dollymixtures | Not the bird you think (Dick and Jason)

Jason didn't know what the hell was going on, but he knew he didn't like it. His brain felt like it'd been spun through a fucking blender the last 24 hours. He'd gotten a glimpse at another world, and then maybe the end of the world? And then everything had been normal but ... off. And then fucking nothing was normal and he was somewhere else. Again.

It was Gotham, that much Jason knew. It wasn't a Gotham he'd learned by heart, but it was still familiar enough. Gotham had a feel and a smell that was all its own, there wasn't any way to fake it. So unless this was a massive hallucination (again), it was just a different damned Gotham.

At least he was dressed for it. He didn't wear the uniform much these days, but sometimes you needed some armor and when you were a vigilante without a home these days, you used what you had, Robin or not. And in Gotham - his Gotham or no - there was always something to do.

That something was a couple of brainless assholes mugging a couple. Jason made pretty short work of them - maybe taking out a few extra frustrations on their faces, but he figured he was owed it, and their faces weren't pretty to start with.

One was down for the count and the other hobbling away when someone else emerged from the shadows - quiet and quick enough that Jason hadn't picked up on them there. He frowned, because the guy was ... familiar, but not. Some warped mirrorverse version of Dick? Great. "Yeah, don't worry about it, he's probably still hiring for the current version, bro," Jason said, keeping a wary measure of space between them.

There was something familiar about the kid, the level of bite in his tone, and for a moment it was like seeing a ghost - but no, it wasn't possible - that particular ghost was already back from the dead and being a pain in his ass at least once a week, so who was this?

"Seriously, though, that uniform is no joke, you could get hurt. You've got some pretty good moves but-" Dick paused, because he did have some pretty good moves, some pretty familiar moves, so unless this was another Tim situation... "where did you get it, anyway?"

The familiarity of both him and the way he fought had Dick stepping a little closer - not too close, he wasn't an idiot, but close enough to get a better look at him.

Yeah, Jason, moved with him, keeping the same amount of distance and a wary stance. He wasn't positive this was Grayson, but if it was - he knew how damn fast the one HE knew was. He wasn't going to trust this one wasn't the same way. Jason could hold his own against Dick, but he didn't win against him. Maybe this one was evil, or just knew fuck all about him and would kick his ass and dump him with Gotham's finest. Not that Jason would stay there long, but it was a trip he'd rather avoid.

"Seems like it wasn't me who got hurt, so thanks, but fuck off," Jason said flatly. A different universe (probably?) and still getting told what he was doing wrong. Maybe he'd been better off with the whole universe turning into dust or whatever the hell that had been.

He smirked. "Tell me where you got yours, and I'll tell you where I got mine," he said, drawling it out a little, knowing full well it was obnoxious.

Jesus Christ but that had to be Jason. The universe - or multiverse, as the case may apparently be - couldn't possibly handle that level of snark in two people.

Still, he wasn't dumb enough to outright say it, not when this could still be something else, but he held onto the suspicion until he could confirm it one way or another.

"You don't belong here, do you?" he asked, his tone a little gentler than it might otherwise have been, this Jason - if that's who he was - seemed to still be pretty young, even if he was also clearly a little shit.

Jason's back went up a notch when Dick's voice took on that note of kindness. He recognized that, too. He'd even gotten it a few times. And just like then, with the exception of when Jason was already too raw to snap back, it made him want to lash out. Kindness and pity always looked the same to him.

But he did have slightly more survival instinct than that, so he just gritted his teeth for a second and then blew out a breath. "It's Gotham. Nobody belongs here." By rights the place was a neverending shithole that never really got any better and they should just clear it out and blow it off the map, probably.

But it was the closest thing to a home Jason had ever had, so he didn't actually believe that.

He thought about it. He didn't know how to get back, and who knows if he could get near Bruce in this Gotham, if he was even around. Dick would probably have connections, or at least a hook up to someone who might fucking know something. It was better than stumbling around in the dark beating up randos. "Not in this Gotham," he said finally.

