#i was half-coherently thinking about that scene when bruce and dick are beating the shit out of each other after dick’s “death’’ | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

thatsjasonfkntodd · 4 years

Text

Lemon and Lime

Who: Jason Todd and Roy Harper ( @ibroughtanarsenal )

When: After Roy’s relapse/detox

What: Dealing with the aftermath of Dick’s injury and Roy’s relapse, Jason has a rare sentimental moment.

Jason:

After Roy’s text about Josh, Jason had just operated on faith that Bruce would contact him and make it happen. He felt like an idiot for not remembering the guy himself. Dick had talked about him and he’d already helped Damian. He hadn’t been thinking straight, though. Not even close. Between everything that had been happening with Roy and then arriving in that alley to the scene that had been waiting for him, he’d done well to keep talking to Dick while they waited and then to string together explaining what little he’d seen happen to Bruce and the others. They’d never had such a ready, thorough solution on hand. He wasn’t used to someone like Josh being an option, but he damn sure wasn’t going to forget the gold kid again. If Dick had died because he hadn’t fucking remembered...But he hadn’t. He hadn’t and Jason had been struggling to accept that and try to just move past it.

When he got the text that he was okay, from Dick himself and not some third party, a tiny fraction of the guilt eased. Not much. It felt like so much of what had been going wrong the last few months was on him, was because of something he’d screwed up or forgotten or just bucked against only to fuck it up worse. It was getting too heavy to shrug off completely. It didn’t help that he had no outlet (also his fault), that there was nothing for him to do but go between Roy’s place and the safehouse. He had nowhere to lay anything down, no one to give it to. Not that he would have anyway.

Still, he wasn’t going to make it worse by making all that obvious. He had a bag packed with a couple of nights’ worth of clothes when he got back to Roy’s. He’d already showered and shaved and made himself look more human in some bid for normalcy. “Dick’s alright,” he told him as he dropped the bag by the door. “Thanks for that. I don’t know how fucking long it would have taken us to remember that guy.”

Roy:

The last couple months had been... a lot. Roy understood why it might be a good idea to extend the time he was taking off work, but for him it wasn't the best option. He needed something to distract him and work was a good distraction. Without it, he was just left alone with his thoughts. It was enough that his mind kept him awake at night. He didn't need to get lost in his head right now. Jason being involved gave him that thing to focus on, even if he tried not to make that too obvious, and it gave him a different purpose. Dick was one of his best friends, but he was Jason's brother. Even if he didn't show it, Roy knew better than to think this was rolling right off his back.

He remembered Josh randomly, when he'd been changing his shirt and saw the leathery scar the bullet had made in his shoulder. Everyone had their powers back. If Josh did half of what Dick said he could, there was no reason why he couldn't do something for Dick. That was the thought he had when he texted Jason. Roy had no idea if Josh had limitations or what, but he figured it didn't hurt to find out. Dick had woken up from the coma coherent enough, Roy even had plans to go see him later, but that didn't mean he hadn't been damaged in ways they couldn't detect yet.

"So he showed up? I was about to head over to the hospital." He wasn't sure how things were going to go down, or if Josh would have been able to do anything, but he was relieved it hadn't amounted to nothing. "Good. I wasn't sure if he could heal something that serious. I don't know much about him, but he tried to help me in the park. You know, before everyone lost their powers."

Jason:

Dick had sent him a picture in front of the Play Place at McDonald's, which was a stark contrast to the last way he'd seen him. It was testament enough that he'd be alright. "I guess he can. Dick said he was feeling a little out of it, but he left the hospital." That wouldn't have been an option for weeks (Jason didn't even know how long, really) otherwise. When Jason had visited him after he'd woken up, Dick's memory had seemed fine, but he hadn't done a lot to test the theory. Moreover, none of them had a clue what his balance and coordination would really be like. Weeks of being bedridden would've affected it even more. Josh had saved him a hell of a long road forward.

Jason combed a hand back through his hair and walked to the kitchen to get a drink just so he had something to do with his hands. He'd been sort of toying with new gear at the safehouse here and there, just for a few minutes at a time. Just to let his mind go somewhere else. Now that he was with Roy though, he put his full focus there again. Maybe the trash couple of months they'd had were finally over.

"How are you feeling?" He had no doubt that Roy was tired of him asking him that question. Especially coming from him. He wasn't exactly the hovering, nurturing type, but he couldn't stomach the idea of coming across like he didn't give a fuck right then.

