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“You should come to next week’s gala,” Dick mentioned, casually, as though Jason hadn’t known this whole outing was building to a request. “You’ll like it, it’s benefiting food banks in the Alley.”
“Won’t enjoy anything with Bruce there.”
“He’s your dad, Jay, he wants you there too.” Dick’s voice was unbearably soft even as he once again missed the point entirely. In the face of his brother’s stupidly earnest expression, though, Jason didn’t feel up for trying to argue. That was the whole point of this afternoon anyway: maintaining the fragile peace with his siblings.
“Fine,” he grumbled
“Yes! Thank you Jaybird!” Dickie hugged him from behind, even as Jason continued down the sidewalk, dragging the overly-enthusiastic man-child.
“But I’m bringing a guest, so there’ll be at least one person worth talking to.” He hoped he sounded nonchalant and a bit teasing, and not like he needed a bodyguard to be around his family. Speaking of… “What about Tim?”
“Well he’ll be there. What about him?” Dick seemed genuinely confused, and Jason couldn’t believe the consummate ‘big bro’ would so casually invite Timmy’s abuser to a party with him. “Don’t tell me you can’t be around him, you guys have been working together fine for ages.”
“That’s different, when we’re in uniform.” That is, when Tim was armed and armored and didn’t have a civilian identity that would prevent him from kicking Jason’s ass. “Won’t he feel unsafe with me there?”
“Jay…”
“Whatever. Just make sure to keep him company, he should at least have backup.” Dick looked so brokenhearted that Jason almost felt bad for being the one to mention it. That could only mean it was time to change the subject. “And please tell me that is not the only reason you wanted to hang out today.”
Dick furrowed his brow before forcing a smile. “Of course not! C’mon, you’ll love this next place.”
><><><
Roy would be the ideal guest, of course, but he was currently on the other side of the country with Lian, and Jason knew she had to come first. Kori and Artemis were both out of the country (or solar system, in Kori’s case) saving lives and civilizations, and he couldn’t let innocent people be hurt just because he was afraid of Batman. Unfortunately, Bizarro was too recognizable to attend a Wayna gala, no matter how much Jason liked thumbing his nose at secret identities.
He wanted to trust that his siblings would keep him safe, he really did, but… Well, they stood by Bruce after he slit Jason’s throat, and most recently it was only Roy standing between him and Batman on that roof. He’d also like to think it would be safe at a party - there was nothing Bruce loved more than being Batman and maintaining his secret identity, after all - but the Bat had always been good at convincing himself ‘it had to be done’ and that he was always in the right. Jason was not ready to take the chance that his father would find a way to get him in private to rehash their last disagreement.
He would not disappoint Dick just because he didn’t have enough friends for this, though. He briefly wondered how much the media would have a field day if he brought Talia, or hell, hired Deathstroke as a bodyguard.
Oh well, he still had a week to figure it out, or to manufacture an emergency that justified bailing on his stupid puppy dog of a big brother, but tonight he had to go bust some heads of a new gang that thought it could slip under his radar. At least that was one problem he and his henchmen could solve by themselves.
><><><
All in all, Lars liked his job. Sure, at this point in his life he might have preferred something with less risk of death and more retirement planning, but there were really only so many employment opportunities when he’d had a criminal record since he was old enough to be tried as an adult. One could be forgiven for thinking Gotham of all places would be more willing to hire ex-cons, given they made up such a majority of the local population, but the city just kept bleeding legal jobs to Metropolis.
A friend of a friend got him his first job with the Falcones, and busting heads for the Family had been plenty exciting in his twenties. He never really had an ‘in’ with the big bosses, though, and consequently never had much upward mobility there. Joining up with Black Mask had seemed like a fine idea, once he admitted crime was the only career option he had. Promotions were readily available in Mask’s gang, but it wasn’t until after taking the job that he realized it was because the sadistic bastard kept killing half his workforce. By that point, Lars was in deep enough that jumping ship would likely get him a bullet anyway, so he settled for middle management and tried to keep his head down.
