Chapter Text
It was always muggy in the morning at Brooks Memorial Juvenile Detention Secure Confinement facility. This part of the day was always humid after a day of heavy rain, and at a lower altitude than the rest of Gotham, the fog always settled in the yard. Inside, the walls sweated, and the ceiling dripped. 14 year-old Dick Grayson had given up trying to mop up the puddles years ago, letting the mold grow like a forest in a protected national park in the corner of the room. He also ignored the paint that chipped and peeled from the walls, littering his room like freshly fallen snow.
Dick had been in juvie for five years now. Two years ago, his roommate "slipped" and cracked his skull, broke an arm, and dislocated a shoulder. Ever since, Dick had been lucky enough to have a cell all to himself. Most boys were forced to share, but after the incident, they made an exception in Dick’s case. Maybe it was a political move in case anyone ever figured out what was going on behind closed doors, but with their incompetence, Dick wouldn’t be surprised if even the wardens had forgotten about it. No, more likely they left Dick alone to reduce their hospital bills.
It was, after all, Dick’s fourth roommate in under a month to suffer injuries severe enough to require an ambulance. Dick had the reputation of keeping his head down, so he'd avoided punishment. They never had any evidence that he was at fault anyways. Legally, there were some areas of the facility where they couldn't have cameras. And even if they could, the detention facility was underfunded and would put the money to paying higher fees to the wardens. But for one reason or another, it all had the same effect. The other kids in juvie were either terrified of Dick Grayson or had a vendetta on the boy. Dick Grayson's reputation preceded him, and moving someone into his room became an inside joke, a threat made by the guards to thwart any misbehaving teen who dared to question their authority.
Apparently Mr. Lescher and Mrs. Mueller, the two wardens of the facility, were ready to give Dick another shot. A new boy was being brought in after being caught stealing tires from a cop car, and since he didn't know Dick's reputation, they were hoping for a different end result. Most kids who came to Brooks were repeat offenders, so they had at least heard rumors of the slightly short kid who was not to be trifled with. Dick didn’t know who this new kid had pissed off, but to be put in Brooks, it had to have been someone with either money, power, or a favor owed to them.
Dick usually wouldn't care. It's not like he had intentionally gone after his old roommates. After years of beatings, he had finally learned how to fight back. Watching the older kids brawl in the yard and researching martial arts online meant that when the older and bigger kids targeted him through his roommates, he made sure they didn't get a second chance. When he was jumped he fought back, but he never instigated anything. He wanted to avoid trouble as much as he could. After all, no trouble meant less supervision, which meant he could do as he pleased. Having a roommate would put a huge dent in those plans.
The doors of the cells stayed open during the day, so Dick sat outside his room pulling at a loose thread on his sneakers, waiting in the hall for the new kid. His hope was that in befriending him, he would find an ally. He didn’t have anyone to talk to in here, so it had been lonely. Having a friend would be nice, and even if they just learned to mind their business and say nothing, it was better than another enemy who might try to choke him in his sleep. Befriending the new kid was the best result from a bad situation.
Dick looked up from his shoes when he heard the front gate open. Mr. Lescher had his hand on the shoulder of a boy only a little smaller than Dick, but likely a year or two younger. The boy tried to pull the hood up on his red sweatshirt, but it was immediately tugged back down by Mr. Lescher. Dick could see the fire in this kid's eyes, and he loved it. The kid had passion, but he was shoving it down deep to avoid trouble. Dick could work with that. It was how he had been the first few years.
Lescher stopped in front of him, clearing his throat. "Grayson, get up. This isn't a lounge." The new kid appraised Dick as he hopped up to his feet, holding a mock salute to the warden.
Turning to the kid with a wink, Dick said, "Nice to meet ya, new guy. Richard Grayson, but you can call me Dick." The kid scoffed, opening his mouth to make a joke when Lescher squeezed his shoulder.
"Just go with it, Jason. He's insistent." The boy, apparently named Jason, rolled his eyes, but nodded.
"Nice to meet you, Jason. I'm still Dick." He put out his hand for a shake, and was left waiting for several seconds before Jason reluctantly shook it.
"Jason Todd." Dick's forced grin turned authentic for a split second. He'd pierce the outermost layer of the kid's shell. Step one complete.
"Dick, you're in charge of showing Jason around. Don't let me down, and keep it clean this time, please and thank you." The boys watched as Lescher's large frame vanished down the hall, Jason's eyes wide from that ominous warning. What kind of psychopath was he rooming with?
