The Curious Case of Jason Todd

V

Tim should have realized that everything was going too well. Jason was like any other child: attention-seeking, spontaneous and good-natured. However, no one could deny that aspects of Jason's older personality were sometimes apparent: his cheekiness, competitiveness, and possession of a quick-wit and sharp tongue. It wasn't until two days after Tim and Dick had arrived at the Manor when another one of older Jason's traits was revealed explosively.

Anger.

It was late afternoon when the raised voices coming from the TV room first attracted Tim's attention. He found Damian flipping through a pile of Jason's drawings and holding them out of the younger boy's reach. Jason was getting more and more frustrated when he couldn't get his drawings back. His face screwed up into a scowl.

"At your age, I had already learnt how to do shading," Damian boasted a smirked at the shorter boy, "You're still doing stick figures, Todd. It's rather pathetic."

"I don't care!" Jason shouted and stomped his foot, "I don't care what you think! Give'em back!"

"Like you could make me!"

Jason's face turned dark, something Tim hadn't seen for a very long time. He picked up one of the remotes on the coffee table and threw it at Damian's head. Damian cursed in Arabic and glared at the little boy.

"What is wrong with you?" Damian jumped to the side to avoid the flying projectile. He had to move again when Jason tossed another one.

"Give'em back!" Jason's eyes were starting to tear up from frustration. It was at this point that Bruce burst in through the other door, shocking all three boys in the room.

"What is going on here?"

Tim replied before either Jason or Damian could get a word out. "Damian took Jason's drawings and won't give them back."

Damian scowled at Tim for tattling when Bruce demanded that Damian return the papers. The Demon Spawn released his grip on the papers and let them float to the floor. Jason scooped up the drawings one by one but paused when he reached the last one. He held it up so everyone could see.

"You ripped it," Jason's voice trembled. Indeed, a large tear in the paper ran down the middle of the drawing. "Why did you rip it?"

Damian was uninterested in Jason's concern over his drawing, "It's not like it was good."

"Damian!" Bruce's voice was cold and sharp. Damian winced at the tone but Jason ignored the warning levels in Bruce's voice.

"It was non'ya business, stupid-face!" Jason took three steps forward and shoved the eleven year old in the chest. Damian stumbled back to balance himself and would have been fine if he hadn't stepped on one of Jason's toy cars that were spread out across the room. His foot slipped out from under him and Damian used his assassin training to land quite gracefully on his rear end. Tim would have laughed out loud at the surprise on Damian's face if Jason's face wasn't still twisted in anger; instead he sniggered under his breath.

"Jason!" Bruce's sharp tone turned on the smaller boy whose eyes widened in fear at his father's raised voice. When Bruce didn't move towards him, Jason's face turned red in anger and his scowl twisted into a look that Tim knew all too well as it used to be directed at him. Obviously recognizing the look as well, Bruce took a small step back.

Jason reacted to their silence by throwing almost all of his drawings at them.

"MAYBE YOU SHOULD BACK UP. MAYBE YOU SHOULD BE SCARED!"

Jason ignored Bruce's warning to stay where he was and stormed out of the room past Tim, the ripped paper clutched tightly in his hands. Bruce moved to follow but Tim held up a hand.

"Why don't you let me handle this one?" Bruce looked unsure but nodded and turned to Damian who immediately argued that he was being a big brother to Jason like Jason had been to him.

Tim followed the sounds of a tantrum upstairs to Jason's room and sat outside the room until the stomping and screaming quieted down. He knocked on the door when he heard the sound of muffled sobs. There was no answer but Tim opened the door anyways and found Jason curled up on his bed, clutching the torn drawing. Jason glared with watery eyes but made no other complaint.

"Hey Jason," Tim murmured softly, "Let's try and fix that up for you, okay?" He pulled a roll of Scotch tape and a fading photograph out of the desk drawer, the photo he slipped into his pocket. He sat down on the bed beside Jason's legs and gently pried his hands from the paper's edges. Jason watched closely as Tim began carefully taping the torn paper back together. The crayon drawing was of a larger stick figure with a triangle skirt and long blond hair standing next to a shorter stick figure with dark hair and a red shirt. The tear in the paper had occurred right between the two figures where their hands met.

"There! Taped up nice and tight," Tim handed it back to Jason but the boy didn't look any happier.

"It's not the same," he grumbled.

"I know," Tim could acknowledge that some things can be fixed, but they will never be the same. The boy sitting next to him was a perfect example. "I might have something better."

Tim held up the photograph and smiled when Jason's eyes widened at the photo of his mother. Jason gingerly held the photo in his hands and traced the outline of Catherine Todd's face with his thumb.

"I almost forgot what she looked like," Jason sniffled and rubbed at the tears in his eyes. Tim smiled and rubbed Jason's back. They sat together in silence until Titus, Damian's Great Dane, walked into the room. He ignored Tim as usual and sniffed at Jason's face. The boy giggled and patted the dog's head when Titus licked the tear-tracks on Jason's cheeks.

"Why don't you hang out in here with Titus for a bit? I'll talk to Dad for you."

Jason stared up at him with wide blue eyes, "Do you think Daddy's mad at me?"

"Hardly, Jason!" Tim laughed, "Right now, you can do no wrong. I think he's chewing out Damian right now."

"Chewing Damian?" Jason made a face and scratched Titus behind the ear, "He wouldn't be very tasty."

Tim snorted; Damian would be tough and sour, "Sorry, it was a figure of speech. Lie down and let me take care of Dad. Though, I would recommend apologizing for your behavior."

"Do I have to apologize to Damian?" Jason didn't look pleased at the idea.

"Bruce and Alfred will tell you otherwise, but Damian got exactly what he deserved," a smile twitched at the corner of Jason's mouth. Tim got off the bed and moved to the door. "I'll see you later," Jason nodded but didn't look away from Titus and gripped his photograph closer to his chest. Tim was going to strongly suggest that Bruce talk with Jason about his mother and not make the same mistakes he made with Jason last time: such as ignoring the whole 'communication' aspect of their relationship.