_{Jason wasn’t much for casual conversation. Everything he said meant something or another, layers of meaning stacked up one on top of the other. He reminded Dick of Bruce, in that way, except Jason was more prone to humoring Dick’s antics with teasing remarks. He did so now, which made Dick stop in his tracks, his plight up the mantle hindered by momentary hesitation.}

_{Grinning, he pulled himself up the rest of the way, perching there like a bird set to take off, waiting for someone to notice him. He was a teenager, yes, but that didn’t mean he’d lost his childhood spirit. In fact, he rather liked imagining he was eight again, the whole of Gotham his big top tent.}

_{”I found a ring dagger,” he said in answer to his brother’s over-the-shoulder throwaway comment. He hadn’t even turned to look back at him. Tch. The dagger was promptly thrown at the vigilante’s head.}

Part of adopting a hyperactive assassin in training-not to mention being a superhero-was observing the world around you. Being hyperaware of your surroundings. Noticing, for example, that Dick had thrown a blade at him, and knocking it out of the air with the cast iron skillet, without spilling the eggs now cooking.

“Come on, dickhead. Breakfast is ready. If you want pancakes, cook em yourself. Batter is in the fridge.”

He dumped hash browns and eggs onto a plate, then set four strips of bacon on top. Two slices of toast covered that, and he slid the plate across the counter.

“Eat up. I’m taking Alex a plate.”

Just as he turned to take the tray in, he saw Arielle. Her hair was in a towel, and she was dressed only in Jay’s button down from the night before. He shot Dick a glance, watching as he scrambled down off the fireplace.

“Good morning.”

Her eyes brightened at the food, and she kissed him on the cheek as she took the tray from him.

“Sorry, I used your shower. You realize that you could fit like, ten people in there, right? You have six showerheads! Holy shit” She looked down, slightly embarrassed. “I mean, it’s nice, don’t get me wrong.” Taking a deep breath, she sat down with her tray, grabbing a piece of bacon off the top. “So tell me, Handsome, what exactly do you do again? I seem to have a bit of a blank spot from last night.”

Jason smiled, then sat down as well. “I run a security company. Government contracts, R&D, etc. By the way, this is my little brother, Richard. He’ll grown on you.”

Alaska looked startled, then composed herself. “I’m sorry, I didn’t see you there! Hi! I’m Olivia. It’s nice to meet you!”

Jason locked eyes with Dick, daring him to make a comment about getting her name wrong.

waywardspook:

Nose flicks aren’t uncommon as they remain to be the safest way to wake Dick up from deadman snoozes without ending up with the blankets flung over your head or a kick in the face. Still, they aren’t very nice and Dick doesn’t appreciate them. At all.

He slips out of the room without alerting Abby to his reckless invasion of her privacy—though he thinks that she should know better than to crash-land herself in a vigilante’s home and then stay the whole night. That’s just dangerous. Really. She’s asking for trouble (of the mischievous sort!)

“I had full intentions to wake Arienne up,” he says as he intertwines his arm with Jason’s. “But your bed is just so soft so when I sat down and Roxy was there… It was fate to fall asleep again, J-Lo.”

If one boy could contain the entire sun, Dick Grayson was it, despite the Richard comment. (How impolite.) Even in the dead of the morning, he is a cheerful ray of bright and exuberant optimism. So, with a skip in his step he joins the his pseudo brother in the kitchen, hovering over the mercenary as he busies himself with taking out various pans and ingredients.

Whenever Dick was anxious, guilty, or just feeling awkward, he talked. A lot. So the ridiculous stream of verbage that was spewing out of his mouth wasn’t a surprise, or even something out of the ordinary; that didn’t, however, make it any less tolerable.

"Hey, Richard. Hush.”

Bacon went into the pan, popping merrily as it cooked. The sun, now fully risen, blazed in the morning sky. Jason could hear his shower running, and Roxy sniffing around for dropped morsels of food.

All in all, not a bad way to start the day.

“Richard? Why are you on top of the mantle?”

waywardacrobat:

the boy drags his feet through the compound,
half asleep and bleary-eyed. it’s late at night,
but he can’t sleep and he’s not sure who is home,
so he’s not sure if there’s anyone he can talk to.

he punches in the keycode for jason’s level
and the door creaks when it opens, dispelling
compressed air at the same time. it blows his
unruly bangs away from his eyes and he tiredly
swipes them back into place as he meanders
through the level.

eventually he spots the light of a holo-pad
casting jason’s face into sharp, blue shadows.
dick walks over, drapes his arms over jason’s
neck from the back of the couch, mumbles,

”Are those new specs for the Dragon?”

it’s not often the kid sneaks up on him
but then again, he was trained by the best.
the noise of the door barely made him blink
cause roxy has a chip on her tag.

he’s tired and he’s messy and he’s all that jason
isn’t. but he let him into his life anyway.
from spilled milk to shoemarks on the tv,
dick has made his home here.

jason isn’t paying attention to the comings and
goings. he’s drawing up plans for ilya to work on
later. strong arms appear, and jason smiles.
he always smiles for grayson.

