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Part 10 of bless the broken road
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2019-06-26
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2019-07-08
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and the camera flashes make it look like a dream

Summary:

jason and roy deal with their first run-in with the paparazzi since they started dating… and the fallout that comes after.

Notes:

title from the lucky one by taylor swift

Chapter 1: part i: the date

Chapter Text

It’s their first date since officially becoming a couple, and Jason has been floating on cloud nine with that knowledge for most of the night.

He'd invited Roy out to see a local production of Doctor Faustus, all the while worrying that the other man would think it stupid, or turn his nose up at Jason's taste. Except Roy had seemed to genuinely enjoy himself, despite admitting beforehand that he'd never been one for theatre, and had even listened intently and asked a few questions as Jason went on a bit of a tangent about Elizabethan playwrights.

For once, Jason was choosing not to let himself question it. It was honestly a bit exhilarating, having someone hear him out without arguing all the ways that his opinions were wrong the way Max often had.

Still, Jason reels himself in once they've settled at their table for dinner, allowing Roy a chance to change the topic to something he actually cares about.

They end up, a bit predictably, talking about Lian. Jason really doesn't mind, though he can't help but wonder what Roy's life was like before they started seeing each other. It seems like Roy doesn't have the time to do much for himself between working and being a single father.

He hopes Roy isn't cutting out something important to make time for him.

He really hopes he isn't stealing too much time he'd usually be spending with his daughter. Jason isn't too prideful to know he'd been frustrated, at times, when Bruce, Talia and Catherine hadn't been able to spend enough time with him. He'd hate to be the reason for Lian feeling that way.

"You know," Roy says, after a cute tale about when he'd taken Lian shopping for school a few days earlier, "She was pretty excited when I explained I was with you the same way as her uncles are together."

"Yeah?" Jason asks, mouth suddenly dry, "That's- That's good."

"She's a pretty good judge of character, for a five year old," Roy muses, then reiterates, "She likes you, Jay."

Jason feels himself blush even as the words bring a smile to his face.

"Kids have better instincts than mosta the adults I know," he dares to say, and Roy gives him a knowing smile.

"Yeah," he agrees, "Sometimes they have to."

It's nice, Jason realises, to be with someone who understands. He knows Roy's childhood wasn't quite the same as his, before their respective adoptions, but it was still miles away from the cushy safety that Max - and even Rose - had had.

Cassandra has really been the only one who ever fully understood that part of him, until now.

But it's probably best not to dwell on that right now.

He clears his throat, and takes a sip of his earl grey.

"Have you thought any more about going back to school?" He asks, and Roy sighs.

"I'd like to," he says after a moment, "But I'm not sure I'm ready to ask Ollie for money. I'd… Have to leave work, if I want to spend my nights with Lian when we're both out of classes."

Jason makes a sympathetic noise at that.

"I get it," he says, "I didn't really like letting my grandfather pay my tuition, or Mum paying my living expenses, but… Well, my mum made a good point when I brought it up."

"Oh?" Roy asks, and Jason is struck once again by the way the other man is actually listening to him, "What was that?"

"She mentioned how, you know, we're fortunate enough to have that money, and that what I was using would just be, well, sitting there, in the accounts. It wasn't like we were hurting for it, it wasn't money we were using for anything else, wasn't even cutting into how much we already give back to charity. And…"

"And?"

"And I can't deny that it made the whole thing less stressful," he admits, "I was able to really focus on my studies, and, sometimes, it meant I could spend time volunteering, which I know I probably couldn't have done if I was working, too."

He takes another drink, and then shakes his head.

"Anyway," he says, "My point is… Oliver would probably be happy to do it. You're not taking time off of work to just fuck around and do nothing. You're trying to make a better life for you and Lian, and that's pretty damn admirable."

Roy hums, a slight blush on his cheeks, and Jason gives him a tentative smile.

"I'll take that into consideration," he says, and Jason smiles a little wider.