It felt like pulling teeth, waiting for the kid to admit to the truth, and Dick couldn't help but notice that he seemed like he'd taken offense to something - what Dick said or the way he said it, he wasn't sure which but he suspected the latter, Jason had always been a little on the defensive side.

When he finally did confirm Dick's suspicions - or some of them, anyway - he nodded.

"Not this Gotham, but you know who I am, don't you?" he asked - and he didn't just mean Nightwing "and I'm pretty sure I know who you are..."

Honestly, it was taking at least a little of his self control not to be delighted at a tiny Jason running around looking all scowly and defensive. It was adorable.

It was also still Jason, so it was probably going to get infuriating rather than cute very quickly.

Jason had never really known how to deal with Dick Grayson. He'd crushed, hero worshipped, resented, been furious with, and a dozen other things since he met the guy. Dick had trained him, fought him, talked him off a literal ledge, and they'd tried to kill each other - sort of.

Dealing with him in another universe didn't make Jason know any better what the fuck to do or say. He shrugged. "Yeah, I think so. You're a real Dick," he said, dryly. Which could just be an insult if somehow this wasn't Dick. But Jason knew it was.

He'd resent the hell out of being called tiny though. He might not be tall, but he wasn't tiny. "You have any idea how the fuck I get out of here?" he asked.

"Always the charmer," Dick sighed, but he nodded a confirmation all the same. The question made him frown a little, thoughtful - this wouldn't exactly be a quick fix, and it definitely wasn't something they should discuss standing out here in a random alley. No, this called for somewhat more comfortable surroundings.

There were a number of places he probably shouldn't take him, just in case this was an elaborate scam, but Dick trusted his gut on this one, and his instinct was that this was the truth. So after a moment's thought he nodded to himself.

"Honestly, I don't, but I'm sure we can figure it out. Come on, we'll head back to my apartment and see what we can do." he grinned, "Think you can keep up with me to get there?"

"Guess some things cross dimensions," Jason said dryly. "So you know the me from here?" Jason kind of was surprised, and kind of not. He hadn't thought that much about might-have-beens or other worlds or any of that shit, but he knew enough about the weirdness of the world to know stuff like that wasn't impossible. If he'd thought about it, Jason probably would have figured any other hims might have gotten killed off or something. He'd come close how many times now? It'd make sense.

He guessed not though.

He rolled his eyes at the optimism. Jason was a lot less confident. But he wasn't one to back down from a challenge with any kind of grace either. "Never had any trouble before," he said. That part at least was true. Dick might have the edge on him in a fight, but Jason was fast and he got around Gotham's streets and rooftops pretty easily too. "Lead the way."

"I sure do," Dick nodded, he would make a comment about Jason being his brother but he figured that could come when they weren't standing in a public alleyway. He did add "probably more than he'd like to admit." with a faint smirk, because he did know Jason, and pretty well, regardless of what his brother would say.

Dick flashed him a grin and took off, using his grappling gun to get him to the rooftop before bounding his way across the city to his apartment. He kept an eye over his shoulder to make sure Jason actually could keep up with him, but he didn't think he'd have any trouble, if his fighting was anything to go by he'd been pretty well trained. Of course, it was Dick, so he threw in plenty of unnecessary flips and tricks just for fun.

Eventually, he got to the roof of his apartment building and swung himself down onto the fire escape and in through his window.

Dick and Jason's relationship was complicated, but not at all close enough to be called brothers. It would be easy to chalk the wariness he had as being because this wasn't a Dick from his universe, but the truth was that Jason wasn't at all at ease around the Dick he knew either. He'd been a crush, an idol, a mentor, a rival, a rescuer, and a disappointment, all at different times. (And Jason had been some of that and other, probably shittier things to him, too.) But they'd never even made it to friends, let alone brothers.

