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"Kitten," says Catwoman to Jason and he blinks slowly. "What would you like to eat?"
Jason startles like a deer in headlights. "Uh–"
"There's a fast food place nearby," she says. "Would you like a burger?"
Jason is so confused. He just tried to steal the tires from the Batmobile, hit Batman with the tire iron and called him a big boob and they're offering him food?
The masks are weird as fuck.
"Yes please," he says politely because his mother had taught him manners.
Catwoman coos like he's the cutest thing she's seen since tuxedo cats.
He would feel more offended by it if she hadn't put her hand on his head and ruffled his hair, long nails gently scratching his scalp.
Jason sniffles lightly because his mom used to do that for him and now she's gone –
"Bats," says Catwoman, pulling Jason closer and tucking him under her arm.
He feels so safe that he melts into her touch.
"Can you go get–" She looks at Jason quizzically and he realises he hasn't given them a name yet.
"Jay," he offers because they might be vigilantes, but he doesn't want them to look up his name through foster records.
Usually, he would have said Peter but something about Catwoman makes him want to be called Jay again.
"Can you go get Jay" –she punctuates his name with an extra hair ruffle and it feels so nice –"some burgers, fries and a milkshake from Batburger?"
Batman stares.
"You want me to go to Batburger as Batman," he says flatly and Jason curls up further into Catwoman.
He may be Batman but his strong and wide stature reminds Jason of Willis Todd.
"Yes," says Catwoman and Jason flinches because she may know how to fight but he's Batman –
"Okay," says the literal Dark Knight and Jason stares in disbelief.
As they watch Batman's cape flutter out of the alley, Catwoman pulls down an old fire escape ladder and helps Jason up.
"I'm not a baby," says Jason as her hands hold him steady as he climbs the rusty grating.
"Of course not, Kitten," she agrees easily. "But for my sake?"
Jason's hand tightens across the metal bar. Had anyone ever wanted to do something nice for Jason just because?
At least, not since Mom–
Jason scrambles onto the rooftop, trying to put as much distance between him and Catwoman as possible.
He hadn't thought about his mother so many times–
"Kitten?"
To his horror, there are tears in his eyes.
He tries to turn away but Catwoman's there, her hand gently tilting his chin and making him look her in the eye.
"What's wrong Jay?"
The tears overflow.
Catwoman doesn't say anything, just pulls him close.
He buries his face against the side of her neck and she just whispers soothing words in his ear, hand trailing against the nape of his neck.
"You're alright Kitten," she says. "Everything's going to be just fine."
Selina hadn't expected her night to take this turn when she'd stepped into her suit.
She had been running along the rooftops with Batman running after her.
For once, the Gotham sky had been clear and there were a handful of stars scattered across it, as bright as the stolen diamonds in her pocket.
She was already trying to calculate the closest safehouse Bruce had out here–they both knew how this was going to end.
Or maybe they wouldn't make it back to them–rooftop rendezvous had a certain je ne sais quoi, after all.
(Selina knows she's getting weirdly sentimental about Bruce when she starts using too many French derivatives. That week-long vacation in Paris was one of the best times she'd ever had.)
Bruce and Selina weren't together at the moment but that had never stopped the Bat and the Cat before.
She snaps her whip, the end curling over the railing to give her momentum to bridge the gap between the two buildings when–
"Bats," she says, screeching to a stop. "There's a kid trying to steal your tires."
Selina sees Batman.exe bluescreen and Bruce Wayne–concerned father figure–surfaces immediately.
She knows him well enough that he's probably going to end up taking this kid home, just like he had that little boy from the circus so many years ago.
But then the boy ends up being a tiny wisp of a kitten with a mop of dark hair and cheeks too thin for a child of his age.
He's a spitfire–fierce and unrelenting even in the face of his obvious fear of Batman.
Selina resists the urge to scream. Lashing out at the people who hurt Kitten would do nothing other than scare him.
And he curls himself into Selina with such obvious hunger for a kind touch that all she can do is offer it to him.
He buries his face against her neck, his tears are warm as they soak into her hair but all Selina cares about is wrapping him close and telling him, "Everything's going to be fine, Kitten."
