Archive of Our Own ^beta

Jason was drowning in a sea of green. It was the sharp, acidic, lime green color of comic book acid waste and he had no tether, nothing to pull him out. Rage boiled in his veins and although he could feel rough packed earth under his feet, he couldn't see it. With nothing to anchor him, he had no idea how to direct the fury or to push through the green. This was why when someone grabbed his arm and pulled, he simply reacted, clawing, tearing, and hitting anything he could reach. 

He heard a voice sigh deeply and then say, "Enough. He is lost to the madness." Jason wouldn't be lost if someone would just explain to him what was going on!

"Throw him out into the desert. If he manages to find his way back, the madness will have worn off by the time he returns." Jason vows to himself that he will definitely make it back and show this bastard that he is still plenty mad.

Several, giant, clanking, leather-bound men drag him from the room, their fingers digging bruises into limbs that he still cannot see.  He feels sand under his feet and roughly hewn rock as he is dragged outside. The searing heat of the summer sun beats down on his face and the wind whips around his limbs, but he still can only see green. They drop him near a tree and leave him there, sprawled on the rock an unspecified distance from wherever he was before, unable to find a way home. As much as he hates to use anything Bruce taught him, he doesn't have any other grounding exercises in his arsenal. They aren't exactly a big component of Crime Alley schools, from what he remembers of the little time he spent in them. Although, they probably should have been. He takes deep breaths and works himself into a meditative state. When he reaches the point where he needs to list things he can see, he opens his eyes, anticipating the futility of the action. 

The calming sound of a trickling stream seeps into his consciousness. He stumbles towards it, feet dragging in the sand before he collapses next to it. As he scoops water into his mouth, he notices a tiny green plant near the bank of the water. He decides to be as tenacious as this little plant. This is when he realizes that he sees the plant. Somehow, this other shade of green has pierced through his Jolly Rancher vision. Jason has no idea how long he spends looking at the little plant, occasionally taking another sip of water and listening to the soothing burble. When he pulls himself from his meditative trance, he sees that his vision has changed slightly. The green hasn't retreated, but it has... thinned. He can now see his surroundings even if they are still tinted that violent shade of green. He takes a deep breath and takes stock of himself and his surroundings. He can see drag marks off in the distance and decides to go back and raise Hell since it is the only path he knows definitely has civilization at the end.

Jason takes special joy in irritating all of the assassins in this place. It would be a lot easier if someone gave him a map. He's pretty certain he's been through here before and he peers through the shadows, looking for some sort of landmark.

Through the green gloom, he sees two shining emeralds gleaming at him, narrowed in suspicion. Jason has no idea who this tiny ball of rage belongs to. He says hello, but the child does not respond, only scowls at him. On one hand, the scowl looks surprisingly familiar. On the other hand, it looks objectively hilarious on such a small child. Jason tries not to laugh and is oddly charmed.

The child states that they must duel. He does not explain when Jason asks why. Amused, Jason picks up a pair of blades and begins sparring, purposefully missing the kid and choosing maneuvers to help the child learn from his mistakes or improve areas where he is weak. This enrages the kid, who begins striking more aggressively, but no matter what, he is still very young and not a true danger to Jason. If he utilized stealth, he might be able to take Jason out with his skill level, but he's determined to do this the honorable way. Eventually, the child tires, collapsing to his knees and lowering his head in defeat, shoulders slumped in resignation. For a minute, Jason is unsure what to do. 

"What's your favorite food kid?" 

Damian forgets himself for a moment and looks up in astonishment and then wariness. Is his competition going to somehow make him hate his favorite food? He'll admit that this form of punishment had never occurred to him before. It should have. This man is much bigger than him, however, and direct attacks aren't working, so he answers. 

"I think I can make that."  He says. 

Is the competition going to cook for him? That seems like a difficult way to poison him. He'll be able to watch The Competition like a hawk and he'll know the second he poisons the food. Perhaps he is not going to hide it and simply force Damian to eat poison in his favorite food. Damian is fairly certain that, at the very least, he can take the Competition down with him if he is poisoned. That should earn him enough goodwill to be placed in the Lazarus Pit. It isn't ideal but he can make it work. He follows the Competition to one of the kitchens. 

It doesn't seem like he put anything in the resulting food, but Damian can't possibly be expected to believe that it is safe. Regardless, he eats a bite with his right hand and readies his dagger with his left, remaining vigilant for the first signs that he is taking ill. None come. 

"Are you trying to make me kill myself to avoid the sheer blandness of this meal?" Damian asks The Competition. It truthfully isn't that bad, but it isn't great either. 

The Competition's eyes widen, and he holds back a laugh. "No, I am just uncertain about the right ratios. Give me some time, and I'll get it right!"

Damian has to let him do this again? Perhaps he will. Provided that he doesn't die in the next 24 hours, it could be nice to have more chances to remind the Competition of his inferiority and failure. 