Still though, he'd trusted that Dick with his life when he had to, and this one was his best shot too. So Jason followed. He didn't fly over roofs the same way Dick did - not as fancy or full of flips and twists. Jason moved more like a very athletic free-runner, leaping from roof to roof after Dick, keeping up but not as showy or as graceful about it.

Dick did hear at least two complaints about fucking showing off though.

Jason paused on the rooftop Dick swung into, looking around just to make sure he knew roughly where he was. It wasn't the exact same as his Gotham, but the major landmarks were similar enough to be able to tell.

He followed Dick inside then, noting that the place seemed lived-in. So no fancy team tower and no manor here. Made sense, Jason guessed. If Dick was in Gotham he wouldn't want to be under Bruce's foot all the time, so he'd probably have his own place. Jason stayed near the window, not really expecting any kind of ambush, but poised for flight anyway just in case. "No one spots you coming in and out ever?" he asked.

The place is very lived in. Which is to say it's a bit of a mess. There's a giant Flying Graysons poster over the bed, but otherwise the decor is fairly neutral. Dick strips off his mask and gloves and drops them on the table.

"I vary how I enter, but the way we came in isn't actually visible from the street, and most of the surrounding buildings are either unoccupied or too low to properly see here. C'mon, you know B well enough, you really think he'd let me get away with anything less than perfection when it came to security? You want a drink or something?"

Normally he'd get changed right away, but he figured he'd get Jason settled first, and probably grab some clothes for him as well, sitting around in uniform was no fun for anybody.

Jason takes in the place, not sure what to make of it. He's used to thinking of Dick in the aging graduer of the Manor, or the modern gleam of the tower. A little studio apartment with mess all over, it doesn't sit right. He knows that in his world, Dick was a cop for a while, so maybe this was what his place looked like then. But Jason didn't see it to know, and he couldn't quite picture his Dick - not that the guy was his, but the one from his world - sliding neatly into a place that was so ... human.

He shrugged at the questions. "Didn't know how much you and him talk in this world. Beer or something's good, if you have it." And to see if he'd give it to Jason, or he was universally a stick in the mud.

Jason hesitated, and then flipped his mask off, at least, scrubbing an absent hand through his hair. "So that who you're gonna try to ask about getting me the hell out of here? Bruce?" Jason wasn't thrilled, but he figured it was probably inevitable.

"Not as much as we should," Dick admits. His relationship with Bruce was better than it has been in the not-too-distant past, but their father is somewhat emotionally stunted at the best of times, so it's hard to maintain the kind of relationship where you talk regularly - unless it was about business "But Alfie keeps me up to date with how he's doing, and of course we work together sometimes."

The request for a beer earns a raised eyebrow and an assessing gaze "You got any ID?" he quips.

He moves towards the kitchen, but pauses in the door, he's not waiting for a reply, as such, but he is waiting for a more sensible suggestion from his clearly-not-21 visitor. Not that he's totally a stickler for that kind of thing, they'd all had their share of underage champagne at some benefit or other, but he draws the line at giving any of his little brothers beer until they're good and old enough. Even if this wasn't his Jason.

"Maybe," he adds while he waits "Might talk to Supes, he's got some multiverse experience I think."

Guess "shit's complicated" with Bruce was universal across timelines too. Billionaire with a secret crimefighting identity, dead parents, and a personality made up of about 85% paranoia - it wasn't gonna make for easy relationships with anybody. Jason had kind of thought he had it easier - better - with Bruce than Dick had in the end. But now he got that he just hadn't had as much of Bruce. Bruce had been further walled off, so he hadn't invested as much in Jason. When Jason's fucking up got to him, he sent him to Dick. Back there they were still in the barely talking stage as far as he knew, but they'd get over it. He wasn't surprised if they had here, however their shit had gone down.

Jason smirked at Dick. "Don't carry it in the suit, but yeah." Fake as shit, but it was still ID. He figured that'd be the reaction though and just rolled his eyes. "Anything with caffeine."