Dick leaned over, saying, "Rule one, Lescher only comes out if there's trouble. He's lazy, and you can use that. Mueller is just a tyrant. If you're going to do something that could bring attention to yourself, memorize the schedule. Know who is on duty." Dick began walking the opposite direction of Lescher, leading Jason towards the door to the learning center. It was by far Dick’s favorite room in the whole facility, and for the most part didn’t have much foot traffic. Other than his room, this was his safe haven, and with a roommate, his room might not be that for much longer. The jury was still out on Jason.
"We've got a dozen computers for school. It's all self-paced, so you can study as much, or as little, as you'd like. I'm here most of the time because rule two: there's nothing good to do around here.” Dick paused for dramatic effect, staring deep into Jason’s soul. When the kid looked freaked out enough, he continued. “Beware though, the filters on the searches are monitored, so either don't go looking for anything sketchy, or learn how to code first. The firewalls they use are trash." Dick took notice of how Jason lingered in the room, taking it all in. He seemed particularly enamored by the small library in the corner. What a nerd. Dick liked that, too.
"Let's finish up the tour, then we can come back here."
"Should we reserve the computers or something?" Jason's hardened look was still in full force, but Dick saw through the facade. The kid was a softie at heart, and clearly wanted to just stay and read. Maybe having a roommate wouldn't be so bad. Maybe that friend idea hadn’t been so far-fetched after all. Or maybe he was being played by a con artist. Time would tell.
"Don't worry about it. They're always open. I've never seen more than three people here at a time."
Jason looked confused. "You said it was the best thing to do."
"Rule three: don't try to figure out what the other kids are up to. They'll only get you into trouble. Plus, the more time you spend in here and the better you do in school, the more likely they actually let you out of here." Jason nodded.
"I'm not looking to make enemies." Dick motioned for him to follow as he started making his way to the entrance to the yard.
"Good. That's the method that's kept me alive so far. What's got you in here anyway?"
"I got caught boosting tires on Freemont." Jason snickered at himself. "It was a rookie mistake. I got greedy and went back for the fourth tire." Dick laughed, noting the pride in Jason's face at the encouragement. He almost felt bad for planning on manipulating the kid. But only almost. Good people didn't last here, so Dick tried not to be one. His parents would be disappointed in him, but he didn’t have much choice. Besides, how could they complain when they’re the reason he was in here in the first place?
"No offense, kid, but that's not exactly a secure confinement offense. What really happened?" Dick continued laughing at the huff let out by the other boy and the red rushing to his face. “Oh, this has got to be a great story…”
"Okay, it was a cop's car. And I might have picked his pocket the week earlier. He has some kind of vendetta out for me now." Jason glared at Dick, who was only barely containing his laughter. “It’s stupid, and he is too.”
Dick smirked, biting back the last of his choked giggles. "Yeah, that's Gotham for you. You're always one corrupt cop from being thrown away and losing the key."
"So what happened to you?"
"Me?" Dick laughed. "I'm Romani." His laughter came back full force from Jason's confused face. He liked this kid. "It's an ethnic group, Jason."
"I knew that!" He clearly didn't. "But how did that get you thrown in here? What did you actually do ?"
Dick waved his finger. "Nah ah ah, my fellow delinquent friend. That backstory is not free. But basically, a lady was super racist and sent me here. Not too different from your situation." Jason looked at Dick like he was insane, which he probably was, but not for this reason. If he blabbering about his story and it got out, his reputation would go down the toilet. All of the kids who knew him when he first arrived here had aged out. He still got picked on for coming from the circus, but no one knew what his crime was, and he liked it that way. It was hilarious hearing someone in the yard tell stories about Dick trying to assassinate the mayor or killing Batman's parents. No truth was more terrifying than the fears kids made up themselves, and it helped protect him in a way. He didn't want to go out of his way to dispel the rumors.
Jason stared at his new roommate as if he had an extra arm growing out of his chin. "You're weird, Grayson."
"I'm okay with that if you are."
Dick held the door open, practically dragging Jason out of the room. "Welcome to the yard. We've got two basketball courts, and one whole under-inflated ball. I recommend using the other court for calisthenics in the morning, and to take an occasional run. We're cooped up, so it's really our only opportunity for exercise. And that's rule four: stay in shape. Whether it's getting jumped, making a break for it, or keeping yourself ready for when you get out, you'll be better off if you stay in shape. If you want, I'll show you my workout routine tomorrow morning."
