in the crack of the doorway.

Jason put his hands on his hips and looked over what little of him that he could see. "You don't sound sick." he accused him.

"Well I am." Tim told him too quickly and walked back into the apartment, leaving the door cracked.

Jason walked in after him and shut the door. "With what?" he asked.

"A cold."

"A cold that has kept you out of work for seven days?" Tim stopped in the living room and turned around to stare at Jason, not quite glaring but it was too hard to call anything else. He was in flannel pants and a T-shirt that Jason was pretty sure was his, looking like he wanted to be with absolutely anyone else- but Jason knew better than to leave Tim alone. Tim was so hard on himself. He was sure that whatever he was upset about, if he kept sitting around in the dark with nothing but himself, it would just get worse. Jason sighed, "C'mon." he told him heading back to the door.

"Come where?" Tim asked even more annoyed.

"If you insist on pretending you are sick, then you have to do it at the manor so Alfred can at least get the benefit of taking care of you." He opened the door and turned back to Tim who was fumbling for something to say. "I can carry you if you want." He offered with a smirk.

Tim turned back to his room. "I warned you." He had a second to tense before Jason was picking him up and hanging him over his shoulder. "God Nugget, do you even eat?" Tim's face heated up. It had been years since he'd heard that nickname. Jason swung the door open.

He kicked out feet pushing against the frame. "Fine. Fine. I'll walk." Jason let him down with a shit eating grin that he knew too well. "Were you really going to carry me like some caveman? Me Jay. Me carry." He shoved him and grabbed his laptop shoving it in a bag as he reset the alarm. "I guess it's appropriate since you live in a cave." He looked up when Jason didn't respond. He was just smiling down at him. "What?" he snapped shifting the strap on his bag.

"Nothing." Jason was practically buzzing with energy. He followed him to the garage. The Ferrari was sitting in his spot. He smiled and slid into the passenger's seat. Jason hopped over the door, knee banging against the steering wheel and ruining his attempt at being cool. Tim snickered into his shoulder as he reached for the seat belt. "Shut up." Jason started the car and backed out. The weather was dreary. He felt the fog cling to his skin as soon as they left the garage, but the wind whipped it away once they got out onto the roads to the manor.

"Tonight's the night." Jason looked over to him, eyes alight with excitement and a little fear. He knew that too well. His first patrol as Robin, Red Robin, mission with the Titans. All of them brought that same fizzy feeling in his stomach.

"You need backup?" he asked.

Jason looked at him like he was an idiot. "I just want to show off my slick new suit." The soft smile directed at him belied the cocky words.

"I guess someone should be there to witness the new Batman getting his ass kicked."

"They'll be too busy admiring the new duds to fight back." Jason made a kung fu noise and karate chopped the air. Tim laughed and they kept their chirping up until they were parking the car.

Alfred was waiting with a cup of tea and a bottle of medicine. He winced. "Your illness was exaggerated I take it?" he took the tea.

"I just needed some rest. I'm right as rain."

"That is the weirdest saying. Why is rain right?" Jason asked as he walked past them. He listened to Alfred explain the history of the saying as they walked up into the manor.

Alfred was making Jason help him with dinner. They had made some agreement. He offered his own help but Jason and Alfred had both refused. Alfred shooed him away and pointed to the stove as he turned to Jason. He shrugged and headed down to the cave.

He stared at the new suit where it hung in its case across from Bruce's. He studied the overall look. It wasn't too different. The suit itself had only really changed its color scheme. He ran his finger along the red outline of the bat. He'd tried to talk Jason out of the jacket, but he'd insisted. The holsters on the belt were another thing he wouldn't budge on. Lucius had raved about Jason's work on the cartridges when he'd checked in the other evening. The cowl itself hadn't changed at all.

"Do your job and protect him okay?" he said to the faceless figure before him. He looked over as his eyes caught the reflection in the glass. He blinked and stepped across the grating. "You did your best." He flipped the switch and Bruce's case went dark.

"Timbo. Come on. Dinner's ready." He jumped at Jason's voice from the top of the stairs.

Jason stared at him until he started to eat. He glared back at him as he finished the plate. Alfred told him about Dick and Damian. The youngest hadn't been back to the manor. He could hear the worry in the butler's voice. He wanted to say something to appease him, but he didn't know what to say.

"Don't worry. He'll be back. You never gave up on me and here I am." Jason passed Alfred, both of their plates in hand.

He made eye contact with Alfred before they both turned and stared at Jason. "That is a terrible example." Tim deadpanned. Alfred coughed hiding a laugh.

"Shut up," Jason said. He looked a little put out. Like he was sure that was the right thing to say and didn't understand where he'd gone wrong. "Are you just going to sit there all night, or are you coming?"

"You can tell Dick I won't be here during the day. Damian will come then." He pat Alfred and jogged off after Jason before the older man could say anything.

"I am the night."

"I am the night."

"I am the night."

"I'm a loser." Tim cut in. He'd gotten changed and caught Jason looking at himself in a mirror.

