Chapter 1: Red means Red Hood?
Chapter Text
Constantine was smoking a cigarette after a grueling day. Or rather, trying to. Lately things hadn’t been going very well for him. Instead of Hell—the place he had grown almost accustomed to, with its warmth—he was in an icy wasteland, and the flame of his cigarette barely survived a second. He cursed the Justice League and questioned his life choices. Since joining Dark, he had started doing some good; he was still a bastard, but now he had a circle that could be called “good.”
Except for Batman.
He really couldn’t understand that man. He both approved of Dark and rejected the existence of magic with every fiber of his being. He was disgusted by just standing near John, and together with the family he called Batfam, they all took a stance against him. The funny part was, they didn’t even truly deal with magic—neither Gotham nor Blüdhaven were cities that got along well with it. John didn’t complain. If they ever did encounter magic, the one they consulted was usually Zatanna, not him.
He sighed loudly and looked around. Recently, soldiers of an ancient race called the Nameless had been increasing, and even magic couldn’t properly destroy them. He needed to find the All-Blades, or at least an artifact with similar power, but Kast had been gone for quite some time. Luckily, the reason he had come to this freezing place was the rumors he’d heard about a device(?) that could point to the All-Blades’ location. Two rumors weren’t worth trusting, but if there were more than three, there had to be some truth to it—at least, that’s what Constantine believed.
He tossed his poorly lit cigarette to the ground and started walking. It was a cold, forested area, and what he was looking for was a tree branch. Supposedly, the tree’s trunk was red, and when a piece of its branch was broken off, it would begin pointing toward the person or people carrying the All-Blades.
After a long walk—around an hour—John decided to take a break. Truth be told, he was thinking about giving up, but his gambler’s instincts told him the rumor was real. He abandoned the idea of resting and kept walking. A few steps later, when he saw the tree he’d been looking for, he thought he was hallucinating. He immediately ran up to it and looked it over. He broke off a branch he could reach, and the moment he did, the tree instantly turned to ash. Only dust remained on the ground—meaning this thing had merely been a conduit.
John cursed out loud and laughed. Using magic, he drew a map around himself, placed the branch on it, and the branch twitched, stopping over a city.
“Ahh, fuck off.”
Gotham.
<<<
The moment he stepped through the portal he opened to Gotham, he felt watched. There was no way he’d been detected before even taking a step, right? A chill ran down his spine. He turned—there was something moving in the darkness.
“Batsy, how are you? Looking in top form as always.”
With a low growl, Batman emerged from the shadows and stopped right in front of John.
“Why. Are you in my city.”
“Hey, calm down. I’m here on my honeymoon,” he grinned. When he got no reaction, he rolled his eyes.
“I’m looking for someone.”
“You will inform me. Every time. There is no excuse for entering my city without permission.”
John was about to answer when something jumped down from the rooftop and landed between them.
“Hey B, what are you doing on my turf? Where is you're permission—”
He looked at John. Then back at Batman. John burst out laughing.
“Oh my God, are there actually places you enter with permission in the goddamn my city you keep talking about??”
Batman growled, and the stranger turned fully toward John—cargo pants, leather jacket. His face was covered by a mask that concealed the lower half of his mouth, connected to something that covered his eyes. It was disturbingly familiar.
“Fuck—Jace?”
Jason’s eyebrows shot up.
“Constantine? What are you doing in Gotham?”
Batman shifted.
“Do you know each other—”
“Yes, old man. One thing at a time. What are you doing on my turf?”
“I entered due to a potential portal threat.”
“And I’m looking for the person who would be dealing with that potential threat.” John stepped between the two of them. He wanted to get the hell out of Gotham as soon as possible.
Jason sighed and gestured for them to follow him. They entered a building two streets over. He opened the door to a small apartment, let them in, and sprawled onto the couch. He removed his mask.
“Secure. Now—one at a time. What are you doing here, John?”
John grinned.
“I—”
“How do you know each other?” Batman cut in.
Jason rolled his eyes. John sensed drama and lit a cigarette. Jason shot him a murderous glare.
“Two years ago. When I was an Outlaw, we crossed paths.”
Batman nodded and turned to John.
“What are you doing here?”
“But you, Jace? What are you doing in Gotham? Please tell me you’re not from this freak’s family.” Jason smirked.
“Please? Looks like you’ve gotten polite since we last met. And unfortunately—yes. Family.”
Batman visibly stumbled. John didn’t dwell on it, but he could swear the corner of Batman’s mouth twitched upward.