Roy:

"Surprised they let him leave." As soon as the words were out of his mouth, Roy felt stupid. Of course they let Dick leave. He was the son of Bruce Wayne. Money went pretty far even in a city like this, especially now that the same wealth was connected to one of the most infamous vigilantes in the country. He was relieved that it wasn't going to be as fraction of as bad as he imagined. Gunshot wounds weren't a walk in the park. That was something he knew firsthand. And gunshot wounds to the head came with dozens of complications. "That guy's useful to keep around as long as the inhibitors stay off."

Leaning against the couch's armrest, he peeled off his jacket and tossed it over a nearby chair. He made the effort to eat more now that his appetite was coming back. "Hungry. How do you feel about pizza?" Already he was pulling up the app and scanning the places nearby. Usually they went for Thai, but he was in the mood for something different tonight. "I know my neighborhood has shit choices, but at least they deliver." It wasn't like they could ever get delivery at Jason's safe house.

Jason:

“Yeah...not used to having an ace in the hole like that. Could’ve used him about a dozen other times.” They’d all had the hell beat out of them and worse. Way worse. He assumed Josh had plenty of other things to do than keep their family alive, but it wasn’t like Bruce couldn’t offer him a handsome reward. How much was it worth to save his kids? Jason almost wanted to ask out of morbid curiosity.

He walked over to stand behind Roy, still clutching a bottle of water in one hand, and peered over his shoulder. “Get one with everything but pineapple.” Not that he wouldn’t also eat the pineapple, probably, but it was a wrench in the line-up. Jason kept hovering as he ordered and ended up setting he bottle down. He hated the weird buzz of nervous energy he kept having. He wasn’t used to it, it felt all out of place.

Once the pizza was on its way and he saw the little tracker pop up on the app, he reached to put his hand on Roy’s hip and turn him. “The neighborhood isn’t that bad. At least you don’t live in the fucking suburbs.”

Roy:

"I wouldn't have remembered him if it weren't for the whole..." Roy gestured to his shoulder, even though it was healed by now. Every now and then he had small shooting pains in it, but he figured that would go away eventually. It wasn't as if he knew how Josh's powers worked anyway. Maybe that wasn't even something he could do anything about it. "Bruce might as well contract him out at this rate. Just bring him along on missions." Poor guy. He was now another honorary member of the batfam, whether he wanted to be or not.

He smirked and hit the order button. "Too late. Three pineapple pizzas coming up." Maybe he wasn't as detail-oriented as most people, but one thing he could remember was a pizza order. Jason's, at least.

Tossing his phone on the couch, he was prepared to say a comment about suburban life, but then hesitated once they were actually facing each other. Jason's strange energy didn't go unnoticed, but he didn't even know how to pinpoint where it might be coming from. There were too many possibilities. It hadn't been an easy month. "What, Red Hood doesn't dream about buying a little house with a white picket fence? Welcoming me home with a martini? I could get on board with the suburbs."

Jason:

“Pretty sure he already pays for the kid’s clinic thing.” Jason didn’t really know the details. Dick had told him a few things about Josh, some of which he was pretty sure had been a half-assed attempt to bond with him, but he hadn’t asked a lot of questions. They’d all owed him for helping Damian, though, and now that was doubled. He definitely wouldn’t be forgetting about him again.

He immediately scoffed. “You act like I wouldn’t eat three pineapple pizzas.” He would without hesitation, but even Jason wasn’t really thrilled by the idea of it hanging out beside some anchovies. Just because he’d eat practically anything didn’t mean he wanted to spend money on something that shouldn’t reasonably exist.

“Sure, I’ll get down on one knee right now. We’ll have a tasteful wedding. You’ll join the housing association, I’ll barbecue for the neighborhood. We can get a couple of those...” he opened one hand, “fucking French bulldogs or something. Call them something stupid like Lemon and Lime.”

Roy:

Roy snorted. "So he basically paid for medical care and then didn't use it." Bruce had looked pretty strung out at the hospital, shell-shocked, like they all were, but it was still a bit amazing that he hadn't remembered Josh existed. He knew Jason was upset by the whole thing, so it was difficult to maintain any level of frustration about it. "I didn't think about it until my arm cramped up. It's like you said, we're used to taking care of ourselves."

Even though he was more than willing to try anything, pineapple pizza wasn't something he wanted to try twice. Pizza was one of those things Roy liked to be plain. "The cheese is the best part. Don't see why people like covering it up with all the other flavors."

"Tasteful wedding my ass. I'm marrying one of Bruce Wayne's kids, that shit should be bougie." Lemon and Lime. He laughed. "It's like you read my mind. Except golden retrievers. I don't fuck with dogs I can step on."