She would do anything to make it so.
Bruce isn't going to get this one, Jay was her Kitten.
"I'm sorry?" says the Batburger cashier with a squeak.
Bruce repeats the order.
"It'll be right out," they say faintly, rushing back into the work area and ignoring the proffered money.
Bruce sighs but tucks the hundred-dollar note into the tip jar.
Thankfully, the place is abandoned, given that it’s four in the morning so he just browses through the brightly coloured menus they've put up on the walls.
He almost smiles at the new toy for Nightwing, the godawful disco suit complete with that absurdly deep V-neck.
What on earth was that boy thinking?
It's immediately replaced by a grimace when he remembers that Dick wasn't even talking to him anymore.
Clark ( Clark!) had to tell him that the Titans were on a deep space mission and therefore, unreachable when Bruce tried to call him one day.
He snaps back when the employee comes back with a massive grease-stained paper bag and a carrier filled with milkshakes and coffee.
Batman grunts in thanks as he grabs the food and makes his way back.
As he grapples up to the rooftop, the thought of the bold little boy who tried to steal his tires makes him want to laugh.
My boy, he thinks fondly, the same way he had so many years ago on that fateful day. I will protect you from now, I swear.
When he hauls himself over the railing, he sees Jay bundled up in Selina's arms and squashes down the irrational burst of envy.
He sees her mouth: 'Rock, rock, maternal gesture' as she sways Jay back and forth on the spot: something from one of those bright animated shows Dick used to keep playing in the Manor (and the Batcomputer, despite Bruce's repeated warnings.)
Bruce resists the urge to wheeze at the spot and makes a note to get a clipping of the moment from the cowl footage.
Selina glares at him like she knows what he's thinking.
"Hello Jay," says Bruce slowly, dropping the Batman™ gravel voice. "Would you like something to eat?"
Jay peeks out from behind Selina and combined with his big blue eyes, it looks like he's a shy child hiding behind his mother's skirts.
It's downright adorable and it takes all of Bruce's willpower not to change his expression.
Selina has no such qualms and grins saying, "He won't bit ya kid, I promise."
Jay looks at her like he's seeing her again for the first time.
Normally, Selina's Gotham grit accent was faint enough that you couldn't pinpoint where she was from.
But she had grown up here, in Gotham proper. Like Jay himself.
"You're like me," he says softly and Selina caresses his cheek. He nuzzles into her hand and Bruce wonders how long has it been since someone took care of him.
His red hoodie is threadbare and falling apart at the seams, his hair looks like a squirrel's nest and Bruce could see Jay's toes from where one of the soles split at the bottom of his shoe.
Children are supposed to be taken care of.
They shouldn't have to live on the streets and fend for themselves.
Bruce hands over the bag to Selina while giving the Harley Quinn strawberry milkshake to Jay.
"I hope you aren't allergic to anything," says Bruce as Selina gives Jay the rest of his meal.
Jay, who had pulled off the top dome of the milkshake and chugged down half of it in one go shook his head. Selina just nudged the Jokerized fries towards him.
(Bruce doesn't think about how Jay hasn't probably eaten in a while. About how Selina used to know hunger and desperation like that all too well.)
He inhales the food and Bruce sips his coffee, watching fondly how he leans against Selina.
It's weirdly domestic if one ignored every other bizarre thing about the situation.
As Jay crumples up his empty wrapper, Selina asks, "Jay, is there an adult–"
Jay flinches and backs away. "I'm not going into the foster system–"
"No one will put you there," says Selina fiercely and Bruce is reminded how little he knows about her past, other than the tiny snippets she's offered in the darkness, as they lay tangled together.
"Your parents?" tries Bruce but Jay's lower lip wobbles dangerously and oh no –
"No," says Jay, looking away. "Mom's– gone and Dad – " he spits out the word with unveiled hatred. "Was sent to jail."
"I'm sorry Kitten," says Selina, looking like she wants to reach out but is holding back. Bruce can relate to that.
Jay sniffles and Bruce finds himself saying, "Maybe–"
Selina manages a watery version of her usual Chesire grin. "You would?"
