Chapter Text
Rain pattered against the skylight above everyone dancing. The bright lights made it practically impossible for Jason to see what was happening in the dark night above them, but he stared anyway. These galas were boring. The first few he went to he was enraptured by all the wealth and opulence, now after living with Bruce 6 months he was tired of it. It was all just so much. Why did all these rich assholes get to spend money on fancy dresses they’d wear once when kids in Crime Alley barely had winter coats.
He shivered a bit at memories of standing in the cold night, wishing he could bundle up. Wind biting through his hoodie and shorts.
Bruce was doing his best to get the kids of the Alley help, but a lot of them wouldn’t take it from Bruce Wayne or the Batman. Trust wasn’t something that Alley kids were taught.
Jason mused to himself about how he could sneak off next time they were on patrol and go stick wads of cash in the mail slots of all the families in his old apartment building. It could keep the working girls and kids off the streets for a few nights. It would be something at least.
Jason grabbed some more appetizers and stood in the corner. A few of the kids around approached him to chat. He always smiled big and introduced himself animatedly before their parents came to drag them off. He could feel someone’s eyes on him and looked around hoping to find Bruce. He knew they were reaching the point in the night that he could ask to leave and Bruce would grant it.
Instead, he looked up and saw a man staring at him. A shiver rolled through him. There was something so familiar about him. The man was with a few other businessmen, but he wasn’t participating in the conversation anymore. His total focus was on Jason.
For the first time since he took the Robin mantle, Jason felt like prey.
His breath quickened as the man put on a fake smile and walked towards him.
“Hi Jay,” his voice was deep and raspy.
Suddenly, memories of harsh hands on his hips and hot huffing breaths in his ear and so much pain came to him. He wanted to vomit. He wanted to hide. He wanted to run. He wanted- He wanted- He wanted-
He couldn’t hear anything the man was saying; his ears were rushing. He took a step back and saw the man come forward another step.
“I didn’t think I’d see you again, thought you got shot or OD-ed like those other Alley rats.”
“I-. I don’t-,” Jason managed to get out between pants.
“It’s ok, it’s our secret. I’ll be seeing you a lot more now, I guess.”
Jason wanted to cry. His breaths weren’t coming. He was so trapped. And there was no one to save him.
There was no one to save him. There was no one to save him .
Distantly, he heard a deep and familiar laugh booming from across the room. He took his eyes off the man for a moment and saw the top of Bruce’s head only about 20 feet away.
He looked back at the man who raised his eyebrow like he had asked a question, maybe he had. Jason was too panicked to pay attention.
In a split second decision, Jason threw his plate at the man and went scrambling towards the only safety he knew.
Jason ducked around people and followed the beacon of safety. He pushed through the crowds till he saw Bruce’s back was a few feet away.
“DAD!”
“DAD!”
Bruce whipped his head around to see Jason, tears in his eyes, staring up at him. He looked terrified.
Within a millisecond, he had forgotten all about whatever vapid conversation he’d been having. He leaned forward and picked Jason up, and cradled his head close.
“Son, is everything alright? Are you hurt?”
Jason shook his head into his neck.
“Are you in danger?” He whispered while petting Jason’s hair. After a few seconds, he shook his head. Bruce was trying to scan his surroundings. A few people were dancing. Most were chatting. He saw Lex Luthor in one corner far from where he was. In another corner, he saw a man who seemed to split food on his shirt trying to clean up. A few kids were in a gaggle having giggle-filled conversations but the dance floor.
No danger in sight. But Jason’s hesitation to shake his head had put Bruce on high alert.
“Can we leave?” Jason whispered into his ear, his voice shaky. Bruce thought he could feel tears soaking through his blazer.
“Of course, Jay,” Bruce spoke softly, trying to calm the boy. At the nickname, Jason went rigid in his arms. Bruce was starting to freak out, and desperately hoped it wasn’t obvious to Jason.
“It’s alright, Jason. I’m going to get you out of here now, just stay in my arms.”
Bruce turned and gave a quick goodbye to the few people he’d been speaking to. They were watching in interest, but tried to hide their stares when Bruce turned. He wanted to roll his eyes at them but he had more important things to think about, like the 80 pounds of boy currently shaking like a leaf in his arms.
The crowd parted around him and for once he was thankful of the way people treated him. He strode out of the hall and tossed cash to the valet, who went off running to get his car.
Bruce felt the rain on his skin and shifted the shivering boy to be half-hidden under his coat.
“Jason, we’re going to be home soon, honey. You don’t have to tell me what happened, but I would prefer you let me know if there was any sort of danger so I can help,” Bruce spoke softly, glad he’d been reading all those parenting books that he bought in one of his more productive fits of brooding.
