Selina's Sidekick

part eleven

"Jason, want to get the door?" Selina called from her room where she was finishing getting dressed for the evening.

"Sure thing!" Jason called back, getting off the couch to make his way over to the front door of their apartment. He opened the door to see Tim standing there, a tight smile on his face. Jason looked past him to see the one and only Bruce Wayne with a relaxed and easy smile on his face, looking at the boy before him. Jason nodded at Tim. "Hey, Tim." Looking up at Bruce, Jason stuck a hand out for the man to shake. "You must be Bruce Wayne. I've heard...interesting things about you."

Bruce chuckled, shaking Jason's hand. "And you're Jason. I can say the same thing. I've heard some things from Tim here."

Jason arched a brow, staring at a guilty looking Tim. "All good, I assume?"

"Let's leave it at interesting." Bruce smirked, gesturing to the apartment. "May we come in?"

Nodding and stepping aside, Jason allowed the billionaires into the apartment he shared with Selina, who was currently walking down the hallway from the bedrooms dressed in an oversized sweater and black leggings, ballet flats on her feet. She smiled at her son, kissing his head as she passed him on her way to greet the guests. "You must be the famous Tim Drake I hear about."

It was Tim's turn to look at Jason with an arched brow. Jason, however, instead of looking guilty like Tim did, stared back with a threat in his eyes, daring Tim to say something. Tim looked away, back to Selina as he cleared his throat. "I am. Nice to meet you, Ms. Kyle."

"Please, call me Selina." The woman turned to Bruce, stretching her hand out. "Bruce Wayne. I don't think I've ever had the pleasure."

Bruce smiled at her. "Pleasure's all mine." He winked, causing both the teen boys to wince, Jason pretending to barf. 

Selina giggled and Jason shot her an incredulous look as she led the party to the living room. "Dinner is cooking. I hope you don't mind homemade lasagna."

"That sounds wonderful." Bruce grinned, sitting next to Selina on the couch, much to Jason's chagrin. 

The teen boy huffed, glaring at the billionaire. He turned to Tim. "Hey, Timothy, wanna see my room?" He didn't even let the boy get out a response before he grabbed his wrist and dragged him down the hallway to the bedroom. 

"Dinner is in thirty minutes!" Selina called after her son.

"Okay!" Jason closed the door, immediately turning on Tim and slamming him into the door, fire in his eyes. Tim gulped. Jason glared harder. "Did your dad only want to come to hit on my mom?"

Tim pushed Jason off him, surprising the older teen with his strength. "First of all, Bruce isn't my father. Secondly, he has his eyes on...someone else at the moment."

Jason scoffed. "Oh, what, like my mom isn't good enough for Bruce Wayne?"

Tim rolled his eyes. "When did I ever imply that? I just said Bruce is after someone else, but they are...elusive."

"So you're saying that he is just playing with my mom because he can't get the one he really wants?" Jason growled, fists clenched at his side. "If he hurts her, I'll - "

"Hey, that's my - that's the man that took me in, gave me a home, cared for me - that you're threatening!" Tim shoved Jason, once more surprising the former street rat with his strength and anger. 

"Yeah, well, tell him to back off my friggin' mom!" Jason snapped, shoving Tim back. 

"Who says Bruce even wants Selina?" Tim sneered. "You said it yourself, he is just playing with her."

"Hey, that's my mom you're talking about." Jason's chest heaved, his heart pounding the blood through his veins. 

"Newsflash; she's not your real mom!"

Jason saw red, acting completely on instinct and impulse. He swung at Tim, hitting the younger teen in the face with his fist. Tim felt his nose crack upon impact, wincing internally. 

The thief didn't let up, tackling Tim to the ground. He straddled him, hitting him everywhere he could get his hands. Tim flung the older male off him, leaping to his feet. He dodged Jason as he went to tackle him again, not noticing as Jason struck out with a back kick to his ribs. 

Tim went down just as the doors opened and in ran Bruce and Selina, horror painted on their faces. "What in the world is going on in here?"

"He started it!" Both the boys yelled, pointing at the other. 

"Jason Todd-Kyle!" Selina cried out, crouching in front of her son with a stern expression. "What have we talked about?"

Jason stayed silent. 

Bruce looked to Tim, who was pulling himself off the ground. "Tim, what happened?"

Tim looked to Jason. "He said you were only playing with Selina."

Jason growled. "Oh no, you said that! Right before you said Selina wasn't my real mom!"

Bruce and Selina exchanged a look, Bruce sighing. "I am so sorry, Selina. Perhaps we should take some time for the boys to cool off and try again another time?"

"I think that would be best, Bruce." Selina nodded, watching as Bruce and Tim exited the room. She waited until she heard the apartment door close behind them before she turned back to Jason, her expression softening. "Kitten, come on. Dinner is ready now."

"'m not hungry." Jason mumbled, arms crossed over his chest.

Shaking her head, Selina wrapped an arm around her son and pulled him with her to the kitchen table, sitting him down across from her as she pulled the lasagna out. "Jason - " She stopped talking when she heard a sniffle, looking up from the lasagna she was cutting to see her son crying silently. She sighed, walking around the table and encircling Jason in her arms. "Oh, kitten. You are my son and you always will be, no matter what anybody says. And if anyone tries to take you from me...well, it won't end well for them."

Jason didn't reply, he just clung to Selina as he sobbed.

* * *

During the ride back to Wayne Manor, Bruce addressed the fight with Tim, stating that as Robin, he should know better. 

"But Bruce, it was all very calculated." Bruce furrowed his brow. "You see - you know how I discovered you and Dick were Batman and Robin? Well, I think Selina Kyle is Catwoman and Jason is her new partner. And I wanted to test his fighting abilities as well as see where he keeps his suit, so I purposely picked a fight, egging him on until he attacked me. I saw the suit in a compartment under his bed. He is Magpie, which only furthers my theory that Selina is Catwoman."

Bruce stayed silent for a moment, nodding. "Good work, Tim."

Tim beamed. "It also makes your love life easier, seeing as you like Catwoman and Selina and they are one and the same." Bruce narrowed his eyes at Tim. "Shutting up now."

"Good idea."