"I'll call Agent A and ask him to set up a room."
Jay stiffens.
"What–"
Selina kneels down in front of him, cradling his jaw in her hand. "Batman's going to take you in Kitten. You know Robin right?"
Jay's eyes begin watering and he manages to rasp out, "You're leaving?"
Selina blinks like she hadn't expected him to even consider that.
"You can stay," says Bruce. It was because of how hurt Jay would be if she left. "Agent A can make those buttermilk pancakes you like tomorrow." Had nothing to do with Bruce himself whatsoever–
Selina smiles softly. "Yeah okay. What do you think, Kitten?"
Jay just plasters himself against her side, like he's afraid she's going to leave if he lets go.
Bruce kind of gets where he's coming from.
"Come on then Kitten," says Selina, her hand back in Jason's hair. "We should get going. Boys your age shouldn't be up so late."
Jay grumbles under his breath and Bruce wants to document every one of his micro-expressions and memorise them, from the upturned corner of his eyes to the way there were paint fleck freckles dotting the bridge of his nose.
Just as Selina moves to drop down the fire escape ladder, Jay says, "My name's Jason."
Jason.
It's something so precious and Bruce holds it close to his heart as Selina presses a kiss against Jason's temple and says, "Well, then Jason. You ready?"
Jason resists the urge to shift from where he's buckled in the back of the Batmobile.
Oh, if only the Jason of two hours ago could see him now.
“Ya ready Kitten?”
It’s terrifying, to trust someone else ( adults no less) so completely but Catwoman’s smiling at him and her eyes are soft and kind behind the amber lenses and he finds himself nodding.
“Yeah, I am.”
“Young master,” says Alfred and he observes the way the slip of a boy clings closer to Ms Kyle at the words.
Alfred needs to revisit protein and carbohydrate-rich diets because he was certainly well under the ideal weight threshold.
Perhaps a visit with Dr Thompkins was in order, to figure out the best plan to combat the malnourishment the boy went through.
“Never again,” thinks Alfred staunchly as he leads Jason to the room he set up next to Master Richard’s. “Never again will you go hungry as long as I’m around.”
Jason’s shock at the size of the room is noticeable, despite the best Alfred had done to strip it down to basic necessities.
His relief when he spotted the bolt and chain that would keep the door locked was palpable.
Alfred quickly left.
It was best not to encroach on what little safe space the boy would find in his new room.
Ms Kyle radiates anger when Alfred places a cup of chamomile tea in front of her and he can’t blame her.
“I don’t know what to do,” she admits and Bruce’s hand wavers like he’s not sure if he should place it on her shoulder for comfort or not.
“You’ll figure it out Ms Kyle,” says Alfred, placing Bruce’s cup with a little more force than required against the saucer. “ Together.”
Bruce gulps nervously and says, “Yes, we will.”
Alfred resists the urge to sigh. Honestly, what would that boy do without him?
Selina stays for breakfast and leaves before lunch with a promise to be back and a kiss against Jason’s forehead.
He’d only waved distractedly, having found the library an hour prior and nose first into a fat copy of Little Women.
The days slipped by, with Jason either locked up in his room or sunken in a library armchair, completely captivated by whatever he was reading.
Occasionally, he could be found in the kitchen with Alfred, helping to roll out the dough or watching the cookies bake as he sat on the counter and ate whatever healthy treat Alfred nudged at him.
However, the Wayne family member he loved most was Ace.
He was absolutely smitten with this giant German Shepard and treated him like a puppy.
Ace, despite being an extremely well-trained guard dog, simply melted under his touch.
“Good boy,” said Jason as he scratched between Ace’s ears and Ace’s tail thumped loudly against the floor.
He was still nervous around Bruce, who decided the best course of action was to leave him alone for the most part and only interact with a buffer present.
However, four days after Jason’s arrival, Alfred sent him up to fetch Jason for dinner and Bruce had run out of interferences to run so he slunk up the steps.
“Jaylad,” he says, trying out the name and trying to ignore how right it felt.
His father used to call him lad, the same way he used to call him chum.
