Before You Came

Let it pour over me.

I've posted this on my ao3 account too, it was part of a dickjay writhing event (Damian is in this story too don't worry) that was soooo much fun, hope y'all like it :)))))

It's not as centered on Damian as the other fics, mostly the light is on Jason but I didn't know where else to publish it 🤪

—————

It was a warm, dry day when he met him.

He had been sitting in the shade of a large plum tree, overlooking the courtyard. Sweat dripped down his face and into his black training uniform as he looked up at the light filtering through the leaves of the tree.

All that afternoon he had felt as if there was something drumming inside him, desperate to break skin and fly off. It pushed his nerves to the edge and his training with his League swords teacher had ended short, since they both knew his beatings would last longer that day.

Before he sat down, his wounds ached but a while of looking up at the green leaves was enough for the leftover pit waters in his bloodstream to heal them.

He closed his eyes as he tried to reign in his nerves, hate, anger, and all consuming bloodthi-

He breathed deep to quell another violent outburst and control his emotions when he heard footsteps making their way towards him. He opened his eyes and found one of the women who looked after him.

Her name was Aatifa, she was a slave to the Al Ghuls and had been made to be his servant by his mistress, though he hated calling her that. She had dark, tan, wrinkled skin, hair as black as night, and one of the kindest eyes he'd ever seen. She was one of the only servants in the compound, in the time after his awakening, that had treated him with any kindness, most wore blank looks on their face and never looked him in the eyes. At first, he had ignored her and she too ignored him but after weeks in each other's presence, they had grown close. And, in the darkness of his room, before he would fall asleep, she would comb an old hand through his hair, reminding him so vividly of someone from his past that it caused his eyes to swell but he never asked her to stop. In the night, as she pet him, she told him old Arabic stories. In one, she told him an ancient story of the rain, how it was holy and would occur only when something divine would happen. How it would pour over souls and cleanse them for a new beginning as it filled them and the earth with new life. The stories barely kept the nightmares from coming though, but he never told her that.

He stood up when he saw her come closer to the tree he sat under and listened as she spoke to him. He nodded and thanked her as he walked out of the courtyard and into the compound, but before he left, a raindrop splashed between his eyes and he looked up again to see the sun being swallowed up by grey clouds, pregnant with rain. As more drops fell, he ran in and by the time he reached the throne room, it was pouring outside.

——————

"Jason." Talia addressed when he walked into the room, her head was held high and her face held a blank expression, she was the image of collected and powerful but as he came closer he saw a small shape behind.

He was distracted from his curiosity when she came forward and her expression turned serious, "I have an order for you and I expect you to carry it out with the highest amount of care."

The young bat glowered, something was wrong, something had changed. Usually Talia would leave him to his teachers and trainers and in the hands of the Al Ghul servants, she never ordered him around. Perhaps it was time to become an official League assassin, he couldn't put it off any further, he thought.

Jason looked into Talia's Lazarus green eyes and nodded, his expression attempting to give no insight to the unease with him. However, Talia's eyes flickered around his body and she quirked an eyebrow at him, "This task that I trust you with is very important to me and if you complete it well, you'll be free. Whether that is to enact your revenge in Gotham or stay and serve us."