Chapter Text
Considering all that had happened in the last few days, weeks, hell even months Jason and Roy both decided that the best course of action would be to take everything slow; and that included their newfound relationship. They had both come to the agreement that, while they loved each other fiercely and deeply, it probably wouldn’t be in their best interest to jump headfirst into the whole dating thing. That’s not to say that they decided against dating. Just that they both recognized they needed some time to heal both mentally and physically before going full force into things.
Tucked away in a quiet, dusty, disused study upon one of Oliver’s small velvet couches Jason and Roy talked. Given the light of recent events, they both decided that it would be in their best interest to set some ground rules before making any advances in their newfound relationship. Both agreed that they wanted to take things slow, which meant no sex for a while. That sort of thing would be too intense and emotionally charged for the two of them in their current stages of healing, and neither of them were in the right sort of headspace for that.
However, snuggling and kissing were still on the table. Besides, it was clear to Roy that Jason had never been in a healthy romantic relationship before; and, if he was being honest with himself, Roy hadn’t been in a healthy one for a long time.
So middle school-esque styled romancing it was.
At least for now…
Neither of them wanted to mess this up…
They also, after some healthy bickering, decided they both needed therapy. Like actual real therapy with a real mental health specialist and everything. Normally that sort of thing wouldn’t be feasible given the whole secret identity thing. But given the aftermath of Sanctuary’s downfall, and Ollie’s apparent newfound determination to help him and Jason in any way that he could, that shouldn’t be too much of a problem now.
The man was ecstatic when Roy told him about how Jason and he wanted to start therapy, and immediately set out on finding a specialist for them.
Speaking of Ollie, there was also the matter of the fallout that Roy’s accusations at the Watchtower had caused. People were beginning to ask questions and poke their noses into things, and it was only a matter of time before someone dug up the evidence they needed to start a proper investigation into Batman.
Ollie and Barry had joined forces and had been doing their best to protect Roy and Jason from the onslaught of prying eyes and invasive questioning, but there was only so long they could hold out against the likes of the Justice League. The two made it abundantly clear to him and Jay that the second the League opened an official investigation into Batm- no… Bruce. That there was little they could do to protect them from the tidal wave of questioning that was sure to come.
Until that happened though, Barry made sure they understood that in no uncertain terms, they were to sit back, relax the best they could, and focus on themselves and their healing. Considering their situation, Jay and Roy had little choice but to relish the small sliver of peace they managed to carve out for themselves amid all the chaos.
Chapter 2
Summary:
Time for some Jason angst. I swear this story is going somewhere. I'll get to that point eventually, but we have to dig though some trauma first.
Notes:
Two chapters for you nerds in one week. I hope you enjoy!
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Jason and Roy only had a two-week reprieve from the pain the outside world brought before it ripped its way back into their lives again.
The gunman knew that something like this was bound to happen sooner or later, but he would be forever grateful for Tim’s call of warning all the same.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
The call, or rather calls, came through the Queen’s Mansion landline late one Wednesday evening while Jason and Dinah were scrounging together a simple but scrumptious meal of hot dogs and chili for the five of them. At first, they collectively ignored it, as it wasn’t the first call of the day nor would it be the last.
As of late rumors had been spreading throughout the hero community like wildfire, which was expected given the return of Sanctuaries heroes and then the subsequent child abuse allegations against Batman. Two major events happening like that back to back were going to cause an uproar, and given the severity of the overall situation, everyone was looking for answers.
As far as Jason could tell though, no one knew for sure of his and Roy’s location. The calls coming to the mansion had largely been from speculative heroes who wanted to know if Oliver knew something, anything really. The questions ranged from whether or not he knew where his son was all the way to if he’d been aware that Bruce had supposedly been beating his children.
The blonde, to his credit, had managed to throw most of the callers off his tail by citing his and Roy’s atrocious relationship beforehand. The only person who’d managed to see through his deceit so far had been Barry Allen.
Sort of…
Jason didn’t really think that his best friend stubbing his toe against the corner of an ottoman so hard that he let out a violent array of curses at a volume so egregiously loud that the receiver of Oliver’s cell phone picked it up from two rooms over really counted as Barry seeing through deceit. But that’s just his personal opinion.
