Chapter Text
Like most things this is totally Dick's fault.
It all started with a steakout in the financial district that Dick invited him to, they were investigating some way to Rich guy who used to have a connection to the Court of Owls.
The Court of Owls got destroyed sometime while He was kicking ass in Russia, Jason only found out about it after the fact, so He wasn't clear on the Details, but nobdy wanted Dick to go alone and that was as good of an excuse as He needed.
The whole Thing Was pretty low stakes otherwise, just sitting with his Brother to wait,
one could almost call it nice.
Dick at some point started gushing about the Batbrats and their accomplishments like a proud Sockermom and somehow Tim's schoolwork came up, and how He wanted to drop out.
"Yeah He and Bruce are fighting about it, It's intense!"
"I can't believe I'm saying this but ... I'm actually on Batsys side about that."
"...you are.. Agreeing on something.. with Bruce?.."
Dick repeaded with mock disbelieve
Jason could practally feel the amused smugness roll of of Dickface.
""If you Tell anyone I will make your life a living Hell."
Dick had the audacity to snort
"Yeah, Yeah, you're scary. But really how come you agree with Bruce? You once ate a Bug alive just becourse Bruce said it was discusting."
Dick oofed at the very deserved elbow in his gut
"First of all, you promised you wouldn't bring that up again-
"-I was kinda impressed honestly, you didn't even pull a face-."
Jason Hit him again just for good measure.
"- and second of all, getting an education is one of the coolest things you could do! When I was a little kid I wanted nothing more than to go to school! Like, a place people just give you information? and it's heated and shit! It's so fucking important, a good Schoolbackground gets you into a whole new paygrade of opportunities! If the guys at Ma Guns had had a good education they could get entirely independent of her, not to mention pay for their food and essentials.
And I mean like why would anybody not want to learn more?! Isn't knowledge one of the things we value most? It's so much fun too! There is like no reason not To go to school if you get it thrown at your feet, timmy is being dumm."
He was a little out of breath at the end of that Rant, Dick, for some godforsacen reason, was smiling softly.
"I forgot how much you loved school."
And Jason wanted to say something about it, He really did, it was just that suddenly He couldn't.
Aktually He thinks He would have preferd it if Dicki just Hit him in the face or something, becourse suddenly He remembered as well,
He remembered his first day at School whe his mum was still better and Willis hadn't lost his Job.
He remembered doing homework under the bed when the screaming got too loud again.
He remembered being devistated when He couldn't go anymore but tuffening up becourse his mum needed him.
He remembered the gaggle of kids He used to hang out with, and how He could pretend for a while his biggest problems where Highschool crushes, even if He never really got that Part.
He remembered skipping patrols becourse He refused to Fall behind after how much He missed.
He remembered how Fond Bruce and Alf always looked, way too similar to Dick.
He remembered how it got ripped away, how violently his dreams stopped.
He remembered how they shatterd with each second ticking by, how even then he'd been optimistic...
Suddenly it feld gutwrenching He never finished high school.
Luckely their perv chose that exact moment to step out of the Building. Saved by the Bell in a way, and that was that.
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But that leaves him where He is.
Now that the thought crossed his mind, it wont leave him alone anymore.
It feels like a Bad Idea, He's Redhood his dreams died with him, with the first Life he ended, it feels almost absured to Think He should go to College.
Hell He never finished High school.
He switched school with a differnt education a long time ago, He studied the Body and poisens, Magic and Harmreduction.
These things are usefull to Redhood He doesn't need a Formal education for himself, not really..
But god Damm He can't stop the jearning.
He feels like a Victorion woman in an Jane Ousten Novel, it's rediculous.
But it's also unfair, He never had a chance to just do what He wanted.
He's eighteen
He forgets sometime how old He is, it's not a Part of his identity anymore becourse well, eighteen year olds haven't seen the things He has, haven't expirienced them.
But godamm He wants to feel eighteen and have friends his age and pretend his biggest Problem is that one Professor who gives to much homework for a little while.
He wants a Future.
So maybe He caves and starts looking up how to aply for College without an official highschool diploma, nobody needs to know, especially Dick.