When Red Hood exploded into the city, Lars was sure this was the gang war that would end him. Clearly Hood was suicidal, and Mask was stubborn enough to burn his whole empire if it meant he was the last one standing. Then Hood started winning and even better, freely recruiting from Mask’s old gang. Hood still had to clean house on occasion, just like any gang leader in Gotham, but not the way Mask did. Lars certainly wasn’t fool enough to try double crossing the Boss, and he absolutely didn’t want to mess with kids, so he felt pretty safe.
So yeah, Lars liked his job.
Finding out the boss was young enough to be his son (not that Lars had kids, or was even sure if he’d ever wanted any) had been a shock. At least it explained why some of the other lieutenants kept telling Hood to get more sleep and eat his vegetables. Compared to that revelation, Hood’s identity - both civilian and former vigilante - had barely seemed noteworthy. Some of his coworkers tried to claim they’d always known that Bruce Wayne was the Bat, but Lars just rolled his eyes at their posturing.
Few of them were surprised when the Bat decided beating criminals wasn’t enough, and instead beat his own son.
Then Katie in the, uh, cleaning department may have overheard the boss grumbling about needing a bodyguard to face the bat-bastard. They weren’t sure yet if this meant Hood trusted them or just hadn’t noticed that he spoke aloud to himself, but either way, no one was letting the boss face that asshole alone. After all, the Red Hood often took down abusive parents, so it was time someone did the same for him.
So now Katie was across the street assembling her rifle just in case, Jamie had rearranged the schedule so backup could be in the area without leaving the rest of their turf unprotected, and well, Lars did enjoy getting to dress up from time to time. Convincing the big man both that it was an acceptable use of resources and not a hardship on Lars had taken a few days, some subtle worrying about a potential hit on Red Hood, and one rather pointed comment from Lars that he wanted a new suit but didn’t have an occasion to justify it, but he had managed to swing his invite.
><><><
Generations of Waynes may have hosted parties and fundraisers in the ballrooms of the Manor, but Bruce didn’t like allowing civilians in his home or close to the Batcave any more than appearances required. Fortunately, Gotham offered plenty of event spaces that were opulent and expensive enough to impress even the snobbiest families and trashiest gossip columns. The current gala was held on the rooftop patio of a towering gothic skyscraper, which was somehow less crumbling than much of the city. The autumn evening was mild enough that the open space was quite comfortable, but braziers were spread around to be lit for warmth if the night turned cool. Unfortunately, a starry night was too much to ask of Gotham, but pavilions draped in fairy lights hid most of the smoggy sky.
When his oldest son had suggested reinstating the annual benefit for Jason’s favorite cause - and thereby tempting the boy to attend - Bruce had immediately made arrangements for a location surrounded by the gargoyles his son so loved. It warmed his heart that his Jaylad was keeping his nose clean and spending more time with the family. If Jason enjoyed this gala, maybe soon he would visit the Cave or even the manor, and Bruce could know that all of his children were safe at home.
With the space filling up with guests, Bruce soon had to stop fussing over the arrangements and instead fuss over his children. All but Jason were already present, with Tim and Steph gossiping with some of the younger Gotham heirs, Cass dragging a begrudgingly-amused Damian around the dance floor, and Duke silently judging rich people and using his ghost vision to avoid making any faux pas. This left Dick, of course, to shoulder the bulk of Bruce’s fretting.
“What name did you put on the security list? We don’t know if he’ll attend under an alias…”
“Relax, B, he has a physical invitation too. Besides, it’s not like he couldn’t get in if he wanted, anyway,” assured Dick in calming, if impatient, tones.
Of course Bruce knew that his son - his talented, gifted son - could get into the party whether security knew he was invited or not, but Jason was always so insecure about his place in the family. Being turned away at the door might result in him disappearing on them entirely for weeks to come. “We should have gotten his input on the recipient charities. You know he has opinions on which ones are trustworthy.”
“Bruce, it’s fine. We don’t want to overwhelm him yet, just show that we care about his interests.” Privately Dick thought it hardly mattered, as Jason had quite violently eliminated the corruption in Crime Alley, but now was not the time to remind Bruce of that. They needed their father tonight, not Batman.
