okay this is totally a suggestion, but a part two to cover blown where the bat family notices something is up with them ?!
The Family Knows
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dividers by @cafekitsune
Week One: Tim Notices First
Tim Drake was a detective before he was anything else, which meant he noticed things.
Like how Jason had started showing up to team meetings on time. How he'd stopped picking fights with Damian over every little thing. How he kept checking his phone and then smiling at the screen.
Jason Todd. Smiling at his phone.
Something was definitely up.
"Okay," Tim said during their patrol debrief. "Who is she?"
Jason's head snapped up. "What?"
"The girl you're texting. Who is she?"
"I'm not texting anyone."
"You've checked your phone six times in the last twenty minutes. And you smiled. You never smile at patrol reports."
"Maybe I'm just in a good mood."
"You're never in a good mood," Damian interjected. "Drake is right. You're acting suspicious."
"I'm not acting suspicious, I'm acting normal—"
"Exactly," Tim said, pointing at him. "You're acting NORMAL. That's what's suspicious."
Jason flipped him off and left the Cave.
Tim pulled out his phone and texted the family group chat (the one Jason had muted): Jason's definitely seeing someone. Investigation pending.
Two days later, Tim was staking out Jason's apartment when he saw you leaving in the morning, wearing one of Jason's hoodies.
Tim took a photo.
TIM: FOUND HER DICK: OMG WHO IS SHE TIM: sends photo DICK: WAIT IS THAT— TIM: YEP STEPH: NO WAY CASS: :) DICK: They're DATING?! TIM: Apparently? She's leaving his place in his clothes so... DICK: I KNEW IT. I KNEW THAT MISSION WOULD WORK STEPH: You did NOT know DICK: I TOTALLY KNEW. The tension was off the charts DAMIAN: This is a waste of time. Why do we care about Todd's personal life? STEPH: Because it's JASON. He never dates anyone seriously TIM: And he definitely never dates teammates DICK: We need more intel CASS: Or we could ask them? EVERYONE: ... EVERYONE: No
Week Two: Dick's Subtle Approach
Dick cornered you at the Watchtower.
"So!" He said brightly, sliding into the seat next to you in the cafeteria. "How have you been?"
"Fine?" You looked at him suspiciously. "Why?"
"No reason! Just checking in! You seem happy lately. Glowing, even."
"Dick, what do you want?"
"Nothing! Can't I just chat with my favorite teammate?"
"I'm not your favorite teammate."
"You could be! We could be closer! You could tell me things! Like if anything interesting has happened in your life recently! Anything at all! Any new... relationships, perhaps?"
You stared at him. "Did Tim put you up to this?"
"What? No! I'm just making conversation—"
Your phone buzzed. You glanced at it and smiled.
Dick leaned over, trying to see the screen. "Who's texting you?"
You pulled your phone away. "None of your business, Grayson."
"Is it Jason?"
You choked on your coffee. "What?!"
"It is! It's totally Jason!" Dick looked delighted. "Oh my god, you guys are actually together! This is amazing! I'm so happy for you!"
"Dick—"
"How long has this been going on? Since the mission? Did you guys talk about it? Are you official? Does Bruce know?"
"Dick, I swear to god—"
"I'm not judging! I think it's great! You're perfect for each other! I've been saying this for months!"
"You have not—"
"Okay, I've been thinking it for months. Same thing." Dick grinned. "Don't worry, your secret's safe with me."
"Dick—"
"I'm just going to tell Barbara. And Tim. And Steph. And probably Bruce—"
"DICK!"
DICK: Confirmed. They're together. TIM: How'd you get her to admit it? DICK: I have my ways STEPH: You ambushed her in the cafeteria, didn't you DICK: ...Maybe CASS: Jason knows? DICK: Not yet but he's about to
Week Two: Jason Finds Out
"You told DICK?!" Jason was pacing your living room, hands in his hair. "Of all people, you told DICK?!"
"I didn't tell him! He ambushed me! He already knew!" You were sitting on the couch, watching him spiral. "Apparently Tim's been following you."
"Of course he has. Of course. Because we can't have ONE thing that's private—"
Your phone buzzed. Then Jason's. Then yours again.
You both looked at your screens.
The family group chat was exploding.
