humanoiddisaster

[humanoiddisaster]

Pink Paint

'Jason travels to Star City to get some business done but when he notices a familiar face he abandons his schedule just so he can sleep better at night. His soft spot for kids ends up with him faking a new identity, becoming a tutor (a glorified babysitter, really) and meeting a certain ginger with a stupid smile.' Warning for a very brief mention of past assault (Jason and Talia), fake identities, mentions of firearms, suspected child abuse and a brief disconnection from reality. Also any and all possible warnings for DC and Jason Todd content.

This one is overall about taking care of a chaotic child (Lian) and is part of my series but can be read as a stand alone one shot, I think.

Star City 2024

Jade Nguyen, also known as Cheshire, has been on his watch for the past few weeks. Her activity wasn't anything abnormal considering her connection to the League of Assassin's but something didn't let Jason sleep at night.

Back in the day when he was still in the League, there was a situation where she came with a child. A newborn. He doesn't remember much, he still didn't remember who he was at the time, but he does remember feeling uneasy. It concerned him, to know that another child might be getting indoctrinated into being a ruthless assassin, but the second he saw Jade again after all these years it's not like he could just storm down to the nearest League base and rip it to shreds to find one little girl.

Not with Ra's around, not when Talia's touch was still so vivid in his memory.

Plus, Jade was in Star City, with the little girl following her every other day. He didn't need to go looking for League's hideout.

He watched Jade carefully, picked up on every single thing she did with and without the child, and waited for a single sign that would justify his intervention.

As dangerous as it was, being in Star City while the Bat was slowly destroying all of Hood's hard work, he just had to make sure.

He watched Jade from afar, highly aware of her experience as an assassin, observing as she was doing something on her phone right before entering a grocery store, holding the small hand of presumably her child.

When she disappeared from his view he took the time to hack into her phone and see just what the hell she was up to, only to be faced with an ad.

'Looking for a tutor to home school my daughter once a week'

Well. That was a find. Was it true that Jade wanted to find a tutor, or maybe it was a trap to kidnap someone to indoctrinate them?

It was Red Hood's job to prevent that from happening. At least that's what he told himself, not willing to accept his weakness when seeing a child in danger. He got up and took a few steps back, deciding that testing his luck today wasn't a good idea. He couldn't observe Jade 24/7, first off, his time in Star City was limited, he still belonged to Gotham and his business here was only temporary, second, Jade might not sense him now but it would only be a matter of time until she figured out something was wrong.

It was time to take care of business anyway.

His hand went to his hip, to the holster of his gun. He grabbed the handle, ran his thumb down the base, took a step towards his new destination and took his weapon out, loading it with a loud click

Jason didn't know what he got himself into. He ran a hand through his hair, checking everything one more time.

His clothes were clean, beige pants with a blue button up, the most basic of the looks he could get himself to put together. No bruises or scars were visible on his exposed skin, there was also no dirt or blood under his fingernails. He was practically defenseless as his weapons weren't part of his wardrobe today, to ensure the kid's safety, his bag was filled with books instead. Most importantly, he forced himself to paint the white streak of his hair to match his natural colour.

Jade wouldn't recognize him, no one in the League saw his face besides Talia, Ra's and Damian, but he had to be extra safe which meant getting rid of anything that might connect 'Jay' to Jason.

'Jay', the persona Jason created for this one task, to check up on the kid and hopefully get rid of his constant guilt whenever he thought about her. He wished he didn't care so much, but then if that were to become true, would he really be Jason?

He left his safehouse, trying his best to stay calm. If Jade figured out it was him it would be fine, he would be able to take her down no problem, but the child? The last thing Hood wanted was to expose the little girl to violence this early.

He prepared for his road before which meant that his destination was only about 10 to 20 minutes away from his safehouse. When he arrived at the address he took a deep breath before gently knocking on the door. He waited, forcing his mind and body to stay calm, not wanting to give off any suspicious signs.

Soon enough, a tall, young woman opened the door. Her smile was charming but her eyes lingered on him a bit too long.

"You must be Jay. Come on in, Lian has been so excited to meet you." Jason followed her into the apartment, a soft, silent sigh of relief on his lips.

"Well If that isn't nice to hear- I wish all my students would share that sentiment" He hummed, mentioning the students that he definitely did not have. He did drop out of school after. You know. Dying. They both let out a soft giggle as Jason put down his things while Jade walked them into the living room where she motioned for them to sit down.

"What experience does Lian have? Was she schooled previously?" He asked as casually as he could while Jade nodded.

"A little bit from me when I am not working, but she learns all sorts of things from her babysitter. I do think she would greatly benefit seeing someone who actually knows what they are doing once in a while, it's going to be a good addition to her education" Jade was calm but visibly tired. 'Jay' nodded along her words with a sympathetic smile.

"I'll finish my coffee and be out. Later on the babysitter should come, you are free after that" Jade sipped on her coffee as Jason looked out the window. It was around 4 or 5 PM so he would have a few hours to examine the house and talk with Lian.

"Of course the whole apartment is to your disposition. I am sure my daughter will help you if you need to find anything" Her voice was cautious and Jason knew that the place was probably filled with cameras, or that Jade herself would be watching this whole time from a building across, after all Jade wouldn't just trust a stranger that responded to an ad online, right? Not with her daughter at least.