The latter was Dick’s name, regardless of whether he wanted it anymore or not.
But this, this one could be Jason’s.
“Jason?” said Bruce a little more frantically when there was no response.
He shoved the door open with his shoulder, expecting the worst-case scenarios.
Was his boy okay–
The room was empty.
Bruce was hyperventilating and nearly missed the note pinned to the headboard.
Rage coursed through his veins. How had someone infiltrated his home and taken his son without any alarms not being set off?
He plucked it off and his heart rate calmed when he noticed Selina’s handwriting.
Anger turned to confusion as he read the note.
My Kitten, it says. My turn.
What on earth–
Jason’s lounging on the massive sofa in ‘Selina’s’ penthouse. The double-storied apartment has massive glass walls that showcase the entire Gotham skyline and Jason had no idea this city could look this nice.
Well, he supposed there was a reason people stayed here.
It wasn’t the appeal of never-ending Rogue attacks after all.
There was a bench with a mattress stuck in a swing in the main balcony and there was always a cat or two asleep on it.
A tiny ginger kitten that Selina had found a week prior to ‘kidnapping’ Jason himself was curled up on his lap.
Selina said he could name her and he poured over so many books before he finally decided on Calliope.
The Chief Muse: presiding over epic poetry and eloquence.
“Nerd,” Selina had said fondly, ruffling his hair as Calli snuggled in closer.
Selina was out, looking for a new dress because the Gotham Museum was hosting its Annual Gala and she needed to attend it.
Being a socialite was so much more tiresome than the books had suggested.
She did say that she would be back by dinner.
They were going to make Gumbo and Jason had already pulled up about seven different recipes on a tablet that Selina said he could use.
He felt–at ease, and it was so foreign and tantalising–dancing across his tongue and settling into his bones.
It was addicting and Jason is suddenly faced with the awful certainty that he can’t survive without it anymore.
Before those dark thoughts can engulf him, the doorbell rings.
Jason startles and Calli yowls as she hops off his lap and disappears under the couch cushions and blankets.
He carefully inches towards the door and peeks out through the peephole.
“Alfred?” he says, opening the door by a sliver, chain still in place. “What are you doing here?”
Alfred looks as elegant and posh as always as he raises an eyebrow.
“I am here to take you back to the Manor, Master Jason. Master Bruce wished to see your return himself but he thought you would feel more comfortable with me.”
Jason feels something warm settle into his chest. “He did?”
“Master Jason,” says Alfred kindly. “He adores you. There is nothing he would not do for your sake.”
Jason thinks of his mom’s soft hands as she cradled his face, Selina’s arms wrapped around his middle as they watched a movie with four cats surrounding them.
Alfred and his quicksilver wit but careful hands as he taught Jason how to make cherry pie.
Bruce, Batman– who took him in even when he didn’t have to and gave him a home.
His calm eyes as he watched Jason scarf down breakfast only to push forward a glass of orange juice and tell him to slow down Jaylad, you can have as much as you want.
Jason removes the chain and opens the door. “I need to leave a message for Selina,” he says as Alfred observes the apartment.
Jason scribbles down a note onto a post-it and sticks it onto Bast.
She’s the oldest and most dignified of all the cats, an Egyptian mau with stunning green eyes and the calmest temperament Jason’s ever seen.
She doesn’t react to being treated like a glorified notice board and simply gives his fingers a lick as he draws them away and then moves to fish Calliope out of the blankets by the scruff of her neck.
“Oh my fu–freaking god,” says Jason as they take the elevator. Alfred looks at him questioningly. “Bast’s the cat version of you.”
Alfred’s expression betrays nothing. “If you say so, Master Jason.”
Alfred drives a fucking Rolls Royce and Jason’s afraid to even touch it.
“It won’t bite,” says Alfred, opening the door for him and Jason slides into the backseat, admiring the feel of premium leather beneath his fingertips.
“Master Bruce shall hopefully be back by the time we reach,” says Alfred, as he starts up the car. “He went to get takeout.”
“Okay!” says Jason, pressing his nose up against the glass and watching the Diamond District streets pass by as they make their way up to Bristol.