“Ahh, I used to like you.” He took a drag. “You ditched the old uniform too—looks good. Makes your ass look firmer.”
John nodded as he spoke. Batman coughed. Jason reddened.
“Fuck off, you perv. Who are you looking for, and why?”
John grinned—Jason had never been good at handling compliments. At least Gotham had one thing going for it now.
“The last user of an old cult.” He pulled the branch from his inner pocket. “This points to them. Needed to fight the Nameless.”
John saw Jason visibly flinch. Interesting.
He dropped the branch to the floor. It slid toward Jason, then disintegrated into dust upon contact. Jason straightened from where he’d been lounging and looked at Batman and John.
“It’s you?”
“Surprise?”
“Since when are you the last member of a cult?”
“Since when do I answer your questions? I don’t work for you.”
Batman stared without responding. Jason shrugged.
“Five years?”
Batman let out a visible sigh and headed for the exit.
“The cave.”
“Hey, come on, old man. I said it was safe!” Jason raised his hands dramatically and pouted.
Batman shot him the bat glare
“Fine. Fuck.”
Jason turned to John and held out his hand. “Give me one too.”
John handed him the cigarette. Jason took a drag and stubbed it out. As they followed Batman, he called after them:
“No smoking indoors.”
John grunted and flipped him off, then slowly followed the two of them.
Chapter Text
He shivered as he entered the cave. He always shivered whenever he entered. The three huge screens, the giant Joker card, the dinosaur and lots of costumes…
Nightwing was standing in front of the screens, typing something.
“As gloomy as always. I know a really good interior lighting designer, Bman, I can introduce you if you want.”
Batman didn’t even turn around. John grinned. At least he was entertaining.
“Heyy, Little Wing would you ever stop by the cave—what are you doing here Constantine?” Nightwing lifted his head from the screen and started talking at jet speed. John raised his hands.
“Not a request, a need.”
Jason rolled his eyes.
“Old man, you brought me here for nothing. I don’t have to tell you anything.”
Batman looked at Jason and lowered his mask. His gaze resembled a puppy in a strangely cute way.
“Wow, Jason what did you do? You broke B.”
Jason emotionally stumbled.
“I didn’t do anything. I take no responsibility.”
“What’s the name of the cult you joined?”
“Whoa Jay, since when are you in a cult?”
When Batman shot a sharp look at Nightwing, Nightwing mimed zipping his mouth.
“First of all, it’s not a cult, it’s a caste. Second, it’s called the All-Caste, Talia sent me and I’m the last member, there’s nothing to worry about. No one is after me.”
Batman nodded and Nightwing wrote something in a file.
“Now, can we go back to me? Yes. Hello, I’m still here.” John raised his hand to pull attention back. Batman frowned and turned to Jason.
“You don’t have to do anything. If it’s dangerous… I’d prefer you stayed here,” he whispered the last words and looked at Jason. John could be touched but the emotional talk had to end now. He clapped his hands loudly.
“Bravo, bravo. Now what?”
“Okay, you bastard.”
“Language!”
“Where are the Nameless?”
“Actually,” he lifted his hands and did a spell, raising his brows. “Gotham?”
“Seriously? Whatever. Old man, we’ll handle this and you and you—” he pointed at Nightwing, “don’t leave here.”
“Don’t be ridiculous Little Wing, he won’t send you alone with that asshole”—he pointed at John—“to a dangerous place.” Batman sighed.
“Language. And he’s right. I’m coming. N, you stay here.”
“Hey, that’s cheating!!”
“Bats, relax. I won’t eat your kid. I think,” he shrugged, winked at Jason, and Jason flipped him off. “Jaybabe is right. That place is dangerous even for Superman. If you don’t have magic and blades, you’ll get your ass handed to you.”
“Blades? Jay are you only going with blades—”
“Ughh, I hate explanations.” Jason brought his hands to his chest and mimed holding something, then pulled out two blades. Fabric tore where they emerged and began bleeding. At the same time, tattoos from his chest to his arms glowed in golden hues and the bleeding stopped.
“Chic.” John shrugged. Jason nodded. Nightwing pouted. “My nickname Goldie suits you better now.”
Jason grimaced. Batman was watching John with great attention.
“Say what you’re going to say or you’ll put a hole in my face, and trust me the holes I already have are pretty functional.”
Nightwing pretended to gag and Jason looked at John with a disapproving expression. Batman seemed unimpressed.
“Any side effects?”
John raised a brow. Jason shifted slightly. It looked like an involuntary movement; the swords disappeared from his hands.
