[Closed] Happy Deathday

[robintohood]

Who: Jason Todd robintohood and whoever has CR with him
What: Jason dealing with his deathday anniversary
When: December 20th to 21st
Where: Central City
Content Warnings: PG-13 level violence and mentions of self-harm and suicide ideation

[The closer it gets to December 21st, the less present Jason Todd the civilian is. It's harder to catch him at the Descendant during this month because he hasn't been there as often as he usually is. He's not spotted as often at other places either his favorite libraries or any bookstores. Meanwhile, there's an increase in Red Hood appearances.

At first, the crime lord is seemingly burying himself with his work and trying to regain what his gang lost last month. Plenty of fights with other gangs, muscling in on territory, dodging bullets from mobsters. The beatings he dishes out on goons seem to have intensified. But as December 21st creeps closer, even most of that work gradually gets less attention from him.

The beatings continue though with a change in what information Jason wants out of his victims.

In place of most of his crime lord work are solo recon missions. Lots of decrepit properties are checked. Unused fairgrounds, warehouses, and even empty properties that used to be toy stores get searched. Jason's always on the lookout for reports of gruesome crimes involving things like deadly laughing gas, frozen smiles, and clowns too. Jason knows the Joker loves gimmicks.

For all of Jason's vigilance though, there's not even a chuckle or any other hint of the mass murderer. The quietness feeds into how unsettled Jason feels. He’s expecting something to happen. That's how the Joker works sometimes. He’s a sick freak who likes to put his own twist on special occasions.

So Jason keeps searching around Central City. That's what he tells himself what he's doing. He has so much rage, fear, and other negative feelings he doesn't want to contemplate. Once he finally kills the Joker he’ll finally feel at peace.

It’s either December 20th or it's December 21st when one might spot the Red Hood in Central City.

He could be zooming all over the streets on his motorcycle. He could be curbstomping and bludgeoning someone with a tire iron outside of a dive. He might be lurking on a dark rooftop overlooking the city, or staking out a waterfront warehouse.

Whatever the case is, he’s clearly in an extremely foul mood]

((OOC: My contact information is on this journal's profile and I'm in the game's Discord server. Feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns as well. I also have a feedback post.))

Comments

[overlyprecocious]

Practically speaking, Tim should probably stay away from Jason during the anniversary of his death. It's a tricky time, and historically, the two of them haven't handled being together while Jason's upset very well. So one of his instincts is to just stay away, let him handle his feelings however he wants, and not make it worse.

But.

He remembers what it was like, being the other Tim, in another universe, who'd almost died at the Joker's hand. The memories have lost some clarity with time, and he never knew everything about what happened, but he remembers how fucked-up inside that Tim felt, and he doesn't know if that's exactly how Jason feels now, but he - he just doesn't want Jason to be alone entirely. At the same time, he doesn't know how to approach this, which is why he ends up tailing the Red Hood at some point, dressed in a dark hoodie and jeans because he doesn't think Jason needs to be seeing Robin right now if he spots him.

[robintohood]

It takes some time before Jason notices a tail. He wasn’t anticipating a kid following him at this time of night. The figure seems too small to be an adult so while Jason remains guarded and suspicious, he’s not on as high of an alert for a fight as he normally would.

“Awfully late for a stroll,” Jason calmly says while perched on a fire escape. He doesn’t realize yet that it’s Tim.

[overlyprecocious]

Well, at least Jason's being semi-chill about this, Tim thinks, not realizing yet that his camouflage is actually working. (It's usually safest to assume bats see more than most people would, but. Sometimes you end up assuming too much.)

"I like late-night walks."

[robintohood]

Jason hears the voice and realizes who it is. He knew there was a good chance a family member was going to try to tail him around his death anniversary. One of them being worried about what he was going to do was nothing new to him. What was much more surprising was someone tailing him in civilian clothes as opposed to their “work” suit.

“What are you doing here?” Jason asks. His tone remains even but he’s steeling himself for a new argument.

[overlyprecocious]

“I just - wanted to check on you?” Tim says, opting for the rare bat maneuver of “being honest”. It’s risky, but it could pay off. “See how you’re doing.”

[robintohood]

“I’m fine. Just busy,” Jason lies.

He’s afraid to start another upsetting incident with his little brother again but he’s also not in the mood to have a morality argument. He’s assuming that’s why Tim’s following him.

[overlyprecocious]

"Okay," Tim says, his weight shifting awkwardly because he's really not sure how to approach this without annoying Jason? It's Jason's right if he wants to pretend things are okay. But still. "Cause if you weren't fine, that'd be okay, too? I know it's - a bad time."

[robintohood]

“I just gotta take care of some things,” Jason briskly says.

He knows that Tim knows about his death anniversary. It’s a topic he hardly wants to talk about. He would much rather be taking action instead.

On the other hand, Tim’s gone through the trouble of tailing him while in civilian clothes instead of as Robin. It’s a strange move to make.

“You shouldn’t be out here like this,” Jason adds after an awkward pause.

[overlyprecocious]

“There’s a lot of things I shouldn’t do, probably.”

Being Robin is arguably one of them, from a certain perspective. Running around at night at all. Tailing family members. “I think the boat’s already sailed on being out this late.”

[robintohood]

Jason snorts. Tim’s not wrong about that. There are a lot of things people shouldn’t do but the whole family eagerly participates in.

“What do you want?” He asks. He knows family members don’t tail each other for fun.

[overlyprecocious]

"I just wanted to check on you. I know it's a bad time, and I - "

He hesitates for a moment, but. If you want someone to admit some kind of vulnerability with you, you should be vulnerable first, right? It may go against his instincts, but it seems. Correct. " - I still remember what it was like. Being that other Tim."