Jason hops out as soon as the car stops and is immediately tackled by a blur of black and brown fur.
“Ace!” he says happily as the dog sloppily licks whatever part of Jason he can reach. “Good boy!”
There’s a sharp whistle and Ace heels–still pressed up against Jason’s side.
“Jaylad,” says Bruce warmly and Jason smiles slightly as he waves.
He adores you.
“I hope you like Indian food, I got some from Baadshah.”
Jason actually knows the place–a tiny restaurant located between Bowery and Crime Alley and run by an old grandma who always remembered everyone’s names.
He used to go there with Mom sometimes if he did well in school and it was a good day.
“Alfred, Ms Shah asked if you’ve developed a flavour palette yet,” said Bruce cheekily and Jason laughed.
That did sound like something she would say.
Food is supposed to have masala– flavour! It is meant to be enjoyed beta. Don’t you forget that.
“Unfortunately my genetics still remain British,” says Alfred. “So I assume it is an automatic no.”
Jason sets the table and lets out a small sigh when Alfred opens the container and pours out the contents into a tureen.
Butter chicken, beloved.
They sit and Jason’s about to put a piece of gravy slathered garlic butter naan into his mouth when the door slams open.
Bruce immediately tenses while Alfred pulls up another chair.
“ Oh,” says Selina with an appreciative hum, dropping a kiss at the crown of Jason’s head and taking a seat. “Baadshah. I hope you got rabdi.”
“No,” says Bruce slowly. “Was I supposed to?”
“Duh,” says Selina, taking three skewers of malai kebab on her plate. “Dessert is a must, Bruce. Don’t tell me they never served any at those galas you grew up in because I know better.”
“It used to be fondant-covered monstrosities,” defends Bruce and Selina seems to concede that point.
“If you think Ms Shah would let fondant anywhere near her kitchen, you’re mistaken,” pipes up Jason and immediately regrets it when their attention turns to him.
“Absolutely right, mijo,” says Selina and Jason melts a bit at that.
Mom used to call him that sometimes, on the days she remembered to brush her teeth and braid her long hair.
She used to tell him stories of old empires and magic long forgotten as the tea bags would steep in their old chipped cups and fancy butter cookies from the big blue tin.
On the really good days, when Willis was away and it was just the two of them, the radio used to play old Spanish songs and they would dance in the kitchen, and she would let Jason lead and call him mi amor.
They would have horchata that the nice lady two floors down would give in tall, condensation-slick glasses and Jason would go to sleep with cinnamon on his tongue, content and safe and Mom would pull the blanket around his shoulders–
He’s crying.
There are big fat tears rolling down his cheeks and his chest feels like it’s going to burst and it hurts so much–
“Jason!”
He’s being picked up and he can distantly smell the lime deodorant that Selina uses but all he can think of is brown eyes, dirty blonde hair and the way his mom was able to sing even the fast part of Asereje in the original Spanish on a good day.
He can’t stop.
“Baby,” says Selina slowly, and he’s being set in her lap. He curls up against her, nose digging against her collarbone. “You’re going to be alright, I swear.”
She moves her pendant so it doesn’t dig into his face. “I miss my mom ,” he manages to hiccup and Selina just keeps rubbing circles on his back, whispering, “I’m so sorry.”
But that’s not true, isn’t it?
Well, not completely.
Jason misses Catherine Todd so much but that’s not the gist of it.
He hates the fact that it hasn’t even been a year since she–and Jason’s happy.
He loves this new life he’s managed to find for himself, where he doesn’t have to worry about survival.
He can read, has three square meals a day (if not more), and has pets.
Never in his wildest dreams could he have conjured this.
Selina is his–
He swallows the word down.
Bruce, on the other hand, is more complicated.
Willis Todd had left a poor impression of what a father should be like and he’s not quite sure what that’s supposed to even look like.
But if there had to be one, Jason can admit to the fact that Bruce would be a good father.
And Alfred–there was no hesitation there.
Jason had never had a grandparent before and it was so much more than he ever thought was possible.
His breaths are beginning to even out and he suddenly feels moronic.
He can’t believe he left a meal to have a breakdown.
