Author's Note: I adore how many of you are concerned for Jason when Bruce gets back. See what happens!
Jason let the younger teenagers have free reign over the enormous tv and game consoles in the main living room while he hung back towards the hallway and chatted with Connor and Raven. Connor, he noted, made sure that he stood in such a way that gave him a direct line of sight to Mia. The girl was talking to her friends, but she didn't seem terribly upbeat. Tim, on the other hand, looked like he'd done a complete turnaround from the morning which pleased Jason immensely. He returned his attention to Raven.
"Victor regrets not being able to attend today," the young woman said.
"It's okay," Jason nodded. "We'll have to do a trip out to San Francisco sometime anyway."
It went unsaid why the last one had been cut short. The trio was quiet for a moment until the noise of the teens' video games was interrupted by the patter of feet coming from downstairs. Damian was almost all the way at the bottom before he paused and tilted precariously over the railing. Jason turned his head towards him.
"Hey, little man. Come to be social?"
You should talk! said his youngest brother's eye roll loud and clear. That was fair, Jason supposed. He hasn't been the most social person for most of his life. Truth be told there were very few people he liked outside of his family, but Jason was trying. This time it was mostly for Tim, but it still counted as far as he was concerned. Those in the living room couldn't see him from their angle, but Connor was smiling at the boy and even Raven's usual even expression seemed warmer. Damian ignored them and looked at his brother.
"Do we like these people?" he asked as if no one else was even there.
"Most of them," Jason replied without missing a beat then jabbed his thumb at Connor. "Jury's still out on this one."
Damian - who still had a some trouble identifying sarcasm - frowned, but the fair-haired man just laughed. Jason tried for the more straight forward approach he knew his brother tended to better respond to.
"They're playing Mario Kart. Why don't you come down? I think Yoshi's still open."
Intrigued, Damian trotted the rest of the way down the stairs and past him into the living room where he unceremoniously plopped himself down on the floor between Tim and Conner Kent much to the chagrin of both teens. Tim handed him a game controller and restarted the race. Instantly Mario, Toad, and Yoshi appeared on the screen in their little go-cars.
"Don't just let him win," Tim advised the Kryptonian. "He'll know if you do."
"Tt," Damian scoffed. "As if he could."
Jason rolled his eyes at the friendly scuffle that had become all-too familiar by now. Next to him, Connor Hawke looked at his watch, then into the living room towards his adopted sister who looked like she was very actively ignoring him. Jason watched as Connor checked his watch again, then excused himself and walked across the room and physically took Mia aside. Whatever the conversation was only someone with super human hearing would have been able to listen in, but in the end Mia stalked away into the hallway more visibly angry than she had been all afternoon.
Connor had an utterly defeated look on his face when he returned back to where he and Raven were waiting. The young woman tilted her head slightly.
"Would you like for me to speak to her?"
"Yes, please." Connor took a deep breath that he let out very slowly. "God knows she doesn't listen to me anymore."
Raven nodded and disappeared after Mia. Jason nudged him.
"You want coffee? You look like you need coffee." Connor raised a brow. "Hey, it's 5 A.M. somewhere. Come on. We have the good stuff here."
Once in the kitchen, he set the kettle on the stove, poured some beans in the grinder, and pulled out the larger coffee press. Connor sank heavily into one of the kitchen chairs and Jason leaned back on the counter as he waited for the water to boil.
"So," he said far more nonchalantly than the situation probably warranted, "sibling angst, huh?"
Connor but his lip then spoke quietly that Jason almost didn't hear him.
"Mia… skips her medication," he said slowly. "She says she forgets, but I don't buy it."
In that very clear moment Jason thanked any higher power out there that his biggest conflicts with Tim and Damian that say were about t-shirts and sugar intake. He remembered the moment in an alley in Bludhaven almost a year ago now when he'd gotten between some thugs and Damian. Those few terrible heartbeats had been the scariest of his life, both prior and after his own death and resurrection. He couldn't imagine what it would be like to have that kind of lingering fear ever-present.