Jason flipped him off. "I was just testing the modulator."

"Right," he drew out skeptically. "You ready, Batman?"

Jason looked at his reflection. "I'm Batman." He stared at Jason for a long second. Then laughed. Jason ran at him and Tim jumped on his bike before he could reach him.

He listened to Jason's grumbling complaints through the comm. It didn't feel like he was patrolling with Batman. Bruce was quiet unless he was giving orders. Tim had always been the same way, except with Jason. They'd always talked when they worked together. Their comms were geared to each other's frequencies just as they were now. Barbara had been furious when she'd found out he'd changed it so they could have a private line. Then she'd reworked the entire system so they all could control who they spoke to. It had helped her manage the extended family and she was probably glad to not have to listen to Dick's incessant chatter the whole evening.

This wasn't Bruce's Batman though. He watched Jason step out of the Batmobile from the rooftop above it. He looked up at him, lenses flashing red. This was Jason's.

Jason hated that he loved this so much. He moved with an ease that he had never felt before, not hesitating at the edges, just charging forward and fading into the darkness around them. He felt alive. Alive in a way that he hadn't felt since he had died. And in diving over the screaming night of Gotham, he couldn't help but wonder if this exact feeling was the real reason he had come back to the city that made him. He could have gone anywhere. He had. He tried his hand as an assassin and really tried to fall in with the league- but his heart was always in this city. In Gotham.

Tim didn't mind when he talked. He talked to himself mostly, but it was nice to know that someone was listening to him as he muttered on and on about the suit, dexterity and weirdness of everything. He dropped into an alley on a drug deal and silently tore it apart, the look on their faces when he pulled his gun would have been laughable if he was still in the hood. But the cowl was different. He shot and a wire exploded as it hit the man's chest, tying his arms to his side's hard. "What should I say? 'Stay in school?', 'You aren't you on drugs?'," he asked Tim when he fell in next to him and they started at the poor kid who was shaking and begging for them not to kill him. Idiot.

Tim looked at him with his signature mix of annoyed and amused. "I think you'll need to get with Nightwing if you want to talk about bad banter."

"All he'll do is throw one liners at me. You, on the other hand will tell me how bad mine are," he told him, dragging the kid to the mouth of the alley where sirens were starting to pour from and met him back at the end.

Jason fumbled around in his jacket until he found the grappling hook and Tim watched as the first cop hit the end of the alley. "I've always been a fan of silent and brooding," he offered.

Jason shrugged and wrapped his arm around Tim's waist, aiming the hook at the top of the building. "Noted." He muttered and let the gun fly them to the top before the cops had a chance to draw on them.

Alfred brought the news paper into the cave for him the next afternoon when he had finally been able to pull himself out of bed. He dropped it off with a plate of sandwiches and ice tea on the little table outside the training room, lips perked just enough to pulled Jason's attention as he left. The entire front page of the Gazette was a photo and a huge blocky headline. The picture too blurry to clearly make out but he saw the outline of the cowl and Robin's wings flying over the city. THE BAT IS BACK.

He flipped through it quickly, too anxious to take his time, and after the initial skim he went back to the top of the article to go through it again;

If you happened to be looking out the window last night, you may have caught a glimpse of something miraculous. After over a month of crime crawling back to the top of the charts, it seems that the dark shadow that watches over Gotham has finally returned. Several eyewitnesses have stepped forward saying that they did indeed lay eyes on the Batman, though they may not have known at first from his new look. And though we may not know where he went or why he had returned, I think it is safe to say that all of Gotham will sleep easier tonight knowing that the Batman is back watching over the streets.

It went on.

He shoved a sandwich in his mouth before he went back to training, a warm soreness filling him like a purpose that was nice to feel again. He felt good and strong but he knew that if he wanted to pull this off, and really pull it off, he needed to move more like Bruce. He pulled up old videos and watched him, the dance of his attacks never obvious but not brutal enough to be called anything else. He spent three hours mimicking his movement, feeling the way that Ras had taught him flow through his body again. He closed his eyes let his muscles take over, peace falling over him while he danced across the mat. He forced himself not to stiffen when he heard a rustle to his right and when it got close enough he reached out at it and threw it with all he had down onto the mat.

Damian blinked up at him in wide eyed fury and Jason grinned as Dick laughed off to the side. "First point is mine." He taunted and Damian shoved himself up in determination. They sparred for an hour before Alfred called them up to dinner, which was good for Jason because he was pretty sure that Damian would have insisted they continue until he had enough points to win. They ate in light conversation, mostly Dick and Alfred chatting about nothing. Damian just kept glancing at Jason, looking like he wanted to say something but he never let up.

They were heading back down to the cave when Tim came home and stopped dead in the entryway when he saw Damian leading the way. They stared at each other for a minute before Damian turned back to the cave and Dick walked out of the kitchen to wrap Tim in an obnoxious hug.

