And so it goes, this soldier knows (Closed)

[onceaguardian]

WHO: Bruce Wayne, Jason Todd
LOCATION: Bruce's Office
WEEK: 74
TIME: Sometime after Jason and Tim duke it out and Bruce and Damian meet up
WHAT: More fatherly bonding! Bruce asked Jason to stop by his office so that he can double-check Jason's schedule. And well... a father needs an excuse to talk to his son?
RATING: PG-PG13 (mainly for language

Comments

[onceboywonder]

As much as Jason (quite vocally) opposed the idea (and the practice) of the relocation to Hogwarts, being left behind back at the Wayne Manor while everyone ran off without him was even less agreeable. He wasn't going to let Dick and Tim faithfully trail behind Bruce while Jason sat around back at Gotham... doing what, playing Guitar Hero while Alfred tutted about? No, they definitely weren't shaking him that easily.

Getting through airport was a bit more of a disaster than even he intended, still annoyed at having his rights violated with the full body search and his best pocketknife confiscated by the airport security. If it weren't for Bruce's influence, he probably wouldn't have gotten through at all. It's not like he was planning on blowing the place up or anything, but he could tell the entire ordeal left his father just as annoyed as Jason felt if his glowers of disapproval were anything to go by. Jason was on the receiving end of those often enough that he could tell how pissed Bruce was just by how close his eyebrows drew together and how tightly his jaw clenched.

Since they had arrived he'd been avoiding Bruce for that very reason, which was easy enough when the man had a new cover job to keep him occupied and the school was large enough to get himself lost in. He tested the waters with the journal entry and even threatening Tim to draw Bruce's attention, and beyond the typical characteristic sternness, well... maybe his father was leaving the inevitable lecture for in person. At least he brought a few auto magazines he picked up at the airport as a peace offering.

He'd fought with Tim just the day prior, wearing his bruised lip quite proudly as evidence, and he learned that Bruce had already assigned his younger brother with designing the new cave. But that wasn't what was bothering him enough to seek out his father's office now, under the pretense of working out a class schedule that Jason honestly didn't care about. Bruce hadn't said anything about Damian being there, his youngest son. His real son, which Jason was sure Bruce would claim didn't matter but it certainly did to Jason. Maybe he didn't really know Damian was going to pop up, although it seemed like an annoyingly convenient coincidence and it didn't settle right with the boy. What was he even supposed to do with another younger brother? Jason doubted Bruce would allow him to beat this one up like he did Tim, even though the brat seemed like he really needed it.

Staring down at the drawn map on the journal page he ripped out to confirm he was almost there, Jason didn't bother to knock at the door frame before storming into the office to announce his presence with a loud "Sup, Pops? Nice castle you got there." And he wasn't going to ask if Bruce had removed that particular card from the deck before he started construction.

[onceaguardian]

The card house would've fallen right then and there had Bruce not instinctively pulled out his wand to preserve the castle. Sighing as he cast the charm, he then turned his attention back to Jason. Even if he hadn't knocked, Bruce could tell the difference between his sons - he'd be a pretty bad father if he couldn't distinguish their little quirks - in a heartbeat. Attempting a smile, Bruce sheepishly shrugged, "You want to try it? It's actually not as hard as it looks."

Of course, Bruce said this about everything. Somehow, he managed to make even the most difficult task look effortless. Tucking his wand behind his ear, he then handed over the remains of the card deck to Jason. (The Joker card, as predicted, remained facedown on Bruce's desk. Why else would he need to use such a pointless card in his grand castle?)

Still glancing over at him, Bruce carefully thought about his words before he took a card and lay it on the castle. "... I saw your class schedule. Did you pick anything you genuinely liked?" It was a safe - if somewhat useless - topic to start with, as he knew Jason didn't care and that it'd be pointless to actually change Jason's schedule for him. (That'd just ensure that Jay cut class more often than not.)