"Good," he says, trailing off as their server approaches with their main courses. They both thank her, reassuring her that everything has been wonderful so far, and a comfortable silence settles over them as they eat.

"Damn," Jason says with a small chuckle when they've both finished, "Steph was right. That was phenomenal."

Roy hums his agreement, and finishes the last of his water.

"Maybe we should ask her to make a list," he jokes, and Jason smirks.

"I'm not sure I trust her that much," he says, and Roy laughs.

"Yeah," he agrees, "She's a sneaky one."

"Not nearly as much as she thinks she is, though."

The server returns, and Jason slips her his credit card as he asks for a slice of their 'world famous' apple crumble and two spoons.

It isn't long before she returns with just that, and returns his card with the bill. He thanks her once again, and pens in a generous tip before slipping the bill back into the leather check-holder and passing it back to her with a smile.

She leaves them with a pleasant 'enjoy your dessert' and 'please, take your time,' and Jason smiles across the table at Roy as he takes one spoon for himself and offers the other to Roy.

"Think it's going to live up to the hype?" He jokes, and Roy smirks.

"Pretty hard to mess up apple pie," Roy points out, and Jason just laughs.

"You've obviously never tried Dick's baking," he counters, and Roy makes a face.

"I have," he says, "But I've also blocked it from my mind."

Jason's cheeks darken with embarrassment when he outright giggles at that, his gaze dropping for a moment even though Roy's responding chuckle sounds fond.

"At least I have faith this will be better than that," he says, and Jason slowly lifts his gaze again.

"True enough."

Dessert is, of course, just as good as the rest of the meal had been, even if Jason keeps getting distracted by the fluttery feeling in his stomach every time he steals a glance at Roy.

"I'm not sure I could eat another bite if my life depended on it," Roy jokes when they're finally finished, and Jason nods in agreement.

"I'm definitely looking forward to changing into sweatpants later," he replies, a pleased little smile curling his lips when Roy laughs.

"I feel that," he says as he stands and moves around the table to offer Jason his hand, "What do you say we get out of here and walk it off for a bit?"

Jason smiles shyly as he takes Roy's hand and allows him to help him stand.

"I say that sounds like a good call."

He hesitates for a moment before leaning in to steal a brief kiss which Roy surrenders without a fuss, and then pulls back to grab his jacket and slip it on. Roy does the same, then steals a kiss of his own before stepping back to let Jason lead the way out.

Which is, of course, when things rapidly start to go south.

Jason finds himself blinded by flashing lights the moment they step outside, and he stumbles, swearing as he tries to scramble backwards only to hit Roy, who wraps an arm around his waist to steady him.

“Easy, Jay,” he says, but his voice is tight in a way that makes Jason tense all over, his easy, comfortable mood evaporating in an instant.

“Roy,” he says, quiet, desperate, and Roy holds onto him more firmly as cameras continue to flash around them.

“Mr. Wayne,” someone calls out, “Mr. Wayne, does this mean you’re back in Gotham for good?”

“Mr. Queen,” another reporter shouts, “Has Lian met your boyfriend yet?”

Jason had never handled the paparazzi well, after becoming part of Bruce and Talia’s family, and he hadn’t dealt with them as much in the last few years as he had growing up. The last time he’d had to face them was when he was released from the hospital a few months ago, and the cameras flashing and overlapping questions being shouted at himself and Roy are rapidly drawing him back to that afternoon. He would be embarrassed by the way he’s cowering back against Roy, by the way he’s absolutely trembling, but he can’t spare a single thought for his pride amidst the anxiety that’s twisting his stomach.

“How long have you been seeing each other?” Jason thinks he hears, right before, “Do your parents know?”

A few of the reporters dare to move closer, and Jason’s breath hitches.

“Mr. al Ghul, will you be taking over the Gotham headquarters? Or are you here to work for your father?”

