Another Jason-centric chapter that's set in the general DCU. Baseball season is here and Jason seems like he'd be naturally athletic. And I have a thing for baseball players, so...

Prompt for this chapter: He was always a natural.

It was a balmy Tuesday evening in July, that rare time of day when the sun still had some kick to it but the shadows brought some relief. Jason Todd was walking home from the small market a few blocks from his place, a bag of groceries in each hand, annoyed with the rare Gotham sunshine. He could feel beads of sweat dripping down his face and neck and he regretted his choice to stop to get something for dinner while wearing a long sleeve shirt and jeans. He'd been working on his motorcycles and the air conditioning in the garage wasn't working. Instead of a comfortable seventy-two degrees, it was only sixty- cool enough he needed extra layers despite the summer heat outside.

The second to last block was a long one, as it was a block with one of the city's handful of baseball fields and a park. There were two softball teams warming up and he easily recognized the sounds of batting practice, the metal bats ringing loudly. He was walking past right field and heard the telltale crack of a bat making contact. Instinctively he turned and tracked it, watching as it sailed over the fence and landed ten feet to his left. The right fielder trotted up to the fence, a friendly smile on his face.

"Hey! Can you toss that back in?"

"Sure."

Jason set his bags on the sidewalk and leaned down to pick up the ball, his fingers automatically gripping its seams. It had been years since he'd played baseball and his curiosity got the better of him. He turned toward home plate and threw it as hard as he could. It sailed over the heads of the first and second basemen and landed in the catcher's mitt with a satisfying thunk. The right fielder turned and looked at him.

"That's quite a cannon you've got there. Do you play?"

Memories of Saturday afternoons spent with Bruce at batting cages and amateur baseball games came rushing back to him, making his chest ache. He glanced at the group of players walking toward them and part of him wanted to get the hell out of there, but another part of him wanted to hang around to see what happened.

"I played some baseball when I was a kid."

"You can throw like that and you haven't played since you were a kid?"

Jason shrugged, trying not to smile.

"Some things never leave you, I guess."

"I guess. My name's Brandon, by the way."

"Jay."

"Nice to meet you, Jay. This might be weird, but we're one man short tonight. Would you be interested in playing? It's slow-pitch softball, and it's a double-header. There's beer in it for you."

Several of Brandon's teammates joined them. The one who caught Jason's throw chimed in.

"We don't care if you can't hit. With an arm like yours, it wouldn't matter."

Jason glanced toward home and back at the four men staring at him from the other side of the fence. It's not like he had anything going on tonight, not until much later, anyway. And he had some of his old gear he'd taken from the manor on a whim a few months back. It couldn't hurt to do something fun for a change, something that didn't involve gallivanting across rooftops or playing hide and seek with the city's criminals.

"I can be back in ten minutes. I'll go grab my stuff."

Brandon grinned.

"Great! The game doesn't start for about half hour. We're up to bat first so you'll have time to get warmed up and check out their pitcher."

"Sounds good."

Brandon and his teammates turned and headed back to the infield. Jason continued down the block toward his place, forgetting all about the heat and humidity.

After shoving the important grocery items in his fridge, he changed into an old t-shirt and shorts. The bag with his cleats, batting gloves and mitt was buried in his hall closet along with an old pair of running shoes. He swiped a bottle of water from the fridge and grabbed his keys before rushing back out the door. He was in such a hurry to get back to the park he didn't notice Tim approaching from the opposite direction, his laptop bag slung over his shoulder and earbuds in his ears. His gaze was focused on his phone so he didn't see Jason at first.

Jason took off at a brisk pace toward the park and Tim stopped a moment, doing a double-take when he realized it was actually Jason he'd seen carrying a baseball bag. He gave Jason a considerable head start before he followed. If this was going to play out the way he hoped it would, he had to see it for himself.

He watched Jason join a team in one of the dugouts and he looked around for a secluded spot where he could watch. There was a small cafe across the street with an open table just inside by the window that offered an excellent view of the field. He ducked in and set up his computer, ordered a large iced coffee and pretended to get to work.

