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The apartment’s too quiet without Roy. But Jason also doesn’t want to go out tonight. Maybe he wants to wallow. Roy had left less than five hours ago and Jason already misses him. He feels like there’s a hole in his chest. It’s not an uncommon feeling after he separates from Roy, but it does feel more intense this time around. Harder to ignore.
And tomorrow’s Sunday, which means family dinner. Which means in less than twenty-four hours he’s going to have to be around half a dozen detectives and fool them all into thinking he doesn’t miss his new boyfriend like a phantom limb.
Jason’s not looking forward to it.
So he’s taking the night to wallow. He’s been watching television for the past hour, because reading makes him want someone to read to, and Roy isn’t here anymore. He’s a quarter of the way through a bowl of popcorn, and Riverdale is coming on next, which is a show he’s actually seen before.
He can almost maybe pretend like he’s normal.
His phone rings from where he left it on the coffee table, and he rolls his eyes as the ringtone tells him it’s Dick. Again. The guy is too persistent. Jason already knows he can't ignore him. He scoops up his phone and answers before he can second-guess himself. “What’s up, Dickiebird?” He tries not to let his exhaustion bleed into his voice. He’s pretty sure he fails.
“Hey Jay,” Dick answers tentatively. “Everything okay?”
And he would only ask that if he thought something wasn’t okay, and Jason really has no desire to get into it right now. He doesn't know where to begin even if he did want to get into it. No one knew Roy had come to Gotham in the first place, and none of his family knew that what he and Roy have is more than just friendship. That makes it very difficult to explain that, no, everything's not okay, because his boyfriend isn't here to cuddle on the couch with and Jason misses him. Since he can't complain, the next best thing is to get off the phone as soon as possible so he can get back to his wallowing. “Yeah. All good. You calling for a reason? Cause Riverdale starts after this commercial break, and I’m trying not to miss it.”
“Riverdale,” Dick repeats, his voice flat. “I wasn’t aware Riverdale was even on tonight.”
“It must be, because I’m about to watch it,” Jason answers with a shrug Dick can’t see. “So .,. Did you need something oooor …?” He trails off, hoping Dick will get the hint. He doesn’t.
“Where are you staying? Maybe I’ll come watch it with you. I’ve heard good things.”
And, yeah, that is definitely not going to happen. This wallowing day is for a party of one. “I think it’s great you’re taking an interest in my interests,” Jason starts, hoping he can come up with some sort of excuse before his sentence ends. “And I would absolutely love it if you watched, and we could talk about it after. But this is kind of a solo experience for me, know what I mean?”
“A solo experience?” Dick asks. The guy’s definitely not buying it.
“Yeah, you know, because it makes me emotional,” Jason replies.
“Riverdale makes you emotional?”
“Uuuh … yes? A kid named Jason dies. Why wouldn’t that make me emotional?”
“Oh,” Dick chokes, and Jason smirks. Got him. Nothing like bringing up his own death to ensure the subject is promptly dropped. “Oh, Jay … ”
“It’s like … cathartic. It’s fine,” Jason assures him before he can get all sappy. “But it’s definitely a solo activity. So I’m going to hop off here and get to it, okay? Talk later. Bye.” He hangs up the phone before Dick can answer back.
He’s halfway through the episode and three-quarters of the way through his popcorn when there’s a crash in his bedroom. Jason's adrenaline spikes as he rolls to the floor and snatches the gun taped under his coffee table. He stays in a low crouch and slinks to the room, the television covering up his footsteps.
He runs straight into Nightwing walking out of his bedroom and almost shoots him in the chest. “What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” Jason snaps. Because what the fuck? “What? You just busting through people’s windows now, you fucking freak?”
Nightwing looks at him, then looks at his TV, then looks back at him. “Wait … what are you doing?”
Jason angrily waves his gun at his television set. “I’m watching Riverdale. Like I already told you. What the fuck are you doing? You know, besides invading my privacy?”
Nightwing blinks at him. “Oh. Um. I maybe thought you were lying?”
“Why the fuck would I lie about watching Riverdale?” Jason asks, shoving all the other times in recent history that he’s lied about watching a TV show to get out of something to the back of his mind.
“I mean, Riverdale is fine. I assume,” Nightwing says, his hands out in surrender. “I’ve never actually watched it. But I kind of got suspicious when you said it was cathartic.”
And, yeah, Jason can admit to himself that maybe that had been laying it on too thick. He’s absolutely never going to admit that to Dick though. “I’m so sorry I’m not as emotionally stunted as you thought, Dickface.” He crosses his arms and glares at his brother. “I’ll try to be less emotionally healthy so I better fit into your stereotypes for me.”
“That’s not at all what I meant, and you know it!” Dick declares loudly. He glances at the TV and immediately deflates. “But, hey, now that I’m here, maybe we could watch it together?”
“Get the fuck out of my apartment, Dick!” Jason growls at him.
“Yep. Yep. That’s totally fair.” Dick slinks back into the bedroom, clearly happy to climb out of whatever window he had climbed in from. “I’ll see you at dinner tomorrow?” he calls out behind him.
Jason rolls his eyes. “Yeah, I’ll see you at dinner tomorrow,” he agrees.
END