I know it's been a bit and I don't know if you're still taking requests, but I stumbled across your Ad We Fall Apart AU and I would love to see the reactions to Jason's letter
Granted :) Mostly focused on Dick’s, but the others are noted. Tim in particular was quite angry.
****
“You,” Barbara had said icily, brandishing a sheaf of papers, “need to man up and fucking read this.”
It’s not that Dick had been avoiding reading the letter Jason had wrote- his lawyers had given it to him saying that he needed think about what his defense would be- but… he had also really had been. He’d been angry and bitter that Jason would do something like this.
Especially when it made the rest of the pack- minus Damian, who swore he would stand by Dick forever- take Jason’s side.
Jason had asked that the letter not be made public, that he was just explaining his side of things, but pack was not public and their pack was made up some of the nosiest hackers he’d ever met.
So Dick didn’t really want to read the letter… but he pretty much never won arguments with Babs, so it looked like he didn’t have much of a choice.
Dick had never gone through the five stages of grief in such quick succession.
Halfway through the first page, Dick was overflowing with confusion, anger, and denial. The picture Jason had painted felt harsh and cruel. It took all of Dicks failures and insecurities and threw them in his face.
Not to mention, there was so much that Dick hadn’t known about at all. Why hadn’t Jason just talked to him about this stuff?
It couldn’t be true, it wasn’t true, right?
But the further Dick read, the more it matched a little too well with some of his own memories. The more it explained. And the more it hurt.
Dick was crying by the second page. He felt like a worthless human being and a worse husband.
He had to take a break at that point.
“I fucked up,” he said hopelessly.
“You sure did,” Barbara said unsympathetically.
“God, I…” Dick rubbed his face and took a deep breath, “I really really fucked up.”
Barbara said nothing.
“And Tommy, how am I supposed to… he’s going to hate me when he gets older. Because that’s what the letter’s really about, isn’t it? Jason didn’t even bring up Slade, and he really really could have.”
Barbara silently slid a cup of cocoa over to him.
“Babs… tell me honestly, is it too late?” Dick asked.
“To apologize? Never. And you better,” Barbara said bluntly, “To fix your marriage? Almost definitely.”
“Fuck,” Dick put his head on the table.
Barbara settled across from him and sipped her tea.
“I want to go to the Manor,” Dick finally said.
“Probably a bad idea,” Barbara noted.
“I need to talk to Bruce.”
“Bruce?” her eyebrows crept higher.
“I know you’re probably right and there’s probably no chance of fixing this, but…” Dick took a deep breath, “I have to try.”
“Dick…”
“I want Bruce to set us up for marriage counseling.”
Your stories are so amazing and I just wanna ask if you can make a pt. 2 to paranoia because I want newt to realize he was wrong and I need that happy ending! Please and thank you
Thank you! The second part is on a to-do list somewhere. I plan to get to all of my series eventually again someday (hopefully at least by summer). That one will probably be one of the first since it will only take another part or two to tie up. Hope you’re having a good day!
Hi! May I request a sequel to A Love So Soft? Dick has run out of ideas to break Slade and Jason up, so he recruits Alfred. Alfred's master plan is to invite the happy couple to diner at the manor. Thank you!
Cute! I switched around Dick recruites Alfred to Alfred recruits himself, but it still works. Enjoy!
Man, Tumblr has decided to stop alerting me to anything, I totally didn’t see this come in.
****
Dick had officially run out of ideas.
Or well, he’d run out of ideas that wouldn’t end in absolute disaster. Every time he told himself that Jason’s safety was the most important part of all of this, he would imagine how badly Jason would react to him interfering. How angry and hurt he would be. How much he would hate Dick, even if Dick was doing it out of love.
Worse, Jason would probably be more determined to stick with Salde just to spite him.
So he did the only thing he could at this point and stalked Slade.
Which ended up being stalking both Slade and Jason, far more often than not. There were no words for how angry that made him. They were so sweet and gentle with each other, and every time Dick thought about what a cruel lie it all was, he wanted to strangle Slade.
