Awake and Alive Pt3
An entire day passed without change on Kaden's part; he remained unconscious the entire time, save for a few reflexive movements. Tim came to see him first, and though he didn't outright say it, he blamed Jason for it, blame which he gladly accepted. Tim had never fully accepted what it was that Jason did.
Damian eventually came to see him, as Batman of course. He'd replaced Bruce once the man hit 60. Bruce was till in great shape for a man his age, but he was getting older; he couldn't be Batman forever. Damian was less restrained than Tim had been; he scolded by Dick and Jason for not training him like he told them to years ago. In hindsight, they started to wonder if Damian was right. They wanted as normal a life for him as possible, but if this was the cost...
Barbara was the next to come and visit. As Oracle, she had special permission to enter the Watchtower, acting as an occasional informant to members of the Justice League. And because she was once Batgirl. She stayed a little longer than the others before she too had to leave. Naturally, Wally, Clark, Diana, Hal, J'onn, everyone who knew him came to visit him. He wasn't a hero like the rest of them, but he was still part of the family.
But now that Kaden was safe and alive, there were consequences that both Dick and Jason had to discuss. There were things they could no longer hide, no longer avoid, because once Kaden woke up, there would be questions.
"You know he's probably going to want to join us. On patrol I mean," Dick said softly, glancing briefly from Kaden to Jason who sat on the opposite side of Kaden's bed from him. Jason snorted and looked up at Dick, hands folded in front of him, elbows resting on his legs.
"Over my dead body," he said flatly. Dick chuckled in amusement at the comment, because that had been one of the few things on Jason's mind that hadn't changed since the day they first brought Kaden home. Jason had bee adamant since day one that Kaden would never be subjected to vigilante life like they were. It wasn't that they hadn't enjoyed the life, enjoyed fighting criminals, helping people. It was all the negatives that came with it. That's what they didn't want for Kaden.
"Still, maybe Damian was right? If we'd trained him early on, maybe this could have been avoided," Dick supplied. Jason shook his head and then scrubbed his face before clasping his hands together again.
"No. We made the right choice. If we had trained him, he would have had questions, would have been suspicious, and then he would have eventually figured us out. The little brat is as inquisitive and intuitive as you are," Jason said with a hint of amusement as he looked up at Dick. Jason sighed deeply and leaned back in his chair.
"I guess none of that matters any more. Once he wakes up, we won't be able to keep any of it a secret anymore," Jason said softly. Dick sighed and leaned forward.
"We could move him from the watchtower back to the apartment," he suggested. Jason shook his head immediately at the suggestion.
"No. I want him here in case something...happens. If he's here, then he can get the help he needs. We'll just...deal with the fallout, I guess," Jason answered. Maybe he was being a little overprotective, but he felt it was warranted, considering his son had been shot and nearly fucking died.
Oh there was no doubt, the Red Hood was going to go busting down some mother fucking doors in the near future. There was going to be hell to pay. He hadn't killed anyone in years, but god damn someone may very well die in the near future. They shot and almost killed his kid. Unforgivable!
"C'mon baby bird, open your eyes. Wake up for Dad and Papa," Jason said softly, a little desperately, as he gave Kaden's hand a gentle squeeze. Silence permeated the room, and then-
"Dad," came a weak voice, barely above a whisper. Jason and Dick exchanged a startled glanced then jumped out of their chairs. Jason felt Kaden's fingers squeeze his own and looked at the teen's face. His eyes started to flutter open, slowly.
"Dick-"
"On it," he replied, reading the man';s mind as he rushed out of the room to find the doctor. Jason hovered over Kaden a bit, watching him closely for anything, any sign he might get worse or better.
"Dad...where-" He groaned, pain lancing up his side. He sighed and looked up at his father, eyes widening as his memory came back to him. He tried to sit up, but a firm hand on his chest kept him on the bed. Jason looked down at him and shook his head.
"Careful baby bird. Don't try to do too much at once," Jason said softly. Kaden snorted softly, but otherwise, didn't protest. Dick came back with the doctor moments later, who began checking Kaden over. He checked the boy for various stimuli, hearing, sight, touch, reflexes.
"Please state your full name," the doctor ordered. Kaden glanced over at him and quirked an eyebrow, and Jason gently nudged him with his elbow.