Jason tried not to look a impressed by the idea that Dick can just call up Superman. Who he called SUPES. He mostly failed, but he tried. "Sure, call Supes," he muttered. He trailed after Dick. "So ... what are the chances someone decides I'm the evil version of me and decides to off me?"

The ID comment earned a disbelieving look, but he nodded at the amended request and headed to the fridge, pulling out a can of energy drink and a coke and offering both to Jason so he could take his pick.

The reaction to him mentioning Superman was noted, though Dick was careful to hide his amusement, and he wondered if the version of him from Jason's world has similar connections, though decided he must not if that was Jason's reaction. It made him wonder what that version of him goes by, since he chose Nightwing because of a story Clark told him, but that was a question for later.

"Slim to nil," he answered, leaning against the kitchen counter "Nobody would think you're more evil than our very own Jay-bird. You haven't even tried to shoot me once." He sounded like he was joking. It wasn't as much of a joke as it probably should have been.

Jason took the coke, largely because the energy drinks could make him bounce off walls now and then if he wasn't in the middle of doing something to work off the rush. Alfred might have banned them from the Manor for a while.

He leaned against the doorway, popping the can open and taking a swig, trying to watch Dick without looking like he was. He frowned, looking curious. "Yeah, that wasn't on my to-do list. I shoot people here?" So he was what? One of the bad guys? Why the fuck did Dick bring him home then?

He was never gonna understand Dick, in any reality. "I kick the shit out of bad guys. I don't shoot anybody. If you're wondering."

Dick put the energy drink back and grabbed another coke for himself, taking a sip and considering what Jason said. He couldn't help but nod approvingly, although it made him wonder - what was different about this Jason to his own? He was clearly still Robin, for a start, though he seems older than this world's Jason was when it happened. Had he escaped that somehow, or was it still in his future? Dick dearly hoped for the former.

"Yea. Sometimes I think it's deliberate, you know how B hates guns, so of course Jason has to have guns, but..." he shrugged, glancing down at his hands as he traced a finger through the condensation forming on the side of his can "Jason's been through a lot. It's left him... bitter. More than he even was before. He doesn't just want criminals stopped or imprisoned or rehabilitated, he wants them gone..." and the joker most of all. He didn't really want to get into that, he didn't want to scare the guy, so he forced himself to brighten up and looked up at the other Jason again.

"He's still my brother and I love him, and he's better than he was when he first got back, he's just... still a work in progress."

Jason wasn't really Robin, but he still wore the uniform. It still caught bullets, and he wasn't always in Gotham these days anyway, so it didn't really matter as much. He didn't see any reason to volunteer that though. Since admitting he didn't actually have any ties to the Bat wasn't going to give Dick any incentive to help him. Dick might not NEED it, since he was Dick Grayson, but still. Jason would admit it if he was asked, but until then, he'd keep it buttoned up.

He did kind of get a kick out of Dick's reasoning though. Looks like he had to be an ass and do what wasn't wanted in pretty much every set up. Jason didn't use guns, but he got why people would. The times Jason had someone get the jump on him though, he doubted they'd have been a big help. Not like Deathstroke would have let him keep it before he tied him up and cut into him.

"So he's an asshole," Jason surmised. "Yeah, I kind of figured. I was just gonna worry if he was a murdering asshole."

The "brother" part threw him off though, and Jason looked away, shrugging. "Yeah well ... I'm not anybody's brother, and Dick in my world definitely doesn't love shit about me. So, works different here in a lot of ways."

"You sure about that?" He was pretty sure there'd been times when his own Jason would claim he didn't love him, back before everything happened, but Dick made damn sure he knew it now - in between their arguing and overly sarcastic banter, sure, but Dick made sure all his brothers knew he loved them. Surely any other version of him would do the same... right?

"Just because he hasn't said it doesn't mean it isn't true. I mean I can't imagine any version of me not loving all my brothers, even if they are assholes at times. And believe me, you are not the only one who's occasionally an asshole." As soon as the words were out of his mouth he stopped, because if Jason was still Robin would Tim even have shown up yet? If he even did, since in his world Tim had become Robin because he decided Batman needed one (and he wasn't wrong), and now he wondered if this Jason's family was even as big as his.