Patrolling with the family wasn't as easy as patrolling with just Tim. He kept most of his commentary to himself because he knew that everyone would revolt if he clogged up the frequency. He felt uncomfortable. Everyone looked at him to call the shots and when he did give an order they always seemed to second guess it before falling in line.

It was exhausting.

They got back to the cave just as dawn hit, and Jason was pretty sure that he was about to pass out. He peeled off the cowl but stood behind Tim at the computer in his suit, bouncing the events back and forth between them until the notes were finished. He headed toward the cases and changed, not noticing Dick leaning against the wall until he was almost completely stripped. "Enjoying the show?" he asked sarcastically.

Dick chose to ignore that and nodded back towards Tim at the computer. "You make a good team." He told him, a little flash in his eyes that told Jason what he already knew. Dick knew about them. It wasn't something they ever came out and said to the family, but he knew that Dick knew. He was good at that crap.

Jason looked back at the case and focused on putting the suit away. He shrugged. He wasn't going to get too attached here. He knew that Tim was only helping him because that was what Bruce wanted. Jason was willing to bet that if he could get his hands on the letter Bruce had given Tim it would say as much. This was temporary. And as much as he wanted to believe that he could change that, that if he was a good Batman then he would finally be good enough as himself for Tim- Jason knew better than to hope for anything better than what he had right now.

Dick didn't push it, he left him to get changed and shower and then he walked back up to the manor. It didn't matter though, the damage of the comment had already been done. Jason had been so good. He hadn't thought about it. About Tim. About kissing Tim. About loving him and having him and being with him like… that. He hung back in the hall, watching Tim as he climbed the entrance stairs to the bedrooms. His hair was wet and he looked exhausted. Jason wanted so badly to follow him, to hold him and make sure that he slept through the night. To put his face in his wet hair and see if he still used the same vanilla shampoo.

But Jason just watched him, making a mental note to punch Dick in the nuts when they sparred tomorrow.

Tim wanted nothing more than to just climb into his bed at the manor and fall asleep, but he had a meeting in a few hours that he couldn't miss it. He'd already pushed it back when he had been sick. He grabbed his jacket and headed for the door with a yawn. He got back to the penthouse with enough time to shower and eat. He could maybe close his eyes while he was showering. He'd fallen asleep once while showering. Jason had found him slumped against the wall dead asleep, water still flowing over him. He smiled at the memory. Jason had given him shit for weeks. He had also made it his mission to make sure that Tim got sleep. Most of the time he accomplished it by hugging him and refusing to let go until he passed out. It had been some of the best sleep he'd gotten in years. He washed his hair a little more rougher than necessary as he forced the wistful feeling away. He'd broken up with Jason for a reason. A reason, if he was being honest, he'd doubted from the moment Jason had stormed out.

He dried off and checked his bruises from patrol. He wrapped his wrist in an ice pack and wandered through his rooms getting ready for the day. Once he had his coffee he slipped the wrap off and grabbed his bag.

He slept through lunch and slept the entire drive to the manor. Alfred placed a cup in his hands as soon as he walked in the door. He sighed as he drained the cup. He headed for the kitchen for another. Alfred clucked at him, but poured another. He sat at the table and sipped it.

"Thanks, I didn't get any real sleep. Where is everyone?"

"Masters Jason and Damian are sparring. Damian has challenged Jason to some competition they both know, but that makes no sense to me. Master Dick has gone to see Miss Gordon." he glanced at the clock.

"I'm going to try and get a nap in. Will you wake me when it's time?" Alfred looked all to pleased as he headed up to his room. He stripped out of his clothes and fell face first onto the pillow. His eyes drifted shut and he was asleep.

He woke up flailing. Jason caught his arm before it collided with his face. "Sorry," he said tugging his knees up to his chest as he caught his breath.

"Looked like you were having a bad dream," Jason said softly. He knew that was the closest Jason would get to asking if he wanted to talk about it. They had woken each other up enough with their nightmares that he knew the routine. He looked up at him and shook his head. "Dinner is ready," Jason offered after a moment. He had looked like he was actually going to push it for once.

Damian was sitting next to Dick, eyes locked on the plate of food before him. He sat down across from Dick. Dick looked between them, frowning. Tim knew that eventually he would try to push them to get over this. He shook his head when Dick looked back to him and looked like he'd finally decided what he wanted to say. It wasn't time yet. Damian finished first and mumbled something before heading for the cave. Dick left his plate not long after. Jason fiddled with his food before taking a bite.

"You know it wasn't your fault right?" Jason asked.

"He needs someone to blame for a while. I'm okay with it being me." He picked up his plate and left it in the sink.

"Tim." Jason said, he looked back at him. "It wasn't." he just turned and headed for the cave.

"They are just thugs. We can take them," Dick said through the comms.

"Thugs with machine guns," Tim pointed out.

"A machine gun. We could already have them in cuffs."

"Batman said to wait," he reminded Dick. They were waiting for Jason and Damian to clear the warehouse. Jason had picked up more people on the cowl than they were expecting. One of the men started walking to the warehouse door and Dick moved. He hissed his name, but followed after. Nightwing dropped onto the man with the gun. He landed beside him. There was a glint of metal and he pushed Dick to the side as the muzzle of another gun erupted.