“All of you, back the Hell off,” Roy snarls, moving in front of Jason, who clings onto his arm, “Neither of us has anything to say to any of you.”

He makes a move as if to shoulder through the crowd, but no one bothers to move out of the way, and Jason’s breath catches when someone dares to grab his arm. He wrenches himself free, eyes wide like a caged animal as he presses closer to Roy and tries to spot a way out of the crowd.

A black limousine pulls up then, and some of the reporters curiously turn their attention that way when the door opens and a large man with silvery-white hair and an eye-patch over one eye steps out of the car. He surveilles the crowd with a cool look before his gaze settles on Jason, who immediately feels the fight drain out of him.

The paps nearest to the man all step back when he moves forwards, but a few seconds later, chaos erupts once again. Still, the man makes his way through the crowd with the kind of ease that comes from both looking as lethal as he does and being the head of Talia al Ghul’s security team.

“Mr. al Ghul, Mr. Harper-Queen,” he says when he reaches them, and Jason has to make a concentrated effort not to throw himself at the older man to express his relief, “I think it would be best if you get in the car now.”

Jason nods, and reaches out to squeeze Roy’s hand before allowing the guard to shield them with his body from most of the cameras as he clears a path back to the limo.

When they’re finally inside, the door shut and blocking out the frenzied noise, Jason breathes freely for the first time since they stepped out of the restaurant. Roy is at his side, one hand holding onto Jason’s as he furiously types out a message to the Queen family’s publicist on his phone with the other.

“Alright, pretty bird?” The man asks, his eye fixed on Jason’s face as he hands him a water bottle.

Roy looks up, eyes narrowing slightly, but goes back to his messaging when Jason leans into his side.

“Yeah,” he murmurs shakily, screwing off the top and taking a long swig before offering the bottle to Roy, who just shakes his head, “Thank you, Slade.” He shakes his head when Slade casually pulls a bottle of pills from his pocket, and takes another drink of water. Slade frowns, but he doesn’t push the issue, and Jason is glad. As far as anxiety attacks go, this was nothing, and he’s trying not to let himself get too reliant on the medication.

Jason wonders if he should ask where they’re going, if the driver is going to take them back to the Manor, or perhaps to drop Roy off at his house, but he doesn’t. Instead, he says, “Mum had you follow us.”

Slade hums at that, which isn’t technically an admission, but it’s close enough. Too bad Jason can’t find it in himself to be annoyed, given the circumstances.

Roy puts his phone away after a few more minutes, and drapes his arm around Jason’s shoulders as he looks at Slade, asking, “So, where are we headed exactly?”

“Anywhere you’d like,” he replies easily, but there’s a hint of bite to his smile that makes Jason roll his eyes and half-heartedly kick out at the man sitting across from them.

“Play nice, old man,” he says, only half-warning, and Slade smirks in response.

“Rose will be upset to hear through the media that you’re seeing someone,” he says mildly, and Jason feels his cheeks darken with shame as he looks away.

It’s not like he hasn’t been in touch with Rose since returning to Gotham, but he hasn’t told her about Roy yet for fear of her coming to visit and trying to scare him off. He has no doubts that she’ll be just as vicious as Damian has been if she does. Overprotective family members are already more than Roy should have to put up with, Jason doesn’t want to add an ex into the mix, too.

He’ll probably have to call Rose when he gets home, now, to head her off.

Roy gives him a comforting squeeze around the shoulders, and Jason sighs, relaxing against him once again.

“I think it might be best if you just take me home,” Roy says after a while, and the driver simply nods and changes lanes. If Roy is concerned that he already seems to know where he lives, he doesn’t say anything about it.