Jason couldn't remember the last time he'd been this excited to do something normal, but he knew it had been a while. Brandon introduced him to the rest of the team and then started putting together a batting order while Jason put his cleats on. There was an old, faded Gotham Knights baseball cap in his bag that he'd forgotten he had, the same cap Bruce got for him at their first game together. He stared at it for a moment, running his thumb over the logo and remembering how much fun they had that night and how many games they went to after that.

"Jay, you're batting cleanup!"

Brandon's voice startled him and he nodded, choosing a bat from the rack hanging on the fence. He took several practice swings to loosen up. The catcher, Sam, approached him.

"Did Brandon give you the rundown of how this league works?"

"Let's hear it."

"We're only allowed three home runs before they're counted as outs. So if you're gonna hit one, make sure it's worth it."

Jason grinned and watched as their lead-off batter hit a ground ball to third base, failing to outrun the throw to first.

"So go big or go home?"

Sam nodded.

"Pretty much. Or be prepared to bring a case of beer the next week for each out you cost us."

"I think I can manage that."

"Good. The only other thing is that the count starts at one ball, one strike. Keeps the game moving."

Their second batter hit a line drive to left field, sliding into second base with a double. Someone yelled from the other side of the dugout.

"Jay! You're on deck!"

He made his way toward the entrance to the dugout, watching their third batter send a pitch out into right field just beyond the reach of the outfielder. They now had runners on first and third with one out. Jason walked to the plate and stepped into the batters box, turning his hat backwards and settling into his stance. He watched two pitches go by, seeing what the umpire's strike zone looked like, before swinging at the third pitch.

The sharp crack of the bat got everyone's attention and the whole team was on its feet in the dugout, screaming for a home run. Jason tossed the bat aside and sprinted toward first, easing up as the ball easily sailed over the fence in center field. As he rounded third he started laughing. Brandon stood just beyond the plate, arms crossed over his chest, a grin plastered on his face.

"Boys, I think we've got a ringer, here."

Jason gave high-fives to the teammates who were crowded around the entrance to the dugout.

"Like I said. Some things never leave you."

Brandon picked up his bat and pointed it at Jason.

"Are you free next week? Please tell me you can play."

"I can probably make it work."

Tim watched the celebration from his spot at the cafe, grinning to himself. He stopped recording after Jason crossed home plate, saving the file in a secure folder on his phone for later. He wouldn't have believed it had he not seen in with his own two eyes. Jason, someone he just realized he didn't actually know that well, wearing a t-shirt that had seen better days instead of armor and a leather jacket, hitting home runs and laughing. Add the backwards baseball cap and a shock of his unruly black hair jutting out the front, and Jason looked so much younger. He looked like someone his age should look- relaxed and happy.

Tim leaned back in his chair, stretching as he watched as Jason's team take the field. He figured he'd stick around long enough to see what Jason would do in the outfield before heading back to his place for a few hours of work before patrol. He ordered another iced coffee and turned back to the game.

Jason took his position out in left field and watched as the first batter stepped into the box. He took a few pitches before grounding out to second base. The next batter doubled to right center field. The third batter, a guy with a build about the same as Jason's, stepped up to the plate and glanced out in his direction. Jason could see the smirk all the way from left field; this guy was thinking he would either hit over the fence or drop it in the gap between him and the left-center fielder.

"Not gonna happen," Jason muttered, taking several large steps backward.

The batter took two pitches before swinging, the ball screaming off the end of the bat. Jason watched as it sailed high into the air and he sprinted toward center field to get underneath it, but he realized he wasn't close enough. Using everything he'd learned as a kid, he changed course and darted toward center, timing his dive perfectly as the ball dropped into his glove. He immediately rolled and climbed to his knees, throwing the ball to the third baseman who tagged the runner out as he rounded third too early. He must have assumed Jason wouldn't make the play. He could hear Brandon giving him a hard time all the way from right field.

"Oh, come on! You and that arm cannon are making us all look ridiculous!"

Jason laughed and stood up, brushing grass off his shirt and putting his hat back on.

"I'll dial it back next inning, I promise!"

