#jayroy week

Jason had been dazzled and intimidated by galas at first. The glitz, the glamor, the over-the-top show of money that he’d never seen in all his life. It was both amazing and terrifying. To see the Wayne manor transformed into a showy glass house, sparkling from head to toe with decadence was something Jason had only read in books and dreamt of in thought. 

A whole world away from what he’d known. On the other hand, rich people sucked. Bruce might have been the only one who didn’t suck, and he rarely knew the price of a gallon of milk. Still, in comparison to the socialites and stars and con-men in designer suits, Bruce was starting to seem like bland. His media persona aside. 

If only they knew Alfred was still trying to get Bruce to get rid of his ratty slippers, just because it still had a tear in one heel that his last dog had gnawed into it. It was either that, Alfred had lamented, or he would find a way to put it in a display case. 

Jason became quickly disillusioned with the whole thing pretty fast. He’d glowed and followed his dad like a dutiful son, but even his well practiced smile had nothing on the biting words of rich bastards. Bruce always stepped in, but Jason had already known what they had confirmed - you couldn’t polish plastic and call it a diamond. Bruce had been particularly scathing to the person who had implied as much. Their stocks tanked the next day in record numbers. 

It was good to know Bruce wouldn’t let them bad mouth him, at least. 

So, yeah, galas sucked. He still did what was expected of him, just like Dick taught him: smile, deflect, enjoy the food. It was working well enough. Jason was on his third large shrimp when he spotted a shock of red hair coming to sit at his table. Jason had to squint to place the face, but he’d recognize the jaw-line and smile when he saw it. The slicked back hair had thrown him off.

“Harper,” Jason drawled, letting his accent bleed through since they were alone. “What are you doing here?”

“Lost a bet and a promise,” Roy Harper said with a nonchalant wave. “Not happy to see me?”

Jason ducked his head, hoping it hid his flush. It was the opposite in fact. He was too happy to see Roy Harper at Bruce’s dumb gala. Dick hardly if ever came to these things, and there weren’t usually other kids at this thing. And when there were, they were so damn snotty and uppity that Jason couldn’t help but realize why Bruce preferred his solitude. It didn’t mean he didn’t get achingly lonely, though. 

Worse, Jason had been nursing a crush on Roy for some time. Thirteen and gangly (but thankfully finally free of his braces), Jason had already been battling his own weird feelings on his appearance. The Teen Titans were model-level pretty and Jason had already been feeling -

“I didn’t say that,” Jason mumbled and bit into his shrimp again. “So you’re here with Ollie then?”

Roy’s face did a weird thing; not quite a grimace, but definitely something unhappy. He kept his face neutral though while he was facing Jason. He reached across the table and gently ruffled Jason’s hair, smiling small.

“Dinah asked that I make sure he didn’t get into a fight with Bruce since she couldn’t be here. She would have asked Hal, but that definitely would have ended in a fight.”

Jason took hold of another shrimp and pointed it at Roy with a nod, “Babysitting.”

Roy smiled wider, “Babysitting.” He jutted his chin at Jason’s shrimp. “That any good?”

Jason shrugged, “It’s okay. Georgie runs this restaurant a few blocks from the Narrows and he drenches it in garlic sauce and butter, and you get these big potato slices. I only had it the once, but it’s ten times better than this bland stuff.”

“I’ll have to swing by there while I’m here,” Roy mused. “Georgie’s you say? Think Wayne will let me take you out to lunch? I bet I could even get Dick to come.”

Jason wanted to say they didn’t need Dick to come, but he held his tongue. He did miss seeing Dick around, but if Dick was around, then Roy’s attention wouldn’t be on Jason much. Dick was his hero, but sometimes it was hard not to be a little envious. Not that Dick didn’t try to include him when he was around.  

“You’ll have to get past Alfred, actually,” Jason said.

“Definitely going to need Dick then.”

“Jason!” Oliver Queen greeted, loud and enthusiastic as always. He swept his arms out in a way that called attention to himself, because that’s what Oliver loved most of all at these things. Bruce schmoozed with the best of them, but even he limited his flashiness back after he’d brought Jason into his family. Oliver was a disco ball on the rotation. “Look at you, buddy, you’re springing up!”

“Mr. Queen,” Jason greeted mildly, sending him a cheeky, charming grin. He noticed that Roy had disappeared from the table. “you never sent me that bow and arrow like you said you would.”