"Don't know there's much you can do other than be there." Jason wished he had something more to offer. "She seems like a smart girl, tough. I'm sure she'll figure it out."
"If she keeps on like this, she won't have the time to figure it out." The fair-haired man shook his head and sighed. "Sorry to bring this all to your doorstep. Again. After Dick..."
"Nah ah," Jason waved his hand dismissively. "Dick and I are big boys. We're pros at these pissing contests, and trust me when I say this one has nothing to do with you. Maybe with Harper, but not you and definitely not Mia."
A silence fell across the kitchen only to be interrupted a moment later by the whistle of the kettle. Jason returned his attention to the coffee press and poured in the boiling water. When the aroma of the coffee began to waif through the air, he turned back to Connor who was looking at him curiously now.
"What did Roy do?" he asked. "I mean, I know he can have kind of an abrasive personality, but is there a specific reason you don't like him?"
Jason briefly wondered if he actually wanted to say anything. To bring up the fight in Vegas was bound to open up more topics that he hadn't discussed with anyone other than his father and Dick, though the latter conversation did not go well. Still Connor had shared something intensely personal with him so it only seemed fair.
"He bad-mouthed my mom." There were other reasons, but this one was the only one Jason couldn't see himself getting past. Connor frowned, and he just knew the other man was thinking that he didn't even know he had a mother. As far as Jason was concerned, he'd had a few too many. To save Connor the trouble however, he amended. "Okay, he bad-mouthed Damian's mom."
"Oh." Connor's eyes widened as realization bloomed across his face. "Really? That seems… stupid. And maybe a little suicidal if what I've heard about you is true."
"If you're referring to my anger managment issues, then yeah, all true," Jason beamed.
"Actually," Connor smiled. "I meant your devotion to your family."
"Who said that?"
"Dick did when he left with me. He told me not to take anything you said personally, because you were only angry on your brothers' behalves."
Jason decided to let him have that belief. That was partially true, but a tiny part of him, the part that was willing to admit it, knew that as much as he'd berated Dick about leaving their family so soon after the murder of Tim's father, the truth was that much of that was mainly that Jason himself had felt abandoned, that his brother had chosen some junkie over him.
"I think about before sometimes," he confessed. "I was pretty much an only child before my death. Then I woke up and Damian was there. Came back to Gotham, and there was Dick and now Tim. It's been almost a year now, and you know what I figured out? Having brothers is so, so much better than being alone. You know that, and I bet Mia knows it too, even if she's not overly happy with you right now."
The other man's smile was a bit sad. "I hope you're right."
"Usually am." They both chuckled. "How long are you two in town for?"
"Till tomorrow morning. Mia wants to go back to San Francisco with the Titans, but I'm reluctant to let her."
"I don't know," Jason shrugged. "Might be a good chance for her to cool off and Raven looks like she might be able to talk some sense into her. Anyway, if you want to stick around we can go to Dave and Busters, shoot some pool, darts…" The other man laughed. "Yeah darts, Hawkeye. Not to turn this into some Wayne/Queen family rivalry, but I'm pretty sure I can take you."
"Hawkeye?" Connor tilted his head in clear comprehension.
"You know, 'cause you're Connor Hawke, and the archer from Avengers is...? Comic books?" When all he got was a blank stare, Jason threw up his hands. "Oh, see, now you have to stay long enough for me to educate you. You're almost as bad as Damian."
Connor tapped the side of his coffee cup thoughtfully then nodded after a minute. "It may be a good idea. Actually, I was wondering if I could talk to your father, get some legal advice on a few things. With Oliver in prison, I'm not sure what to do, not just with Mia but also some of our bigger assets."
"Yeah, go for it," he shrugged. "He'll be back later tonight, so stop by Wayne Tower tomorrow morning and you should be able to catch him before his meetings start. Want to grab lunch downtown after?"
"Sure." Then as the earlier statement sunk in, Connor started. "He's coming back tonight?
Jason just rolled his eyes in response.