Even with his eyes trained on the entrance as he wondered whether Jason would choose to arrive late or not at all, Bruce still managed to miss the first appearance of his son. No, he was too distracted by the behemoth entering instead. The man was even taller than Bruce or Jason, with a full beard and wild hair past his shoulders which he had not bothered to properly style. His colorful suit may have been quite fashionable among the more daring attendees, but the shirt underneath was rather low cut for a high society event and the sharp lines failed to hide the breadth of his shoulders or size of his muscles. The grim expression, flashing eyes, and facial scar completed the picture of a standard Gotham henchman, if not one more outlandishly dressed than the norm. And was that a neck tattoo he could see behind the beard?
Batman made it a point to memorize up-to-date dossiers on not only Gotham's high society and other influential citizens, but also notable visitors and any listed attendees to these galas, which were often targeted by villains; he knows this man is not an invitee who happened to be a newcomer to the social scene with poor fashion taste, but rather a henchman trying to infiltrate a high profile Wayne event. As he was mentally reviewing known thugs and their bosses, wondering which rogue was trying to ruin Jason’s fundraiser and how to stop it with the least interruption, Dick perked up at his side.
“Look, Jason’s here! Told you it’d be fine.”
It was only the words of his eldest that made Bruce realize his wayward son was side by side with the thug. First came the flash of irritation, thinking Jason would bring a criminal - or worse, Red Hood business - to a civilian event. Then he saw the stranger put a constricting arm around Jay's shoulders, preventing anyone in the crowd from rescuing the boy. Jason gave the man a nod and a tight-lipped smile, and Bruce suddenly wondered if that was how Catherine Todd had looked at Willis in public. Jason may think he's an adult, savvy enough to protect himself, but it’s all too often that children fall into the habits of their parents.
In a blink he realized Dick was already halfway to Jason and his apparent date. Bruce may have been itching to talk to his son, but right now he needed to see how this stranger would act.
><><><
Jason hated relying on his employees for backup. He knew they were competent - he hired them, after all - but they weren’t vigilantes and didn’t need to be dragged into bat-level danger. And okay, maybe it was a bit of a pride issue, accepting help from anyone but the Outlaws. At least he was pretty sure Lars thought this was an undercover Hood deal, maybe a threat from another gang, rather than bat-business. It was just another set of eyes on the crowd, and someone to cover a retreat if Bruce did get violent.
"Don't act like a bodyguard; I'm trying to lay low," Jason said as the aging elevator ticked slowly through the floors. He wasn't sure if it was their bulk or their resting bitch faces, but they had the ride to themselves despite the crowd.
"Of course, boss," Lars said with more cheer than the situation warranted.
"Don't act like my employee, either. Just, don't allude to us working together at all. We're just friends tonight." It likely wouldn't fool the bats, but the last thing he wanted was to flaunt that he'd brought a henchman.
"Okay, babe." The shit-eating grin did not escape Jason's notice.
"Not a date either, Lars. You know Morgan's been taking that HR training, no reason to give them more headaches." It was almost nice, slipping into normal banter, before the doors opened and he had to be simultaneously charming and alert.
Almost immediately after entering the main space, he felt the weight of a bat-glare and saw Bruce apparently attempting to set Lars on fire with his eyes alone. The workaholic detective was probably already trying to match the face to any known gangs or henchmen. Red Hood may try to shield his employees from the Bats, but he knew most of them had been on this side of the law long before joining his gang. It was hard to say whether Lars would have ever fought Batman directly, or if his work with Falcone and later Black Mask had been enough to get him into the bat-files. Great.
At least Dick approached right away. Jason could make conversation well enough with the big birdie, and hopefully he wouldn't have to face Bruce alone, even once the paranoid asshole got over his investigative mode. Dickiebird wasn’t necessarily the best buffer, given his temper and habit of siding with Bruce, but he could probably distract Jason from making snide remarks that would only cause more problems.
"Jay! I'm so glad you came!"
"Yeah, yeah, hey Dickie. Told you I’d be here, didn't I?"
Dick's gaze slid to Jason's left, appraising Lars. "I thought you'd be bringing Roy," Dick questioned in the teasing voice he liked to use for alluding to Jason having a crush.
“Eh, you know how Roy feels about Bruce, not a great combo.” Not that he would have minded spending the evening talking shit with Roy when no one was around, but Dick wouldn’t appreciate those shenanigans, and this way Jason could emphasize how he was on his best behavior.
