“Why did you come all the way here, Jason? I mean—Alfred could’ve come to you, and then that would have been that, so forgive me for asking but why, now?” Dick asked, almost demanded. His brows were furrowed, he wasn’t beating around the bush, was he?
“I call that bullshit, I know you. You wouldn’t come here if you had a choice not to, so you’re here for a reason.” Dick prodded him, jeez he wasn’t going to let things go, was he? He wasn’t just going to shut the fuck up, not after the last time.
“I came here to deliver that letter to Damian, but I also came here for other reasons, well, you know about what.” He was twiddling his thumbs around, trying to not move his hands. He didn’t like admitting his faults when it came to Dick Grayson but this is something that required an apology. Dick might let things go, but he couldn’t do that. Dick deserved an apology but how do you apologize to someone who used to be your brother—or brother-shaped or someone who was never a brother but you might’ve been brothers, someday. Not anymore, the chance for that is too long gone.
“No, I don’t. I don’t know much about you these days, you just disappeared, Jason. You caused a mess and disappeared, and I had to clean up that mess.” Dick’s jaw was clenched. His voice had an edge to it. That Nightwing—well now, Batman edge. He’s fucking Batman, now. Bruce isn’t the guy in that cowl anymore, it’s Dick’s blue eyes’s who overlook Gotham.
“Jeez, I have to spell it out for you, didn’t I?” He mumbled. His voice had reluctance to it, he was rubbing his palms. “I came here to apologize. I shouldn’t…I shouldn’t have.” He couldn’t look at Dick, he couldn’t get the words out fully, despite mulling over them for hours in his mind.
“Wow, I didn’t think those words were in your vocabulary.” Dick ended up saying. Seriously, he’s such an asshole, because Jason was spilling his guts out and he had to rub the salt in. He’s such an asshole but he’s right. This time, he’s right, other times he won’t be. Or Jason hopes he isn’t, he doesn’t want to apologize to Dick the next time.
“The cowl is yours, not mine. Gotham needs Red Hood. I just forgot that. I don’t know why I thought Batman could ever be me—Batman has it’s purpose but so does Red Hood.” Jason finally gets the words out, Dick is Batman now, he’s not his Batman. His Batman is gone.
He doesn’t know how to feel about the fact that Bruce is dead, that the Batman he was, won’t ever lecture him ever again. It’s fucking stupid, isn’t it? To think about your dead d—the person who used to be your dad. Bruce hasn’t been his dad ever since that warehouse. There was only Batman ever after, only Batman turning to look up at him. Spitting words out that Jason didn’t want to hear, won’t ever get the chance to hear ever again.
One day, he’s going to forget the voice. He forgot Catherine’s voice, he forgot Willis’ voice. He can remember them, remember their faces. He remember Bruce’s face. He will have Bruce’s photographs, the videos of him. He’ll have audio recordings of him but that won’t be Bruce. Not really. just the person Bruce was.
His other children will remember Bruce’s hugs. They remember how firm and gentle his hugs were. How gentle he held them people he cared for, the Bruce that died for them—is the their dad Bruce. They get to remember their last memories of him and he’s just their fucking dad.
The realization stings, it’s why he can’t work with Dick, the Batman Dick is going to grow up to be. Bruce had so many years before he became the Batman he was, each version different than previous.
They live in a penthouse now; Dick, Damian and Alfred. Dick is probably going to be what Bruce was to Dick. A brother who’s eventually going to become a father.
Jason doesn’t fit into this family, he doesn’t fit into this new version of them. The family they become after Bruce died.
He and Bruce weren’t even a family. Not anymore, the last time he saw Bruce, they fought, about the same things. They went in circles, always spinning but never landing. Jason wonders if there was ever a destination for their relationship. Would they have stopped talking eventually? He can’t answer that, he can guess—but there won’t ever be an answer. Bruce left, Bruce is dead. Dad is dead. The dad he had at 15 will never come back, he died when Bruce’s heart stopped beating.
He doesn’t even know if Bruce loved him anymore. He’s so unsure about that. He died knowing Bruce loved him, Jason hoped Bruce died knowing despite everything, Jason did love him. He can’t stop loving Bruce, even if he made so many mistakes, said so much vitriol.
“It doesn’t cost me anything to forgive you Jason, so I will.” Dick is looking at him, seeing something Jason doesn’t understand. Jason didn’t come here for Dick’s forgiveness. He came here to deliver and he did—both the apology and the letter. A letter that’s none of his business. A letter from Talia to Damian, he’s not interested into prying in their relationship. Their relationship is theirs, just like he and Bruce’s was.
Whatever happened, however it happened. The grief won’t leave Jason, he’ll just drift seamlessly with it. Maybe find a use for it, he found a use for that crowbar. This will be useful one day aswell, he doesn’t want to be miserable about Bruce if it’s for nothing. But grief is a shithole like that—just making you miserable for no reason other than, just because. That’s the price we pay for love, or maybe emotions. Jason doesn’t care to dwell on what grief is for.
“I’m gonna leave, give Alfred my best okay?” Jason ends up saying, he’s glad to be done with this conversation and done for Bats—at least for now, they’re truly never going to leave him. That’s that. Bats and stupid birds.
”Hmm, okay. Goodbye, Jason.” Dick mumbles back. Jason heads out, done with emotions for today. Here’s to incoming emotional constipation. Cheers.
Unbeknownst to Jason, he keeps looking at his brother, until he hears the shut of the door.
He never thought he’d hear Jason apologize, particularly for this. He doesn’t understand but maybe he doesn’t need to.