"I'm still insisting on Blue Magic, but you can drop if you don't think it's up your alley."

[onceboywonder]

"Oops, you should watch that thing before it topples," Jason joked as he strode over to where Bruce was magically reinforcing his new hobby. Bumping a shoulder against his side in way of greeting, at fifteen it seemed manlier than a hug. At least the man didn't seem angry and Jason felt himself relax with that knowledge. "Did I catch you off guard? I bet I did, admit it. You probably didn't even know I was coming."

Pushing up the sleeves of his overly worn out hooded sweatshirt, thrown over his school clothes because Jason had come to the conclusion uniforms were stupid, Jason dropped the car magazines right there on the floor before rubbing his hands together and taking the cards. "It doesn't look very difficult," he huffed challengingly, watching Bruce add another card on top, studying his method. Bruce did posses an almost annoying ability to make everything look easy and Jason was always overconfident in his ability to do the same. Taking two cards (double-checking them just to make sure), Jason leaned them against each other to form a little tent, adjusting so the tops were lined up correctly before placing them on top of the card Bruce had just put down. Letting go of the breath he didn't know he was holding, Jason straightened up and admired his work. "Hah."

Placing the rest of the cards on the table, Jason crouched down to grab the magazines off the floor where they'd dropped in a messy heap, and for only being a week or so old they were already in a sad battered condition. Jason wasn't really known for taking care of things he owned. "Yeah, yeah, I'll take it. Weapons mastery was a good suggestion," he admitted, actually surprised such a class was offered and glad his father thought to register him for it. If he was going to be stuck here, he might as well take a class that wasn't entirely a waste of time. "And Martial Arts and Defence Against the Dark Arts could be useful, but all these required classes..." he trailed off, because he was impatient and couldn't pretend any longer when other matters were refusing to be ignored.

"So what's this Damian kid like?" he asked with a hint of you can't avoid this question, crossing his arms. "Why is he here?"

[onceaguardian]

"Of course I knew," Bruce teased, trying his best - but failing - to pull Jason in for a hug. Ah, well, maybe he'd get one later. "I'm your father, remember?" The tone implied 'Father Knows Best' and maybe a little of 'Big Brother's Watching,' but Bruce didn't seem to mean anything serious by it.

Bruce couldn't help laughing at Jason's handiwork. Not in the mean way - because it certainly wasn't! - but in the 'hey, my son tried so hard and accomplished something that looked harder than it was' kind of way. Bruce'd always been the parent who bragged about his kids until the other parents banned him from parties simply because he talked so darn much. (It'd also been an excellent deterrent for some of the more... persistent ladies. Mention his five children, and most of them were scared off in an instant.) "Nice job," He remarked, clapping.

Figures he'd bring up Damian. Bruce pressed his lips together, trying to think of something to say. Anything'd be better than the question he'd suddenly been dealt with. Running a hand through his hair, Bruce finally replied, "He's here because he wants to become closer to me. I honestly didn't find out he was even enrolled here until he made that journal entry."

Even if he was being honest about the whole thing, Bruce suspected that Jason wouldn't buy it. "... He's actually not much like me at all. Brasher, more abrasive... kind of socially inept at times... but he's a good kid, even if he doesn't want to admit it."

[onceboywonder]

He kind of did want that hug. Always a bit more sentimental than he liked to let on, Bruce's apparent pride over a silly card trick almost forced a smile out of Jason. Almost. But he was no longer crushing the magazines in his grip, now looking at Bruce instead of everywhere but him. "Of course I remember," he replied without a hint of sarcasm.

Jason was never going to forget that Bruce was his father, so he wasn't sure just why he was so threatened by the idea of Bruce having a biological son. Maybe because when they were all adopted, Jason at least felt on equal footing with his siblings no matter who came first. When Damian was completely out of the picture it was easy to forget he even existed, it changed nothing. But did this? Did Bruce feel some strong, internal and instinctual pull toward Damian, have an unbreakable connection with him that Jason couldn't even touch?