Jason knew better than that–
“Food–” he says and Selina holds him tighter.
“Will still be there after five minutes Kitten. You need to calm down.”
Bruce looks at him like he’s been hit with a two-by-four. He hadn’t even looked like that when Jason had hit him with a tire iron.
“You’re going to be okay,” says Bruce and it’s awkward but said with such certainty that Jason believes it.
If Batman thinks he’s going to be alright, then he will be.
“Can we watch a movie?” asks Jason, mumbling the words into Selina’s shirt.
God, he feels like such a baby right now but it’s–nice.
Maybe it would be okay to be like that for some more time.
“Of course Jaybird,” says Bruce and huh, that’s new.
Jason likes it though.
It reminds him of Robin–bright, colourful and every other good thing that happened to Gotham condensed in one frame.
Hope.
He wonders briefly if Bruce would ever let him be Robin one day too.
Jason thinks it would give him magic.
“Can we watch Pride and Prejudice?”
They end up relocating to the den–with its massive screen and surround sound speakers.
But Jason’s favourite part of the room was the fact the couches were massive and plush–with blankets that he could draw in closer as the movie went on.
He sits between Bruce and Selina, plate on his lap.
It’s domestic, to be enclosed by his–Bruce and Selina on both sides.
The food’s delicious and once he’s done, Jason finds himself nodding off without meaning to.
He falls asleep with his head against his mom’s shoulder and when he wakes up, he’s tucked into bed and the sun is peeking out from the horizon.
Jason’s never felt so at peace before.
Jason sighs as Bruce picks him up by the hood and deposits a note in his place. “Can you at least grab the book I was reading?”
Batman bundles Jason under one arm and picks up the copy of The Lightning Theif that was sitting on the bedside table and hands it over.
Jason tucks it between his arms, burying his nose in the new book smell.
“Bye Krishna,” he says and the loaf of Bombay cat on his bed trills before kneading his pillow and falling back asleep.
“Ready?” asks Bruce for the fourth time in a little more than a week.
What a sight they must make, Batman carrying a kid as he grapples across the city.
At least he got to wear a cool domino mask.
Jason’s wearing an all-black outfit (thankfully not skintight like Selina’s) and they’re sitting on top of the massive dome of Gotham Museum.
“So like, is Bruce your ex-husband or something?” says Jason slowly as Catwoman’s disarming the–intruder alert? Is that what it was? “Am I the kid in this divorce–”
“Shush, Kitten,” says Selina before using a glass cutter to make a hole in the ceiling. Wicked. “Now let me explain how we're going to break into the museum and steal back this ancient South Asian artefact that very much does not belong to them–”
The next day, Catwoman and her new sidekick make the front page of the Gotham Gazette.
Bruce sighs as Selina frames the article and Jason pouts in the corner. He can’t believe they’re calling him Kitten.
He wasn’t even wearing anything remotely cat themed!
"Why?" Jason mumbles as Bruce picks him out of bed and holds him close as he opens the window again.
It's nice, to be tucked against Bruce's side like that: his warm and solid frame made Jason feel safe.
But it's 4:27 am and this is the umpteenth time that he's being picked out of his soft bed with its warm blanket cocoon and he's tired.
"Bruce," he whines, wriggling and kicking out, his ankle knocking against Bruce's elbow. "Put me down."
Bruce immediately sets him down on the floor and backs away.
Jason ignores the flare of warmth and crosses his arms.
"Selina!" he calls out, even if the name fits wrong in his mouth, warping against his teeth and tongue like it didn't belong. He doesn't like to think about it too much.
"Kitten!"
Selina has her whip ready in one hand and a slipper in the other.
Her aggression deflates as soon as she spots Bruce in full Batman regalia.
"Oh it's you," she says as Bast wanders over and winds herself between Jason's feet.
He picks her up and she climbs onto his shoulders, tail curling around his forearm.
"You both have a problem," he says, scratching Bast's ears and both his maybe parental figures flinch.
"Kitten–"
"Jaybird–"
Jason almost backs down because they sound so sad and he loves them more than he thought was possible but he's also so tired.