“Mr. Queen? Please, c’mon, kid, it’s Ollie. Uncle Ollie if you want.” He rested a hand to Jason’s head, fond in a way that Jason was surprised by. He rarely interacted much with Bruce’s colleagues, but they all seemed to zero in on him. He wondered if Bruce talked about him to them. Oliver was nice, though. Jason knew a good guy when he saw him. Bruce may grouse about his colleagues, but he sometimes got this look in his eye when he talked about Oliver, even if he frowned at the same time.  And Oliver was dating Black Canary, which was so cool. The Robin Hood thing definitely helped too. 

“As for the bow, sorry kid, Dad over there was a real kill-joy. He sent it back and everything.”

He bent down so he couldn’t be heard by nosy by-standers, “I think he’s just worried you’d like it way better than his silly gadgets. But I’ll get Roy to slip you one, don’t worry.”

Jason snorted, and glanced at Bruce who was definitely frowning behind Oliver’s back. He grinned, addressing Oliver again. “Thanks, Uncle Ollie, I would love a fighter jet for my next birthday.”

Oliver’s brows rose, and he was just about to laugh when Bruce hip-checked him away. “Jason, why don’t you go hang out with Roy for a bit.” 

“Bye, Uncle Ollie!” Jason bounded to Roy who was leaning against a wall, arms crossed. His stoney face melted away when Jason came near. “You little shit, you got them started, didn’t you?”

Jason shrugged, “You weren’t here for the last one. I caught them kissing under one of the stairs. Does Dinah know?”

Roy made a grossed out face, “He tells her everything, so I imagine so. Please never tell me anything like that ever again.”

“Ollie calls him Lamb Chop,” Jason supplied.

Roy shoved him playfully, and affectionately said, “Brat.” 

Then, he drew Jason in under his arm, resting the boy’s head against his side. Jason pressed a hand against his chest, hoping that Roy couldn’t hear how hard it was pumping in his ears. His mouth felt wobbly, and he leaned a little heavier against Roy to avoid looking up. 

This was so dumb. Jason regularly did death-defying things every day in Gotham. He kicked Riddler in his face just the night before. Something as simple as this shouldn’t have made him so nervous. 

“Hey, Ollie keeps a few bows stashed in his car. You want to ditch?” 

Jason’s gaze flew up then. “Uhh, yes!” Jason said in the same way that meant “duh”. Roy grinned, pulling Jason along, not that much different than Dick might have done. Jason, though, shoved his hands into his trousers pockets, where they sweated at the palms and ached to grab Roy’s hand as they disappeared to ruin Alfred’s garden. 

There was no way he was going to keep liking Roy like this forever, right?

-

AN:

There's nothing romantic going on between either character in this one. It's just Jason having a crush as a kid.

Roy gritted his teeth, narrowly missing the hail of bullets keeping him pinned to the far wall. He edged to the corner and tried to get a view of his would-be attacker, only to slam back again when one bullet dinged too close to the brim of his hat. 

Assassins, he cursed under his breath. Why was it always assassins? 

Roy steeled himself, inhaling one big breath, and barrel rolled out from his cover. Another rain of bullets flew up along the top of the wall. Whoever they were, they weren’t shooting to kill. Not yet anyway. That didn’t mean Roy could just let them get away. He planted himself firm, pulling back on his bow and fired quickly towards the assassin’s hands. They deflected one, but got hissed when the next slid along the fabric of their sleeve, stuck to the wall. The third hurtled down at their shoes. With a hard yank, guns forgotten, the assassin ripped their sleeve and made a hasty retreat.

They wore a hood as far as Roy could tell, and a red mask over their face. The rest were a simple set of white and red robes, typical assassin garbs. The assassins disappeared into the shadows, leaving Roy behind.

Roy touched the brim of his hat, eyes tracking where the assassin had been; mentally cataloging the way they had stood, the brace of their hands on their weapon, and the swift, silent exit. Might be League trained, he surmised, but it was too early to tell.

That complicated things.

-

Roy felt the hairs on the back of his neck raise up. The unmistakable feeling of being watched made him tense. As subtle as he could, he turned and locked eyes with a chubby, dark haired baby. His little green eyes were shadowed by equally dark brows, and a truly impressive frown was on his face. He had one fat cheek pressed into his father’s (?) chest, and his grip was impressive. 

