Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The OG (+ Kori)

Kinda Hot 

Dick just because you miss Jason doesn’t mean you steal a replacement child

Childnapper

HES NOT A REPLACEMENT STFU

Also he AGREED to come with me>:^

The Braincell

…

Richard John Grayson

We talked about this

Childnapper

I KNOW BUUUUT

He came willingly so it’s technically not stealing!

ALSO

There’s an alien attached to him!!

WE MUST HELP

Kinda Hot

Hang on w h a t

Childnapper

Yea so he has this weird alien thing attached to his back?

He said it’s kind of like armor sometimes, and ‘activates’ when his heart rate goes up

Kinda Hot

Huh

I’m gonna go research that

Dawn please let us keep himmmm

At least for a little bit:((?

The Braincell

Fine

ONLY until we find a way to get the alien off him

And keep it on the down low so Rachel, Rose, and Gar don’t harass him

Titans

Nevermore added Jaime

The OG (+ Kori)

Slytherin

Lmao too late

Titans

Jaime

Uh

Hi?

Nevermore

Hi!

Jaime

..we’re literally in the same room??

Nevermore

Ssshhhhh

Anyways

@Lasagna is Garfield, aka Beast Boy, he/him

@Childnapper is Dick, aka Nightwing, he/him

@Glowstick is Kori, aka Starfire, she/her

@LoveDove is Aunt Dawn, aka Dove, she/her

@Dumbass is Uncle Hank, aka Hawk, he/him

@GirlWonder is Aunt Donna, aka Wondergirl, she/her

@Conner is Conner, aka Superboy, he/him

And Rose(she/her) doesn’t have a phone yet and Jason(he/him) is somewhere 

Childnapper

Rachel

Nevermore

What:(

I’m just introducing you guys:((

GirlWonder

Rachel, give him some space, Dick just kidnapped him

Childnapper

I DIDNT KIDNAP HIM

Jaime

Why would he have kidnapped me?

GirlWonder

Well

Childnapper

DONNA

DONT YOU DARE

GirlWonder

..

Let’s just say his username is like that for a reason

Jaime

Oh

OH

OH GOD

GirlWonder

Yea exactly

The OG (+ Kori)

Kinda Hot

So I think I found the species of alien, but I’d need to look at it to be sure

Childnapper

K, one sec

Childnapper — Jaime

Childnapper

Is it okay if Kori takes a look at your..alien..friend..guy..thing?

She’s our resident alien expert

Jaime

Uh

Sure

The OG (+ Kori)

Childnapper

Alr he’s in spare room #7

Kinda Hot

K

poetry club

Nevermore

So we got a new guy

His name is Jaime, he has an alien attached to his back

Kinda like those things in that movie you like

nerd(™)

symbiotes?

Nevermore

Yea those

nerd(™)

oooo niceee

Nevermore

I miss you

When are you gonna come back

nerd(™)

i don’t know, rach

but i miss you too

The OG (+ Kori)

Kinda Hot

Yep, it’s what I thought it was

Slytherin

What is it?

Kinda Hot

It’s a technology made by an alien race called the Reach

They’re ancient, really militaristic

Childnapper

So it’s not alive?

Kinda Hot

No it’s alive

Childnapper

So it’s technology and living?

Kinda Hot

Yep

Childnapper

Huh

Impressive

Kinda Hot

Also it doesn’t like me

But i also don’t like it so

Childnapper

Why not?

Kinda Hot

Oh y’know 

War

Childnapper

Ooohh

poetry club

Nevermore

I fucked up

I really fucked up

nerd(™)

what happened?

are you ok?

Nevermore

So y’know how i said we have a new guy?

nerd(™)

yeah?

..did he hurt you? what did he do?

Nevermore

He didn’t mean to do anything

It’s my fault

nerd(™)

rachel

what happened?

Nevermore

He accidentally dropped the picture of all of us and the frame broke and i got really mad

nerd(™)

rach…

Nevermore

I didn’t mean to

But i still can’t really control my powers and i was just so mad and i attacked him and he attacked me 

nerd(™)

he did WHAT

Nevermore

It wasn’t him, it was his beetle alien armor thing

It knew he was in danger and it protected him

nerd(™)

fuck, rachel

are you okay?

Nevermore

My back and arms kinda hurt

But it’s fine

nerd(™)

go to dick or kori, they’ll help you

Nevermore

I can’t

They’re mad at me

Everyone’s mad at me

nerd(™)

d’you want me to come get you?

Nevermore

Yeah

Please

nerd(™)

i’ll be there in about a day or two at most, ok? 

Nevermore

Okay

Thanks

nerd(™)

ofc

anything you need

Nevermore

:’)

I love you Jay

nerd(™)

love you more rach

Access granted. Welcome, Robin. 

Jason rolled his eyes. “Yeah, that’s not gonna work for me anymore,”

Please state your preferred name in order to change it in our database. 

“Redhood,” he said, watching the screen flash green. 

Alteration successful. Welcome, Redhood. 

He tapped his foot to the music playing in the elevator, until it stopped with a ding!

The doors opened, and he stepped out, glancing around to see how much the place had changed since he’d been gone. 

Not much.

“.. Jason?” 

He turned toward Dick, who was staring at him from the kitchen. 