Jason took in the sights, grimacing at the potholes in the pavement and the grimy nature of the entire place. "This place is disgusting." He walked closer to the fence that surrounded the yard.
"Don't get too close,” Dick warned. “It's charged. Too many people tried hopping it so they hooked it up to an outlet."
“That can’t be legal!” Jason shouted.
“You’re right. Let’s go to the cops- oh darn, I don’t have a phone. Do you?” Dick taunted. Sighing, he continued, “Besides, the cops don’t care. They put us in here so they could forget about us. Why should they care if what’s going on is legal?”
Jason sputtered, cursing under his breath as he walked back to Dick. “Can we go back to the library now?”
“Let’s hit the cafeteria first. Breakfast closes at 9, and lunch doesn’t get served until noon. Even if you just grab a banana or something, I recommend getting something to tide you over, because lunch is the least edible meal of the day.” As Jason slunked back indoors, Dick smiled. The kid was a punk, but he seemed cool enough. The more time he spent with the fresh meat, the more his built-in paranoia began to wane.
This might just work out.
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Jason was having an absolutely rotten day. It was only his second day, and he was already praying for death.
When he woke up, it took him a few seconds to recognize the inside of a jail cell. His new home for… who knew how long. Frankly, this place was disgusting. Dick was a slob, and clearly hadn’t been taking care of the place. They only had three days worth of clothes each, but Dick somehow covered almost the entire room with his dirty laundry. That wasn’t even mentioning the mold that was growing in the corner. Jason gagged just thinking of the spores he'd been breathing in while he slept.
At least Dick had been kind enough to give Jason the bottom bunk. It saved him the worry of having the water on the ceiling drip down and drown him in his sleep. Or having the paint chips suffocating him in a layer of disgusting soot. Not that any of that was likely to extend his life much in this place. If he didn’t get poisoned from his new living space, there was a pretty good chance that the rusty metal frame on the bunk bed would collapse, and Dick would crush him at night. At least then he could die in his sleep.
Jason rolled out of bed, staring up at the limp arm of his roommate. Dick had tossed and turned all night, barely letting Jason get any sleep whatsoever. The slob was fast asleep now, hanging out over the edge of his bed. Jason grabbed one of Dick’s old shirts and began scrubbing the mucky wall with it. Jason could not live like this. When the shirt got too dirty to clean anymore, Jason threw it on top of Dick.
Jason ignored the groaning as he grabbed another shirt. “Jason… it’s still lights out. Rule six: lights out means sleep .”
“What happened to rule five, Grayson? Never learned to count at your fancy online school?” Jason began scrubbing with a renewed ferocity, Dick’s voice grating his last nerve.
Dick opened his eyes to see what his roommate was doing. “Fine. Keep cleaning. It will only be back in a week, but if you’re some kind of germaphobe…” Jason bit back a scream before dropping the shirt and rolling back into bed. “Don’t worry, Jason, it gets worse. You get used to it!”
Even when he was half asleep, Grayson was over-enthusiastic. They were in prison, not summer camp. This kid ticked Jason off so much, irritating him at every turn. He didn’t leave Jason alone at all yesterday, and was basically treating him like some kind of pet. Jason was no one’s pet.
Jason only had to fume in silence for about half an hour before the lights turned on and the cells unlocked. His anger had almost spurned him back into slumber when Dick cried, “Up and at ‘em, Jason!” The older boy leapt from the bunk, doing a flip before landing in stride, walking confidently out of the cell.
Jason sat in stunned silence before chasing after the older boy. “What the f*** was that ?!”
Dick grinned, turning around to walk backwards down the hallway, easily stepping around the slower and sleepier boys who were also leaving their cells. “Grew up in a circus, kid. Keep up!” Jason hated this guy more with every second. He was obnoxious, disgusting, and a show-off.
Walking into the cafeteria, Jason gagged at the smell. “What are they serving?”
Dick grimaced. “Smells like bacon.”
“That cannot be bacon.”
“Rule seven: don’t eat the bacon.” That was the first rule Dick had given Jason that he didn’t immediately question.
Jason followed Dick into the line for food, but the only thing he grabbed was a pudding cup and a squishy apple. He was disgusted with whatever slop Dick had shoveled onto his tray, but having nowhere else to go, he followed Dick to a table in the corner.