"Dude," Jason said, almost laughing. "I don't know how it is here, and it doesn't matter since it's not like I'm sticking around. But we barely know each other, and hated each other for most of it. It might be down to not being able to stand each other now, but that's it. And we're not BROTHERS. He had a whole team. It got fucked up, but if he's got brothers or sisters, it's the guys from there or the ones on his team now." It was mostly true. Jason had hero worshiped Dick, then been angry and resentful, and then hurt and betrayed, and sometimes bits of all of that. But they'd never been close, and they'd never been friends. Jason had always been a replacement for Dick, and then a problem Bruce handed off to Dick.

Jason here shot people, but apparently still got along better with people than he did. It figures.

Jason made a little dismissive gesture with the hand that wasn't holding a soda. "Doesn't really matter though, bro. I just need to get back so I don't unravel the universe or something, not so I can play nice with the other you."

Dick stared at him for a moment, trying to figure out what on earth was going on with this other version of him. Then it clicked.

"The titans?" he guessed "He's... oh, you've got me mid falling-out, haven't you? Just when I became Nightwing right at the beginning..." things had been a little complicated back then, and he probably hadn't really given Jason the time of day, not until it happened.

"Yea, I guess you're right... " He itched to try and find a way to repair that relationship without the other version of him having to lose Jason, but his guest was right, there was no point trying to mend any bridges when he couldn't get Jason back to those bridges. It was weird, though, like he'd come from the past, but not at the same time, and Dick had to bite back the urge to try and tell him what was coming, to warn him somehow - but he had no idea if that would even happen for Jason the way it did for the one in this world.

"We'll give Timmy a call, he's always good at the research, and Babs too," he decided "And Clark, like I said."

Jason shrugged. "Yeah, Titans. It was a few years ago though. You've been a cop last couple of years." Or something like that. He cocked his head though. "You just got a new outfit, so maybe that's the name you picked. We haven't really been talking for you to tell me."

Inter dimensional travel was kind of a mind-fuck and Jason had no idea what the rules were. But he was pretty sure asking too many questions about the differences or what might happen was probably a bad idea. This was obviously not his world. Whatever applied here wasn't going to be true in his world. But he couldn't help but be curious what this world's him was like, how he felt about Dick or Bruce, if he really did have some kind of family. He wouldn't ask, but he wondered.

Jason frowned. "Whoever that is?" he said. He knew Clark, but that was all.

"Yea I was a cop for a little while too," Dick nodded, it definitely seemed like the him from the other world was hitting some familiar story beats, he just really hoped certain other things wouldn't go the same way. Unless.. well, Jason hadn't gone anywhere else, he'd definitely died, but maybe this Jason's version of that was skipping off to another universe for a little while... it was definitely a preferable option.

"Timmy is Tim Drake, second youngest brother and, uh, your... he was the Robin after our Jason." He explained with a wince "Babs is Barbara Gordon. Former Batgirl, current oracle. You know her, right? Don't tell me there's some universe where I have to survive without Barbara..." he was mostly joking. Mostly.

"Figures," Jason said, mostly just to be a shit, and the quick smirk said he was teasing rather than overtly hostile with it. Jason's relationship with cops wasn't exactly friendly, but sounded like that one was universal constant too, but that Dick was an exception to a degree. And that the cop thing hadn't stuck here, either.

Just as well. "Nightwing" sounded a lot cooler than "Officer Grayson".

"Like your real brother, or like you just call anybody who puts on the Robin outfit your brother?" Jason asked. He shrugged. "I'm the last Robin at home, as far as I know, but Bruce is probably teeing up the next one, so maybe that's him. I've heard of Barbara, but I don't know her." He wasn't sure he loved the idea of getting help from another, younger Robin. But fuck it, if it got him back it didn't matter? This was definitely not a place he should stay - they had even more heroes around than they did back there. He was basically useless here.