He shook his head and went back to his preferred spot. The next batter was a lefty and he'd likely hit it out to right field anyway, so he had some time to catch his breath. He had no idea he'd still be able to play this well, after all this time and after everything that had happened these last few years. While it definitely felt strange at first, hanging around 'normal' people doing 'normal' things, it was something he could get used to.

He would have to start clearing his schedule on Tuesdays just for this.

Tim stuck around for a few more innings; he was having a lot of fun watching Jason make everyone look ridiculous. He thought about sending the video to Dick, but decided against it. He knew the last thing Jason wanted was anyone knowing about this and Dick, as much as he loved him, would probably never let this go and would insist on coming to watch. And that would pretty much guarantee Jason would never play again and would withdraw even further.

He knew Bruce needed to see it, though. He had a feeling this was something they had in common once, as Bruce mentioned something about baseball to Jason a while back and Tim saw how Jason bristled at the comment and pretended like he hadn't heard it.

Tim smiled as he packed up his laptop and finished his coffee. He'd have to try and keep anyone from bothering Jason on Tuesdays, at least for the rest of the summer. He deserved some time to himself, some time to be himself. As he left the cafe and turned back toward where he'd parked, he heard the crack of a bat and people cheering. He glanced over his shoulder and saw Jason running the bases, sliding into third with the ease and grace of a professional ballplayer. He smiled and shook his head.

Who knew we had another athlete in the family?

The next morning Tim joined Bruce for breakfast, an uncharacteristic move as of late. He usually slept through breakfast, allowing himself some extra sleep before heading to work. Bruce was reading the paper and nursing a cup of coffee when Tim came in, surprisingly awake and coherent.

"Morning, Tim."

Tim nodded at Bruce and poured himself some coffee before sitting down across the table, putting his bag on the floor by his chair.

"Morning, Bruce."

He looked at Tim who was doing everything he could to avoid looking at him.

"You're up early."

Tim cringed when he burned his tongue on his coffee.

"I'm starving."

He reached for one of the bagels on the plate in the middle of the table, spreading cream cheese over it. Bruce studied him, not believing in the slightest that Tim would get out of bed before 8am just to eat.

"Is everything okay?"

Tim nodded and pulled a tablet from his bag.

"Can I ask you something? About Jason?"

Bruce laid the paper on the table, leaning back and crossing his arms.

"Sure."

Tim looked at him and blinked, momentarily confused at Bruce's willingness to actually answer a question.

"It's nothing serious, it's just… last night I saw something and I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around it."

Bruce closed his eyes and braced himself for whatever Tim might show him, leaning forward again. Tim unlocked his tablet and brought up a video before handing it to Bruce.

"I'll explain. Just hit 'play'."

Tim studied Bruce as he watched the video, noticing how his breath hitched when Jason hit the home run and again when he made the diving catch in the outfield. He replayed the video twice more before sliding the tablet back to Tim. He swallowed several times before trying to speak, and his voice was strained when he did.

"That was last night?"

Tim nodded.

"I was going to ask him for help on something. I saw him going to the park so I followed him. From what I could hear, they needed an extra player. He has a really strong arm."

Bruce rubbed a hand across his chest, the fond memories soothing the pain of missing out on so much the last few years. It was nice to see his son so happy, doing something he'd loved as a child. Even if it no longer included him.

"It was so weird to watch. I know he's strong and athletic and everything, but this was... different." He stared at the tablet, the video paused on the screen. "I had no idea he could play."

Bruce smiled into his coffee, thinking about all the games they attended together, the late-night sessions playing catch after patrol, the hours at the batting cages. Jason was pure, raw talent when it came to sports, but baseball had been his favorite.

"I knew."

I figured, Tim thought. He knew Bruce would be able to figure out where Jason was playing, so his work was done. He stood and refilled his mug, forcing himself to eat the rest of his bagel.

"I've gotta get going. I'll see you later at the office."

He grabbed his bag and left the tablet in front of Bruce. Before Bruce could say anything, Tim was gone and conspicuously without his tablet. Bruce played the video again, his words echoing in the empty kitchen.

"He always was a natural."