Chapter Text
“Bruce, stop! Stop!” Jade could swear she felt her heart in her throat as she jumps from roof to roof, noting her tracker on Batman and the distant yet distinct sound of grapple-guns firing.
“Roy! Roy, I need you to pick up, pick up, dammit!” Jade slams a finger to her comm in her ear.
“Dick! Kori, Roy, fuck, fuck, anyone?” Jade screams and pauses on a rainy, slick rooftop. The sky is dark, lit by city lights and the heavy fog surrounding the city almost suffocates Jade.
“Roy! Please, if you can hear me, it’s Noctis, Jade, please… I need you. It’s… It’s Jason. Our Jaybird. He’s alive, he’s… I know it sounds insane, please, Roy, answer me. Roy. Kori. Dick, anyone, please. Bruce is…” Jade trails off, eyes brimming with tears.
“Noctis? Jade! Come in, repeat that, I could have sworn you said Jason was alive. You didn’t say that. Tell me you didn’t say that.”
Jade wipes her face furiously.
“Bruce hid it from us. He… Goddammit, he knew. I saw it on a file in the Cave when I went to debrief and I… It’s Jason. He’s the Red Hood. There’s a DNA match from something Batman found on the field. I’m going after Batman, he’s going after Red Hood. I’ve gotta stop him.”
“Beloved?” Kori’s voice cuts in via the comm in Jade’s ear. “You cannot be so distraught as to make such an unwise decision. You cannot match him in combat!”
“It’s Jason, Kori! He’s out there and B’s after him and Jason thinks we moved on, we can’t, we can’t let him just think that!” Jade scrunches her face in anger, the domino she’s wearing blocking the tears from escaping.
“Kori’s right, Noctis. You can’t win against Batman! Wait for us at least.” Dick chimes in, sounding as if he is running as fast as he possibly can.
“I’m going after Jason. I’m bringing him home or fucking dying trying. I love you guys, I’m sorry.”
“Noctis! Jade! Ja-“ Jade rips the comm out of her ear and breaks into a sprint off the nearest roof, using her grapple gun to project herself faster towards Batman’s last known location.
As she approaches the abandoned apartment building, she clocks Batman, Red Hood, and Joker. Joker is bound on the ground between Batman and Red Hood.
“I’m not talking about Scarecrow or Penguin or Dent. Just him… Just him. Because he took me away from you! From Jade! From my family!”
“I can’t let you do that.” Batman coldly states, still as a statue.
“Wow… Your moral code just won’t let you cross that line?!”
“No! God almighty… No. Everyday I think about ending him. Subjecting him to the torture and pain he has inflicted on countless others, and then just… Ending him. But I can’t. I can’t cross that line because once I do… I won’t ever come back.”
“You’ve got a choice, B. End it here and now. Or I will.” Jason grabs Joker and hails him upwards, turning the gun onto Joker, pressing it against his temple.
“Stay silent or I fill you with lead.”
“Party-pooper! No cake for you.” Joker mocks and pouts. Jason tosses Batman the gun.
“I mean it, B. It ends here and now! Tonight!”
Jade recollects herself and moves to the nearest window, getting into a position to intervene.
Batman inspects the gun and drops it a moment after, tucking his arms back into his cape.
“I won’t. This is not the way to do things, Jason. I lost you that day. I’m sorry. I won’t ever forgive myself for it. I’m trusting you to do the right thing today.”
“No! Of all the family he’s killed, the countless citizens he’s tortured, the friends he’s crippled, he killed me; and you’re gonna let him walk! Just so he can break out of Arkham and do it again! You motherfucker! Fine! I’ll do it myself and take all of us with him!” Jason pulls a spare gun out of his boot and aims it at Joker’s temple, holding a detonator in the other hand.
The moment changes so fast before Jade can even process it and move.
Batman, Bruce Wayne, the man known for taking in kids who needed that reshaping, who needed that vengeance, that chance for someone, anyone, to show them that they are worth a damn… just threw a batarang at his son. It clips Jason’s collarbone, not fatal, but intentional, calculated. He screams and drops the gun as Batman lands a punch and Jason goes down. The Joker’s cackle can be heard in the dirty, abandoned apartment, echoing.
“No… no, no, no, no!” Jade whispers and backs up, preparing to dive in through the window. She gears up and breaks into a sprint, activating her cape as wings for momentum and kicks through the glass, landing in front of the two sparring men. Batman has just slammed Jason into a tile wall, landing punch after punch.
“Stop!” Batman freezes, looking behind him.
“You’ve no business here. Go home. Now!”
“I’m not going anywhere! You knew he was alive and you kept it from us, from me!”
Jason winces, spitting out blood. Squinting, he glances over Batman’s shoulder.
“J-Jade…?”
“I knew you’d be irrational and illogical! He’s dangerous!” Batman snarls.
“He’s angry, he has every right to be! And instead of taking him home, you’re punching and throwing batarangs at him!” Noctis walks up to Batman and yanks his arm off of Jason.
“Go home. Now. You are out of control!”
“Or what, you’ll hit me too?” Noctis re-balances her stance and stares hard into the cowl’s white lenses.
Everyone forgetting the detonator momentarily, Joker crawls to it, howling with laughter.
“Oh I’d hate to spoil the family reunion! But it’s been a blast and I really should be heading home. Hahahahaha!” He clicks the detonator as Batman races to Joker’s position, grabbing him by the collar and yanking him out with a grapple gun. Jade races to Jason, as he’s sliding down the wall, accepting what’s about to happen.
