Chapter Text
The next half hour passed in silence. Well, silence other than the movie. Mara didn’t doze off, but Jason could tell she was starting to a couple times. Jason spent the entire time trying to stay relaxed.
It took Bruce at least 45 minutes, but finally, Jason heard him walking down the hall and stopped outside the room to knock on the doorway.
Mara stiffened, and pushed herself up onto her hands, as if she was trying to look over the couch back, while Jason grabbed the remote to pause the movie.
“Come on in,” Jason said, without turning to look at him. He turned to Mara and said softly, “You can stay lying down, you need the rest.”
“Yes,” Bruce said as he rounded the couch, “Don’t get up for me. I brought some crackers and tea from Alfred. He said you didn’t eat much, so this might help some. It’s good to keep something in your stomach.”
Mara laid back down, so her head was rested on Jason’s leg, as she’d been lying for most of the movie, but she didn’t say anything to Bruce. Just stared at him.
“Uh,” Bruce stammered, as he set a tray down on the coffee table in front of the couch, “Alfred also took the other two outside to play with Ace. Damian wanted to take him for a walk, but Ace doesn’t really do walks. He runs around the estate.”
“Damian has been excited for that,” Jason said, resting an arm on Mara. She was so stiff, but thankfully wasn’t trying to sit up anymore.
“I can tell he loves animals,” Bruce said, as he stood awkwardly on the other side of the coffee table.
Jason swallowed, but nodded. Damian did love animals, and. A month ago, no one would have been able to tell that. Jason hadn’t even known it until they found that stupid cat.
How much more about Damian did Jason not know? It was amazing how far outside his shell he’d come in just a few short months…
He needed to make sure that damn cat made it back to the manor by tomorrow, probably. Maybe he’d text Clark later about it. If Dick and Bruce thought Ace would be totally fine with her…
“Hello Mara,” Bruce said finally, turning his full attention to her, “I’m Bruce.”
“I know,” Mara said.
Jason suppressed a snort as he pat her arm.
“I suppose you would,” Bruce said with a gentle smile, “I wanted to formally introduce myself. How are you feeling?”
“Fine,” she replied. Short. Terse.
She was the exact opposite of fine, Jason knew.
Bruce must have picked up on that, too, because he frowned, even as he nodded. “Dr. Leslie will come see you tonight if you’re okay with that. She’s our family doctor, and she agreed to oversee your recovery if you’ll have her.”
Mara looked up at Jason as if asking him if it was okay, so Jason shrugged and said, “I like Leslie.”
“Okay,” she said quietly, resting her head back down on Jason.
“Great,” Bruce said with a smile, “She runs a clinic in Gotham, she told me she’ll come visit you tonight after she’s done there. Are you up for any of this?” Bruce motioned at the crackers and tea on the table.
“You should,” Jason said, since Mara didn’t respond, “You didn’t eat much of your dinner.”
Mara looked up at him, and he could see so many emotions in her eyes. Mostly, though, she looked tired.
“Maybe just try the crackers, so you don’t have to sit up,” he said.
With a nod, Mara reached out toward the platter, but she made no effort to actually get up and get any of it. Bruce quickly grabbed a pack of crackers and handed it over.
“Thank you,” Mara whispered, as she pulled a cracker out of the packet.
Bruce sat down in an armchair perpendicular to the couch, then asked again, “How are you feeling? What is your pain level? Have they given you any painkillers today?”
“The doctor did this morning,” Mara said, completely dodging the other questions.
Jason rubbed her arm briefly, and just watched as she nibbled on the cracker.
Since Bruce was Bruce, he didn’t miss her dodge, and repeated, “Any pain?”
But since Mara was Mara, she didn’t answer. Instead, she focused intensely on the cracker she’d eaten three crumbs of.
Seriously, she wasn’t eating it. Jason wouldn’t be shocked if pain caused her nausea…
“You need to tell us if it’s hurting, Mar,” Jason said softly.
“It’s fine,” said grumbled, without looking up.
Bruce leaned forward, and asked oh-so-gently, “Can you give me a number?” When all Mara did was frown, he asked, “Do you know the number system?”