Without saying a word, he started walking in the direction of Rachel’s room. 

“Get out of my way,” he growled, stopping in front of Kori, who was blocking his path.

“What are you doing here?” She demanded, crossing her arms. 

“I’m just here for Rachel,” he responded, pulling his phone from his pocket, tapping the send button, then typing another quick message. 

poetry club

nerd(™)

here

kori won’t let me pass:/

Nevermore

Omw 

Sure enough, Jason heard the sound of a door opening and closing.

Kori turned her head. “Rachel?”

Jason squeezed past the Tamaranian, wrapping his arms around Rachel in a tight embrace and lifting her into the air. 

“Hey, Rach, good to see you,” he smiled down at her, and she grinned. “Ready to go?”

She nodded, lifting her backpack up and swinging it over her shoulder.

Without acknowledging anyone, the two walked to the elevator and left.

The OG (+ Kori)

Childnapper

Did that seriously just happen 

Slytherin

What happened?

Kinda Hot

Jason fucking Todd came into the tower, got Rachel, and left

Slytherin

WHAT

Childnapper

Now we’re down two Titans, and they’re who knows where doing who knows what 

The Braincell

Why would Rachel leave?

Kinda Hot

She seemed pretty upset over her fight with Jaime

The Braincell

Have you considered that, maybe, she thinks you’re mad at her?

Childnapper

Oh fuck

Nevermore — Dani

Nevermore

Hey, do you mind if I stay at your guys’ place for a bit?

Dani

Idm

Nevermore

Is it alright if I bring someone with me?

Dani

Who is it?

Nevermore

His name is Jason, he’s my..brother

Dani

I guess it’s probably fine

Nevermore

Thank you thank you thank you thank you!

“You sure about this place?” Jason whispered, eyes darting around and taking in the (seemingly) abandoned place. 

Rachel nodded, gesturing for him to follow. “Mhm!”

With a sigh, he followed her inside, carefully stepping around broken glass and floorboards. 

“Hey,” someone called from inside, startling Jason and making him jump and knock his head on the wall. 

…how did his head hit the wall like that???

“Hi!” 

Jason grabbed Rachel’s arm before she could move, letting go when she flinched away from him. 

“Sorry, sorry,” he held his hands up. “Just..are you a hundred percent sure about this?”

She nodded, smiling up at him. 

He sighed. “Okay then, go ahead,”

She grinned, running further inside, and he followed after her. 

“Dani, this is Jason,” Rachel said. “Jason, Dani,”

“This is your brother?” ‘Dani’ asked, looking him up and down. “Huh, yeah, I can see it,”

He shot Rachel a look, and she shrugged. “Uh—yeah, that’s me,”

After a few moments of silence, the girl asked, “So, what brings you two to this kind of place? What’s your story?”

“My uncle was a drunk,” Jason responded, leaning back. “Brought me with him to bars a lot when I was younger. Drank a bit too much every time, and got violent. He overdosed when I was eleven,”

He could still feel the sting of his uncle’s hand on his face, and the broken shards of glass in his arms. 

“Foster care went about as well as you could imagine,”

The amount of times he’d almost overdosed on Adderall because of his first foster parents was insane. 

“Ran away, spent two years on the streets of Gotham, about a month in the care of Bruce, and then I met Dick,” he finished. “And, by extension, Rachel,”

“I was mostly raised by nuns,” his sister said, hugging herself tightly. “My mother was always working, so she left me to the church. People always talked about how great it must have been to be taught the ways of life by holy people, and..I thought that it was,”

Jason remembered waking up in the middle of the night to her screams. 

“I met Dick when my mother died, then Kori, then Gar, and then Jay,” she glanced at him, a sad smile on her face. “And we bonded over our shitty lives,”

“Yeah, because your boyfriend trauma dumped on us in order to make us friends,” Jason rolled his eyes sarcastically. 

Rachel’s face flushed. “H-he’s not my boyfriend!”

Before he could reply, his phone dinged in his pocket. 

Trauma Bois

Lasagna

Take care of her, okay?

nerd(™)

‘course

if you ever need an escape, lmk

Lasagna

I will

Destruction Twins

Conner

I don’t like that you left, but I respect your choice enough to let you know that there’s a tracker in Jason’s Robin suit

Nevermore

Oh fuck

Thanks Conner

Conner

Stay safe

Nevermore

Always

“Uh, Jay?” 

“Yeah?”

She pointed at his duffel bag. “Burn it,”

“Sorry, what?” 

“You heard me, burn it,”

“Why???”

“So, y’know how Mr. Wayne has a habit of putting trackers somewhere on his kids?”

“..oh,”

“Yeah, exactly,” 

The OG (+ Kori)

Childnapper

They knew about the tracker

Jason just went off the map

Slytherin

How? 

Childnapper

No idea

But now we don’t have a way of tracking them

They could be anywhere

Kinda Hot

Fuck

Childnapper

What the hell are we gonna tell Gar and Conner?

Kinda Hot

I have no idea

Nevermore — Dani

Nevermore

Thanks again for letting us stay!

Dani

Ofc

Nevermore

If you ever need, like, money, lmk, Jason has some ✨connections✨

Dani

I’ll keep that in mind lol

Jason glanced up at the board, reading through the options. 

