Fic: Are You In? (DCU - Bruce/Jason) 1/1
Title: Are You In?
Fandom: DCU
Characters/Pairing: Bruce Wayne/Jason Todd (sort of)
Rating: R - for language, mostly. My Jason? He curses. A lot.
Word Count: 1,151
Prompt: (for 50_darkfics) #002 - Dark Path
Summary: This time, the invitation to come to Gotham is real.
Disclaimer: DC and WB own it all. I own nothing. Darnit.
Author's Note: Written for the awesome pervyficgirl's birthday. Happy belated birthday, hon!!! ^_^ Also, a sequel of sorts to The Dream, and the entire "Search for Ray Palmer" storyline is thrown out the window; Jay never went anywhere.
Are You In?
After trying and failing to track Bruce down on the streets of Gotham, Jason gave up and did the only thing he could, to get an explanation for his sudden invitation to the Bat's city - he went to the Cave to wait. Not that he wanted to spend a single minute there, knowing how much he wasn't welcome, but the practical need to get their meeting over with was too important. Despite there not being a snowball's chance in hell that Bruce had any intention of making things right - dreams never really meant anything, after all - shit still had to get done.
Masterfully slipping past Bruce's security, though failing to dodge a very crafty Alfred, who came bearing down bearing two of Jay's guiltiest pleasures, chocolate chip cookies and sickly-sweet coffee with thick creamer, he waited out the last few hours of the night checking out the changes Bruce had made to the Cave in the intervening years since his death. He was busily inspecting the new repair bay for the Batmobile, and the various bikes and other vehicles parked there, when the car came rumbling in behind him.
Bruce was all darkness and scowl, his cape snapping behind him as he climbed out of the car and went straight for his 'visitor'. “I thought I told you to meet me at Seventy-Fifth and Kane,” he growled.
Jason merely crossed his arms over his chest, peering out from his red domino. “You did. I was there. When you didn't show, I went looking for you. Couldn't find you. Came here,” he shrugged with annoyance, not at all liking the hard glare Bruce had trained on him. Part of him ached to have that glare convey a different meaning. “You mind telling me what this is about? Cuz' I have places to be.”
“Not any time soon, you don't,” Bruce said cryptically as he turned to stalk over to the main computer station at the other end of the Cave. Facing away from Jason, he continued, “By now I'm sure you've heard about the team I've put together.”
Jason huffed, following behind him. “The new Outsiders. I heard Golden Boy took it pretty rough when you took his own damn team away from him.”
“He did. And he's about to take things even harder.” Fingers flying over the keyboard when he reached the console, Bruce pulled up a screen with several very familiar - and chilling - pictures set against criminal files. Jay shivered involuntarily as the frozen image of the Clown leered down at him.
“What the fuck is this?” Jay breathed, his heart pounding in his ears.
“This is our target.”
“Wha-”
Bruce whirled on him and cut him off, “The JLA has failed at every opportunity to make this problem yesterday's news, so now I'm taking it on as a personal project. Luthor, Joker, and all their goons need to be taken care of. I don't mean killed, but if it happens, it happens. Are you in?”
Jason gaped at him, dumbstruck and instantly on guard. The last time he'd tried to dispatch the Joker, Bruce had slit his throat. Not exactly the gratitude Jay thought he deserved for trying to rid the world of the freak. And now Bruce suddenly didn't have a problem with it? What the hell?
Finally, “You must seriously be on something, Brucie. To think I'd fall for that, after the last time-”
Again, he was cut off, as hard hands grabbed him by the shoulders, Bruce's jaw tightening momentarily. “The situation has changed, Jason. No one ever expected the Joker to hook up with the likes of Luthor and Grodd. It's too much for a team to handle without making compromises. I may be a stubborn ass-hole devoted to the mission, but I can see that much,” he finished sarcastically.
“So you're all about the shades of gray now, is that it? What happened to the speech about not letting ourselves become like them, huh?” Jay's gut clenched with uncertainty, not entirely liking the way this seemed to be headed. He'd never for an instant believed Bruce might change his tune about killing.
“This mission calls for off-the-radar action. No one goes in with an identity attached. If lives are lost, the superhero community comes out smelling like roses, and we just stick to the shadows. Consider it a black ops mission.”