"Kaden Todd-Grayson," Kaden replied with an annoyed sigh. Jason and Dick both shared a look and a laugh; Kaden was definitely alright. The doctor more or less kept poking and prodding him, asking him questions for the next few minutes.
"Well, everything appears to be in order. Your son is perfectly healthy. Though I do recommend keeping him off his feet for a few days to let the sutures heal," the doctor explained. He patted Kaden on the back and flashed him a smile "you'll be in a bit of pain for a while. The bullet struck a rib but you'll be fine in no time."
"Thanks doc," Kaden replied as the doctor retreated from the room. With the doctor gone now, Kaden looked around the room, taking everything in. Now that he was getting a real, good look at the place, he immediately noted that this was not any hospital in Gotham. So where was it? Curiosity piqued, he turned to his parents and asked "where are we? This isn't Gotham."
Jason and Dick exchanged glances, knowing this was coming. Kaden had always been very perceptive and observant. Dick bit his lip and looked back at Kaden and Jason just nodded, the two of them sharing a silent conversation. Jason got up out of his chair and sat on the edge of the bed beside Kaden, running a hand through the teen's hair. Kaden didn't protest, but now he was even more curious.
"You're right, it's not Gotham," Jason began, sucking in a deep breath and then exhaling. He looked up at Dick, then back to Kaden, the teen's eyes darting back and forth between his parents.
"We're in the Watchtower," Jason finally finished. Kaden sat there in stunned silence, expression blank. He had no idea how to react to that. I'm in the Watchtower?! With that one though, he suddenly felt like a huge nerd, his expression lighting up.
"Noway. The Watchtower?!" Kaden asked with a huge grin on his face. Jason and Dick chuckled in amusement, but their amusement didn't last long, because Kaden's expression faded almost soon as it appeared. In that moment, they knew he was piecing things together.
"Wait...then...that means you guys are-"
"Nightwing," Dick admitted, raising his hand a little. Kaden looked over at his papa like he didn't recognize him, but that only lasted for a brief second before his face lit up again; Nightwing had been one of his favorite heroes.
"Shit, noway," he said with a laugh. Dick chuckled in amusement and patted the boy's head.
"Yes way." Then Kaden turned to his father and Jason averted his eyes. How could he tell his son he was one of the most dangerous Drug Lords on Gotham? How could he look his boy in the eye and tell him he was responsible for putting him here in the first place?
"Dad?" Kaden asked. Dick stepped up almost immediately.
"Your dad used to be Robin. Years ago, but he uh. Gave up the vigilante life a long time ago," Dick lied. Kaden looked back and forth between his parents.
"So...then grandpa had to have been Batman!" he concluded. His eyes shot to Dick and he asked "then Damian is-"
"The new Batman, yes."
"And Uncle Tim?"
"Red Robin."
"And Aunt Barb?"
"Formerly Batgirl, now Oracle."
And then both his parents watched as his expression faded again and this time he looked...upset. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair, looked hurt.
"Why...didn't you guys ever tell me? Didn't you trust me?" he asked with a confused look on his face. Dick moved across the space and hugged Kaden to his chest.
"Aw Kaden, it was never about trust. It was about keeping you safe. We wanted to give you as normal a life as possible. It was something neither of us ever had," Dick answered, kissing his forehead. Kaden looked to his father then and frowned.
"You're not really a bartender at night, are you?" he asked.
"Kade, I told you, dad hasn't been a vigilante in years," Dick answered quickly. Jason waved his hand dismissively.
"Don't lie for me, Dick," Jason said evenly. Kaden looked back and forth between his parents but Dick didn't seem ready to let it go.
"Jason. C'mon, you don't need to do this," Dick put in. Jason snorted and shook his head.
"No, I really do. He deserves to know the truth about me."
"Dad?" Kaden asked with a hint of worry in his tone. Jason sighed deeply and raked his hands through his hair. He opened and closed his mouth a few times, not really having any clue how to say this. It was so much harder to tell your own son that you're a Crime Lord.
"I'm the Red Hood, Kade." Kaden stared at his father in silence, a silence that was almost suffocating. The expression of hurt on Kaden's face suddenly seemed to amplify. Tears started to form in his eyes.
"What?" he asked a little breathlessly. He remembered everything he'd seen on television, heard around town, about the Red Hood. Then his memory of being shot came back. Did his dad...no. No, he was a logical person, and despite how hard it was to think logically about his Crime Lord father, one thing he knew was that his dad would never hurt him.