“Oh yeah, B and Ollie’s stupid feud and all that,” Dick said with a laugh. Jason was thrown for a moment, but he realized Dick would want to give a plausible ‘civilian’ excuse that didn’t involve Arsenal shooting Batman on a roof.
"Anyway. I didn't want to take him away from Lian. This is my friend Lars."
"Pleasure to meet you, Mr. Grayson." The greeting was oddly stiff, even though Lars was usually better at undercover work.
Dick blinked before falling back to his charming socialite expression and small talk.
"Jason." Bruce's greeting was abrupt and carefully neutral. He must have recognized Lars by now, or just decided to investigate in person.
"Bruce."
"Mr. Wayne." Jason wasn't sure why Lars was being so curt; he had no reason to have any more ill will towards the Waynes than to any other family of Gotham's upper crust. Maybe this was just his way of acting disinterested.
"And how do you know Jason, Mr...?" Bruce asked.
"Oh, it's Lars, and we're just friends," answered the man in question, pasting on a smile and returning his arm to Jason's shoulders. Jason hated to admit that he appreciated the comfort, forcing himself not to relax into the contact.
They managed some polite and boring small talk for a bit. Yes, the weather was lovely (for Gotham); yes, the party was well planned; yes, he'd been keeping busy with 'work.' Thankfully Lars had gotten over his teasing mood from the elevator and stuck to bland and generic responses.
Then, when Bruce snagged some wine from passing waitstaff, he inexplicably chose to shove a glass into Jason's hand as well. He knew Brucie sometimes still played the 'drunk idiot' cover when he wasn't being 'tired dad,' but the man ought to remember that Jason didn't drink and had never liked Drunk Brucie. Even as a child, before he had any concrete reason to fear Bruce, even when socialite shenanigans were different from a drunken rage, Jason had known better than to trust adults with alcohol.
He glared at the drink in his hand for a moment before Lars carefully took it from him. He idly wondered what his henchman thought of all this - maybe that Red Hood was vetting Bruce Wayne and his charities for corruption?
Bruce narrowed his eyes at the handing over of the glass, and Jason wanted to groan. Had it been a test? What was 'still doesn't like alcohol' supposed to prove?
"Why don't we browse the other refreshments, Jay?" At least Lars was running decent interference, what with Bruce starting to look angry; now they could talk to some of the other batkids. Duke was usually willing to chat regardless of Bat/Hood drama, and Lars might enjoy talking fashion with Stephanie.
><><><
Jason’s date was already defensive when Bruce joined the group, making him wonder what the thug was hiding. Or perhaps he was trying to antagonize Jay’s family to further isolate the boy. Dick had said Jason was reluctant to attend tonight, and he had certainly been absent from family events for a while; it would make sense if an abusive partner had been trying to cut off any safety net.
From up close, it was also clear the man was easily twice Jason’s age or more, begging the question of whether he saw a younger partner as a status symbol or just more easily controlled. When this Lars again put an arm around Jay, Bruce noticed his son freeze briefly. Fear? That could mean his 'partner' got violent with him, in addition to the emotional manipulation.
As the inane chatter carried on - Dick was doing a wonderful job making his interrogation polite, as though nothing was wrong - Lars did eventually let Jason go. Then Jay twitched as though to hold hands with the man, and Bruce could admit he panicked a bit. He grabbed a drink from a passing waiter and shoved the glass into Jason's hand. Though successfully distracted from any contact with his 'friend,' Jason was now staring, confused, at his new beverage.
And then Lars casually took the glass away, as though it were normal for him to control what Jason could drink.
Bruce was seeing red and had to mentally restrain himself as Lars dragged his son away from him. As much as he wanted to bundle his Jaylad safely away from this abuser, they had to do it carefully. He could begrudgingly acknowledge that Jason likely wasn't in any physical danger during the gala, so they had time. Dick had already drifted off, likely to gather the rest of his siblings for the mission.
><><><
Having swapped the glass of wine for some juice and hors d'oeuvres, Jason was discussing poetry with Duke. As they compared favorites, Lars had managed to position his back to one edge of the roof, so he had a good view of both Jason and the rest of the party. He was talking to Steph, who was gesticulating wildly.