“Hey, Rach?”

She looked up at him. “Yeah?”

“How do you feel about Metropolis?” 

She grinned and nodded her head. “I’ve never been to Metropolis before!”

He smiled down at her. 

“Me neither,” he ruffled her hair. “It’ll be new for both of us—we can figure it out together!” 

When it was their turn at the ticket stand, Jason pulled out his wallet. “How much for two tickets to Metropolis?” 

The woman looked him over, then glanced at Rachel. 

“You two look awfully young to be traveling on your own,” she drawled. 

“We’re meeting someone there,” he lied, which seemed to work because she sighed and reached for the tickets. 

Rachel wasn’t really paying attention while Jason and the ticket lady talked, instead looking on her phone at fun stuff to do in Metropolis. 

“Rach, c’mon,” 

She glanced up at him, putting her phone away with an excited smile and following him towards the busses. 

Metropolis, here we come. 

Chapter Text

Working at a coffee shop in Metropolis is not something Jason ever thought he’d do, but here he was—a sixteen-year-old barista at Mo’s Cafe, making fifteen dollars and forty-eight cents an hour. 

He didn’t know what Rachel did while he was at work, but as long as she stayed out of trouble(and didn’t do anything illegal) he was fine with pretty much anything. 

“What can I get you?” He asked the person standing in front of him on the other side of the counter. 

“Can I have a second to decide?” Their voice was pretty androgynous with a slight feminine hint to it, and they were clearly of English descent judging by their accent. 

He nodded. 

Their hair came down to their shoulders, and was dyed to be a muted pink. 

“Can I have a cuppa black tea with coconut milk?” 

“Of course, coming right up. Name?”

“Ali-uh..Jinx,”

He raised a brow, but shrugged. “Alright,”

Jinx. Why that one? I haven’t used that in years. 

She sorted through her mental list of names. 

Aline, Jupiter, River, Cameron, Ash, Jinx, Brook, Rowan. 

“Jinx,”

She walked toward the counter, and yelped when a girl—seemingly two or three years younger than her—ran in front of her and tackled the barista(who had, thankfully, set her drink down). 

The other people working didn’t seem fazed, either ignoring it, smiling, or frowning. 

The barista stood up, and hugged the girl that was attached to him. 

“Rachel—”

“I know, I know, you’re working and I can hug you later and blah blah blah,” 

Jinx coughed, drawing their attention to her. 

“Oh, right!” The dark haired barista gently pushed the girl off of him and slid her her drink. “That’ll be two seventy-five, please,”

She pulled out her wallet and grabbed a five dollar bill. 

“How’d you dye your hair?” 

She turned to the girl, who was looking at her with purple-tinted pale blue eyes. 

“I usually buy hair dye and dye it myself,” she responded. 

“Jason, can we dye my hair?” 

The barista sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Rachel, we’ve talked about this,”

She pouted. 

“I know, we need the money you get for the apartment and food and stuff,” she grumbled, crossing her arms with a huff. 

The boy—Jason—turned back to Jinx, an apologetic smile on his face as he handed her her change. “Sorry about my sister,”

“It’s fine,” she laughed softly. “Keep the change—seems like you need it more than I do right now,”

She also set two twenty dollar bills on the counter, and handed one to Rachel with a wink. “Have a good day,” 

poetry club

Nevermore

Sssssoooooo

Hair dye:))

nerd(™)

rachel it’s 3am

Nevermore

Pleeeeaaasssseeeee

nerd(™)

if you can find hair dye tomorrow you can get it with the 20$ she gave you

Nevermore

Thank yooouuuu:D

nerd(™)

uh huh i know i’m great now gO TO SLEEP

She’d made a habit of coming at the same time every day in order to see Jason(and, usually, Rachel). 

It’d been about a week and a half since she’d first met them, and Rachel now had purple streaks in her hair(Jason had also dyed the tips of his hair dark red, but she assumed that that was probably because of his sister).

(She also made a habit of sneaking them extra money, but she’d never admit it because that would mean admitting that she cared about them and it would be considered a weakness and could get all three of them in danger.)

The second Jinx stepped into the cafe she knew something was wrong. 

Jason looked exhausted, and his usual smile wasn’t on his face. 

“What’s wrong?” She asked him, and he sighed. 

“I can’t have the day off of work today, and it’s Rachel’s birthday,” he said, holding his head in his hand. “She’s never had a good birthday, and I just…I wanted to be with her, y’know? She’s never celebrated with someone that cares about her, and I wanted to change that,” 

Jinx nodded, placing her hand on his(and trying to ignore his slight flinch).

“This is a really personal question, and you don’t have to answer, but..you’re not actually related to her, are you?”

He shook his head. 

“Alright, well..even so, you’re her brother and she loves you, I’m sure she’ll understand,” 

He sighed. “Yeah, you’re right, I just..she’s gonna be alone ‘till I get home from work,”

“What if I spent the day with her?”

“Really?”

She smiled at him. “Yeah, I mean, why not?”

He grinned, scribbling what she assumed was the address on a napkin and handing it to her. “Thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you!” 