They filled the silence with small talk, information about Jay's experience, what Jade expects of him, nothing memorable as Jason completely turned off from the conversation. When the assassin did finish her coffee she said her loud goodbye and left while Jason looked towards the direction where Jade shouted.

"Hi" A quiet voice came from the other room, a small child hiding behind the doorframe, curious. Jason smiled gently in her direction, staying where he was to give her space, just in case.

"Hi… My name is Jay, and I'll be your teacher. Kind of." He tried to stay casual as his eyes scanned through the room. Even in the weird, overly yellow light he should be able to spot a camera lense, but he just couldn't find anything from a glance.

"I am Lian!" The girl finally walked up to him, smiling as she immediately hugged his leg, clinging onto him. Jason quite quickly, gently, returned the gesture with a bit of a shock. Was that her way of asking for help? Was she going to ask him to take her away to safety? Or maybe she was just an affectionate child?

"It's nice to meet you Lian, what would you like to learn today?" He sent her a gentle smile, keeping in mind that Jade insisted on letting her daughter be the one to choose the topics. Something about her child having the opportunity to choose what she wants to learn, getting her to make her own decisions, Jason really didn't think too hard about what Jade said in that moment.

"I was hoping maybe we could read together and paint?" Her request was polite, with a toothy smile at the end.

"Sure, sounds good. Do you want to stay here or go to your room?" He asked to which the girl grabbed his hand and started walking with him towards the room she came from.

The room had a blue and a pink wall, littered with decorations, stickers and artwork. There was a comfortable bed, a desk, a lot of toys all over the place, and it seemed like there were no hidden cameras here either.

It was a normal child's room, which somehow concerned Hood more than if it was filled with torture devices. Could Jade really just be a good mom?

Lian grabbed a book and sat down on her bed, with Jason following right after her. Lian took his bigger hand into her smaller one and put it down on the page, smiling up at him.

"I will motion for you to read at my speed okay?" She asked with her big eyes as Jason just nodded.

She wasn't afraid of touch. After checking her over once again, she didn't have any bruises or cuts either. The drawings in her room were also pretty normal, no dead bodies, no blood, nothing that could imply she was being mistreated.

Maybe it was wrong of him to immediately assume that a criminal couldn't love and take care of their child. He didn't want to give up just yet, not that he wanted the girl to be mistreated, but he had to truly make sure. He had to be sure, otherwise he would have another thing to add to the list of things that kept him up at night.

Lian slowly moved Jason's finger over the page and he started reading. Lian was focused but he couldn't get himself to even register his own words, trying to find a single discrepancy, a single thing that was out of place. As if finding it would lead him to unravel the secret and be able to save the child.

But was there really something to protect Lian from?

They went through a few pages, maybe a whole chapter, Jason was too deep in his thoughts to really know, a thing he kind of learned when he wasn't in control of his body back when he was in the League, he kind of could just make his body do one thing and keep his mind completely disconnected from it.

"I wanna paint now" Lian whispered suddenly, looking up at Jason as she held his finger on the dot at the end of the last sentence.

"Uh. Sure." He said quietly and got up, watching as Lian got up to start cleaning the room, making space on the floor. Jason was standing still, not sure just what exactly he was supposed to do. Lian looked up at him while he stayed quiet. She then giggled, grabbing his hand once again before she walked them to some cupboards.

"Paints are there, so I don't take them too often" She said, pointing at one of them. Jason carefully opened it and took out the supplies, sitting down with her and watching as she prepared everything.

What kind of tutoring even was this? He was just a glorified babysitter, why would Jade hire someone if the other person taking care of Lian could literally do the same thing?

"Uh- aren't we supposed to be learning?" He asked quietly, watching as Lian turned to him with a frown.

"Or we could have fun and I can tell mom you are an awesome teacher?" They stared at each other until Jason sighed. Who was he to actually try and teach the girl anything? He dropped out of school.

"Fine" He said with an exhausted sigh and watched as Lian happily opened the box with art supplies, setting things where she believed they belonged.

"Sit" Lian demanded, pointing at a place on the floor and Jason followed her instruction, sitting down and watching as Lian took his hand and- ew.

He felt the moist, thick paint cover his hand as Lian chose his palm to be her palette. A wave of disgust over the feeling of said paint washed over him but he stayed quiet, aware that it was a better move to just let it happen.

"So Jay, what kind of hobby do you have?" Lian asked, her eyes glued to the paper she was working on.

"I am an artist of course" She said, pointing at the splotches of paint all over the floor and then the drawings on the walls.

Jason didn't think his character this far through. He swallowed his spit as Lian waited for an answer, trying to quickly come up with something. What could a teacher be into…

"Books?" He said unsure, the child looking at him sceptically.

"You are asking me?" She pointed out while Jason stayed quiet, trying to figure out a better lie. Well, with Lian looking at him like that he just panicked.

"I- uh- well- metal is cool. Like. Metal parts. Music too. I just take scraps of metal and put them together sometimes" He finally responded awkwardly, watching as Lian's eyes sparkled.

"That's so cool" Her voice dragged out the 'o' as she went back to her work.

"Is this the only kind of 'education' you are getting?" Jason finally asked, deciding that maybe he could get some information in the meantime.

"Will tries his best to make me learn stuff but mom says I don't have to worry about it yet" Lian pulled a second piece of paper and let out a noise of disapproval, painting some squiggly lines on it and 'comparing' it to the circles and square-ish shapes on the first paper.