Dick learned Jason was easy to fluster, and quick to blush, especially over romantic gestures.
He wished he couldn’t have found that out first hand. He wished that those looks could be because of anyone but Slade bloody Wilson.
Slade himself was almost never alone, but one day he broke his routine and headed out to the richer side of town.
Heart beating quickly, Dick followed him discreetly as he could. He was sure that Slade was finally showing his true colors. He’d finally be able to catch Salde red handed with his employer and have proof that Jason would have to believe.
To his surprise, Slade pulled up to the back of the lessor known Wayne properties and walked inside like he owned the place. Dick quietly parked behind him and snuck quietly to the door.
Maybe Slade was really using Jason to get at his connections to the Waynes? Unfortunately, this residence had almost no bugs because it was a private property Bruce had gifted to-
“Master Dick, stop skulking at the door like a criminal and come inside.”
“...Alfred?” Dick said in disbelief.
“Indeed. Now that you’ve demonstrated your staggering deductive skills, come inside and sit down. Tea is almost ready,” Alfred said, not even letting Dick get a word in before he was ushered in the kitchen where Slade was already lounging at the table with another man.
It looked like a small feast was being prepared and it smelled wonderful.
“I do wish you had informed me that you were bringing Master Dick along tonight, and early at that,” Alfred said bussing himself once more, “I will have to make some adjustments to the menu.”
“Got tired of the kid acting like my shadow,” Slade said, sipping his tea cooly.
“You- you’re here for dinner?” Dick spluttered in disbelief.
“Of course he is,” Alfred said briskly, “He’s Master Jason’s first serious relationship in a while, and I demand at least a monthly dinner from such prospects. You know that, Master Dick.”
Dick tried not to gape at him. From the way that Slade was smirking, he didn’t think he did a good job.
“How can you be ok with this?” he finally demanded, “he’s clearly using Jason.”
“Like he’s not totally whipped for the kid,” grumbled the man Dick recognized as Slade’s associate Wintergreen.
Slade sent him a withering look.
“Don’t give me that, the boy is much too good for an old man like you,” Wintergreen said bluntly.
“And you’ll be first in line to give me hell if I do wrong by him, yes, yes,” Slade huffed.
“Perhaps not the first,” Alfred said blandly.
It was probably a coincidence that he was sharpening knives.
“Duly noted,” Slade grumbled.
“We’re not doing this here,” Dick grumbled, grabbing Slade’s arm and towing him out of the room.
“And what, exactly are we ‘doing’, Grayson?” Slade drawled.
“You’re up to something,” Dick said, rounding on him.
“You’ve made it clear that you think so, yes,” Slade rolled his eye.
“Don’t forget I know you. I know you are with young people,” Dick snarled, jabbing his finger at his chest, “You’ll say all the nice things and string him along until you’ve gotten what you wanted and then you’ll screw him over. I’m not going to let that happen on my watch.”
Not again. Not to his- not to Jason.
“I can see why you’d come to that conclusion, but you’re dead wrong this time, kid,” Slade huffed, “believe it or not, I’m playing for keeps with this one.”
How dare he-
“Whatever your employer is paying, I’ll triple it,” Dick snapped.
“There is no job,” Slade growled, the slightest hint of real anger showing through.
“I don’t believe you,” Dick hissed.
“At least I care enough about him to actually be there for him when it matters. When’s the last time you bothered to check in on him for something not related to your so called ‘Mission’?” Slade said, using his height to loom over him fully.
“Don’t pretend you know a thing about us,” Dick snapped.
“Yeah? When’s the last time you asked him how he was? What are his hobbies? We’ve been together for almost a year and you’re just now figuring it out- and don’t even pretend you’re someone he could tell something like that when the first thing you did when found out was try and pay his partner into leaving him,” Slade said.
No one ever accused Slade of pulling his punches.
“You’re trying to use him to get at the family,” Dick accused.