“‘Course! Anytime, Jason,”

Double J

nerd(™)

thank you again for hanging out with rachel today

Black Cat

Ofc:)

If you don’t mind me asking, how did you two end up here in Metropolis together?

nerd(™)

well

we met through this guy, dick, that later kind of adopted us? idk it’s kinda confusing

anyways, rachel was with dick and kori, i met dick, then by extension met rachel and the others too

long story short: rachel’s mom died, she ran away to detroit, threw a rock at a cop car to escape some crazy lady tryin to kidnap her, met dick(he’s a detective that’s good with kids), she was kidnapped, dick saved her(she also made the dude implode), they went to see some of dick’s old friends/colleagues, she was kidnapped again by a family of four(wife, husband, son, daughter), kori saved her from them(by kind of kidnapping her from her kidnappers), dick tracked her down, him and kori argued, rachel made some cars explode, she ran away again, met garfield in the woods, they threatened to kill a hunter together, she stayed with him and his ‘family’ in an “abandoned” house, doctor guy tried to experiment on her, she almost killed him cuz he knocked out gar, dick and kori found them, the four of em went to san francisco, the family tried to kidnap her again, they kidnapped them instead, dick tracked down the guy they were working for, almost died, i saved him, the family’s heads exploded

Black Cat

..

W h a t ???

nerd(™)

it gets worse

so they found out from the guy that rachel’s mom was still alive and being held at an “abandoned” asylum, her and gar went to save her on their own, got kidnapped, dick and kori went to save them, got kidnapped, found out that the people tryin to kidnap her are a cult that works for her dad, they saved her mom, kori committed arson in the asylum, aaaand they split up

Black Cat

???

nerd(™)

yea so rachel and gar stay at her mom’s old place, yada yada yada, her mom is evil and tricks rachel into summoning her dad, he mind controls dick

rachel send a message to dick’s old pals, get one of their other pals from back in the day, get kori, i kinda forced myself into their rescue team, and we went to save rachel and gar, but ended up getting mind controlled too

so we apparently started beating the shit out of gar, because for her dad’s evil plan to work, she had to have her heartbroken, and she kinda turns all evil, but gar snaps her out of it because SURPRISE he’s not dead, she kills her dad, and we all go on a family road trip(minus kori and dick’s old friends)

Black Cat

Hang on did you say Trigon?

nerd(™)

yyyyeeeepppp

nothing much happened next other than dick adopting another kid, we split up for a bit, got back together, i ran away, dick got another kid, new guy and rachel fought because they both have powers that they can’t control, i got rachel, we ran, aaaand we’ve been here for the last few months

any question?

Black Cat

Um yeah so Rachel, sweet adorable little Rachel, is half demon and has made a man implode

nerd(™)

yup

we bonded over shitty guardians after gar trauma dumped on us in hopes that we would have a therapy session and become friends

Black Cat

If you two ever need anything, lmk, okay?

I’m not old enough to be your legal guardian(y e t) but I’m still older than both of you so

nerd(™)

thanks jinx, i’ll keep that in mind:)

Black Cat

Now go to sleep, it’s almost midnight

nerd(™)

yes ma’am 

Chapter Text

The last thing Jinx expected was for Jason and a random guy to show up on her doorstep, bruised and bloody. 

“Jason? What the hell happened to you?” She helped him come inside(his leg appeared to be quite damaged) and sat him down.  “And who’s this guy? And where’s Rachel??”

“Sh-she-she t-took h-her-” he wheezed, clutching his chest. “W-was tr-trying to get h-him,”

He jerked his head in the direction of the stranger, wincing. 

“Fuck, okay,” she finished wrapping his leg and stood up, pacing. “Why would some take Rachel? She’s, like, the sweetest person I know,”

Jason shrugged, a pained grimace crossing his face for a moment. “There was the cult,”

She nodded. “Oh, yeah, I almost forgot about them,”

After a few seconds of silence, she pulled out her phone and scrolled through her contacts. 

Baby Bird [Nevermore]

Baby Bat [nerd(™)]

What A Dick [Childnapper] [BLOCKED]

She sighed, sitting down on the couch and rolling her head to look at Jason. 

“So, I have an idea,” she started. “But you probably won’t like it,”

His eyes narrowed. “..what?”

“..you gotta go back to the Titans. And you’re taking me and new guy with you,”

He stared at her, eyes wide. “What? Are you INSANE??”

“Mmmmaybe,”

Clearly his funny bone was broken because he didn’t even smile at her funny reply and shit. 

“Okay, look,” Jinx sat down across from him. “I’ll look for Rachel, and if we don’t find her by the time you get your next paycheck, we go to the Titans,”

“Four days?” 

She nodded, and he sighed, leaning back in his chair. 

“Fine, if we don’t have her in four days, we’ll go to Dick and the others for help,”

The days passed by quickly, and there was still no sign of Rachel or the woman that took her. 

Double J

Black Cat

You sure this is the place?

nerd(™)

yea

y’know you could’ve just taken me with you 

it’d be muuuuch easier

Black Cat

Yea uh huh not happening you need to heal

nerd(™)

whateverrrr

Black Cat

Well I’m gonna try again

REST

And if you’re not resting, I’ll know

It's called aduuuultiiiing (that's not a verb) (shhh it's a reference) (yea ik)

Black Cat

Lmk if Jason does something other than rest

Fried Lobster

Aye aye captain

Unauthorized personnel detected. 