Chapter 2: part ii: the aftermath (roy)

Notes:

this one provides a bit of an outside perspective on jason’s maternal side of the family (i.e. the al ghuls), especially in regards to some things that have only really been hinted at thus far, as well as giving roy a nudge in the right direction for figuring out the extent of what jay’s been through. enjoy!

trigger warnings for discussions of physical abuse and sexual assault

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Roy wakes to the shrill ringing of his cellphone, and groans as he rolls over and reaches to unplug the charger. Ollie's name flashes up at him, and he frowns as he answers.

"What the Hell, Ollie?" He says, still groggy with sleep, "It's six am, even Lian is still asleep."

“Please tell me you are not dating Ra’s al Ghul’s grandson, Roy."

Ollie's voice is clipped, but there's an undercurrent of exasperation there, too, and Roy makes a noise of confusion. 

"Ollie, what-" He starts to ask before the events of the previous night come back to him and he groans again. Guess his messages to the publicist didn't get them ahead of the curve after all.

"Roy, please," Oliver says, "I realise he's Dick's brother, but-"

"But nothing, Ollie," Roy shuts him down, rubbing his eyes as he sits up, "Jason's a good guy, okay? What's the big deal?"

"I thought Ra's al Ghul's grandson was pretty self-explanatory, Roy."

Roy sighs, and wishes he could just will himself a cup of coffee if they're going to be having this conversation.

"What's your point?"

"My point," his father splutters, "Is you and Lian don't need to be getting mixed up with that family."

"It's not like I'm planning on fucking Jay over, man," Roy argues, because, sure, Ra's has a certain… reputation for how he deals with threats to his family - not that anything has ever been proven - but Jason's an adult, he can handle his grandfather. Not that he'll need to since Roy isn't going to hurt him.

And Talia had seemed to like him, which was promising. Right?

"You might not get a choice in that," Oliver says, uncharacteristically gentle, and Roy furrows his brow.

"What the Hell is that supposed to mean, Dad?" He demands, his voice hard. If Oliver is implying that he's still expecting Roy to relapse, Roy is going to drive to Star City right fucking now to give him a piece of his mind.

"Calm down, Roy," Ollie says, "I only meant that that kid has been through the wringer. Not meaning to fuck him over, as you put it, doesn't actually mean that you won't, and I don't want to see you caught in Ra's crosshairs if you do."

Roy takes a few long breaths to calm himself before saying, "Sounds like you think you know an awful lot about my boyfriend."

"I do read, Roy."

"What's that got to do with anything?"

"Tabloids, Roy," Ollie replies, exasperated, "You have read up on him, haven't you?"

Roy scowls at that.

"No," he says, adding bitterly, "Figured he deserves some privacy. Ever heard of it?"

"Roy, this is serious!"

"So am I!" Roy practically growls, "I'd be an idiot if I didn't see that he has issues, but he'll tell me if it's important."

"Then you know his last boyfriend put him in the hospital," Oliver presses, "Or was that not important?"

Roy can literally feel his heart stop for a moment as he takes that in. He'd known it was bad, of course he had - like he told Ollie, he isn't stupid - but he hadn't realised how bad. He'd just… Well, he'd kind of assumed Jason had been sexually assaulted in some way. Maybe jumped, or maybe on a date, but, no, this sounded a lot more like Jason had been being abused.

He wonders how long it went on for, if hospitalisation had just been the straw that broke the camel's back, or if it had escalated to that point quickly. He has a sinking feeling that it was the former.

God, it was no wonder Damian had seemed ready to tear him limb from limb - he's ready to hunt down Jay's bastard of an ex himself to give him the beating of his life.

"Roy?" Oliver asks after a long moment, tone suddenly cautious, but Roy only manages a noise of acknowledgement.

"Christ," Ollie says, "You really didn't know, then. Shit, Roy-"

"What the fuck, Ollie," he finally manages to say, "Why would- Why are you telling me this?"

"Because you're my son," Ollie replies, "And the father of my grandchild. I'm trying to look out for you, kiddo. The al Ghul family is not one you want to get mixed up with, no matter how much you like Jason."

