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Jason… hates his family.
Hates 'em a lot. A lot a lot. Like, he hates them so much that just thinking about them gets his blood boiling. He imagines Tim's face and just wants to grab his head with both hands and squish his cheeks a little.
He hates them.
A hand lands on his shoulder, scalding hot and blistering. Jason drops to the ground and dives forward, twisting in mid air to face his opponent. His guns go off twice and the mutated creature falls to the floor.
Where was he? Oh yes, hatred.
He hates them. Hates them. They let Damian go off and fight weird mutated creatures all by himself! Not like they could really control the child, but still.
Hatred.
"Todd, seriously-" Damian's knife tore its way through the neck of another creature. His tone was barren of anything but annoyance, and maybe it would've tricked Jason if he couldn't see a gaping hole in his other shoulder. "-I can handle this myself."
Jason grabs his healthy arm (another thing that shows how hurt he is, given the fact that he's not cutting off Jason's hand and Jason was able to grab him in the first place-) and pulls him behind Jason. "Uh huh, sure. Try saying that after you've blocked the bond."
Damian tch's and tries to block their bond, which works as well as expected when he's suffering from extreme bloodloss. Honestly, all Jason can feel from it now is pain and fear , the latter coming from multiple other people currently shredding their way through other mutant animals looking for them.
Okay, he honestly has no clue what's going on.
The villain of the week did this, most likely. Jason doesn't know- he woke up today and found a feral cat with three extra limbs trying to get into his apartment. He had barely dealt with it when his bond flared with pain and his newfound hatred of his entire family took root.
(They really need to get better control of their feral assassin child. He's been around long enough to have bonded with the entire family, and yet they still haven't found a way to keep him from sneaking out of the house.)
Now he's trying to keep Damian and himself alive while also vaguely wishing for a breakfast he didn't get to have.
A bat screeches and dives for him, about twenty pounds too big and teeth a bit too sharp. Jason kills it and feels a little bad. Only a little. "Seriously, what were you thinking?!"
"Shut up, Todd! You are not-"
"What, kid? I'm not what?!" He asks, and Damian doesn't answer because whatever he was going to say wasn't true because he was family, and they have a bond to prove it. "That's what I thought."
The hilt of Damian's knife (he's too injured to use any of his katanas) hits the back of his helmet. Jason sticks out his tongue, even though he knows Damian can't see him. "Screw you."
"Baby's first swear word?" He teases, because he's a bit mad at Damian too. "Can't take y'all anywhere."
A bird of some kind slashes his back. Damian damn near growls as he cuts it into four different pieces. Jason looks from him to the carcass and back again just enough times to make his point. Damian scowls at him.
Their bond hums with the closest thing either of them can feel to affection.
That's when Dick shows up in all his older brother protective fury and Jason lets him have at the mutant animals as he gets Damian somewhere safe.
His shoulder is destroyed.
Unusable. If they were any other family, they might've just amputated the limb, because it would never work again. Good thing they are not, and Zatanna was able to heal it enough that all he'd need is a cast for a few days.
Jason thought that was the end of it, that everything was good, and he's pretty sure it is but when one of his family is hurt he kind of tunes in to their bond in particular and gets a little touchy if anything happens while they haven't finished healing. It all stems from past trauma that mostly entails the Joker, and he's not even really talking about that one time, no, but yeah, he gets… he has…
He can't think, annoyance and anger is coming from Damian's bond and while both are pretty common Jason's a little touchy right now-
So he does the thing he probably shouldn't do and he switches.
One moment he's in his apartment, staring at leftovers he had yet to eat, and the next he's out on a sunny lawn, in front of the prep school Damian goes to. He's closer to the ground then usual, meaning he's in a shorter body, and his mouth is already pulled into a familiar scowl.
Damian's scowl. Which makes sense because, you know, Damian's body.
'Todd, I do not appreciate you switching to me without prior-' Damian starts, his consciousness pushed out of the driver seat of his own body. He's still able to see, just unable to control what he's doing. He pauses after he trails off, something like understanding and maybe pity floating through their bond, and he gives Jason a break this time, for once in his life. 'So overly dramatic.'
Jason ignores him and tries to find the source of his anger.
It's pretty easy, given they're right in front of him.
It's two kids, boys a year or two older than Damian. Jason watches them as they speak, completely unaware of the switch that just happened. His shoulder aches in its sling. Jason twitches.
"What, you're done talking?" One of the boys say. "Ain't got nothin' to defend that circus freak and recluse? Imagine looking up to nobodies like them."
Jason blinked, taking a second to gather his bearings. The moment he did he was simultaneously disappointed and proud. 'I am so proud of you for not maiming them.'