“Jason, I’d like to speak with you.” Bruce had appeared behind him, and he shuddered at the feel of a threat at his back. Jason made brief eye contact with Lars, signaling the man not to follow him, just keep an eye on the crowd instead.
"Of course you would," Jason muttered as they retreated to a more secluded corner of the roof. He may not have a grappling hook hidden in his tux, but he was confident he could free climb down the building to escape if need be. In fact, he could see a gargoyle sprouting from the facade a few feet below and couldn’t help but wish he were already hanging out down there instead.
"How have you been, Jaylad?"
"Been great," he forced out, resisting the urge to point out how much physical therapy he had needed lately. Was Bruce asking if he'd killed anyone lately, or if he was healed from their last encounter? At least mind games were better than another brawl.
“I hope you’re enjoying the event?” Bruce started in that deceptively soft tone that usually meant he wanted to guilt Jason into something. "I thought about calling it the ‘Jason Todd Memorial Benefit’ but–”
“Stop telling people I’m dead, old man,” he interrupted half-heartedly. He already had a tombstone with the name Jason Todd, he didn’t need another reminder that Bruce had taken away the Wayne.
“Jaylad, I wanted–” Bruce reached to grip his shoulder, and Jason had to hold his breath as he tried not to imagine that hand covered in the reinforced bat-gauntlet. He swallowed, just to reassure himself that he could, that he wasn’t choked by the remains of his helmet as Batman dragged him across the roof. He could not afford a flashback now, couldn’t start a fight in public, couldn’t anger Bruce and trigger another beating. Fortunately Lars stepped up to them at that point and interrupted the moment. Jason took the pause to remind himself that Bruce wasn’t Batman right now: he wouldn’t start anything where people would see, and his attention would be split between Jason, Lars, and the crowd if he did.
“Hey Jay, how’re we all doing over here?” Lars threw an arm over Jason’s shoulder. He appreciated the save but still needed to put up a token protest.
“Lars,” he said pointedly, “you could’ve kept talking to Steph, didn’t have to come join us.” He even managed a halfhearted glare - ha, no one would think he was happy to be rescued from a conversation with Bruce.
Lars, the little shit, hummed back. “Couldn’t leave you alone like that at such a fancy party. How would it look, if your date abandoned you?”
“Not a date, Lars,” he grumbled back, definitely without smiling. No sir.
“But I got you to smile,” returned Lars, squeezing Jason’s shoulder before letting go. His words were joking, but Jason didn’t miss that he was grinning wickedly at Bruce. “And if you’re done here, I’d love to hear more about that poet you were recommending?”
“Yeah, sure.” He let Lars lead him back to where Stephanie and Duke were chatting, and was inordinately grateful that Bruce didn’t follow with anymore talk of memorials.
><><><
Bruce was seething. That man was mocking him, teasing his son as though they were a happy couple, even as Jason tried to deny their relationship. And the way Lars had smirked! Like it was a game for him, pointing out how easily he could manipulate Bruce’s child.
It took a moment, after Lars led Jason away, for Bruce to pull himself together. He knew how to manage domestic abuse cases, and it would do no good for him to let his temper get away from him. Just as his breathing slowed and he was about to approach his children and ‘Lars’ - as good a situation as he could expect right now, with Duke and Stephanie also trained to de-escalate abuse, though he would prefer the whole family available - the man himself peeled away from the little group to approach Bruce instead. Excellent. The fool would regret thinking he could threaten Bruce.
“Mr... Lars,” Bruce sneered, intercepting him and drawing him away from the crowd. They would need privacy for this discussion.
“Wayne.” Lars didn’t seem concerned about being isolated, and it was that overconfidence that would allow Bruce to send him running.
“I don’t know what your intentions are with my son, but I–”
“Well I don’t know why you think he’s your son. You certainly haven’t cared before.”
“Excuse me? I will not be insulted by a guest at my own benefit held in my son’s honor!” Bruce said through gritted teeth. The man wisely chose not to interrupt again. “I expect you to leave without causing a scene. You will not speak to Jason again. You will not hurt Jason again.”
"You think I’m hurting him? I'm not the one who keeps trying to kill his own son," hissed the giant, and what was that even supposed to mean? "Boss might not want you dead yet, but if you ever touch him again? The whole gang will put you right in the ground.