“You know what I think? I think you’re jealous,” Slade said.
“You-”
“Jealous I get to have your sweet Little Wing while you get nothing but scraps,” Slade taunted, “Jealous that you were too much of a coward to risk making daddy Bats mad and I wasn’t. Jealous that you can’t make him happy like I can.”
“I- I’m not- you-”
“Or maybe you’re just jealous that you don’t get all my attention anymore,” he said thoughtfully.
Slade ran a thumb over Dick’s lower lip, and Dick was ashamed to say his thought process stuttered to a complete halt.
“You had your chance to be mine. That’s past, now. What hasn’t is your chance to be there for your dearest Little Wing. Are you going to fuck that up again?”
“Fuck you,” Dick choked.
“Tempting, but Jason has asked me to be exclusive. In the end, his opinion matters more to me than you.”
Ouch. Fuck- that really wasn’t something that should hurt like that. Dick knew it was all over his face, that Slade was seeing too much-
“Sorry I’m late, some fucker decided the I-90 would be a great place to-” Jason cut himself off, jacket hanging part way off his arms as he stared at Dick and Slade standing in the entryway, his face paling before turning closed and guarded.
Dick hated that.
“You haven’t missed anything,” Slade said abandoning his place next to Dick help take Jason’s jacket from him, “Those layabouts give you any trouble today?”
“Wh- no, they were- Slade.” Jason put a hand firmly on Slade’s chest as the older man tried to pull him close, sparring a quick alarmed look in Dick’s direction.
“He knows,” Slade said dismissively, not waiting any longer to draw Jason into a kiss.
Dick couldn’t watch that so he turned on his heel and left the room.
He couldn’t process any of it. He couldn’t. It was all a trick Slade had cooked up. Maybe to turn the family against each other. It had to be a trick.
He headed towards the back door where his bike was parked and was stopped by Alfred on the way out.
“Master Dick… I want you to think carefully about the bridge you are about to burn by leaving this way,” Alfred said quietly, “Even if he denies it, your opinion matters to Master Jason. If you reject him now, I fear you may never get another chance.”
“Alfred- I can’t,” Dick pleaded. He couldn’t pretend to be okay with any of this. Couldn’t watch the softest between the couple in the other room and just- just-
“Is that so?” Dick could hear the disappointment in alfred’s voice and that hurt in a whole different way, “Well then, I shall go finish preparing dinner for our guests.”
He left him there alone in the hallway, and Dick wanted to scream about how unfair this all was. He stared blankly at the doorway for another several moments.
So goddamned unfair.
Dick turned around and walked back to the dinning room. Alfred had already set out a place for him, probably knowing he would come back. Wintergreen was keeping his thoughts to himself. Slade raised an eyebrow, but thankfully didn’t comment because Dick didn’t know what nasty thing he would have said to him if he did.
Jason was looking at him with a deeply wary look that hurt somewhere deep in Dick’s chest. But there was also some horribly vulnerable hints of hope around his edges that made Dick know he had made the right decision by staying.
“If you ever hurt him-” Dick gritted out, glaring at Slade.
“Then you’ll help Jason maim me in some horribly creative way, yes. Overprotective threat duly noted,” Slade said boredly.
“Jesus fuck, you two are so-” Jason growled under his breath, but his ears were pink and Dick could tell he was gripping Slade’s hand under the table.
hey there, if your still taking prompts can you do bane/jason for your villain story? There's so few for that pairing and i neeeeeeeed some.
Oh man, Jason getting caught under Bane is a bit of a terrifying thought. But here's a short little something.
(From Dick’s POV since I really wanted his reaction for this)
“Hood, what are you doing here?! ” Dick hissed as he and Jason ducked behind some crates that avoid a spray of gunfire.
“In case you forgot, we’re in my territory tonight,” Jason shot back, “if anything, I should be asking you that question.”