“Here. You can have an extra.” Dick tossed him a pudding cup.
Jason stared at him. “What for?” Jason didn’t like bribes. He might be street filth, but he had honor.
“Because you’re going to lose weight if you only eat the stuff that’s edible here. You barely ate anything at lunch or dinner yesterday, and I can’t have my roommate dying on me. How would it look if I lost another one?” Jason glared at Dick, but grabbed the pudding anyways. He would have said something snarky, but he remembered What Mr. Lescher had said about keeping it "clean", and decided to keep his mouth shut. He didn’t want to find out Dick’s past at the expense of his own life.
Dick smiled as he ate as quickly as he could. He was finished by the time Jason threw away the second empty pudding cup. “I’m going to the library. You can follow me around again today, or go and do your own thing, up to you.” Dick lingered for a second before leaving. Jason was glad to finally be rid of the annoying boy.
As soon as Dick was out of sight, a different person approached Jason. “Hey, new kid. You friends with that circus trash?” One of the older boys, Jason thinks his name is Marcus, sat down across from him. Jason had heard him and his crew talking during dinner last night. Marcus was the leader of one of the gangs in the facility, and apparently had a history with Grayson. Jason didn't know the details, and he didn’t want to, but it was clear they weren't friends.
“Grayson? Nah, he’s just annoying.” Marcus laughed, waving a few of his buddies over. Jason didn’t like the newfound attention he had garnered. These guys were trouble, and he just needed to keep his head down until he found a way out.
“Grayson is a huge tool.”
“Yeah! He’s such a freak.”
Marcus kept laughing at his gang’s insults as they continued to fly. “We don’t like Grayson either. Todd, right?” Jason nodded gruffly. “You seem smart, Todd. But in here, you’re going to need a crew to help you. You’re small, and some people would choose to pick on you for that, but we could use someone with a little attitude like you. So what do you say? Maybe even help us knock Grayson down a peg or two?” Two of Marcus’s lackeys high-fived behind Jason.
“I’m not looking for any trouble,” Jason said, standing up and throwing out the squishy apple. He couldn’t bring himself to take a bite of it after all. Marcus and his group followed him out as he made his way towards the library. “I’m good just keeping my head down. Good luck with Grayson, but you can do it without me.”
Marcus caught up to him around the corner from the library, grabbing his shoulder and shoving him up against the wall. “Listen here, you little s***. You’re either running with us, or you’re running with Grayson. So what’s your choice?”
Jason tried to push Marcus back, but the larger boy had him pinned. “I’m not with anybody! You can buzz off and leave me alone.” Marcus’s cronies laughed as Jason was shoved into the wall and punched in the stomach. Curled over into himself, Jason caught his breath. As he stood up, he whipped his head up and out, catching Marcus under the chin.
Marcus threw Jason back into the wall, preparing to punch him in the face. Jason turtled. He knew it made him look weak, but at least it protected him a bit. Pride was no good if it put you in the hospital. “Piece of sh-”
Marcus’s curse was cut off by a sharp crack. Looking up from the protective shield of his arms, Jason was surprised to see the blood running down Marcus’s jaw. Marcus turned away, letting go of Jason’s shirt.
“Come on, Marky. You’re like a foot taller than the kid. Keep it in your weight-class.” Grayson stepped in between Jason and Marcus, cracking his knuckles. “What? Did he steal your lunch money or something? You realize lunches are free here, right?”
Marcus let out a guttural yelp and ran at Dick, who rolled beneath his swing. Marcus towered over Dick, and all of his buddies were just as big and muscular. Jason stumbled around the corner to escape the carnage. His roommate had been an idiot trying to defend him. If Jason learned anything from watching late night tv with his mom (before it got repossessed), it was that it was every man for himself in prison.
Dick ran up the wall, flipping around to gain momentum for the kick that knocked out Marcus’s lieutenant in one blow. He turned his landing into a tight tuck, taking out another bullies leg, grabbing him and suplexing him into the ground. When the last of the cronies made a grab for him, Dick somersaulted backwards out of the way, extending his leg to kick him in the jaw. The crony stumbled back into Marcus, and in the time it took for the two boys to recover, Dick had already leapt up into a double flip, landing on the crony’s face and using it as a launching board to Superman punch Marcus.
