Chapter Text
Jason's patience was thin from the moment he stepped into the SDN’s building. Lydia was meowing like it was her mission to make him deaf. He sometimes hates that fat ass cat.
He left her at Chase’s desk with Beef who was already there, Robert was at his desk too. No wonder though, the shift started 20 minutes ago.
He clocked in and went to hide on a roof of the building. Jason has to think of some contingencies on what to do with ‘Sardines’ the villain Bar.
He could go alone and see whatever is happening there behind closed doors.
“Wait, Hood is here, thought he wouldn't show up.” Malevola said through the comms. Still not dispatched and somewhere within the SDN’s building.
“Goodie two shoes is actually late, knowing him he wouldn't even show today and wouldn't be cut.” Invisigal was out of breath on a dispatch. From the crashing sound and a civilian screaming, it went wrong.
“What? Cut?” Jason had clearly gotten too used to actually having a decent sleep schedule. His brain was too big for his skull and his eyes were too dry.
It was like those days when he woke up with Al Ghuls.
“Yeah fucking stupid. Last one on the leader board is fired or you know, cut. “ Prism clearly thought the idea was stupid, and he had to agree. All z team members made progress, in some shape or form.
Jason would really be disappointed in seeing one of them go. All z teamers made some kind of progress. Even Invisigal, while she is at the end of the leader board she made tons of progress.
Sadly he had to stand up from his spot on the roof and actually get to work as Robert just dispatched him and Coop on some mission to investigate a drug ring.
He'd much rather storm into Blazer's office and ask what did she think she was doing just throwing one of the z team members away as if it was nothing. As if they are expendable. Then just replace them, like Batman did to him.
Jason sighed as each z team member was sabotaging each other. Hopefully Coop has some brains and won't do the same with him. But that ends rather quickly after he gets pushed into a building full of armed men by Coop.
Jason looked around and saw more than a dozen men with their weapons raised high. Coop only smirked and left to do their real dispatch. He got baited by Coop of all people. When he lowered his guard that one time she lied to him and guided him to the wrong location.
Jason took all his anger out on the men around him. Through his rage he doesn't even know if he killed anyone or not, but at that time he had only one thing on his mind, and that was revenge.
It was childishly easy to find Coop as she was flying back to the SDN’s building.
With a precise shot he disabled the mechanical wings, she started dropping like a fly. That filled him with a sense of satisfaction, let's see how it is when she is on the receiving side.
She landed in an alley, he grappled right after her. As he landed on a fire escape he watched as she stood up, shaky clearly her right ankle was hurt, twisted not broken, good he wanted this to hurt but not permanently.
“You really think you can just get away?” He jumped down, gun in hand. She raised one of her daggers.
“No one gets to fuck with me and just walk away.” Jason aimed his gun and shot. The bullet intentionally passed by Coop's ear, loud. He wanted her to know that she is only alive because he allows it.
She flinched. Her hand grasping her ear, clearly shaken now. “I’ll take this to HR.” She mumbles, more to herself than to him.
“Go ahead. What are you gonna tell them? I left my teammate for dead, and was surprised when he got mad?” Jason took a step closer instantly and she backed away from him, her guard up knives ready.
That continued for a few seconds until her back hit the wall of the alley. He raised his gun and put the muzzle on her forehead. “If you even so much as think about pulling this shit on me you are dead. We are in a motherfucking hero team. We don't need an assassin.”
Jason pulled away, took a few steps back still facing Coop and grappled away.
Checking comms it looks like everybody is still busy sabotaging each other. He doesn't know about Robert, the man could notice them going off the course.
Arriving in the meeting room Jason would rather be anywhere else. Now that he thinks about it, this is a very stable and good quality table, weight is evenly distributed and the tables legs are literally metal.
It is a large table. Perfect for some cool sparing on the table. First, whoever falls off the table loses.
With a sigh he picks a random spot and waits for this bullshit to end.
As Robert walked into the meeting room, put his hand on his hips. Clearly agitated. The Z team sabotaging each other had something to do with that. “Can everybody sit down so we can get started?”
