Request for CharmerMaster! A Bernadetta (Fire
Emblem Three Houses)-like Batsis and Jason, around the time of the Red Hood movie. She's a preteen, around 11-12! Jason is around 18, Dick is around 21, and Tim is around 13.
—
It was a serene morning in the Wayne manor, or, at least, as serene as it could get; birds were chirping outside the windows, breakfast was cooking on the stove, and (Y/N) was sleeping peacefully in her bed. It'd been a while since she'd gotten such a good rest, and she definitely needed it. Such a sudden change in life wasn't easy, but her new life being better than her old helped greatly. Smiling, she snuggled further into the thick comforter.
"(Y/N)!"
...And then the moment was ruined. That was something she still needed to get used to, having two brothers. She'd never even had one before! Dick and Tim weren't mean to her by any standard, but she'd never been good with social interactions.
"(Y/N), come downstairs! I made breakfast!" Dick grinned as he barged into the room. The girl immediately shot up, scooting backwards on her bed.
"Dick! Um—I—y-yeah! Um, I'm coming! Can you close the door, please?"
"Oh, sorry, yeah," he shut the door, "Come down whenever you're ready, I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable."
She sighed and ran a hand through her hair, "Sorry, I'm—I was just—ugh, I'm really sorry, I'm not used to this!"
He chuckled, "You're fine! I'll meet you downstairs."
(Y/N) rubbed her neck; it was the truth, she wasn't used to this. She didn't mean to come off as rude, she just needed to prepare herself before she interacted with the world again. It didn't come naturally to her like it did to Dick.
Reluctantly, she got out of bed and smoothed out her hair. It was still morning, so her outfit of sweatpants, a sweatshirt, and some socks fit the occasion well enough. She took a deep breath, then descended down the stairs of the mansion and sat at the dining table.
"This house is so big, I always think I'm gonna get lost," she said as she sat down, staring out the window.
Tim nodded "I do get lost, like, all the time. Who on earth needs this much space?"
"Hey, (Y/N)!" Dick interrupted, moving between the kitchen and the dining room, "I hope you like eggs and hash."
He placed the plates on the table, and (Y/N)'s eyes sparkled, "Yes."
In under a minute, the entire plate was gone and she calmly patted her mouth with a napkin. Her brothers stared at her, horrified, and she jumped.
"Eep! What? Is there something in my hair?"
"No, it's...how the hell did you...?"
Dick motioned to her plate and she blushed.
"Um, well, y'know, everything with my dad...he never really fed me like this, only once every year for my birthday. But even then, it tasted terrible! But this was so good, thanks Dick!"
"No problem," he exhaled in amused confusion before Bruce walked in and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Thanks for cooking, Dick. Alfred's still with his family until later in the afternoon. (Y/N), we're going on patrol tonight. Can you hold down the fort while we're gone?"
Another unusual thing, her entire family was now masked vigilantes. She'd found out one night when she stumbled upon the cave while searching for Alfred. She opened Bruce Wayne's office door just as Tim opened the cave door, and they stared at each other wide-eyed before both screaming in fear. Once she finally calmed down, although shut herself in her room, they explained through the door their situation. She seemed to understand fairly quick, but made it clear there was 'no way' she was joining them. She didn't mind helping them out, though.
"I'll get the bandages ready," she sighed.
"As always, you're my favorite," Bruce smirked.
She grinned up at the man as her eldest brother made a noise of offense. They argued for a few minutes over who should earn the title as Tim looked at something on his tablet.
He got up abruptly, making (Y/N) jump a bit, "Guys, I gotta go to the cave. Needa' solve this case. You wanna come with me, (Y/N)?"
"Um..." she glanced in the direction of the cave's entrance, biting her lip. It was a little far, and she'd already established herself in the eating area...
"You don't have to if you don't want, just thought you might enjoy it," Tim interrupted.
"No, yeah, I'll come, just—um—can you walk a little slower, please?"
"Oh, yeah, sorry," he nodded as she softly pinched the back of his hoodie, following close behind him. He ended up scooping her arm into his own and running with her the rest of the way to the cave, her yelping all the while.