He remembered how he felt when he learned his mother was alive, even though he had never met her. At the time it felt so important, so real. His own biological mother that had abandoned him, that he desperately tracked down halfway across the world (and suddenly Damian's surprise appearance made more sense) out of hope when he learned that she existed, in the end had turned on him in the worst possible way. Of course her betrayal had stung, but Jason was aware of the circumstances and he forgave her and even tried to save her, but it came with the heavy realization that some bonds were more powerful than blood. Bruce, after all, had been the one to track him down when he took off without warning, saving his ass just in time. And he'd heard just how upset Bruce was while he was in the coma.

Before that, Jason hadn't realized the extent that Bruce cared for him as a son and not just a boy he had taken in as a charity case. So he knew he should trust Bruce. Sadly it wasn't enough to ease his worries. "Ah, good. At least he's not another golden boy. Our family has enough of those already." And that part made him feel a bit better.

Already sick of talking about the brat, Jason shoved the magazines over to Bruce. "I brought these," he stated the obvious with a jerky shrug. "For you. Thought you might want to look through them. The top one has a good article on the newest motorcycles." Hinthint. "I've circled a few car models I thought you'd be interested in for modifying. Ones with," and he sighed, rolling his eyes, "high safety ratings. But check out the engine specs, I don't want to be riding around in a bumper car."

[onceaguardian]

Golden boy. Bruce couldn't help snorting just a little at the remark. Of course Dick and Tim were different from Jason - their backgrounds had been vastly different - but that didn't necessarily mark them as 'perfect,' persay. Still, compared to Jason, their grades were remarkably... better, but that didn't mean... One father against four (four) teenage sons was more difficult than he'd thought it'd be. No wonder his own parents'd stopped at one.

Stifling a laugh, Bruce remarked, "One more to even the odds, then?" Still, he couldn't help feeling slightly bad. He couldn't help Damian being here - really! - and he knew it'd shake family dynamics like crazy.

Taking the magazines - jeez, Jason needed to learn how to take care of things - he smiled and set the others on the table while he casually flipped through the top one. "Thanks," He said, his whole face softening as he looked more at Jason than the articles. Honestly, he'd probably read them from cover to cover later... but he wouldn't get the chance to talk to Jaybird much longer. "We won't be riding in a bumper car," Bruce promised. "Though I'm not sure if we'll even be riding in a car, period. Hogwarts' stance on technology is outdated at best."

Still, he hadn't said anything about motorcycles - or flying vehicles - so there was definitely a glimmer of hope. After a moment, Bruce set the final magazine on the table. "... Your bike's coming in a couple of weeks. It'll have to be re-assembled and it's in my name since it was the only way I could bring it over, but... a bike's a bike, right?"

[onceboywonder]

He'd be the last to consider either Dick or Tim perfect, but never able to resist taking an easy lighthearted jab at his brothers' expense, Jason felt satisfied at his father's snort in response. Way to encourage him. Or maybe Bruce was snorting at him. Whatever, Jason took any victory he could.

"So am I expected to get the kid a birthday present?" he asked a bit petulantly, crossing his arms as he watched Bruce flip through the magazine. He didn't even know when his birthday was, but that was hardly the point. With Bruce he had no doubts there was going to be at least some effort to get Damian involved in the family, and Jason was beginning to learn that resisting got him absolutely nowhere.

Eyes lighting up at the mention of the bike, which was one of the few things Jason was looking forward to recently, he managed a full smile for his father. "Great, yeah. Technicalities. Reassembly shouldn't be a problem. I've taken plenty of bikes apart, putting one back together shouldn't be any different."

[onceaguardian]

Actually, Bruce hadn't even considered anything along those lines. The moment Jason brought up the birthday present, he glanced up and smiled widely at his son, "No, but since you brought it up... it wouldn't be a bad idea! We'll have to ask him when his birthday is."