The real reason Dick didn’t want Jason there was because the thugs shooting at them were hired by Black Mask. If there was a chance the gang leader was anywhere nearby, he didn’t want Jason within a mile of the creep. Every time they met, the villain made it abundantly clear that he’d like to do things to Jason that made Dick’s stomach turn over in horror and his blood boil with rage.
Not that Jason would accept that as an answer.
“This is my case,” Dick said instead.
“Yeah? And why do you keep taking cases in my territory Nightwing ?” Jason said mockingly, “Careful now, some people might think you’re trying to get my attention.”
He was not.
Probably.
“Hood-”
“Stay out of my way, Big Bird,” Jason said shoving him aside as the gunfire died down, “You’re bad for business.”
Before Dick could reply, Jason was throwing what looked like a granade out from their hiding spot and then dashing out guns blazing as things exploded and people shouted. Dick tried to follow after him, but another group of goons had snuck around to their hiding place and instead he had to leap out of the way of another round of gunfire and work on subduing them.
“Someone has been eating their wheaties,” Dick commented with a grunt as one thug tried to plough straight into him. This group wasn’t the regular set of false facer’s he was used to. They were a lot burlier for one, and although they had guns they seemed far more interested in pummeling him with their fists.
Unfortunately for them, Dick was even more deadly at close range than he was at a distance.
“Down you go,” Dick said, flashing a grin as he helped trip one of the goons down a set of stairs while the other’s ignored their fallen comrade and kept coming after him.
Ah, such camaraderie.
Speaking of camaraderie, he really needed to regroup with Jason. Their was still a lot shouting and gunshots at the front of the building, so he figured he was still doing fine, but Dick would rather be safe than sorry.
Dick tasered the thug closest to him, but he just flinched before continuing to come after him.
He frowned, were they on drugs or something? With the amount of strength they were putting behind every punch, Dick decided he didn’t care to drag the fight out.
“You know, this has been real fun, but you know me: busy, busy, busy. What say we wrap this up?” Dick said covering his mouth before dropping a sleeper bomb.
Even with that, it still took the goons ages to go down.
Something funny was going on. Black Mask might run a good portion of the drug trade, but his muscle wasn’t usually pumped up on anything too dangerous.
All of a sudden, the ground beneath him shook and there was a cracking sound as loud as a gunshot…. Something that sounded extra loud because in its wake, the sound of gunfire from out front went silent.
Dick took off in that direction at a run.
He froze as he caught sight of Bane , lifting Jason’s limp body out of the slight crater where the supervillain must have slammed him down.
“Ay, it is no wonder Black Mask paid a high price from you to be brought to him. Mmm, but now that I see you, I might just keep you to myself, mi hijito,” hummed Bane.
Dick saw red.
A part of his brain was putting together the fact that Black Mask must have hired outside help to take care of Red Hood. That the reason’s that so many of the thugs had been so difficult to take down is that they must have been pumped full of venom.
Most of Dick could only process the shattered bits of Jason’s helmet, the blood streaking the cracked pavement, and that massive paw of a hand slipped not so innocently underneath Jason’s jacket.
Dick thinks he might have screamed. He knows that he jumped onto Bane’s back and brought down his escrima sticks with the highest volt of electricity he had. Unfortunately, just like his men, Bane didn’t go down. He did drop Jason though with a roar and slammed himself- and thus Dick- back against the wall.
He heard several things crack- possibly the building, probably mostly him- but rage made him feel almost numb as he brought the stick that hadn’t been knocked out of his hand down into Bane shocking him over and over again. Seeing as that just made Bane more angry, he switched tactics, grabbing a fistful of tubes pumping venom into the monster of a man and pulling .
Unfortunately, only some of them came loose.
This time when Bane slammed Dick back, it was much more deliberate and damaging. His vision whited out and he lost a good few seconds as his grip slackened without his permission and Dick slumped to the ground.
“Oh I remember you,” Bane growled, “I should have killed you when you were just a fly buzzing around my head. I won’t make that mistake again.”
