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

( 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. )

( there's an uncertainty there in his eyes when jason goes and says that, but he doesn't bother to say anything. his gaze drifts down when he spots the pup there having had his fill of dry food, licking his lips and puttering around there near them. )

I gave some money to Dick. ( the older one. ) So you can all have a place for yourselves.

I have an entire floor of a ritzy apartment building in New York City. You can't buy us.

( except maybe with puppy time, because he's crouching down low again, weight on the balls of his feet, to pet the puppy again. )

Just a floor?

( it's said dryly in typical bruce humor. watching the way the pup happily goes over to jason for attention, he considers for a moment. )

It's to keep you together. If you need it.

Some of us are adults who've been on our own for a while. Dick's lived in Blüdhaven for years. I've been all over. Tim manages corporations.

( he was planning to say most of them, then realized that's not quite the case anymore. )

We don't need your help to keep us together.

( but jason's eyes are staying on the puppy. after a few pets, he pulls out a phone. snaps a picture of him. )

Edited 2023-08-26 06:27 (UTC)

( that has bruce feel some sort of way that he's not quite yet sure how to articulate. he stares to the pup for a long moment, before he lets his eyes fall shut. )

Yeah. You're a family after all.

( and he's just an outsider. his own family - his only family, in a hospital back in his gotham where he doesn't know if he'll pull through or not.

grabbing his duffel bag off the island, he slings it over his shoulder and heads out of the kitchen. back turned. voice relatively soft. )

You know the way out.

( he hit a nerve, and jason hadn't even been trying. ah, well. it happens. he sucks in his teeth, but doesn't move from where he's crouching. the puppy's getting more pets, and jason would just hate to cut him off. )

We're a family.

( in case bruce forgot he's included. that he's one of them, too. )

I meant--we don't need that kinda help. Passing off money onto us and fucking off ain't keeping us together. You could just stick around.

( bruce lingers there in the doorway of the kitchen. doesn't look back to jason or the pup who's so very happily getting more attention than he's probably ever had before in his short little life thus far. he's about to leave it — to just keep going and let jason make his own leave whenever he feels like it, but. )

It was just to offer some help. Because I can do that here.

( he can't help alfred. no matter how much he wishes he could. )

( he hates using his words. because jason's bad at it. because he always finds something to get pissed off at and bitches about it. he almost does, here. the irritated expression on his face is evident enough of that, but he does take a few extra moments to contemplate how to phrase what he's going for. to avoid pissing off bruce. to avoid giving bruce something he can twist into something that'd piss off jason.

they're both good at that. jason's trying to get better about not doing it. )

Next time, just give us a heads up. It's one thing to fuck off on those of us from my side of the multiverse, we're used to it. It's another thing to fuck off on the kids.

I didn't think I had to check in.

( it's just been him and alfred for some time now after all. might just be him if things go south... something he's trying his best not to think about. )

It's not like I live with any of you.

Most of us don't live together, but we still keep tabs on each other.

( it's just a thing that they do. they watch each other's back, use a copious amount of bugs and trackers just to make sure they know they're all still alive and where they're supposed to be. )

Check in next time. Yeah?

Right. Like any of you check in with me.

( there's a huff there on his lips and he eyes jason with disbelief before he shifts the strap of his duffel bag there on his shoulder and turns to leave the kitchen like he'd intended to. )

I stay visible when I'm out and about. Tim's got a tracker on me that I only drop for short periods of time when I'm heading places I don't want him to follow.

( like here, because he doesn't know if bruce told tim yet, and jason's not about to spill bruce's hideout if he doesn't want it spilled. )

Maybe if you wouldn't fuck off, you'd be included in our check-ins.

Don't bother. I don't need them.

( he goes and leaves the kitchen then, heading throughout the place. expecting jason to leave himself. figuring this is over and done with. )

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