Jason stayed careful, talking to Lian with hope of getting more information. Somewhere along the way they trailed off from their main topics, somewhere either he or Lian said a bad joke and at some point he completely forgot what his mission here was.

Art was a messy interest, so of course it didn't take long for Lian's face and hands to be covered in paint. Whether because the brush fell out of her small palm or because she decided her fingers were a better tool didn't matter much, what did matter was that at some point she became a walking hazard and if Jade found pink and blue fingerprints all over the house she probably wouldn't be too happy.

Lian's and Jason's laughter echoed through the room as he grabbed a cloth and ran it under warm water for a few seconds.

"Alright, come here, we can't have you running around with paint all over your face" He said, leaning down as the girl came closer. Gently, he whipped away at her cheek with the cloth, taking off the paint as Lian still couldn't contain all her giggles. She seemed like such a happy child, reacting well to touch, affectionate, not at all violent or scared.

Maybe Jade was a good mom. Maybe she didn't want her daughter involved with the league. Jason would still come a few more times, just to make sure, but for now he knew the little girl was safe.

While he was still contemplating he heard the front door open. He immediately looked in that direction, his body automatically getting ready as he took a step to stand in front of Lian in case of an emergency, while seeing as a man in probably his mid twenties walked in. He stared at Jason like a deer in a headlight as they both stared at eachother.

The man was tall with broad shoulders covered by the black coat he was wearing. His hair was that vibrant natural ginger, shoulder length and covered by bits and pieces of snow. His eyes were somewhere between lime and chartreuse, a soft stubble on his chin and lips turned into a bit of a frown, slightly open as he seemed both confused and deep in his thoughts.

It was Lian, running through the living room to hug into his leg that snapped both of them out of their trance.

There was something. Something in the other man that created a spark inside Jason, something alongside recognition, nostalgia and a deep melancholic unease he couldn't quite put into words yet.

"Will! Will! I've learned so much cool stuff today!!!" Lian was loud, giggling once more as the man sent her a soft smile

"Aww, and here I hoped I'd still be your favourite teacher" Will pouted, his expression overexadurated as Lian laughed

"Don't worry, I am pretty sure it'll take a bit more time before I claim that spot" Jason responded as they once more looked at eachother. They were quiet again, but only for a few seconds as Will spoke up.

"Name's William, but people call me Will. I take care of that little Princess every other day but Jade definitely didn't tell me she had someone else set up for today. You uh- you her boyfriend?" Will was soft spoken but behind his eyes there was definitely a gaze of someone who was analyzing Jason and his every move.

"I am Jay and uh- no, not really. I am just here to teach her a thing or two every now and then. Today's my first day actually" Jason stepped closer, cautious over the body language of the taller man.

"Neat. I uh- I bet that I am supposed to relieve you of your duties then?" Now it was Will who took a step closer. It felt like there was a tension between them, a secret language as they both treated each other like a wild animal that would be easy to spook away, or a predator waiting to attack. There was no hostility between them, but clearly neither of them trusted the other.

"I suppose" Jay replied quietly, watching as Lian suddenly frowned

"Nooo! But we could have played together! Can't you stay just a few more minutes??? Pleeeease?" Lian made her eyes big and innocent, like a puppy asking you to throw them a stick one more time. Who was Jason to say no? He sighed, rubbing the back of his neck before giving the girl one more look and giving up on rejecting the offer.

"Alright, but only 15 more minutes, no more" He said in a bit of a stern voice as the girl jumped up happily and held onto Will's hand, dragging him over to the doll house while Jason followed.

While Lian stood in front of the toy Will and Jason sat down next to eachother awkwardly, their shoulders practically touching as the girl insisted they 'had to be closer so they can all play together'. Jason set up an alarm on his phone, just in case he got lost in his thoughts and forgot what time it was, before Lian angrily took his device away.

She gave them both two dolls, placing one in each of their hands as Will sighed, making Jason rise his eyebrow.

"I have to play the landlord" The man whispered, causing even more confusion for Jason. How and- why would a 5 year old know what a landlord is?

"You get to play the baby and the policeman" Lian exclaimed while Jason looked at his two dolls. One was a small cat, which he assumed was the 'baby', while the other was a tall doll with a drawn mustache. He blinked a few times, realising he has no idea what to do.

"Just go with the flow" Will said as if reading his thoughts. He started, as if to show Jason how it's done, by using an overly exadurated voice as he played his second doll, 'Stacy'. Lian played with one tall blonde doll and a second one that was a normal sized cat. The dolls started talking to eachother about all sorts of things before the 'landlord' came with the 'policeman' to evict them.

Jason was confused, but felt a tiny smile on his lips at how stupid the whole story was.

And the picture of someone finding out that the Red Hood spent his friday evening playing with doll, talking about topics the 5 year old shouldn't be able to understand.

At some point his phone buzzed as it announced that the 15 minutes were up. Lian groaned as their laughter died down.

"Nooo come on! Just a few more minutes!" She asked once more. Jason was about to argue, or maybe agree again, before Will stepped in.

"Hey- look princess, Jay already stayed overtime and he has to get back home. You'll get to play with him again another time okay? Say goodbye now" His voice was one of care but had that parental feel to it. Slightly scolding, but more to bring awareness than to punish the child.

"Alright… Bye Jay, I'll miss you. I hope we see each other again" Lian said as Jason just smiled, feeling his heart warm up

"It's okay, I am sure we will. It was a pleasure to meet you Lian, thank you for today" He got up and Will followed, probably to close the door behind him.

