Work Text:
Bruce had known something was wrong with him for a long time. It had started before his parents death, this strange desire to control things. After they died it had gotten worse, the lack of power and the inability to save them making his need for control all the greater. When Dick had come along he hadn't seen a boy just like him, because Dick lacked that need to control, but he needed someone to guide him towards justice not revenge. It was fine at first but as the years went on his son drove him crazy, gaining independence and making his own choices.
A part of him was proud, the part that had blossomed ever since the boy had come to live with him. But a different part, the one he'd lived with for so long, seethed with rage desperately clawing at Bruce's heart demanding he find a way to control Dick. It came as no surprise when his son left, no longer able to put up with the whiplash of Bruce's opposing sides. He had felt like Two-Face during Dick's last days at the manor unable to decide how to handle things.
When he went to Crime Alley to visit the place his parents had died at, the place where Batman had been born he didn't expect to meet Jason. But when he found himself with a new Robin he was hard pressed to complain about the change.
It was nice to have Jason in the manor, his new son a bit tense but also showing signs of being able to behave. He didn't like the idea of using fear to make Jason obey, and the boy's behavior made it clear he would lash out if Bruce tried it. So instead he worked slowly on getting him comfortable, making the manor his home, making it clear Bruce wasn't throwing him out because he wasn't perfect. It helped that he had gone through his own trials with Dick and could show his new son that while Dick refused to do what he was told Bruce still loved him.
The issues began when Jason got jealous, acting as though he had to be like Dick to be good enough. Referencing his older son might have been a mistake but Bruce was quick to assuage any fears by reassuring Jason he was wanted as he was and didn't need to change.
A few years passed and Bruce kept Jason away from other sidekicks. He had realized Dick had gotten exponentially worse about wanting freedom when he had friends that had less controlling mentors. By keeping Jason away from such rebellious teenagers he'd prevent his son from leaving for a little while longer. He knew it was wrong but how could he allow his son to be tempted away from his side.
When the end of the Garzonas case resulted in Jason running away Bruce was sure he had made a mistake, that he should have learned to give his children more, not less, freedom. Losing Jason devastated him, and he had to learn to live with the loss. Tim coming along and trying to help had been met with icy indifference, his heart no longer able to love someone he couldn't control. It didn't matter in the end what he wanted because as time went on he gained a new son regardless.
When the Red Hood began terrorizing Gotham Bruce had been furious, unable to believe someone would use the alias of his son's killer. It was clearly not the Joker, and yet the man taunted Bruce, bringing up his failures when it came to Jason. It tore at his heart to be reminded of his failure and it fuels the fire of his rage towards the man.
So when the man beneath the helmet is revealed Bruce flounders for a moment trying to force himself to be realistic. There was no way Jason was back and yet, wasn't he living in a world with magic and aliens? How far fetched could it truly be that his son was returned to him? Bruce stupidly ruined things making Jason feel like he didn't love him when that was far from the truth. As time went on though he realized the man before him wasn't the boy he had lost. His Jason hadn't returned; he had grown into a man that Bruce didn't know in his entirety. It hurt to realize and drove him to fix things, to learn who this version of Jason was.
It took weeks of good behavior for Jason to let his guard down and Bruce didn't hesitate to strike. He knocked Jason unconscious with a sedative before dragging him off to a new safe house he had bought for this exact purpose. He tied the younger man up, not wanting him to be able to escape for at least a minute, forcing Jason to hear him out.
POV SWITCH Jason
When Jason awoke from his drugged state he had a moment of disorientation where he wondered where he was and what had happened and then recalled how he had felt a small prick before everything had gone dark. He was drugged unconscious, but by who? Looking around as his vision cleared it was pretty clear who had done it.
Of course Bruce wasn’t actually warming up to him, of course his dad hadn’t been working on moving past Jason’s mistakes in order to have a good relationship with him. Bruce had just wanted to lower his guard to be able to more easily drag him to Arkham. Although… where exactly were they? The room didn’t look like the cave or any of their other safe houses. He was worried now, was he going to be interrogated first? What could Bruce want with him anyways?
His helmet and mask had been removed while he was unconscious, most of his outer layers as well, leaving him in just a shirt and pants. Bruce probably thought taking Jason’s stuff would slow him down, but if it came down to replacing his gear or being trapped he’d find a way to get some new stuff way more easily. His dad stood, backlit by the single light in the empty room. Jason was tied to a bed, the metal frame strong enough to prevent him from just yanking the rope and breaking the metal bar he was tied to. Besides the bed the room looked like it had just been emptied out, no additional furniture or knick knacks lying around. The place was probably new then, meaning Bruce might be the only one who knew where he was. Good, he didn’t need the others trying to interrogate him as well.
The lack of natural light or windows made it seem like they were underground, but Jason didn’t worry about how he’d get out. All he had to do was get free and fight Bruce. Just as Jason was moving to begin freeing his hands the man finally spoke.
“Jason I’m sorry for doing all this but you make it a bit hard to speak with you one-on-one. I just wanted to apologize for reacting badly when you first came back,” he started pacing from one side of the room to the other, his cape swishing as he moved.
“I think you should come home. Being alone isn’t good for you. You need to have back up, someone to take care of you when you’re out there.”
“Why the fuck would I want to come back? You literally drugged and kidnapped me just to have this conversation.”
“And what if I had been someone dangerous? It’s a good thing I showed you a weak spot in your suit design.”
“Why are you so fucking controlling, I don’t need you pointing out flaws or weaknesses just leave me the fuck alone old man.”
