Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Jason sat in his room, carefully holding the box he received earlier in the day. He had honestly not expected anything when he walked his old neighborhood, just needing a bit of relief after everything that had happened lately.

He clenched his fists as Bruce’s disappointed look flashed through his mind. He may have wanted to kill that man, but he would never actually do it. Why couldn’t Bruce believe him?

Shaking his head, he focused on the here and now once again. The box in front of him held stuff his mom had kept safe for him, even after the grave. With careful reverence, he opened it. He carefully pulled out and inspected each item.

There were old report cards, a lock of his hair in an envelope labeled “J’s First Haircut”, homemade Mother’s Day cards, a few photos, and Willis’s address book. He teared up a few times, remembering when he made those cards or when the pictures were taken. Those had been good days, before his mom had gotten sick and fell into using drugs.

As he got to the bottom, there were signs of water damage. A few documents were partially rotted, but still legible. He finally got to the last document. Unfolding it, he found his birth certificate. It was almost half rotted away, so Jason almost missed the birth mother’s line, where there was an innocent ‘S’ still legible.

It was as if he had been dunked into a tub of cold water. Mom’s name was Catherine. He was Jason Todd-Wayne, son of Catherine Todd. But that wasn’t true, because the truth was in front of him. Placing the birth certificate down, unable to fully register this discovery, he spotted a white piece of paper in a plastic bag resting in the corner of the box.

After the birth certificate, he wasn’t sure what else he could handle. But, as he got the paper out of the baggie, he saw it was Mom’s—Catherine’s handwriting. It was a letter for him.

He put the letter back into the bag, not ready to look at it just yet. This was too much.

He put everything back in the box, the certificate and the letter on top. He’d deal with it tomorrow.

He ate dinner that night, listless. His mind was too absorbed by the sudden change in his foundational beliefs about himself. Bruce was away on a Justice League mission and Alfred always claimed that a butler shouldn’t eat with the Family. So, there was nothing to distract him.

After dinner, he went to bed early, well aware of the fact that he was not allowed to go out and act as Robin. If he tried, Alfred would give him another one of those disappointed looks and tut at him, making him feel far worse than any of Bruce’s lectures.

Waking the next morning, he felt a bit better. He had another parent out there, one that he could have a fresh start with! He opened the box to pull out the certificate. The letter was on top.

Jason hesitated. Even if he had another mom out there, Catherine had cared for him like he was hers (he’d certainly had no idea otherwise). He owed it to her to at least read her last words.

With a sigh, he opened the plastic bag, once again pulling out the letter.

He braced himself as he opened it.

My Dearest Jason,

If you are reading this, then I am gone and my instructions have been carried out. Firstly, I want you to know how much I love you. I know these last few years have been hard on you. I tried to beat this, I really did. I’m sorry I couldn’t.

Secondly, I’m sure you’ve found your birth certificate and have seen that, as much as I love you and have raised you, I didn’t give birth to you. Sheila, your birth mother, was not willing to be your mother at the time. She gave you to us happily.

That brings me to my next point. Willis admitted to me one night, early on, when he was quite drunk that he was not your birth father. He told me that Sheila trapped him into caring for you, as she thought your birth father was not well suited to fatherhood. Once his name was on the birth certificate, it was much harder for him to deny you. And he knew I wanted you, so I agreed to keep his secret.

Your birth father’s name is Flynn Carsen, should you wish to seek him out. As far as I know, he is unaware of you.

I love you so much, my dear boy. No matter your decision on what to do with this information, please know that you have my blessing.

Love,

Your Mother, Catherine Todd

Jason cried as he finished the letter. He had done his best to deal with the revelation that his mom wasn’t his mother, but now Willis wasn’t his sperm donor?

It was too much.

Jason took several deep breaths, needing to keep himself calm.

He looked at the letter again. There were names. He was the son of Flynn Carsen and Sheila. That was a start.

Remembering Willis’s address book, he rifled through the box once again. Pulling it out, he pumped his fist in success. He flipped through it, looking for any Sheilas. He found one—Sheila Haywood. He circled the name in joy.

He went down to eat a quick breakfast before heading down to the Batcave. Alfred had gone out to buy groceries, so he had enough alone time to find out what he needed to without needing to sneak.

He searched the Batcomputer for information on his birth parents. The computer was quick and brought up several sources of information.

It seemed Sheila was a Gotham native, one that became a medical doctor and was currently doing relief work in Ethiopia. How the hell someone like that knew Willis Todd, even think he was a good choice for a father, was beyond Jason. Maybe they knew each other when they were young? Back before Willis was truly awful? Either that or his sperm donor was even worse.

With tension building in him, Jason moved on to the information about his father.

The man was far from what he had expected.

Given Willis was supposed to be the better choice, Jason was prepared for the worst. But the guy was far from that. Jason blinked, wanting to make sure he didn’t misread. Nope, the guy had twenty-seven degrees and was a doctor multiples times over. This was the guy his birth mother thought wouldn’t be a good dad, but Willis Todd was?

Okay, it was clear that, despite her good works, Sheila was a poor judge of character. Given Batman’s current mission and the Joker’s actions, Jason wouldn’t be surprised if, on the odd chance they ran into each other, she trusted that wacko.

Jason shuddered at the thought. Nah, she was from Gotham and was smart enough to make something of herself. She would know better than to trust the Joker.

He took another look at Flynn Carsen’s file. Though the man did a lot of traveling, he was employed as a librarian at the Metropolitan Public Library in New York.

A plan formed in Jason’s mind. Since Flynn was closer, he could go meet him. It wouldn’t take more than an hour or two to get there. Hell, if things didn’t work out, he’d be back the same night, no one the wiser!