"You're...you're a Crime Lord?!" Kaden asked angrily. Jason went to touch his shoulder, but Kaden flinched, and he felt like he'd just been punched in the gut. It wasn't like he could blame him; he'd felt the same way when he found out his own father had been a criminal. Then Kaden spun around to look at Dick.
"He's a criminal, and you...I...I don't understand," Kaden breathed, looking utterly confused as he raked his hands through his hair. The sound of the heart monitor started picking up; Kaden was panicking.
"Kaden, please, calm down. It's a bit more complicated than that," Dick tried to explain, but Kaden shoved the man's hands off of him.
"No! Don't...just...I..." Kaden shook his head as his entire world fell around him. His father was a Crime Lord! How do you deal with that?! He wasn't sure what to say, what to think, what to feel. He still loved his father, but...holy shit...
Jason sighed deeply and silently got up and left the room, Dick watching him go. Kaden was going to need some time to think things through and him being there wasn't going to help.
After another hour of sitting in a hospital bed, Kaden was permitted to leave. Jason had brought back some clothes for him but he refused to go into the room so he gave them to Dick. He didn't want to see the disappointed look on his son's face again quite yet. He'd seen that look countless times before from Bruce, Barbara, Dick, Tim, and he always shrugged it off because he didn't give a fuck. But somehow, seeing it on Kaden's face was like being punched in the gut. Actually, he'd rather be punched in the gut, truth be told.
Once Kaden got dressed, Superman came to visit with him, who he found out was Clark. Since he was here, they offered him a tour of the place, which he gladly accepted like a fanboy. Not that he was ashamed of that in this moment, because, seriously? How many civilians got to visit the fucking Watchtower?!
And on top of the incredible tour, he found out that his uncle Clark was Superman, Uncle Wally was The Flash, Ollie was Green Arrow, and Roy was Arsenal. It was actually pretty cool to know so many heroes firsthand. But eventually it had been time to leave. He and Dick met up with Jason in the main hall.
"Hey, you guys ready to go home?" Jason asked with a sigh. Kaden hugged his father which surprised him a bit.
"Pa explained everything. I'm still kind of..upset I guess...but...I get it now," Kaden said softly. Jason returned the hug and sighed, burying his face in his son's hair and kissing the top of his head.
"I do what I do to keep you safe, kiddo. I don't like it, but it works. It keeps everyone safe," Jason answered. Kaden nodded.
"I know," Kaden answered simply. Jason smiled and wrapped his arm around Dick's waist, his other snaking around his son's shoulders.
"Well, I think it's time we got home, hm? The Red Hood has some doors to kick down anyway," Jason said sourly. Kaden snorted.
"You're not going to kill anyone, are you?"
"Maybe. You don't shoot a man's kid and get off the hook!" Jason replied. Both Kaden and Dick chuckled in amusement, but Kaden looked up at his father with a serious look.
"Don't kill anyone, please? For me?" Kaden asked. Jason let out an exasperated sigh.
"Fine. I promise only to seriously maim of injure." Kaden laughed which brought a grin to Jason's face.
"But, if, maybe there was an accident-"
"No," Kaden replied.
"Okay, so what if-"
"No," Dick answered immediately. Jason huffed.
"Buzzkills, both of you." Kaden and Dick laughed, Dick kissing the man's cheek and Kaden playfully shoving him.
"So...can I be a vigilante like you guys too?" Kaden asked with a huge grin on his face. Dick snorted.
"After what happened just the last few days?" he asked, quirking an eyebrow.
"Over my dead body," Jason said immediately. Kaden huffed in annoyance.
"You guys are no fun."
Author's Note: So, like I did with Arkham, I'm giving you, my lovely readers a choice! (Yeah, sorry, I'd already finished Arkham on Ao3 before I posted it here ^^; ) First, let me say I'm really surprised at how popular Kaden has become. I'm glad you all like him! I know OCs in an established universe are usually not very popular, so yeah, it's a nice surprise. :3 Secondly, the choice; Does Kaden get to be a vigilante, Yes or No. Majority rules. I'll be posting the same question on Ao3, so there you have it. I have no inclination toward writing him as a vigilante, honestly. I don't even have any ideas for names or whatnot, but I figure I'll let you guys decide on that. It'll be fun. In fact, I may make it a point to include this little choices more often. Maybe I'm just easily amused? Meh, whatever.