Jason nodded and gripped the fabric of his shirt as if he meant to dig himself into Bruce’s body.
The black Lamborghini pulled up and Bruce was depositing Jason in the front seat before the valet had even gotten out. He nodded at the man and got into the car as fast as possible. Jason was tucked into a ball in the passenger seat, and Bruce had to lean over to help him put his seatbelt on.
The boy was practically catatonic, and Bruce gripped the steering wheel so hard he thought it’d crack. Something terrible had happened and he didn’t know what. Worse, he’d been across the room when it happened and he didn’t stop it.
As they drove, Jason uncurled himself and sat staring out the windshield completely emotionless.
“When we get home, we can watch a movie if you want. Or you can go to sleep if you’d rather rest.”
God, Bruce wished he knew what was wrong. So he could go punch something instead of sitting here helpless as he watched his son who was in so much pain and terror that he was completely silent.
Bruce looked over every few minutes to make sure his son was still there. He hadn’t felt so helpless in a while. It terrified him.
He was glad when they finally pulled into the driveway of the manor. He parked right in front of the doors, he could move the car to the garage tomorrow.
“Hey chum, we’re back home. Let’s go inside, huh?”
Jason nodded, still staring out the window. Bruce relaxed just a bit at him being responsive. He got out of the car and rounded the car. As he opened the door, Jason started to climb out. His eyes were down, it was the same nervous face he’d make for the first weeks he was at the Manor. His shoulders hunched down and Bruce could tell he was making himself small. Bruce’s heart dropped at the fear radiating off the boy still.
He walked him into the foyer, a gentle touch to his shoulder. After he took his coat off, he knelt down to meet Jason’s eyes completely. He took a deep swallow at the sight of tears in Jason’s eyes, “We don’t have to talk about it. But I want you to know that if you ever feel unsafe or get hurt, you can come talk to me and I will do everything in my power to protect you. I promise I will never be mad at you for telling me something.”
He wished the boy would tell him. He hated the idea that he couldn’t protect his son from everything. But he knew he had to wait for Jason to feel comfortable.
Jason’s stoic face was turning more sad, tears welling up in his eyes.
“I want to tell you, but I-,” His voice burst out, fat tears rolling down his face. He looked so young at that moment, “I- He… I can’t…”
His breathing was getting faster and choppier and his sobs were cutting off his words. Bruce wanted to latch on to the “he” and push but he knew that was the last thing Jason needed. Instead he spoke low and put a gentle smile on his face, “It’s ok, sweetheart, how about we take a few minutes to relax, and then you can tell me when it feels a bit easier.”
Jason bit his lip and nodded. So Bruce walked him up to their rooms in silence.
“Put on some pajamas if you’d like, and I’ll make us some hot chocolate,” Bruce opened his door for him and watched Jason walk in, before he closed the door he added, “Where do you want to sit?”
Jason paused a while before speaking, “The sitting room.”
“Ok honey, I’ll wait for you there.”
Bruce stepped into his room and ditched his suit with practised quickness, putting on comfortable pants and a shirt which could double as the underclothes for the Batsuit. He wanted to punch Jason’s problem, even if that was probably not possible.
He steadied himself for a moment before going to the kitchen, not wanting to scare Jason.
He heated up the milk without any thought, staring at the wall ahead of him. His brain flickered through all the things that could have happened. Years as Batman showed him the horrors that people could inflict on children, and the idea of any of that happening to his son made him feel sick.
Jason didn’t really remember the drive back, his brain had gone to panic mode and he was trying to drown out the world. Bruce was going to be angry at him for making a scene . Bruce was going to send him back to the streets where he belonged. Bruce was never going to look at him the same. Bruce would save him. Bruce didn’t save him.
He slipped on pajama bottoms and a shirt, before deciding he also needed a hoodie. The more hidden he could feel, the better.
After fretting in his room, he finally made his way downstairs. He knew he’d have to tell Bruce eventually. That man was in the same circles as Bruce. Maybe more of those men did too. He felt sick at the idea that Bruce hung around those people. He’d been terrified when Batman first picked him up that he was going to be used and pushed back onto the street. But Bruce was kind, he never touched or pushed or stared.
Bruce is a good man. He repeated to himself. Wishing his belief could stop the tremors going through him, and the visceral fear that came with the idea of being near Bruce’s massive frame and his strength.
He walked to the sitting room, and could see from the flickering light through the crack in the door that the fire was lit. He remembered telling Bruce that he loved when the fire was lit because having lived in apartments his whole life, the idea of a fireplace was so novel to him. Bruce is a good man.
Bruce was sitting on the couch, nervously stirring the cups of hot chocolate and testing the temperature of the side of the cups. Bruce is a good man .