“Yes,” she said shortly, looking over at Bruce, “the doctor had a chart. I think the whole thing is ridiculous.”
Jason snorted, but Bruce nodded seriously.
“It does seem a little silly, doesn’t it?” he said, “But it’s a good way to describe and compare pain levels. What number would you tell the doctor right now based on that chart?”
Mara was quiet for a long several seconds, during which time she picked at her cracker, knocking all the pieces of salt off it. Finally, though, after what felt like an eternity, she said, “Eight.”
“Mara,” Jason admonished.
Eight was a big fucking deal. Especially since Jason would bet his left foot she was giving a smaller number than what the pain warranted.
Bruce held up a hand, directed at Jason, and it absolutely was saying “hush,” at him.
Jason scowled, but kept his mouth shut so Bruce could say whatever-the-fuck he wanted. He was supposed to be giving Bruce a chance.
“Okay,” Bruce said in his ridiculously gentle voice, “Thanks for telling me. I’ll call Dr. Leslie and see what pain medicine we can give you. Would you be okay with taking more to help with your recovery?”
Mara half shrugged her shoulder, and didn’t look away from the cracker she’d still not eaten.
Bruce hummed, then asked, “What about a cold compress? Have you used one of those?”
“In the hospital,” Mara said.
“Did it help?”
“Some, yes,” Mara admitted.
“Would you like me to get you one now? Do you think it would help?” Bruce asked.
All Mara did was nod, though she repositioned slightly, and almost seemed to burrow her head further into Jason’s leg, so Jason set his hand on the top of her head.
“All right,” Bruce said softly. He reached forward and pat Mara on the leg. “Thanks for telling me. I’ll go get that and I’ll give Leslie a call to figure out how to help. We don’t want you to be in pain.”
“I can handle it. I’ve had worse,” Mara said, but she didn’t look up at anyone.
Jason sat there with his hand absently carding through Mara’s hair, while Bruce got to his feet and left the room.
Mara continued picking at her cracker, but Jason completely understood not eating. Jason got nauseous when in that much pain, too.
And. Apparently, she was in more pain than Jason thought… and she’d had worse before.
She’d had worse than being stabbed in the stomach.
“I wish you hadn’t had worse,” he finally said, long after Bruce had left, and Mara had taken an actual bite of her cracker. “I hope. I hope you never have anything this bad ever again.”
Being with Bruce would help prevent that.
Maybe.
He had died while living with Bruce…
Mara rolled slightly so she was more on her back, and looked straight up at Jason. Jason wasn’t sure what she was looking for, but eventually, she smirked and said, “You’re so weird.”
“No,” Jason said, with a slight wry smile, “I’m normal. It’s normal to think eight-year-olds shouldn’t get stabbed.”
“Pain is the vehicle for strength,” Mara parroted, her voice so quiet Jason might have misheard, had he not heard the stupid brats repeat that exact thing so many times.
Jason pat Mara’s arm and said, “Ra’s isn’t normal. Actually, Ra’s is a psychopath, and everything he’s ever said to you should be ignored.”
“I’m positive there is something he’s said you would find agreeable,” Mara said, a faint smile on her lips, too. “He stressed the importance of hydration, for example.”
“Don’t be difficult,” Jason said lightly, then he frowned at the still mostly uneaten cracker, “Are you feeling nauseous?”
With a shrug of her shoulder, Mara said, “I don’t know. I don’t feel like eating.”
Jason held his hand out for the cracker, and Mara easily dropped it into his hand, along with the rest of the packet. He leaned forward to dump them onto the tray, then rested back and helped Mara get settled back down against him, where they sat comfortably for a couple minutes.
Alfred would likely make Mara a smoothie or protein drink if she continued to not eat, and if he didn’t Jason certainly would.
“You said you’ve had worse before,” Jason said carefully, after a minute, “Have you had surgery before? The doctor asked me that, but I didn’t know the answer.”
Mara nodded.
“You feel like telling me what happened?” Jason ventured. He quickly added, “You don’t have to if you don’t want to.”