Dick could see Jason laying far too still and vulnerable a few feet away. There was too much blood on the ground Dick didn’t like the angle one of Jason’s legs were sitting at. He liked the blood sneaking out from beneath his curls even less. If Dick went down, there was no one who would be able to save Jason in time.
“Any last words, el mosca?”
Dick closed his eyes.
“M, help.”
“I thought you’d never ask, darling,” M said in his ear as a door opened behind his back and Bane roared in fury.
Hi ! :) if you take some smut request : do you mind write jaroy abo from your Family and Mess? If you do, no problem. Have a nice day :)
Yeah sure! Glad I could finally get a chance to fill this one :)
--Light smut under the cut--
“Move it freckles, let me in,” Jason grumbled pulling back the curtains of the bath and nearly making Roy shriek.
“Jesus, Jaybird, some warning would be nice,” groaned Roy slumping back to bath for a moment before scooting forward so Jason could slip behind him.
“Baby,” Jason accused, but Roy could feel the smile he pressed into his shoulder.
“I take the fact that you’re here to mean that you dropped the kids with Dinah and Babs for the afternoon?” Roy sighed, tilting his head for the Omega to press kisses to his neck.
“Mmhmm, they’re taking them to the park,” Jason replied.
“Probably more fun for Lian,” Roy laughed.
“Hey, picnic blankets are very fun for babies. There’s birds and shit.”
“Well,” Roy smiled, “I bet they both be pretty tired out when they get back. Early bedtime for the win.”
“Mmm,” Jason hummed, bitting him lightly over their bond mark making Roy shiver.
“Careful,” Roy said letting his eyes fall closed as Jason continued to pay attention to their mark, “I’m going to get worked up if you keep doing that.”
“Good,” Jason nipped him again, “It’s been too long since I’ve had you under me.”
“Jesus,” Roy breathed again feeling himself rise to the occasion as the Omega behind him ran his hands over him, “Ok, ok, just let me-”
“Relax…” Jason murmured in his ear, pulling him back flush against him so Roy could feel his interest as well, “Let me take care of you.”
“Or that. That will definitely- mm…” Roy reached back to bury a hand in Jason’s curls as he took hold of him.
“Love how you come apart for me,” Jason murmured, “Such a good Alpha for me. Perfect mate.”
“Jaybird…” Roy arched a little. Jason growled a little and used his free hand to turn Roy enough to kiss him hungrily.
They’d been pretty busy since their daughter was born, no time for anything but a quick tumble in the morning before Lian came running in for breakfast or Darcy decided to wake up. Roy felt almost like a teenager again, about to fall apart in seconds.
“Close…” Roy groaned into their kiss, clutching Jason as he tightened his hold.
“Love you, Roy,” Jason murmured against his skin and that was it for him. Roy tensed and shivered, Jason’s hand working him carefully so he didn’t knot nothing, before he slumped against his mate.
Such a good, powerful mate. He made such beautiful babies too. Roy laughed at himself quietly.
“What?”
“Mmm, nothing, just feeling a bit high on my hormones,” Roy shook his head with a smile, “How are you doing? What can I do for you?”
“Well, if you’re feeling accommodating…” Jason said with a predatory grin as he lifted himself up onto the rim of the tub and spread his thighs invitingly.
“Oh hell yes,” Roy grinned.
They might have a bit of an unconventional dynamic for and Alpha/Omega pair, but it suited them both just fine.
Would you continue or make a second part for you JayDick ABO divorce story request? Like give more background on what caused the divorce and maybe have the kid show up? I’m interested in why Dicks divorcing Jay, cause it sounds like he’s not that faithful himself is Jason’s accusing him of having slept with Slade in their home. I just love some angst.
Anon said: Hey can we have more of the divorce au? Like maybe from the time leading up to it where dick and jason are fighting more and more?
Yeah sure! I actually got several more divorce au requests, but they’re for future scenarios and I had to pick one. For those who are new, here’s the previous post.