"Tim, be nice to your sister!" Bruce called.
"I am!"
"No, you're not!" they heard (Y/N) whine faintly, "You're so mean!"
"You're slow."
"Ugh, you're the worst!"
Shaking his head, Bruce chuckled softly at their antics as Dick bounced his knee.
"Bruce, what are we gonna do when the summer's over?" Dick asked, still staring at the spot where the two kids turned the corner.
His father took a sip of coffee, "What do you mean?"
"Well, I mean, we have to send (Y/N) to school, right? But she just seems so timid about that stuff, I dunno if she'll be ready for it."
"Quit trying to parent your siblings, Dick," he placed a hand on the man's shoulders, "You don't need to worry about that. I'll figure it out, but I have faith she'll overcome all of this. And if not, there's always homeschooling."
Dick had his doubts; everyone knew (Y/N) didn't like getting out of the house much, she didn't even like leaving her room that much. After a few months of living in the Wayne household, she'd gotten better with it, but she still freaked out at the mention of actually leaving their property. She didn't hate the outdoors or anything, in fact, the backyard was usually where she took refuge when she was really upset with the boys, it was just the people that frightened her. It made sense, no one had to wonder why (Y/N) wouldn't bother trusting people again after even her own parents wronged her; but although they understood, they also knew she'd need to get over this at some point, and she knew it, too.
But that point wasn't today. As she sat in the garden, she still jumped at any sound. The manor didn't have any neighboring houses, which was nice, but there was a sidewalk not far from it. (Y/N) kept reminding herself there was a gate, and drank her tea at a table in the serene outdoors. The sun was setting, and the boys had just left. If she wasn't afraid of the sound of other people, she would've found it quite relaxing.
She hummed nervously, "Nope, not today. I'm going back in."
Tea in hand, the girl was just about to open the sliding door when suddenly someone grabbed her and she was soaring through the air. It took her a second to process what was happening, but when she did, she was screaming for her life.
"Someone help me! Please!" she shouted, "Oh my god, I am going to die!"
What is the point of my family being vigilantes if they're not going to actually save me! she thought as she scanned the city for the masked heroes.
"Relax! I'm not gonna kill you," the man holding her said, "Unless you don't give me what I want."
"I don't have anything to give you! You knocked my tea out of my hands! That's the only thing I had with me!"
"I don't mean literally, dumbass!" he crashed through the window of an abandoned apartment complex, "You have a brain, don't you? I want answers."
(Y/N) whimpered, holding her arms as the man rolled his eyes. It was when he left go of her that she finally got a good look at him.
"Red Hood?!" she screamed, "Oh my god, I am gonna die! Please, don't hurt me, I'd make a terrible wall decoration!"
"Kid, seriously! Calm down, I don't care about you that much! I just need answers. Okay?" he spoke slowly.
"Okay, okay, yeah," she glanced to her side, seeing a door, "Lemme just—eep!"
(Y/N) ran into the room beside her, pushing the door shut and locking it. She laughed as Red Hood stared at the closed opening.
"Kid, you just cornered yourself."
She looked around, and in fact, she had. Instead of being in a room with windows, she was in a storage closet.
"No! I hate everything!" she whined.
"Are you ready to talk to me now, or what?" he leaned on a railing outside the door.
"No! I want nothing to do with you, you can't make me say anything!"
"I have, like, ten guns on me."
She blinked, "Okay, so maybe I will talk. I don't know!"
He ignored her, "The new kid. Robin. What's his deal?"
She paused, "I don't know what you're talking about, please take me home!"
"Don't bullshit me, kid. You're Bruce Wayne's new pet. Don't tell me you don't know about everything, I know you do!"
"I don't! I swear, I've never even seen Robin before!"
(Y/N) had to hand it to herself, she was a pretty great liar. Maybe all those years of abuse did come in handy.
"Don't lie to me!" he pounded on the door, "There's no way you don't know! Bruce loves bringing you kids into danger!"
"I don't, I'm sorry!" she slid down the wall to the floor, covering her ears with her hands, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry..."