Jason is kept busy over the next few weeks. He suspects someone is purposefully trying to keep him away from the kid, although he isn't sure why. 

Jason is currently lost. He was supposed to be retrieving something from a storeroom in a wing of the Cradle that he's never been in before when he sees emerald eyes gleaming in the darkness. It's the kid again! He has a squirming black and white bundle of fur in his arms, wriggling so aggressively that it takes him a moment to realize that the angry little ball is a kitten.

Damian knew this was going to be a fraught expedition, but he hadn't factored in the possibility of being caught so soon. His Competition has already spotted him as he attempts to smuggle the runt of the litter out of Nanda Parbat. He's fairly certain that someone in the outskirts of the building could appreciate her as an excellent barn cat or mouser, but someone will kill her if she stays. They might even make Damian do it; he has been too open about his appreciation. 

Damian and Jason stare at each other for a moment before Jason whispers, "You're holding her wrong." 

He slowly reaches out to not spook the kitten or the child and shows him how to hold the kitten. She stops squirming, breathing heavily in the kid's small hands. The kid looks down at the kitten for a moment, looking like he might smile but then abruptly jerking his head back up to watch Jason.

"Where are we taking her?" Jason asks. 

Damian's mouth is too dry from panic at what his Competition is going to do to get many words to be audible so he simply replies, "Out." 

His Competition nods as if that would be an acceptable answer to anyone else. Damian would be berated for a lack of eloquence not fitting of the Heir to the Demon's Head. 

Jason's lost wanderings have proven to be useful today! He gestures for the kid and the kitten to follow him, and leads them on a winding path around several groups of assassins and through a somewhat hidden side door.

Damian was hesitant to trust The Competition again, but he didn't think anyone who looked at the kitten with such softness could purposefully hurt her. Still, he is somewhat surprised when they actually emerge out of Nanda Parbat, through a doorway he had never realized existed. He manages to complete his mission, handing the kitten off to a baffled and bemused guard at a satellite outpost, who agrees to Damian's demand to keep this mission a secret. 

In gratitude for the help with saving the kitten, Damian asks for Jason's name. Jason provides his, of course, feeling like he has won the trust of a feral kitten himself. Damian disappears into the shadows upon entering Nanda Parbat once again, however, not wanting to give Jason any opportunities now that the kitten isn’t around as a deterrent. The soft, warm feelings from helping the kid chase away the harshest green tones and Jason swears he can almost see shades of blue and green peeking through the acid.

After a month and a half passes, Jason goes looking for the kid rather than waiting to run into him by accident again. He's concerned that so much time has elapsed. Nanda Parbat is no place for a child. Jason doesn't count, of course. (Most people would disagree.) It takes some very creative questioning to get an assassin to reveal the location of the kid's rooms. He may have implied that he was sent to test the kid, but Jason would never. Heir to the Demon Throne, huh? That's quite a heavy burden for a child to carry. If Jason thought he could get away with it, he'd smuggle the kid out and find him a place where he could just be a kid. Maybe even have a cat? Jason pushes his musings aside as he approaches Damian's room, the deep emerald and bright, reflective gold of the tapestries hanging just outside the door shining through his Pit-hazed vision. 

Damian had been sent into the wilderness for survival training. He had succeeded, as was demanded of him, but had developed an illness. Disgusted by his weakness, Grandfather had ordered all of his people to ignore Damian for the duration of his infirmity. He was startled when Jason pushed his way through the door to his room. He scowled at his Competition, certain that he was going to be mocked for his frailty and lack of efficiency. He is startled when instead, Jason rushes over to crouch next to his bed, placing a cool, calloused hand against his forehead. Damian is very confused. Perhaps his fever is worse than he has thought and this is a hallucination? 

Jason is very concerned. The kid clearly has a fever; his forehead is so hot that Jason could fry an egg on it. He rushes into the adjoining bathroom and soaks a few clothes in the coldest water he can manage, wringing out the excess. He carries them back to the kid, laying one across the back of his neck and each of his wrists in an attempt to cool him down as fast as possible without moving him. Damian grimaces at the wet, squelchy feeling of the cloths, but breathes a sigh of relief when the cool sensation starts easing the burning heat of his fever.

Jason takes the last damp cloth and begins swiping it soothingly across the kid's face, softly humming the song that his mom, Catherine, had always sung to him when he was sick. The song soothes something in Jason just as it does in Damian and additional colors start to rise from the green: the off-white of the linen sheets and the warm tan of the kid's skin. Damian is now certain that this is a hallucination and relaxes into his bed. Jason knows that he can't stay much longer. He has a series of tasks to complete every day and it will be too noticeable if he drops them all to stay with the kid. He desperately wants to though. He doesn't want to think about it, but this must be what Bruce feels when he collects a new kid. Jason hates that he understands now. He carefully brushes Damian's hair out of the way with a fingertip and presses a kiss to his forehead. He quietly slips out of the room and Damian finally falls into a restful sleep. When he wakes up with now-dry cloths tucked into the bed around him, he realizes that it was not a hallucination and struggles to fit the events into his worldview. 