'Father would be upset.' is Damian's reply, and he hears something like a wistful sigh. He has the urge to ruffle his own hair, wanting some type of affectionate gesture.
He clears his throat and speaks. When his voice comes out, it sounds like Damian (which, switched or not, it's not an easy feat to mimic a voice). "I don't know, they seem pretty happy with their lives, all things considered."
One of the boys snorted, crossing their arms. "Of course they think they're happy, they have no idea the true happiness luxury can give you!"
Another kid grinned and nodded. "Once a street rat, always a street rat."
He shrugs. "Given the fact that they make more money in a year than you will in your entire life, I'm not sure who's the street rat here."
One kid glares at him, hand reaching out to shove him. It probably didn't have much force in it, but it was going towards his bad shoulder and Jason would not be having that, thank you very much.
He steps back, weaves out of the way. The kid frowns and glares a bit more. "You're just like them, aren't you? Another bastard child-"
Jason laughs, because having an argument with someone barely in their teens is pretty laughable. "Is the self conscious good for nothing projecting? I know it's hard, being useless, but don't push your problems on to me. My life is great. In fact, maybe if you tried to be more like me, you'd be less of a failure."
And then Jason turned and walked away, because arguing with children is beneath him and if he stayed it might escalate. He doesn't need to send a kid to the emergency room because they decide to bully Damian while Jason is around to see it. That's Damian's thing. He has to be the bigger person.
'I had it handled.' Damian murmurs as Jason pulls them into the back of a car. Alfred hums a greeting, not even batting an eye as Jason sends him a very not Damian smirk and very Jason like wave from the back. He's used to it by now.
'Yeah, but you would've kept Alfred hanging.' He leans back and closes his eyes. Sends a little bit of calm through their bond just to annoy Damian some more. Or to calm him down. He never knows what it'll do to him next.
Kick him out, apparently.
It should be near impossible for someone to kick the other out in the way Damian just did, but if there was anyone able he would think it’d be Damian, so he lets it slide. Waking up once again in his own body, he continues about his day with a bounce in his step.
About 36 hours later, Dick gets kidnapped, and Jason…
Well, Jason…
“Don’t make me sedate you, Master Jason.”
Jason exhales sharply, like a raging bull. His voice is deadly low when he says, “You wouldn’t dare.”
Alfred holds his ground, his stare saying try me. Jason was going to.
This started about two minutes ago. It was the monthly family dinner at Wayne Manor, and they were waiting for Dick to show up when their (very rarely used) family group chat gets a notification and Jason opens it to find a ransom message and a picture of his unconscious brother, sent through Dick’s own phone.
He stares at it for about 5 seconds before Bruce gets a call from the ransomers. The others listen in to it as Jason continues to study the picture, cataloging all the injuries he can see. Trying to breathe.
His vision has long gone red.
Alfred was the first to notice him seething. This wasn’t the first time one of them’s been kidnapped, both in and out of the suit. They’re kind of used to it by now. Jason isn’t quite sure why this time is bugging him so badly. Maybe it’s the cement floors of the picture, the way he’s tied up, something about it reminds Jason of-
“Master Jason-”
Oh fuck it.
He feels his body start to fall right before it all fades away, and he finds himself in a cold, dark room. The first thing he feels, as his mind gets used to being in a different body, is the rope around his wrists. The second thing is how sluggish he is - definitely some kind of drug. They wanted to keep him unconscious, which would also explain why he can’t feel Dick’s consciousness right now. It’s deeply under.
“You are in no place to be making demands, Mr. Wayne.” Says a voice only a few feet away, sounding smug and smarmy. His eyes are closed, which is why he’s unprepared for a hand to grab his hair, pulling his head up. “But I can send you another picture right now, if that will ease your worries. Your son is mostly unharmed.”
…calm down, Jay. Calm down. Stay relaxed, don’t let them know you’re here, you can’t kill them in Dick’s body or else he’ll get really sad-
Someone else laughs. His head is released as his neck is grabbed. He lets his head loll, feeling a blade press against his cheek. They’re making him pose. They’re making it a spectacle.
Jason is going to kill them all-
“For your own sake.” He can barely hear Bruce, through the phone. “Leave him alone. I’ll get you your money.”
Bruce is warning them. He knows Jason has switched bodies, probably knows that he’s about to start a killing spree. He’s urging them to run.
The smarmy guy laughs. Jason cracks his eyes open.
…three people in this room. A small storage room of some type, empty of anything that could be used to hold someone for long. They don’t expect that Dick will wake up anytime soon. Or they won’t let him.