After taking a moment to compose himself, Jason sighed and slid down to the floor, taking off his helmet, "Who am I kidding? You're just a dumb kid, of course you wouldn't know. But Grayson was younger than you when he started."
"Grayson?" she did a double take, "How do you—how do you know him? M-my brother."
"You kidding? He's my brother. They didn't tell you?"
She shook her head, "Um, I don't think I'm following, no."
"Seems to be a common theme for you," he joked bitterly, "I mean, they know my identity now, I know they do. Bruce isn't the 'world's greatest detective' for nothing."
(Y/N) gulped, Are you kidding me? He's my brother? No, I don't wanna be related to this creepy dude!
"Name's Jason, Jason Todd. Bruce's dead son. Or, well, I guess not anymore."
Now that she had heard of. Never explicitly, but there were gentle reminders of him all over the house.
"I know you—I-I've seen you before. In a picture above the stairs, it used to be you n' Dick n' Bruce before he took it down. He said he couldn't look at it anymore, too many memories. But there is one by his nightstand of you, I saw it once. And in his office. But—but that's impossible, I mean, how did you rise from the dead?"
He laughed, "I'm not a zombie, kid. Not the kind you're thinking of, anyway. Ra's used the Lazarus Pit to revive me. It was after the Joker killed me. Though, you probably have no idea what I'm saying, huh?"
"Um," she froze, "N-no. I do. I—I know the Joker."
"That's a given, everyone in Gotham does."
"N-no, I mean...I know him," she pressed further into the wall, making sure the door was locked, "Can I, um, can I tell you something? And you won't freak out?"
"Think I should be asking you that," he raised an eyebrow, "But sure. I got time. Bruce n' Dick have always been slow to find my hiding spots."
(Y/N) ignored him, "The Joker—he was, um. He was my...dad."
"He was your dad?" Jason replied incredulously.
"Before he went all nut job and everything...he had me. I don't know how he ended up taking care of me and not my mom, what ever happened to her, but he did. He was a good dad at first, a little lacking in the money department, but y'know, he loved me. He had that...disorder that made him laugh all the time. But no one ever wanted to listen to him. Everyone just thought he was strange. He didn't have enough money to keep me fed and also go to therapy and get meds for it, so he didn't. And then, y'know, when I was like two, he became the Joker. Went on a murderous rampage and everything. I'm sure you know the story, everyone does. After that, he stopped caring about me. I wouldn't get fed for ages, and the times he would feed me good meals or give me nice things, he always wanted something in return. But he was my dad, y'know, I knew how to avoid his manipulation. And that's why he hated me. Because he knew I wasn't gonna turn out like him. But then I became this so, not much better, huh?"
Engrossed in the story, she had almost forgot Jason was there until she expected him to laugh at her joke. He didn't, but she couldn't blame him.
"B-but, yeah. Um. Yeah. W-when he thought I was old enough to live on my own, he sent me away. Think he would've just killed me if I wasn't his kid. I managed for a few days, but there wasn't much I could do on the streets. That's when B found me, getting beat up by one of my dad's goons. Ironic, huh? The only other person who knows is him, only 'cause he had to legally adopt me and they told him who my real parent was. I never told Dick and Tim. I didn't—I didn't want them to hate me."
A silence settled over them, (Y/N) with her knees to her chest and Jason staring blankly at the wall. She dug her nails into her legs.
"Sorry, I know I talked for too long, I'm sorry. Please don't kill me, though, I'm not my dad, I swear! I—I have a different family now!"
"I'm still not going to hurt you," he stressed, "I'm leaving. Gonna talk to Bruce."
Pressing her ear to the door, she heard him get up and grapple away. An opportunity to escape was open, and though she was petrified, she wasn't going to let it pass her up. She looked out the window that Jason had entered and exited from, seeing nothing but a straight path to death.
Yeah, okay, I'll take the stairs, she nodded to herself. She took a breath, then sprinted down the multiple flights of stairs and when she got outside, shut her eyes tightly in fear. The chilly night air lifted her hair into the sky and she opened her eyes, a small smile on her face.
"I—I did it. I did it!" she pumped her fists into the air, "I actually did it! Woohoo!"
