Oh no my heart πππ
Magic is a fickle thing, so when the things go down the hill for the Batfamily, and they accidentally (temporarily) regain a copy of little Jason in his Robin era, they both delighted and confused.
Naturally, no one really minds getting Jaybin for a day - Bruce, Alfred, Dick and Barbara all circle around the lost child, talking, offering anything and everything, hugging and kissing his freckled cheeks. Those family members who didn't know him before are no less enamoured. He is polite, nothing like a brash boy they always imagined him to be. He listens to Tim curiously, legs tucked under his chin, happily calls Cass and Steph his big sisters, helps Damian with taking care of animals, and endlessly giggles at Duke's jokes.
Everything is so... nice. What they are worried about, is their Jason's reaction. For the most of it, they expect him to be mad. Offended. Maybe frustrated.
When Jason stumbles inside the Batcave, freezing on the doorstep at the sight of himself, much younger and bubblier, everyone is silent. Dick coughs awkwardly, almost imagining what could happen, and tries to soften a blow:
"Little Wing--"
But there is no need for that. Not really.
Because their Jason stares at little Robin with delight. In awe, even. His whole face softens, and he slowly steps closer, reaching out for a kid.
"Hey, kiddo."
The sheer vulnerability in his voice, confuses others even more.
Jason stares at a kid as if he sees something so dear and lost, and it is strangely baffling. His smiles grow wider when the Second Robin shyly waves at him.
"Come here," Jason encourages him. Once the kid climbs in his arms, he whispers in the crown of his head: "Welcome home, little hero."
And suddenly, it all makes sense.
Because, of course, Jason loves and loved this child.
After all, it is the same one, who he spent protecting from the evil tongues of his own family for years.
Wonder Woman: The Hiketeia
Wonder Woman #20 : Dark knight of the soul!
Oh my god the absolute cuteness
clark kent with his superior smell not smelling a drip of alcohol coming from brucie waynes breath and wondering why hes dancing in his boxers acting drunk in the middle of the gala
Pre-Crisis Jason Todd, you are an utterly incomprehensible child.
Your compulsive acrobatics are adorable. Your ability to imprint on Bruce and call him your new father within a month is impressive. Your cute child powers are so strong that Man-Bat tried to adopt you. Your ability to phrase things in the weirdest way possible is matched only by Pre-Crisis Dick Grayson, and even then, you have proven yourself his equal in that regard.
Youβre insane, and I love that for you.
I recently had the idea that Jason could see ghosts, and I thought it would be fun if he could see Martha and Thomas.
βfunβ bro that would be heartbreaking. Iβm sold
All our times have come, here but now they're gone
Dick: Oh, Jason and Tim are getting along so good lately. I am happy that, well, things didn't go awry after The Incident Jason, popping out behind Dick: What incident? Dick: Uh-- Bruce: Well-- Jason: What? What are we all talking about? Tim, appearing next to him: What is happening? Jason: They mentioned some Incident between us, I am trying to find which one Bruce, awkwardly: The Titan Tower one? Tim: Like, when Jason hacked all speakers here a week ago, and started streaming his Spotify playlist? I mean, it was kind of fun, why would I be mad at him about it? Jason: Wait, maybe they mean that one time, a few months ago, when we fought about who is the Player One and Two, when trying to play a game on the console? Tim: Worse things happened, though Dick, flabbergasted: ...We... we meant that one time. With slit throat, and stuff. You know. Jason and Tim: ... Tim: That snoozefest? Lol Jason: Jesus, that is the last thing we would think of, fr Tim: Jason fought like a pussy, anyway Jason: Oh, and you were better??? Dick and Bruce: ...What is wrong with you two?
@thebibliosphere Just saw this on reddit. (From Batman #58) ("punchline" panel after the "keep reading")
"Don't you get it?" Jason spat, teetering on the verge of a howl. "I'm not him! Jason Todd is DEAD. He's gone! I'm just what crawled out of his grave."
He panted into the silence that followed, eyes stinging heat.
Bruce said nothing. Jason worried he might stand there, unspeaking, unmoving, til the end of time. Or just turn and walk away. That was what he wanted, wasn't it? For Bruce to stop chasing the ghost of a dead boy? To accept that he was someone different, someone new?
Instead, when Bruce finally spoke, he was quiet, thoughtful. "Did you know that I loved you the moment I met you?"
He wasn't looking at Jason, but down at his hands, as if his gloves were a scrying pool that he could peer into to see that old Jason, twelve years old and desperate but so full of life. Jason thought he could taste dirt.
Then Bruce chuckled, still to himself, still to his hands. "You were so cocky, so unwilling to give up without a fight, even to me. Some things never change."
His smile fade and he looked up, straight into Jason's face. "You were also scared. Traumatized. You had nightmares for months. You lied constantly. Hoarded food. Stole. I was so worried we'd never be able to make you feel safe, the way you deserved to feel."
"I'm notβ" Jason began, voice tight.
"You're not him," Bruce agreed, and hearing it spoken out loud, so easily, cut off Jason's air.
"You haven't been him for years." Bruce stepped forward, pushing into Jason's space. "Part of him is in you, but you're not him. You changed." He shrugged, shoulder somehow expressive even beneath the weight of the armor, the cape, the night. "You weren't the boy I took in off the street even before you died. You grew. That's life, Jay."
Jason was the one unable to speak now, stuck in place like a gods-struck fool.
"You change. You grow. And I'll keep loving whoever you turn out to be next."
Enjoy your orb