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Hey.

[Substitute books and tires for the video games and dogs, and the room isn't too different from Jason's at that age. He gives the pack of puppies a wary eye as he steps into the room, careful to make sure none escape into the hallway around his legs, then folds his massive height into a crouch on the floor with a hand outstretched for the nearest dog to sniff and confirm he's OK to be here. You wouldn't know it by looking at him, but Jason likes dogs, and it's been a while since he's had the occasion to be this close to any.]

That sure is a mouthful. [Some of those are names he recognizes, yep.] How'd you end up with so many of 'em in the first place?

( victory is his. there's a wide smile on his lips when jason kneels down to start letting the dogs sniff at him; most of them are very friendly, easily open up to jason. the mastiff and bulldog keep to themselves on the dog bed, cuddling up to each other. the rest? are running at full speed straight for jason. )

This place went crazy earlier and there were puppies coming out of the walls and if you weren't careful where you walked you'd get sucked into a wholee other place, and it'd be like you lived there your whole life. I thought I was a wizard! ( he holds up his hand, waves his wrist as if he was waving around a wand. )

But there were puppies and they were inside some guy's lab so I took them, and gave Sparky to Bart, but he disappeared. . so I took him back. Damian brought in Kori.

[Jason ends up smiling faintly in spite of that whole gruff, grouchy persona he's cultivated over the years and kept up almost his entire time here so far - a difficult facade to keep up when swarmed by very cute, very enthusiastic puppies who just want to give Jason their love, licking at his hands, nosing at his elbows, climbing into his lap as he settles to sitting on the floor and distributing ear scritches.]

Sounds like that was an adventure. [No doubt there was probably some horrible stuff, too, but the kid seems to have survived it all relatively un-traumatized.] But it's good that you gave these guys a good home - dogs don't belong in labs. Damian's a friend of yours?

[He's guessing. Jason's talked with Damian, but didn't get his name.]

( they’re good dogs, jason. they’ve done no one wrong, except maybe nibbled a little too hard or had a few accidents when jon first brought them all back. they do all have convenient collars with their names etched into them—messily, with handwriting you’d expect from a ten year old, but. it’s there and it’s at least readable. jason smiles, and jon smiles along with him, moves over to sit on the ground beside him and holds a hand out to call to the rest of the dogs that haven’t made their way on over yet. )

Damian’s your brother back where I come from. He’s—um, Bruce’s son? ( even if jason doesn’t know who damian is, he should know who bruce is, right? and if he doesn’t, that’s just even more telling of how different their homes are. ) He’s a little different, but you get used to him fast enough.

[They're very good dogs, yes. Jason approves. Dogs usually are better natured than people, in Jason's opinion and experience. Dogs don't get off on torture and murder; they're not corrupted by greed into ruining lives by the hundreds. If they turn rabid - well, it's a shitty thing that happens, but it's not really their fault.

And dogs are easier to deal with than people. What they want from you is simple - food, affection, companionship. They're uncomplicated creatures, and Jason's always found people to be a lot more complicated than they're sometimes worth.

Case in point.

Jon can't possibly mean anything bad by what he says - anyone who enjoys looking after this many dogs isn't hurtful by nature, in Jason's estimation - but Jason still goes tense, inhales a sharp breath through his nose, because it hurts. Brother isn't technically wrong, but it's not like Jason's experienced the same relationship Damian has with the Jason he knows, and it's still a little too soon to think of Bruce without a heavy, sharp ache in his heart. All he knows about Damian is that he replaced Jason as Robin at some point, and he's Bruce's actual son by blood, not some stray he took in off the streets.]

Yeah ... we talked once. Didn't catch his name, though. [Jason glances sideways at Jon.] He told you about me?

( jon doesn’t miss the physical cues, either. he sees the way jason tenses up, hears him take a breath in. maybe that wasn’t the right thing to say? he knows this jason doesn’t remember damian at all, but he—can’t see why having a mysterious brother would hurt anyone. he’s heard of jason, never met him before coming here. maybe things with him are as complicated as they are with damian, or more so. his lips twist into a frown, taking a moment to think of the best way to respond. )

Yeah. He’s worried about you. ( it’s not a lie. jon doesn’t do lying, never has. hates it when people lie to him, so he’d never—do that to someone else. ) He was worried you might hurt Tim, too, but I don’t think you will. You’re not a bad person. Godzilla growls at people who aren’t nice. ( and he raises a hand, gestures off to the mildly large german shepherd pup who happens to be trying to climb his way up jason’s side. ) But I knew about you before, too. Not that you’re Jason Todd, but I know about the Red Hood. Not a lot, just that you’re one of the guys running around Gotham.