Bruce returned to Gotham a little before eleven o'clock at night which gave him enough time to return to the manor, wish Tim a happy birthday, see Damian, and then head downstairs to the kitchen where Jason was dutifully helping Alfred with the cleanup. The eldest of his children still at Wayne Manor turned his head slightly at his approach.
"Hey, how was Metropolis?"
"Fine." His tone betrayed nothing. "Home is better. How's everything here?"
"Okay." Jason merely shrugged a shoulder, and Bruce went to a different counter to pour himself a cup of tea.
"How was the party?" he asked casually, glancing between Jason and Alfred. His oldest friend straightened.
"I locked all entrances to the wine cellar myself, Master Bruce," he said pointedly, "and checked it after the fact."
"Alfred is the best co-conspirator," Jason grinned, putting a hand on the old man's shoulder. "And the party was awesome. Ask me how many times someone wondered how I was getting away with it when the almighty Batman returned. My street cred is at an all time high."
Batman's reputation preceded him. As a father, Bruce couldn't fathom why anyone would think he'd object to his son's friends coming over on his birthday - with supervision, of course. Since Jason had already checked with him to make sure he only invited those that knew of their identities in the first place, there was really no reason for him not to allow the teens over. As Batman, he had to admit that the... reputation was useful. He encouraged it, not just among the younger heroes but among members of the Justice League as well.
Bruce chuckled and took a sip. "Easier to ask for permission than forgiveness."
"Just this once," Jason agreed.
"I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that. Are you up for patrol?"
He really didn't have to ask. Less than an hour later Batman and Red Robin were in the heart of Gotham, perched on the ledge of a tall building overlooking the Gotham City Police Department headquarters. No light shone from the rooftop, but Batman liked to check and make sure anyway. He hadn't heard from Gordon in a while and hoped that it meant the streets were relatively quiet. Bruce Wayne probably wouldn't have gone to Metropolis if they hadn't been.
A look behind him showed that Red Robin had already settled down on the rooftop with his back to the railing. Tim had been good at surveillance, but neither Dick nor Jason were particularly patient unless they absolutely had to be. Red Robin made up for it by keeping an eye on whatever direction Batman's back was to and also taking the time to sharpen his katanas. He was still uneasy about allowing the youth such deadly weapons. He'd watched him closely, but in the months since he took up the mantle Red Robin had not shown any excessive aggression or seriously harmed anyone. Batman supposed it had to be enough.
"Did you ever use these?" Out of the corner of his eye, Batman saw that the wet stone paused in its methodical pass across the metal of the blade. "Or were they more… you know… for show."
He'd never asked about the origin of the swords, though Batman had always suspected he'd known somehow anyway.
"No," he replied, "I've never used them, but they're not ceremonial. I wouldn't let you in the field with them if they were."
"You didn't want to let me into the field with them anyway," the young man pointed out. "You didn't want to let me into the field at all."
"Still don't." It wasn't anything he didn't know, and Red Robin took no offence. "You think she used them?"
"I don't know." Batman paused. The swords had been presented to him in pristine condition, but then Talia had always cared for her weapons. "Maybe."
He couldn't tell if Red Robin hoped they had been used by their previous owner or if he was the first, and he didn't get a chance to ponder on that. There was movement on the rooftop a block away. A large silhouette was making his way through the shadows. He wasn't running or attacking anyone, but something told Batman the man was not supposed to be there. He tapped Red Robin on the shoulder, and the youth was instantly in motion, rising and sheathing his swords. Wordlessly Batman pointed across the rooftops, and he tapped the side of his domino mask to switch to night vision.
"I can't tell who it is," Red Robin squinted at the figure. "Not Bane or Grundy."
"No, not big enough," Batman agreed. "Come on."
Silently they made their way across several rooftops to catch up to the man who hadn't moved far from his position. Only when they were a building away that the thought struck Batman that he seemed to be waiting for something. He almost stopped his approach, but the man turned and stepped out of the shadows just as both vigilantes landed on the rooftop he'd been standing on. Not one to be caught off guard, Batman was nonetheless taken a back.
Red Robin didn't even bother to hide his surprise.
"Ubu?"