Before a hand touched his shoulder he turned around, once more staring into the green eyes of the ginger. They were quiet again, before he spoke up.

"Thanks for staying longer. It means the world to her" He said quietly as Jason hummed

"No problem, really. Thanks for standing up for me, I probably wouldn't be able to say no" They both exchanged a soft giggle but as Jason was about to turn again his arm was grabbed. He had to physically stop his reflexes as he turned to look at the man again.

"Wait- you have paint on your face" Will's smile was dorky as he licked his thumb and gently put it over Jason's chin, rubbing the paint off, leaving his finger smudged with an off shade of pink. They both stared at each other again, a soft blush over their cheeks as they giggled

"Man- I am so sorry- I swear I spend too much time with Lian. Didn't mean to be weird" They exchanged a playful look as Jason leaned over the door frame.

"It's fine, I get it. Believe it or not, it's not the weirdest thing that happened to me on the first day that I met someone" He thought about how Bruce adopted him, knowing him for only a few minutes. Maybe it was the charming smile, or maybe the bags under Will's eyes, but Jason didn't mind. Rather, 'Jay' didn't mind. Jason had to go back to Gotham, back to Red Hood, so maybe a moment of 'normalcy' was acceptable every now and then.

When he finally left the apartment he had to mentally prepare himself for the upcoming 12 hour ride back to Gotham. He was already lucky enough that he had business in Star City, otherwise these trips would be more than bothersome. Not that they weren't already, but he got committed to helping the child a few more times, just in case, before he could decide that the investigation was done. Then he would close up the business he had with Star City's underworld and could fully focus on Gotham again.

============= Whoop! I think this one is a bit shorter than the last one. This is still happening in the same universe, just at a different time ;)

If you are confused and rading this, Roy uses the name 'Will', wasn't able to fit the clone story from YJ into my timeline but it's a little reference.

If anyone plans to read the whole thing then here, I am gonna share a thing or two since I am *still* waiting for my new AO3 Account.

The story will be written in 3 different perspectives that will connect. One will be from the early days, one in the 'current' days of Jason and Roy in their fake identities and one will be from a 'future' perspective which was briefly mentioned at the start of last 'chapter'.

Jason has both the autopsy scar (althought he got it in a different way) and the 'J' from the arkham series, he covers it up for the 'Jay' thing tho. I also planned out how the lazarus pit works and why it revived him but didn't heal these things.

I know it's waaay too confusing so when I am done and move onto the other part of the story (yes, I have this story planned for almost each and every character) I am proboably going to make a single collection with edited parts so it's all in order.

[humanoiddisaster]

Strawberry Milkshake

'Jason is dying. He knows it, he felt the very same feeling about 6 years ago. While rapidly bleeding out he ends up thinking about his love life and how it ended up with him having to juggle 2.5 personas at once. His brain tries to find memories to distract him from his blurry vision as his mind goes back to when he just met Roy. When all they were was friends...' Warning for implied character death, underage drug use, partners not knowing of their real identities, cursing and Jason Todd.

Gotham, 2025

Jason spat out blood, feeling lightheaded as he tried to get up before he gave up, his body too heavy for himself to hold up.

He laid in the pool of his own blood, even the enchanced healing from the lazarus pit wasn't able to heal the injury.

Was this really how it ends for him? How Red Hood was supposed to die? Killed by his own father… how was he so stupid to believe Bruce would change his mind?

He thought over everything he did before and after his death. All the pain he went through, all the relentless training he participated in, all the people he saved… and… all the people he loved.

What would his partner say? When Red Hood is found dead, his identity revealed, what when Roy finds out that all this time behind 'Jay' it was Jason who was that fake persona… an old friend, a dead kid, a criminal.

He thought about how close the two of them were despite not knowing eachothers true identities. Well- he did know Roy's, but Roy definitely didn't know his. Memories of their time before anything was even slightly romantic also rang through his brain as it scrambled to find any situation that could relate to this death. Besides his first death that is, he could still feel the barbed wire wrapped around him, could feel the way his shoulders were dislocating from one second to another.

Back when they were just friends, and that was it… How did their friendship really start?

As he coughed out more blood, his eyes got blurry while he felt himself smile, crimson stains on his teeth.

It probably started with that Strawberry Milkshake…

Star City, 2016

Roy walked out of the alleyway as he could still hear the laughter of his 'friends' who decided to take a few more rounds. He was ready to go home, tomorrow he will have a big test he has to prepare for. With the drugs hidden in his hoodie he calmly strolled by, but when he was walking back to the main street he stopped in his tracks due to the sound of footsteps behind him. Heavy footsteps… at least 3 people, who definitely didn't fit the light, malnourished bodies of his friends. He got prepared, ready to reach for his bow when he suddenly heard a quiet thump. He turned back immedietely, watching as none other than Robin took down the three guys. He gulped, watching as the caped bird turned to him, with what seemed to be a cold stare behind the domino mask. Roy slowly put his hands up into view before one of them automatically touched his bag.

His voice came out rushed and a bit panicked as he clutched the strap of his duffle bag tighter. His vision still wasn't clear yet but the colours of the red, yellow and green costume were vivid in front of him

"It's fine- I have it covered-" he said as he held his hands open in a calm gesture. He just watched this kid knock out 3 different guys on his own plus he wasn't really in the mood or the physical capability to fight him.