"I can make my own decisions, Ollie," he says after a long moment, "I'm not a kid anymore, and I don't appreciate you implying that I'd do anything to put Lian in harm's way."

"If you keep seeing Bruce's boy," Oliver says sternly, "That's exactly what you'll be doing."

"Fuck you, Ollie," Roy spits, "Jason and I are good together, it's working. Do you know how amazing that is? After everything I've been through? Everything he's been through, apparently?"

There's a sigh on the other end of the line, and Oliver seems to hesitate for a few seconds before saying, "And I'm happy for you, Roy. Of course I am. But does it really have to be him?"

"Yes," Roy says immediately, even if he knows it was likely a rhetorical question, "I… really like him, Ollie. I know it all seems sudden, but… We just clicked, right from the start." He sighs, and then adds, "And, look, Dick said it was cool, okay? You know how much he loves Lian; he wouldn't have given us his blessing if he thought she was in danger - and you know how much he hates Talia and Ra's."

"I really hope you know what you're doing, Roy," Oliver finally concedes, "I don't want to see either of you end up hurt."

"We won't."

His tone leaves no room for argument, and, for once, Oliver takes the hint.

"Fine," he says, instead, "Dinah will want you to bring him 'round for dinner soon, then. Let us know when you're available."

Roy groans at that, and reaches up to rub his temples.

"Great, sure," he says, "Should I expect everyone, or just you two?"

Oliver has the nerve to chuckle at that, and Roy already knows what the answer is going to be.

"We've been meaning to have Connor and Kyle over," he says, sounding far too pleased with himself, "And you know Mia would hate to be left out."

"Naturally."

"I have to go," Ollie says eventually, "But let me know when you're both available."

"Yeah, yeah," Roy grumbles, "Lian's been begging to visit since you got back from Paris, anyway."

"She just wants her presents," Oliver teases, and Roy can't help smirking.

"Probably," he agrees, "Anyway. I guess I should go start breakfast and wake the little monster up. I'll get back to you on dinner."

"See that you do," Oliver replies, "Give Lian my love."

"Uh-huh. Bye, Ollie."

"Have a good day, son."

Despite what he'd said, Roy stays where he is for several minutes after setting his phone aside, his mind racing.

Maybe he'd been wrong to give Jason his privacy, maybe he should have looked him up after all. Was it too late to do so now? He could just ask Jason himself, but what if he isn't ready to talk about it? After all, he hadn't brought it up yet himself.

Hospitalised.

Christ, that was bad.

No wonder Jason was constantly flinching away from him, even in response to the most casual of touches. His mind flashes back to when he'd kissed Jason on his birthday, then, and Roy feels sick as he recalls the way Jason had gone from freezing up to throwing himself at him, how he had clearly been trying to appease Roy out of what must have been fear of a violent response, and not embarrassment or self-consciousness, as Roy had assumed at the time.

It seems so obvious now, in retrospect.

Fuck.

Yeah, they were definitely going to have to sit down and talk about that. He'd give Jason the chance to tell him himself before he went looking online for answers.

They can get ahead of this before Ollie is proven right and he hurts Jason without even knowing.

Notes:

i just want to say that, yes, ra's is a good father and a good grandfather in this verse, but he's still shady as fuck. not, like, ‘drug and human trafficking crime boss’ or ‘underground shadow network of assassins’ shady, but definitely ‘if you threaten my family or my company, you may soon find yourself having a terrible accident or becoming a cold case missing persons file’ shady.

don't be fooled by his inaction, either, he has a plan for max.

Chapter 3: part iii: the aftermath (jason)

Notes:

are you ready to suffer, folks? hop on board, then, because this one is going to be a bit rough.

trigger warnings for verbal abuse, emotional manipulation, victim blaming, harassment, stalking (kind of? is long-distance stalking a thing or does it have a different name?), a panic attack, talk of physical abuse, threatening behaviour/intimidation, and thinly veiled death threats. please let me know if you think any other warnings are warranted!