Dick being unfaithful starts a little later when thing start escalating more... and probably will heavily contribute to how the future custody battle turns out. So here’s an angsty glimpse into the past:
---
Someone should give Dick an award for being a passive aggressive asshole, Jason thought with gritted teeth.
Dick probably thought he was being sneaky. They’d fought after Jason had put a bullet through the head of a child trafficking ring. Jason was not sorry. A monster like that didn’t deserve to live and Jason especially wasn’t going to let him breathe the same air as his son. But since then, Dick had been staying out late, snapping up all cases in their area, and being generally unavailable which forced Jason to take a bigger and bigger domestic role in his absence… and thus kept him off the street more often than not.
It’s not that Jason didn’t like staying with their son. He loved it with out reserve actually. He actually might have been willing to take a break from street completely while their son was so young. But Dick didn’t ask him, just passively engineered things so Jason didn’t have much a of a choice but stay home.
If it had been for the good of their son, Jason might have tolerated it. But instead, it felt more like Dick was trying to strip him of his freedom since he wouldn’t come to heel on the streets. The fact that it probably was more about Jason being violent than Jason being an Omega- since Dick usually wasn’t that sexist- didn’t really help all that much in the end.
Well fuck him, Jason wasn’t interested in being a good little Bitch.
He also wasn’t petty enough to sacrifice his son’s well being to get back at Dick. He wasn’t going to let the kid grow up with two absentee parents.
Jason smiled proudly when his son took his first couple shaky steps. Scooped him up after he fell and praised him with kisses and twirls around the room until the toddler was giggling uncontrollably as well.
Jason couldn’t help but think about how Dick hadn’t been there for it. How he hadn’t really been there for most of their son’s firsts.
That night, after the boy had fallen asleep, Jason decided to put his foot down.
“What’s this?” Dick frowned when he came through the door, thoughtlessly dumping his gun and badge on the table with the rest of his things.
“Lock that away somewhere safe,” Jason snapped from where he was prepping the couch pullout bed, “We have a toddler for fucks sake.”
“Jay, I’m tired. He’s asleep,” Dick sighed, “It’s not like he’s going to get into it in the next 5 minutes while I grab something to eat.”
“No. Put it away now,” Jason growled.
“Fine, whatever,” Dick shot him a dirty look and went to do so.
You’d think it was some new rule Jason was making up on the fly to inconvenience him, Jason thought bitterly, rather than an agreement they’d had from the moment they’d known they were having a baby.
“There, done,” Dick came back in and flopped tiredly into a chair, “Happy now?”
No, but Jason just grunted instead.
“So, are we having someone over, or?” Dick asked gesturing towards the couch-bed.
“My heat is probably going to start sometime tomorrow,” Jason said, not looking at him.
“And you’re inviting someone over to watch our son?” Dick surmised, a slightly possessive look coming over his face, “You know I don’t like other people in the house when you’re-”
“It’s for you,” Jason said curtly.
Dead silence as that statement sunk it. That’s right, Jason thought savagely, you are not invited to my heat after all the shit you’ve been pulling lately.
“That’s not fair Jay,” Dick said finally, “I’m your husband. Your heat affects me too.”
“Oh no, poor Alpha, imagine being uncomfortable during a heat,” Jason scoffed, “You’ll live.”
Dick was still decent enough that he didn’t fight that, though he made a face.
“What about our son?” Dick demanded.
“You’ll just have to watch him,” Jason said unsympathetically.
“I can’t just take that much time off work short notice.”
“It shouldn’t have been short notice; my heat is the same time every year.”
“You should have reminded me.”
“Not my job,” Jason said a little bitterly, “besides, you were perfectly fine to take off work when you thought you’d be fucking me through my heat.”
“Stop twisting my words Jason,” Dick sighed, running his fingers through his hair, “What’s this really about? I know things haven’t been great between us lately, but your heat has always been a time for us to reconnect.”
I’m not going to let you convince me everything is fine while I’m high on my hormones, he thought.
“Why? So you can knock me up with another kid that you can never be around for?” Jason snapped instead.
