#hey dc fans that follow me don't crucify me for being a jayroy stan

[figsandphiltatos]

WIP Whenever

i was tagged by the wonderful and talented @johaerys-writes

tagging the usual gang, no pressure as always @dearestaeneas @deadchannelradio @sarcasticbeanie and!! anyone else that sees this and wants to share something go for it

(bernie sanders voice) i am once again putting the writing behind a read more.

it's more oc stuff i swear one day i'll start writing and thinking about something other than ocs but,,, that day is not today

“Dick said you lost your tooth?” Jason stood in the doorway, still dressed in his body armor, sounding disappointed. He had already missed the first time they lost a tooth with the family. He had promised to help them out the second time. I know a trick, he had promised with a wink. 

“Yeah.” Wes said, baring their teeth so Jason could see the gap where a tooth had been when he’d left last week. With the top incisor still coming in and a new gaping hole, their smile looked like it had been haphazardly thrown together by someone who wasn’t quite sure what they were trying to emulate. Jason knelt down next to them to get a better look. 

“Damn. I’m sorry, kid.” He had promised to be there. But things were complicated. Surely he had meant to. And Wes couldn’t really get a grasp on any anger they might have felt after overhearing the muffled yelling from a room over. 

He didn’t make any promises about next time.

“Your uncle’s pretty set on taking you back to Blüdhaven with him.” He looked down at his gloved hands and sighed. 

At 22, Wes could try and imagine what it would be like to suddenly have a seven year old to take care of. It only truly made sense then that their father had practically been a kid himself at the time. But when they were younger, Jason had looked so old and so exhausted at times like these. It was hard to think of him as anything but the adult in the room. 

“You’d better go. Roy and I will come and visit.” He hated visiting Blüdhaven. Almost as much as he hated visiting Gotham. He never said as much to Wes, but it wasn’t like it was hard to tell. “Cross my heart.” 

Wes just wrapped their arms around him and tried to promise themself they wouldn’t be upset if he didn’t visit. They also promised themself they wouldn't cry. They were tired and overwhelmed and the yelling hadn't helped, but there was a constant pressure to be brave that no one had directly laid at their feet, but Wes had picked up regardless. 

There was an awkward silence for a beat after the hug, before something caught Jason's eye. “The tooth fairy gave you these?” He asked, reaching over towards Wes' suitcase and the shuriken neatly stacked next to it. He picked one up gently, inspecting it and obviously fighting back some kind of smile. 

“Yes.” Wes said. “I got one to stick in the wall.” They offered up, hoping for some kind of praise. Maybe Uncle Dick would even let them show Jason before they left. They hadn't packed the weapons yet because they were debating whether to hide them. Something told them Dick wouldn't be enthused by the tooth fairy's gift. 

Jason stifled a chuckle. He was never any good at playing the part of the stern parent. “Things like these are really dangerous, Wes.” He sighed, reaching over to grab the rest of the shuriken. They were almost the size of Wes' entire hand, but they fit much better in Jason's grasp. They were his, after all. 

“But, the tooth fairy—”

“The tooth fairy gave me this to give to you.” Jason shoved the shuriken in one pocket of his jacket while rummaging around in another with his free hand. Finally, he produced a relatively impressive wad of cash. It was no Gotham tooth fairy payout, but it was more than generous. “Sometimes, when the tooth fairy knows a kid is going to lose a tooth, she gives their parents the money a little early. Like an advance. Since, ya know, the tooth fairy is so busy. And, uh, I guess since I wasn't here there was a mix up. Sorry about that, kid.” Jason was never particularly good with things like the tooth fairy or Santa, either. 

“Oh,” Wes tried their best not to sound disappointed. They swallowed the urge to insist that he should at least see how far they could stand from the wall while still sticking the shuriken into it—though, the holes in the gym wall would speak for themselves. “Thank you.” They almost blurted as they took the cash, suddenly remembering their manners. 

Jason’s expression was stuck somewhere bittersweet. He looked almost guilty when he opened his mouth to speak, but a voice from the doorway interrupted. “Ready to go, little bird?”