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Jason hadn’t bothered to set an alarm the night before, figuring someone would come wake him themself if he slept too late.

He’d stayed up late, on a video-call with Rose, because Slade was right - she deserved to hear about Roy from him. Not because she was his ex, or because either of them still harboured any kind of romantic feelings for one another, but because she was supposed to be his best friend, and they’d already lost so much time to Max’s interference.

It had actually gone a lot better than Jason had expected it to, although he hadn’t been able to get her to promise she wouldn’t be coming to Gotham anytime soon. Jason maybe hadn’t tried as hard as he could have on that, anyway. Sue him, he missed having her around, and it would be nice to have someone outside of his family to talk to about things with Roy.

When he wakes, it takes him a few moments to notice the blinking light on his phone to indicate he has notifications, but once he does, he reaches for it with a yawn. Seeing an unknown number with a UK area code, he just assumes that Rose must have sent him a message from an alternative line, and opens the thread.

There are two messages waiting for him, and Jason chokes when he reads them, the phone falling from his shaking hand down onto the bed. He closes his eyes as he sucks in several deep breaths.

fucking whore! you're cheating on me?, the first one says, followed by another that adds, i can't believe you, you piece of shit

It can’t be Max, there’s just no way. It has to be a wrong number, nothing but a Hell of a coincidence.

Right?

Hands still shaking slightly, Jason picks the phone back up and carefully types out a response.

i think you have the wrong number, he sends.

He intends to set the phone aside after that, to push it from his mind as a weird fluke and go about his morning, but the phone buzzes again before he really has the chance.

The next message he receives is a link that's clearly to an online article by the Gotham Gazette, and is quickly followed by another that reads: oh, i don't think so jase. Jason's breath freezes in his lungs as he stares down at his phone.

No. No, no, no, this can't be happening. This isn't supposed to be happening. He has a no-contact order, effective at least until the trial. He has a new fucking number. Hell, he has a new phone, loaded up with all of WayneTech's newest security features.

A phone that is vibrating in his hand as another text comes in. 

i can't fucking believe you. after everything i've done for you. i've been patient, given you your fucking space, and this is how you repay me?

Jason is shaking as he types out a reply, lungs stuttering as he tries and fails to draw in breath.

how did you get this number?

doesn't matter is the reply he receives soon after, and Jason wants to scream because it does. It does. He’s supposed to be safe, this isn't supposed to be happening.

you're not supposed to be talking to me

Jason hesitates before hitting send on that one, knowing that it's liable to set Max off. He'd never taken kindly to Jason trying to tell him what he could or couldn't do. 

The phone starts vibrating in his hand, the same number flashing across the screen to indicate an incoming call, and Jason drops the phone again in his surprise, recoiling away as he curls in on himself slightly.

No.

No, absolutely not. He’s not going to answer that, no matter how much the thought of displeasing Max puts him on edge. He reminds himself that Max can’t hurt him anymore, and stares at the phone as the screen finally goes black, only to light up again with another text message.

answer your fucking phone, jason.

A minute passes before Max tries to call again, and Jason just keeps staring at it as it rings through to voicemail twice more. Thankfully, Max doesn’t leave any messages of that nature.

After the third call, he does send another text, though, and Jason has to bite down on the meat of his fist to keep from screaming.

i swear if you make me come to gotham to have this conversation in person you're going to regret it.

Jason shakes, even if he knows the threat isn't real. Because it can't be, right? He has to try a few times before he manages to pick his phone back up and correctly type out his response of: they took your passport. you can't.

He chews at his bottom lip as he awaits Max's reply, his stomach sinking when he reads what it says a few moments later.

do you really think i don't have ways to get out of the country? c'mon. you're supposed to be smarter than that sweetheart.

Fuck. Oh fuck.

Of course Max would have ways to get out of England. He's got plenty of friends with private jets and boats. It wouldn't be impossible to map out a route that avoids any borders, if he was willing to risk it.