He was teasing about it - at least, in the tone that he reserved for those moments when neither caped crusader nor playboy millionaire existed - as well as he could. Involving Damian'd be harder than buying him a gift, though, and Bruce knew it. The kid was entitled - it might be better to not buy him anything and instead give him a gift with no monetary value - and it'd be interesting to see how he interacted with the others. (By "interesting," he meant it'd be one heck of a trainwreck.)

"Then all's well that ends well," Bruce softly replied, returning the full smile for his kid. "That's at least one bright spot, right, Jaybird?"

[onceboywonder]

It made Jason feel better that even Bruce didn't know the kid's birthday, and it seemed ironic that the man was turning out to be a better father to his slew of adopted children than to his real... birth son. Because no matter how busy Bruce was, he always managed to remember Jason's birthday. (Jason liked to believe it was without Alfred's reminder.) While the presents were always nice, it was the remembering part that Jason valued most.

He never really knew the circumstances of Damian's birth, hadn't really asked because, well, ew, he wasn't interested in the details of his father's love life. Though he bet the mother was hot. Jason mentally cringed. Still, he wondered how after eleven years there remained very little contact. Until now. And when they finally managed to get out of this place, was Bruce going to tuck Damian under his arm and haul him back to Gotham with the rest of them? Sadly Jason didn't think they'd be leaving soon enough to find out.

He uncrossed his arms as his smile faded back to neutral, posture relaxing once more as he shoved his hands in his pockets. "Right, at the end of the tunnel and all that." It was an old nickname that was just as embarrassing as it was appreciated, but Jason was glad nobody was actually around to hear it. "Hey, you know. I'm sorry about all that happened at the airport," he finally apologized, having the decency to look at least partially ashamed. Since Bruce hadn't brought it up, he felt a lot less defensive on the matter.

[onceaguardian]

In retrospect, the ordeal at the airport'd make for a hilarious memoir. While Bruce hadn't forgotten the ordeal, he'd certainly relaxed a bit concerning it. After all, it hadn't just been Jason who'd been distracted; he'd have to talk to Dick about "just because there's plenty of fish in the sea doesn't mean that you have to catch every single one and bring them home."

He shrugged, managing a weak smile, "At least we didn't miss our flight." (Which, in all honesty, Bruce considered a miracle.) "... Apology accepted. Next time, just be more careful." Part of Bruce was honestly wondering if Jason hadn't realized he could transfigure his knives into something less noticeable - it was how Bruce smuggled his batarangs on-board - but he knew better than to actually suggest something that ridiculous.

Still, the whole airport discussion brought up the idea of how Damian would come back with them (because it wasn't an if, it was a when; that kid wasn't going back to Talia any time soon if Bruce could help it). Pondering it for a moment, he then said, "And maybe we'll use Portkeys for all future family outings. Maybe."

... At least he was slowly getting over his fear of them.

[onceboywonder]

With that out of the way and escaping any more serious of a lecture, Jason felt his mixture of annoyance and defensive worry fizzle out, leaving only a confused relief behind. It was difficult to stay angry when there was nowhere else to direct it, but he was almost always expecting much more tension, more resistance and fighting. He knew how to handle that situation, always more than prepared to fight back against the world. But this was still a challenge, leaving Jason to shift his weight from one foot to the other a bit blankly.

"Nah, there's no first class for portkeys. No flight attendants for Dick to flirt with, no cramped bathrooms taunting me with their smoke detectors... no overhead compartments that aren't quite big enough to shove Tim in." Hands on his hips, and he knew he was just being obnoxious for the fun of it. "Maybe Damian, though. But faster, far more fuel efficient. No security guards trying to feel you up."

[onceaguardian]

Hence why Bruce didn't really bother to stay angry. It wasn't like Jason had continuously brought knives on-board (or tried to, anyways), so it wasn't worth being angry over something that stupid. Now if Jason had brought a Nerf gun - like that poor boy in the next aisle - then maybe Bruce'd have much of an argument there.