Regardless, upon Barry’s quick arrival, his presence had become a welcome one. Especially for Roy; and if Roy was happy then Jason could be happy for him. Although the original Flash didn’t seem to know quite what to make of Jason, which while awkward, was pretty understandable in his opinion. When faced with an uncomfortable, but non-life-threatening situation, Jason tried to maintain an air of casual indifference about him.
According to Roy however, the presence he exuded instead came out as stiff and angry. This would explain why Barry seemed so skittish around him whenever they bumped into one another in the halls. Ever since his resurrection, Jason had always been uncomfortable around his supposed father-figure’s teammates. Given the chaos and uncertainty his return to the ‘family’ had caused, he never quite knew what they thought of him or how they'd react in his presence. He didn’t really think his ‘second father’ was singing his praises to them, for all he knew they were told to arrest Jason on sight.
So, despite himself, the vexed look became a largely permanent feature on his face in the original Flash’s presence. Though to both his, and seemingly Barry’s, relief, the tension between the two of them had seemed to be receding.
If he had to put his finger on when that started happening, he’d say it was around the time when he made Roy laugh so hard that the redhead snorted coffee up through his nose during brunch one morning. Barry, who had been sitting next to the aforementioned archer, had been mid-chew when it had happened. Between Jason’s humor and the redheads reaction, the man ended up choking on his jam-smothered biscuit and laughing so hard he couldn’t breathe for a solid two minutes. The giggle infested smile he received from the speedster when he eventually managed to recover himself was bright, albeit awkward, and it warmed something in him.
Jason realized at that moment that Barry was probably just as uncomfortable around him as he was around Barry; so he made an effort to tone back his forced indifference and be a little more open around the older man.
As the calls came through that fateful evening and refused to cease even after 30 minutes of tense, wordless food prep from the group, it was Barry who eventually picked up the phone.
“Queen’s residence, how may I direct your call?”
Jason couldn’t quite hear the response of the caller on the other end, but if the way the Flash’s face paled at the tinny voice creeping its way through the speakers was any indication, he knew that what was said was nothing good.
The speedster's free hand spasmed nervously against his leg, and Allen handed the phone over to him with a hoarse “It’s for you.”
Jason’s blood ran cold at the statement and, after gently setting the soup ladle back into the pot, he carefully took the landline from the man’s sweating hand.
“Who is this?” He gruffed out, refusing to let any inflection of nervousness or, god forbid, fear leak into his voice. Roy had made his way over to his side the instant Barry had handed the phone to Jason, and the redhead leaned in close to him so that he could hear the response from the other side of the line.
A familiar, yet surprisingly resolved voice drifted its way across the phone’s speakers.
“Jason, it’s Tim.”
Tim… He could handle Tim. Honestly, he was expecting Dick or god forbid Bruce. Jason wasn’t quite sure what he would’ve done if it was Bruce on the other end of the phone. Probably throw the device into a wall as hard as he possibly could. The young bird continued on before Jason's musings could spiral further.
“Listen, Jason, I know I’m one of the last people that you want to speak to right now given the current situation. But I figured you’d want to hear this.”
Jason clenched his jaw and grabbed the arm holding the phone. Meanwhile, Roy put a supportive hand around his back and onto the opposing shoulder. “Alright,” he eventually let out; his tone an eerie calm. “What is it?”
He heard Tim take a few measured, controlled breaths on the other end of the line. Almost as if the younger were mentally preparing himself for what he needed to say next. “The Justice League has officially opened an investigation against Bruce due to the recent allegations of child abuse.”
Besides him, Roy inhaled sharply. If Tim heard this, he ignored it and continued unperturbed.
“Earlier today Wonder Woman and Cyborg made their way to the Batcave and retrieved copies of all the data from the computer systems, including the cowl and cave footage.”
A wet shaky breath made its way across the speakers and it was quiet for a moment as the kid seemed to take a moment to gather himself together. Jason did the same and if it weren’t for the reaffirming squeeze on his shoulder he doubted he would’ve heard Tim’s next words when he spoke.
“I- Jay…” Another shaky breath. “Why didn’t you ever say anything?”