She spun in a circle and celebrated, then searched around for the police station. It wasn't too far, and she could see the corner of the building from where she was standing.
"Okay, (Y/N). Just a little further," she encouraged herself as she walked, "You can do this! You can do this! You can—"
She heard the sound of glass shattering behind her and immediately froze.
"Nope! Nope, nope, nope! I am getting out of here!" she yelled, sprinting down the street. It had been so long since she ran, she didn't know she had the power to go so fast. It was getting harder to breathe, but she was so close to the station now, she wasn't prepared to give up yet. The blue light of the GCPD sign was getting closer and closer until finally, she slid to a stop on the steps. Panting hard, she fell to the floor and lay down, her fist in the air.
"I did it..." she cheered weakly, but still, a smile on her face. Rolling over, she lifted herself with the help of the banister and pushed open the door of the building with her entire body. The two guards at the door shrugged at each other, but didn't question her since it seemed someone inside recognized her.
"Yeah, she was just home, I dunno where she w—oh my god!" a man suddenly screamed, startling the redhead at the front desk, "(Y/N)!"
"Dickie!" she panted, walking briskly to him. He lifted her in his arms and spun her around, then held her up as she talked to him.
"Where did you go? I was so worried!"
She looked at the police officer beside them; he wouldn't understand Jason's still being alive, so she decided she'd mention that part later.
"This man—this, um, guy—he kidnapped me from the backyard and took me to the abandoned apartments, y'know, that place on Fifth Street. But then he left, and I escaped! I actually made it out! Can you believe it? I ran all the way from there to here! At night! I can't believe I just did that!"
"Me either! (Y/N), that's so great!" he grinned up at her, "I'm really proud of you. But most of all, I'm just glad you're okay."
She dropped down so she could hug him again, and he let her go after a few minutes. Just then, Tim returned from the bathroom.
"(Y/N)!" he grinned as she opened her arms. He barreled into them, holding her tightly.
"Did you run away 'cause I was making fun of you? Was that it?"
"No, dummy. I got kidnapped. Duh."
"Ahem," another voice said from behind them. (Y/N) jumped, pushing Tim just the tiniest bit in front of her.
"Oh, B!" she said as she recognized him, hugging him at the waist, "You'll never believe what I just did!"
"I hope nothing dangerous?" he asked a cautionary question as he ruffled her hair.
Sighing, Alfred walked up beside them, "Every time I leave, one of you gets into trouble. Will you ever make this job easy on me?"
"Nope!" Dick answered for them, and the butler rolled his eyes as he chuckled.
Bruce interrupted the interaction, "(Y/N), can you tell us what happened? Did you see who kidnapped you?"
She paused, "I—yeah, um...it was Red Hood."
The family exchanged glances; after Bruce found out who he was, he didn't keep it much of a secret. Alfred saw the screen that revealed Red Hood was in fact the late Jason Todd, and he told Dick soon after, who told Tim to make sure Tim didn't go near him. No one told (Y/N), thinking she wasn't ready. Instead, she found out on her own.
"Did he...did he tell you who he was?" Dick crouched down and whispered.
She nodded solemnly. He put a hand on her shoulder from where she was still clinging to Bruce.
"I guess we have a lot to talk about then, huh?"
"Uh, hey," the man himself walked in, his attire changed. He wasn't stupid, the police would for sure recognize him. But still, when he saw (Y/N) heading for the station, he knew Bruce wouldn't be far behind. So, he took off his helmet, zipped up his jacket, and changed into a regular pair of jeans instead of his usual that held his guns. While the police were none the wiser, the family still recognized him, and thus tensed. (Y/N) held tighter to Bruce, whimpering a bit. He wrapped an arm around her and nudged her a little behind him.
"Son," he said, avoiding Jason's name.
"I heard (Y/N) was in trouble. I wanted to talk to you guys. Can we go home?" he hinted around the subject.
Bruce glanced at (Y/N), "I'm not so sure that's a great idea. Don't you have work tomorrow?"
"It's fine," the girl caught on, "He said he took off, remember?"
"Yeah, my boss is out of town so he gave us the day off," Jason nodded.