“It doesn’t matter—”
“It drains his soul.” Silence fell over the cave. Jason shook his head and Batman looked at him.
“That’s what doesn’t matter?”
“Honestly, there’s no need for worry.” John stepped between them before another emotional discussion could start.
“Because Jason, I don’t know how, is alive without a soul. Technically he shouldn’t even have the All-Blades but the fact that he does means that when he did have a soul, it was really clean.”
Jason frowned and blushed. John smiled.
“What do you mean he has no soul?”
“Well, I can’t say much, but you came back from death, didn’t you?”
“How do you— I never told you—”
“You reek of death, zombies, blood, and dirt, sweetheart. But you’re not exactly a zombie,” John circled Jason and lightly lifted his arm, sniffing it with a cunning expression. “I’d love to figure out what you are.” John tilted his head slightly, examining Jason while Jason’s arm was still close to his face. Jason blushed from his neck up, pulled his arm back, and stepped away.
“Asshole,” he whispered. John grinned pleasantly and Batman suddenly stepped between them.
“And who exactly is an asshole?”
Batman was staring at him truly murderously. Nightwing was no different. If they didn’t have no-kill rules, John would’ve been impaled at least a hundred times from those looks. Jason straightened a bit, surprised and strangely warmed by his family’s protective stance.
“Anyway.” John took a few steps away from the bats and conjured a portal.
“Come on Goldie, let’s kill some shadows.” John grinned and held out his hand. Jason rolled his eyes, nodded at his family and walked through the portal ignoring John. John’s grin didn’t fade but before Batman could enter, he grabbed his collar and pulled him close. There was barely a breath of space between them.
“If you touch my son, you’ll be drawing magic circles with your feet from now on.” Batman growled, and Nightwing lifted his escrima stick slightly, eyes narrowed. John shoved Batman off.
“Got it, you like it rough. But don’t worry. I usually don’t sleep with people half my age.” As he stepped into the portal, he turned back and grinned.
“But the key word is… usually.” He shrugged and disappeared into the portal. The last thing he heard were curses and death wishes echoing through the cave walls—words he’d never heard before in his life even though he’d been to hell a thousand times.
When John stepped out of the portal, he saw Jason fighting and dismembering a few Nameless Ones with his flaming swords. There was a strange transparent-shadowy liquid-like gas on him—probably Nameless pieces and blood(?). John shook his head, gave Jason a thumbs-up.
“Nice slaughter, Goldie.”
“If you call me Goldie again,” kills another Nameless and looks at John with a sharp expression “I will kill you.”
John raised his hands and pulled out a cigarette.
“You got me, Jaybabe. Cigarette?”
Jason glared and held out his hand. John offered him the pack and Jason rolled the cigarette between his fingers, lighting the tip with one of his swords. John stepped closer to Jason and, instead of lighting his cigarette with the tip of the blade, he took the one between Jason’s lips and slipped the unlit cigarette back between them.
“Do you always have to be an asshole?”
“To that lips? Always.”
Jason blushed and continued destroying Nameless creatures with John.
“So, are you free after this?” John formed a magic circle, eyeing Jason from the corner of his eye.
“With you and your useless rambling? No. But for two beers to reminisce about old days? Why not?”
“Ha! At least I win somewhere. Gambler’s luck, baby.” John winked at Jason and an explosion went off behind them. John grinned and Jason raised one brow, unimpressed.
“Seriously? I can quit any second.”
“Your loss. Will you tell Roy?”
“Oh, right. It’s been a while.” Jason smiled to himself and looked at John. “If he comes, I’d be happy.”
John would burn hell itself just to see that smile again. Roy had to join them tonight, and John was currently trying not to melt because of the smile Jason had given him.
As the Nameless Ones decreased, Jason was happy. Even though he was annoying and flirty, hanging out with an old acquaintance was fun and after a long time he was going to meet another friend too. As he sliced off one of the Nameless’ heads in a single move, ignoring the pieces splattering onto his face, he kept moving. It really was a good day.
Notes:
Hi!!
I was actually going to make it longer, but I couldn't.TT
I got scratched by a kitty two days ago, so I got a rabies and tetanus shot!!(｡•́︿•̀｡)
That's why I was able to write this chapter...(┛ಸ_ಸ)┛彡┻━┻
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed itᕙ(⇀‸↼‶)ᕗ<3
Chapter 3: If He’d Been Sober (Would There Have Been a Chance?)
Notes:
Actually, there wasn't supposed to be a third part, but I felt like the story was incomplete, so I wrote it, yeeyy!!
