Invisible (Jason Todd; Titans)

sixteen

Ambrose frustratedly rifled through her things, picking them out and putting them in proper places. Whoever Bruce had sent to watch her dad while she was gone had decided to play maid and rearrange everything in their apartment into a 'neat' order. Including her own room which the caretaker had apparently decided they were allowed to sleep in.

Ambrose was trying hard not to break things in her anger while her father watched her from the table.

"You're gonna explode if you keep yourself that tense, Amber," Seth spoke calmly.

"Who the fuck puts paper towels this close to the fucking sink? The entire bottom of the roll is soaked," Ambrose snapped, forcefully pushing the paper towels further to the side.

"Amber..."

Ambrose heard the warning in his tone and quickly stopped herself. She took deep breaths in and out, going through the motions with her hands as well.

"Sorry."

"It's understandable to be a little upset, but don't work yourself up," Seth advised.

Ambrose let the anger pool in her stomach, allowing herself to feel it wholly for a moment longer before letting it dissipate little by little. From anger, to irritation, to inconvenience, then to indifference.

"Ok. How are you doing, dad? Was everything ok while I was gone?" Ambrose asked, speaking slowly as she still battled to keep her feelings in check.

"Well..." Seth leaned back in his wheelchair, "I'm still intact. The world didn't end just because you left for a few days. It was about time you left the nest anyway."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means you're old enough to decide what you want to do with your life. You don't have to stick around here to watch over your old man. I'll be fine. Hell, put me in a home if you want to. I'm content," Seth said.

Ambrose froze, continuing to put things away. She didn't know how to respond to that. She had spent her whole life like this. Day in and out. Her routine had been set and she had loved it.

But then things began to slowly change. She met Jason, she started working more at night, she had even cut back on shifts at the cafe. It had been a slow shift, one that had crept up on her, but she hadn't expected this. She was afraid to leave her dad all alone. She was afraid that someone would come for him. That she would find him dead or that he would fall and get hurt and she wouldn't be there to help.

"Come on, Amber. You were gonna have to move on eventually. I love you, but I don't want you to be stuck here forever having to take care of me."

"Well, maybe I want to," Ambrose cut in, "I like taking care of you."

"Ok. It's your choice," he gave up quickly, but he knew the thought would stay with her.

Seth wanted the best for Ambrose. And the best wouldn't happen if she was tied down here. She wouldn't be able to protect him forever. Things had been looking up for him for a while, eventually the scales would have to fall the other way.

~

Ambrose felt unsettled after the conversation she had with her father. Maybe it was just paranoia, but she couldn't help picking apart every word. He had never brought something like this up before, so why would he now?

And that brought her here. At Bruce Wayne's mansion. But, for once, she wasn't here to see Jason or to help them with their nightly jobs. She was here for a purely selfish reason.

"I need to check on someone. Can I use your computer?" Ambrose asked.

Bruce looked at her oddly, "You came here to use my computer?"