Bruce sighed, "Alright. Everyone in the car, let's go. Thanks again for the help, Commissioner Gordon."
"Anytime, Mr. Wayne. Just keep an eye on your kids, alright?" he joked.
Bruce smirked, "Will do."
As they walked out the door, Dick fell behind and turned to the officer at the desk.
"Hey. You got my number, right?" he whispered.
"Yeah," the man whispered back with a smile.
"Cool. Call me soon, cutie," Dick winked before running to catch up with the others.
"Will you stop flirting with literally everyone you meet?" Jason scolded him.
"He was cute!"
"Lord..."
Despite everything that happened that night, (Y/N) let out a genuine giggle. Maybe Jason wasn't so bad after all.
***
How could I be so wrong? she whined to herself. When they got into the car, everything was fine at first, save for a bit of awkwardness. After a while, however, the inevitable shouting started.
"Bruce, you let me die!" Jason yelled at his father from the backseat.
"I tried my best to save you! Do you really think I didn't care? That I just replaced you 'cause I wanted another kid? I didn't! But Tim wouldn't leave me alone!"
"Hey," the boy pouted.
"Oh, don't whine, Tim, you know it's true," Dick turned around to face him.
He shrugged, "Yeah, I guess."
"You weren't just an asset to me, Jason! You were more than that. You were my son. I'm sorry I didn't make it clear enough to you."
"Y-yeah, well...you should be!" he averted his gaze, not knowing how else to retaliate. Dick slapped his bicep.
"Ow, what the hell, asswipe?"
(Y/N) snorted, but her face went red when they all stared at her and she immediately shut up.
"Say you're sorry too, Jay."
"For what?" he yelled.
Dick gave him an incredulous look, "For killing people who didn't need to be killed? And kidnapping our sister? And trying to kill every one of us except Alfred?"
He crossed his arms, "Fine. I'm sorry I did what you couldn't."
The car exploded at his words, everyone annoyed.
"That was literally the worst apology ever!"
"Are you always like this?"
"Yeah, what the heck?"
"Master Todd..."
"Okay, okay!" he shouted, throwing his arms out, "Maybe it was stupid and unnecessary! I'm sorry."
"I accept your apology," Bruce replied gracefully.
"Oh, shut up," Jason rolled his eyes.
"Well. Now that that's settled," Alfred spoke sarcastically, "Where am I dropping you off, Master Todd?"
Embarrassed, he looked away, "Um, I have a place on the south side. Kinda worn down, but y'know, it works."
The butler raised an eyebrow, "Uh-huh. I will not be taking you there. You can stay with us in your old room, and if you so wish to get a real place later on, you may."
"What? You can't just kidnap me!"
"You did it to Miss (Y/N). It's only fair."
"Well, if that's the rule, then I'm gonna murder Bruce in his sleep."
The car exploded once again and he sighed.
"I was kidding!"
"...Maybe."
***
Being back at the manor was far from the highlight of Jason's life, if there even was one at that point. It brung back a significant amount of old memories, namely ones he'd tried to push out of his mind—not because they were bad, however, because they were good. He'd tried to forget all the things his family did for him, and it was easy when he was vengeful, but giving that up meant it would be harder to hate everyone. Besides, the truth was they had been good to him. Even Bruce. He may have been emotionally absent most of the time, but he loved Jason, of that the boy had always been sure of during his time at the manor.
The house also had a different feel now with the two younger kids. Jason took note of (Y/N)'s anxiety, watching her jump every time he turned the corner. Even after a week of him staying there, it was still the same story.
After a stressful night on patrol, Jason returned to the manor, which he'd gotten more comfortable calling 'home' again, though everyone knew he'd leave when the opportunity arose. Still, it was enough for the time being. As he headed for the kitchen, Dick followed close behind him while they chatted about the completely off-the-rails insane criminal they met. The guy was so deranged, he had Dick and Jason practically in tears before the fight; with Dick around, Jason couldn't take anything seriously, and vice versa. Bruce kept glaring at the boys, but it was hard to be upset with Jason's genuine smile. Dick grinned at the memory, then turned the corner to the bathroom as Jason went straight into the kitchen. He found (Y/N) sitting on a counter, scrolling away on her phone. She didn't notice his presence until he slammed a cabinet door shut trying to grab a plate.