Again, Jason could only stare at his former mentor. “You can't be fucking serious.”
“I am. Deadly serious, Jason. Your skills and low profile make you perfectly suited to this, and I want you on my team. Now, I'll only ask one more time. Are you in? Or are you out?”
“I...” Jay hesitated, not quite sure why he didn't say yes right off the bat - no pun intended. It was a chance to take out the goddamn Clown, for fuck's sake!
“Well?” Bruce growled, his gloved fingertips digging into Jay's shoulders.
His chest tightening, Jay looked into Bruce's ice blue eyes, still glaring from inside the cowl, hard as granite and waiting for an answer. His stomach flipped an involuntary somersault. “I... I'm in,” he finally decided, pressing his lips together into a tight line.
The corner of Bruce's mouth twitched. “Good,” he whispered hoarsely, drawing Jason closer almost imperceptibly. “Now head upstairs; we're leaving in the morning. The others are already here, and Alfred has a room ready for you and everything you need. I've got more than enough gear, so you won't need to return to New York for anything.”
Jay's jaw practically hit the floor at that. No wonder Alfred had had his favorite cookies and coffee... “Just how long have you been planning this?”
“Long enough,” Bruce returned, finally pulling Jay in for what might have passed for an awkward 'welcome back' hug, before letting him go and turning back to the computer.
For a moment Jason simply stood there, his mind spinning and his chest and arms burning where Bruce had briefly held him. The bastard hadn't hugged him since... since he'd died...
Bruce...
Suddenly alert for the tell-tale signs - the snow on the rooftop, the stripped off helmet and jacket, Bruce pliant and responsive beneath him - Jay wondered when he would wake up. Then, with no inexplicable changes to his environment or clothing, he snapped back to the present, dismissing the idea and turning to head up into the Manor for the first time in more than five years, his Kevlar hood snatched up from the bench he'd laid it neatly on when he'd first arrived. As he stepped into the elevator, Bruce's voice followed him faintly, “It's good to have you back, Jason.”
Closing his eyes against the sting of unwitting tears, and leaning heavily against the curved wall of the elevator, Jay felt his entire reality spin. No dream could have measured up to this.
* * * * *
Fandom: DCU
Characters/Pairing: Bruce Wayne/Jason Todd (sort of)
Rating: R - for language, mostly. My Jason? He curses. A lot.
Word Count: 1,151
Prompt: (for 50_darkfics) #002 - Dark Path
Summary: This time, the invitation to come to Gotham is real.
Disclaimer: DC and WB own it all. I own nothing. Darnit.
Author's Note: Written for the awesome pervyficgirl's birthday. Happy belated birthday, hon!!! ^_^ Also, a sequel of sorts to The Dream, and the entire "Search for Ray Palmer" storyline is thrown out the window; Jay never went anywhere.
Are You In?
After trying and failing to track Bruce down on the streets of Gotham, Jason gave up and did the only thing he could, to get an explanation for his sudden invitation to the Bat's city - he went to the Cave to wait. Not that he wanted to spend a single minute there, knowing how much he wasn't welcome, but the practical need to get their meeting over with was too important. Despite there not being a snowball's chance in hell that Bruce had any intention of making things right - dreams never really meant anything, after all - shit still had to get done.
Masterfully slipping past Bruce's security, though failing to dodge a very crafty Alfred, who came bearing down bearing two of Jay's guiltiest pleasures, chocolate chip cookies and sickly-sweet coffee with thick creamer, he waited out the last few hours of the night checking out the changes Bruce had made to the Cave in the intervening years since his death. He was busily inspecting the new repair bay for the Batmobile, and the various bikes and other vehicles parked there, when the car came rumbling in behind him.
Bruce was all darkness and scowl, his cape snapping behind him as he climbed out of the car and went straight for his 'visitor'. “I thought I told you to meet me at Seventy-Fifth and Kane,” he growled.
Jason merely crossed his arms over his chest, peering out from his red domino. “You did. I was there. When you didn't show, I went looking for you. Couldn't find you. Came here,” he shrugged with annoyance, not at all liking the hard glare Bruce had trained on him. Part of him ached to have that glare convey a different meaning. “You mind telling me what this is about? Cuz' I have places to be.”