Jason:

“Bruce doesn’t know where half his money is at any given time, of course he didn’t.” That wasn’t really true in a macro sense, probably. There was no way Bruce was actually unaware of what Wayne Enterprises was doing. But on a ground level? Jason had charged all kinds of weird shit to him over the years. He waffled between wanting nothing at all to do with his money and then going hard in the other direction with moments of I’m his son whether he wants me or not. It was usually more of the former. Jason had always been self sufficient in every way it was possible to be.

“Because it’s a vessel. Pizza is like a dough plate you put other stuff on. If all I wanted to eat was cheese I’d just eat fucking cheese.” Which he’d done several times at three in the morning, standing in front of the refrigerator with his hand shoved in a bag of fiesta blend shredded cheese.

Jason snorted, but didn’t really agree or disagree. Instead, he kept his grip on Roy’s hip and pulled him closer again until they were flush together. “What’s bougie enough for one of Bruce Wayne’s kids?” he bowed his head a fraction as he asked, letting his lips make a short trail over the side of Roy’s jaw.

Roy:

"Bruce and Ollie have a lot more in common than I thought." Oliver had a stupid amount of money. As a kid, Roy didn't really have a concept of what it was like to be rich. Even though Oliver had adopted him, took him in as his own kid, sometimes he acted more like a big brother. There were plenty of times when he'd fallen short of what Roy wanted. Or needed. It was nowhere close to what Jason had experienced with Bruce, but he understood the complex dynamics more than most people would.

Jason's pizza theory just made him snort derisively. "Insane. The cheese and the dough is the whole experience, at least if it's good pizza." He'd never been the kind of person to leave the crust behind. Those people had something wrong with them.

He pretended to think about it even though he was quickly getting distracted. "I'm thinking a cruise. Just rent out the whole boat and whoever we want to put up with. Unless there's a couple you'd want to throw overboard." Smirking faintly, he caught Jason's mouth with his own before he had the chance to respond.

Jason:

“You don’t have to tell me.” Roy and Jason didn’t have the same experiences with the men who’d been father figures for them, but it was close e-damn-nough. It was one of the things that made Roy easy for him to be around, easy for him to talk to even if he didn’t actually do much talking (about that particular thing). Neither of them exactly had to stretch to see the same perspective and know what it felt like.

“Not worried about good pizza, I’m worried about a lot of pizza.” Let it collapse under the weight of itself. Jason could’ve easily afforded those two things to be one in the same right then, good pizza and a lot of it, but...old habits and all.

The distraction was welcome. He wanted one, to just pour the weird energy he had into something physical, but even Jason didn’t lack so much self awareness as to think that’s what he needed to do. Still, he killed a minute or two. The kiss got deeper, more hungry, and Jason’s grip tightened enough on his hip to be just shy of hurting. When he made himself pull away, it wasn’t very far. He still had his eyes closed and let his forehead rest against Roy’s. “I wanted to tell you...” he started, hesitated, and made himself finish it before it started to sound too stupid to say, “I’m proud of you.”

Roy:

Although Roy had never directly compared his experiences with Jason, he could relate to him in a lot of ways. It didn't even completely have to do with Bruce and Oliver. There was also the aspect of living up to an impossible standard. He'd felt deficient enough being on the same team as Dick and that was just because they'd both been sidekicks to big name heroes. It was easier to accept his role as the bad sidekick than it was to compete with him. He couldn't imagine what it was like for Jason to follow in his footsteps, especially with Bruce as a mentor. "Did I ever tell you Bruce told Ollie I was a bad influence on Dick? At the time I thought he was probably right, but in retrospect it's fucking hilarious."

He rolled his eyes. "I got plenty of pizza." Even as he said it, Roy found himself second-guessing his own confidence. How many inches were the large? He hadn't looked. Oh well. They could always order more.

It surprised him when Jason pulled back like that. He was used to both of them giving way to distraction, which wasn't something he typically had a problem with. That was usually better than whatever serious subject might need discussing. The last few weeks had been a lot to handle; he wasn't exactly eager to push for deep revelations. What Jason did say, however, wasn't anything like he'd expected. Roy stared at him for a moment even within that small space between them, but then lifted his hand, his thumb slowly tracing the bone in his jaw. "Yeah?" It was touching in a way he couldn't really hide, so he also closed his eyes. "Thanks, Jaybird."

Jason:

That got a laugh out of him. “Can’t say I’m surprised. On paper, you do look like the red headed stepchild.” As he said so, he reached up and pushed one hand back through Roy’s hair, catching it lightly between his fingers. “Nobody stacks up against the golden boy, anyway. Been there, done that.” Of course, he’d recently gotten a break. Learned a little. Dick cracking the surface didn’t immediately undo all the years Jason had spent feeling like he needed to try to catch up to him, always failing to actually do it, but it took some of the sharper edge off.