Jason breathed deeply in through his nose, holding the air in his lungs for four practiced seconds before letting it out again just as slowly. The breathing technique did little to stop the moroseness in his tone when he finally gathered the courage to speak. “Honestly? I didn’t think any of you would believe me. Besides, it’s not like I didn’t deserve it. I broke the rule, Timmers… Many times.”
Roy’s grip turned nearly bruising on his shoulder and at the same time a strangled sob forced its way through the line, followed by Dick Grayson’s (who must’ve been sitting in on the call between him and Tim) shaky but firm “Jay no-”
Jason cut the older man off before he could continue any further. “Thanks for the heads up.” He said, abruptly hanging up the phone before either of his brothers could get in another word edgewise.
Notes:
Sorry if the structure and line breaks are weird. I was struggling with a03's formatting. Please leave a comment if you'd like. No clue if people are actually liking this.
Chapter 3
Summary:
JayRoy stuff with some light smut? It's not even really smut, just two bros pinning and some kissing. Oh and Constantine shows up because yeah why not.
Notes:
Sup, I'm not dead and I've resigned myself to not having a schedule for this. It will get new chapters when I feel that the vibes are right and the vibes are right today. Enjoy.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
After the call, Jason made up some excuse about forgetting something in his room and left the kitchen. Roy and those present, seeing the excuse for what it actually was, gave the man the out and finished up their cooking process in tense silence.
Once the plates were made and the table was set, the redhead snatched an extra plate for his boyfriend and muttered a few half-hearted apologies to the group for not being able to eat with them that evening. His friends and family waved him off and assured him that he had nothing to apologize for, which admittedly eased his nerves some as he meandered his way towards Jay’s suspected hiding spot.
Upon reaching the Queen Manor's library, he allowed himself a moment of smug satisfaction when he instantly spotted Jay curled up upon the library's old, worn, leather couch that contained a small variety of throw blankets and pillows. The furniture was easily the most comfortable piece in the room, and ever since their impromptu stay began in Ollie’s manor, it had easily become one of Jason’s favorite places to hide away when things started to become overwhelming to him. For all that his Jaybird tried to play up the big tough antihero act, he was really just a softie at heart who loved a good book, a comfy chair, and copious amounts of soft things.
The couch itself faced the room's large, ornate windows that overlooked a good section of the estate's vibrant gardens below. Jay himself sat in one of its worn leather corners, his side propped up against a small pile of pillows. He didn’t move to indicate that he had heard Roy, but the man had little doubt that he didn’t already know of his presence. The redhead took a moment to observe the shape of the man's scowling face, which was illuminated by the dim gold glow of the setting sun. His brow was furrowed in deep concentration as he glared somewhere into the distance. He was without a doubt absolutely overthinking and spiraling over his recent conversation with Tim and Dick; which could not be allowed to continue any longer.
Fuck the bats and all their bullshit, Jason didn’t deserve any more of their crap.
Roy made his way across the room, and as he approached the younger man, he said, "Ya know, if you keep making that face, it's going to get stuck that way."
The dark-haired man scoffed in response, though a small, tired smile briefly stole its way across his features.
Roy took it as a win.
"If that were true, it would've happened years ago." The gunman responded as he graciously accepted the plate Roy offered him, as the redhead sat himself opposite him on the couch.
"I'm just saying, crazier things have happened. You wouldn't want your face to be stuck looking like a constipated monkey for the rest of your life, would you?"
In response, a cream colored throw pillow flew towards his face and Roy was forced to respond defensively by throwing up his uninjured hand and curling protectively over his plate of chili dogs.
"HEY, WATCH THE DOGS, MAN! I have it on good authority that these ones are actually edible because a certain handsome someone prevented Ollie from ruining the chili!"
Jay flushed slightly in response before ignoring him and proclaiming "I do not look like a constipated monkey you ass!"
"You're right, you looked like a sexy constipated monkey."
The man's face flushed harder, though whether that was from rage or the compliment Roy didn’t know. Maybe it was both?
"HARPER!"
Roy smirked devilishly at the gunman’s flustered indignation. "I'm right and I cannot be convinced otherwise!'
"Strong words coming from a belligerent troglodyte!" Jay retorted.
"You love me and you know it!"