(人*´∀｀)｡*ﾟ+
I hope you like it<3
Chapter Text
By the fifth round, Roy finally made it to the bar.
“You shouldn’t have come, Roy.” Jason slurred slightly. He hadn’t drunk in a long time—or maybe John had ordered him something strong. Or enchanted it. He wasn’t exactly sure. Was this even legal— His thoughts were cut off when Roy pulled him into a hug.
“Jayybird. It’s been way too long—how are you??”
Jason smiled. It was a thin, shallow smile. John was melting. Those smiles were rare, but Roy always got one. John felt a pang of jealousy and took a sip of his drink. It tasted off.
Jason handed Roy a glass. Roy grimaced.
“You know I quit, right?”
Jason’s face fell.
“Jesus, Roy. I forgot. I’m sorry.”
Roy smiled.
“It’s fine, Jay. I didn’t come to drink anyway—I came to talk. But I can’t stay long. You know… some of us have kids.”
Roy sat down beside them—on Jason’s other side. While the two of them talked, John only listened. He felt like a third wheel. How much does Jason care about Roy? Probably more than he cared about him, he thought.
He felt a light nudge against his shoulder. He lifted his head from his glass and looked down. Jason had leaned his back against him.
He felt heat bloom in his ears and along his neck.
He focused on their conversation.
“…and then John showed up and said I didn’t have a soul. Completely serious.”
“Are you gossiping about me?”
Neither of them answered.
“Bruce looked constipated. It was hilarious. Then they both looked at me, like I owed them an explanation. How the fuck should I know? I don’t. Like I asked to come back to life or something…”
That part made John uncomfortable.
“…and then we fucked up the Nameless Ones and bam! here we are!”
Jason rocked forward slightly and grabbed Roy’s shoulder.
“Thanks for coming, man. You too, John.”
“Someone gets talkative when he drinks,” John grinned.
Jason blushed.
“You didn’t know that before you gave him alcohol? He gets a bit clingy. You know…” He hugged himself with both arms.
John nodded. Jason leaned back against him again.
“I’m sleepy.”
Roy laughed and checked the time.
“Yeah, I should get going too.”
He hugged Jason tightly, then punched John lightly in the shoulder.
“We should do this more often.”
John waved and opened a portal. Roy stared, mouth open.
“Why didn’t you do that in the first place?”
John shrugged and winked. Roy rolled his eyes and stepped through.
Now it was just John and Jason.
Jason’s head rested against the bar. John scooped him up—princess carry—and stepped into another portal.
Hopefully the people of Gotham won’t think this is a kidnapping.
The portal opened into the House of Mysteries. John didn’t know the locations of any of Jason’s safe houses, and he was damn sure Jason didn’t live in that massive fucking manor.
He laid Jason down in the guest room—he absolutely had not been keeping the room Jason once used clean for years. Totally coincidence.
He placed him on the bed and turned to leave when a hand grabbed him.
He fell onto the mattress. Jason was above him. Straddling him.
John swore he felt butterflies in his stomach.
Jason leaned down and bit his ear.
John groaned—but he could resist. Jason was drunk. He was drunk.
Murmuring a spell, John restrained him and slipped out from under him. He used magic again to put him to sleep—but didn’t leave.
He sat beside him on the bed, took Jason’s hand, and brought it to his nose.
He inhaled.
Then closed his eyes.
When he opened them again, he smiled.
Blood and earth—with a hint of watermelon.
He pressed Jason’s hand to his chest and closed his eyes.
<<<
The warmth on his chest disappearing woke him.
Jason was staring at him, completely red.
He opened his mouth but didn’t speak.
John smiled.
“Relax, sweet pea. No one took your virginity. Though you did try—and I’ll be honest, you almost succeeded.”
Jason turned even redder.
“I—uh. Fuck. I’m sorry. I get weird when I’m drunk.”
John laughed and looked him over, murmuring to himself.
“Honestly, last night’s offer was very tempting.”
Jason’s eyes widened.
John hadn’t meant for him to hear that—no, he had. Who was he kidding?
Ever since returning to Gotham, it had been something he’d fantasized about. He’d restrained himself.
Good for him.
Jason’s lips moved; he said something. John didn’t quite catch the words—but he felt them.
A second later, Jason’s lips were on his.
They were slightly chapped, with a taste that was addictive, like a drug.
Jason pulled back just a little, still breathing against him as he spoke.
“I think so too…”
John slid a hand into Jason’s hair and deepened the kiss.
Batman was going to kill him, yes—but for now, the only thing he was going to think about were those damn lips.