Dick glanced over at the security monitors, almost choking on his latte when he saw who it was.

“Richard, I know you’re there. Or should I call you Dick? It certainly is fitting. Maybe Robin—Nightwing, was it?”

He pressed the button for the intercom. “Why the fuck are you here, Jinx?”

“Ugh, you’re no fun. I’m here on behalf of a friend of yours,”

“…”

“God, you’re dense. Starts with a J, rhymes with a Grayson,”

“WHAT??? WHERE THE FUCK IS HE??”

“At my apartment, supposedly resting,” after a moment of silence, she pulled out her phone. “Actually, hang on, I have to check..one sec, I have a teenager to yell at,”

She put the phone up to her ear and pinched the bridge of her nose. “Jason, I sWEAR TO GOD, GO THE FUCK TO SLEEP. Wh—NO, I haven’t gotten inside yet, your dad enjoys living up to his nickname!”

“I’m not his—”

“SHUT UP DICK IM BUSY,”

About five minutes later, Jinx stepped out of the elevator and looked around at the tower. 

“Where’s Jason?” Hank demanded, earning a sharp elbow nudge from his wife. “And Rachel too, I guess,”

“Like I said, he’s at my apartment. As for the baby bird, that’s the reason I’m here,” she pulled out a few photo prints and placed them on the table. “This is the last Jason saw Rachel, the last time I saw her, and a drawing of the person that kidnapped her, provided by a sketch artist,”

Dick raised a brow at her. 

“Okay, so maybe it was provided by a sleep-deprived game designer and a delirious injured barista, whatever,”

After a moment of silence, Jinx sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. “Look, I don’t like you, you don’t like me. But we all care about Rachel, alright? So help me find her, and I’ll get out of your hair,”

“…afterwards, her and Jason come to live with us,” 

“Only if they agree,” she said sharply. “I’m not forcing them to do anything,”

Hank rolled his eyes. “Yeah, like they’d rather stay with you,”

Jinx chose to ignore him. 

poetry club

nerd(™)

i know you’re probably not gonna see this but i have to try

i miss you, rach 

a lot

i failed 

i failed you

i couldn’t protect you and now you’re gone and

and

and i 

i just

i’m sorry

[Read 7:34 PM]

Jason stared at his phone. 

What???

“Uh—Sebastian?” He called, glancing over at the kitchen part of the apartment. 

The older man poked his head around the wall. “Yeah?”

“How good are you at doxxing?”

poetry club

nerd(™)

rach?

rach are you there?

if you are, here: 

www.https: //mylocation.com/h4ja6hs

this is where we are, can you get here on your own?

Read 7:39 PM

“Now what?”

“Now,” Sebastian said. “We wait,”

It’s called aduuuultiiiing (that’s not a verb) (shhh it’s a reference) (yea ik)

Fried Lobster

My doxxing skills have been put to the test

Black Cat

I’m sorry w h a t

Fried Lobster

Someone has Rachel’s phone

And has read Jason’s messages to her

So if they click on a link Jason sent I might be able to find their location

Black Cat

What link??

Fried Lobster

Well-

It looks like a link to find our current location so that she can find us

But it’s actually Jason and Rachel’s old apartment in Metropolis

So now they think that a) we never left and b) we’re not onto them

Black Cat

That’s

..actually a good plan

Fried Lobster

:)

Black Cat

Just be careful, ok?

Fried Lobster

Aye aye, captain!

“Mother, we’re here,”

“Good. Is there any sign of them?”

“No, Mother,”

“Hm…check the place that the boy worked at,”

“Yes, Mother,”

“I must admit, I kind of hoped that your friends would be smarter,” she turned around to look at the girl chained to the wall, her lips curving into a smirk as she saw the fear in her wide eyes. “But, alas, they’re just as idiotic as I expected,”

She moved closer to the teenager, tracing her jaw with one finger. 

“Very soon, Ms. Roth…very soon, we will have your…brother, was it?” She grabbed Rachel’s chin, forcing her to meet her gaze. “And we will make you watch as we rip out his heart and add his blood to the pool.”

It’s called aduuuultiiiing (that’s not a verb) (shhh it’s a reference) (yea ik)

Black Cat

How’s the baby bat doing

Fried Lobster

Good, I think

He’s sleeping

Black Cat

Good

How’d you manage that?

Fried Lobster

I may or may not have put some melatonin in his orange juice

Black Cat

…orange juice??

Fried Lobster

Idk it’s what he asked for

Black Cat

Huh

Well at least he’s sleeping

Fried Lobster

Yeah

So uh

How’s it going with the titans

Black Cat

Horribly I hate these people 

Fried Lobster

Damn

Black Cat

Yea

Well I gotta go

Keep me posted

Fried Lobster

Yes ma’am

Jason woke up in a room, the walls around him starch white. 

The floor was the same color, but it had red stains splattered on it. 

The room was empty, save for a large rectangular mirror on every wall and a wooden chair in the back corner. 

Even though he’d never been there before, the room felt oddly familiar. 

His head perked up as the sound of footsteps and yelling came faintly from behind the door. 