He hasn't had a good night's sleep in weeks because his body is so accustomed to being woken up at odd hours at any given point.
"Co-parenting is a thing, you know that right?"
Bruce and Selina blink like they did not know that.
That did not bode very well.
What is even worse is the grin that overtakes Selina's face.
Her lips are pulled back into thin lines and Jason can see most of her teeth from how wide her mouth split open.
It looks borderline painful and it so acutely reminds Jason of the old illustrated version of Alice in Wonderland from the Gotham Library that he can only call it Cheshire.
"Bruce?" she says and he cocks his head to the side. "You thinkin' what I'm thinking?"
"We should get married?" tries Bruce with all the elegance of someone who keeps mixing up social cues.
Jason almost facepalms but then sees how Selina's smile widens even further.
"Oh no," he manages to think before Selina picks up Calliope from her spot on Jason's bed. "This is not good."
" Exactly," she says, stroking between Calli's ears. Calli, the traitor, purrs loudly as she butts her head against Selina's hand for more.
Jason scowls as he scratches Bast's chin and backs away. This is not going to plan at all.
"This way Dick Grayson will also be one of mine. That kind of contortion was meant for thievery."
Jason fiercely ignores the warmth he gets at the words and focuses on scrolling through his phone. Selina had just handed him the name of a possible ally on a silver platter.
Bruce does not look as freaked out about marriage as Jason thought he would be.
"Thank god, Alfred will finally stop passive-aggressively asking me when I'm getting married."
Ah, that would do it.
"Jaylad, would you like to be the flower boy?"
What the genuine fuck.
Jason imagines himself stuffed in a puffy white monstrosity and throwing petals down the aisle like confetti.
"As long as I get to choose the dress," says Jason faintly and presses call.
Bruce blinks and says, "If you want to Jaybird."
Dick stretches as he finally enters Titans Tower and hears the rest of the team let out a collective sigh.
"Home sweet home," says Roy as he faceplants into the couch and Dick agrees.
It's good to be back.
His phone starts ringing and Dick is suddenly, irrationally hoping it's Bruce.
"I'm going to–" begins Dick, fishing the phone out of his pocket but Kori smiles and says, "Go ahead."
He grins, slightly confused by the unknown number but picks it up anyway as he heads for the balcony.
"Hello–"
"Dickhead!" says a voice that he has definitely not heard before. How did a tiny child get a hold of his name and hero number?
Before he can start spiralling the boy continues, "I don't know what I did but Batman and Catwoman are getting married and Bruce wants me to wear a dress–"
Dick's mind kind of shuts down at that. The first thing that pops out of his mouth is: "Oh my god, did B adopt another kid? And what the fuck do you mean by married–"
Alfred looks up from the silverware, polish still in hand.
“Ah,” he says, setting it down and getting up, heading to the old vaults within the Manor.
He opens the safe with practised ease, the Wayne family heirlooms glittering from their assigned places.
Alfred ignores Martha Wayne’s strings of South Sea gold pearls and the ancient carved earrings from the Tang dynasty, Thomas Wayne’s set of cufflinks from the set of an old James Bond movie.
Instead, he simply rearranges the rings section, placing what he thinks Ms Kyle would prefer closer to the front.
Alfred tightens the security considerably before he leaves.
After all, he doesn’t want this to be boring.
Billionaire Playboy a Playboy No Longer!
Gotham Prince Bruce Wayne Set to Tie the Knot with Socialite Selina Kyle
Find out more on Page 2!
Tim's vibrating out of his skin once he opens the invitation.
Bruce Wayne and Selina Kyle cordially invite you to –
He's going to Batman and Catwoman's wedding!
And that's not even the best part because his parents will be here.
The Kyle-Wayne wedding is set to be the biggest event of the season and there's no way they are going to miss that.
And Nightwing is going to be there! And the new Robin!
Tim allows himself one wiggle hop dance of jubilation before he settles back into proper decorum like the Drake heir must have Timothy.
He grins, tracing the letterhead with delicate fingers.
"How exciting!" he thinks, skidding down the polished floors. He wonders if he'll be able to find the Batcave if he tries.