Sonar was still yapping how there are better things to do than sit in the meeting room on their break.
Robert looked close to just jumping on the very good table and yelling at everyone. “Hey can I get your attention please so i would like to get started?”
Golem, who didn't see Robert, walked into the meeting room and sent Robert flying.
Jason had to will himself not to laugh. This shit is too funny. He had it under control but then Flambae opened his mouth.
“Woah, looks like this motherfucker has the power of flight.”
Jason couldn't help himself but snort and giggle quietly, not to hurt his throat that strangely stopped hurting as much.
Then Robert gave Golem the chair and almost everyone aside from a certain purple person. arrived.
He is honestly about to jump across the table too.
Robert started his motivational speech that wasn't that bad, it was also kinda true with the phoenix and coming back from ashes or death, but like he is not immortal. Only the coming back from the death part is true.
“When I look around thIs room all I see is..” Robert started and looked around the room with focus.
“Did you not plan this ahead of time?” Malevola, bored as hell, grumbled.
“Potential.” He finishes. Pausing to let his words sink in.
Jason breathes out. It hit a little too close to home. Bruce said that Jason always had potential to be something more than a crime lord. That he knew.
And yet look how he turned out.
“Got there In the end.”
“Unfortunately for you it's a curse.” Robert starts to walk and passes by Sonar and Jason. Jason felt a shiver run down his spine.
He continues to walk down the table. Slowly passing by each member eyeing each one. Letting them know that it absolutely is personal.“Cause there isn't a thing in the universe that gets wasted more than potential and despite how common it is no one seems to forget it's what they whisper when you leave the room.”
Jason hates how right Robert is. He remembers hearing the conversation between Bruce and Alfred after the diplomat incident. Felipe Garzonasa, a true monster. Even if Jason didn't push him off Batman looked at him as if he did.
“ ‘So and so had much potential’ it follows you forever.” Robert stops, beside Flambae and looks at him.
Jason looks down at his hands, covered by thick gloves. He knows what lies underneath. Fingers broken too many times, they barely register temperatures, it's a miracle he can feel touch as messed up as it is.
His throat has been getting better but there are some things that stay the same.
Talia said he has so much potential that Bruce didn't know how to shape it, that she'd help him, train him.
Bruce said he had so much potential to do good. That he had what it took to be a real hero. He said that years ago but isn't it ironic?
someone touches his shoulder, Jason doesn't think he just reacts. Grabbing the hand and twisting it then pushing the person against the wall. His gun pointed right between the person's eyes.
“Woah, woah, calm down.”
Jason blinks. The blurry image turns into Robert, kinda ruffled and slightly startled but Robert.
Jason slowly lowers the gun. Equips it back into his thigh hoster. Then he backs away letting Robert go.
He looked around and the meeting room was empty. He really zoomed out and the meeting passed in a few seconds.
“You know there's this thing called therapy, maybe you should try.”
Jason looks at Robert, He doesn't know if he wants to cry, scream or hit something, someone. Why is he so affected? It was just a dumb speech. Some shit about redemption and potential.
“Thanks but I'll pass. I don't have the time for-” Jason starts and already starts to back away to make his escape. This has to be an HR violation. Besides they both still have some time left of the break.
“Tell me what you feel.” Robert walks forward, not letting Jason just get away.
“Gladly, let me just get my cat. You see, she is my emotional support animal.”
“If you leave this room I will tell Blazer you put false information on your form when you joined the SDN.”
“Are you blackmailing me to be my therapist?” Jason looked behind him and saw the meeting room wall. He really backed himself into a corner, literally.
“Hood. I have a brain. Something happened and- maybe you actually had close friends before that event.” Jason flinched, his hand instinctively touching his neck, his other hand shook. After Bruce slit his throat Jason never talked about it to anyone. No one knows except Bruce and him. He dismissed what happened to just get over it and continue with his life. He never truly processed that.