( who isn’t part of the justice league, so jon didn’t look too deeply into any of it. he liked watching the news about superhero stuff, followed the flash’s antics and superman’s well before he knew who his father really was. )

Damian acts big and tough, but. . he really loves his family. Even if he’s mouthy and doesn’t act like it much, he loves you a lot.

[See, the thing is, family isn't always a good thing. Family can hurt you in sharper, more intimate ways than strangers can; they know you, know your weak points, know how to get under your skin. Sometimes, family hurts worse than the absence of it, and that's been Jason's experience as a whole. His birth parents weren't the best people, and then they were gone when Jason was still a child. Bruce probably tried but couldn't really love Jason, either, and Dick - well, that's an entirely different can of worms that Jason would just rather keep a lid on than open.

He goes silent again, jaw tense, staring into Godzilla's eyes as he gently rubs his ears. Maybe it's true, what Jon asserts, that Jason isn't truly a bad person - dogs are usually better judges of character than people, after all. But that's not what Jason believes about himself. He'd asked Bruce, up on the rooftop: Does it make it easier for you to think that my dip in his fountain of youth turned me rabid? Or is this just the real me? Surely there must be something wrong with him, if everyone he meets is incapable of loving him. If Bruce himself couldn't love Jason enough to care when he was murdered, how could his kid care about him?]

You know ... not everyone's from the same place. There's different realities,and people end up different. [He knows this for a fact; there's another Jason here, and the way he turned out is a pretty sharp contrast to Jason's own life story.] This Jason that Damian knows - we're not the same guy. We can't be. I don't have a family. I'm not the kind of guy people love like that.

Edited 2018-01-02 19:04 (UTC)

I know not everyone here's from the same place. I mean--my dad's here, but he's not my dad. ( it's complicated and painful in ways he doesn't want to talk about, doesn't want to think about, because while clark may be here, it's not the clark he grew up with, the one who picked him up when he fell, who held tight onto him. he's still clark, he still treats jon with love and respect and he loves him all the same, but. . it isn't the same. ) But I think you're wrong.

( eyes focus on jason instead of the massive pile of dogs around them, blue staring deep into blue. jon's gaze is steady, determination shining bright. ) I think that. . you've been through some stuff probably, just like Damian has. I think that you try really hard not to be someone who has a family, but you still had Bruce once, right? And these guys love you a lot, see? ( he'll even pick up a stray puppy and set it down on top of jason's leg. they'd love most people, but that's not the point. )

I think everyone's capable of being loved like that.

[It's heartbreaking, how much this kid believes. Was Jason ever like this? Maybe a little bit, in that time before his death, when he had Bruce to support him, a partner, but never quite like this. His heart was always tainted by the harsh awareness that the world was not a fair and just place, even as a child of Jon's age, and after? As he got older, grew up, saw more of the sickness that held sway over his city? Forget it.

He hates himself a little for what he's about to tell Jon. But there's no point in hiding it; most of it's already been mentioned on the network.]

Bruce ... [he starts, meeting Jon's unshrinking gaze, but stops again, mouth pressed into a thin line. Even just saying his name hurts.]

When I was a kid, probably just a little older than you, that's when I met him. Both my parents were dead - I was alone. And he took me in, trained me to be Robin. I thought - maybe I could do some good, make a difference. I wanted to be the best, you know? Make him proud. Show him he wasn't wrong to take a chance on me.

[He pauses, inhales a slow, shaky breath, drops his gaze back to the dogs, those pairs of warm eyes all turned on him.]

When I was sixteen - we were out on a mission, and I screwed up. I got caught, and I got killed. A Lazarus Pit brought me back, but - it didn't matter. Bruce didn't care. The psycho who killed me, he's still running around, terrorizing people.

[Which isn't a direct lie, but it isn't the full truth, either; the Joker was locked away in Arkham until the Red Hood provoked the Black Mask into breaking him out. The Joker's recent spat of mayhem happened because Jason set the conditions for it to happen. Jason gives the nearest dog a final pat on the shoulder and looks back to Jon.]

You remember how beat up I was when I showed up here? Bruce did that.

[Again - true, but not the whole story. Bruce said he didn't want to fight Jason, and Jason insisted. Him or me - decide, now! Jason shakes his head, expression pinched from holding back the pain.]

Does that - any of that - sound like a guy who's got a family to you?