"Of course I do! But that doesn't make you any less of a troglodyte!"
Roy blinked in surprise, and Jason snapped his mouth shut when he realized his admission. Roy could see the younger man beginning to catastrophize at his words and begin to emotionally shut himself down. But the archer was having none of it so he set his plate on the floor, crawled his way over the couch cushions to Jason, grabbed his face in both hands firmly, tilted it towards his own and said "Jay, buddy look at me."
Jason, who had stubbornly averted his gaze downwards when Roy grabbed his face, flicked his eyes towards the redhead. He looked nervous and scared, his blue-green eyes wide with fear and face ghostly pale. The younger man looked as if he thought Roy was going to start berating him for his admission, even though they’d been dating for roughly two weeks now. It was a look that tore at his heartstrings and needed to be rectified immediately.
Roy tried to project all of his passion, love, and care into his body and voice as he said, "Jaybird. Sweetheart. I love you too. I need you to understand that, okay? Do you understand that?”
A silent moment, followed by a small, timid nod. Relief flooded Roy’s system with it.
“Okay, good. That’s good. I'm going to kiss you now, if that’s okay?"
He waited patiently for Jason to respond, and there was only a few seconds of hesitation as the younger man seemed to gather his thoughts and truly process what was being said before he nodded his head minutely, but firmly once more.
Taking the approval for what it was, Roy slowly leaned over Jay's plate of food (silently thanking the Gods that he had the wherewithal to pull his hair into a low bun when he was cooking earlier) and kissed him.
The kiss started off simple and sweet, like all the other ones they've had so far, but slowly morphed into something more passionate as the seconds ticked on.
When they eventually broke apart for air, Jaybird's eyes were as wide as saucers, and the wordsmith let out a very eloquent and succinct "Woah."
Roy couldn't help it; his face widened into a wide grin as he snorted at the man's response. He closed his eyes and nuzzled their foreheads together and let out an equally eloquent "Mmhmm." In turn.
When he next opened his eyes, their foreheads still connected, he found Jason's own as wide as saucers as he stared at his partner in presumed wonderment. The adoration in the younger man's gaze softened something deep and unamable within the archer. Roy’s smile morphed into something impossibly more gentle as he pecked his Jaybird’s nose with a small kiss before whispering, "Ya know, I never thought the first time we verbally admitted our love for one another would be because you called me a troglodyte."
Jason blinked once.
Then twice.
And the next thing he knew, they were both bursting out into a fit of gleeful, childish giggles. Roy caught his breath before Jay did, and when he chanced a glance at the man, he lost it all over again in a different way.
Jason looked positively stunning. His face was soft in a way it normally wasn't, with a rare joyful expression carving its way across his face, causing his cheeks to dimple and his eyes to crinkle. The hazy yellow sunlight slanting its way through the massive ornate windows accentuated the colors of his hair in such a way that it made the white streak appear almost golden in the evening light. The wisps of the darker sections of his hair caught aflame, revealing the brown of his near jet black hair. He looked gorgeous like this; his happiness was beautiful, mesmerizing, and just overall stunning, Roy. Want curled deep in his stomach at the sight.
Overcome with a flood of emotions caused by the sight, he snagged the plate Jason was still holding, set it on the floor, snatched the man's head by the root of his curls, and dragged him into his lap for a more passionate kiss than before. Jay followed him pliantly, letting Roy manipulate his head as he saw fit to deepen the kiss. Their hands wandered across one another's bodies, and when Jason squirmed in the redhead's lap, they both let out surprised gasps when the motion caused their groins to grind together deliciously.
Roy jerked Jay's lips back to his hungrily, and the man responded in kind. Before they could get too much further into their make-out sessions. There was the eerily distinct sound of a magical portal being opened, followed by a terse "Bloody Hell!"
Suddenly (and Roy thought rather unfortunately) both men were springing to their feet, knives drawn and defensive stances ready as they faced off against none other than John Constantine.
Notes:
Leave a comment if you'd like. I love responding to folks.
Chapter edit because I'm forever fighting this websites formatting and ability to fuck up my copy paste somehow.
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Averooo on Chapter 1 Tue 04 Mar 2025 06:51AM UTC
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