“Bat. Or. No bat,” the thug continued, emphasizing each word by poking the center of Bruce’s chest where the bat symbol would be on his costume. So that was it. Jason was being blackmailed by some two-bit villain who knew their identities. No more. He would not allow his son to be treated like this.
“Hey Lars.” Jason must have noticed that the two men had disappeared, joining them with a hand on his date’s shoulder and giving a firm look just shy of a glare. Lars attempted to shove himself in front of Jason to once more cut the boy off from his father. Bruce reached out, ready to throw this man to the ground, witnesses or no, when Jason flinched.
><><><
Sticking close to Steph was pretty usual for Tim when she attended these events. He liked spending time with her, and she was a pleasant distraction from all the “colleagues” who wanted to discuss Wayne Enterprises.
It was less usual for Damian to voluntarily join Tim in this situation. Steph - the traitor - had abandoned him with the gremlin and sauntered off to one of the refreshment tables. Damian glared at Tim but still stuck close to his side and made none of his usual caustic remarks. Then when Dick joined them, Damian didn’t even bother to stay with his favorite sibling, instead grumbling “finally” and stalking off into the crowd as though released from a chore.
Wait…
“Dick, are you guys trading off on babysitting me?” he seethed. It wasn’t uncommon to need backup at a gala - high profile and wealthy events were favored targets for both costumed villains and standard robbers - but why wouldn’t anyone have told him of a suspected threat? Tim was so tired of the Bats underestimating him.
“No! Of course not, it’s just…”
Tim raised a brow, unimpressed.
“Well, you know, Jason’s here, and…” Really, Dick needed to learn to get to the point.
“I don’t know if I’m more insulted that you think I couldn’t handle him myself, or that you’d invite him if you really thought he’d cause trouble,” Tim griped. “Dickie, he apologized, we even worked together on that Fear Gas bust last week.”
“I know, Timmy, that’s what I told him! But, well… he-thought-you’d-feel-unsafe-with-him-here,” Dick admitted in a rush. “And then I thought he might feel better if we just… humored him for a bit? Just until he’s more used to spending time with us?”
“He thinks I’m still scared of him?”
“I just don’t think he forgives himself for attacking you?”
Honestly, Hood’s attack on Tim was hardly the worst or most recent violence in the family, and he didn’t expect it was Jay’s biggest concern either. Tim had been surprised Jason was willing to attend at all, given how his last interaction with Bruce ended.
“Dick, you don’t think it’s possible he’s projecting on me?” Tim forgot sometimes how oblivious both his older brothers could be.
“Projecting what? You think he’s scared of you?”
Fucking hell. Wait, had Dick not noticed the fight last year? It was on an open rooftop in the middle of the city, for crying out loud! Even Tim had noticed, and he had already been pulling away from Batman’s control by that point. Sure, the fight hadn't gotten much public attention - everyone too distracted covering the Penguin shooting or trying to get footage of the mysterious sky building - but how could Dick not have noticed what Batman had done.
“Dickie, what do you think happened with Penguin last year?”
Dick took a moment to process the seeming non-sequitur. “What do you mean? Jason was laying low until it was clear Cobblepot had survived. You think Penguin got to him?”
“Just… okay, where’s Jay now?”
“He was talking to B, last I saw. In the northwest corner?”
“He’s alone with Batman??” Fucking hell. Apparently it was up to Tim to do damage control for this family, as usual.
><><><
Tim looked grim as he booked it towards where Jason was last seen, and Dick had years of detective experience under his belt. The comments about projection and fear certainly meant something, but Tim had seemed most concerned that Jason was with Batman. Bruce might have expected his first protégé to look for more evidence rather than jumping to conclusions, but well, Dick was more inclined to trust Timmy than Bruce.
They reached the edge of the crowd just in time to see…
…To see Jason flinch from Bruce’s hand, ducking behind his friend before fleeing. Thankfully he went back indoors, rather than down the side of the building.
Bruce looked absolutely murderous as he grabbed for Lars’ shoulder, but the man just casually broke the grip and chased after Jason. Tim followed, which left Dick to manage their father.
“What did you do, Bruce? He was scared of you, he flinched!”
