Prompt: Jason's dad faked his death and has now returned to Gotham to reunite with his estranged son.

Second Chances

Dick sat on the couch in the living room watching...well, he didn't know, he wasn't really paying attention to it. Today was a lazy day for him, because hey, everyone had one of those days. Dressed in nothing but a pair of blue dorm pants, he was sprawled out on the couch, attention only half on the tv. Jason had been out late last night with Roy, who'd dropped by for a visit and to hang out with his old friend, so naturally, he was still out cold. Though not for long from the sounds of it; he could hear light cursing from down the hallway.

Dick smiled to himself at the sound, amused as always. Jason was not a morning person and it had always been funny watching, and listening, to him get up. But there was no time for that, not now, because a knock came at the door. Dick sighed and pulled himself up off of the couch and moved to the door, pulling it open to see an older looking man with dark gray hair and blue eyes.

"Can I help you?" Dick asked, quirking an eyebrow at the man. He didn't know what to make of this guy, who looked average in every way. He'd never seen him around Gotham before, not that he could remember, anyway. He wore a simple brown jacket, a pair of jeans and a white shirt.

"I'm looking for Jason Todd. Is he here?" the man asked politely. Dick raked a hand through his hair and looked back into the apartment, just in time to see Jason shuffling out in a pair of red dorm pants, looking hung over and still somewhat tired.

"Hey Jaybird, it's for you," Dick called, gesturing toward the man. Jason grumbled at him but didn't look. Dick chuckled in amusement and shook his head, trying again "Jason, you have a guest." Jason grumble again then finally looked toward the door, hand massaging the back of his neck. He stared for several long, silent moments, then did a double-take. In a matter of moments, his expression went from recognition, to shock, to anger. Then his hangover seemed to suddenly dissipate into nothingness.

"You son of a bitch!" Jason shouted, storming toward the door. The man looked unperturbed, but Dick was shocked by the sudden outburst. He wrapped his arms around Jason to hold him back as he tried to swing at the man.

"Jason, what the hell?!" he yelled at the man. Jason pushed Dick off of him and backed away, pointing right at the man.

"How fucking dare you show your face here!" he shouted, voice full of anger. Dick looked back and forth between the two of them, utterly confused.

"You know each other?" he asked. Jason snorted and glanced over at his husband before turning his glare back on the man before him.

"You could say that. Willis Todd. My father," Jason ground out, fists clenching and jaw working furiously. Dick's eyes flew wide open in shock; Jason's father?! But-

"I thought he was-"

"Dead? Yeah, so did I," Jason interrupted. The man cleared his throat and tried to explain, but Jason cut him off.

"Get the hell out! Whatever excused and lies you have, I don't want to hear them!" Jason growled. The man attempted to speak again, but Jason pointed down the hall.

"I said get out!" Jason shouted. The man didn't move, that same neutral expression still on his face.

"Jason, please. I want to make amends, and maybe see my grand-"

"Don't you dare call him that! You have no right! I don't want you anywhere near my son, do you hear me?! Now get out!" The man didn't argue and instead gave a curt nod and left. Jason slammed the door shut then stormed to the bedroom and slammed the door. Dick watched the whole thing in disbelief. It took a few moments, but he eventually shook himself out of it and followed after his husband.

Dick knocked gently on the door before pushing it open, to find Jason sitting on the bed, staring at a family photo of the three of them together, from when Kaden was only ten.

"Jaybird-" Dick began, but Jason glared at him and put the picture back down on the nightstand.

"No Dick, don't even start. I'm not giving that mother fucker any chances!" Jason snapped, pushing himself off the bed and up onto his feet. He glared at Dick then pointed to himself.

"Dick, that man tried to raise me to be a criminal! All he ever taught me was how to steal!" Jason said. He swung his arms through the air and turned his back on Dick, then went on "and then he fucking took off and left me and my drug-addled mother to fend for ourselves." He turned to Dick and shook his head "or more accurately, he left me to fend for myself. You don't know what I did...what I had to do to survive."

Jason sunk down on the bed and scrubbed his face with his hands. Dick sat beside him and wrapped an arm around him, pulling him closer. But Jason wasn't in the mood; he pushed Dick away, but not roughly. Just enough to send the message. So Dick let go of him and backed off a little.

"What's worse is he faked his death and he didn't even bother to come back. Almost thirty years, Dickie," Jason said in a low tone, looked over at Dick. Dick flashed an apologetic look as the man went on "almost thirty years, and not a single, damn word."

Dick and Jason sat in silence then, and Dick was content to sit with the man as long as he wanted. He would've liked to hug him, kiss him, anything to make him feel better, but he wasn't sure if the contact was...wanted...right now. Jason sighed deeply and scrubbed his face with his hands.

"God dammit," he muttered to himself. Dick cleared his throat and waited for Jason to tell him to stop, but when he didn't, he went on.

"I think you should give him a chance, Jaybird," Dick said softly, patting the man's back. Jason sighed and just shook his head. He looked over at Dick with a neutral expression on his face.

"Dick, that man is the reason my mother is dead. He was the one feeding her addiction, and even after he was gone...she was too far gone. He left us." Dick flashed him a sad look and kissed his head.

"I know Jaybird, but everyone deserves a second chance." Jason sighed again and shook his head.

"Not today. I need...time. I'm still so...damn angry."

