metalogs | i was born to hold my hands up (open)

( of course not, because bruce takes in every stray he can. jason doesn't mind the chewing any, although he does give a soft, "no, sweetheart" at the nipping, and moves his fingers out of chewing range. best not to encourage bad habits, they'll only get worse with time. if he had something on him he could feed to a dog, he'd offer treats instead. unfortunately, he's fairly certain all he's got is a chocolate chip granola bar. not ideal for dogs.

any anger or irritation jason had felt when he'd come in to rummage through bruce's shit has faded. he's got the puppy, clearly they're more important. )

You name 'em yet?

Not yet.

( he hadn't exactly anticipated on bringing anyone back with him, but. again, he couldn't just leave them there to fend for themselves. bruce just... doesn't have it in him. regardless of how much he might isolate himself or go into hermit mode. )

You should've asked Dick. ( he says then, still looking to the laptop. ) If you wanted to know I was still around. I dropped something off for him.

Dick's busy.

( and last time jason had bothered him, he'd started brawling him. granted, dick had needed the fight. but he should probably give dick some time to cool off from it regardless--even if he's fairly certain dick knows what jason was up to. )

Should probably name your dog. ( your dog, since they both know bruce is keeping the puppy. )

Why are you so interested in them?

( the pup, he means, who is still happily wagging their tail there in jason's arms. )

Or are you trying to use them as something else to focus on?

Little guy's adorable.

( look at this cute little puppy, just wiggling around doing cute little puppy things. jason even curls an arm around the puppy's back, so he can pull them up a little closer and press his face in against their belly.

rubs his face in against them. )

I had a dog when I was a kid. His name was Sparky.

( another sidelong glance out of the corner of his eye, he catches the way jason interacts with the pup — the way he more or less snuggles them right then and there and it's... the most gentle[?] he's seen jason in a way that wasn't wrapped up in grief or trauma. hm.

letting the laptop run its thing, he turns then — faces jason and the pup a little more and just watches them interact with one another for a moment. )

You ok?

( not a question he's expecting, because he's fine.

or physically fine as far as bruce is going to be able to tell. the scratches on his face are gone like they were never there, he's got minimal visible bruising - some around his right eye, some against the side of his cheek, his jaw, but it's faded back by now. almost healed up. there are bags under his eyes, more noticable than usual from the very intentional lack of sleep lately, but. that's just par the course. )

Yeah? Why.

( mostly he's just--confused on the question as a whole. why ask. )

You punched me.

( he says that rather dryly — as if it should be obvious. )

You disappeared. It pissed me off.

( made him worried is more like it, but anger is easier to admit to than worry. )

( why? he wants to ask, but. like before, he refrains. he and jason are... so similar in ways neither of them are comfortable to admit, so. he thinks he gets it. even if he's not so sure he wants to think about it.

a glance to the pup, he sighs to himself, moving past jason to go for the midnight purple car, popping open the trunk to grab a duffel bag he slings over his shoulder and a paper bag that has some dog food in it. nope. not keeping the pup at all. )

You want to feed them?

Him.

( with some belly rubs to the puppy jason is holding as if he was an actual baby, curled in against his chest with his forearm supporting the puppy's weight. the smile on his face is gentle as he keeps eyes down on the puppy.

bruce is definitely keeping him. look at how cute he is. jason's in love, but jason also doesn't live the kind of lifestyle where one can keep a dog safe and healthy, so. robins only. )

You get a dog bowl to go with the food?

( bringing the trunk down, held in his other hand is, in fact, a dog bowl. )

Maybe.

( shifting the duffel bag over his shoulder a little more, he makes his way around the car — heads for the so-called exit of this spot that may or may not be temporary. )

Come on.

( fine, whatever. he can follow bruce, now that he's no longer concerned about bruce being missing. jason shifts the puppy to hold him properly, then tails after bruce to wherever the hell he's heading off to.

may as well learn of all his other secret spots while he's here, right. )

( it's to an old-styled sort of service elevator that isn't all that long of a ride up. five-ish floors, max. when it takes them to the top, bruce draws the gate open and makes his way out first, leading jason into the back area of the dorm that's still under construction.

moving through that, it's to the kitchen that he takes him which, lights coming on and, is more or less complete. a little large in size. dropping his duffel bag down onto the island there, he pulls the bag of dry dog food out first, then sets a couple wet food tins down. )

I just have the one.

( he says that more to himself in regards to the bowl, but. going over to the cupboard, he pulls down a ceramic bowl and goes about filling that with water. it'll do. )

( bruce busies himself with filling the bowl, and jason leans down to put the puppy on the ground so he can run over and get a drink when bruce finishes. without the puppy in arms, jason looks--more stiff. on guard. he leans back against the kitchen counter to watch bruce move around it, arms crossing over his chest. )

If you're gonna disappear, give us a heads up first. With Joker around, an' your. . lack of experience, we're all gonna assume the worst.

( jason used to disappear, often. doesn't now, because he's busy. he's got dickie and other shit he's handling, responsibilities as much as he hates the idea of having those, which means he can't just wipe his identity and fuck off to tuvalu when he feels the need to get some distance. it's--being needed feels nice, being stuck feels shitty.

but he gets pulling disappearing acts. he also knows there's usually at least some heads up first from most of them. )

You're not on your own here.

( the look of disbelief on his face when jason goes and says that...

rather than say anything in regards to that, he pulls himself up from the crouched position there near the bowl the pup is drinking from, slowly goes about grabbing the dry food and bowl, then crouches back down and starts filling it up for the pup.

taking a moment — just watching the way they move from the water to the dry food then, bruce pulls himself back up, setting the bag there on the island counter. )

You might come by and find everything from here gone one day.

( bruce makes a face, and jason makes a sour face right back.

stays where he is, because he's not about to go for another hit in front of the dog. no need to traumatize them like that, he's not that terrible. )

I don't care what the hell you're getting into. But if you disappear, move all your shit, an' tell no one you planned on disappearing, I'm gonna find you an' I'll make sure you won't forget all the training I'd gotten after I'd left B's side.

( his voice is low, serious. this isn't a game to him, this could be life or death. )

( jason's threats don't particularly faze him and it shows in the way he looks to him. so, instead, he removes his hat and drops it down on the island — fingers carding through his hair with a glance down to the pup helping himself to his dry food. )

I thought I might have this place be for Starfallen. If they need some place to stay and don't want to stay at the hotel.

( it certainly has the space after all. )

You're gonna let a bunch of newbies you don't know stay in a building just above your secret lair.

( yes, he's calling it a secret lair. because it's not a cave, technically speaking. he understands the appeal to have somewhere for them, he gets what bruce is going for, and bruce trying for them is--nice. it's a softer side of him, one that jason can appreciate. silently, where bruce won't see it. )

I never said I was staying here permanently.

( it's why the things "in his lair" are not hooked up as they might typically be in his own batcave. they're done in a way where, if need be, he can yank it down, pack it up, and move it elsewhere. but he still needs a base of operations for the moment. )

You find someplace new?

( it's not really the point of jason's whole spiel, so he waves it off. there's no need for bruce to tell him where he's going. )

I don't care if you move your shit. Like I said, just tell us if you're going to go incognito for a while. You're gonna worry the brats.

Not yet.

( in regards to a new place. )

Miss me that much?

No.

( it's said with a click of his tongue, a roll of his shoulders. )

Dickie was looking for you.

Why? He's with you.

( bruce isn't his guardian here. )

You're still important to him.

( regardless of who is his guardian. jason's--maybe using dick as an excuse, but he's not wrong. )

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