"Fuck," he cursed hitting the wall of the alley hard. Dick was looking at him from where he had ducked behind a dumpster.

"Red?" Batman called over the comms. He pressed his hand to his side and his glove came back wet.

"Could use a little help," he said and risked a glance out of the alley. He darted back as bullets rattled into the brick by his head. He pressed harder to his side. Dick looked at him his eyes darting from his face to where his hand was pressed. Gunfire erupted again. Dick darted across the alley. "I'm fine. Help them," he said when Dick pulled his hand away.

"I'm getting Red out of here," Dick said pressing Tim's hand back to the wound.

Alfred was finishing the last of the stitches when Jason returned. He moved, but Alfred forced him back down to the bed.

"What happened?"

"They were going after you. So I did what I thought was best."

"What you thought was best?" Jason roared. He winced. "I told you to wait."

"Bruce would've-"

"I'm Batman now. Not him." He could see Dick's anger rising to match Jason's. Alfred finished the last of the stitches and he pushed off the bed. Jason and Dick were shouting at each other. He'd seen this anger before. He stepped between Jason and Dick.

"Jay. I'm fine." He cupped the back of his neck. Jason's eyes fell on him. "I'm fine," he saw the fear, and watched it fade away as he rubbed his thumb against Jason's hairline.

Jason's eyes closed. "You're fine?" Jason breathed.

To say that Jason was livid would have been an understatement. Damian was silent the entire ride back, watching him out of the corner of his eye like he was afraid that he might have to take him down if this went too far. There was a time where the thought of Robin taking out Batman would have been laughable to him but now that he was in the cowl he couldn't help but think about how glad he was that there was a Robin was there. He had never been this furious and he had no idea what he was about to do no matter how he came at it. Bruce had trained all of them through the years not to take on his burden when he left, but to stop him if he took things too far. Jason was pretty sure that he could reach the moon at that moment.

Only Dick was in the cave, pacing when Jason jumped out of the batmobile, ignoring the pain where he's been stabbed in his left thigh as he threw the cowl onto the desk. He shot Damian a nervous look as Jason stormed past him to look through the Medbay window where Alfred was stitching up Tim. The wound was shallow. The graze just big enough for the needle, but that did nothing to calm him down.

He turned on Dick, his fists curled up at his sides and he had to force himself not to draw his gun and hit him in the same spot. "What happened?" he demanded.

Dick looked unfazed by his question, defense rising up with the red on his neck, "They were coming after you." He told him. Obviously. Jason shook his head in a silent 'And?' so Dick continued, "So I did what I thought was best." He told him like that should have been apparent.

Of course. "What you thought was best." He bit at the words tasting metal in his teeth. Of course. Golden boy always new better. Better than him. Better than Tim- Better than Batman. Officer Perfect always a step ahead of everyone else. "I told you to wait." He shouted.

Dick recoiled as if he had been slapped. "Bruce would have-"

"I am Batman now. Not him." he told him harshly. Maybe too harshly, but anger was still heating him and he was so tired of being undermined. "If you want to make the calls then go back to Buldhaven. Gotham is mine. And if you are going to patrol here, you do it by my rules."

"Gotham is Bruce's." Dick shot back at him, but his emotions were getting the best of him too. His eyes glazed and the red went up his entire face, "He gave everything he was to this city! He was this city, you have no right-"

"Bruce is dead, Dick." The man flinched at the final word but Jason pushed on. "He died. It was horrible. And he left Gotham to me. I am just as much a part of this city as he was. I was raised here in the thick of everything that he was against. And more than you, or Tim or even Damian- I know what it is to love and hate this city and to be a part of something as terrible and beautiful as Gotham. He knew that I could do this," his voice cracked, "After everything, that this was what he could trust me with. Bruce left it to me." He swallowed hard on the lump and watched at the color started falling out of Dick's face, " I didn't ask for this. I didn't want this. I didn't even get to go to Bruce's fucking funeral because Jason Todd died ten years ago! I am a ghost, Dick. But I am going to do whatever it takes to keep this safe, because that was what Bruce wanted from me. So why do you do what he asked of you, follow your fucking orders- and stop acting like I killed him!"

Tim was in front of him before Dick could say anything else, hand cupping the back of his neck and he pulled Jason's forehead down to press against his. "Jay, I'm fine. " he told him and Jason could feel his lip tremble in frustration and fear before he bit down on it to keep it still. He looked into Tim eyes, hard and soft as he soothed him, his thumb rubbing calm into his skin. "I'm fine," he said again, his voice softer as his too blue eyes neared into him.

Jason let his eyes close, feeling so relieved and so exhausted in the moment that he thought his knees might give out. The cave was silent and Tim's hand was warm as Bruce's voice hit him again from right over his shoulder. He is fine, it told him- and Jason swore that he could almost feel Bruce's hand squeezing his shoulder, your plan would have worked. This is not your fault.