"You have it covered?" The soft voice asked to which Roy could only nod. He felt his hands shake and his throat get dry as his hand reached into the duffle bag to show his bow neatly folded inside of it.

"I work for the league, just like you I am also a sidekick" He tried to stay calm and not look too suspicious as the younger boy tilted his head

"And how exactly do I know that you aren't lying?" Robin asked, his voice soft and kind as if his green gloves didn't have bloody stains on the knuckles.

Roy felt that he was in trouble, possibly because he was just caught on the street that the most infamous drug dealer of Star City was selling on, not as sober as he should be, lying to the kid as if he was working undercover. He panicked a bit because he had never thought about it before. How was he supposed to prove who he was if what they were taught was how to make sure they weren't easily recognizable as civilians?

He was too tired for this, too exhausted, and maybe there just wasn't a better way. He reached for the small ear piece that was hidden in one of the inner pockets of his duffle bag. He put it into his ear- nearly invisible- as he waited a few seconds before turning it on.

"Connect to an empty channel" He mumbled, watching the kid fumble a bit with his own piece before they were connected. He took a deep breath and put on the most convincing impression of himself.

"Speedy reporting in, I have the area covered" The filter over the earpiece changed his voice just enough to be recognizable. Robin seemed a bit sceptical but his posture seemed to relax ever so slightly.

"What are you even doing all the way in Star city?" He asked, leaning over the wall as he let out a soft sigh, making sure to shut down the link between their comms. God knows someone could be listening in, or recording it to use against them later. What would he say then? That yeah, actually, he lied and nobody knew he was here, especially not Green Arrow.

"Me and Batman followed a trail from Gotham that led here." Robin's voice was cheerful and covered in honey, with that bit of childish innocence. Roy could feel that the kid wasn't telling him everything but it's not like he had the right to question the boy any further.

"Cool. So… The mission. We uh- we aren't gonna interrupt each other then?" Roy said unsure to which the kid just nodded. He felt himself smile in relief, closing his eyes just for a few seconds.

"Great. It was really cool to meet you but-" When he opened them again, Robin was gone.

Right.

Roy forgot they do that…

Roy was sure that it was a one of a time thing, that he got to see the Boy Wonder 2 once and it was just a close call but nothing would come out of it.

Oh boy was he wrong.

His back leaned against the wall of the alleyway as he let out a soft sigh. Slowly, he let his hand trail over his arms and back. It was fine. His ribs were badly bruised, so was his knee, and his leg was still probably bleeding a bit, but it was fine. He just had to relieve the pain…

He reached for his pocket, or rather for what was inside of it, but before he could do anything he heard the faintest thump on his right. He shivered, immediately looking in the direction of the sound, bracing himself for combat when he was met with that familiar red-yellow-green suit.

The shiny emblem of the 'R' taunted him as he looked at the masked kid.

"What the hell are you doing here? I told you I have things covered" He hissed out, maybe a bit too harshly but he was angry, annoyed that his little ritual was interrupted

"You know, with our line of work, I thought you would know how to be more responsible. Come on, I know a safe place around" He could hear the soft voice say. He got confused, unsure what the kid meant, but with his hand held out like that it wasn't easy to just reject the offer… Whatever it was.

He grabbed Robin's hand unsure and let him lead both of them. Through the alleys, through some stairs and rooftops, until they reached a scaffolding and entered an apartment through the window.

The apartment itself was small but had everything someone might need. A couch, a kitchen, an old TV, a few of those 'home sweet home' signs all over the place. Roy immediately considered that they must have broken into someone's house but the closer he looked the more it felt that the place just wasn't really lived in.

"What… Is this place?" He asked unsure, still confused about what Robin would want from him. He was exhausted, in pain after a failed mission and really wanted to get over with whatever this was.

"It's a safehouse. One that doesn't belong to B so you don't have to worry about any cameras or hidden microphones." Robin casually sat down on top of the dining table as Roy just stared at him in silence

"Okay… But why did you bring me here?" He finally asked while crossing his arms.

"So you can safely do your drugs?" The answer hit Roy like a cold bucket of water poured on him every Easter.

"What? What are you talking about? I don't know what you mean. What drugs? I don't do drugs. You are confused and misunderstood the situation it's-" Harper tried to save his ass but maybe it was all the exhaustion and pain, maybe it was his lack of luck, or maybe it was just the fact that the kid was trained by the greatest detective in the world, but it looked like Robin wasn't really buying it. The opposite of it actually, as he interrupted Roy.

"Just shut up and do it! Look- you aren't really good at hiding this okay? I am trying to be nice, to be polite, but you are really not helping right now. I just want to make sure you are going to be safe so calm down and sit the fuck down." The shout of the kid and the curse combined with that innocent voice felt weird. It shut down his brain as he followed the instruction, sitting down on the couch that was placed opposite of the dining table. The Kid watched him like a hawk, making him swallow unsure as he gripped his arms tighter with realizations dawning on him.

"So… Everyone knows…" He said quietly, feeling his chest tighten at the fear of what Ollie will do when Roy gets back home. If he was even allowed to call that place home anymore…

"I wouldn't say so. Well- can't really say for sure, but I didn't spill anything" Robin spoke softly once more, fidgeting a bit as if he wasn't quite sure what to do with himself.

"You didn't?" Roy asked quietly, biting his lip and feeling it bleed as his body shivered uncontrollably.