Roy blinked. He shifted, trying to get out of the line of sight of the baby, but everywhere he moved, the baby’s eyes did, too, and his glare grew more severe. His father reached down, squishing those cheeks, and followed his line of sight.

He said something too quiet for Roy to hear but for a moment, the baby looked cowed. He glanced up at his father and then buried his face into his chest.

The man gave an aborted wave. “Sorry,” He said. His accent sounded neutral, all typical American, but a familiar undercurrent tinged his words. Roy’s brain pinged with interest

.“He’s…shy.” The man glanced around at the other kids and parents, all decked out in their swimming gear and waiting on the instructor. “He hasn’t been around this many people in a while.”

Roy shrugged. “No harm. With this much noise, I’d be cranky, too.”

The man hummed, glancing around the aquatic center. His face was deceptively placid, but his touch was affectionate on the kid.

Roy shot the other man a lop-sided grin. “I’m Roy.” He extended Lian’s hand out in greeting. “And this is Lian.”

The man’s brows jumped for a moment, quiet and off-guard. Something lit up in his eyes that Roy didn’t catch before the man was tilting his eyes downwards and offering Lian his finger to grab.

“You can call me Jay. This is Damian.” The chubby-cheeked, frowning little baby glared up at Roy again from Jay’s lap. 

Jay clucked his tongue and gently guided one of Damian’s tiny hands to touch Lian’s in a mock handshake. Damian’s brows furrowed more, but upon looking at Lian seemed to relax a bit. She had that effect on people, Roy thought, preening. Could turn any frown into a smile.

The swim instructors chose that moment to finally head out, addressing all the parents and directing them into their lessons for the day. Jay and Damian separated from them, making their way to the pool and dipping down into the water. Some kids cried, others tried to dive headlong in.

To Roy’s great amusement, Damian looked at the water like it was a great challenge. Under his arm, Lian kicked her legs, like Uncle Garth had been teaching her. Silently, he wondered if he’d just scoped Lian’s next big rival.

-

Lian was half fish before she’d even set foot in the pool with the other kids and Roy was smug about it. His girl knew her kicks and motions, though she’d had not a lot of practice, but she quickly excelled past the others. 

All but Damian, who took a critical eye to them like a worn warrior on the battlefield. Jay seemed to wear a similar expression, though his own eyes crinkled just a bit at the corners. Roy hoped it meant good things. 

-

Roy bounded through a window in pursuit of the assassin. They had struck again, popping out to stab a business an in his own office with all the flourish of a stage actor flying out of a trap door. Roy had suspected, been ready, and just barely managed to thwart the attack. 

The man blubbered his thanks and only met Roy’s boot, out cold, and to be dealt with later. A USB of illicit images sat in Roy’s pocket, ready to blow the man’s life apart. Once he dealt with the assassin of course.

They tumbled about the office, destroying it in the brawl, leveling the desk, as they fell against it. The assassin pinned him, knife poised under his chin, and nails digging into his neck. Seconds like an eternity passed by before they were stepping away, and crashing through the window, gone.

Assassins, Roy thought bitterly.

-

There was something comforting in spending time with Jay. It was easy, like an old friend, though they’d only just met. They fit together quite well, moving in effortlessly at times when it came time to wrangle both kids and not knock into each other. Roy felt like he missed being in sync with someone like this. Not having to think too hard to be around them, just existing.

He hadn’t been like that in a while, since he’d gone solo. Since it was just Lian and him in the big wide world.

But Jay was all the things he kind of liked in a partner. Competent to a fault, snarky, self-assured, and gentle, very very gentle. 

Roy hadn’t made many friends since he’d moved, and he’d kept in touch with his friends far less than he wanted to. He didn’t connect much with the other parents at Lian’s daycare outside of pleasantries. This felt like something he could call his own. While both babies glided through the water in side by side lanes, Jay and Roy joked, shooting the shit, and earning dirty looks from time to time. They ate in patches of sunlight between lesson breaks, a trained parental eye on their kids as they tumbled in the warm grass and babbled to each other.

Lian, thankfully, had been making many friends. He’d always worried she’d come out like him, a little weathered at the edges where companions were concerned. But she’d exceeded all expectations. 

Jay and Roy had graduated from occasional buddies at the pool, to having playdates. It had taken a bit of convincing on Jay’s part, a look of weariness that gave Roy pause. But in looking at Damian and his joy at seeing Lian, Jay had changed his mind. 