And for Jason, well, he just might be.

His phone rings again, vibrating in his hand, but Jason barely notices over the panic that is continuing to rise in him. The call ends eventually, and another message comes in a few moments later.

baby, please, it says, i just wanna talk. i miss your voice, jase. don't you miss me, too?

Jason chokes on a sob at that because of course he does. No matter how much Max had hurt him, Jason had loved him, and they'd had good times, too. Of course Jason misses him. But what Max did to him wasn't okay, and- And he has Roy now. He probably shouldn't even be texting Max; Roy will probably be livid if he finds out.

He lets yet another call ring through to voicemail, and debates the merits of just throwing his phone out his window so that he doesn’t have to deal with this, at least not until his dad inevitably replaces the device.

His dad…

Oh, God, he needs to tell someone about this. His dad, or- Or Dick, maybe, because Dick is a fucking cop, so he probably knows what to do when someone is in violation of a restraining order. Even if it’s not of Gotham’s jurisdiction.

He’s about to open his contacts to call his older brother when another text comes in, and it makes him hesitate.

please, baby. just answer the phone so we can talk this out. i want you to hear me when i apologise...

Max… wants to apologise? Jason feels his heart stop for a moment at the thought - because if Max is sorry, then-

Then, nothing. He'd apologised a hundred times before, and things had never changed.

But what if he means it this time? What if losing Jason had been what he needed to realise he'd been in the wrong? Maybe things would be better now, if Jason just gave him one last chance. Really a last chance, this time. Just to see if they could make it work now.

The next time the phone rings, Jason finds himself picking up against his better judgement. He holds the phone up to his face, but when he opens his mouth to speak, all that comes out is a stuttering breath.

"Jase?"

Tears spring to Jason's eyes immediately at the sound of the other man's voice, and he manages a small gasp.

"Jase, baby," Max says, "Baby, are you there?"

"Max," Jason finally says, tears spilling over as he does, and, fuck, this was a bad idea. Why did he think answering was a good idea?

"Oh, Jason," Max says, and Jason has never heard him sound so gentle, "Baby, I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry, I never meant to hurt you like that."

Jason lets out another sob at that, clutches at his chest with his free hand.

"Why?" He asks after taking a few shaky breaths, "Then why-"

“Baby, I couldn't let you leave me," Max explains, "You were trying to go, you weren't even going to tell me."

And that-

Well, that's true. Max had come home early, and caught him in the bedroom with his bags nearly packed. Maybe if Jason had just talked to him, instead of trying to sneak away when he wasn't home...

"Jase, I love you," Max continues, derailing his train of thought, "Come home, we can work this out. It'll be better, I promise. I don't want to lose you again.”

I love you, too, Jason wants to say. Knows he should say, even, but the words stick in his throat. God, he wants to believe everything Max is saying, but he isn't sure he can. It sounds too good to be true.

“Just come home, sweetheart. Drop these silly charges, I swear I'll make it all up to you.”

Silly charges? The slightest hitch of anger courses through him at that, but it’s not enough to really stoke the fire inside of him.

“You hurt me,” he finally says, flinching as soon as the words are out of his mouth.

“I know," Max says, and Jason gasps softly in surprise, "I know, baby, I'm so sorry.”

You have to be strong, Jason tries to tell himself, He can't hurt you right now, so just be strong.

“I almost died, Max," he forces himself to say.

“Jase, I know," Max says, just a hint of annoyance starting to come through, "But you shouldn't have been standing in front of the window like that. I didn't mean for that to happen, you know that, don't you? I just wanted to stop you from leaving. I love you.”

Jason shudders, fresh tears overflowing and dripping down his cheeks, because maybe Max is right. Maybe it was his fault. He should have just given up when Max came home, instead of trying to stand up for himself, and he sure as Hell shouldn’t have left himself in such a vulnerable position if he was set on starting a fight.

