[Jason Todd]
Jason grew up on the streets. Before that, it wasn't all bad. Parents, a roof over his head. The four basic food groups. "Spirited" talks around the dinner table every night. His dad worked a lot. It fell to Jason to keep an eye on his mum.
Depression.
Drugs.
She'd check out days at a time.
Wills Todd wasn't the best dad, no. But he found time for Jason. Like Jason helping him up the steps and putting him to bed every night.
Like most fathers he tried to show Jason the ropes. His dad even him working his corner, where he and Jason's mum first met. In a crazy, sick kind of way...? Jason thinks he kind of made him proud. Without a lot of prospects – his dad took whatever work he could get. Even met a few 'celebrities'.
It wasn't all fun and games. Jason remembers the night he took a bullet to the back. Good thing his dad was spineless. A real hospital was out of the question.
If you can believe it... things got worse. On the bright side? Jason never saw him again. He died in prison.
After that Jason became the man of the house. Which mostly meant making sure none of his mother's dealers came around. He managed to protect his mum from everyone... except his mum. When he found her that night, she was already... gone.
Jason went to the streets. He did what he had to do to survive. He's not proud of most of it. And for what it's worth – he never hurt anyone. Physically. Can't say others were as nice to him.
Eventually, during this time, he walked right into the Batmobile and proceeded to steal its tires, but that's history.
All his life, Jason has been alone. It never bothered him. But alone and feeling lonely are two different things. After Gita was stabilised, he didn't want to leave her. The glitching, her almost biting the bullet. It is weird that she always treated him as Jason and not Red Hood. Most people, when they know what he has done don't treat him the same or stick around.
But she asked Dick to stay, and Jason left, going back on patrol. He felt a twinge in his chest. Not because Dick had a girl curled up in his arms and Jason didn't (though that was definitely part of it), but because Dick isn't alone, and he is.
Three days later, she is still unconscious. After Jason's patrol hours are over, he heads back to the cave and changes into civies. She's no longer in the cave – they must've moved her to a room upstairs. Jason wouldn't have met Gita if he hadn't gone to steal food. But Bats and Golden Boy want him to stick around and help on patrol. There has been more and more Joker sighting since the breakout in Arkham last month. Joker. A shiver runs down his spine and he has to block the oncoming memories.
Jason sits at the bat-computer, swivelling in the chair while waiting for Dick and Bruce to get back, trying not to give into the temptation at his fingertips. But Jason has never been one to follow the rules, and he is not remotely worried. Sighing, he swings the chair to face the computer and types in Gita Kelly.
He finds most of the information Gita and Dick found the week before... and a little more. Public records have listed as deceased three months ago – also she's blonde. I'm from another dimension, I want you to hear it from me, not Bruce. Jason replays her voice in his head. After more digging, he finds a second file Bruce has made on redhead Gita. There's not much in it, apart from a false ID – Bluey Mathews – and additional notes. Seems this Gita knew to keep a low profile.
She looks weathered in her photo, and Jason knows a street kid when he sees one.
Bats and Golden Boy walk in shortly after he finds where Bruce had listed her as an unofficial member of the Suicide Squad. "Jason, I didn't expect to find you here."
"Where else would I be?" He rolls his eyes. "You asked for my help."
Dick takes off his domino mask. "Did you find anything?" he asks.
"No," Jason says bluntly.
Dick looks over Jason's shoulder to see what he is looking at. He frowns. "Where you distracted by something else?"
"None of your business," Jason grunts.
"Aww, did someone wake up on the wrong side of the bed?" Dick teases.
But Jason isn't having it, and he stands to leave for the stairs. The muscles in his jaw feel tight, like if he bites down hard enough his teeth could literally break. "Shut up Dildo. You wanted my help but if you don't need it, I can leave."
"There's an exit downstairs," Bruce reminds him.
Jason flips Bruce a gesture he doesn't need sign language to understand and walks up stairs. "You get my help; I get your food."
Jason finds left over lasagna in the fridge, his favourite. Alfred only made it on special occasions, so he loads his plate up. He takes it to the bench, not bothering to warm it up – there is just something special about cold leftovers... also Jason is lazy. Scarfing it down he hears Dick walk in. He sits on the opposite side of the bench to Jason, "Wanna tell me why you were looking up Gita?"
"You just let her in with that track record? For all you know, she could be the one that caused the breakout from Arkham," he says. Jason has no idea why he's acting this way. she mightn't have done anything wrong, might have just been in the wrong place at the wrong time.
"We let you in," Dick defends.
Jason hates everything about Dick's defence. He hates how he can sum up the family's tolerance for him in a single sentence, and he hates the way that no matter how much they hate him, Jason hates himself more.
Now Dick says, "We were permanently taking you into our home. Regardless of your past."
Suddenly Jason is so sick of the sound of Dick's voice. He feels like he hasn't stopped talking since he showed up in the cave at the butt crack of dawn and decided to pick a fight.
"I didn't have Demon and Replacement running around." His own voice sounds lower than usual. Thicker somehow.
"Since when have you cared about them?" Dick scoffs.
Jason ignores him and finishes his cold plate of lasagna. Dick waits for and answer, but when all he is met with is a long sullen silence, he stands up and pushes his chair in angrily. "You know she made that lasagna, right? What's your problem with Gita anyway? You've only met her twice."
"You've known her for – what, a week? And you're already acting like she's your girlfriend. You can't keep your hands off her." He takes his plates away.
"She's not my girlfriend!" Dick snaps and his face turns red.
"Hate to break it to you, she will never like you back. I don't think she's one to stick around. Besides a girl like that isn't into Golden Boys," Jason snarls.
Dick's face is still red, not from embarrassment, but with anger. Jason notices Dick's fingers curling into fists. Good, he thinks. Let him throw the first punch. Because right now, he feels like if he doesn't hit something, he going to explode.
"You don't know her!" Dick stresses. "Stop trying to pin her as a bad person!"
"I'm only 'pinning' her as the person she is." Jason pushes him in the chest. He knows Dick is right. He's being an asshole for no reason. He hates the way he is acting. Gita was nothing but nice to him, even after he held her own sword to her throat. She treated him like he was an actual person, not a hero or a villain, but a normal person. The nicest someone has ever treated him.
"Oh, I get it," Dick says, trying to read him. "That little talk at your place made you like her. But guess what Jay, you can't just push away everyone who's willing to put up with you. Not everyone's going to walk out on you. And just because the Joker's out doesn't mean you get to take out your problems on everybody else."
With a growl, he punches Dick in the face. He staggers back and clutches his nose. Jason knows he pissed him off, and he know he deserves what's coming. But Dick stands up straight and glares at him, shakes his head and leaves to take care of his nose. "You know I'm right."
Shaking with anger he takes his plates to the sink and starts washing them, not wanting to leave a huge mess for Alfred before he leaves. Jason tries to take his time and calm down, but Dick's words play on a loop in his head, and he breaks the plate in his hands. He throws the rag into the sink with a growl. Storming out of the kitchen, he grabs his jacket and head for the door. On the way out he passes the living room with Dick, Damian, and Gita standing around in it. She looks like she's recovering from the worst hangover of her life. Jason meets her eye for a second, and she gives him a short upwards nod.
He ignores her and walks out the door.
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Did you see the Teen Titans reference?
Meme of the day