"Eep!" the girl jumped, pushing herself back.
"Are you always gonna do that?" Jason asked, leaning on the other side of the counter, "I've said it like a hundred times, I'm not gonna—...are you eating a burrito at four in the morning?"
(Y/N) looked down at her hands, seeing the wrapped delicacy between them. She blushed and nodded.
"Sorry, I—I got really hungry and y'know, these were here—"
He laughed, "Dude, I don't care. I was just teasing. More power to ya' honestly."
A small smile extended on her face, and she reached out her hand, "Would you—er—do you want the rest?"
(Y/N) thought he almost looked surprised for a second, "No, nah, it's yours. Keep it."
"I'm full anyway. Here, you can have it."
"You're not gonna let up unless I say 'yes', are you?" he raised an eyebrow. (Y/N) shrugged.
"Unless you yell at me," she blinked, "Please don't! Shoot, I probably just gave you another idea!"
"Relax, kid, I won't yell at you unless you piss me off. Which you're far from right now," he took the burrito from her hands.
"Like it's not easy to get there," she smirked as she timidly joked. He looked at her, shocked, then began laughing.
"Shit, kid, you're funny!" he hit her arm lightly, "Talk more why don't ya'? Comments like those are way more funny from people like you."
Giggling, (Y/N) rubbed her neck nervously. A silence passed over them as Jason ate, then he hummed.
"You wanna hear about the guy we had to take down today? He was so funny, but not like 'cause he was trying, y'know, his whole thing was just so stupid."
"Sure," (Y/N) brought her knees to her chest, shifting so she was facing more towards the man. She listened to his story well into the night, to the point where she ended up falling asleep at which point Dick sauntered in.
"Nice to see you two getting along," he passed Jason before lifting the girl off the counter.
"Wha—how long have you been standing there?" his face reddened.
The man shrugged, "Long enough. I didn't wanna interrupt, though. In any case, I got (Y/N), I'll take her to bed."
That was another thing Jason noticed; whenever they'd go on patrol, (Y/N) would fall asleep in unexpected places, usually dining room chairs or one of the couches. Dick thought it was because she waited up for them to make sure they were okay after patrol, but each time he suggested it she would blush and make up some sort of excuse as to why he was wrong.
"You can tell she's lying, look at her tapping her fingers on the table," Tim would lean over to Jason and whisper. (Y/N) hands would immediately freeze.
"N-no, I'm not! I don't even know what you're talking about! Shut up, birdbrain!"
In turn, Jason would snort and push Tim's head away teasingly. Kid's too smart for his own good, he'd think.
One night, Jason was the one to find (Y/N) sleeping. Curled up in a ball was her tiny figure, pressed into the soft couch. She shivered with the cold night air, and Jason sighed.
"Do I have to do everything for you?" he whispered, grabbing a throw from the side of the couch. He threw it over her, watching as she instinctively burrowed into it.
Joker's kid, huh? he crouched down and pushed a hair out of her face, You don't look it. Probably 'cause you aren't. You're just a kid, just (Y/N).
Yawning, his older brother turned the corner, "Hey, you got (Y/N) tonight? I'm tired."
"Yeah, don't sweat it, I got her," he said as Dick nodded and headed up the stairs, yawning again. He almost picked (Y/N) up, but his arms were sore from patrol. Shrugging, he hopped onto the chair next to the couch and threw himself horizontally onto it, his head resting on the arm closest to (Y/N).
"Night, kid," he turned off the TV, "You owe me one for all the back problems I'm gonna have tomorrow."
Despite his insults, Jason smiled. Maybe he couldn't turn back time and save himself, but he could protect his younger siblings from ever going through the same thing. It was as close as he'd get, but hey, it was enough for him. As long as he was there, he swore (Y/N) would never get hurt again.
And when she awoke in the morning, she still managed to wake up Jason with a loud yelp as she noticed the body on the chair beside her.