As the sound grew louder, he braced himself for the inevitable storm that would come into the room.

The door swung open, revealing three women dressed in dark tunics, white scapulars, and veils over their heads. 

One of them was holding the arm of a girl in a painful looking grip. 

She couldn’t be older than six or seven, eight at the most. 

The girl’s hair was black, and hung just over her shoulders. Her skin was as white as rice paper, and bruises peeked out from under her the collar and long sleeves of her black shirt. 

She was tossed into the room, and curled into a ball the moment she hit the floor. 

Jason looked from her to the door, trying to decide what to do.

Either he got out, or he saw if she was okay.

Against his better judgment, he stayed. 

Something about her reminded him of someone—who, he wasn’t entirely sure, but it didn’t matter; she reminded him of someone he cared about. 

The door slammed shut, and both he and the girl jumped. 

“Hey,” he whispered, crouching down. “Are you okay?”

She lifted up her head to look at him, and he sucked in a sharp breath. 

Now he knew why he recognized her—it was Rachel. 

“Rachel?” He said softly.

He didn’t want to believe it, and he looked for everything he could to try and prove to himself that it wasn’t her.

But he knew that it was—those were Rachel’s eyes, and only Rachel had them. 

“Jason,” she murmured, and suddenly the entire world was chanting his name. 

Jason.

He stumbled to his feet, backing up, before being stopped by a wall. 

Jason.

“Where—”

Jason. Jason. Jason. Jason. 

“S-stop—”

Jason. Jason. Jason. Jason. Jason.

“I—”

JASON JASON JASON JASON

He clutched his head in his hands, his breath coming in short gasps as he sank to the floor. 

JASON JASON JASON J̶̛̙͓͂͊̿̃͛̽̿̂A̶̤͍̟̲͓͕͍̼͕͎̽́̒̇͝Ş̸̜̦̦̦̓́̐̈́͆̅̇̚O̸̜͉̹̳̎͒̎̄͘͘͝N̶͎̫̉̍͘͝

“STOP!” 

His shriek echoed in the small room, hanging in the air while he tried to catch his breath. 

“Where—where am I?”

“You’re in my memory,” the young version of Rachel cocked her head to the side, staring at him with her pale, unblinking eyes.

“Where are you?” 

“I…” she paused, looking down. “I don’t-” 

“I don’t know,” she admitted, her voice quiet. “I don’t know,”

He sighed. “Well, that was worth a try,”

“Jason, sh-she-she’s looking for you,”

His head snapped up, eyes widening. “Who?”

“The woman that took me—everyone here calls her Mother. She-she went to the apartment, and then to Mo’s, and she didn’t find you but she’s trying and she’s looking, and once she does—”

“Hey, hey, calm down,” he moved towards her, keeping his movements easy to track. “Breathe, okay? Like we practiced,”

She nodded. 

“In,” he inhaled. 

“Out,” he exhaled. 

“In,”

“Out,”

Once her breathing had slowed back down, he held out his arms in a silent question. 

Without hesitation, she jumped at him, snuggling into his chest as he wrapped his arms around her tightly.

“We’re gonna find you,” he whispered, rubbing circles on her arm. “We’re gonna find you,”

“I know,” 

Her voice was barely audible, but he heard it—small and hopeful. 

“Is there anything you can tell me about where you are?”

“I think it’s underground,” she said, and he pressed a kiss to the top of her head. 

“Okay,” 

They stayed like that for a bit, and even though it was a dream, it felt real—it felt like he was actually holding his sister, and that was the most comfort either of them were going to get any time soon.

But, like all dreams, it couldn’t stay. 

The ground started to shake, and bits of the ceiling fell. 

“Fuck,” he hissed, standing up and moving toward the door, still holding Rachel. “Why can’t it stay like this for a little bit longer?”

“Nothing gold can stay,” Rachel whispered, looking up at him. 

“Nature’s first green is gold,” Jason responded. “Her hardest hue to hold,”

“Her early leaf’s a flower,” she said, “but only so an hour,”

“Then leaf subsides to leaf,”

“So Eden sank to grief,”

“So dawn goes down to day,”

Their eyes met, and they smiled as they finished in unison, while the world collapsed around them. 

“Nothing gold can stay,” 

Chapter Text

“Nothing gold can stay,” 

Jason shot up, his breathing shaky. 

He thought he heard someone say his name, but he couldn’t focus on it. 

He couldn’t—he—he couldn’t breathe— why can’t he breathe?

His mouth and throat were dry, his chest hurt, and his heart felt like it was trying to escape from his body. 

Choking—choking, he—he’s choking—

“Jason? Jason, can you hear me?”

The voice was distant, distorted. 

It sounded… foggy. 

Sebastian’s face, as well, was foggy—it looked…well, lifeless, he supposed, was a good word for it.

“Try and focus on my voice, okay?”

He opened his mouth to respond, but nothing came out—it was like he physically was incapable of speaking, of making a sound. 

It felt like there was a fishbowl on his head, which made him feel trapped, making his chest tighten. 

“Can you tell me five things you can see? Can you do that for me, Jason?”

He shook his head. 

“Alright, that’s okay,” Sebastian murmured. “You’re gonna be okay,”

He still sounded far away. 