"You're fine." He repeated quietly. Letting his eyes open and Tim nodded against his forehead. Tim offered him a tiny smile, one that could only be seen if you knew where to look. Jason let out a hard breath and put his hand over Tim's dragging it off of his neck, but not letting go of him, and turned back to Dick who was watching them uncomfortably like he had walked in on a very private moment. "I have a League meeting tomorrow." He told him as calmly as he could. "I don't think you should be here when I get back."

"Jay-" he heard Dick call after him but he was already dragging Tim out of the cave and back up to the manor where there was better light.

Once they got the sitting room, Jason held him at an arm's length and looked him over. He was still half dressed and his suit was peeled down to expose his chest where the bullet had lodged itself under his kevlar. He looked pale, but other than that, Tim really did look mostly okay. Jason swallowed hard and let go of him, taking a step back so that he could think more clearly. "I asked Clark if you could sit in on the meeting tomorrow." He said finally. "I figured that you would listen in anyway, and seeing as we're supposed to be the dynamic duo…" he trailed off.

Tim was watching him too closely, watching him like he was worried the Jason might crack if something pushed him too hard and, quite frankly, he felt like he might too. There was something wrong here. Something that he didn't know how to say. He knew that he wasn't just imagining Bruce, but even just thinking that… how was he supposed to bring that up? He watched Tim until he nodded and pursed his lips, walking back towards the cave. "I'll take care of everything tonight. Go to bed."

He dreamed that he was back in the burning building. His legs were broken, head pounding and his arms bound in front of him. He had fucked up. Totally fucked himself by coming alone. Jason knew that now, only it was too late to do anything about it. He stared the other body, the broken, inflamed stillhouse of his birth mother that was now nothing more than a corpse. He had trusted her so completely. Over his foster mom. Over Bruce. And all because of what? Because they shared blood. Her blood that was now swirling with his on the floor between them, soaking his already heat filled vision in the crimson paint of his biggest mistake. He was dead. No one was coming to save him. He was going to die alone like the crime alley trash that he had always been.

Jason.

Alone and insane.

Jason, you aren't insane.

Insane and aware that this was what he deserved.

Jason, stop this and look at me!

His eyes flew open just as the image of Bruce holding him by his limp shoulders filled his head, making him gasp and paw at his chest where is heart was threatening to break out of his skin. He hadn't even remembered falling asleep. He had been dizzy and warm and then he was just… awake. The room looked oddly bright for the early morning and when he got out of bed he realised that his sheets had been soaked in blood. Jason gave himself a once over, only finding scars under his fingers and shrugged it off. His suit had been left in the corner of his room by the door where he had abandon it the night before. He's probably just gotten it on him. He was fine.

He yanked off his sheets and shoved them into the basket at the corner of the room, grabbing his suit so he could take it to Alfred to be patched up. The manor was still quiet as he made his way down to the laundry room and shoved the red soaked sheets in the washer, pouring a cap full of bleach in before he shut the lid and hit start. He watched the sheets turn for a moment trying to remember what he had been dreaming about when he woke up, but the only thing that came to him was Bruce, holding him by the shoulders and shaking him.

It was a relief to have Tim in the elevator with him, riding up to the top of the tower with a little more ease than the last time. He felt less like an imposter with his own suit on, no cape to hold him back and pockets that he could stuff his fisted hands into. And with Tim by his side, he felt a strange sort of validation that he hadn't really thought he'd needed.

Tim hadn't said anything about their intimate moment the night before and Jason had decided not to bring it up. He knew that any conversation they had about it would only drive a wedge between them and, as Dick had so willingly demonstrated, Jason really needed a friend in all of this. He hadn't seen Dick when they left for the meeting, but Damian had been in the cave to see them off so he knew that he was somewhere close by. He wondered if Dick would actually be gone by the time they got back. He wondered if that was what he had really wanted.

But Jason didn't have to think about it for too long. The elevator doors opened up to the already filled council room that once again went silent as they walked in. There were more muttering this time as he made his way without hesitation to Clark's side, Tim trailing easily behind him, taking the seat that they had added. Clark smiled at the pair of them and nodded in the mumbled treating of the rest of them except for Diana who looked like she had a horrible smell stuck under her nose.

He tried not to stare but it was difficult. She hadn't been happy about the last meeting either, but this time she looked as though she would jump across the table and stab him through the chest if he tried to move. He focused on Tim, taking careful notes in his untidy sprawl until it was his turn to talk, the entire table turning to him in anticipation. He went over his latest reports and the the notes he had made about an open file that Tim had found in the League database from a few years back. It had fallen into a dead end, but they had found something that looked a lot like the same workings in a case they had recently stumbled on. Diana snorted when he brought it up and Jason clenched his fist on the table, turning to look at her, "Is there something you would like to add?" he asked.

But Diana was looking at Clark with her arms crossed across her chest. "How long," she asked, "Are we going to pretend that this child is a part of this team."

