Work Text:
After nearly a year of living in Brooklyn, Jason returns to Gotham.
Just for a visit though.
He'd kept up steady contact with his brothers, had even facetimed Alfred a couple of times and when he rocked up to the manor after all this time, everyone was there to greet him with open arms.
Well, everyone except Bruce.
Dick had told Jason that Bruce was off world with the League at the moment and that may or may not have had an impact on the time he'd chosen to visit.
It's not that Jason didn't want to see Bruce, it's just, Jason didn't want to see Bruce. He was scared, okay? It wasn't like when he came back from the pit and he was fuelled by anger and hatred, no this time Jason was much more mellow and calm and overall just really really happy. And he didn't really need Bruce possibly putting a damper on that.
“The Captain didn't accompany you” Damian remarks when Jason walks through the front doors.
“Wow what a warm welcome Damian” Jason replies and ruffles Damian's hair.
“Jay you're back!” Dick near enough sprints up to him and wraps him in a hug, lifting him off the ground even with the good few inches Jason has on him.
“Jeez Dickie, wasn't like I was dead or anything”
“You know I don't appreciate that type of humour in this household Master Jason” Jason detaches himself from Dick and pulls Alfred into a hug. Although not as tight as Dick’s, he doesn't want to suffocate the man.
“I'm sorry I left Alf” he mumbles into his shoulder.
“So you should be” Alfred reprimands. “Running off in the dead of night as if you had nowhere to go. Then living with people I have never met and decided they were adequate guardians! Completely unacceptable”
“Sorry” Jason repeats with a grin on his face. “If it helps they are totally respectable people, just ask Dickie”
“They're awesome, Captain America signed my t shirt”
“Well I was able to view his shield” brags Damian.
“Only because you broke in and he thought you were threat”
“Nevertheless” Alfred continues before an argument can break out. “You should have never felt the need to run in the first place. I have reprimanded Master Bruce profusely since then”
“Yeah, nobody got any sleep that night” Tim chimes in, suddenly appearing from the doorway. “Sorry I wasn't apart of the welcome party, I had to clean the training room because somebody left it in a mess when he ran off to meet you”
“It was not a mess” Damian pouts. Jason just laughs and pulls him into a headlock.
“Aw Dami, if I'd known I was worth running for I'd have come back sooner”
And Jason has a really good week with his family. He really really does. He spars with Damian (and may or may not accuse the eleven year old of cheating when he wins), he eats pizza and plays video games with Tim and watches movie after movie with Dick. (He also teaches Damian all those Russian swears Natasha had taught him but he makes him swear not to tell Dick where he learned them).
Red Hood even makes a comeback, stopping criminals and the like with Nightwing, Red Robin and Robin. (He knows he's going to get an earful from Steve when he goes home about the possibility of getting hurt but right now as he leaps across rooftops with his brothers, Jason really does not care)
All in all Jason has a great time and when the week is up he actually feels sad about going home.
“You are aware that it's not essential that you leave” Damian tells him as he's saying his goodbyes.
“I know demon, but I'll come back and visit again, okay? And you can visit me too and you can actually meet Captain America properly as well”
Damian crosses his arms and starts mumbling to himself about how he doesn't want Captain America.
“I'll definitely be taking you up on that offer” Tim pipes up. “You guys actually got to talk to him, all I got was watching him pick up watermelons in a Ralphs”
“Yes yes, we all want to meet the Captain” Alfred says. “But what I want even more is to know that you are looking after yourself Master Jason. I have prepared you several pre made meals” He hands Jason definitely more than several containers. “And I expect a phone call at least once a week, okay? No more of these occasional replies when your brothers contact you first”
“Yeah, yeah Alfie, I promise”
Jason means it too. He even sends them all a text as soon as he's off the bus and Bucky's greeting him at the station.
“Good week?” He asks, taking Jason’s bag in one hand.
“Great week” Jason replies, not even a little embarrassed.
It really was a great week.
It's the next week where everything goes to shit.
Tony tells them when they're visiting the tower that he's having a party or something.
“It is not a gala, galas are for fancy rich people and that's just not me”
“You are rich though” Bucky points out.
