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[copsormasks]

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[batsymbol]

( those words make his chest tighten. make his brows furrow and his throat go dry. jason's been through enough as it is. he doesn't need to drown in his own darkness with him. which, of course, makes him wonder if he's even capable of being what jason not only needs but deserves. )

I won't. Jump. I'm right here.

[copsormasks]

I mean it. [Jason pulls back to stare Bruce in the eye.] You go, I go.

[His good hand clenches the fabric of Bruce’s shirt.]

[batsymbol]

( in his mind, that's not an option for jason.

hand still resting gently on the small of jason's back, he other hand drops away from the back of the boy's head and he holds the side of his face instead as he stares right back at him. )

Then we stay here together.

[copsormasks]

[Jason’s eyes are rimmed with red and pink, glossed with tears. He nods and swallows.]

I’ll hold you to that, y’know.

[batsymbol]

I know.

( he would be surprised if he didn't, honestly. at that, however, he gives a nod to the elevator behind them. )

Let's get upstairs.

[copsormasks]

[Jason nods and presses the button to call the elevator. He keeps a finger tucked in Bruce’s shirt, just in case.]

Okay.

[batsymbol]

( if jason wants to hold onto him, he lets him, tipping his head back some as he looks up to the elevator. )

What were you doing before?

[copsormasks]

Not having a panic attack.

[Jason levels his gaze at Bruce.]

Other than that, reading.

[batsymbol]

( it's fine. he'll take that. )

Didn't find the stash of books I brought back, did you?

[copsormasks]

Am I not supposed to? [Jason hasn’t but that doesn’t mean he won’t pry.]

[batsymbol]

( he shrugs his good shoulder gently at that. )

Wasn't sure if I should save them for Christmas or not.

( to which he pulls the gate open with that good arm and lets jason step into the elevator first before he joins him to go back up to the penthouse. )

[copsormasks]

[Jason doesn’t step into the elevator. Instead he stares at Bruce, incredulous.]

Christmas as in?

[Jason’s chest hollows out as he asks,]

Christmas gifts? For me?

[batsymbol]

( he stands there with him, almost confused by the question. )

Yeah. I know you like to read, so I brought back what I could from that other Earth mission.

( you know. whatever could fit in the batmobile. )

[copsormasks]

[Jason goes quiet and his brows furrow.]

I’ve never gotten a Christmas present before.

[His parents only had money enough for drugs and his Bruce was always too busy for sentimentalities like Christmas.]

Bruce was always in London or Shanghai or wherever.

[batsymbol]

Well, I'll be here for it.

( like he was last year, which. hard to believe this will be his second christmas here. )

Just a thought.

[copsormasks]

[Jason doesn’t know what a traditional Christmas looks like. He knows what his Bruce’s Christmas looked like.]

Could we decorate?

[batsymbol]

If you want.

( he's not against it. christmases back in his gotham after his parents death had been... different. not as they once had been. )

[copsormasks]

Yeah, I do. [Jason finally steps on the elevator. He’ll need to come up with cash for gifts, but he’ll have access to his arm in a week.

He can do this.]

[batsymbol]

( he steps in with jason — closes the gate, pushes the button to take them up and stands there near him as they do. )

Then we'll decorate. Get a tree. Put it... somewhere.

[copsormasks]

Isn’t there room in the living room? I’ll pick up all the movies.

[A smile starts to pique Jason’s lips.]

But I want you and me to decorate, not some service.

[batsymbol]

Pretty sure the only service here are the bots.

( no hired help here by any means. )

Do you want to invite your friend over to help?

( chrissy, he means. )

[copsormasks]

I kinda just wanted to decorate with you. I can do something else at her place.

[Probably ask her out, too. But that’s something separate.]

[batsymbol]

It can just be us then.

( he’s still getting the hang of the whole parenting-while-not-parenting thing, so. seemed like giving a choice to have others over was something to give. either way, the elevator brings them up and he pulls open the gated door for them, waiting for jason to step out first. )

[copsormasks]

[Jason steps through to move into the kitchen. He pulls out two beers from the back— why and where is a teenager getting beer, nobody knows— and pops the tops. He holds one out to Bruce.

Is this everything you imagined in parenting a rogue element, Bruce?] Good. I never got to do that before.

[batsymbol]

( a raise of a brow at the beers being shown, he gently takes the one in hand while eyeing jason with the other. hm. )

Pretty sure you're not old enough to legally drink that.

( he needs to be a parent, ok. )