My headcanon for Jason (this is purely how I interpret his character, I don’t hold the absolute truth, if you do not agree with something I am open to debate as long as it is done in respect) now bear with me for this:
I truly think that Jason is one of those character that should not be involved romantically (at least in comics) cause he is so traumatized that except if he works on his traumas (this doesn’t seem to happen much like give this man a therapist) then he won’t be able to maintain a stable relationship, because Jason is unstable mentally (and it’s normal with everything that happened). Now let me explain why I think jaydick is actually the only relationship that could potentially work.
Jason is for me unable to trust people after everything that happened (got betrayed by everyone that was a parental figure to him.) which leave a fuck tone of trust issues so he wouldnt be able to truly create a bond where he trust someone to be 100% himself because when he was himself didn’t everyone leave?
Now comes in Dick, they know each from before his death and even if Dick had been really mean to him, I still like to think that he was protective of Jason if anything happened. (The « only me can insult the shit out of my brother » typa thing) so Jason did trust Dick, somewhere a bit twisted because his brother was still rude to him but that same brother was also the first Robin and I personally think Jason really idolize Robin/Dick to the point there was this strange paradox happening in his mind of Robin not excatly being Dick his brother, they were two different person/persona to him. They exist together without really existing together if you get what I mean.
Post death Jason’s mind, full of trauma as previously mention would seek for any kind of comfort, anything that would help him to cope. Mix complicated feelings together and you get him getting pretty easily attach but his trust issues are so bad that he distant himself from everyone before he can even start taking a liking to them or get too attached.
Except Dick, and why? Well I like to think that Jason’s mind assiociate Dick to safety. For plenty reasons:
-Dick defended him when they were younger. A creep trying to flirt with Jason? Dick was fucking that person up. Someone being rude to Jason? Dick would stand up for him. Bruce scolding Jason a bit too harsh? You can be sure that if Dick heard of it then Bruce would be also hearing it. (So this uncounsciously made Jason know that someone would stand up for him and now that he think that no one cares, his mind still remember that, holding into it like a lifeline.)
- Dick being Robin. Robin is a sign of safety for him and after his death, when he start seeing Dick again it is not the same rude boy he once knew, it’s a bright bubbly person, the same way he idolize Robin. So he uncounsciously link it together. Dick now acts like his twisted, perfect version of the original Robin.
-Dick also have a complicated relationship with Bruce so this is somewhere they can relate together, they have been deceived by the same person. (btw I’m not saying Bruce is an horrible person, just he made mistakes)
-Jason looked up to Dick and he still do deep down.
So they have history together, this is not a complete stranger that Jason need to learn about or test if they are truly to be trusted. Which make it easier for him to trust Dick, or at least try to trust Dick. Because Jason still doubt him, he had been hurt by Dick but he also sees Robin and someone that seems to care for him. After some months of awkward talking Jason start to feel ease around Dick, like his mind feels safe, remember feelings Jason was not aware of.
Them being adopted brothers can also play a part in it, at least on Jason’s side because if we take a look into why Jason is doing all this (okay there is revenge) but I also think there is a need for him to break the perfect little boy image. Like he listened to Bruce trusted him and yet he wasn’t even advenged. So he wants to break codes, morals make himself feel seen as someone that do not listen anymore. And Dick being Bruce’s son? Even better for him. Uncousciouly he can get the one person Bruce care for, the one golden child of the family. And it feels good to know that the one person he sees as perfect is caring for him.
I feel like JayDick dating would heal both of them, or at least help to heal something. They are so similar, two side of the same coin. (I refer you to one of my previous post if you want more detail on that part.) They know each other’s anger, sadness, joy. So Jason does not have to explain anything, his anger was once Dick’s anger (still is sometime).
I like to think that their feelings are not really explanable. They love each other in every way possible. It still takes a while for them to start dating even if they never put a word on it (because the love they held for each is so strong and special that there is no right word for it), Jason is scared to make a mistake, to hurt Dick because he knows that he won’t be able to keep an healthy relationship and the ironic thing is that Dick is neither good to keep healthy relationship.
They both struggle with mental health, I think they are pretty similar on that so they understand and knows what to expect. Yes sometime it would be toxic and messed up but they are both like that. Jason and Dick for me have bdp (borderline personality disorder), even if they don’t live it the same way.
So sometime Jason would say things he will regret because he thought that Dick was about to leave and he got triggered, had a bad phase and feel awful when he is finallly out of it and sometime he would fall in right after again, alternative between being extremely rude and saying horrible to apologiesing with his all being because he feels so shameful and awful.
And any other person would have start to really struggle and think about leaving when this happen at least three time a week and if on a bad one then everyday but Dick also do it sometime, differently, he would more hurt himself to indirectly hurt Jason but the point is that they understand, it’s easy to forgive because they know how it feels, they know how awful it is to hurt the other, that it’s stronger than them sometime, that they are just scared to lose the other.
But one thing about them is that they would try to get better. It’s hard, messy and probably not the best way to go through it but they do it. They are willing to try because they care deeply for each other. Jason is codepend, or get easily copedent and so is Dick. I think it’s work because it is so unhealthy that it become healthy for them. And it shouldn’t work but it actually does, they are just so damn stubborn that it works. They bleed on each others but make sure to clean it every single time.
So you could call them partners,brothers,friends,lovers anything and it would work. They live together, they live for each other, they stay alive for each other. They tries to keep contact with other people, knowing that staying only the two of them is everything except helpful so Jason agrees to speak to Bruce for Dick, Dick agrees to work on his relationship with Bruce for Jason. If they do something it’s for the others.
They also together try to repair their broken little family, they do that for the little boys in them. The one who just wanted a family but got met with broken glass, a ghost of what it could have been. And maybe that’s also another reason why them being adopted brothers help, they are their own family as well as their own marriage, this time one that do not end up in blood or drugs.
So I think Dick is the only person Jason could date because they went through the same things, survived Bruce trying to raise a child while being unstable himself, they survived traumatic events, they are both messed up, wounded and exhausted with life. They are never truly themselve except when they are together. For me they are the reflection of each others and that’s why it works.