"Of course I didn't, come on, I am not like that." Robin seemed a bit offended by the accusation but it just confused Roy more.

"But why? Why wouldn't you? What do you have from protecting me?" He asked, looking suspiciously at the younger. Robin sighed heavily, lying his back in the table with his legs dangling off of it.

"What would I have from ratting you out? Look- Speedy- I know what these things can do but I also know I can't force you to not do it. I also know that you aren't a bad person, and telling on you will bring more trouble so if instead I can just give you a safe space and make sure you are going to be fine then I'll keep it to myself." The explanation felt plausible but it didn't make Roy trust the kid any more. He couldn't possibly understand why the kid would care so much.

"How do I know you aren't going to turn your back on me?" He asked, feeling like there wasn't really anything stopping Robin from waiting for Roy to get high to have proof of the drug use. Although he could also just confiscate the drugs Roy had on himself… So…

"Jason Todd" His thoughts were interrupted but the name didn't ring any bells and it certainly didn't do anything to make Roy feel less anxious.

"That's my name. Now you know, so if I tell anyone about this, you get to tell them I revealed my secret identity. I would get in just as much trouble with B as you would with Arrow" The kid- Jason has pointed out.

Batman was terrifying. From the last Robin's pressure over his secret, which Roy understood because at some point Robin 1 was his best friend, it did feel like the birds would be pretty much dead if Batman found out they revealed their secret.

Roy swallowed his spit. With the kid barely watching…

God, he was just so tired of the pain.

He rolled up his sleeves and reached into his pocket, taking out a small bag with crystals, one more time inspecting the white shards as if he could tell any impurities apart under this light.

"Will" he stumbled in his words.

"Will you want some too?" he asked, fully expecting the answer to be yes.

"No" rang through his ears making him feel guilty for even asking. Robin's voice was harsh, filled with disgust, hatred and… Sorrow? He had enough sulking for today 'but the company is always appreciated' he thought to himself while putting a carefully measured amount into the dirty glass pipe. He put the rest back in the bag and took a deep breath while pressing the button of his lighter.

He inhaled and almost instantly felt the oh so craved euphoric rush. Thoughts in his brain started running like speedsters as he got to experience this once again. What felt like the only thing that could clear his mind, he took another long drag and observed the room.

"So who are you after?" Came out of his mouth as he laid back, allowing the feeling to spread through his body, washing away the bothersome pain he sought to alleviate.

"Just a drug trail all the way from Gotham to Star city, it involves Bane so I was asked to look for any people who happen to be known to work with him, which included the 3 that were trying to mug you last time" Robin calmly explained, curling up on the table.

Roy was listening and organizing his thoughts together with what Robin implied. Focusing on the kid's movements and the tone of his voice, trying to catch any signs of ill intentions or lies.

'Well if it's over at least I'm not gonna be in pain' he thought before trying to figure out what common topic he could find to kill the silence. He planned to go into a club to drink and enjoy himself but now these things seemed extremely inappropriate around the young 'hero'.

"Do you…" He swallowed, his throat somehow dry as he tried to make his words as clear as possible.

"Wanna do something together? Or are we just going to stay in an awkward silence?" He asked, finally feeling the pain fully disappear which allowed him to truly relax and yet… He still felt somewhat anxious.

"Like what?" Robin asked which made Roy think for a second. What could they be doing? He bit his lip, feeling a smirk appear on his face at the idea that came to his head.

"Wanna go out and take down that guy? What was his name? Bane?" He asked, watching as Robin sat up properly, only to find him angry instead of excited

"Are you insane? We aren't going out until you sober up. Besides! Bane isn't some low level villain!" Jason's voice left no space for questions as Roy just sighed. Looks like they were going to just awkwardly sit here in silence…

His eyes closed as he accepted the fate, deciding that he didn't really want to fight the kid on any of it.

Roy wasn't sure how long they just sat there in silence, but at some point Robin spoke up again.

"Would you watch Murder On The Orient Express with me?" Jayson asked quietly, his eyes big behind the domino mask.

"Yeah, sure, totally, absolutely." Roy said with a smile, the chemicals in his body working pretty well as he felt himself jump up to sit criss-crossed on the couch.

The boy got up and walked up to the old TV, taking out a few rectangular boxes before looking through them and choosing the movie. Roy bit his lip again, watching as the disc got inserted into the TV and soon enough the movie started.

"Why don't you watch it alone? I mean do you just not have time or like- do you just want to watch it again? Why this movie specifically?" He could feel himself talking more, could feel the need to do something with himself in the meantime.

"I am technically not allowed to watch it, that plus school, training and being Robin. I heard the movie is pretty good and I really like the author" Robin shrugged, sitting down on the opposite side of the couch and Roy hummed back in response.

"Okay, but like, why? Why wouldn't you be allowed to watch it? Are your parents super uptight about these things? Speaking of, how are your parents with you being a vigilante? Aren't they worried about you being out so late? For so long? Don't they question the injuries? Actually-" He wanted to continue but Robin interrupted him again, in the softest, quietest voice he ever heard.

"Can you please just shut up?" Roy looked at the kid, feeling that he did something wrong. Jason seemed sad, holding onto himself tightly as Roy realized his words were a bit insensitive.

"Hey I am s-" When trying to apologize he was met with Jason looking at him with one of those bat-glares that imedietely shut Roy down.