Lian, apparently, had made a great impression on Damian. Despite the fact that the kid still glared at him upon first seeing him whenever they met, his entire face seemed to smooth out into glee when Lian came into view. He raised his hands up, reaching out as far as he could in Jay’s grip to try and greet her. Lian reached back, both of them fluttering their little hands at each other in the greeting of toddlers.

Lian was already walking, and Damian, having seen this, had become determined to do the same. He clawed his way up Jay’s side onto unsteady chubby legs, and took tentative steps before falling down. He didn’t cry, though, and was unfettered.

Lian’s newly learned, “Uh oh” seemed to only fuel him along. By the end of the playdate, Damian had managed a whopping three steps before he fell again. But his pride in the feat was apparent, and he happily told Lian in their baby speak. 

When it came time to leave, Jay lingered a moment. Then, pressing Damian into his chest, he leaned forward, stopping just a hair to give Roy the out. Roy met him in those scant few centimeters, before pulling back and  away.

“See you, Red,” Jay drawled. Damian threw him a dirty look before his door had closed. Roy only grinned back. He turned to give Lian a high-five with a childhood whoop of laughter.

-

If things with Jay were going well, then the weird dance he was having with the assassin was the opposite. Another gang had been found dead. Their throats were slit methodically, and painted across the floor from one side to the other. A clean, calculated kill, but also a show of it. They were dumped in a heap, the whites of their eyes bright and haunted. When Roy looked down, each of their fingers were missing.

Every gang targeted had been a part of child exploitation. The traffickers especially, Roy noted, had gotten their hands cut in a clear message. It was rocking the criminal world in the city, and the effects of it were moving waves underground. In another week, all the lost fingers had made their way in a bag to another gang’s doorstep. 

Roy didn’t feel bad at all for them. Hell, if it had been a few years ago, he probably would have done something similar. But he had Lian to think about. Had lines he had to keep in mind, and as much as they deserved it, there had to be other ways now, too.

The familiar feeling of eyes on him made Roy want to stiffen. He kept poised, tilting his head just so and waiting. Seconds to minutes went by, and nothing. Then the presence was gone. 

Roy looked down at the bodies again, and saw what might have been nail marks on the face of one of them. 

It was too familiar to be true. He knew someone who kept poison on her nails; a special concoction made for subtle kills. This wasn’t subtle, but it pointed.

Shit, Roy thought.

-

Every play date after that met Jay and Roy inching towards budding intimacy. When the kids were put down for a nap, they came together. Jason pressed him back against the wall near Lian’s room, looking at him straight on with the unspoken question. Roy pulled at the ends of his hair, then forward and into him.

Kissing Jay was sweet. The tentative touch of them joining, like Jay was unsure. Clumsily he followed Roy through example, and with each kiss, grew bolder and surer; a quick study. Roy felt his hands shift from under his ribs down to his hips, leaning into Roy’s body like he could get closer than he already was. 

It had been so long since Roy had been treated this tenderly. Had been longer since he’d allowed himself this brief respite into romance. It was slightly terrifying to be so open like this.

He and Jade had agreed to do everything they could to be present in Lian’s life, but Jade never stayed. When they were together, especially for Lian, she was never Cheshire. All assassin business was left at the door, and only Jade came inside. Jade who knew only love and care, and cradled their daughter like the treasure she was. Then the masks would go on, and Arsenal and Cheshire parted on their own paths. 

It was lonely, sometimes. Laying awake and watching Lian’s little chest rising and falling next to him in the bed, wanting to curl up or being curled around someone else in the night. 

Roy didn’t know if he could do it with Jay. If the other man even wanted something like that. He could recognize the twin loneliness in him, but he had recognized it in Jade, too. There was no guarantee that after the heat had cooled between them that there would be anything solid left. 

Jay pulled back, his eyes a low-burning almost green. He grinned menacingly in a way that made Roy stupid and eager, and the simmering thing building between them was rising to a snap. He leaned in again, tongue already curling against Jay’s, ready to steal anything he would give him. 

Somewhere, one of the kids made a noise, and they paused in their kissing. Two grown men kissing like awkward teenagers hiding under a stairwell. Roy grinned against Jay’s lips, and gave him one last kiss. 

“Was that yours or mine?” He asked.

Another, different cry responded. Jay grinned, “Both, I’d say.”