Sure, Max still would have punished him for trying to leave, but…

But he never would have hurt him that badly, not on purpose. Sure, he’d threatened to kill Jason a few times when he was really pissed, but he’d never actually meant it. It was all an accident, brought on by Jason’s own actions, that had landed them in their current situation.

“I’m sorry,” he whispers, and Max hushes him.

“It’s alright, baby,” he tells him gently, “Just come back home, so we can fix this. Together.”

Jason can hear the way his own voice shakes as he says, “I can’t.”

The growl that Max gives in response has Jason flinching back against the headboard, hand curled tightly around the phone that he keeps pressed to his ear.

“Max,” he starts to say, but the other man cuts him off.

“Don’t want to leave your new boytoy behind, Jase?” He asks, and Jason can picture so clearly the way that his lips must be curled up into the snarl that always accompanies that tone, “Don’t think I forgot about that bit, you fucking whore.”

Jason’s eyes close as he hangs his head in shame, but he doesn’t open his mouth to defend himself.

“How long did you wait before crawling into his bed?” Max asks, “Hell, I know Rose and Slade Wilson both visited you in the hospital. Couldn’t even wait until you were healed, could you? Dammit, Jase, you’re mine, this little disagreement hasn’t changed that.”

Max’s voice in his ear is the only thing Jason can focus on, and it’s only very distantly that he even notices the way his breathing is starting to hitch, his chest rising and falling rapidly as he tries and fails to draw in enough air.

“God, you’re pathetic,” Max continues, “You can’t even face up to the consequences of your actions without starting to act like a little bitch.” He mimics the sound of Jason’s panicked breathing before laughing, “Honestly, Jase, do you really think that little boyfriend of yours is going to put up with everything that I did? Because he won’t. Maybe I was stupid to, in the first place. I just couldn’t help it, though… I really do love you, baby. I’m the only one who is ever going to look past all your faults.”

Someone reaches out to pry the phone from Jason’s hand, and he jerks away, struggling to keep it where he can hear what Max is saying, and whoever it is hesitates for a moment before climbing onto the bed and trying again.

Jason lets out a whine of distress when they succeed, the last words he manages to catch being ‘even your own parents didn’t want to deal with you’ before he finds himself with his face pressed into a solid chest covered by soft fleece.

He doesn’t want to know what Max says next, what his father or one of his siblings must be hearing now.

“Listen to me, you miserable piece of shit, and listen good,” he hears Damian growl a few seconds later, and shudders in response to the vehemence in the younger man’s voice, “You know who Jason is, who his family is. We've been patient, waiting for due process to run its course, but if you so much as think about contacting my brother again, all bets are off. You've made yourself some very powerful enemies.”

Jason lets the noise filter over him as he takes several deep breaths, his senses filling with Damian’s familiar scent and the warmth of the arm that wraps around him to hold him closer. He shudders again when his brother’s voice raises, but he can’t bring himself to care enough to try and focus on what he’s saying. All he knows is that, angry or not, he’s safe here, in his youngest brother’s arms, and Max can’t get to him. Not anytime soon, anyway.

But that doesn’t mean that the damage isn’t already done.

Notes:

updates might be a little slow for the next month or so. im not putting this series on hiatus or anything, but i have a bunch of works that i need to get ready for an event which starts in august, so i'll be splitting my writing time more than usual for a bit. there are at least ten more stories planned for this verse (but lord knows that number will probably grow lol) so don't fret!

(also, ngl, i need some time to better familiarise myself with mia, connor and kyle, since i’ve not been exposed to them as much as i have the batfam or roy, ollie and dinah)

eta: i realise that ra's seeming inaction must be a bit confusing, especially given the previous chapter, so i ask you to please bear with me just a little bit longer! i'll do my best to be more explicit with what's going on there in the next part of the story, but for now, just know that there is a reason for it.

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