“Dick, I expected you to notice the signs. That ‘Lars’ person has been hurting him, they have to be separated.”
Yes, Dick had noticed the signs. He’d noticed both men tensing up around Bruce, only relaxing when they were alone or talking to the younger siblings. But Jason had always been tense around the family, and Dick had… he’d thought a public event would work better. He’d thought it was working, until his little brother flinched from their father.
“What did you do?”
><><><
Why is he scared of you? He flinched! The sound of Dick’s cold fury faded behind him as Tim chased after his other big brother. At least it sounded like Dick would be running interference with Bruce, so neither would show up unexpectedly to spook Jason. Hopefully Tim wouldn’t spook him either.
Jason had retreated to a private lounge in the interior section of the party. His mysterious guest had been speaking softly to Jason, but he moved to intercept as Tim entered.
“You can fuck right off too, birdie,” the stranger growled, but Jason called him off.
“Tim’s fine, Lars. At least his beef with me is reasonable,” he said, not taking his eyes off the ground beneath his feet.
“Boss…” The man - Lars - still seemed ready to violently remove Tim from the room, but acquiesced when Jason silently waved him away. Lars moved to stand guard at the door, not quite leaving but giving them the illusion of privacy. Tim was quite sure he was just waiting for Tim to mess up.
Okay, so Jason had brought one of Red Hood's underlings to a Wayne gala, probably for a similar reason he’d set a guard on Tim. Score one for the “projection” theory.
He took a seat next to Jason, slumped on a small decorative couch. It had seemed like an easy prospect, helping Jason, when Tim had been talking to Dick. Faced with the reality of the larger-than-life Red Hood being scared of their father, Tim found words failing him.
It ended up being Jason who broke the silence, though he remained looking at his feet. “Sorry I made you uncomfortable. Dick said he’d keep you safe, and I’m leaving soon anyway.”
Shit. Maybe Dick would have been better at handling this, given Jason had convinced himself that Tim was terrified. “If anyone made me uncomfortable, it was Bruce. I’m more worried about how you’re doing.”
Jason dragged his face up to meet Tim’s smile but quickly dropped his gaze back to the carpet between his feet. Honestly, the pattern wasn’t even that interesting. Tim sighed.
“I took my issues out on you, multiple times. I’m no better than Bruce.”
“Sorry, Jay, but I’ve just fought too many people scarier than you.” Tim softly bumped shoulders with his big brother. “And you apologized. So did Damian, and I forgave him, too. You really think you’re worse than the baby assassin?” he said, going for a soft, teasing smile.
“So you think I should forgive Bruce.”
“Fuck, Jay…” Tim sighed. “Jason, you aren’t my father.”
“I… what?”
“You aren’t my dad, you didn’t owe me anything. Traumatized teenagers with no support systems duking it out is very different from a grown man taking out his anger on his own son.” His eyes slipped unbidden to the base of Jason’s neck, where he knew a batarang scar was hidden by his shirt collar. “Bruce was supposed to protect you, or at the very least not actively hurt you, and it makes sense that it would hurt worse when he betrayed you. It makes sense that you want nothing to do with him.”
“Dick wishes I’d get along with Bruce. Called him my dad.”
“Yeah, well, Dick would rather we all suffer silently as long as he doesn’t have to confront the unpleasantness,” Tim scoffed, then worried he’d said too much. The last thing he wanted was to influence Jay’s other relationships, or to imply that Tim wasn’t quite as okay with all of the attempted fratricide as he claimed.
“Look, I don’t think Dick knew about… last year. You and Bruce. If you want to be mad at anyone, I knew and never spoke up.” Tim leaned into Jason in a way he hoped was comforting.
“I don’t want to be mad, Timmy. I’m so tired of it.”
Tim smiled and tried nudging Jason into looking at him. “Is your bodyguard gonna freak if I suggest we go to a secondary location?”
“Fucking finally!” Lars burst out, confirming that he’d been listening the whole time. “I’ve been ready to leave since the bat-bastard first opened his mouth. Too many enemies here.”
Jason’s head shot up, and Tim had to work hard not to be upset that Lars could get attention (and eye contact) when his own attempts at camaraderie had not. Then his brain managed to process the words and the breath caught in his lungs.
