Fights with a Father
Synopsis: Jason moves you into the manor because of the Joker and tensions in the manor grow to a breaking point. (2.1k words)
Jason Todd x fem!reader
a/n: continuing my reader being unafraid to fight Bruce propaganda, also Dick being a supportive brother (in law). I’m really happy with this one, I hope y’all enjoy! (Nessie is your cat btw)
Warnings: no beta read, Gotham, Joker mentions (and all that come with that), swearing/harsh language (it’s Jason), mentions of blood and guns, Bruce being slightly difficult, a little angsty, may be a little OOC
Masterlist
It started small, it always did. Jason was a little more closed off, a little more tense. You didn't push him for an explanation, you never did, which only made him feel worse.
You knew that the Joker was part of it, having heard through both civilian and vigilante channels that he was more active lately, and far too close to your apartment for comfort. That led to Jason practically begging you to stay at the manor for a while.
And so you did, not pushing back because you knew it was just for his peace of mind.
You packed up Nessie and any essentials. It wasn't an especially hard adjustment, but came with its own struggles. Jason was being more protective, you were rarely without him during the day, and someone was always around during his patrol shifts.
His siblings tried not to be overbearing, but everyone was worried, and they wanted to be careful around you and Jason. Most of them really didn't know how to approach you, the circumstance surrounding the situation didn't exactly make for easy conversation.
You found things to do though, you still went to work, wanting to maintain some normalcy in the midst of all the struggles. Jason often accompanied you to your job at the local library, he'd sit in a corner, usually with a coffee, and read.
But during patrols, when Jason was gone, you'd either curl up on a couch in the main living room or do small tasks. You'd help Alfred when you could get away with it, but he was reluctant to accept help. You began to read more, crocheting when your hands weren't shaky with nerves or simply excess energy.
It went on for a couple weeks, and tonight was your sixteenth night at the manor. Jason had patrol so Cass was sitting with you, at Jason's request. You'd had a conversation with her, but it hadn't lasted very long. So you were now reading, though you were only half paying attention to the story. Jason had been gone a while, and you were starting to get anxious.
Then you heard raised voices, they were muffled slightly by distance, but you could tell that one of them was Jason. You stood instantly, setting the book to the side, and started moving towards the Cave entrance, entering the study and making your way through the entrance down to the cave, vaguely aware of Cass's soft footsteps behind you.
The closer that you go to the bottom of the stairs, the louder the voices got. You could definitively pick out Jason and Bruce's voices, and Dick trying to deescalate the argument, without much success.
"Jason." You called out softly as you reached the bottom of the steps, and he immediately quieted, and slowly turned towards you, moving to meet you halfway.
Jason was obviously distressed, he had removed his helmet, and the mask under it, but remained in the rest of his armor. His face was slightly flushed, a mix of anger and annoyance, and he looked close to actually breaking down from frustration.
Your hands hovered over his shoulders hesitantly, but only for a couple silent seconds before he buried his head in the space between your neck and shoulders, arms wrapping around you securely.
"You shouldn't be down here." He mumbled softly, but the others nearby could definitely still hear him.
"And you shouldn't be yelling." You replied gently, wrapping you arms around him. Even though you said the words to Jason, the pointed look you were giving Bruce from over Jason's shoulder spoke volumes
Then you heard a throat clearing to your side.
"Jason."
It was Dick, and, given his tone, he was worried. He didn't reach out to his little brother physically, but stood nearby, trying to be supportive.
"I'm not going out there again." Jason cut him off, his voice louder, more tense. "If B is going to kick me out of the field, and make me come to this fucking house, then I'm staying here, with them."
"I know, I don't expect you to." Dick sighed, taking a small step back, not wanting to push for the moment, and you could see his movement from out of the corner of your eye.
"Jason, I didn't pull you from patrol without reason." Bruce spoke up gently from across the cave, and you could see that his whole body was tense.
You made a face only vaguely directed at Bruce, a mix of an eye roll and slight acceptance, but you didn't say anything, letting Jason speak for himself for the moment.
"Kinda fucking seemed that way." Jason scoffed, pulling back slightly, kissing your temple, but keeping his arms around you, reluctantly looking over at Bruce.
"The Joker was present." Bruce stated simply, as if that was an explanation enough for his actions and orders.
You sucked in a harsh breath, but Jason just huffed in annoyance and frustration.
"I don't completely shut down at the sight of him, I can manage myself enough to not go catatonic immediately." He insisted, arms around you tightening. "And I have enough self control to not shoot his brains out on the spot."
"It still wouldn't be a good idea." Bruce responded, doubt creeping into his voice slightly, but he tried to hide it.
Bruce took a few steps toward Jason, every word and movement thick with thinly veiled tension.
"And everything that could go wrong was simply avoided by sending you home." He added after a moment, glancing over at you briefly when you made a small sound of annoyance.
"But I'm not home, in fact, the fucking Joker is closer to my home than I am." Jason retorted, snapping slightly, pulling you behind him as his adoptive father continued to move towards him. "Don't act like it wasn't because you don't trust me."
Bruce didn't refute the accusation, and, noticing Jason's stance around you, he paused his movements.
"Jason—" He started with a small sigh.
"Bruce." You cut him off firmly, already subtly guiding Jason towards the stairs slowly with gentleness. "Don't start a fight tonight. No one will get anything good out of it."