Yeah…

Quiet…

He bounced his leg up and down, feeling his teeth grind on themselves as nothing was stimulating him enough. With the movie in the background he pulled out his communicator and started going through old case files, mostly to try and find any new leads or clues. Also just to kill time. He wasn't quite sure what was happening in the movie, but with the kid intenesly watching the movie he didn't really want to comment or move too much so that he doesn't interrupt Robin by any chance.

Suddenly, he shot up from his place and started pacing around the room right as the credits of the movie started appearing on the screen.

"We gotta leave- gotta go out and do something- come on, please, let's go, we can at least take down the cooks in the chain, I know where those guys were getting the drugs from, let's beat the shit out of them and throw them into Jail!" He said with excitement in his voice, watching the confusion on Robin's face turn into panic as Roy walked up to the window.

"NO! No freaking way!!! We are NOT going out! Not with you like that!" Robin was fast, Roy barely opened the window before he felt that his back was slammed, making him lean out of the window when Robin grabbed his shirt and forcefully dragged him back inside, closing the door as Roy felt a rush inside of him.

Roy laid on the floor waiting for his moment before grabbing the cape from behind, knocking Robin off balance but not for long. They both got up and started fighting- nothing serious, as neither wanted to hurt the other, but also neither of them wanted to give up the fight. With Roy's energy it got more heated but no real punches were thrown. Until he was slammed over the table which broke underneath him. He groaned, feeling a weird tingle in his body as he was far from being able to feel pain.

"Oh my god I am so sorry- Are you alright?" Robin's quiet, worried voice came out as he stood above Roy, shaking which confused him.

"Yeah I am… fine?" He mumbled, sitting up as Robin started examining his back, mumbling all the time about how 'stupid' and 'reckless' it was.

"Hey- Hey- everything is alright- come on- it's no big deal" He said with a smile as he got up and shook the leftover wooden pieces off of his clothes.

"Are you… sure? B doesn't like when I get violent during training…" Robin's voice was so small that Roy could just now see how young he was… how bizarre, that a kid was the one who Roy felt that he should look up to. How the kid was more responsible than he ever was…

What was he doing with his life?

Guilt overcame him as he looked down at his shaky hands. He shouldn't have done this in front of a child.

"Speedy? Hello? You there? Oh my- please don't tell me I have to call an ambulance" From the crack of the voice and the red over Robin's cheeks Roy could tell that he was about to start crying.

"It's okay I am just… sorry. I never wanted to ruin your day or… or make myself your responsibility" He said quietly to which Jason just sighed

"I am sorry kid…" He mumbled, suddenly seeing Robin's face change.

"Excuse you? I get that I am not that old but I am far from being a child. I am literally 13, there is a TEEN in the number you doofus" Roy stared at him for a few seconds before opening his mouth again.

"You look 7, maybe 9" He laughed which just ended up with Robin gently hitting him in the shoulder.

"You- I swear next time I'll just leave you on the street corner" Robin let out a grumpy noise as Roy continued laughing.

"I knew that it was a trusted place-" Robin was quick to interrupt him, again.

"No street corner is safe! I hope you never come to Gotham with that attitude" The little bird insulting Star city wouldn't fly free for long, not if Roy was around.

"Oh no- This is NO crime alley! Some corners are safe!" He exclaimed before realizing how stupid it sounded. The kid- The teen was right. They both started laughing, both finding the situation stupid.

"Hey- I get that you have energy and all, so how about we spar?" Robin asked at some point which just made Roy smile brightly.

"Oh my god yes? I mean, we gotta push some furniture out of the way but absolutely, I've been dying to move around" Robin once more checked if Roy wasn't injured before nodding with a satisfied hum.

They moved what was leftover of the table and the chairs into a corner of the room. Moved the couch further towards the wall and out of the way, they pushed the coffee table to the door and rolled up the rug so they can prevent slipping on it.

When everything was properly set up they agreed upon some rules before finally starting.

It all stayed a blue in Roy's mind, but he remembered it being quite pleasant. Really fun. He really started liking Jason, to the point where once he was done with his high and Jason visibly yawned, the older walked him to the nearest boom tube and said his goodbye.

'By the way, name's Roy. Roy Harper' He said right as he was walking off which made Robin very happy despite his sleepy state.

In the next few days nothing big happened, just taking a drug or two before his exams or training, ignoring people and trying to recreate the good high he had when he was around Jason. He simply just couldn't. His 'friends', or any other drug addicts, weren't able to make him feel safe. Weren't able to keep their hands to themselves and didn't want to do any 'boring' activities like watching a movie.

But it was fine. Roy didn't need them. He didn't need anyone. So what if his training became more violent? So what if his friends turned away from him because he was 'isolating himself'? He didn't need any of them.

But…

But spending time with Jason again would be fine.

Right as he was leaving the club he walked through the same alley again when once more he heard that soft thump. He smiled imeddietely, feeling excitement at the idea that he would get to spend more time with the new Robin.

He turned around and watched the 'dissapointed father' look on Jason, which just made Roy giggle with how adorable the kid was.

"Looks like you never learn your lesson Harper" The way he said it definitely showed how much Jason enjoyed having the luxury of knowing the archer's name.

"As if you do, Jay" He replied with no real bite, leaning over the wall as Robin tilted his head to the side

"Jay?" He asked in a quiet voice. Roy shrugged, keeping the atmosphere light.

"Yeah. It's a nickname I gave you." Robin stood in silence for a few seconds before turning around, Roy did get to watch the Boys Wonder's face burn red though.