Dick opened his mouth to protest and then closed it again so he could actually think about it, because while all of his brothers were his brothers, they also were all Robins...

"Ha! No!" he said triumphantly "Steph was a Robin and I don't call her my brother. But also Tim is officially Tim Drake-Wayne, he was adopted so that totally counts."

The confirmation that he'd at least heard of Barbara had him breathing a small sigh of relief, she was an important part of the team, he honestly didn't know what they'd be like without her around.

"Tim kind of... made himself Robin, while our Jason... wasn't around. We'll get you back before that happens in your world." he didn't want to make the guy feel like he was going to be replaced, but he might have already stumbled into that one.

Jason was younger and more transparent than the version Dick knew, and his face gave away a complicated sort of resentment at the idea of Bruce adopting anyone. Dick he could kind of understand, he'd been the first, even if Dick in his world probably wouldn't have wanted it. But some kid that came after him here, probably would come after him there if stuff stayed alike ... Bruce had written Jason off, shuttled him to Dick, and when he got a new Robin he'd actually want to make that one his son.

It figured, but Jason couldn't help feeling some kind of way about it that he didn't want to examine that closely.

"Bruce found me stealing the hubcaps off the Batmobile," Jason said wryly. "Guess someone who just assigns himself as Robin will probably be a step up." Jason had already assumed he'd get replaced eventually, it was just the details that made him twitchy.

Dick's heart went out to him at that look on his face, and he immediately felt guilty for mentioning it, or at least for phrasing it so poorly. He didn't know if this Jason's Bruce was, somehow, even more emotionally stunted than his own or if he was just misremembering how bad his father used to be, he'd definitely got better over the years.

He smiled fondly at the story though, nodding slightly.

"That's our Jaybird," he said softly "That's what happened here, too."

He paused for a moment to find the right words before he spoke again.

"It's not about being a step up. None of us were better or worse at being Robin, we all had our own skills." He was about to add something about their father loving them all, even if he wasn't very good at showing it, but realised he couldn't speak for the Bruce Jason knew, even if so many other things about his life seemed similar.

"Tim knew that B needed a Robin, he didn't really do well without one, and our Jason... well we didn't think he was coming back."

"Guess we're all delinquents," Jason said wryly. He didn't mind that so much. He'd had the balls to try to steal from the Batmobile. That was something at least. Dick would always be Dick and whoever Tim was, he might end up Bruce's son, but neither of them rolled up and tried to jack the Batmobile. They all had a niche, he guessed.

"Things aren't the same anyway. Dick back there - he's not that big on Bruce either." And there was definitely a hierarchy. Jason thought that was just how life went. If two people did something, one of them was going to be better. That wasn't him. There might be one or two particular things he was better at, but overall, he wasn't the one people were going to remember when they thought about Robin. He'd accepted that. The adoption thing just ... dredged up a moment he was already clamping back down.

The way Dick kept talking about his Jason though ... like he'd been gone for good. Jason was starting to get an idea that he might have been. "Did you think the other me was dead or something? Or did he go work for the bad guys, or never get away from Slade?"

"There was a time I wasn't," he admitted, because for a while there Bruce hadn't been his favourite person - he only hoped things improved for that Dick in the same way.

Then Jason picked up on the phrasing of his comments and Dick had to mentally kick himself, he knew he'd been saying too much but he'd hoped it was all vague enough that Jason wouldn't comment, but of course he did - Jason was very good at doing exactly what Dick didn't want him to do, apparently regardless of universe.

"Slade?" he said, partly out of genuine confusion and partly to buy himself some time to try and think of how to explain what had actually happened "Slade Wilson? Deathstroke? No, our Jason was never really involved with him at all..." Dick had tangled with him a few times. A lot of times, actually, but he didn't think Jason ever had.

"We... we thought he was dead because he was." as harsh as it was to tell the truth, lying felt worse "He was brought back, but he had actually died at the hands of the Joker..."