You could have cut the tension in the room with a knife. "Diana," Clark started in a low mutter, but she cut him off.

"We have all been thinking it." She stopped him and looked down the rest of the table. "Have we not? Bruce had good intentions, but his heart was always too big when it came to you." She accused Jason with a look of superiority, "He let his guilt cloud his judgement. This is not a job that you were meant to handle."

"Diana." Clark said again but harder, his hands were in fists now too. Jason could feel Tim staring at him but he didn't looked away from the Amazonian who was still staring him down.

"The way you wear those guns is shameful." She spat at Jason. "After everything that Bruce taught you. What he stood for and what he went through, he would be disgusted."

Diana.

And he wasn't sure what made him do it, but he pulled one of the guns out of his holster and fired. The entire table was on its feet as the net wrapped itself around Diana, pushing her back into the wall with an ump, but not enough to hurt her. She blinked at Jason shocked and he pulled out the clip and handed it to Clark. "I made these." He told her and looked down at the rest of them. "I made these bullets so that they incapacitate but don't kill anyone, but I have killed people. I'm proud of that," he said to them but looked only at Tim. "I fight with these guns knowing that I would do a lot more damage if you gave me a dagger. If it comes to that I'll use it, but until then- I'm just doing the best that I can with what I have." He walked over to Diana and yanked the All Caste daggers out if his boot to cut her free. She stared at him but he turned back to Tim. "What was I saying?" he asked.

Tim didn't hesitate. "The insignia." He told him typing something into the main computer and it came up on the table as everyone moved back together.

"I can't believe you netted Wonder Woman." Jason looked over to him. He snorted at the terror on Jason's face.

"I netted Wonder Woman," Jason repeated in awe.

"Her face," Tim tried to stifle the giggle, but it echoed in the elevator. It set Jason off and they were giggling and leaning on each other when the doors opened.

He stood up straight and elbowed Jason when he noticed Clark standing in the doorway. Clark looked a little shocked, as shocked as a man who could hear everything could be. Jason coughed awkwardly and stepped out of the elevator.

"I wanted to check in with you before you left." Tim walked behind them as Clark apologized for Diana. As Clark went on his mind drifted and he could almost imagine he was walking behind Clark and Bruce, in awe that he was so close to two of his heroes. Then Jason turned and cocked his head at him. That hadn't really changed, he was still walking with his heroes. He sped up and fell into step next to them.

"I'll let you go then."

"Tell Martha happy birthday for me?" he blurted.

"Will do." Clark smiled at him and even in the red and blue suit, Earth and stars backdropping him he was just Clark Kent from Smallville. "You could join us for dinner? It's been a while." Clark's eyes dimmed a little. They all knew the reason why.

"Maybe another time?" he glanced at Jason.

"Maybe you should go," Jason said casually when they were back in the cave.

"Don't," he warned.

"Don't what?" Jason snapped as he tugged off the cowl.

"Don't start this shit again."

"What? I'm not doing anything. I just said if you wanted to go to the Kent's for dinner you should."

Tim scoffed and pulled off his wings. "You always do this."

"What am I doing?" Jason was struggling with one of the straps of his suit. He stepped forward and undid it for him before pulling his own top off and grabbing the closest hoodie.

"You pretend to be okay with something then get mad when I do it. 'Ah no. It's fine. Go to the movies. I don't care. I'm just going to bitch about it for the next week.'" he mocked in a high pitched voice.

Jason shot him a look as if to say 'real mature'."Sorry if I didn't want my boyfriend hanging out with a guy that was secretly in love with him."

"Really? I knew okay? I'm not an idiot. And it didn't matter because I love you. I wanted to be with you. Even if you were too stupid to see it." He pulled on his shoes and stood up. "I'm going home. I saved the screenshot of Diana's face on the computer to add to your collection. I'll see you for patrol."

He put the apartment in lock down when he got back. He didn't want anyone checking in on him. He headed for the room he'd added a few months before Bruce had died.

"Activate B02," he said to the console and locked the door behind him.

"Timothy?"

He smiled heart aching in his chest. He was sure he had ruined it. Most of the program had been finished when he started messing around with it a few weeks ago. They had been working on it for months prior to that, Bruce had mostly wanted it for fight simulations, but Tim had insisted on personality traits for cases. So he turned to look at Bruce, sitting on a chair of light with his cowl-less suit on.

"Hey B. How's the code running?" he asked.

"I am okay." B quirked an awkward smile and Tim had to look away.

"Are you okay, Timothy?"

"It's just Tim. I told you this last time B."

"You're avoiding the question, Tim." B said pointedly and looked at him with a slight tilt to his head.

"It's Jay."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

He ran a hand through his hair. He had had to hide his laughter the first time they'd ran the program and B had talked and talked. Bruce had stared at his doppelganger and immediately grumbled about faulty programming. It had taken them the rest of the night to tweak the programming and Bruce still hadn't been happy with it. When he had opened the program settings back up Tim had told him that there wasn't a setting for stubborn. Bruce had looked so affronted that Tim had started laughing. "Not really."