His eyes darted around, trying to see his surroundings through his blurred vision.

“Can you try to breathe for me?”

Jason nodded, trembling.

“In for five, hold for five, out for five—can you do that?”

He tried—he really, really tried, but he—he just—it wasn’t working! 

“Hey, hey, you’re okay, you’re safe. Can you try again, please? It’s okay if it doesn’t work out at first,”

So he tried.

He took in a shaky breath, held it, let it out, and repeated that process until his breathing slowed down. 

His vision began to clear, and everything started to feel real again. 

“Jason? Is it okay if I hug you?”

He tried to say something, but it didn’t work, so he opted to just nod. 

Sebastian’s arms wrapped around him, and he tensed, before relaxing into the embrace. 

The physical touch he was used to feeling was either used for manipulation or used to harm him. 

This…wasn’t like that—it felt—it felt warm, like sitting by a log fire. 

He closed his eyes, trying to remember the last time someone had made him feel this—this—this safe. 

He could only think of a handful of people.

Rose was the first—she took care of him when the Titans split up, and she made him feel loved and wanted and cared for.

Jinx, as well, came to mind. 

She was kind of like Rose, in a way—she looked after him and Rachel when they were struggling. 

She read poetry to him when he couldn’t sleep, she listened to him when he needed someone to talk to, she was there when he needed a shoulder to cry on—she was always there.

And, of course, there was Rachel. 

Rachel, who loved him.

Rachel, who kept his secret. 

Rachel, who he would protect with his life if he had to. 

Rachel, who…who he…failed.

He failed her.

And now she’s gone.

No, she’s not—she’s not gone, she’s—she’s just—

His thoughts faded into nothing more than background noise (a trick he’d learned years ago) as he focused on the rise and fall of Sebastian’s chest. 

“It’ll be okay,” the older man told him, his voice soft and gentle as if he was talking to a cornered animal. “Everything’ll be okay,”

And some part of him—one that had been buried beneath his cold and emotionless facade, one that he didn’t know still existed—believed that. 

It’s called aduuuultiiiing (that’s not a verb) (shhh it’s a reference) (yea ik)

Black Cat

How is he

Fried Lobster

Well

Uh

Black Cat

???

Is he ok??

Fried Lobster

Um 

Kind of?

He had a panic attack

Black Cat

Fuck

How’s he doing now?

I’m assuming you texting me and using past tense means it’s over, right?

Fried Lobster

Yea it is

We’re watching DuckTales

Black Cat

The original or the reboot

Also what season

Fried Lobster

Reboot

Season 1 

The one with the mummies

Black Cat

Ooooo that’s a good one

What part are you at

Fried Lobster

Louie looking in the jar lol

Black Cat

Niceeee

If anything else happens lmk

Fried Lobster

I knowwwww

You tell me that every time

Black Cat

I do NOT

…

Ok maybe I do a little bit-

Fried Lobster

Uuuuhhh huuuuhhhh

How’s it going over there?

Black Cat

Horribly 

You said they’re still in Metropolis right?

Fried Lobster

Yea

I can’t find the specific place, but it’s around the north metro quadrant

Black Cat

Well that’s better than anything we’ve been doing over here

Take care of Jason, alright?

Fried Lobster

Always

Rachel was tired.

She was tired of being underground, she was tired of being chained, she was tired of this lady talking to her, and she was also just overall tired. 

Mostly, she missed Jason.

And Jinx—she missed Jinx, too.

She still remembered her dream—she remembered it vividly. 

She remembered the day of the flashback.

She remembered the cold, white room.

She remembered the dream version just as much as she remembered the real version. 

She had thought that seeing him—even in their sleep—would make her feel better, but she felt worse. 

The sound of boots on rock snapped her out of her thoughts, and she looked up right as Mother Mayhem walked in. 

“So, Ms. Roth, did you enjoy your beauty rest?” 

Rachel tensed. “Um—yeah?”

“I’m glad,” her voice dropped as she came closer to the younger girl, “because you won’t get it again for a very, very long time. Your little trick? Contacting your brother while he slept?”

She knows. 

Danger danger danger danger danger danger danger DANGER

She grabbed Rachel’s chin and forced her to look into her eyes. 

“Honestly, I expected better from you,” she hissed. “You’re supposed to be domesticated. Did you forget everything those nuns taught you?”

Rachel froze, her eyes widening. 

DANGER DANGER DANGER DANGER

May smirked, letting go of her and walking back. 

“You remind me of a poem,” she said, “you like poetry, don’t you?” 

She nodded mutely. 

“I don’t know all of it, but I know enough,” she continued. “ Then, upon the velvet sinking, I betook myself to linking fancy unto fancy, thinking what this ominous bird of yore—”

She took a breath. 

“What this grim, ungainly, ghastly, gaunt, and ominous bird of yore…meant in croaking Nevermore,”

And she turned. 

And she walked away. 

Bruce — Dick

[ Bruce missed a call]

Bruce

Oh

Sorry, I was working

Dick 

It’s ok

CALL TRANSCRIPT

BRUCE: Are you okay?

DICK: Um. Not-not really?

BRUCE: What’s wrong? Do you need anything?

DICK: You know how I told you Jason and Rachel left?