“Hey Kid. Yeah, working up some additional stuff for the Mark III. Any ideas?”

waywardacrobat:

Sitting on the edge of Jason’s bed, Dick pokes at Roxy’s furry butt as another received text causes his phone to chirp. The woman in the adjacent spot left quite a mess of clothing everywhere, the sheets just barely covering her naked fleshy bits. With a slight flush, he turns away back to his phone…

[ 7:24 am; txt; sent ] alexis will definitely be awake and around when you get back with the milk.

Twenty six minutes later, Jason was back home, two gallons of milk in his hand. Tossing his keys onto the counter, he found the room empty, and quiet. After stowing the milk into the fridge, he made his way into his bedroom, where-no shit-Roxy, Dick, and Adrian were asleep, in one large pile. Exhaling slowly, he stepped forward, crouching next to the bed. A scratch behind the ears woke Roxy, and a flick on the nose, Dick. A slow kiss woke Anna, and she opened her eyes, bleary.
“You’re awake!” She yawned, stretching. She hadn’t noticed Dick yet, but idly rubbed Roxy’s stomach. “Morning, Handsome.”

Jason grinned. “Breakfast in fifteen, girls. Snooze, and lose.” Glaring at Dick, he left the room, hearing the telltale sings of the gymnast behind him.

“So much for awake and around, Richard.”

waywardacrobat:

[ 7:24 am; txt; sent ] where else would i be, this is my home now. mi casa that is also su casa. my cave of wonders. my bread cabinet. my rabbit hole.
[ 7:25 am; txt; sent ] please get milk

[7:29 am; txt; sent] I’ll be back within the hour. If Ava is still around, wake her up. I’ll grab milk if she’s gonna be awake.

waywardacrobat:

[ 7:23 am; txt; sent ] that is not a lady and ur already out
[ 7:23 am; txt; sent ] you get milk 😡

[ 7:23 am; txt; sent ] Interesting. Could be Henri, or Ilya. We all were out. I remember falling asleep in the Library, anyway. You’re at the Complex?
[ 7:23 am; txt; sent ] And no, I’m busy, and apparently I’ve got a Goldilocks problem now. I’m not getting you milk.

waywardacrobat:

[ 7:20 am; txt; sent ] who’s in your bed then?
[ 7:21 am; txt; sent ] also we’re out of milk. ): ): ):

[ 7:23 am; txt; sent ] Go look, if you’re so curious. I think her name was Amy. Annie? Andrea. Something. See if she wants cereal, when you go get milk.

waywardacrobat:

[ 7:12 am; txt; sent ] hey old man, when are you going to get out of bed

[7:13 a,; txt; sent] I’m in the Narrows, kid. What do you want?

DftD (ToDAtL) | Chat | Jay and Roy

repeatrenegade:

[Roy frowned regretfully, sucking his cheeks in, chewing anxiously even with mostly pursed lips. This isn’t how he wanted it to go— he hadn’t meant to sound upset, he just found it hard to fall back in line with the way things were here. Roy had gotten used to boundaries— to setting boundaries for others, not letting them in. He forgot that this was supposedly his family, that the Outlaws who had been hurt by so many others, didn’t keep themselves from those they loved.] “I know. I’m sorry, Jaybird. I— I’m still getting used to it. The arm. It’s kinda a sore spot. Didn’t mean to take it out on you. [He sighed deeply, pulled in a strong breath, filling his chest before exhaling once again, slowly as he looked over at Jason again.] “I want to stay… I think I just.. had to remind myself it’s different here.”

[His demeanor changed at Roy’s words; Jay visibly relaxed, his face slipping back into a smile.] “Different? For your froggy ass, maybe. Hasn’t changed from what we always were, Harp. You’re my brother, and that won’t change.”
[He meant it, for the most part. Maybe Roy wouldn’t return to being a vigilante. Maybe he’d take a supporting role, who knew. The surprise for Jay was, he didn’t really care. Roy wasn’t dead. That was all that mattered.]

Brute Squad | Kori and Jason | Chat

lifebetweenthedeath:

Ah. Well, the choreography of that one is beautiful, but the one at the end is still my favorite. [The truth was, the fight at the end always made her cry; not just because Inigo reminded her of Roy, but because of that one striking line, the line they could all identify with too well, of a loss that they could never get back.] Not a clue. It’s got to be one of the best films of all time. [She readjusted on the couch, curled up against Jason’s side. Exhaustion from her shift began to settle in, eyes beginning to droop, but Kori persevered — for the sake of how much she loved the film, if nothing else.]

[She rested her head on his shoulder, and he slid lower on the couch. She was warm, but still wrapped in a blanket. The heat seeped into him, and they were both asleep before the Wesley and Buttercup reached the Fire Swamp. Lightly snoring, they both appeared dead to the world, content, well fed, and back in each other’s lives. Friends until the very end, too close to be confused with anything else. Closer than lovers, closer than she and Roy had ever been. Entirely without romantic feelings. Siblings, united in spilled blood.]

[Outlaws.]