"I'm always here," B said flatly, then smirked.

"He drives me crazy sometimes." he blurted. "It's like he knows where all of my buttons are and immediately pushes them all."

"Have you talked to him?" B asked.

He stared at him. "Okay. Yeah. There is still something wrong with your programming. Did you really just ask if I had talked to Jason?"

"My programming is running just fine. If I had talked to Jason we could have worked out our problems years ago."

"He wouldn't have listened."

"I am his father. Just because he doesn't want to listen doesn't mean he doesn't need to hear it."

"Did Alfred teach you that?"

"No. You did." He stared at B and wanted him to be real. He wanted to be able to hug him. Bruce gave the best hugs, there was a list. He wondered if it was still in one of the boxes from his house that he hadn't bothered to unpack. They had reordered the list so many times that you could barely make anything out. What ended up winning it in the end was that Bruce's hugs were so rare they felt like gifts. Jason had gone red as soon as he'd admitted that.

They shifted to talking about cases and Justice League dynamics.

"Tim. It is almost time for patrol." He looked up at the screen by the door. He hadn't realized it had been that long. "Talk to him," B added with a wave before shutting down.

It was easier said than done. Jason was already in his suit, cowl up, when he got back. He told Tim where to go then slid into the Batmobile.

He changed and headed out, it looked like it was just the two of them again. He stuck to the roofs. His side was still sore and swinging through the city wouldn't help it any.

"Hey Bats?" he called through the comm, they'd been silent up to that point. He was propped on the edge of a building watching a few men walk around talking shit to each other. He was pretty sure they were just bored locals, but he watched nonetheless. There were a few seconds of silence. He glanced down at the monitor on his wrist to make sure that Jason could hear him.

"I could use some help." Came back. Jason sounded out of breath. He cursed and jumped, swinging toward the docks.

Jason watched him leave with his heart in his throat, locking his air in place just long enough for Tim to escape before he could tell him to say it again. 'And it didn't matter because I love you.' Love. Not loved. It was present tense. He felt like he chest had been cracked open all over again as painfully and suddenly as the day that he walked out.

He ripped off the rest of his suit and hung it up quickly, storming to the computer to check the collection, the first one was the new image of Diana surprised and netted to the wall. If he could have gone back and told his teenage self that he would get the one up on Wonder Woman one day, Jason never would have believed it. But now it did nothing to quell the pit day that was brewing in the back of his head. He scrolled to the next one. A picture of Tim wrapped up in Jason's red hoodie on the couch, passed out with a red nose, finally sleeping after a week of fighting a cold. The next was a picture of Tim laughing and shoving the camera away from him while Jason had pinched at his cheek. A picture of Tim in the morning, eyes both blurry and clear as he looked up at him like he was his favorite person in the world. Jason hadn't seen that in a long time. That look like Tim couldn't believe just how lucky he was. Jason clicked out of the folder and shoved the chair back.

Why did he do this to himself? Tim was right, he was jealous. He had always been jealous of Kon. The two of them had always just clicked together in a way that Jason never had. He wasn't good with feelings and he ruined things. Jason's entire life was about ruining the things that were important to him so that no one else would get the chance to. He did it with Robin, pushing Bruce out until he had no one to rescue him. And he did it with Tim.

Jason made his way back up to the manor letting the heaviness of the fight fall over him. Tim had said love. There was no mistaking that. But he forced himself to push it into the back of his mind where the storm was brewing. After what happened yesterday and now this, there was no pushing it back. The pit day was on him.

He got suited up before Tim even got to the cave knowing that if he waited for him that he would inflict more damage than he would mean too. He managed not to stare at Tim when he got there by keeping his eyes pointed ahead. He didn't need to be distracted when he was on patrol so he gave Tim a location and flipped his comm on before he climbed into the Batmobile and took off.

He didn't talk like he usually would. He knew that he was pouting but he didn't know how to stop it without turning this into a bigger fight. So he kept to the streets and let Tim take the rooftop, picking up on a scanner signal about a disturbance at the docks. Jason spun the car around and punched the gas, leaving it in an alley to hit the docks on foot. "Red, I'm on a foot pursuit on the docks." he said into the comm as a heads up. Tim didn't say anything but he figured as much, Jason probably wouldn't be talking to himself either. He fell onto the shadows but it wasn't easy. There were two police cruisers with their lights still flashing by the water but whoever had driven them there left them. He walked around the edge of the industrial boathouse and pressed the button on the side of the cowl that activated his biopic ear.

It was mostly static. He moved closer to the doorway carefully and pressed his head up to the side of the building when he heard it. The sound that had haunted his dreams for the last ten years of his life. The last thing he had heard before he clawed himself out of the grave and it was all he knew. A sickening, clown-like laugh.

His stomach turned and he reached for his gun, fear and rage churning around inside him until all he could see was red. Fuck this clown. He could still hear him laughing in his ear as he pulled his head up. "Prepare yourself for a severe spanking young man." He had laughed. And laughed. And laughed until all the humor fell out of his eyes and what stared back at him wasn't even human anymore. "But let me tell you right from the start. This is going to hurt you a lot more than it does me."