Before Jason could react, Bruce had grabbed him, flipped him over causing the rope to twist his arms above him, and laid a harsh slap to the top of his right thigh. A sharp gasp escaped Jason before he started flushing in humiliation at his sudden arousal. Getting tied up by the man had already had him on edge, his skin buzzing, but actually being touched, and spanked no less was something straight out of his recent sordid fantasies. He hoped Bruce missed the signs of his increasing arousal, and it seemed at least one thing was going his way tonight.
“Why do you have to be so difficult Jason? Why can’t you just listen to me like you used to?”
“Is that what this is about? Are you mad that I’m not your good little soldier? Fuck you!”
Another hit landed this one higher up, quickly followed by another on the other cheek. Jason tried his best not to rock down and grind his cock into the mattress beneath him, but the little whines he let out weren’t exactly helpful in keeping his true feelings secret. Finally Bruce seemed to notice what was happening, but instead of stopping he leaned over and whispered in his ear.
“Is this why you’re misbehaving Jaylad? You want me to punish you?”
“No,” he scoffed, his voice trembling a bit but he refused to let this be so easy.
He received a blow to his left thigh this time, Bruce smug as he said, “I think you do sweetheart. I think you want daddy to punish you until you behave.”
Jason hadn’t planned on getting spanked tonight, but honestly this was so much better than being thrown in Arkham. Bruce unbuttoned and unzipped his pants before sliding them down along with his underwear. The next hit landed on his bare flesh and had Jason moaning as his skin heated further, his cock leaking precum onto the navy sheets. He wasn’t sure how long the blows rained down on him, but by the time they stopped he was crying and trying to thrust down onto the mattress. Bruce wouldn’t let him but the man finally showed some mercy by pulling away a bit.
He returned after a moment, pouring slightly cool lube over Jason hole, pressing a finger against the rim before pushing inside. Jason doesn’t expect the gentleness, but as Bruce’s calloused fingers stretch him open he starts to feel more and more overwhelmed by how nice this is. He knows it can’t last and yet, how is he supposed to remember that when Bruce is murmuring how good he’s being into his ear, pressing sweet kisses to the nape of his neck. It was too much and yet he didn’t think he could ever have enough of this softness.
When Bruce pressed inside he remembered what this was supposed to be: a punishment. The burn of the stretch was minimal but he didn’t allow the pace to be slow for more than a few thrusts before he was slamming his own hips back roughly, the pain of his arms position adding to the discomfort. He wanted Bruce to hurt him again, to stop being nice, stop pretending he cared when Jason knew he didn’t. He replaced Jason, he didn’t need him, didn’t want him when he wasn’t good anymore.
“Jay slow down,” Bruce demanded as he tried to grab at Jason’s hips.
Jason ignored him not wanting to play along any longer. Bruce managed to grab him, to adjust him, to make his thrusts slow and sensual and scrape along every nerve until Jason thought he might explode. He didn’t notice when the tears from before had returned, but he felt the cool liquid sliding down his face as he tried to thrash. He wanted Bruce to be angry again, wanted the man to hit him and yell and stop giving him hope.
Instead he continued his slow thrusts, until Jason lay on the bed, just a puddle of pleasure and stopped trying to fight the affection. The feeling of Bruce arms wrapping around him, the rough material of the suit cold against his chest, was the only tether to reality he had as Bruce fucked one orgasm after another out of him. He didn’t remember his arms until Bruce came inside him again and finally used a batarang to cut his arms loose.
“I'm sorry I tied you up,” he said and after a moment of quiet Jason responded.
“I'm not.”
He didn’t know what else he could say, didn’t know how he could possibly put into words what he felt. He remained quiet, not moving beyond the stretch of his arms as he returned them to his side. He desperately wished this was a moment he could freeze, that he could stay wrapped in it for the rest of his life. He couldn’t though, and when Bruce pulled away, getting off the bed and letting the cold air of the room rush over Jason bare skin, Jason could only hope the man would just leave.
He didn’t think he could stand to speak about anything tonight, not after all that. To his surprise Bruce returned. He had disappeared and Jason hadn’t followed him with his eyes, but now he returned, wearing only loose sweatpants. Bruce wiped him clean with a wet washcloth, dried him with another and rubbed a soothing salve on his skin where he had spanked Jason. They remained silent, then Jason found himself on his side, facing Bruce as the older man pulled him close. They lay silently a moment longer, tension in the air, then Jason closed his eyes no longer wanting to think about this whole situation.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
In retrospect maybe Jason shouldn’t have trusted that Bruce would be normal about last night. Waking up in Bruce’s room in Wayne Manor was certainly not how he expected to wake up after everything. The fact that he hadn’t woken up while being moved was odd but he didn’t feel any of the usual after-effects of being drugged. He rose, wincing at his sore backside as he made his way to the bathroom.
When he returned to the room he grabbed some clothes from Bruce’s closet and drawers before making his way downstairs. It was light out and as he entered the kitchen to find some breakfast he was greeted by the sight of most of the family. There was Bruce of course, but also Alfred and Dick, Tim and Stephanie. He made his way to his seat, sitting beside Bruce and managing to contain his wince in front of the room of detectives. He didn’t know what compelled him to stay but he wanted to be here, wanted to pretend this could be his a moment longer.
The group chatted, eating breakfast and arguing over things. Jason sat in silence eating his food and wondering how long it would take for someone to question his presence. They made it through the meal in peace somehow, and he found himself following Bruce to his study. He ended up sitting on the window seat, reading silently as Bruce worked for a couple hours. Then he lost his patience.
He needed to know what was going on, why everyone was being so nice. The argument he started ended similarly to the night before, but this time when Bruce finished cleaning him up he explained. Explained what he wanted from Jason, what he was up to, and for the first time since he woke up tied to a bed Jason knew he could trust this good thing.