What the Pictures Show

Chapter 7

Without a word, Jason stormed across the room and punched Bruce square in the jaw. "You're never going to change, are you?" he spat, his fists clenched at his sides. "Dick will never see that. You are going to fix this. I'm going to make sure of it."

Bruce rubbed his jaw, his eyes narrowing in anger. "Get a hold of yourself," he said sternly, standing up so he was standing eye-to-eye with Jason. "Are you still going on about me being commanding of Dick?"

"Commanding?" Jason repeated, his voice rising. "Are you really so unaware? This is your problem, not his. You should be consoling him, not ordering him to fix your mess."

"This is his mess," Bruce said firmly. "He knows better than to let himself get caught by cameras after a rough patrol. I know he's in a difficult situation right now, but he does not need me to throw him a pity-party. If he's not going to be proactive and deal with these allegations, then I need him to push him to do better. Our work is too important to be impacted by something so trivial as tabloid gossip."

Jason scoffed. "This is not trivial tabloid gossip. You're being accused of attacking Dick. Don't you realize what this could mean for Dick? And for Tim and Damian who still live under your roof? They could be taken away from you if this isn't dealt with properly."

A twinge of concern crossed Bruce's face. "I am well aware, which is why Dick needs to be at the top of his game. Now, you're obviously not here to talk about our current public relations issue, so why are you here? What's going on?"

"What's going on? I'll tell you what's going on!" Jason shouted. "You treat all of us like we're just tools for your war on crime. You don't care about us as people, only as pawns to help with your crusade. You don't give a crap that you're one step away from losing your family."

"That's not true, Jason," Bruce said calmly. "I care about all of you very much. You're family to me."

"Family? You don't even know how to be a father!" Jason spat. "You're too busy being Batman to actually be a dad to any of us. You think being harsh and demanding is the same thing as being a good parent, but it's not."

Bruce raised an eyebrow. "When Dick came to me asking for me to help find the man who killed his parents, he wasn't asking for a parent. He was asking for Batman."

"Well, now he's asking for his dad. That's not possible for you though."

Bruce sighed. "Jason, being Batman is a tough job. I have to be harsh to keep everyone safe. And Dick knows that, he's been with me the longest."

"That's not the point!" Jason shouted. "Just because he's been with you longer doesn't mean you get to treat him like crap. You've never even apologized for what happened to his parents, and you make him do all the dangerous stuff. You act like he owes you his life, and it's not fair."

Bruce stood up, his eyes blazing. "You have no idea what you're talking about, Jason. Dick chose to be Robin, he knew the risks. And I do care about him, more than you'll ever know."

"You say that you care about all of us, but you don't know how to show it!" Jason retorted. "You're so focused on being Batman that you forget how to be a decent human being. And that's why we're all messed up."

"You want to talk about messed up? How about you, Jason? You're a loose cannon, you never listen to anyone, and you don't know the meaning of loyalty. You're the last person who should be criticizing my parenting. I do what I do to protect Gotham, to protect all of you. If that means being tough, then so be it."

"No, Bruce," Jason said firmly. "It's not worth it. Not if it means sacrificing our happiness, our sanity, our lives. You need to be more than just a hero. You need to be a father."

"But that's not what he signed up for. I've said this again and again. I have a responsibility to the people of Gotham to keep them safe," Bruce said, exasperated.

Jason lunged forward and grabbed Bruce by the collar of his shirt. "You don't get it," he growled, his eyes blazing with anger. "You will though. When you're left all alone, then you'll understand."

Bruce raised his hands, trying to push Jason away, but Jason was too strong. "Let go, Jason," Bruce said firmly. "This isn't the way to solve our problems."

But Jason wasn't listening. He tightened his grip on Bruce's shirt, his voice rising to a shout. "I hate you, Bruce," he yelled. "I hate the way you treat us, the way you act like we're nothing but tools.

"I have to be tough with you guys," Bruce said. "That's the only way to keep us all safe."

"Safe? You call this safe?" Jason gestured angrily around him. "We're risking our lives every day, and you don't even care. You treat us like disposable tools, not like human beings. And Dick... he deserves better than that. He deserves a real father figure, not just a boss."

Bruce's eyes narrowed dangerously. "I am doing the best I can, Jason. And sometimes, that means being tough. If you can't handle that, then maybe you need to leave."

"You think I'm afraid to leave?" Jason snarled. "I don't need you, Bruce. But Dick... he does. He cares about your opinion, and you treat him like crap. You don't even listen to him. You just bark orders and expect him to follow them. That's not parenting, Bruce. That's abuse."

Bruce scoffed. "Oh, please."

"You will be sorry. When I'm done, everyone in Gotham will know just how much pain you've caused this family." Jason hissed, shoving Bruce back sharply. He left with one final glare back at Bruce.