She was quiet for a moment, during which time she seemed to melt against him. She was facing forward again, lying on her side, so Jason couldn’t see her face well. He brushed her hair back, so he could see at least half of it.
Finally, she said, “Me and Damian were rock climbing out in the mountains.”
“When?” Jason asked. They were awfully young to be rock climbing in real, actual mountains now, much less sometime in the past.
“A few years ago,” she replied easily, “We were six.”
Right. Of course. Six-year-olds mountain climbing. Very normal.
“It,” she said haltingly, “It was cold. My fingers went numb and I lost my hold, and. I fell.”
Jason closed his eyes and took a deep, controlled breath.
The mountains were freezing cold. They were snow-capped. It was like perpetual winter in them, and they sucked, and apparently.
Apparently.
Ra’s-fucking-al-Ghul once again was sinking lower and lower in Jason’s mind. Why in the fuck would he make, or let, Mara and Damian rock climb in the cold, at the age of six, without climbing gear.
There was a very high chance Jason wouldn’t allow them to climb in those conditions with climbing gear at the age of eight.
What the fuck was wrong with Ra’s al Ghul?
“I don’t remember much after that,” Mara continued, “I know I fell a long way, and I needed several surgeries, and Grandfather didn’t allow me pain medication.”
“He what,” Jason blurted out, far more angry sounding than he meant.
Mara turned her neck to look up at him, but she rested back and snuggled back down. “Pain is the vehicle—” she started, and Jason finished the sentence for her.
“For strength, yeah, yeah. That’s bullshit. I’m sorry I didn’t shoot him when I had the chance.”
With a deep frown, Mara admitted, “I was afraid to ask if you had.”
Most of everything, Jason hated that the kids loved Ra’s.
“I didn’t,” Jason said softly, as he combed her hair back again, “Damian wouldn’t let me.”
“Good,” Mara whispered. She relaxed further, then added, “I don’t remember much after my fall. Just Damian…”
Of course. Just Damian doing something. With how often they snapped at each other over who deserved to die, or who deserved Grandfather’s wrath more, Jason would not be shocked if he mocked her for her failure or something.
With a barely suppressed sigh, Jason asked, “What did Damian do?”
Mara rolled back onto her back and gave Jason a quizzical look. “He thought I was going to die, and he cried about it. Grandfather was not pleased.”
“Oh,” Jason said dumbly.
That.
Uh. He hadn’t expected that from him. Damian had barely cried over his mother actually dying.
His mother. Mara was his, like, rival or something.
“Why do you expect cruelty from him?” Mara asked.
“Because,” Jason said lamely, “That’s all he was when I met him.” Every single thing out of his mouth was cruel.
He’d definitely improved. Immensely. But he’d been a terror of a child in the beginning.
“It was an act,” Mara said simply, as she rolled back to her side.
“What?” It was… what?
Jason would absolutely believe that he had a kindness inside him he hadn’t been allowed to nurture before, but that his cruelty was an outright facade?
“You two hated each other,” he said, “You were mean right back.” Damian had said Mara didn’t deserve kindness or anything.
Yeah. They also acted like friends, sort of. It had been hard to figure out. But.
Okay. Maybe Jason could see it.
“Yes,” Mara said, “Kindness is a weakness.”
Sitting back, Jason squeezed Mara’s shoulder and just thought.
He’d called Damian an asshole. Not to his face, but it might as well have been. He’d called him an asshole, thought him to be an asshole when it was just self-preservation.
Jason was the asshole. Damian was just a little kid.
“Damian ate dinner with me every evening even though it was not required,” Mara continued, “and if we had a free day, he usually spent the day with me. Not his mother.”
“Wow,” Jason said, for lack of really anything to say. Damian had said Mara didn’t like to be alone…
Did he do all that so she wouldn’t be eating alone, or spending an entire day alone? Or was it so he didn’t have to be alone, either? They’d all already told him Damian was not allowed to spend time with his mother.
Now, Damian claimed he liked to be left alone, but he often did his own thing in their proximity. Like when he moved to the kitchen to doodle earlier that afternoon, where Jason and Attie were, even though he could have picked any room in the giant manor to draw…
“So he is your brother,” Jason finally said. And always had been.