BRUCE: Yes?

DICK: Well, Jinx-you remember Jinx, right?-she came to the tower today saying that Rachel is missing and Jason is hurt. 

BRUCE: Oh, god. 

DICK: Yeah. Rachel is somewhere in Metropolis, but that’s all we know.

BRUCE: Let me know if there’s anything I can do, alright?

DICK: Yeah, okay, I will. Thanks.

BRUCE: Always.

[CALL ENDED]

“The happiest day—the happiest hour,” Rachel muttered, “my seared and blighted heart hath known,”

She closed her eyes tightly, clenching and unclenching her hands.

“The highest hope of pride and power, I hath flown. Of power! Said I? Yes! Such I ween; but they have vanished long, alas, the visions of my youth have been—”

She sucked in a sharp breath. “But let them pass…”

“And, pride, what have I now with thee? Another brow may even inherit the venom thou hast poured on me, be still, my spirit..”

She slumped over, leaning on the wall. 

“The happiest day—the happiest hour mine eyes shall see—have ever seen, the brightest glance of pride and power I feel—have been,” her voice turned bitter. “But were that hope of pride and power now offered with the pain? Even then I felt—that brightest hour, I would not live again,”

She opened her eyes, keeping them half shut as she stared at the ground. 

“For on its wing was dark alloy, and, as it fluttered—fell, an essence—powerful to destroy—”

“A soul that knew it well,” 

Her head snapped up. 

“Lovely, isn’t it?” May grinned. “Truly a work of art,”

“Wh—what d’you want?” Rachel asked wearily, her exhaustion clear in her voice. 

“What do I want? No, no, no, you misunderstand what I’m doing,” she moved closer, her unnatural eyes alight with excitement. “This isn’t what I want, this is what He wants,”

“…he?”

“My, you are a dumb one, aren’t you? I live to do what my lord wishes,” she smirked. “You should know—you are his daughter, after all,”

Her pale eyes widened, and she shook her head. “N-no—no, he-he’s—”

“Dead? I’m afraid not. The only way to kill a god is for them to be forgotten…and Lord Trigon will never be forgotten,”

It’s called aduuuultiiiing (that’s not a verb) (shhh it’s a reference) (yea ik)

Black Cat

We found her

Take Jason and go to Metropolis

Meet us here as soon as you can

Fried Lobster

Got it

“Are you sure you’re okay to be here, Vespertilio?”  

“Yeah,” Jason turned to Jinx. “I have to be,”

She sighed. “Alright, just—be careful, okay?”

He nodded, a small, sad smile growing on his face. “Always,”

He moved further into the tunnel, keeping his grip on the sword tight, his eyes darting around for any sign of anyone. 

His head shot up when a scream echoed through the cave, and his face twisted into an enraged scowl.

He ran in the direction of the sound as fast as he could, eventually stopping as the cave split into multiple tunnels. 

He chose the one with a faint red light at the end of it.

If there was one thing Rachel hated, it was fire. 

Danger danger danger danger

Fire burned, fire hurt, fire destroyed. 

Danger danger danger danger danger

Mother Mayhem reminded her of fire, and it wasn’t just because she was currently holding a torch over her arm covered in gasoline. 

DANGER DANGER DANGER 

After a while, her vision started to blur, and—

Brother?

Brother savior guardian knight brother savior guardian knight brother savior guardian knight brother savior guardian knight BROTHER SAVIOR GUARDIAN KNIGHT

She watched him strike Mayhem relentlessly, over and over and over and over, until she collapsed to the ground, her blood spilling into the pool. 

His sword came down on the chains that held her, and they shattered. 

And, for a moment, everything was still as he knelt down in front of her and cupped her face in his hands. 

“I’ve got you,” he whispered, his voice soft and gentle. “I’ve got you, little bird,”

“Do you really have to go?”

Jason smiled sadly at her. 

“I…I think I need to go find myself,” he said, crouching down and placing his hands on her shoulders. “I won’t be gone forever, okay? And I’ll always be there if you need me,”

“I know,” she whispered. “Can’t I go with you?”

“I wish you could, Rach, but it’s..it’s safer for you here,”

Rachel nodded, wrapping her arms around him tightly.

He returned the embrace, lifting her up as he stood and peppering the top of her head with kisses.

“Come along with me,”

“And the butterflies and bees,”

“We can wander through the forest…”

“And do so as we please..”

“Come along with me,”

“To a cliff under a tree..”

“We can gaze upon the water…”

“As an everlasting dream,” 

“All of my collections,”

“I’ll share them all with you,”

“Maybe by next summer…”

“We won’t have changed our tunes,”

“Come along with me—”

“—and the butterflies and bees,”

“We can wander through the forest—”

“—and do so as we please,”

“Living so merrily,”

They smiled as they finished, and Jason set his sister down.

“I love you, Little Imp,”

“I love you more, Blue Jay,”

“Debatable,”

Trauma Bois

nerd(™)

look after her, okay?

Lasagna

Aye aye, captain!

Be safe:)

nerd(™)

no promises

Lasagna

D:

nerd(™)

i’m kidding i’m kidding relax

i’ll be fine gar 

Lasagna

You better be>:(

nerd(™)

i’ll keep that in mind