i was born to hold my hands up (open)

[reneger]

Who: jason todd reneger & whoever
What: downfall event prompts ; post-event happenings
When: late july - august
Where: excelsior, central city, nyc
Content Warnings: body horror, child death, child abuse, general violence, drug overdose, suicidal idealization, etcetc



prompts in the comments because.... i can.

Comments

[torchbearer]

I'm so flattered.

[reneger]

You're a big boy. You can handle it.

( the tower just came like it is, but the only reason he got this apartment was because a teenager bullied him into taking him home. )

[torchbearer]

Doesn't mean I'm thrilled about it.

[reneger]

You should be flattered. ( his tone is still--teasing, even if there's something else under it, too. ) I don't let a lot of people in my space like this. Wouldn't let 'em at all, if it was the places I'd spent years picking up.

[torchbearer]

[ kyle gives him a long look. it's quite clear that it's not flattery, but it's the game they play. ]

Fine. I'm flattered.

[reneger]

I mean it, Kyle.

( head tilted back to look over to him. )

I still haven't shown Dick the tower in NYC.

[torchbearer]

[ he blinks, surprised. ]

You haven't?

[reneger]

No, 'cause it's my space.

( the central apartment, the warehouse, everything in between - jason figures those are all free game. but the tower's not associated with dick, it's full of people jason'd met elsewhere, and he doesn't need to share it with dick if he doesn't want to. )

[torchbearer]

It doesn't stop being your space.

[ he doesn't quite grasp the weird boundaries the bats have because sometimes there's a complete lack and sometimes they're just . . . very tetchy. ]

[reneger]

It doesn't. But when shit goes south, I end up having to burn everything.

( trash every known safehouse, every license plate, every piece they can use to track him down on the off chance they decide it's worth the effort. he's spent enough time locked up already, and jason likes having someplace he's--relatively certain he can retreat to if he needs it. tim knows, but tim won't fuck jason over unless jason really earned it. dickie--is a different story, jason's still figuring that one out. )

And you know damn well they're all stalkers. Just 'cause I've gotten used to not being able to keep anything to myself doesn't mean I like it.

[torchbearer]

[ kyle shakes his head. ]

I guess I can't really understand it. I've always been on my own. I never got to live the days of the Green Lantern Corps, even though they're back now.

[reneger]

's not about being part of the family.

( because he gets what kyle's getting at. or at least he thinks he does--that avoiding sharing is because he's one of them. )

It's 'cause I'm not.

[torchbearer]

[ gently. ]

I never said family.

[reneger]

( it catches him off-guard. enough that he looks caught off, too. his eyes widen a little, just for a moment before he's clenching his jaw tight and scrunching up his nose. an expression that matches more petulant child than mid-twenties vigilante who throws heads in duffel bags and not one jason's often caught with. )

's what you meant. Being part of them.

[torchbearer]

I wanted to be part of something, yeah. To be less alone while I was figuring things out and the world was beating on me.

But family is . . . another thing altogether.

[reneger]

I get it.

( dropping the batfamily bit, because he doesn't really want to talk about it. )

I was on my own for a while--before B picked me up, and after I came back. Figuring out how to be Robin was hard enough with help, adjusting to the ring when everyone else was--gone must've been a trip. Like learning to ride a bike without training wheels.

[torchbearer]

[ kyle lets it rest. he doesn't need to dig it up. ]

It didn't help that the Green Lanterns got a bad rap for a bit because of Parallax. I never did figure out what part of the government was out to get me.

[ by sending major force multiple times. ]

[reneger]

Waller's fucked me over before.

( jason--raises his arm, throws it over the back of the couch behind kyle. )

The government is shit. All of it. Bats could probably figure it out if you asked.

[torchbearer]

I don't think there's any point to it anymore. Major Force is dead and I doubt they can do anything to me now.

[ other than his mom, who could they even hurt at this juncture? his dad's in hiding and radu can take care of himself. ]

[reneger]

( there's always revenge, kyle. )

If you're sure.

[torchbearer]

I'm sure.

[ he's burned out on all of that. perhaps some day the rage will return — it's always there, somewhere — but for now, he doesn't see the point in it. ]

[reneger]

I could take 'em out for you.

( jason's always down for a little vengeance. )

[torchbearer]

[ aw. kyle leans to press a kiss to his cheek. ]

I'm sure you could.

[reneger]

( gross. not that he's complaining. the way his mouth twists says ew but the way he leans into kyle screams yes. )

Won't even throw heads in duffel bags this time. Maybe just leave 'em on their desks.

[torchbearer]

Classy.