Don't Fear the Reaper

6) Burnin Bridges

A/N: tis short, also, I made the art above when I was trying out a new style. I don't love it, but I thought why not share

Dinner had been tense. Dick wouldn't stop staring at Reaper, Tim was lost in thought the entire time, and Damian was just staring at the table, as if glaring at the wood would make him figure out what was wrong.

"كيف حالك؟" Jason said casually to Reaper before Dick and Tim's eyes shot to him in surprise.  "لماذا تنظر إلي؟" (how are you doing?... Why are you looking at me?)

"Since when do you speak Arabic?" Tim said, confusion clear on his face.

Jason hadn't realized that his brothers, excluding Damian, had never heard him speak it. "I lived with Talia... it's kinda the only language spoken on the island."

That made them quietly reassess their lives.

"انا حي," Reaper said quietly, setting down his fork and pulling his mask back over his nose. (I am alive)

Jason and Damian glanced at each other.

" كيف أختك تفعل؟" (how is your sister doing?)

Jason regretted the question as soon as it left his lips. In an instant, Reaper's entire energy shifted. His slightly relaxed posture was gone. His eyes filled with a look of pain and anger as he stood up and immediately began walking away.

Damian shot to his feet. "لا تغادر," he called, but it fell on deaf ears. (Don't leave)

Reaper made it to a shadow in the corner of the room and was gone.

"Dammit!" Damian yelled before kicking his chair, sending it clattering across the room.

Jason stared at the spot the kid had disappeared at and let out a heavy breath. He wanted him to stay. He wanted the kid free from the Shadows and whatever else his life was for at least the night.

"What just happened?" Tim asked, being the only one in the room who didn't speak Arabic fluently.

Damian stormed out of the room. Dick made a move to go after him, but Jason stopped him.

"Give him a minute," he said quietly before ranking a hand through his hair. "He— we, wanted him to stay longer. I... I shouldn't have pushed."

Tim glanced between Dick and Jason. "What did he say to him?" he whispered.

Jason let out a heavy breath. "I asked about his sister. Last time we saw each other, he said he found out he had another sister."

"Another?" Dick asked quietly.

"He had a sister, but she died when he was a kid," the second eldest said, leaning back in his chair, eyes still stuck on the shadow in the room. "I don't know the details, but I know it was bad. It was still fresh when we first met."

Dick nodded, being the only one present who truly understood what it was like to loose a sibling. "Do you think that he thought you were talking about his sister that died?"

Jason shook his head. "I think... I think something happened to his other sister. I think she's dead too."

The room was thick with silence. It made sense. Tim and Dick didn't trust the kid, but that didn't mean they weren't concerned for him. He was 16 and had racked up a kill count that rivaled some of the lower tier crime lords in Gotham. He was just a kid.

"You think he'll come back?" Tim asked hesitantly.

"Not unless he has a job," Jason said quietly. "And he won't accept another job from us. I... I think the bridge just burned." 

A/N: can you imagine if I was just like "the end" ahahaaahaahha 

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