DICK: So when were you two going to tell us? STEPH: Seriously, we had to find out from surveillance photos? TIM: In my defense, the surveillance was justified JASON: It absolutely was not YOU: Can we please not do this in the group chat DICK: But this is the PERFECT place to do this! STEPH: We have questions! DAMIAN: I have no questions. I don't care. STEPH: You're literally in this chat participating DAMIAN: I'm bored. BRUCE: Jason, please come to the manor for dinner tonight. JASON: Absolutely not YOU: We have plans DICK: No you don't JASON: How would you know?! TIM: Because I have your calendar synced JASON: THAT'S IT I'M TURNING OFF MY PHONE YOU: Same STEPH: You can't hide from us forever! DICK: We know where you live! CASS: Just be happy for them? DICK: I AM happy for them! I'm VERY happy! I want to celebrate! BARBARA: Dick, leave them alone DICK: But Babs... BARBARA: They'll tell us when they're ready DICK: They're never going to be ready BARBARA: Exactly. So leave them alone.
Jason looked at you. You looked at him.
"We're never going to hear the end of this, are we?" You said.
"Nope." Jason sat down next to you, pulling you against his side. "Welcome to dating a Bat. Privacy is a myth."
"Great."
Your phone buzzed again.
DICK: For the record, I think you guys are cute together STEPH: Same! Power couple energy! TIM: The mission footage was actually very entertaining JASON: There's FOOTAGE?! TIM: Obviously. We document all missions. JASON: Tim I swear to god... TIM: The elevator kiss was particularly good YOU: I'M DELETING THIS APP DICK: You can't delete family! JASON: Watch me
Week Three: The Interrogation (Family Dinner)
You'd tried to avoid it, but Bruce had insisted, and when Bruce Wayne insisted on something, it happened.
So there you were, sitting at the massive dining room table in Wayne Manor, surrounded by the entire Bat family, all of whom were staring at you and Jason like you were the evening's entertainment.
"So," Dick said with a shit-eating grin. "How long has this been going on?"
"Can we not do this?" Jason muttered.
"We absolutely can do this," Steph said. "We've been waiting weeks for details."
"Two months," you said, deciding to just rip off the band-aid. "We've been together for two months."
"TWO MONTHS?!" Dick looked betrayed. "You've been hiding this for TWO MONTHS?!"
"We wanted privacy," Jason said flatly.
"Privacy is overrated," Tim said. "Transparency is important in a family."
"Says the guy who had a secret contingency plan for all of us," Jason shot back.
"That was different—"
"Was it though?"
"Boys," Bruce interrupted. "Let's focus, are you happy?"
Everyone turned to look at you. You felt Jason tense beside you.
"Yes," you said honestly. "Very happy."
Bruce nodded. "Jason, are you happy?"
"...Yes."
"Good. Then I'm happy for you both." Bruce took a sip of his wine. "Alfred, this is excellent."
"Thank you, Master Bruce."
There was a beat of silence.
"That's it?!" Dick demanded. "That's all you're going to say?!"
"What else would you like me to say?"
"I don't know! Something! Anything! You're not going to lecture them about dating teammates? About complications? About—"
"Dick," Bruce said calmly. "They're adults. If they want to date, that's their decision."
"Since when are you the reasonable parent?!"
"Since always."
"That's a lie and you know it—"
"I have questions," Damian announced.
Everyone looked at him.
"How did this happen? You two argued constantly. You claimed to hate each other."
"We didn't hate each other," you said. "We just... had a lot of unresolved tension."
"Sexual tension," Steph clarified helpfully.
"STEPH!"
"What? I'm just saying what everyone was thinking!"
Jason dropped his head into his hands. "I hate this family."
"No you don't," Dick said cheerfully. "You love us. That's why you're here."
"I'm here because Bruce guilted me into it."
"Same thing."
"How did the relationship start?" Tim asked, pulling out his phone to take notes. "Was it during the mission? After? Did someone make the first move?"
"I'm not answering that," Jason said.
"I bet it was during the mission," Steph said. "Probably during one of those 'fake' couple moments."
"The elevator kiss was real, wasn't it?" Tim looked delighted. "I KNEW it. The body language was all wrong for acting."
"You analyzed our body language?!" You demanded.
"Of course I did. I'm a detective."
"You're a nightmare."
"I prefer 'thorough.'"
Cass, who'd been quiet this whole time, smiled at you. "Happy for you."
You smiled back. "Thanks, Cass."
"At least someone is being normal about this," Jason muttered.
"I'm also happy for you," Barbara's voice came through the computer screen Dick had set up so she could join dinner remotely. "Even if you did make me lose the betting pool."
"There's a BETTING POOL?!" Jason's voice rose.
"Was," Dick corrected. "Cass won. She called it right after the mission."
Cass shrugged. "Obvious."
"It was NOT obvious," you protested.
"Very obvious," Damian said. "Todd was aggressively defensive about you. Classic deflection of romantic feelings."
"Since when do you know about deflection of romantic feelings?" Jason demanded.
"I read."