And these brats made him think otherwise. He’d been honest-to-God nervous they’d stab each other.
Apparently, that had been entirely unnecessary.
“I suppose,” Mara said, “If that’s what a brother is.” She paused for a long moment, then added, “I am glad we no longer need fight.”
“Me too,” Jason said, “You guys deserve to be yourselves.”
Bruce came back in a couple minutes later with a cold compress, bottle of Tylenol, and bottle of water. It was one of the reusable bottles with straws in it, so it could be sipped from without sitting up.
He rounded the couch and knelt down right in front of Mara to say, “Leslie said to take some Tylenol now, and she will prescribe something stronger tonight if needed. The cold compress and Tylenol might together be enough to take the edge off, but we’ll see how it goes. Does that sound like a plan?”
“Okay,” Mara said simply. She let Bruce fuss over her as he got the compress situated in just the right spot.
Jason actually recognized the ancient freezer pack as one he’d used on many occasions when he was a kid. Hopefully, it helped… it had always helped him when he needed it.
Mara also drank quite a bit of the water, which was a great sign.
“Maybe we’ll add some pedialyte to your drink, if you aren’t able to keep any food down tomorrow.”
“Thank you,” Mara said, once Bruce had finished and sat back down.
Bruce smiled, but said, “No need to thank me. May I join you for your movie night?”
When Mara glanced up at him, Jason simply shrugged. He didn’t care, exactly, if Bruce stayed.
Possibly.
He wasn’t really sure.
But Mara took that as him agreeing, so she nodded at Bruce, then melted back down against Jason when Jason hit play.
And.
It wasn’t awful, actually.
They watched the rest of Hitchhikers, then Bruce suggested Journey to the Center of the Earth next.
Eventually, Damian found them. He paused right in the doorway when he did, and said, “Hello, Father.”
It wasn’t until Bruce replied, “Hello, Damian. How was your walk?” did Damian even come into the room.
“It was acceptable,” he said. He rounded the couch, then paused when Ace trotted in after him.
Ace, of course, was a dog. So he went straight for Mara to sniff her. By sticking his nose right in Mara’s face.
“No,” Jason said, pushing Ace’s head away from Mara’s, “Leave her alone. She’s hurt.”
“Don’t lick me,” Mara said, as she covered her face with one of her hands.
“Ace,” Damian said sternly. Said dog looked over at him, so Damian pointed at the floor next to him.
Amazingly, Ace obeyed and walked a few feet over to where Damian had chosen to sit on the floor, between the couch and the coffee table. He was sitting slightly closer to Bruce than he was to Jason, but it was kind of cute.
He had his sketchbook laid out on the table already, and next opened a small box he’d had in his arms, which turned out to be a set of pastels. A nice-looking set of pastels.
“Where’d you get those pastels?” Jason asked. He hadn’t seen a set in his room, though it was very possible he’d simply missed them…
The number of gifts Bruce would shower on the kids, Jason really just needed to get used to. There was no stopping it.
But then Damian said, “Alfred found them among Grandmother’s possessions.”
“My mother’s?” Bruce asked slowly. A glance over at Bruce showed him sitting there with a confused expression, though he didn’t seem upset Alfred had apparently given away some of Martha’s things.
“That is my assumption, yes,” Damian said, “Alfred called them ‘my grandmother’s.’”
“Huh, I didn’t know she had art supplies,” Bruce said, as he sat back in his chair. After another moment, he added, “I’m sure she’d be glad to know her grandchild is putting them to good use.”
Damian outright smiled as he turned his attention back to his currently blank page.
Attie came in a few minutes later, and made a beeline straight for Jason, of course. She wedged herself between Jason and the arm of the couch, which was annoying, but so, so Attie. He carefully adjusted Mara over, so Attie would fit a little better, then just sat there for a couple hours. Both the girls using him as a pillow, Damian on the floor petting Ace and drawing in his sketchbook, and Bruce sitting over there, watching the dumb movies.
It was… weirdly ok.
Jason wouldn’t hate it, if this was what living in the manor was like…