He moved. Jason don't. He hesitated at the door and shut his eyes. Not now.

"Go away."

Bruce was staring at him when he opened his eyes looking so clear and so real that he almost reached out to touch him. He looked exactly like he had the last time he saw him, half dressed on his way to the office after a late night patrol telling Jason to stop being a child and play by his rules. The night hadn't ended well. He was dead a week later.

This is a bad idea. The vision told him. It was Bruce. The same voice that he had been hearing and the one that woke him up that morning.

"Why are you here?" he demanded in a hiss, not sure if his heart could take any more of this. "Nevermind. That isn't important right now," he told him pushing forward towards the boathouse.

God damnit, Jason. But he was already through the window.

"Eyes on Joker, Red." He said into the comm flipping off his night vision glasses and switching on the thermal. He counted the bodies. "Two hostages, maybe five goons."

You should have waited for Tim. Jason jumped as Bruce appeared next to him again looking over the top of a crate at the scene in front of him. This is impulsive and childish, Jason. You are making all of the same mistakes you make when you were a kid.

"Tim will come," Jason told him. He had back up this time. It wouldn't be the same. And there were two cops that needed him to buck up.

He heard the laugh again and a wet whack followed by the muffled scream. "I will give you too the count of five." The slimy voice from his nightmares oozed out. "One…"

Jason.

"Two."

You should wait for Tim.

"Three."

"Red, I'm moving in."

"Four."

"Five." Jason had barely gotten the voice modulator on as he vaulted onto the top of the crates looking down at Gotham's worst as they stared up at him horrified. He wondered why they were so scared for a moment before he remembered who he was, The Batman. The cops looked at him with hope bubbling out of their faces and yelled muffled pleas for his help. But he didn't look at them. He only looked at the man in front of them, face painted white with a ghoulish grin. He looked at Jason like he had just been given a gift.

"Little bird is all grown up," he cackled and took a slinking step back towards the dock where a boat was reaving to life. "You look so grown up in daddy's clothes." He smirked and nodded to the men around him. "Tuck him in boys," he told them and started running towards the boat.

Jason couldn't wait any longer. He launched himself from the crates and took down two of the goons with a net as he landed on a third. It took two hits to keep him down and the next had him by the neck. He just barely got his arm tucked into his elbow, pulling his knees up to his chest before he threw all his weight to the ground and flipped him over his shoulder. He elbowed him in the neck and shot a shock pellet into his gut that put his lights out.

He scrambled to his feet but the last goon had drawn a gun and had it aimed at the officers that were tied together. "Fuck." He grunted and dove in front of them, feeling the crack of his kevlar bent uncomfortably with a sharp pain.

"Hey Bats?" his comm finally glared up.

Jason groaned as the second bullet lodged itself into his shoulder. "I could use some help." He breathed and just barely caught the next one the left side of his vest and he hit him with another electric pellet.

He groaned and grabbed his shoulder turning back to the docks but the boat was already speeding away. He could just make out the white speck of the Joker's face watching him as he got away.

Tim had to pry him out of his kevlar with a screwdriver where the third shot that he had taken had warped the buckle, locking him in. He took a deep breath as he pulled it off of him in relief and stared at the damaged the first had done to the back of it. Tim was furious. "You should have waited," he said for the thousandth time as he yanked the ruined vest off the floor and threw it on the bedside table. Alfred walked in with a medical tray and set it next to the vest, silently stewing in his own thoughts while Tim kept up his monologue.

Jason grit his teeth as Alfred reached into his shoulder with the long tweezers, digging for the bullet that had been left there. "The signal was jammed," he told Tim. "I couldn't get through to you until you called me."

"It doesn't matter." He threw his wings off and kept pacing the room. "I was a minute away. You could have come get me any time-"

"There wasn't time." Jason insisted.

"There is always time!" Tim yelled back at him and both Jason and Alfred blinked in his direction. "You can't just walk into trouble on your own anymore. That's not how this works," he told him gesturing between them in a rage. "We are a team, Jason. We work together or this," he gestured again, "Doesn't work. So for the love of god, will you stop trying to get yourself killed?" he demanded.

Jason didn't know what to say. At one end he felt defensive. He wasn't trying to get himself killed… he didn't think. But if he was being honest, Jason never really thought about living or dying when he went into a fight. He just thought about winning. About being in the thick of it. He never cared about coming out as long as he went in. Then he thought about how he would feel if Tim had done this to him. He thought about Bruce telling him to wait and shook it off.

Tim wasn't looking at Jason, he was pacing, still ranting at him about how stupid he was until Jason cut in. "You're right. I'm sorry."

Tim stopped pacing and blinked at him confused. "What was that?" he asked raising his eyebrow. He wasn't going to make this easy.

Jason sighed And looked at him annoyed. "You are always right. I'm stupid. I should have waited for you and I'm sorry."