"Aww, come on, did no one ever give you a nickname before?" Roy asked teasingly as Jason turned to face him again.

"My brother did. Once. But it always felt demeaning. The one from you is… Nice" Robin said quietly which saddened the moment and made Roy re think his next words.

"Do you… Want to talk about it?" He asked quietly, to which Jason shrugged.

"No, but I got some spare time and I am pretty sure I know your pattern so let's go" Roy felt one of his eyebrows rise above the other.

"My pattern?" He was confused which only made Robin smile while they both stayed silent.

They made their way into the apartment once more. This time Roy was more confident with his use as he didn't waste any time, taking out his pipe and lighting however much he put into it.

Robin stayed silent but seemed unbothered so Roy didn't think too much about it.

"So, how's uh- school?" Roy asked which made Robin giggle out loud.

"You are so awkward dude. It's fine, I am starting to slightly fall behind but I'll pull through it, It was just a rough couple of weeks with the new drug trades and Scarecrow releasing a new fear toxin variant, I am sure once we end these cases I'll have enough time to fix these grades" Robin sat down on the opposite side of the couch, two glasses of water in his hands as he gave one to Roy.

Roy recalled that it was the same as his own way of thinking years ago. That he would catch up. Either with school, his peers, chores, until at some point everything was so far behind he just couldn't.

That's when drugs came into his life…

"You know…" Roy trailed off, watching as Robin turned to face him.

"Is it… Really worth it? Loosing your childhood for… Being Robin?" Roy asked quietly.

Jason sighed, crossing his arms and looking away.

"If I can help people out, make peoples lives better, I am fine with sacrificing my childhood" Jason was so sure of his reply, yet it still felt like there was some hesitance behind it.

Roy hated the system they were forced into. Indoctrinated as kids to believe that becoming important 'saviours' at their young age was the best that they could do. They waste their years on heavy training, putting themselves into dangerous situations, told that it was all worth it.

Truth was… With every day that passed by Roy questioned it more.

"Alright Jay, whatever you say" He said with a soft sigh as Jason rolled his eyes again.

Or did he? It was really hard to see when Jason's eyes were covered by the domino mask

"You know, I still feel like I should give you something in return. I mean- I probably shouldn't trust you this easily but those big eyes work their magic on me" He said with a small smile as Robin brightened up

"It's the Robin magic! I am telling you, It's awesome being Robin!" With Jason's bright smile Roy felt his heart melt. This kid was precious, to be protected at all times.

"You are still evading my question you know" Roy pointed out which made both of them giggle. Jay thought for a few seconds before coming up with an answer.

"I could accept a strawberry milkshake or two" Robin's cheerful tone didn't completely fit with Roy's expectations.

"What? Why that? Can't you just get one yourself?" He asked, confused, watching as the younger's arms slouched while he started pouting.

"Well- B says I can't have them anymore because it's an 'unhealthy obsession' or something stupid like that. I just really like them, and it's not like I am gonna ask Nightwing or Gordon… Both of them already said no" Roy stared at the teen, unable to believe what he just said. The request was so stupid- so small for how big of a secret Jay was keeping, but who was Roy to deny it?

"I'll take care of it next time then. I'll bring you that stupid milkshake" Roy mumbled, leaning over the couch as he felt his leg bounce up and down again.

"You will?" Robin asked, practically sparkling with joy as Roy hummed. Jay chose a new movie for them to watch while Roy once more felt himself mostly blur by, his energy spiking again to which Jason's response was a proposition to spar again.

Roy forgot that sparring was supposed to be fun, and maybe Robin was magic.

Somehow he found himself smiling more, enjoying just existing instead of trying to find his self worth in working himself to death. They laughed, they giggled, and Roy knew that the next time this would be happening… He would be bringing a strawberry milkshake. ============= It's been in my head for a long time, and I got super excited when I started writing it. I hope everything was somewhat accurate- I tried my best. I wasn't sure with the length of the chapter and the pacing but I'll try my best to improve! Hope someone out there enjoys this lol. In case you are interested in the full story, the timeline will include Jason's death, the arkham torture, revival, both his time in the shadow league and being the Arkham Knight (we do not claim his look from the games though), the batarang incident, joker junior and a whole lot of other angst I don't have the power of explaining right now. Plus, if you for some reson actually read this, Jason uses the name 'Jay' and Roy uses the name 'Will' (I couldn't add EVERY single angst I wanted but it's a little reference to the young justice series) they started dating unaware of their real identities and pretty much both believe the other is dead. Them as teens is FULLY PLATONIC. Let that be clear :>

[humanoiddisaster]

All Things Red - Introduction

Hello! If you are here- Welcome! This blog is dedicated to my little fanfic project that I plan on writing and expanding. The story is based on the idea of 'What if we took all the cool characters, took all their best traumas and put into one story, plus made them all gay?' Let it be known that I am not a native english speaker so I might use wrong words or phrases sometimes, might make some mistakes even my beta reader won't find. It's been a long while since I wrote a fanfic but I do encourage you to give my story a try. The askbox for any questions about the story, timeline, headcanons etc. will always be open. For the titled story- 'All Things Red' we will dive into the friendship and eventual relationship of Red Hood and Arsenal (Jason Todd and Roy Harper). It's going to be a mix of angst, domestic fluff, hurt comfort, platonic and romantic relationships.