“No!” Jade grabs his wrist and yanks him up, using all of her might to pull Jason out just as the building blows up. She tucks his head under her chin and shields him from the blast as they collide onto the cold, wet cement below. It’s only then the realization hits her… Jason is here. In front of her. Real. Bleeding. Out of breath.
“Jay?… Jason…?” She whispers, tears leaking down her face, domino mask having fallen off in the blast.
“It’s… Me.”
“Oh my god!” Jade cries out and pulls him into a tight bear hug.
“….”
“Oh my god… Jay. I’m so sorry. I would have come for you sooner, I swear, I swear on everything, I didn’t know.” Jade sobs into his chest, coating the armor and brown leather jacket in tears. Jason only slowly realizes what’s happening and hugs her back, trying to make sense of it all.
“You saved me. You pulled me out of there.”
“I’d do it again, Jase. I never stopped caring! I never… God, if I knew, if I had any idea, I would have come for you.” Jade looks up at him with her tear-streaked eyes, pleading.
“Jaybird…?” A voice croaks from nearby, something flattering to the ground. It’s Roy, he dropped his bow to the ground. Behind him, is Kori floating and her hands are covering her mouth. Dick is beside her, mouth agape. Roy stumbles, only for a second, as he rushes towards Jason, and pulls him into a bone-crushing hug, hand on the back of Jason’s neck.
“It’s you. It’s really you. You’re all muscly and big now, what the hell, Jaybird. Oh my god. I missed you so much.” Roy whispers into his ear and keeps a hold on him.
“Beloved?… It is really our Jason, who has returned to us.” Kori touches Jason’s arm and wraps her arms around Jason and Roy.
“Dick?… It’s okay to move, hun.” Jade wipes her face and opens her hands for him to come closer. Dick keeps his eyes trained on Jason and moves closer.
“Little Wing… Oh my god.”
Jason flashes a shy smile.
“Big bro.”
Dick joins the hug and whispers,
“I had no idea, Jay, I really didn’t. Bruce hid it from me too. If I had any idea, I’d have come and gotten you my damn self. I’d have never let you feel so alone.”
“…Can, can we go home?…” Jason barely speaks the words, but they register in everyone’s minds.
“Yes, yes, we can absolutely go home. Let’s get you home with us.” Jade cradles his face and holds his hand, as they all begin the walk back to their apartment.
Soon after, the door is open and Jason looks around. Everything is as it was when he… left. His books. His knickknacks. His favorite blanket.
“You kept it all.” He stares blankly.
“Absolutely, we did.” Jade nods and rubs his back softly. He notices the mixed tastes from Roy, Kori, and Dick. Kori’s Tamaranian plants, Dick’s yoga mats, Roy’s tools.
“How did everyone end up in here? It was just me and you, right?..”
Jade nods softly.
“After the funeral, I… I lost it. I didn’t leave the apartment for weeks. I stopped answering comms. I fell apart, I…” Jade bites her lip.
“Roy found me first. I hadn’t eaten. Wouldn’t get out of bed. Barely drank water. He was patient but kind. Helped me get back on my feet. Showered me when I couldn’t function. Made sure I ate and got help. Kori and Dick stepped in when they could. And then… Never left. And then we just… Kinda fell into this rhythm. I never wanted to betray you, it just-“
“I understand.” Jason says softly, taking Jade by surprise, holding her hand.
“You do?…”
“I wouldn’t have wanted you to be miserable for the rest of your life. And I trust Roy with everything in me. As well as Kori and Dick. I couldn’t imagine better people for my girl, especially when I couldn’t be here.” He squeezes her hand gently and smiles sadly.
“I missed you so much, Jay. It…” Jade tears up as he pulls her into a tense hug again.
“I know. I’m here now. I’m not going anywhere.” Roy comes up and gently places a hand on Jason’s back.
“Let’s all get unsuited. We could all use some decompression after tonight.” Roy leads Jason to the bedroom with Jade, Kori, and Dick in tow.
“The bed is bigger.” Jason notices.
“Yeah, we… We haven’t slept alone. In a while. We couldn’t. Jade had nightmares and it just made more sense to get a big bed for us all. Is that okay?”
Jason nods and thinks on it, biting the inside of his cheek.
“I don’t know how to… Be. After everything I’ve done. You don’t know the full extent. I could ruin this, everything I touch, gets ruined.”
“Then don’t. For tonight. Just don’t ‘be’. Don’t think about it. Just be with us.” Jade whispers. Jason nods and pulls off the jacket, as well as some of the armor. Roy takes off his quiver and his cap and goggles, letting his longer ginger hair flow. Jason stares for a second.
“Your hair is longer.”
“Mhm. I grew it out for a while and decided I liked it. Lian likes to braid it too, so… Had to keep it.” Jason smiles faintly.
“It looks good on you.”
Kori sits next to Jason and holds his hand, leaning her head on his shoulder and staying close. Jade does the same on his other side as Roy cups his face.
“Come to bed with us.” Jason nods and moves to figure out his place in the arrangement. Dick moves to the outer edge to hold Kori. Kori sneaks in in front of Dick’s chest, Jade crawls in next to Kori and pulls Jason in front of her, as Roy occupies the other edge, sandwiching Jason between himself and Jade. Roy steadily pulls Jason against his chest and runs his fingers through Jason’s hair as Jade rubs circles onto his chest. Kori glow softly lights the room as she hums and Dick is snoring softly.
“I missed you all. So so much.” Jason whispers.
“We missed you too, Jase. I’m so happy you’re home with us.” Jade whispers back and strokes his cheeks with her thumbs.