His mother was singing to him, singing something he couldn't remember the words to. But her voice was beautiful, and he felt at peace while she sang, he felt happy. She was lying in bed, drugged up, but still somewhat aware, smiling at him, her hand gently stroking his cheek. They were sitting in a shitty apartment, his mother laying on her side on a raggedy mattress on the floor. But she was just smiling at him, singing to him, her hand gently sifting through his hair.

"My little Jaybird" she said softly.

Jason's eyes opened and he found himself back in his apartment, with Dick sleeping soundly in his arms. He took a deep breath, then carefully pulled himself out of bed, careful not to wake Dick. He raked a hand through his hair and sat on the edge of the bed, just staring at the floor. Dick woke a few minutes later, grumbling at the loss of Jason's arms around him and glanced up at the man. He yawned and sat up, moving behind him.

"Jaybird? Can't sleep?" he asked quietly. Jason glanced over at the man and shook his head.

"Nightmares again?"

"No," Jason replied. Dick rested his chin on Jason's shoulder and wrapped his arms around the man's waist.

"Then what?" he asked softly. Jason sighed and shook his head.

"It's...stupid," he replied. Dick snorted.

"It's not stupid if it's keeping you up Jaybird. Tell me." Jason sighed deeply and glanced over at Dick before turning his attention back to the floor.

"Just a dream..about my mother," he said softly, eyes still fixed on the floor. He let his mind wander back to that memory, one of the few good ones he had of his childhood, not that it was much of a childhood anyway.

"She used to sing to me...when she wasn't drugged up. And sometimes when she was...she'd just lay there and smile at me, and pet my hair, and just sing. She used to call me her 'little Jaybird'." Dick smiled as the man spoke, but he also felt his heart ache; he didn't know much about Jason's childhood, only that his life had been unfair and cruel from the moment he had been born. Jason rarely spoke about his childhood, because from what he knew, most of it had been...unpleasant, to say the least.

"My dad coming back, I think, it making all these memories surface. And it just makes me...angrier." He turned to Dick and looked him in the eye, eyes full of both anger and confusion.

"He left us." Dick just kissed the man's jaw and held him in silence for a little while and when Jason made it known he had had enough, pulling away a little, Dick backed off and let him have his space.

"Kaden deserves to know though, don't you think?" Jason groaned and scrubbed his face with his hands.

"Yeah...for Kaden's sake, I suppose I could not kill him and drown him in a pool of his own blood," Jason said sourly, earning a laugh from Dick.

A few more days passed before Jason felt like he was ready to fave his father without beating him black and blue. So Dick arranged a meeting between them, so he, Jason and Kaden would be meeting Willis at a restaurant in uptown Gotham.

"Okay, first of all," Jason began when they met up "don't expect me to call you 'dad'. It's not happening." Willis gave a nod.

"I understand," he replied simply. Jason nodded. He looked back at Kaden, then back to Willis.

"And second, I catch you so much as talking to my son about anything remotely illegal, I will-"

"Okay, calm down Jaybird, I think he gets it," Dick chuckled, wrapping an arm around his husband's waist. Jason glared at him, but didn't comment. The four of them went into the restaurant and Willis began by explaining how he was alive and where he'd been.

Jason found it hard not to leap over the table and kill the man, as he explained how he started another family.

"You have another family?" Jason ground out. Willis flinch a bit at the anger in the man's tone, but he gave a nod.

"Yes. I started a whole knew life, a whole new family and-0"

"Must've been fucking nice while I was barely surviving on the streets," Jason growled. The man cleared his throat and gave a nod.

"I'm sorry, Jason, but I was a very different man back then," Willis answered. The rest of the evening went on with a lot of tension hanging in the air. When their meal was finished and they were prepared to leave, things hadn't improved much. They were standing outside the restaurant by Jason's car, talking.

"I can't forgive you," Jason said in an even tone, shaking his head. He wrapped his arms around Dick and Kaden's shoulders, "but for their sake, I can tolerate you. My husband and my son deserve the chance to know you, and honestly, I'd rather forget you." Willis bowed his head a bit, but gave a nod regardless.

"I understand. I'm sorry for everything, Jason."

"I'm not done," Jason interrupted, glancing over at Kaden.

"You'll get to see Kaden, get to spend time with him on one condition," He looked over at Kaden then back to his father again and said "if that's what he wants." Kaden looked up at his father, and then his would-be-grandfather. He cleared his throat and rubbed the back of his neck, nervously.

"I...I think I'd like that-" Kaden began, holding back a snicker as his dad rolled his eyes.

"I'd...like to think people can change. For the better, y'know? Everyone deserves a second chance." Outwardly, Jason appeared a little annoyed by his son's answer, but in all reality, he was so proud; his son turned out to be such a damn good person, despite it all.

"There you have it" Jason said evenly, and Willis gave a nod. He dug in his pocket for a card and handed it to Jason.

"Here. It has my address on it. I'll be in Gotham for a few more days, but...maybe you could visit, come and meet my family." Jason sensed the man wanted to say more, call it his family too, but he was grateful when the man refrained. This, was his family. Dick and Kaden, and it was all he needed. He was content with that, and even knowing his father was alive, that he had other family out there, he was happy with what he had.

Author's Note: Okay, so, um...yeah. This one was hard to write, and it pretty much wrote itself. The part about Willis have a new family was especially interesting, because I hadn't planned that from the start. I had a basic idea for this prompt, but like I said, the story took on a life of it's own. I had little control over the direction it took. I just started writing and it sort of went off on its own tangent. x)