Disclaimer: I don't own Batman or any of its characters. Big surprise there. Not sure if anyone is still reading this fic but here we go. Enjoy!
Chapter Summary: Batman met Bruce's gaze for less than a second and then he was gone, just like that. Gone and leaving Bruce alone with a boy he had known for less than a minute. Now what?
Someone kind of needs to be saved, but not only by Batman.
...
Darkness surrounded Bruce as he sat alone in the den at three in the morning, a navy blue robe thrown over his pajamas and an almost empty cup of coffee held between his hands. That coffee was the only reason he hadn't fallen back to sleep by now.
He was awakened by a call made to his personal number exactly forty-two minutes ago. A dark, raspy voice that was slowly becoming familiar requesting a favor at the other end of the line. It was not the kind of favor he had expected to be asked when he offered Batman his aid, but he was willing to go along with it either way.
Dick and Alfred were sleeping, of course, so he disabled the motion sensors and alarms to stop the vigilante's arrival from causing the same turmoil he caused when he brought Dick back home a couple of years ago.
He was sure his ward was going to throw a fit when he learned his hero was in the Manor and Bruce didn't wake him, but he also had school tomorrow and that was more important.
Bruce barely lifted a hand in time to cover his mouth as he yawned one more time, already dreading going to the office in a few hours. He wondered if he would get away with skipping work or at least canceling his early appointments when his phone rang.
It rang just for a couple of seconds before stopping, the screen displaying a missed call from a blocked number. He put the phone in the pocket of his blue robe and almost ran to the door.
Bruce's attention was immediately drawn to the young boy standing on his doorstep, dressed in a worn-out red hoodie and jeans, his sneakers scuffed and dirty. The boy's blue eyes were narrowed when he looked up and his eyebrows furrowed. Batman was a silent shadow at his side, keeping a hand on the boy's shoulder.
He only watched him for a second before looking back at the boy with what he hoped was a welcoming expression. "Hello. My name is Bruce. I'm-"
"I know who you are," The boy blurted out. "You're the rich guy who owns like half the city."
"I guess I am," Bruce said, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips as he let his offered hand drop. "Can you tell me your name?"
"Jason."
"Well, Jason, it's nice to meet you." He looked to Batman for assistance, but the vigilante remained stubbornly silent, of course. At least he hadn't disappeared yet. "I assume Batman spoke with you about the possibility of staying here for a bit."
The boy- Jason nodded, still watching him warily. Even so, that seemed to be enough for Batman, who turned to the boy at his side with a growled 'behave'.
"Yeah, yeah," Jason replied with an eye roll.
Batman met Bruce's gaze for less than a second and then he was gone, just like that. Gone and leaving Bruce alone with a boy he had known for less than a minute. Now what?
"Well, come in, then. I'm sure you're cold." The boy stepped inside, keeping his cold, distrustful eyes on him the whole time. It was strange. Bruce was too used to people looking around as soon as they step foot inside. Dick had done the same thing as well, even if, in his case, he had been enthralled by the ancient crystal chandelier above their heads. "Would you like something to eat? Alfred is asleep but-"
"Who's Alfred?"
"He's my butler." Jason looked at him as if he was the strangest thing he had ever seen. He probably was, Bruce supposed. "Like I was saying, he's asleep but I can get you a glass of milk and maybe a sandwich."
It was almost four in the morning now and it definitely wasn't an appropriated time to be eating, but Jason's gaunt appearance compelled him to make the offer. Even with the hoodie, the boy looked far too thin to be healthy.
"Alright," Jason replied after a long moment, clearly unsure of his response.
"Come on. The kitchen is this way."
They walked further into the Manor in silence, but Bruce was all too aware of the distance Jason was keeping between them. It didn't take long for the boy's eyes to wander around, even if he tried to remain cool and collected. It was cute, really, and reminded him of Dick yet again, except he didn't even try to hide his awestruck expression.
As he watched him, Bruce couldn't help but wonder what made this boy special. It was a sad truth that Gotham's dark streets were filled with homeless people struggling to survive, many of them children. Children Batman saw every night without being able to help them, except this time was different. He was more than a little curious about the reason for that.
Bruce got the boy to sit on one of the stools, putting a tall glass of milk in front of him before he moved around the kitchen to gather the ingredients to make a simple ham sandwich and placed them on the counter. He also filled a cup with what was left of the coffee he made and brought it with him.
"So, how did you meet Batman?"
"I stole the ties of his fancy car," Jason announced, sounding more than a little proud of himself. There was a milk mustache above his upper lip.
"That's-" Unbelievable. Bold. Dangerous. Sad. Terrible.
"Yep. I got three of 'em before he caught me."
Bruce tried to keep his expression neutral as he paused with the knife in his hand. "So he stopped you and then brought you here?"
"Nah. That didn't happen tonight. He took me to some home for homeless kids back in Crime Alley, but it turns out that was just a place where they beat kids and teach 'em how to steal better so I ran away and ratted out to Bat. Said he was gonna take care of it."
"I see."
Bruce finished preparing the sandwich in silence and slid the plate across the counter before putting everything away. His cooking skills weren't anywhere near Alfred's level, but the sandwich must taste good if the way the boy wolfed it down was any indication.
He saw Jason wipe his mouth with his sleeve after drinking the milk but didn't comment on it.
"You the Bat's sugar daddy?"
Bruce almost choked on his own spit. "Excuse me?"
Jason looked him up and down as he kept chewing. "I guess you ain't old enough for that, but you give him money, right?"
"I- It's not like that."
The boy gave him a skeptical look.
"I do try to help him any way I can," Bruce answered carefully.
"He threatened you?"
"What? No! Of course not. Why would you think that?"
He shrugged. "'Cause you're letting a street rat into your fancy house just 'cause he told you to."
"You shouldn't talk that way about yourself." Jason only rolled his eyes, so Bruce bit his tongue. This was probably not the time to worry about that. Especially with what Jason was implying about his relationship with Batman. "I help him because I want to. Because I believe in what he's doing for the city, and because he has saved my life many times in the past."
Jason cocked his head. "So you're doing this 'cause you owe him?"
"You could say that."
The boy nodded, seemingly satisfied with that answer. Then he went back to pick at the stray bits of lettuce and tomato left on his plate. Bruce would have offered him more food but that wasn't wise when he was planning to send the boy to bed in a moment.
He pondered what bedroom would be best. Should he put Jason in the West Wing close to his and Dick's, or perhaps he should give him some space. A cleaning service came by regularly to keep the many guest bedrooms clean, but Alfred would need to prepare whatever bedroom Jason would be using. That would happen in the morning, though. For now, he would let the boy pick where he wanted to sleep.
"What?" Jason snapped, blue eyes gleaming defiantly in the dim light of the kitchen.
"Nothing." Bruce held back a smile as he watched him, thinking he could see a little glimpse of what Batman probably saw on the boy.
...
a/n: Have I mentioned recently how much I love Jason? Or how much I love the Jason & Bruce relationship? Because it's a fuckton. So, right now I have no plans to add the rest of the Batkids, but that can change if I come up with something I like.