Both. for a dumb, fleeting second Roy held onto that word. Both. Both kids, the both of them, all the possibilities of the world with two people who may have understood the same gaping ache. Jay had his fingers hooked in Roy’s belt loops, and he tugged him along with him to Lian’s room.

Inside, both kids were wide awake, peering up from Lian’s crib with a look of dual conspiracy between them.

“Bah!” Damian said, indignant. Jason shook his head, muttering something in a language Roy didn’t quite catch, before leaning over the crib to wrap around both children.

Roy leaned back against the doorframe and tried to burn the image into his brain.

-

With no real sympathy, Roy shot a rope to nab the man the assassin was seconds away from slicing in two. The rope rapidly tied around him, shooting him off across the building onto the opposite roof where he would be securely out of the way, and easy to pick up. The assassin leveled that creepy red mask at him, straightening slowly.

Roy tipped his head in greeting. In a flash, the assassin sprung at him. Roy fired his arrows, watching the assassin slice at them, narrowly missing one, as Roy turned on his heel and knocked another round. They leapt across the adjoining roof, eating up distances and knocking each other away in equal measures. The assassin clipped him on the arm, and he returned it in kind, ripping through their shoulder, and knocking away one of their twin swords.

Roy swung his bow around, letting the assassin hit the steel limb. He dug his heels down and shouldered up under it and threw the assassin back. The assassin threw the knife into their other hand, bent low and hurtled towards him again. 

They grappled, struggling around their weapons and each other. Feet tangling in a hazy dance. Roy lost track of his hands for a split second, nearly taking the blade to the face. He swerved around, rolling over the assassin’s back and getting behind them. A powerful low kick to the back of the knees brought them low, and an elbow winded them. 

They were good, clearly trained, but hadn’t built up enough years yet. Roy needed to nip it now.

With a well aimed swipe, the mask finally clattered to the floor. Roy had to pause, unsure if the low street lights were making his eyes see wrong. He pressed his forearm harder against the assassin’s sternum, forcing his head to tilt back. Roy swore under his breath.

Jay from Lian’s swimming lessons. No, but that wasn’t completely right either. He studied the man’s face, all the pieces he’d been ignoring falling into place. He’d spent enough time around bat boys to know what they were, and this one, he’d known.

Roy gawked. “Jason Todd? Really?” He leaned back, grip still strong, though Jason did nothing to fight the hold. He stayed propped up on his elbows, his hood having fallen back away. 

Jason grinned, teeth bloody. “Long time no see, Harper.”

“No shit.” Against his better judgment, perhaps, he gripped Jason by his forearm and raised a brow in silent question. Jason tipped his head in response before allowing himself to be hauled back up to his feet. 

“You,” Roy started, a little stupidly. “Are you fucking serious?”

Jason shrugged, rubbing away the blood from his nose. 

Slow wasn’t the word he’d use. Not everyone would expect to have confirmed dead people didn’t age and show up in completely different cities. If not for the world they lived in, Roy might have thought himself insane.

Jason, Roy’s brain repeated. Little Jason who was standing just under his shoulder now, however the hell that was possible. Jason, who was League Trained, if the familiar swipes he’d taken at him hadn’t been clearly Cheshire’s tutelage. 

He really didn’t have the energy to unpack all of that. Roy scrubbed a hand down his face, a million and one questions in his head. How was he alive? Why wasn’t he in Gotham? Why was he League Trained? Where the hell was Batman in all of this? And Damian, Jason had clearly cared for the kid, but where did he fit into all of this? And frankly, did this negate any of the kissing they’d done at all? 

(It probably didn’t. It wasn’t exactly Roy’s first rodeo in all of this. Shit, how was this his life.)

Jason spit out the bloody mess in his mouth and wiped it away with his fist.

“As fun as this was, I have a kid to go home to,” Jason said, holstering his knife. “Later, Red.

Before Roy could grab him again, Jason was bounding off the building and into the shadows.

Roy shook his head. Why was it always assassins? 

AN:

Fat baby Damian, my boy. A mish-mash of things, YJ/DitF movie outcome option/whatever else is going on

Cheshire making Jason paint her poison nails: Roy’s a good lover.

16 year old Jason in the beginnings of his murder training who never got over his crush: cool

Jason grows fond of Lian through Cheshire talking about her, I figure. He probably died before she was born.