“Not any time soon, you don't,” Bruce said cryptically as he turned to stalk over to the main computer station at the other end of the Cave. Facing away from Jason, he continued, “By now I'm sure you've heard about the team I've put together.”
Jason huffed, following behind him. “The new Outsiders. I heard Golden Boy took it pretty rough when you took his own damn team away from him.”
“He did. And he's about to take things even harder.” Fingers flying over the keyboard when he reached the console, Bruce pulled up a screen with several very familiar - and chilling - pictures set against criminal files. Jay shivered involuntarily as the frozen image of the Clown leered down at him.
“What the fuck is this?” Jay breathed, his heart pounding in his ears.
“This is our target.”
“Wha-”
Bruce whirled on him and cut him off, “The JLA has failed at every opportunity to make this problem yesterday's news, so now I'm taking it on as a personal project. Luthor, Joker, and all their goons need to be taken care of. I don't mean killed, but if it happens, it happens. Are you in?”
Jason gaped at him, dumbstruck and instantly on guard. The last time he'd tried to dispatch the Joker, Bruce had slit his throat. Not exactly the gratitude Jay thought he deserved for trying to rid the world of the freak. And now Bruce suddenly didn't have a problem with it? What the hell?
Finally, “You must seriously be on something, Brucie. To think I'd fall for that, after the last time-”
Again, he was cut off, as hard hands grabbed him by the shoulders, Bruce's jaw tightening momentarily. “The situation has changed, Jason. No one ever expected the Joker to hook up with the likes of Luthor and Grodd. It's too much for a team to handle without making compromises. I may be a stubborn ass-hole devoted to the mission, but I can see that much,” he finished sarcastically.
“So you're all about the shades of gray now, is that it? What happened to the speech about not letting ourselves become like them, huh?” Jay's gut clenched with uncertainty, not entirely liking the way this seemed to be headed. He'd never for an instant believed Bruce might change his tune about killing.
“This mission calls for off-the-radar action. No one goes in with an identity attached. If lives are lost, the superhero community comes out smelling like roses, and we just stick to the shadows. Consider it a black ops mission.”
Again, Jason could only stare at his former mentor. “You can't be fucking serious.”
“I am. Deadly serious, Jason. Your skills and low profile make you perfectly suited to this, and I want you on my team. Now, I'll only ask one more time. Are you in? Or are you out?”
“I...” Jay hesitated, not quite sure why he didn't say yes right off the bat - no pun intended. It was a chance to take out the goddamn Clown, for fuck's sake!
“Well?” Bruce growled, his gloved fingertips digging into Jay's shoulders.
His chest tightening, Jay looked into Bruce's ice blue eyes, still glaring from inside the cowl, hard as granite and waiting for an answer. His stomach flipped an involuntary somersault. “I... I'm in,” he finally decided, pressing his lips together into a tight line.
The corner of Bruce's mouth twitched. “Good,” he whispered hoarsely, drawing Jason closer almost imperceptibly. “Now head upstairs; we're leaving in the morning. The others are already here, and Alfred has a room ready for you and everything you need. I've got more than enough gear, so you won't need to return to New York for anything.”
Jay's jaw practically hit the floor at that. No wonder Alfred had had his favorite cookies and coffee... “Just how long have you been planning this?”
“Long enough,” Bruce returned, finally pulling Jay in for what might have passed for an awkward 'welcome back' hug, before letting him go and turning back to the computer.
For a moment Jason simply stood there, his mind spinning and his chest and arms burning where Bruce had briefly held him. The bastard hadn't hugged him since... since he'd died...
Bruce...
Suddenly alert for the tell-tale signs - the snow on the rooftop, the stripped off helmet and jacket, Bruce pliant and responsive beneath him - Jay wondered when he would wake up. Then, with no inexplicable changes to his environment or clothing, he snapped back to the present, dismissing the idea and turning to head up into the Manor for the first time in more than five years, his Kevlar hood snatched up from the bench he'd laid it neatly on when he'd first arrived. As he stepped into the elevator, Bruce's voice followed him faintly, “It's good to have you back, Jason.”
Closing his eyes against the sting of unwitting tears, and leaning heavily against the curved wall of the elevator, Jay felt his entire reality spin. No dream could have measured up to this.
* * * * *