Real anger showed up on Dick’s face this time.
Fucking finally, some part of Jason thought as he geared up for the ensuing fight.
Can we have more of As We Fall Apart? I love how Bruce is actually taking Jason’s side since everyone is taking Dick’s.
Anon: I don’t understand how Dick is winning the custody battle so far. It seems obvious that Jason is the more fit parent. Are you going to go into that a little more?
I sure am. There’s lots of factors, but mainly Jason’s violence and the fact that he never really tries to communicate his side of things to anyone because he assumes that everyone is on Dick’s side (he’s not wrong). Bruce has a way of turning those tides though.
---
Dick remembers when he’d accused Jason of cheating with Roy. The flat unimpressed look in his eye when he’d regarded Dick.
“There’s only one cheater in this relationship Dickie dearest, and it sure as hell isn’t me.”
Dick hadn’t realized Jason had known. He’d never said anything.
“Maybe we should separate,” Dick had suggested tentatively, “It’s clear this isn’t working out and we’re just going to make each other miserable if we keep this up.”
“Hell no,” Jason glared at him.
Dick hadn’t understood, and he’d said as much.
“We agreed,” Jason said fiercely, “We have a kid now and we agreed that we’d be a family no matter what it took. You trying to quit this family Dick?”
“No,” Dick had wilted back.
“Then don’t bring that kind of shit up,” Jason had said as if that was that.
Still, the idea that maybe they weren’t right for each other stuck in his head, surfacing whenever things started to go wrong. Day to day he never could tell if Jason wanted him around or not. He was mad if he was gone and he was mad if he was there. Dick didn’t know what to do.
And then things slowly started to look like they might get better. Dick slowly got better at taking care of their son. He had still stumbled at the details but he was slowly getting it. Every day their son was more mobile and more verbal Dick was able to engage with him a little better than before and give Jason some breaks. Dick still worked overtime a lot to make ends meet, but so long as he was engaging with their kid then Jason seemed happier.
He even let Dick back in his bed. No sex, but Dick loved having him close.
And then it all fell apart for good.
They still didn’t know if it was one of Nightwing’s enemies or Officer Grayson’s, but someone figured out where he lived and attacked while he was gone. Whether it was to try and use him family against him as leverage, or just to strike back at him, it wasn’t clear. They’d never have any answers because Jason had slit his throat with a kitchen knife not long after he’d broken in and then dumped the body out the 5th story window.
Jason called up and suggested they move.
Dick had been livid. Jason swore that their son hadn’t seen anything, but they both knew he would always have killed the guy. Jason had killed someone in their house. It was the last straw for Dick.
Dick hadn’t really thought about how Jason would react. He looked at him and could only see a killer. He was dangerous and Dick wasn’t leaving his son with him.
The moment it became clear that Dick not only planned to leave but was going to take their son with him, Jason lost his shit. To this day, Dick still thought that Jason might have killed him if the family hadn’t arrived when they did.
“I will never forgive you for this,” Jason had hissed when Bruce pulled him off him.
Dick had been a mess, but his friends had surrounded him in overwhelming support and advice on his next steps. Tim sympathized with Jason, but Dick knew he agreed with him in the end even if he was unhappy with the outcome.
He didn’t want to take it to court- especially since their vigilante personas played a roll in everything- but Jason wasn’t budging. He was hell bent on keeping their son with him and throwing Dick out of both their lives completely. No compromises. His friend’s assured him that if it did become a court battle he was sure to win; Jason’s anger and rash decision and words kept stacking the odds against him.
Dick had been angry and grief stricken, but he hadn’t really been worried.
Not until Bruce stepped up and blindsided them all by siding with Jason.
Your Dragon Boy story is amazing! Can I request some more fluff just like Bruce cuddling his new dragon grandbaby. Or Dick trying to figure out how to take care of him till the mommy and daddy dragons show up. I'm just a sucker for fluffy stuff ok.