Jason guessed that went around too, Dick and Bruce's non-talking period. They got over it at home, too, more or less. But he doubted it was the same here as it was at home. Nothing really seemed to be, aside from Gotham being weird as hell.

Jason listened, frowning. It wasn't really a surprise. Most people who'd met him since he was a kid pretty much wrote him off for being dead or in jail before he was 18. So he'd already beat the odds by a bit. But there was something about hearing it ...

He was dead, Dick said. So he wasn't anymore, since Dick had talked about him in the present tense before. He didn't know how that worked either, but Jason didn't know if he wanted to. He wondered if this Jason had just been on his own too, if he died and no one knew for a while and then no one knew it wasn't true either.

Probably not. This Dick would care. Jason's was obligated. It was different.

"I never dealt that much with the Joker, he was inactive while I was Robin," Jason said instead of asking. "Wilson had an axe to grind with the Titans and I got in his way like an asshole. He held me captive a while and then dropped me off a balcony when you - other you - got there to see." Jason said it nonchalantly, like he hadn't been tortured and didn't still see himself falling behind his eyelids whenever he closed them. He was used to hiding those things. "A new guy caught me, so I was fine."

Dick looked relieved at the news that the Joker wasn't active - he had his patches of not being around so much here, but he still seemed like an inevitability, no matter how many times he was thrown in Arkham - hell, that was ninety percent of Jason's problem, he just wanted the man dead. Dick was technically on Bruce's side, but he wouldn't exactly shed any tears if something did happen to Joker.

The relief is short lived, however, because the news that Slade had kidnapped Jason and dropped him off a balcony earned a horrified look - trying to get to him by going through his brother, however strained the relationship apparently was in that version of the world, was a low blow, but one he could absolutely see Slade doing. Their particular beef was... lengthy and complicated, and that was putting it mildly.

"Shit." he breathed "I'm sorry Jay."

Because he was, he was sorry something like that had happened to him - he knew Jason well enough to guess there was more he wasn't really saying abotu the ordeal, it seemed that blasé way of talking about what he'd been through was another common factor across universes.

Jason had trouble understanding Bruce's no-killing policy sometimes too. It made more sense to him to take out someone they knew had gone bad before they could hurt someone else. But he had done things Bruce's way, so far - even if he was alittle more violent than either Bruce or his version of Dick would like. Jason hadn't turned the same corner Dick's Jason had, not yet anyway.

He shrugged at the apology. "Not your fault, not even your world. And it's over now," Jason said. He ignored the little twinge he felt from the nickname. Not many people called him anything but Jason anymore.

"Don't worry about it," Jason said with another little shrug, though it was sharper. As if throwing off the conversation altogether. "You got anything I can change into while I'm here?" he asked, mostly to change the subject.

That didn't make him any less sorry, didn't make it any less of a shame that it had happened. He would have said as much, except Jason was clearly done talking about it and he didn't want to force the guy to dwell. As much as he thought talking was important, Jason hadn't come here for some kind of elaborate healing therapy session, and Dick wouldn't be qualified to provide one if he had.

"Sure, I've got some things that should fit you," he agreed, allowing the change of subject easily and heading through to the bedroom to grab some clothes for him. They wouldn't be the best fit, but they'd be better for moving around without being noticed than the Robin outfit certainly.

"There you go," he offered a bundle of clothes to Jason "Go ahead and get changed. I'm going to start making a few calls."

Jason took the clothes with a smile. "Thanks," he said. It was guarded still, but genuine enough.

He took them into the bathroom, cleaning up a little and changing into the clothes Dick had given him. It was a better fit than it likely would have been on the Jason Dick knew, who was bigger than this version. Dick was a little taller than Jason, though Jason was broad shouldered for his size. The pants were a little long, the shirt a little tight. But it was fine. Better than half his own clothes given how little he went to buy new ones and how oversized his hoodies tended to be. They even smelled a little bit like Dick which was ... nice. And definitely better than Jason's usually did. Laundry wasn't his first priority lately.

