RED

Ten

A/N: Okay, so idk why but I just started writing this chapter in third person and uh yeah. Hope you guys enjoy it. If you have any prompts for further chapters or ships you want me to include, comment them! I'll try my best to work them into the story. -Aiza

Jason's whole morning was a mess of bleary-eyed madness. Louis had left the safehouse with Bizarro long before Alfred had arrived in a limo to pick Artemis and Jason up. Both of them didn't have many belongings save for weapons, which Alfred insisted that they let him take care of.

"Master Jason, it's wonderful you and Miss Artemis are able to visit this time of year. Your stay will be busy, I must warn you, but everyone will be there."

"Wait, what's happening?" Jason asked, trying to shake the weariness from his brain.

"Have you really forgotten, Master Jason? The annual Wayne charity gala is tomorrow."

"Well it seems that you won't have to call the rest of your family now," Artemis remarked.

Jason could only slap his forehead. "Alf, i came for business, not to party. We're all in danger. I mean, we don't know for sure, but–"

"Then it seems suitable that you wait until at least the gala is over. Most of the family hasn't arrived yet anyhow. Oh, and Miss Stephanie has arranged a shopping trip for the two of you. She assumes you both hadn't brought adequate clothing in advance."

"Aw, Alfred–" he was swiftly cut off by a jab to the side.

"Thank you Alfred. I'm sure Jason can enjoy some time with his family without any talk of business." Artemis gave Jason a look, and he knew better than to oppose both her and Alfred.

The old man chuckled to himself as he pulled up to Wayne Manor. A full house was always nice, if not a bit of a handful. "I'm sure he can, Miss Artemis, I'm sure he can. Try to enjoy yourselves for a while. In the meantime, let me show you to your rooms."

In short, Jason was not enjoying himself in the least. He was hungry and tired, and of course stupid Stephanie Brown made him go shopping. And Replacement would never let Damian hear the end of it if Jason dared complain. He would get his revenge. Somehow.

The one person Jason wouldn't mind seeing wasn't even in the city. Yeah, because Damian's got friends now. Like Jason wasn't the first friend Damian ever had. The little brat left him a note apologizing for his absence, but its formality only made Jason laugh. The kid should be with his friends, maybe learning how to talk like a normal ten-year-old.

Naturally, Steph wouldn't make Damian go shopping. It was dreadful, with Steph practically hijacking Artemis and leaving Jason and Replacement (Tim) stranded in high end stores suspended in utter confusion. It wasn't that Jason didn't know how to shop, it was that stupid Brown wouldn't let him touch anything without her approval of the item first. That left very few items in the store left for Jason to choose from.

It was simply maddening. Steph finally brought him a green suit and insisted that it was the one. "It's viridian. It's so in Jason," he mocked when she asked to see it on him. He didn't even get to see what she had gotten Artemis.

He didn't have to try it on. And hallelujah, he got to go home. Much to nobody's surprise, he didn't get much rest when he got back to Wayne Manor either. Jason had scarcely returned to his room when he was tacked by a ten-year old whirlwind. Damian. The boy greeted him in the formal dialect of the League, a habit not yet broken. "Akhi! You came back!"

"Well that's obvious, isn't it? Woah, okay, let me breathe here Damian." The boy obeyed and sat on the bed. He clearly wasn't ready to leave anytime soon.