Dick caught his breath as he looked around at the crew of unconscious boys on the ground. Jason was looking back in awe from his hiding spot around the corner. “Rule eight: the cameras don’t have an audio feed. Learn which ones are out, like the one in this hallway. That’s where all the fights and deals go down. Avoid them if you can, and if not… learn to play to the audience.” As Dick rounded the corner, he clutched his eye as if he had been hit, limping and trembling as he went.
“The security guards will eat it up if you act hurt. Just follow my lead and we won’t get in trouble. See you in the library.” Dick stumbled off, ever the showman, laughing quietly to himself.
Jason sat on the floor, amazed by the boy, barely bigger than Jason, who had fought off four boys practically twice his size, laughing and cracking jokes as he went. The kid was absolutely insane, and would probably make for a pretty good supervillain with that cackle, but maybe it wouldn’t be too bad to have someone watching his back.
Jason just had to hope he wouldn’t decide to eat him in his sleep or something. Or maybe that would be okay. Even death by cannibalism had to be better than living in this dump any longer.
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Dick had to try to sneak out again tonight. Batgirl was probably irate at him for missing their meet-up last night. He didn’t want to keep her waiting any longer, but that meant really dealing with Jason. Jason hadn’t fallen in with Marcus or any of the other anti-Grayson crews which was a pro, but he wasn’t exactly eager to befriend Dick either. Not ideal.
Dick was in the middle of his workout in the yard when he heard them coming. Dick had to keep up his acrobatics, not just so he wouldn’t get beaten up in here, but so he could fight the bad guys when he got out. Plus it always made him feel close to his parents when he did a flip or two. He was upside-down, flip halfway complete, when he noticed the basketball hoop was missing from the backboard. When he landed, he turned around and dropped into a fighting stance.
He ducked the first punch, throwing his own into the attacker’s gut. There were cameras out here, so he had to hold back. He couldn’t go all out like in the hallway. Six of them, one of him. All Marcus thugs, including his cousin Tucker. His very large cousin Tucker. This… might not go well.
The one carrying the hoop was swinging it like it was a set of extremely large brass knuckles. Dick stepped back, avoiding the attack, jumping into the fray before he could swing again. The hoop would hurt if it actually hit him, but it slowed the assailant down. Dick stomped down on his knee, grabbing the hoop from him as he cried in pain.
There’s a move that Jackie Chan uses in some of his movies where someone punches and he catches it with a steering wheel or some other round device. Dick could probably do that with the hoop, but with the security on he couldn’t risk exposing his martial arts talents like that. He let the next jab get through, hitting him square in the nose. He rolled with the attack to dull the blow, but he could tell that he was bleeding.
Dick threw the hoop like a frisbee into the face of the next attacker, following it up with a kick to their stomach. He had culled the crew in half, but two of the remaining boys grabbed him from opposite sides, forcing his arms to his sides. Dick’s fighting style involved avoiding getting hit, and despite his workouts he wasn’t that strong. He couldn’t break out of the combined strength of the two goons.
Tucker grinned as he approached, punching Dick firmly in the stomach, forcing him to bend over and beg for air. “You like that, circus trash?” He kneed him in the face. “Too bad we don’t have a tight rope to throw you off of like mommy and daddy, huh?” Another punch.
“You learn to hit from your dad, Tucker?” Dick coughed, spitting out blood. “Or is he still out looking for a pack of smokes?” Tucker swore and wound up for another strike. Dick looked him dead in the eyes with a smile as Tucker wavered and fell over before his hit could land.
Behind the downed Tucker stood Jason, holding the now bloody basketball hoop. “Oh you’re dead, street rat!” yelled one of the goons. It was enough of a distraction that Dick was able to twist out of the older boy’s grip, turning around to palm strike the other in the nose. The boy stumbled back, clutching his nose, desperately trying to clear his vision. A hit to the nose like that made the eyes water and with blood rushing everywhere, it was impossible to see. Dick kicked him in the temple as he fell over, knocking him out cold.
By the time he turned around to fight the last of them, Jason had clobbered him with the basketball hoop. “Thanks, Jason.” Jason shrugged, tossing the hoop to the ground with bravado.
“It was nothing.” Jason wasn’t one to take praise. He hadn't even really planned on helping his roommate, but Dick had stood up for him in the hallway, and he didn’t like the idea of the boy being beaten by the older kids because of it. Plus he’d seen Dick fight. It might actually be worthwhile to put up with the nuisance if it meant having a big, dumb bodyguard. He could pretend to be his friend and keep taking his pudding. He kept telling himself that this was purely a logical move rather than one of emotion. And being in a sociopath’s good graces wouldn’t hurt, right? Prevent the kid from getting “messy” like Lescher had warned about?