He took a few minutes to just ... think. Settle. He was in another universe, with another Dick Grayson, where there was another Jason Todd who'd died. Part of him wondered if it really was the Joker, or if that's just what this version said, if anybody had seen it. But he wasn't gonna ask.

He splashed some water on his face finally, emerging with hair a little damp and Dick's clothes on, his own stuff tucked under his arm and his feet bare save for socks, until he sat down to start pulling his boots back on. If anything went down, he didn't want to have to run barefoot. He checked to see if Dick was still on the phone before asking, "they say anything?"

"Yea I can do that, it's not a problem," Dick was saying as Jason came back into the room "thanks Babs. Just let me know."

He hung up and turned to Jason when he spoke, nodding.

"Left a message for Clark and spoke to Tim and Babs, they're going to work together to look into a few things and come back to us, though Babs said she'd call if she had any questions for you. That leaves us at a bit of a loose end for now, there's no point us hanging around bothering those two while they get their nerd on, and they'll let us know as soon as they find anything, so we can... hang out, I guess. You hungry or anything?"

It was a little awkward, he knew, and Jason would probably chafe at the inaction, but hopefully Dick would be able to keep him distracted while they waited for Tim and Barbara to find something.

Left a message for Clark was never not gonna just be a little mind blowing. The fact that anyone could just give Superman a ring whenever they felt like it ... yeah. It made Jason wonder again if his Dick could do that, if he ever had. There was a shitton that Jason didn't know, probably. Would never know.

He finished with his boots and then sat back, aware of the uneasiness between them. With the Dick he knew, Jason would have pulled at that tension, made it worse with sarcasm and insults. But this wasn't the same guy, and Jason needed him. Plus he was being decent, so it was just left feeling ... awkward? Strained? Like what family dinner probably felt like when you had to go with relatives you didn't actually know except you shared a name. Or he'd guess, anyway.

"Yeah ... I could eat, I guess. I can find somewhere to crash though, if you've got a spare burner phone I can keep on me," Jason offered, just because it felt like he should.

"You have a place to crash, here." Dick said firmly "You're welcome here, Jason, you might not be the one I know but you're still family. Kind of. Look I know it's weird but I'm going to help you and that includes letting you take the guest room."

He was kind of struggling with how exactly to treat him, normally he knew how to act around Jason but there was a familiarity that was lacking here and he wasn't totally sure what to do about it or how to deal with it, but at the very least he knew he was going to do everything he could to help him get home, and in the mean time he'd look after him because that's what Dick did.

"You wanna order in or go out some place to eat?" he added

Jason thought he'd say that. The Dick he knew would probably say it too, but Jason would believe it less. And the bed he'd be offering up wasn't a spare room in an apartment that felt real, it was a room in a sky-high rich tower. It wouldn't feel the same.

Still awkward as hell though. Especially when Dick kept saying family. Jason hadn't had family for a long time, and hearing someone just say he was theirs like it was that easy, or that certain - it itched at him. If Dick knew him, he wouldn't say that.

But Jason kept quiet and just nodded. "Okay ... yeah, thanks." He cocked his head. "Out?" he decided. "Get a look around, see how different it is from my Gotham." And maybe a little less searching for something to say out in public, Jason figured.

"Sure," Dick agrees easily - it's a reasonable request after all, and he can tell there's a little bit of nervous energy in the guy, maybe a trip out to find something to eat would allow him to work some of that out, make him feel a little more productive instead of sitting around waiting for take out.

"Let me just grab my stuff and we'll get going." It doesn't take him long to grab his jacket and get some shoes on his feet, so barely five minutes later he's holding the door open for Jason and tucking his phone into his pocket.

"There's a few good places not too far away, but we can take the scenic route so you can get a good look around." he offered - he was kind of interested to know how different it was here, as well.

Not the bird you think (Dick and Jason)

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