“True, but I'm not fancy, I mean it's not like I've got a butler or anything”
“I thought that's what Jarvis was?” Steve asks.
“Okay whatever. I'm fancy, I'm rich but it's not a fucking gala. It's a big party where we're gonna tell people about what the Avengers have been up to, okay?”
“What have the Avengers been up to?” Jason asks, partly out of curiosity, mostly just to wind up Tony.
“Nothing” Steve says before Tony can respond. “We've been nothing and when we do do something it'll be all over the news, so this is pretty unnecessary.”
“You know what? Screw you guys, I’m rich I can do what I want” And Tony storms off.
Still, the party or gala or whatever it is goes ahead, which is where Jason finds himself a couple days later.
“Your kid cleans up well” Clint says to Steve and Bucky when they all arrive at the tower. “Even though he still thinks bullets are better than arrows”
“That was an unfair fight” Jason points his finger at Clint. “I only lost because Steve screwed up”
“Please not this again” Sam groans, entering the conversation. “Every damn jog I gotta hear about how dumb Steve made Jay look because of some dumb plumb”
“It was a serious competition and I was robbed of my title”
That's how most of the evening goes, Jason laughing and joking with the team, chatting happily and drinking whatever drink Clint pushes into his hand. (Steve gives him a hard stare every time he does so and Bucky has to constantly remind him that Jason is twenty one, nearing twenty two in fact and it is perfectly legal for him to drink).
It's as things are at their peak, just after Tony’s given his speech about the Avengers and how they work for the public and everyone's buzzed and happy, that Jason spots him. He could pull that widows peak and expensive suit out of any crowd, has been doing it since he was ten and when they both make eye contact Jason can feel his stomach drop to the floor.
Because of course Bruce Wayne is here. It's a damn gala, no matter what Tony says, and Bruce Wayne fucking thrives at galas.
Jason's standing between Natasha and Sam, both of them laughing at something Jason had just said but his mind has gone blank now. All he can focus on is Bruce not breaking eye contact and coming closer and closer.
He can vaguely hear Sam saying his name and he thinks that's Nat’s hand on his shoulder but he can't focus, he can't see anything other than Bruce Bruce Bruce.
Somewhere inside is telling him to be angry, he has every right to and there's a voice saying to him that he can totally do this, but the closer Bruce gets the more that voice changes from ‘you can do this’ to ‘you're still a murderer, you'll always be a murderer’ and suddenly he can see Bruce in the Batman suit, that angry look on his face and he can feel his cheek stinging like it did all those months ago.
But then, right before Bruce comes within arms length of him, Jason can see something else. It's a pair of big broad shoulders and a head of blonde hair and he can just tell from the back of that head that there's a deep frown on the face and that jaw is set just like it always is when it's angry.
“Excuse me” Steve says, voice low but angry. Jason's hearing comes back, everything is suddenly so much louder and he can sense Bucky right beside him, breathing heavy.
“Yes?” Jason hears that voice. That smooth and charming voice that he can almost remember gently asking him to come out from under the car and return the tires.
“I'd appreciate if you didn't come over here, you're making some people uncomfortable” Steve's voice is steady but Jason can hear the anger dripping from his words.
“I just want to speak to my son” comes the reply and that smooth gentle voice asking Jason to stop hiding under the car disappears and he hears those furious hateful words telling him he's a murderer and that he can't change.
“I didn't know you were a father” Bucky speaks up, his tone laced with venom. “Don't you only count as a father if you don't hit your kids?”
Bruce peers round to Steve to look at Bucky, and in turn looks at Jason.
“Jason” he breathes. “Jason I-”
“I asked you to leave” Steve cuts in.
“And I said I need to speak to my son” Bruce snaps.
“I don't want to speak to you” Jason says. “I'll do it when I want to”
“Jason you can't hide forever”
“But he’ll stop when he wants to” Steve states. “And he doesn't want to now, so if you would kindly”
“And you're going to make me?”
“Real threatening for a guy who dresses like a bat” spits Bucky.
“You want to see threatening?” Bruce challenges.
“Don't” Jason shakes his head. “Don't do this Bruce” Bruce scoffs and looks him right in the eye.