( jon has been learning to catch onto lies, to hear the verbal ticks, hear the way heartbeats skip a bit when someone starts lying through their teeth, to see the way someone's face responds when they know they're telling something wrong--the twitch of an eye, corner of their lips, whatever. things once would think twice when seeing, but he doesn't catch any of that on jason's face when he speaks. jason levels with him, opens up to him, is honest with him, which is. nice. he appreciates it.

lips press tight together when he finishes speaking, brows pinched tight together and nose wrinkled because that. well. he can't say it doesn't sound like bruce wayne, like batman. but it doesn't match up well, either. he'll have to ask tim or damian for the full story later. )

No, it doesn't. But I'm sure there's more to it than that, right? Why would he hurt you? ( doesn't even start with the whole being orphaned at around jon's age. he hasn't had his parents since he got here, sure--but he's had damian and kon, so jon hasn't been alone. he wouldn't know what to do if his dad and mom died. )

But I'm so sorry that happened. All of that. No one should ever have to lose both their parents or. . or die that young. I'm really, really sorry, Jason. ( his voice cracks a little, on the verge of tears but not quite there. )

Didn't like what I had to say, I guess.

[Again, this is more or less true, though incomplete. What Jason had to say was that Bruce should've killed the Joker in retribution for his own murder, to prevent the Joker's future misdeeds, to put a stop to his brand of sickness, once and for all. Jason instigated the fight, and Bruce responded predictably - with his fists.

Doesn't matter anymore, Jason thinks, and even he knows that's a lie. He's never going to get over that betrayal, that loss, that heartbreak of knowing he wasn't important enough. He was forgotten; he was replaced, with a blood son.

But Jon - he's just a kid, he doesn't need to hear all of Jason's assorted bullshit. He's already heard enough, especially if he's got issues with his own dad, and he's a good kid, Jason can tell - he's more upset by the circumstances of Jason's life and death and life again than Bruce ever was.]

Hey - don't worry about it. All that sh- [no, Jason, no swearing in front of small children] - stuff's in the past. I've been on my own for a long time now - I'm used to it.

[He's better off on his own, in his opinion. Some people just aren't cut out for things like friends, a family. Jason's self aware enough to recognize that he's one of them.]

And you know what they say - what doesn't kill you makes you stronger.

[Or maybe in his case, it's what does kill you that makes you stronger. His mouth twists into a faint smile as he gives the pup settled in his lap a good scratch behind the ears, and the dog's tail thumps enthusiastically.]

These are some good dogs you've got, Jon.

( jason stuttering over his words doesn’t go unnoticed, but jon’s already used to others cursing around him—so it doesn’t necessarily bother him at all. the topic of batman actually being an awful person does a little, he can’t pretend it doesn’t. it shows on his face, in the curve of his lips and the light to his eyes. jason isn’t lying, which means he truly does believe all of it. jason’s smile doesn’t lessen jon’s own unpleasant expression at all, but it does help him feel at least a little better. )

No one should ever have to be alone. ( that’s too lonely. too sad to think about. the fact that this jason has been on his own for years almost makes him want to cry. but he doesn’t. the last thing he needs is a second robin calling him superbaby all the time. damian is bad enough. ) They’re good until you live with them all the time! They like to wake me up at night barking and scratching at the door to get out.

( dogs is a safe topic, he’s sure. ) Want to go on a walk? It’s about time for me to take them out again, anyway.

[Yeah, a topic change is a good idea. Jason already has a couple of regrets for saying as much as he has. Jon doesn't need his bullshit. Kids should be allowed to be kids, and this place makes it hard enough as it is.]

Yeah ... a walk sounds good. You got leashes for 'em all?

Yeah, of course!

( it's easy to swing himself back up onto his feet, rocking forward on the balls of his feet before taking off towards the open closet. he swings the door the rest of the way open, pulls off a pile of leashes from where they're hanging on the inside of the door. )

We can walk them around the horse stables, they like that.

[He nudges the dog in his lap up and climbs to his feet, careful not to step on any tails or paws with his giant boots.]

They all know how to sit when you tell 'em to?

They answer to whistles.

( which he demonstrates, lips pursing tight and making an obnoxiously loud, high-pitched sound through them. all the dogs immediately sit in response. except for the mastiff. )

[Jason laughs quietly and nods, clearly impressed.]

They're very good dogs. [Except maybe the mastiff.] All right, which leash goes with which dog, or does it matter?

They're color coded to their collars, but it doesn't really matter too much. ( jason notice an array of justice league-themed leashes and collars; the mastiff, in example, has a nice, green leash to match his green collar, brucie has a yellow and black leash to match his collar, clarkie has blue and red, lo has blue and purple. . )

[Jason makes his way over to the collection of leashes and grabs a handful, starts sorting and attaching them according to collars. He doesn't speak while he works, but Jon will probably notice him carefully petting each of the dogs on the head or scratching them gently behind the ears.]

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