It is only two weeks later that everything drastically changes for them both. Something has been brewing in the halls of Nanda Parbat. Many more assassins are gliding through the hallways and their patterns are irregular. Many of them have been watching Damian, although they have never been permitted to do that before. It all comes to a head when Grandfather summons him to the throne room. Damian gets a sinking feeling in his stomach, but has no choice but to go. Upon his arrival, Grandfather states that he has a test for Damian. He must battle his way through waves of lower-level assassins and make it through the door of the armory, which is on the other side of Nanda Parbat. The assassins have been permitted to use lethal force and if Damian fails, he will have proven that he does not deserve to be HEir and will not be revived. The sinking feeling intensifies, but Damian knows that he cannot show concern or there is a high likelihood that Grandfather will increase the difficulty in punishment. This test is already difficult enough; he cannot afford to worsen it. Damian accepts his weapons from a nearby attendant and prepares to fight. 

He sinks into the flow of the fight, whirling through forms and trading blows as quickly as he can. After only a hallway or two, he already has several cuts across his arms, legs, and face, shallow but bleeding sluggishly. Damian has been well-trained to fight through the distraction of pain, but he knows he is taking too much damage. He needs to switch to ranged fighting if he's going to make it through this. He begins stealing the daggers from the nearby assassins and throwing them down the hallway. They strike their targets, disabling many, but he still isn't certain it will be enough. 

Suddenly, a dark blur rushes behind the assassins in the distance and the distant assassins begin to fall. As the blur wends its way closer, Damian realizes that it is Jason, coming to his aid yet again. He wishes he didn't need it, but he is grateful for it all the same. 

Fighting with this kid feels like fighting alongside a mini-Bruce, but Jason can't quite place why. He feels himself falling back into old Robin habits with a bit of Batman mixed in to account for his new bulk. Red sprays through the air, but Jason has no time to pay it any attention. They fight back to back, defending each other's weaknesses and alternating between striking and guarding. They make it to the armory when Jason turns to the kid and urgently says, "You know this will never end, right kid? He will always be testing you until eventually he finds you wanting. The odds are not in your favor." Damian doesn't want to believe Jackson, but he understands the logic. His first instinct is to believe that Jason is just using this tactic to remove Damian so he can be Heir, but none of the evidence supports this theory and he immediately dismisses it. Jason sees the thoughtful look on the kid's face and continues, "Your only chance to live a different life is to leave. You could have a cat and trust that you'll be safe while sleeping. Do you want that?" 

Damian hesitates, but whispers, "Yes." his voice strengthens as he keeps speaking, "I never thought it was a possibility, but yes,"

Jason nods and says, "All right. Let's go."

"Wait. Now?" Damian is not prepared.

"No time like the present!" Jason grabs the oldest nearby gun and disassembles it to retrieve the flint, strikes it, and then sets all of the tapestries he can reach on fire. Orange-yellow light flickers off of their skin. Damian watches with wide eyes, so surprised that Jason has to gently tug his arm to get him to follow him out of the now-burning armory. They begin sprinting through the hallways towards the outside wall. Assassins attempt to grab them as they go past until an explosion rocks Nanda Parbat. The assassins freeze momentarily, before ignoring Damian and Jason, running in the direction they just came from. 

With Ra's trusting his assassins to administer the test without him having to leave his throne room and all of those assassins currently rushing towards the burning armory, Jason has the chance that he needs to get both him and the kid out of Nanda Parbat. Damian stumbles; his training has been primarily focused on survival and lethality rather than cardio. Jason scoops him into one arm, leaving the other free for combat if necessary, and keeps running. They burst through a doorway, out into the fresh air beyond Nanda Parbat. Another shadow peels away from the pool of darkness along the wall and Jason moves to shift the kid to his back to free his other hand to fight as well. Damian struggles to get down, but Jason refuses to let go. The shadow drops her hood to reveal Talia. 

"Talia?" Jason questions, "What are you doing here?"

Talia nods and explains, "This is why I saved you, Jason. I knew Ra's was planning something that would prove to be very dangerous to my child. Anyone that my Beloved chose would never leave a child in danger. I hope you will care for and protect my son."

Damian had been nervous about leaving his mother behind, but he is reassured knowing that she planned for this and they have her blessing.

Jason replies, "Of course I will, Damian is my brother." Talia assumes that he is referring to the fact that both children view Bruce as a father figure and smiles. She passes them a pack of supplies, which Jason slings over his back, and the keys to a fully fueled truck parked nearby. 

Calm, focused, and with the full spectrum of colors back at his disposal, Jason ensures that his brother is buckled into the seat next to him, and drives out into the night.