“Because I need to hear how to control my anger from you”
Jason's pulled his first back in a matter of moments but Bucky holds him back. That doesn't stop Steve’s fist though.
Bruce goes reeling away and the whole party seems to stop. Bucky pulls Jason and Steve out before anyone can say anything.
“Jason I'm sorry” Steve says. “I shouldn't have done that but he made me so angry and it's not fair what he said, it's just not.”
Jason nods.
“Can, can we go home?”
“Yeah of course”
The ride home feels like a blur to Jason, he barely remembers climbing the stairs and crawling into his bed.
He just lays there not really feeling like doing anything for who knows how long. The sun set long ago and the moonlight shines through the window when there's a knock at the door and Bucky sticks his head in.
“Can I come in?” He asks softly.
“It's your house” Jason mumbles back.
“It's as much yours as it is mines at this point and you know that” Bucky comes in anyway and takes a seat in the bed.
“Steve's real sorry” he states. “He's been pacing all night thinking you're mad at him.”
“M’ not mad”
“You're not happy though, are you?”
Jason sits up and leans his back against the wall.
“I don't know” he shrugs. “I don't know what I'm supposed to feel. I mean, I would've punched him too and I'm kind of glad someone did”
“Yeah me too” chuckles Bucky. “But he's still your dad and Steve still feels bad”
“He doesn't have to, I don't mind honestly, but, but am I supposed to not want to punch him?”
“I'd say you'd be pretty justified”
“I'm supposed to forgive him though, right? Move on?”
“I can't tell you that”
“Thought so” Jason sighs. “It's weird, when I first came back I was so mad at him but he thought everything I was doing was to spite him, but it wasn't, it really wasn't. And he kept saying what I was doing was wrong but I thought it was right, I thought it was necessary and then when I went back to the family and that and he made me stop I still thought it'd be better to go back to what I was doing but I stopped for him and then, then to hear that he doesn't think I'll ever good again, it just, fuck, it really stings”
“Jason-” Bucky starts but Jason cuts him off.
“I know, I know I'm not a terrible person, living with you guys I know how to be good, but I know he’ll never see that. Even when I tried with him he couldn't see that and I don't think I want to face someone who's got this whole opinion of me that he's not willing to change just because I make mistakes.”
“He makes mistakes too”
“Doesn't seem like it” Jason says bitterly.
“No it's true” insists Bucky. “Listen, I know I haven't heard the whole story but I know he definitely screwed up when he hit you, that's a huge mistake, you don't hit your kids, and I definitely know that he made the mistake of trying to be this big hero when he should've just been your father. He's put this Bat costume in front of being a parent, he's thinking like a superhero not like a person even if he doesn't realise it. He's still got that suit on even when he's just Bruce, and that's a huge mistake.”
“So what? You're saying Batman thinks I'm a bad person, not Bruce?”
“Sort of. I'm saying he expects you to be a hero, not a person”
“Huh” Jason hadn't thought of that. Honestly he's got a headache just trying to wrap his head around it.
“So he's wrong?”
“Obviously, you're not a bad person and you never will be. I've seen bad people and you're so far off you couldn't be one even if you tried.”
“I should try telling Bruce that”
“Go for it, you've got my support. Besides, you can always punch him back then you'll be even”
“He’ll want me to go back” Jason says quietly.
“Do you want to?”
“No” he replies even quieter. But Bucky grins though and throws an arm around his shoulder.
“It's bad but I was hoping you'd say that, you're always welcome here”
“I will move out eventually” Jason promises. “I'll get my own place and like, get a job or something”
“Do what you want, you've got all this freedom now”
“Speaking of freedom” Jason's lips curl into a smirk. “What does everyone think about Captain America punching Bruce Wayne?”
“Don't worry about that” Bucky laughs. “Tony's telling people that Bruce asked to be punched just to see how it feels and Bruce has to go along with it now” Jason erupts into laughter with Bucky's and they laugh so much and so hard Jason feels a six pack coming on.
(He then erupts again when gets the angry phone call from Damian demanding to fight Captain America for disrespecting his father. He can hear Dick and Tim laughing in the background too and he promises Damian that he’ll have him to visit soon)