“You know you didn’t have to step in, right? These guys might target you now.” Jason shrugged again, throwing up his hood.
“I can handle myself.”
“I’m sure you can,” Dick nodded. “But for safety, let’s stick together for a day or two, okay? I’ll make sure they don’t bother you.”
“I was going to head to the library,” Jason said. “You in?” Dick grinned. This was going great.
“Absolutely. Let’s go.” Dick and Jason would be a force to reckon with. With an accomplice, Dick could do more. He would have to see how this went…
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Jason was a strange kid to Dick. Few of the inmates wanted to spend time in the lab, much less the library corner. Most tried playing video games or watching porn until they were caught and punished. Jason just wanted to read. The kid was a total bookworm, and as Dick worked at his computer, he noticed how quickly Jason was going through the books. In two days, he’d already finished several of the books, and at this rate would probably be done within a couple weeks.
Dick was a weird kid to Jason. Apparently he was the kid with the most time served here, but somehow walked around with a smile on his face most of the time. From the rumors Jason heard whispered around the yard and the dining hall, almost everyone was afraid of him. From what Jason could tell, he was a great fighter, but he was still just a stuck-up snotty teenager like the rest of them. One with the best work ethic of anyone else here, including the adults. It seemed like Dick was always either working out or on the computer doing school work. Jason had assumed that Dick was looking at things he wasn’t supposed to, but whenever he snuck a peak at the screen, there was something about material science or legal systems. Dick was only fourteen, but for some reason seemed to be taking college courses. Jason was growing more suspicious every time he learned something new about his roommate, but he was doing his best to ignore it and keep his head down.
On their way back from the yard, they’d been pulled aside by the guards. It had taken almost an hour to get the situation settled, and Lescher was not happy, but Jason and Dick were released without punishment. A combination of security footage and Dick’s smooth-talking had saved them from what was surely a cruel and inhumane punishment. Plus, the whole situation had assuaged some of Jason’s worries. Apparently Dick wasn’t a sociopathic cannibal, he was just a good fighter. Not that Jason felt entirely safe around the older boy. As he read, he kept glancing nervously at him.
Dick closed out of the article he’d been reading on tort reforms, calling out over his shoulder, “Okay, Little Wing, what is it?”
“What did you call me?”
“Little Wing. I figure it fits, since you’re following me around like I’m your mama bird. So what’s up?” Jason's face wrinkled up like he smelt something horrible.
“Nothing is up, you dweeb. Go back to your classes.”
“Dude, you’re in no place to call anyone a nerd. You’ve read more books here in two days than I’ve seen everyone else in this dump read in the last 5 years combined.” Jason scoffed.
“Well I’m smart enough to recognize the value of literature, unlike the rest of you dimwits!”
“Is that why despite reading super fast all day, you’ve been on the same page for the last 20 minutes?” Dick spun around in his chair, shooting a cocky smile. “I can see you in the reflection of the computer monitor. If you’ve got something to say, say it, man! No need to keep staring at me like a creepy stalker.” Dick cackled as he went back to his reading.
Jason almost threw his book at the older boy’s head. What was Dick doing to him?! How could he even consider throwing a precious book! “Why are you in here?”
“Not sure I follow, Jason.” Dick began typing something on the keyboard, but Jason couldn’t tell what.
“This place is supposed to reform kids and spit them back out. I heard that you never get in trouble, you’re clearly above average when it comes to school, you aren’t in any of the gangs, and yet I’m saddled with a roommate who can’t use a damn sponge!” Jason hadn’t breathed at all during his rant, and was breathing heavy with frustration by the end of it. “That one guard was practically treating you like a son or a kicked puppy or something!”
“Jeanine? Yeah, she’s a sweetheart. Working two jobs to put her daughter through art school.”
“Yeah, that right there, that’s not normal!” Jason stood up, face red. “Why the heck are you, Mister Goody-Two-Shoes, running around beating up thugs in juvie? What, you just like hanging out with one of the guards so much that you decided to live here? What the heck is wrong with you, Grayson?”