Jason let go of the other’s hip and raised that hand to curl his fingers around Roy’s wrist when he touched him. He kept the grip tight for a few seconds. “Yeah,” came the quiet confirmation. He was proud of him. There were a lot of people in the world who couldn’t pick themselves back up the way that Roy did. Even if they wanted to. Hell, there’d been other people in his life who hadn’t been able to do it. Jason turned his head enough to press his lips against Roy’s palm. “I wouldn’t say it if I didn’t mean it.”

Roy:

"On paper," Roy stressed, rolling his eyes. "In real life I'm a lot more impressive." Maybe not, but of all the people Dick hung around with, it was ridiculous to think that he'd be the one to worry about. Shaking his head, he reached up to catch Jason's hand in his hair, pressing his fingers. "Have you wrote the book?" It was impossible for him to compare Jason with anyone, but he figured all the Robins had to be somewhat competitive with each other if they'd all taken on the role at one point or another. "You stack up just fine on your own."

That was definitely true. Jason wasn't the type to blow smoke up anyone's ass, least of all his, and everything he said was significant. Roy's face felt a little warm and he bit the tip of his tongue. The tips of his fingers lingered against the side of Jason's face for another few seconds, but then he leaned in and kissed him softly. It was either that, thank him again like an idiot, or make a joke. For once, he wasn't eager to ruin the moment.

Jason:

“Maybe a little more impressive,” he corrected. But that was bullshit. Plenty of people had written Roy off and they’d been wrong. Ollie might have fucked up a lot along the way, but at least he’d seen the potential in him in the beginning enough to take him in. Jason, too, had found plenty of unexpected things in Roy Harper - ones he’d never counted on when he made the snap decision to go interfere with that execution. For all intents and purposes, he’d saved him because he didn’t deserve to die, but it hadn’t gone past that. He’d certainly never expected to count on him, much less...love him. “Yeah, it’s a bestseller.” He let out an audible breath through his nose at that comment, both not really buying it but not wanting to stand there and launch into some self deprecating spiel either. Whether he stacked up fine or not, Roy seemed alright with it.

Jason accepted the kiss, adding a little more pressure, and eventually dropped both his arms down to wind the around Roy’s waist and pull him flush against his body. He was fine not doing the emotional thing. He’d said what he wanted to say, what he wanted Roy to know, and meant it.

Roy:

Even though Roy believed that he no longer determined his worth by what Oliver did or didn't do, he couldn't deny that he was an important figure in his life. It had taken some time for them to mend their relationship, but things were better now than they were years ago. That said something. He didn't know how Oliver would react to his relapse, it wasn't something he was eager to talk to him about, but he figured they'd cross that bridge when they reached it. For the time being, he was perfectly happy with small talk. "Remind me to get your autograph later." He smirked, his hand sliding into the side of Jason's hair.

Roy wasn't as adverse to emotions as Jason was. It was easier for him to talk about things and show some vulnerability, but it often took a great deal of pressure and frustration before it happened. Positive emotions were something different. Neither of them seemed particularly comfortable with expressing those. It had taken forever for the word love to even enter the picture. He was sure they still had more ground to cover, even though he wasn't 100% sure what it was.

When he pulled him closer, his hands dropped to his sides, fingers twisting in Jason's shirt. When he did pull back it was only far enough to speak, "When did you get so sentimental?"

Jason:

“I dunno man, it’s pretty valuable, I’m not sure you’ve earned an autograph.” He closed his eyes just briefly as he felt Roy’s hand in his hair, catching just enough in the curls for Jason to feel the tug. He needed to cut it, probably, but it was hard to care when he’d been laying low for months already.

He’d never found it easy to be vulnerable with people. There had been too many times where he’d been taught that getting attached was a bad idea, that feeling something for someone was dangerous. It was even worse if they knew it was happening. It left him too exposed. More than that, though, part of him just believed that people should...know. If he was with them, if he stayed or helped or just made himself present because he wanted to, the real time demonstration should’ve been enough without the words or some kind of admission. He valued action over talk, without fail. If someone said something and didn’t follow through, the words were meaningless. Jason followed through. It didn’t always occur to him that that wasn’t enough.

The question made him roll his eyes. “Oh, are we done already? I can pack it back up and have you face down on the bed in just a second.” Maybe he’d do that anyway, but he’d been trying a different tactic.

#i got you buddy; roy #discord; lemon and lime

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