Chapter Text
Jason sat outside of the manor, close to the water’s edge. It was a peaceful night with the waves gently lapping the pristine portion of Bristol’s beach. There were few places in Gotham that were completely untouched by the pollution and corruption of the city, but this patch of land was one of them. He would miss it when he left, so he was taking the time to see it one more time.
A backpack sat at his side with some of his most treasured belongings as well as the bare essentials. Jason had researched Ethiopia while he was planning for the trip, but he wanted to be prepared for anything. He was excited to meet his birth mother. She sort of looked like Jason, and he certainly had her blue eyes. Maybe he would get a third shot at having a good family. Third times the charm right?
Bruce was convinced Jason had pushed Garzonas off of that balcony; he hadn’t. The man had stumbled to get away from Robin and had plunged over the side of the metal structure. Jason wouldn’t have been able to save him from that even if he had wanted to. The thing was, Jason hadn’t been saddened by the man’s death; he was a piece of scum who deserved what he got. He wouldn’t stand there and pretend that he cared about the man’s death. Was that wrong of him?
It had been a question that plagued him ever since the accident. Growing up in Crime Alley, Jason had seen people like Garzonas get away with shit just because they could. It had been a daily aspect of his life for his entire childhood before he tried to lift the Batmobile tires. It had always made him so angry. Jason had always been powerless to stop the criminals who preyed on everyone weaker than they were. Then he had become Robin, and suddenly Jason could do some real, tangible good for those who grew up like he did.
So no, Jason wasn’t sorry that the man was dead; but that didn’t mean he murdered him either. It was clear that Bruce didn’t trust him despite the fact that he had saved the man’s life. Hell, the man had been telling him how proud he was of Jason not a week before Garzonas died. How could Bruce go from one extreme to the next in such a short time? Jason had lived with Bruce for three years and had been Robin for most of that time. Had the man ever truly loved him?
Jason looked down at the old watch that he had in his hands. It had been Thomas Wayne’s at one point. Months ago Jason had given it back to Bruce when he had repaired the gift for his birthday—well partially fixed anyway. The man had given it back to him so he could keep working on it at Jason’s request. Now it just sat in his hands as a reminder of what he’d never have again. Hurt and anger bubbled through him as he leaned back and threw the watch as far into the water as he was able to. In a months time, everyone will have forgotten about Jason and his stupid birthday gift idea.
Wiping away the traitorous tears from his cheek, he forced himself to his feet and slung the backpack over his shoulder. Just as he was about to turn away from the Atlantic something breached the water with uncharacteristic violence. Whatever the creature was, it seemed to be darting towards the shore. Jason ran a few feet back so that he could fight whatever was coming for him. However nice the Bristol beach was, it was still Gotham; a notorious hellmouth for the most deranged creatures. Yeah, he wasn’t going to fuck around with that.
Good thing Jason always kept a large pocket knife clipped to his belt. Snapping it open, he dropped into a defensive position. A yelp sounded through the darkness and the creature thrashed harder, struggling to make it to shore. As it got closer, Jason could see the outline of a tail. It didn’t belong to any type of animal he had ever seen before, but it wasn’t terribly big either. That didn’t mean it couldn’t be a threat though; Jason knew better than to underestimate a potential enemy.
Wait, was that a human arm? What?
Jason shuffled back and away from the shore; the thing was only ten feet away from him when it clawed its way up the beach. It was just a kid! A mop of black hair was offset by sickly pale skin and a burgundy colored tail. Jason crept forward slowly to take a look at the panting figure.
There was blood in the sand.
It was a fair amount considering that the kid had only been on land for thirty seconds. There was a gaping wound that sheared through the red scales. He winced in sympathy. Jason had received many injuries from his time as Robin, and stitches always sucked. It was a really good thing Jason had thought to bring a comprehensive first aid kit.
The boy hadn’t seen him yet, too busy bracing himself against the pain. He was so small it made Jason’s heart clench at the sight. As he was debating on how to start a conversation with the injured mer, the kid decided for him and looked up at the sound of footsteps. A pained whimper tore from the boy’s throat as he tried to crawl away from Jason. Dragging the tail behind him, the boy scratched at the sand desperately. The exhaustion and pain was in every line of the kid’s body; he only managed to move a few feet away before his arms gave out.
“Woah, hey, I’m not going to hurt you, buddy.” Jason realized he was still holding the knife and quickly put it away.
Baby blue eyes stared back at him in distrust and fear. Jason didn’t know if the mer could understand him, let alone if he would allow a stranger near him. Maybe Jason would be better off if he forgot the creature and caught his plane, as it was, he was cutting the time close already, but he just couldn’t. Because once upon a time Jason had needed someone to help him and there had been no one, but that didn’t have to happen to this kid. Kneeling down, Jason pulled the first aid kit from his backpack and showed it to the mer in case he would recognize what it was.
“That looks like it hurts,” Jason said softly, “I can help you.”
“D-don’t take my scales, p-please.”
Jason really hadn’t expected an answer and had steeled himself to go off of body language, but he had been wrong. The kid’s English was clearly unpracticed. Sure, the boy was stuttering in terror, but his inflections were off. Jason didn’t know much about mers, but he had known they existed. It was strange though, he could have sworn they stayed out of colder waters. Maybe he had been wrong? Jason hadn’t thought to research them further because he never thought he would run into one. He was cursing himself internally for his stupidity.
“I would never take your scales. I won’t hurt you, kid.” He held up his hands in a pacifying gesture. “Will you let me help?”
The boy was trembling—from fear, pain, or the cold Jason couldn’t tell—and he shed his coat and gently draped it over the mer’s torso. As the kid engulfed himself in the material, he met Jason’s eyes with shock and something else he couldn’t identify. Hope, maybe?
Hiding most of his torso and face in Jason’s coat, the mer began to speak. “I…please help me.”
Jason’s hardened heart melted almost immediately at his plea. Where were this boy’s parents? He couldn’t possibly be allowed on his own if he was this small in such dangerous waters.
Gathering the supplies that he would need, Jason hummed an old tune from a different life. He convinced himself that it was just to try and calm the mer down. It definitely wasn’t to help his nerves. Not at all. Taking a deep breath, he turned back to the kid and began to explain everything he was doing. Too exhausted to do much else, the boy only nodded in response.
It looked like the wound would need a lot of stitches. Jason didn’t have any anesthetic, but he knew where to find some. He really didn’t want to go back to the cave, but it didn’t seem like there was much of a choice; there was no way he could handle this on his own. Jason looked at his phone. He would miss his flight anyway.
“I’m going to put pressure on the cut so that I can get you somewhere safe, okay?”
The kid’s eyes were sliding shut, not answering his question, and Jason shook his shoulder to wake him. It looked like Jason had less time than he had thought to get the kid safe. Wrapping gauze around the wound, he quickly texted Alfred to prepare the Medbay. He didn’t wait for a response and lifted the boy carefully into his arms. A pained keen tore from his throat as the wound shifted, and the mer buried his head in the juncture of Jason’s neck to stifle any further noise. Jason tensed at first, but then he ran a gentle hand through the boy’s hair, trying to sooth him in any way he could.
How heavy were mers supposed to be? Because Jason had stumbled a few steps before he righted himself and started walking; the kid weighed practically nothing. Something to research later, to be sure.
For now, Jason needed to prepare himself to face the Batman for the first time in days.