Dick sighed, letting the boy let off some steam from his rant. Jason had been dealing with a lot of change over the past week, and Dick remembered one of his psych textbooks mentioning how emotional volatility increased during times of stress or change. He didn’t want to trigger Jason any more than he already had. “Remember I said that my backstory had to be earned?”
“Oh come off it, you piece of-”
“I’d say having my back in the yard has earned you some of it.” Jason shut up instantaneously. No one else in this place had any idea what to make of Dick Grayson, but maybe Jason would finally get a glimpse. He could use this, either as blackmail or to get into the graces of one of the gangs if it absolutely came to that.
“How familiar are you with the circus?” Dick asked, stumping Jason.
“You grew up there, right? I heard Marcus and his gang calling you names.”
“Yeah,” Dick sighed. “They think of it as a bad thing. But I had people that loved me and took care of me. I was pretty lucky compared to some other people here.” Dick hadn’t looked at Jason at all as he spoke, continuing to type on his keyboard. “I lived with my loving parents performing on the road for years, and everything was like a fairytale from one of your books.”
“So what happened?”
Dick signed out of the computer, stretching his limbs as he stood up. “Then our show came to Gotham, and they died.” Dick turned back around to face Jason solemnly. “You know I barely spoke English at the time? But the next thing I know I’ve got tasteless slop for breakfast every morning and a room that won’t stay dry. But eventually you figure out how to deal with it, and eventually you learn to fight well enough that most people leave you alone.” Dick began leaving the room.
Jason’s mental alarms were firing off, as he scrambled to stand up from the floor where he was reading and called out to Dick. “Wait! You don’t mean you… you didn’t…” Jason slid his finger across his throat, mimicking death. “Did you?”
Dick smiled sadly. “Does it make a difference?” The older boy walked out, leaving Jason utterly confused. He had more questions than ever before, and no idea where he could possibly get the answers. His roommate was a freak for sure, but Jason hadn’t thought he was a murderous freak. Sure, that’s where his imagination had gone with the cannibalism things, but it’s not like he thought it was actually true . But what about the racist cop? Was Dick innocent? Should he never have been here in the first place? Would Jason end up like him, stuck here forever? Or were they all lies from a conman stuck in juvie right where he belongs?
Jason was completely lost in thought as he left the library. The only thing he was certain about was that he needed to stay close to Dick, and make sure he didn’t end up on the boy’s bad side. Actually, that was just the first of two things Jason was certain of. The other was even more true.
Jason hated this place.
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Dick waited for an hour after Jason’s breathing settled and he fell asleep. He double checked that Jason was still asleep as he jumped off of his upper bunk, grabbing the brick sill of their window. Dick had slowly eroded a rock from the yard into a point that he could use to pry the screws out on the bars of his window, laying them gently on the brick frame. It took him less than a minute to remove the bars, unlock the window, and sneak outside. It took even less time for him to jimmy the bars back into place as he swung from the drainage pipe outside his wall.
From the pipe, Dick could shimmy up to the roof, and with enough of a running start, he could leap over the electrified, barbed outer fence and grab a hold of the fire escape on the next building.
The facility was still in the middle of a city block, but they were severely underfunded, and Dick had realized a while back that the outdoor cameras could not see in the dark. He was practically free to do as he pleased as long as he was back in his bed by morning. He planned on getting back early today to make sure he was there when Jason woke up. Jason was apparently an early riser, which Dick noticed that morning, and it would severely hamper his vigilante time.
Dick removed the loose brick from the side of the building where he landed, pulling out his makeshift mask and walkie talkie. “Robin to Batgirl. Come in, Batgirl!”
There was a lull of static before the radio crackled to life. “It’s about time you showed up! Where were you yesterday? I can’t believe you stood me up like that!” Dick smiled at his friend’s voice. He might not know her name or where she lived, but Batgirl was his best, and frankly only, friend in the world.
“Yeah, sorry about that. Had some… home troubles. I’d love to give you the update in person,” he offered.
“Meet me in the usual spot in 15 minutes. I can’t wait to show you what I got last night!” Dick smiled as he signed off, leaping across the gap to the next building. The wind blew back his hair as he ran, and Dick ate up every moment of air beneath him as he jumped, feeling alive once more. These little outings with Batgirl were the only time he convinced himself life was real. It was the closest thing he had to reliving his circus days up on the trapeze.
Robin let out a triumphant “Whoop!” as he ran across the rooftops, unaware of the shadow watching from across the street.