He wanted to snicker at that, really. Bruce shook his head, clearly amused by Jason's antics, but didn't say anything beyond, "You know you're going to age faster if you keep smoking." It was really something Bruce remembered from childhood - his dad'd always championed no smoking (but Thomas Wayne was also a physician, so it really couldn't be helped) - and kept harping, though Bruce suspected he'd have an easier time if he actually mentioned why he hated smoking in the first place.

(But that was just asking for a sob story.) Bruce paused for a moment. "... I don't know if there's anywhere you need to be, but there's something I want to give you."

[onceboywonder]

He knows it's a bad habit, has heard Bruce (and the rest of the family, and everyone else for that matter) tell him on multiple occasions. He's heard all of the medical concerns, and with Bruce he does at least trust it's true concern and not just some irritating self-righteous billionaire-guilt desire to stomp every flaw out of him, save the street kid from himself. Quitting wasn't exactly as easy as knowing he should, though, and he's been addicted for longer than he's even known Bruce. Part of him enjoyed the undesirable habit, though, reminding him of his mother... mothers. Both of them. "Well, I've run out anyway," he conceded, throwing his hands up in mock defeat.

He was about to leave after getting as good as answers as he was going to get, but he wasn't in any hurry to do so when Bruce made it known their visit wasn't finished yet. "Give? Didn't we just have Christmas?"

[onceaguardian]

"For now," Bruce added under his breath in a tone that was half-contempt, half-concern because really, he knew Jason. The kid'd just keep on going regardless of what the whole world said. Even if he didn't quite understand the motive behind it, he could at least understand his kid's wanting to be a rebel. Didn't he go through a similar phase with the whole animagus thing?

Nodding, Bruce walked closer to Jason. "Yeah. One last present I forgot to give you." With that, he quickly swept his kid up in a hug and lightly kissed his forehead. Of course Jason might protest and squirm, but dangit if he wasn't going to get some affection out of his little rebel. It felt kind of nice - nicer than being with any woman (he'd admit that in a heartbeat; he didn't need companionship as long as he had his brood) - and in a way, he knew he wasn't going to get a lot of it here at Hogwarts.

Not while Jaybird was too busy pretending that he had better things to do than spend time with his idiot of a father. "... And just for the record?" He said, still not letting go. "Your house's my favorite."

[onceboywonder]

"Aaagh, Dad!" Jason whined in disbelief that he fell for that trick, ALWAYS fell for that trick with the humiliating ninja hugs that he should have known were coming but somehow never expected until it was too late. But there was nobody else here and Jason didn't try to shove away too much, because he only wanted to pretend that he hated it.

Wiping off his forehead with the back of his knuckles, Jason huffed loudly at the remark. "Hufflepuff, why? Can you believe it? What kind of idiot hat would mistake me for one of those airheaded sissies." He definitely thought he'd make a better Slytherin, or even a Gryffindor if he didn't have to put up with Dick. But Hufflepuff was embarrassing and he didn't feel like he fit in at all.

[onceaguardian]

At least Bruce wasn't laughing. He honestly looked like he was going to at any moment - not because Jay was so abrasive concerning his own house, but simply because the matter seemed so ridiculous - that it was more of a miracle that he just pressed his lips and smiled.

"On the contrary, that 'idiot hat' knew exactly what it was doing." Bruce shook his head, looking thoughtful. "Slytherin're known for their ambition, but Hufflepuff was always known for its loyalty and hard work. Their reputation, admittedly, isn't like Gryffindor's or Slytherin's, but I'd much rather have a Hufflepuff than a Slytherin for a son."

Here, his lips twitched as he amusingly added, "After all, Hufflepuff and Batman have the exact same color scheme." He finally, reluctantly let go, but the smile still remained on his face.