“You know?” asked Jason incredulously.
Lars’ broad grin managed to make him look charming and friendly. “You talk to yourself very loudly about your childhood… hobbies, Boss.”
“C’mon, let’s go get burgers or something.” Tim felt faint, and all the more motivated to move this conversation far away from Bruce.
><><><
“What did you do?”
Bruce had the absolute gall to look offended that Dick would question him. “Are you really going to ignore the obvious wildcard here to focus on me? We don’t even know Lars’ last–”
“He didn’t flinch from Lars! It was when you reached out!”
Bruce rolled his eyes, as though this were a trivial debate and not their family. “We can argue later whether to blame me or his mysterious, previously unknown friend. He knows our identities and was willing to threaten me. We need to neutralize him - then we can sort this out.”
Dick’s stomach dropped past his feet and settled somewhere around street level. Anyone - let alone a complete unknown - discovering their secret was one of the worst possible outcomes. His gaze snapped to where Jay and Tim had disappeared, but the glittering crowd hid any answers. There was no telling what kind of demands Lars might make, whether he wanted blackmail or the more direct prize of capturing a bat.
Dick marched off to find and rescue his little brothers, Bruce a comforting presence at his back. Even after a fight, Batman would keep the family safe.
><><><
He found his escape artist little brothers - and Lars - in a diner much closer to Crime Alley than to the gala in the Diamond District. When he realized all three had left the event unnoticed, Dick might have thought his heart had stopped, if it weren’t for his decades of training to stay rational in a crisis. He only had Tim’s cheerfully vague ‘Taking Jay for dinner’ text to suggest they hadn’t been abducted, and Lars’ threats to Bruce were just as much evidence to the contrary. Dick had to keep his head on straight.
To see them laughing now over greasy burgers and late-night breakfast food, he felt silly to have worried, followed by a flash of guilt. Hadn’t he told himself to trust Tim’s concern for Jason, to find out why his brother seemed scared of Bruce? But Bruce had valid concerns too! A security breach this serious had to be investigated quickly, especially if Lars could be using their identities to threaten Jay.
“–’cause I must’ve been the last to know,” Lars was saying. “Everyone was going up to him like 'did you get any sleep last night, Boss?' and 'here have some spinach, Boss!' and I had no idea why until I saw him in person and he had such a baby face!”
“That’s what that was about?! Fuck me, I thought everyone offering vegetables was a spy for Ivy!” Far from being insulted, Jason seemed amused at this revelation.
Still, this friendly conversation gave no sign of immediate danger, and he could hardly pick a fight over secret identities in public. Dick clawed back his temper and focused on his habitual reminder not to jump to conclusions. Rushing in wouldn’t help anyone.
“Hey guys…” Dick couldn’t miss the way Lars’ grinning laughter collapsed to vague distrust at the interruption. “Did you really have to leave the party so early?”
That was completely the wrong way to start, judging by the way Jay’s face closed off as well.
Tim was immediately defensive, insisting that his earlier text had been sufficient, but Lars just rolled his eyes. “The company here is better, anyway,” he grumbled, with a smile for the waiter refilling his coffee.
As soon as the waiter bustled off and their table was relatively private again, Jason admonished: “You’re not on the clock right now Lars, dial it back a bit,” before turning to face Dick.
“Sorry I ditched, Dickie, but staying was a bad idea. Next time I’ll know to decline and save us all the trouble.” Jay glanced at Tim, apparently for moral support, since Timmy nodded back. How had this much changed in the course of one evening?
“Here, try the French toast.” Jason nudged a plate towards him, and Dick numbly took a seat.
“So Lars is…?”
“My employee. The last time I was on a roof with Bruce and no backup, it didn’t end well for me.”
"But that's not..." Dick would swear he heard Lars mutter “birdbrain” under his breath, which was… not exactly the menacing threat Bruce had told him to expect. Tim made steady eye contact, as though daring him to disagree, and Dick thought that maybe he should stick with his earlier instinct of trusting his little brothers over Bruce’s paranoia.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t think of it that way. We can hang out without Bruce, though,” Dick apologized, accepting Jason’s syrupy peace offering. He could enjoy this quiet dinner and get the full story later.