You paused slightly, glancing over at Jason's congregated siblings, gaze locking in on Dick, who had a small look of guilt creeping into his expression.
"What ever else is out there you and the others can handle for tonight." You said, addressing everyone in the Cave at large. "Without Jason."
Bruce said your name firmly, as if to try and stop you, and you felt Jason tense under your palms.
Jason stopped, you gave him another small push forward, as if to encourage him to continue up the stairs, but he didn't budge.
"Don't talk to her like that." Jason finally spoke up, watching his adoptive father carefully.
You turned to Bruce, expecting a fight, or for him to lecture you, but you instead found a tired frustration in his eyes. It was as if he was trying to nonverbally get you to understand why he'd done what he had.
"I'm not—" Bruce started with more thinly veiled frustration in his voice, but his tone had softened slightly.
"I know." You interrupted the two of them, sending Bruce a look that simply said to let it go for the night.
"Let's just talk tomorrow morning, when we all have clear heads." You continued, you saw Dick nod in agreement out of the corner of your eyes.
Bruce's shoulders relaxed slightly, he also nodded in acceptance.
"Thanks." You mumbled softly, giving him a small smile before you turned to face Jason, who was still watching Bruce intensely.
"Go Jason." You said softly to him, quietly enough that only he heard you. "He isn't upset at us. You can go upstairs."
Jason nodded slowly, gaze sliding from Bruce to you before he looked ahead of him, once again moving to the stairs, with you subtly leading him.
He was led easily, a small smile forming on his face as he followed you, letting you lead him all the way to his room before speaking.
"Thank you." He said softly as he pushed the door open for you, letting it close behind the two of you.
"Of course." You hummed as if it truly were that simple. "You needed out, and I'm not scared of him."
He huffed a small laugh as he started to shed his remaining armor, which you collected as he redressed.
"I'll bring this back down to the Cave, you get comfortable." You said giving his a quick kiss on the cheek.
"Ya sure you wanna?" He asked softly, watching you carefully. "You don't have to y'know."
"Yeah, I'm sure. It'll be fine." You said with a nod. "Now get comfortable, don't make me force you to."
"Yes ma'am." He said with a slight smile, the frustration and anger from earlier mostly forgotten in the moment.
You gave him another quick kiss, this time on the lips, before taking the armor and slipping out of the room.
You moved to the Cave quickly, wanting to get back to Jason as soon as possible, and as you reentered Alfred appeared beside you almost magically, taking the armor easily with a small nod of acknowledgement.
You smiled slightly, and turned to leave, not wanting to restart the argument, when you heard the sound of Dick clearing his throat to your left.
You turned, automatically stiffening out of instinct, even if you knew he wasn't one to fight, especially with you, and even more so about Jason.
"How is he?" He asked finally, obviously referring to his younger brother. "I know nights after the Joker can be rough—”
"He'll be fine." You reassured him, relaxing slightly. "Just needs some rest, and for someone to be there for him, and with him."
"Which you can do." Dick mumbled under his breath, mostly to himself, as reassurance.
"I can." You reaffirm with a small nod. "He's in good hands, trust me."
"I do." Dick responded easily, as if he wouldn't question that. "Just…let him know I'll take care of the Bowery and Park Row tonight, and for however long he needs me to."
"I will." You said with a small nod, ready to move back up the stairs when Dick spoke again.
"Tell him that if he needs out of Gotham for a while, no one would blame him, we can handle it." He paused before adding. "and that I'm just worried, and care about him."
You smiled slightly, nodding again, and moving to give Dick a quick hug.
"I'll let him know, thank you Dick." You said as you pulled back. "See you tomorrow, be safe."
"I will, see ya." He said with a small hum as he watched you go back up the stairs into the manor.
You walked back to Jason's room quickly, thinking over your conversation with Dick as you reached the door and pushed in softly.
Jason's eyes moved to you as you entered, he was sitting up on the bed, leaning back against the headboard, one single lamp illuminating the room.
"Hey." You hummed as you shed your cardigan and slid into bed next to him. "Dick said to let you know he's taking care of your territory tonight, and that if you need out of Gotham for a while they'll be fine."
"Of course he did." Jason huffed slightly. "He's good at that, being there for people."
You hummed in response, nodding slightly.
"You think you'll leave for a while?" You asked softly, looking up at him.
"No, not if you aren't coming with me, and I know that's a little difficult between your job and college." He said, shaking his head slightly, his eyes meeting yours.
You smiled slightly, leaning up to kiss him, relaxing in the moment before you pulled back.
"As much as I love and appreciate the sentiment, going somewhere else might be good for you." You hummed with a small smile. "And I'm sure I could get some time off, if it really matters that I'm there."
"It does." Jason insisted, causing you to laugh lightly. "But I'll think about it, if you really think it'd be good for me."
"I do." You confirmed with a nod. "but I also think rest would help, so sleep on it."
You reached over to click off the lamp, and Jason let you, pulling up the blankets slightly to help you both slip under them fully.
"Love you." He hummed softly, placing a kiss on your shoulder as his arms slipped around you, letting you relax into him more.
"I love you too." You said quietly as you felt his breathing slow and his body relax as he fell asleep almost remarkably quick, with you not far after him.
a/n 2: I hope y’all enjoyed this, I’m trying to write more but I’ve been busy lol. Likes, comments, and reblogs are really appreciated!