[robintohood]

At that, Jason’s irritation at being followed begins to cool off. That alternate life was depressing and it was too easy for him to imagine how much it disturbed Tim. He also hates how much he could understand what it must’ve been like for his little brother. The trauma the Joker leaves behind runs deep.

“How much do you remember?” He asks.

[overlyprecocious]

“I don’t remember everything.” He’s quiet for a moment, considering what he’s willing to admit, particularly given that his stance in this to Jason previously has been ‘everything’s fine, stop prying’. “I remember how he felt, though. It sucked.”

[robintohood]

Jason softly huffs.

“Yeah, it does,” He agrees.

It’s rare for anyone in their family to admit they weren’t feeling okay. They all have a bad habit of just burying their more negative emotions and pretend everything’s fine. Jason recognizes how significant it is that Tim has taken the initiative in talking about what had happened when he was that other Tim. His little brother is trying to reach out to him.

There’s a pause as Jason considers his options. He still wants to find the Joker but he doesn’t want to brush off Tim after he’s already gone through the trouble of tailing him and admitting something he denied before.

“Come on. I got a safehouse nearby. Better to talk there,” he says before starting to climb up the fire escape.

[overlyprecocious]

He hadn't expected Jason to offer up a safehouse visit, but it's a good sign, right? It gets Jason out of whatever he's been doing. Somewhere safe, and maybe he'll talk and it won't just be Tim offering up bits of his pain in an attempt to bond with his big brother.

"Yeah. Okay," he says, before following Jason's lead up the fire escape.

[robintohood]

Jason gets his grapple gun ready after he reaches the rooftop. It’s aimed in the direction of his closest safehouse, just a few blocks away.

“Got a spare if you need it,” he says once he hears Tim reaching the rooftop.

[overlyprecocious]

"That's okay," Tim says, because just because he was following Jason in civilian clothes doesn't mean he didn't prepare a little. His utility belt is tucked under his sweatshirt, and he does have a grapple. "Thanks."

[robintohood]

Jason nods and then fires his grapple to swing towards his safehouse. He trusts that Tim won’t have any issues following.

It feels strange leading the younger Tim to one of his personal safehouses as opposed to being in a more often-used shared space like the attic above the Descendant, the BatGym, or the penthouse he shares with the Brocks. But tonight was a special exception.

[overlyprecocious]

Tim's aware, generally, of some of Jason's safehouse locations, and they're not heading towards any of the ones he knows about. Which means he's burning one to talk to Tim, or at least accepting that it's going to be a family-friendly safehouse from now on. It's a surprise, but not unappreciated.

[robintohood]

Given the sensitivity of what they were going to talk about, Jason knew they were going to need a more private and more comfortable space. As far as he’s concerned, it’s plenty of reason to burn one. He can always find a new safehouse to replace it.

Jason stops at the rooftop at one particular apartment building. It’s nothing fancy but it’s not decrepit like some of his other hiding spots. He then makes a short climb down the fire escape to the window of the apartment just below the roof.

Attached to the window frame are what appears to be at least one additional lock and possibly a security panel. He begins to disengage his security system.

[overlyprecocious]

Tim politely pretends not to be paying attention to Jason's security measures and how he disengages them, although obviously he is and obviously Jason knows he is. Spying on each other is a form of affection. He waits, though, entertaining himself by guessing what Jason has set up before he gets to it, until it's indicated that he's safe to head inside.

[robintohood]

Jason's figured as much when it comes to Tim's habitual snooping. After disarming his security system, Jason opens the window and climbs.

"Make yourself comfortable," he says.

Th safehouse is a studio apartment. With only some basic furnishings, there's a slight echo in the space as well. There's a loveseat and a TV in one area acting as the living area. A bed and a closet sit in one corner of the studio. Meanwhile, there's a kitchen island, a fridge, a range, and several cabinets serving as the kitchen space.

Jason walks towards his bed and takes to take off his some of his gear.

[overlyprecocious]

Tim's not really sure what to expect from here on out, but he got Jason off the streets, so that's probably a win. No one is beating up anyone else, and it's harder to brood in a studio apartment than it is on a roof.

While Jason gets his gear off, Tim does a sweep of the apartment (read: snoops), makes note of any more security measures he can spot, peeks in the fridge and cabinets and eventually settles down on the couch in what could loosely be called the living room to wait for Jason.

[robintohood]

Tim will possibly notice some special spots ordinary civilians wouldn’t think twice about. A floorboard that creaks just a little; A spot that’s just barely off-color from the rest of a plain wall. Maybe there’s something stashed underneath a couple of pieces of furniture. They’re the kind of setups for weapon and gear stashes that a BatFamily member would have if they didn’t have access to Wayne money.

Meanwhile, Jason’s taken off his helmet, his mask, his jacket, and his gloves. His guns, combat knife, and body armor are still visibly on him though. Despite inviting his little brother to talk more about a very personal topic, a not-so-small part of him still wants to be ready at a moment’s notice if the Joker or… anything comes crashing. He still feels very tense given what December means for him.

“I don’t have much here but you want anything to drink?” He asks, trying to keep his cool.

[overlyprecocious]

It's not like they weren't both mentored-slash-raised by a man who taught them to absolutely lean into hypervigilance as a lifestyle and a tool of survival, so Tim's not majorly surprised that Jason's still semi-suited up. And he's not really sure how to continue this conversation, either, which is probably why he asks, in the most innocent way possible, "Gin?"