Bats in the Attic (Young Justice/Batman Beyond)

Befuddlement

The word "befuddle" seemed like the best word to describe his current mental dysphoria, as his bright blue eyes recognized the person in front of him. Dick swallowed, the cogs in his head trying to figure out the inconsistencies running through is mind.

Particularly, one of the certainties running through his head regarding his past lay in the fact he knew Jason was dead, yet right there in front of him, Jason stood, his hands shoved into his pockets, his jaw set in that firm stubbornness Dick felt only possible from the person in front of him. The glint of mischief in his eyes also screamed the Jason in front of him was most certainly alive.

"Jason?" The name came out of Dick's throat strained, his fingers deftly folding the letter shut before shoving the object inside the pocket of the jacket he wore, hoping the person in front of him didn't see said action. Further words refused to come out of his mouth, his eyes blinking at the all to physical ghost in front of him.

"Hey, Dickie Bird. Long time no see." Jason seemed calm. "I guess from the way your mouth is open, you're a bit surprised to see me?"

Again, Dick's bright blue eyes blinked, but his mouth continued to open and close like a fish until he actively made the decision to look away from the other young man. He took a deep breath, trying to form some kind of thoughts in his head, but also words in his mouth. Dick also moved to stand up, feeling the situation got rather uncomfortable. "Um, Jay..."

"I get it. I'm a mess. Always have been, so you were surprised to see me when I hate dad so much actually makes sense." Dick swallowed, the confusion in his mind remaining. His eyes narrowed, noting Jason referred to Bruce as dad rather than the man's first or last name. His mouth also hung open, making his confusion rather evident. Dick watched Jason's eyes blink. "It's something else. Almost like I've got a booger sticking out of my nose making me look like an idiot."

"It's not that." Dick felt his breath his out between his teeth, his anxiety evident at least to himself. His hand shot up in a defensive manner, palm out, his bright blue eyes avoiding direct eye contact when he said the next sentence. "Well, sort of. It's..." The young man drew air into his lungs deeply. "How to put this..." A thought crossed his mind. "I'm just a little confused."

"A little confused?" Jason's voice remained calm. "I'm the one who's confused. I don't see you for months, and..."

"What?" Dick's chest tightened, his confusion growing even more.

"What do you mean what? For some reason, you got it through that thick skull of yours that you wanted nothing to do with us, and took off for over a full year. This is me trying to be civil about the whole thing."

The tone Jason used, Dick recognized as the first sign of frustration from said individual. "That's not..." Swallowing, he slowed his speech. "That's not what I meant. I'm just a tad ... caught off guard."

"Look, Alfred's going to have dinner ready soon, and you know how he is about us being late for meals unless we've got a good reason, so why don't we head downstairs and join the rest of the family? You can tell me what kind of mods you've done to that sweet ride of yours."

Quickly grabbing the yearbook from the top of the box, Dick found himself following close behind Jason, his confusion growing. On top of calling Bruce "dad", Jason used the word "family" just like Alfred did earlier. His bright blue eyes looked at the wall instead of Jason's back. "I don't know if I'm staying."

"What do you mean you don't know if you're staying?" The stairs to the attic creaked under the feet of the two young men. Jason stopped at the bottom, looking up at Dick who still stood on the stairs. His eyes narrowed in irritation, a look quite similar to the one Jason gave him when Bruce's other ward said something about being civil. "What did you mean by that?"