"You read about...never mind. I don't want to know."
Alfred appeared with the first course. "Perhaps we should eat before the food gets cold?"
"Good idea, Alfred," Bruce said.
But as dinner progressed, the questions didn't stop. They just got more creative.
"Who said 'I love you' first?" Steph asked.
"None of your business," you and Jason said in unison.
"It was definitely Jason," Dick said. "He's secretly a romantic."
"I am not—"
"You gave her your mom's necklace during the mission," Tim pointed out. "That's extremely romantic."
Jason's ears turned red. "How do you know about that?!"
"Mission footage."
"I'm destroying all the mission footage."
"Too late. I already backed it up."
"TIM!"
"What? It's important documentation!"
"Of what?! My personal life?!"
"Of mission-critical relationship development."
"That's not a thing!"
"It is now."
You were laughing, you couldn't help it. Jason looked at you like you were betraying him.
"I'm sorry," you managed. "It's just....this is so ridiculous."
"This is my life," Jason said dramatically. "Constant surveillance and invasion of privacy."
"You literally break into people's houses for a living," Barbara pointed out.
"That's different!"
"How?"
"It's for justice!"
"And this is for family bonding," Dick said. "Same thing."
"NOT the same thing!"
Bruce was smiling. Actually smiling. You weren't sure you'd ever seen that before.
"I'm glad you're both here," he said quietly. "It's good to see Jason happy. Both of you."
Jason's expression softened slightly. "Thanks, Bruce."
"Although," Bruce continued, "you should know that dating a teammate does come with certain complications. Communication is essential. As is maintaining professional boundaries during missions—"
"And there it is," Dick said. "The lecture. I was wondering when it would come."
"I'm not lecturing. I'm offering advice."
"That's what you always say when you're lecturing."
"Dick—"
"Just accept that you're a hypocrite, Bruce. You literally dated half the vigilantes in Gotham."
"That's an exaggeration—"
"Selina, Talia, Diana—"
"We're not discussing my personal life—"
"Why not? We're discussing theirs!"
You leaned over to Jason. "Is it always like this?"
"Every. Single. Time." But he was smiling. Actually smiling.
You took his hand under the table. He squeezed back.
"You know what?" Jason said loudly, interrupting the argument. "I don't care. Yeah, we're dating. Yeah, we've been hiding it. And yeah, you all figured it out because you're nosy and have no concept of boundaries. But I'm happy. She makes me happy. So you can gossip and analyze and make bets all you want. I don't care."
The table went quiet.
Then Dick started clapping.
"That was beautiful," he said, wiping fake tears. "My little brother, all grown up and expressing emotions—"
"I take it back. I hate all of you."
"No you don't," you said, kissing his cheek.
Jason's ears turned red again. "Not helping."
"Wasn't trying to."
"Oh my god, they're CUTE," Steph said. "I can't handle this. Tim, are you getting this?"
"Already recording."
"TIM!"
Week Four: The New Normal
Life didn't really change after the family found out. You still went on missions together. Still worked as a team. Still bickered during debriefs (though now everyone made kissing noises in the background, which was incredibly annoying).
But some things were different.
Like how you could actually hold hands in the Batcave without pretending it was for mission planning. How Jason could kiss you goodbye before patrol without worrying about who saw. How the team group chat had evolved into mostly them sending you embarrassing photos of Jason and asking if you were sure about this relationship.
"They're never going to let this go, are they?" You said one night, scrolling through approximately fifty messages about Jason's "emotional growth journey."
"Nope." Jason was lying on your couch, head in your lap, looking surprisingly relaxed for someone whose entire family was currently discussing his feelings in a group chat. "But honestly? I don't care anymore."
"Really?"
"Really." He looked up at you. "I spent so long keeping everyone at a distance. Pretending I didn't care. And I was miserable. But with you? I'm happy. And if the cost of that happiness is Dick sending me relationship advice articles at two in the morning, I'll take it."
You ran your fingers through his hair. "Dick sent you relationship advice articles?"
"Seven of them. This week."
"Oh my god."
"Yeah. Apparently I need to 'communicate my feelings more effectively.'"
"I mean... he's not wrong."
Jason sat up, looking offended. "I communicate!"
"You grunt and glare and occasionally use words."
"That IS communicating!"
You kissed him. "Sure it is, honey."
"Don't 'honey' me—"
Your phone buzzed.
DICK: Movie night at the manor this weekend! You're both required to attend! STEPH: We're watching rom-coms! TIM: I've prepared a comprehensive list of the best relationship dynamics in cinema JASON: Absolutely not YOU: We have plans DICK: Cancel them! JASON: No DICK: Jason, don't make me call Alfred JASON: You wouldn't dare DICK: Try me
There was a pause.