Robert watched him, looked down at his hand clenching his own neck. With his hands Robert took Jason's own and looked up at Jason for permission to take off his heavy duty gloves.
Jason nods, it's hesitant and small but Robert understands anyway. “But it's so clear that you never recovered from that. You are afraid.”
Robert takes off the gloves, throws them on the meeting room table and takes Jason's hands into his own. He looks at them, expression sober. Jason's hands are still violently shaking, why wouldn't they?
“And I thought I had too many scars.” He jokes and looks up at Jason again. ”Take some days off. Don't come back until at least 3 days have passed. Call me at least once a day. I want to help you. Hood.”
Robert's hands are warm, his calluses that aren't from holding a weapon but fixing his Mecha Man suit bring Jason comfort only his cat could bring him.
Robert looks down at their hands again. “You are the pillar of this team. It's Important to take care of yourself.”
Jason breathes out a snort. “Talk for yourself. I don't sleep in a chair.” He relaxes and looks Robert in the eye. He smiles, slowly and lets Jason go so that if he wanted they could hold hands longer. Turn around exposing his back to grab Jason's gloves from the meeting room table and offer them to Jason.
“I don't know if you believed it but I'm not 25, I'm 19.” Jason takes the gloves and slightly smiles to himself. He feels incredibly stupid but also, a huge weight just dropped off his shoulders. He raises his head and looks at Robert again.
Robert stands still, his browser furrowed.
“Bro. You are a baby.”
“Ew.”
Jason on his way back stopped by Blazers office. Lightly knocked and walked in.
“Hi boss.”
“Red Hood. I didn't expect you to be here.” Blazer is by her computer working. She looks up at him. The memories of how he walked into her office after his dispatch with Coop and argued that cutting someone is fucking stupid.
“I'm taking the rest of the day off and the next 3 days.” He tries to sound as confident as possible. He really admires Blazer but cutting someone is really not the way.
“Thank goodness, for the months you worked here you took… two days off the work. A little more and I would put you on leave.”
Jason leaves Blazer's office rather… Surprised. He doesn't know why but he just expected it to go a little bit harder, that Blazer would Just say no and tell him to go back to work.
Still Jason packed his stuff, picked Lydia up from Chase and went back to his apartment.
Maybe Robert is right, maybe he is afraid. Did he really just never process when Bruce slit his throat? Robert also gave him a slip of paper and put his number on it. So when he wants to 'talk' he can call him.
Shit he wants a cigarette more than never.
He sat on his couch, a cat in his lap, staring blankly at the ceiling. Only in his underwear with no intention of actually dressing himself.
“Do you really think I need to go to therapy?”
“Meow” Lydia softly stirs on his stomach and nuzzles into him, while purring softly.
“Yeah crazy am I right?”
He should have his old cigarettes. Jason doesn't remember throwing them away. With a sigh he grabs the small adult cat into his arms and stands up on his bare feet.
While the nerves in his hands are quite useless his feet work just fine. The feel of his cold floor makes him shudder as he looks into his dresser.
He shoved some random stuff in there, that one book he thought he lost, a gun, vaseline because never know what the fuck happens. Some treats, a mouse toy, a knife too. Under all that stuff sat an innocent unopened pack of cigarettes and a lighter, they are cheap. They were the kind that made your lungs hurt and made your hurl on the floor.
His favourite type.
He smoked those while 9 and severely underweight, wanting the hunger pains to stop he smoked one of them and it would be gone for a few hours.
After Bruce adopted him it was a habit. A habit that Alfred tried really hard to break.
Back on the couch he lit one up, put it between his lips and inhaled.
It shouldn't hurt after all the years but it does. His throat is dry, his lungs protest. As if smoking for the first time again.
He breathed out in the opposite direction of Lydia and it was like he was born anew.
Jason looked down and Lydia was still purring still soft and fluffy still, small.
Jason smoked until a small nub was left. He put it out with his thumb and his forefinger, and he threw it somewhere on the floor.
His apartment smelled of the cheap cigarette He just smoked, it bought him comfort as he drifted to sleep.