JayDick One-Shots

Love Me Not

It was a calming evening as Dick sat with Haley on his favorite hiding spot. It was a little bridge connecting two buildings and had been cut off from both, just out of sight and with no cameras to watch which was just perfect for the bird as he had no interest of being watched. Yes he was in Blüdhaven, but that didn't stop the bat from being a peeping Tom.

The man sighed as he set aside his pen and notebook and looked off into the distance. Lately all the young man could think about was another man and their past interactions. Throughout the years, Dick could never quite figure out his emotions and feelings toward him, and when he finally sorted everything out it was too late and too painful to accept.

The day Dick told Jason to move in with him once he turned 18 for Jason would legally be an adult and could make and do his own choices, and the big scary bat wouldn't question why.

He knew it sounded as though he groomed Jason, but it was far from the truth. Dick just wanted him to come to Blüdhaven as things were getting sour between Jason and Bruce, and Dick didn't want what happened to him at that age to happen to Jason. Jason understood his reasoning and agreed. If anything the youth had wanted to move much earlier, but he was too young and needed to sort out his life. What he wanted, his wants and wishes and desires. Discover who he wanted to be and who he was and grow from there. So Dick told him to come when he was 18.

Haley startled him out of his stupor by jumping on his lap and licking his face. Dick laughed and held her at bay as she wagged her tail; he appreciated the distraction, though it could last so long.

"You can either move here to Blüdhaven and get your own place, or move in with me when you're 18."

"Why 18? Why not now?"

Dick clenched his hands into fists. If he had just taken Jason back with him, just taken him back to his apartment so they could discuss things more, to have a feel of how it would be if they were to move in together instead of Jason getting his own place as Jason was insistent and persistent. If he had just listened to himself and not disagree as Dick feared that that would be too far and too much, Jason would never have been killed by the disgusting, filthy, slimy bastard called Joker.

When Jason had come back and Dick discovered who he was and the pit no longer had control of Jason, the two slowly rebuilt their relationship and eventually grew closer and closer. They got to the point where Jason would spend most nights at Dicks dinky apartment, and honestly? Dick reveled in it. He wasn't alone and his apartment came to life. Although they didn't remodel or add anything to the place, just Jason's presence lightened it up and made the small space much bigger and brighter.

When Dick finally mustered up the nerve and courage to ask Jason to be his boyfriend, he was shut down.

Jason shook his head and stared into Dicks eyes "street rats don't get golden boys like you."

Dick hated being called a golden boy, even more so after that.

The two avoided each other after that; correction, Dick avoided Jason. He felt humiliated and hurt from the event. But above all else, Dick was confused and didn't understand. The two were so close and had shared so much with each other; Jason knew Dick more than Dick knew himself. They had a unique close bond that couldn't be described nor understood from onlookers from the outside. Not even Tim or Bruce or Damian or Alfred could truly get a grasp of it.

Their relationship was messy and confusing, yet graceful and elegant. Clean and messy. They fought and they loved, and by god did they love each other. No words could truly express or describe their relationship and love for each other, and they were content with that. It's what made them special.

Eventually Dick returned and found the place empty. It was clear from the thin layer of dust and the scattered furniture that Jason had left at some point and hadn't returned. The acrobat had played it off as Jason needing space as well from being ditched and asked a million questions of "why" over and over at suddenly being asked to be more than whatever they were before and having Dick freak out on him after telling him no...

Richard felt extremely guilty for going off at him when Jason said "no". More than anyone else he knows, Dick knows the word "no" does not need to be questioned or pushed or ignored. Not after the experiences he had with it, and yet he still ignored and pushed the man.

Man.

Dick shook his head with a scoff.

Short, tire stealing, scholar, quick witted and clumsy Robin had become a man when he should have been off with friends, annoying neighbors and getting into trouble. Should have been sneaking out to party, not...

Not sneaking out to show Batman he was capable of so much more than the Bat took him for...

Haley caught his attention again as she barked at him and began chasing her tail, making him laugh and joke "oh yeah you get it! You get your tail!" He laughed harder as she stopped and swayed and stumbled, but quickly caught her as she began to lean forward on the right where she didn't have a leg to keep her balanced. "Oh I got you. Oh I got you, you nut."

Holding his little gremlin close, his mind wondered again back to his last encounter with his... he didn't know what to call Jason anymore. Roommate? Ex-lover? Nuisance? Heartbreaker??

Jason. He'll just stick with calling him Jason. Any other title didn't feel right.

Nightwing had finally found Red Hood having had to search for him as the man had been stirring up lots of trouble (in reality Batman had approached him and demand Nightwing look for him because Dick knew Jason more than anyone), and because he missed him more than he'd like to admit.

They had a tense greeting once the dust was settled and they were the last two standing. Dick slowly came forward and wrapped his arms around the anti-vigilante and rested his head on his shoulder "I'm sorry... but Jay... Jay come home. Please come home with me..." Jason had one arm wrapped around his waist and the other tilting his chin up "you know I can't do that baby. I can't come home, not after everything I've done." Dick shook his head in his chest "I don't care. Nothing you have done or could ever do would ever not have you able to come home." He murmured "we don't have to be lovers or anything of the sort, not even friends if you don't want, but please just come home with me..."

Jason hadn't said anything after that. Just rubbed his back and put his chin atop of Dicks; they just held each other into quiet bliss. When all seemed to have finally winded down and Dick had hope that Jason understood and would be coming back, the Red Hold slipped away, leaving Nightwing alone in the cold atop of one of the many Gotham buildings...

"At least I got you" Dick said softly as he rubbed behind Haley's ears, making the rambunctious little dog yip and try to nip his nose. He chuckled and tapped her nose "oh no, we don't do that. We only do that to Clancy and her demon children and anybody else who isn't me or Damian or Tim.... And Jason... if he ever comes back" he whispered the last part as tears pricked the corner of his eyes, surprising him "god I've only felt like this since Mirage impersonated Kory and we broke each others hearts when the truth came out."

The two stayed on the abandoned and cut off hidden bridge till the sun dipped low and the stars poked out.

"Alright Haley. Let's get going."

Picking up the small three legged pit-bull puppy, Dick slipped away into the night and back home, never aware that there was someone watching him long before he and Haley got comfortable on the bridge.

11/24/22