Jason took a deep breath and sat beside Bruce.
Bruce tried his best to seem casual and open as Jason sat down. He wasn’t as vacant as he had seemed before. The improvement made Bruce hopeful.
Jason sat next to him in silence and stared at the fire. After a few moments, Bruce leaned forward and picked up one mug and handed it to him.
Jason took it with an almost inaudible “Thank you”.
After a few sips he spoke, “I don’t know how to start.”
“Well, how about we start with what scared you today?”
Jason took a breath, “A man I used to know.”
That was a bit of a shock to Bruce, he didn’t think many people from Crime Alley ended up at those Galas. But he was glad he was one step closer to fixing this problem, “Did he threaten you?”
That made Jason hesitate, “No… Not really.”
“Did he hurt you in the past?” Bruce tried to phrase his question carefully, not wanting to overwhelm Jason.
At that Jason nodded. His lip was trembling and he set his mug in his lap. Oh sweetheart, how can I fix this for you.
“Who was it?”
“Frank. I don’t know his last name. Or if that was even his real first name. He’s a finance guy.”
Bruce went still, there were two Franks he knew of at the part. He could go back through the camera feeds and see which one had been speaking to Jason before Bruce saw.
“How did you meet him first?” He swallowed harshly, knowing the kinds of men Willis had hung around with.
“I used to hang around with the working girls. They took care of me. And I was around there one day because I needed to ask one of them for some extra food money.”
Bruce’s heart sank further with each word. He was fairly sure he’d never fully know everything Jason went through while living on the streets. The boy loved to act as if it was all completely normal and not something to be spoken about. So learning that he had gone to a group of prostitutes to keep him safe and fed was heart shattering.
When Jason kept talking, Bruce barely avoided taking a sharp inhale, “They didn’t have it. But I still needed money.”
He looked at Bruce from the corner of his eye and Bruce nodded trying to assure him that he was listening. Jason bit his lip before he spoke again, “So when a car came by and wanted me to get in instead of the girl, I went.”
The world stopped for a moment. Bruce felt nauseous, angry, and devastated at the same time. The idea of someone doing that to a child was sickening. The thought of it happening to his child had him seeing red.
“Oh my sweet boy, I am so sorry you went through that.” He held himself back from hugging his son, the newfound information making him overly aware of how he was holding himself.
As soon as Bruce spoke, Jason burst out in tears. He turned and leaned his body into Bruce and began heaving from the strength of his sobs.
“I only did it for a few months, and only when I really needed it. I promise.”
The sound of Jason trying to apologise and assure Bruce made him begin to cry too, “I understand why you did it and I would never be mad at you, only at those men. There should have been someone there to protect you.”
I should have been there to protect you.
He ran his hands along his son's back, trying to tell if it was making him uncomfortable. Jason nuzzled in further, like he was trying to hide his face and Bruce placed a soft kiss on the top of his head. He muttered words of comfort while tears seeped into his shirt.
“You’re so strong. So brave. Thank you for telling me,” Bruce hoped Jason could hear him over his fractured sobs, he would tell him again tomorrow too. He would make sure that he told him every single day until he never questioned how loved he was.
He allowed Jason to cry into him for a while longer, until the boy eventually cried himself to sleep. Bruce was careful as he carried him to bed. As he gently laid the boy in bed, Jason opened his eyes just a crack, “I don’t want to have bad dreams tonight.”
Bruce understood the request. There’d been plenty of times that Jason had snuck into his room in the night and spoke those words after being awoken by nightmares.
“Of course. Goodnight, I love you.”
Jason’s responding “I love you too” was mumbled but Bruce heard it.
He made sure to use a separate blanket from Jason, in case he wanted that layer of separation. He lay next to Jason and stared at his son until his breathing evened out. After a few minutes, Bruce snuck out his phone to contact Alfred.
B: Need you to bring me my laptop in Jason’s room, there was an incident at the Gala and I need to find out who it was.
A: Is Master Jason alright?
B: He’s terrified, but physically fine. It’s sensitive, I should probably leave it up to Jason about how much you know.
A few minutes later, Bruce had his laptop in his hand and was scanning through security footage.
An hour after that, Bruce had nearly vomited off the side of the bed when he found texts between Frank and the Wayne Industries CFO discussing best times to go visit the Alley, nothing too obvious but it told him all he needed to know.
An hour after that, a file of evidence was created as well as a detailed schedule of the next time Frank would be home alone in that big house where no one could hear his screams or his bones snapping.
For a moment, Bruce looked back down at Jason and was glad to see the boy still sleeping peacefully. He put his work away and laid back down, staring at his son until sleep made his eyes heavy.