ALFRED: Master Jason, Master Dick has informed me you may not be attending family movie night. I'm quite disappointed. JASON: ... JASON: Fine. We'll be there. DICK: The Alfred card works every time STEPH: Truly the most powerful weapon in our arsenal
You looked at Jason. "We're going to movie night?"
"We're going to movie night," he confirmed with a sigh. "Because apparently I can say no to Batman but not to Alfred."
"No one can say no to Alfred."
"Truth."
He pulled you closer, pressing a kiss to your temple. "At least we'll be together while they torture us with romantic comedies and commentary about our relationship."
"Silver lining?"
"Something like that."
Your phone buzzed again.
CASS: Bringing popcorn DAMIAN: This is ridiculous. I'm only attending because Pennyworth requested it. TIM: Sure, Damian. Whatever you need to tell yourself. DAMIAN: I will stab you, Drake. TIM: Not in front of the rom-coms you won't BRUCE: Boys, please be civil during movie night. STEPH: Bruce are you ACTUALLY going to watch rom-coms with us? BRUCE: Alfred requested my presence. DICK: No one can say no to Alfred part 2: Electric Boogaloo BARBARA: I'll bring the wine STEPH: Babs you're the best
You showed Jason the messages. He groaned.
"We could fake our deaths," he suggested. "Go off the grid. Start new lives somewhere tropical."
"Tempting. But they'd find us."
"Yeah. They would." He was quiet for a moment. "You know what the worst part is?"
"What?"
"I kind of like having them involved. Like, it's annoying as hell, but also... it's nice. Having a family that cares. That wants to be part of our lives."
You smiled. "Jason Todd, are you getting sentimental?"
"Absolutely not. I'm being pragmatic. If we're going to be stuck with them, might as well appreciate the parts that don't completely suck."
"That's basically sentimentality."
"It's NOT—"
You kissed him again, effectively shutting him up.
"I love you," you said. "Even when you're in denial about having feelings."
"I'm not in denial—"
"And I love your chaotic, boundary-less, overly-invested family."
Jason sighed, but he was smiling. "Yeah. Me too."
DICK: Oh my god, are you guys having a moment right now? JASON: How did you— TIM: You've been quiet for five minutes. It was suspicious. JASON: STOP MONITORING THE GROUP CHAT TIM: Never STEPH: Let them have their moment! DICK: I AM letting them have a moment! I'm just ACKNOWLEDGING the moment! JASON: I'm turning off my phone DICK: No you're not JASON: ...No I'm not YOU: We'll see you all this weekend DICK: YES! Movie night is going to be AMAZING STEPH: I'm making a blanket fort DAMIAN: We're adults, Brown. We don't need a blanket fort. STEPH: YOU don't need a blanket fort. The rest of us WANT one. CASS: I'll help DAMIAN: ...Fine. I'll supervise. TIM: You're going to help, admit it DAMIAN: I'll supervise AGGRESSIVELY
You looked at Jason. "Your family is insane."
"Our family," he corrected. "If you're dating me, you're stuck with all of them."
"Our family," you agreed. "Our insane, loving, completely overwhelming family."
"Yeah." Jason pulled you down onto the couch beside him. "Wouldn't have it any other way."
And despite the constant surveillance, the group chat chaos, and the complete lack of privacy?
You wouldn't either.
Movie night was exactly as chaotic as expected.
There was, in fact, a blanket fort (which Damian had helped build, though he claimed he was "merely ensuring structural integrity"). There was popcorn everywhere. Dick had created a ranking system for the movies. Tim was taking notes on "relationship dynamics for future reference." Steph was providing running commentary. Bruce was actually watching the movies with what might have been enjoyment. Alfred was pleased everyone was together.
And you and Jason were on the couch, his arm around you, your head on his shoulder, both of you pretending to be annoyed but actually kind of enjoying yourselves.
"This is ridiculous," Jason muttered as the fourth rom-com started.
"Completely ridiculous," you agreed.
"We're never doing this again."
"Absolutely never."
Your phone buzzed.
DICK: Same time next month? JASON: No EVERYONE ELSE: Yes JASON: I hate you all STEPH: No you don't ❤️
Jason looked at you. You shrugged.
"They're not wrong," you said.
"I know." He kissed the top of your head. "Doesn't mean I have to admit it."
"Of course not. That would be emotionally healthy."
"Exactly. Can't have that."
You both smiled, and across the room, you saw Dick take a photo.
Yeah.
This was your family now.
Chaotic, invasive, absolutely wonderful family.
And you wouldn't change a thing.