Anon: I also love the idea of Dick and Bruce trying to take the dragonlet back home and would love to see that. If it makes that happen, I will withdraw this prompt.
Trying to find Jason/reunite the baby for the win! It just won over the smut in the votes lol.
--
Dick had never seen Bruce look so lost. Honestly, Dick was right there with him. The dragon baby was napping on Bruce’s chest as a toddler. The image seemed alien and fragile. Even Tim couldn’t stop staring. The only one who seemed unruffled was Alfred.
“So… he’s definitely Jason’s, huh?” Dick finally said.
“According the limited spells I’ve been able to cast, yeah it looks like it,” Tim said a little uncertainty, “Of course, dragon magic interferes a great deal and makes these kinds of tests much less conclusive, but…”
They all stared at the sleeping baby again in silence as that soaked in.
“You don’t think-” Dick stopped himself because even thinking the idea was painful, “All this time… Jason has been held by that monster and-”
He couldn’t finish, but by the way Bruce was clutching the child with an agonized look in his eyes, he was thinking something similar.
“At least he could still be alive,” Tim said weakly.
“He better be,” Dick growled. The fact that they’d ever stopped looking for his little brother was going to kill him.
“Talia is claiming ignorance, of course,” Bruce said unhappily, “She says that her people brought the creature to her without telling her much.”
“Unlikely,” Tim frowned, “Neither Ra’s or Talia would accept such a source without at least digging further themselves.”
“Perhaps,” Bruce agreed, “but the fact remains that several al Ghul estates have been burned to the ground, with them our apparent witnesses. It seems a little overkill for a complete rues.”
“Where?” Dick asked eagerly, “It might give us some clue where to start looking-”
“I thought the same thing,” Bruce sighed, “Unfortunately, the locations are impossibly spread out and seemingly random.”
Dick bit back another growl of frustration.
“I suppose that makes sense,” Tim ventured carefully, “It’s not like distance would ever be an issue for a dragon.”
“Yeah, but how long could this little guy get on his own?” Dick insisted, “There has to be a clue somewhere.”
“I agree,” Bruce said, “Unfortunately, the al Ghuls are being uncooperative about details for those estates. Likely they were things there that they are invested in hiding. Since their properties span kingdom borders, this makes the legality of demanding such details tricky.”
“Damn legality,” Dick snapped, “That monster has had Jason for years. If there’s any chance he’s alive, I’m not leaving him there another minute.”
That had been a little louder than he’d meant and the dragon-child stirred slightly, earning him several reproachful looks from the others.
“Perhaps this conversation should be continued after the young master is properly settled,” Alfred said delicately.
Bruce doubtless had more to say on the matter, but Dick was done waiting around. He walked out of the room and Tim rushed to follow him.
“Don’t try to stop me,” Dick warned him.
“Wasn’t going to,” Tim said, “Just…”
Tim caught his arm and Dick flinched hard as the skin burned like he’d taken a live iron to it.
“Just in case,” Tim said looking a little winded from the strength of the spell, “So we can find you even if- even if something happens.”
Dick couldn’t help but give Tim a fierce hug. Since Jason’s protective charms had been removed so easily, they’d all be a lot more paranoid. Dick didn’t like being tracked by his family, but at least if something happened to him there would be some actual closure.
“I’ll be careful,” he promised.
“You’re never careful,” Tim said ruefully.
“I will be this time,” Dick said, “I’ll bring Jason home, I promise.”
Tim just smiled tiredly. Dick didn’t want to think about that. Instead he headed for his room and opened the secret closet by his bed. Normally he kept his dragon slaying gear there, but he also kept… other things.
He palmed the magical item thoughtfully. He’d never trusted mercenaries but… desperate times.
“Slade,” he finally murmured into it, “you still owe me a favor. I need you to help me look into a case I have about the al Ghuls and how they might have gotten their hands on a dragon.”
He was slightly worried that it might not work. He was not expecting a near instant reply.
Meet me outside the castle gate in 15 minutes. Come alone.