His eyes shift, memorizing the faces of everyone he sees. At this point, he should switch back to his own body, tell the others who has his brother, and then they can make a plan.
Ha. Jason’s too mad to do anything of the sort.
The call continues, and soon the three men drift out of the room, having no need for him now that the ransom has been set. Jason spends the time assessing Dick’s condition and trying to prod his mind into wakefulness. No use, he’s heavily sedated. Too much, probably. His rage doubles.
The first thing he does when they finally leave the room is slam a fist into the ground, barely soft enough to not break Dick’s hand. It was near impossible, to stay still when he was so angry. Now that he’s let at least some of that anger out, it’s time to get to work.
It’s a bit tricky, getting out of the rope when he’s not in his body. Still, Dick is plenty dexterous enough for it, and once he’s free of that it’s pathetically easy to scramble into the nearest largest vent and sneak his way out of the warehouse. And once he’s outside, he calls Tim. “Replacement!”
He can hear Tim’s scowl over the phone. “Is he safe?”
“Not yet.” Jason replies, looking around before giving him a location. “This body is sluggish as fuck, I think whatever sedatives they gave him he’s near overdosed on it. I can’t wake his mind up.”
Another reason why he hasn’t just gone to a safe house and switched back - Dick’s mind is currently taking the brunt of the effects of the drugs, leaving Jason to pilot the body with only a bit of struggle. If Jason leaves, it all goes back to Dick, which could cause a pretty bad backlash.
(One time Jason got shot and Tim switched with him to help out. He took half the pain away so that it was bearable. When Jason was safe and Tim left, the pain doubled immediately. It was excruciating.)
“Oh.” Tim’s voice goes soft. “Bruce is closest - he’ll be there in five.”
And about 2 minutes later the bat car comes swerving around the street in only the way a stressed dad looking for his golden son could. Jason gets in the passenger seat and sighs. “I can’t stay switched much longer.”
Bruce, who’s already getting Dick on an IV (that he just has in the car what the fuc-), just nods. Jason lets it happen, closes his eyes, and is sent back to his own body.
He’s been moved to the couch, he first realizes. The manor is seemingly empty.
Good for him, he’s got some people to kill and he doesn’t need anyone trying to stop him.
(Two days later Dick shows up at his apartment with two party sized bags of white cheddar popcorn and demands they watch Moana. He says nothing about how his kidnappers were found dead yesterday. Instead, he focuses on making sure he can’t feel Jason’s anger through their bond.)
He’s talking to Penguin and Twoface (weird couple, he knows, but who’s he to question it?) when his mind is suddenly crowded and he can no longer control his own body. ‘Oh no.’
‘Oh yes.’ Tim sounds too pleased. Jason’s body coughs, and when it next speaks it sounds like Tim instead. “Harvey! Oswald! It’s been much too long!”
The two villains stop their discussion and turn to look at him, more exasperated than shocked. Penguin’s eyebrow slowly raises. “...you have a bond with a robin?”
“He’d get rid of it if he could!” Tim lies cheerily, placing Jason’s hands on the table. “But seriously, how have you two been? Planning on taking over the city again? Ah, good times.”
‘...what are you doing, Tim?’
‘Having fun. You should try it sometimes.’
Harvey squints. “Well, it explains why Hood never joins our plans when it regards the Bat.” He sneers. “He’s tainted.”
Tim snorts. “Please, ask him to help you beat up Batman, he would in a heartbeat.”
Well, yes, but only because it’d be a little funny, and also he’d stop the villains from doing any real damage. ‘You’re playing a dangerous game. They were talking about bombing the university - they might try to kill us if they think you know.’
‘Oh, is that why you’re here?’ Tim sounds cheeky. ‘Don’t tell me you’re worried about my safety!’
‘At least one of us has to graduate college.’
Penguin huffs, cutting off a chuckle. It is quiet for a little bit, no one really knowing what to do in this situation.
“Well then.” Tim cuts through the awkward silence, raising Jason’s guns. “You’re under arrest for conspiring to do whatever this is about.”
Harvey scowls. “Hood was a part of this too. Do you plan to arrest us all?”
“Well, that's half the fun!”
He doesn’t go to jail, of course. Tim gets away with not arresting him by Jason regaining control of his body right before any fighting actually starts. Then it’s a long and annoying process of trying to regain their trust and assure that no Robin is going to randomly crash their meeting again.
(The University does not get bombed. Harvey is back in jail by the next day.)
One day he’ll cut himself off from the bond. Not today, but some day, in the near, or far, or indeterminate amount of centuries in the future. At some point he’ll estrange himself fully.
Yeah, definitely. Totally.