If things didn’t work out, then Jason would consider Sheila. Surely poor taste in people wasn’t the worst thing about a person.

Plan made, Jason began to hash out the finer details. He packed his bag, grabbing a few mementos and some clothes, along with enough cash to cover him going to New York and back (thank fuck Bruce gave him a huge allowance. He could never spend it all, so he’d had a healthy piggy bank, even after donating regularly.)

He finished writing a note for Alfred, explaining that he’d gone to find his birth parent (it would be found the next morning when Alfred came in to take his laundry, assuming he was gone that long.)

That done, Jason called a taxi to take him to the bus station, feeling hopeful about his upcoming adventure.

***

Jason walked through the library’s doors, taking a moment to admire the architecture. While he would forever have a fondness for Gotham’s aesthetic, the classic features that represented hundreds of years of history for this library spoke to him in a way that Jason felt deep in his soul.

Once he focused back onto his mission, he looked around again. This time, it was for someone who could help him. Spotting the front desk, he walked up confidently.

“How can I help you?” The librarian asked. It was a woman with dark hair and kind eyes.

“I’m looking for someone that works here? His name is Flynn Carsen.”

Was it him or did the librarian in front of him become suspicious?

“What is this about? Maybe I could help you.”

Yep, there was suspicion in her tone. Jason wondered what this was about. Flynn’s file didn’t say much about his job. He did travel a lot on behalf of the library. He probably did a lot of rare book buying for the library. Maybe he made a few enemies in acquisitions?

“It is a matter of a personal nature.” Jason did his best to look confident. “I need to speak to him about it.”

“Uh huh.” There was a slightly skeptical eyebrow. “Okay, well, you’ll need to talk to Charlene then. She’ll know where he’s at at the moment.”

“Okay, where’s Charlene?”

The librarian stepped out from behind the desk.

“Come with me.” The suspicious nature was still there, but it was lesser. The librarian smiled at him and beckoned for him to follow.

She led him through the library and up a huge staircase. Once up the staircase, they went down a bit to the left, before going past a few rows of shelves, filled with beautiful books that Jason’s hands itched to explore. Once past them, there was a woman at a desk.

“There she is.” The librarian pointed towards the woman at the desk.

“Thank you.”

He gave a smile he hoped was charming. It must have worked, because the woman relaxed a fraction and gave him one in return.

“Hi I’m” He began before being cut off.

“I told Flynn not to order take out for here.” She waved a couple twenties in his face. “Here, just leave the food, take it, and go.” She sounded exasperated.

“I-I’m not take out.” He stuttered out.

The woman put the money down and focused a piercing gaze at him. And he thought the librarian that brought him here had looked suspicious. She was a kitten compared to Charlene.

“Then why are you here?”

The question was neutral, at least.

“I’m looking for Flynn Carsen. I was told you could help me.”

The woman gave him a once over.

“Are you a student, wanting his help? Just because he does guest lectures, doesn’t mean he has time to be a full-time mentor.”

“No, I’m not a student.” Jason was starting to get nervous. Was Flynn even here? He could be traveling. Not to mention Charlene seemed to be going out of her way to keep him from seeing Dr. Carsen. “I need to speak with him. About personal business.”

“And just what is this personal business?”

Jason was almost ready to tear out his hair, he was so nervous.

“It’s personal.” He tried to insist.

“Flynn Carsen and I have worked together for years. You don’t see him unless I let you.” Charlene’s tone brooked no nonsense. “So I need something a little better than that.”

Wordlessly, and out of options, Jason handed her Catherine Todd’s letter.

He watched as she opened it and read the lines. He saw the moment she found his reason for being there, watching her eyes widen. She looked up at him, back down to the letter, and then back to him, gently setting down the letter.

“I will go fetch him. You just stay here.” Her tone wasn’t suspicious anymore. It almost sounded excited.

Jason found a nearby chair and settled himself. He waited, pulling out his copy of Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen to read a quick page or two.

He ended up reading ten pages before he heard Charlene’s heels click on the floor, along with the tread on men’s shoes. Jason closed his book in an instant, looking up at the man at Charlene’s side.

Flynn Carsen was dressed like a cliche college professor, with a tweed jacket and baggy shirt and pants. Jason noted that, despite this, the man wore sensible running shoes. Looking at his face, Jason looked for himself. He cataloged his nose and eye shape. Though the hair was lighter, the texture was the same.

As he looked at the man, there was a shocked look on his face. That continued as Charlene handed him Catherine’s letter. That seemed to pull Flynn from his shock, as he gained a calculating look as he scanned the page.

“Sheila Haywood. I remember her!” Flynn handed the letter back to Charlene and began gesticulating. “It was an arranged blind date! She was a med student, I was studying for my second doctorate! We went on three dates before it fell through!” Flynn gesticulated so hard, he turned his whole body towards Jason. He paused, as if registering Jason’s presence. He knelt slightly, placing his hands on Jason’s shoulders. “I had no idea. And now you found me? That’s fantastic! I have a son! I have a son.” The last sentence was said in a disbelieving, questioning tone.

“I assume you’re Flynn?” Jason stammered out, feeling oddly shy after all that.

Flynn laughed.

“Yeah, sorry. I’m Flynn Carsen. And you’re Jason…Todd?” Flynn glanced back at the letter, still being held by Charlene.

“Yep, Jason Todd.” He wondered if he should have said Todd-Wayne, since Bruce did go through the formal adoption. But that seemed a world away and right now, he just wanted to get to know this excitable man with more degrees than Jason thought possible.

“It is so nice to meet you, Jason.” Flynn stood. “Charlene, I’m taking the rest of the day off.”

“I’ll let Judson know.” Charlene replied, handing the letter back to Jason and returning to her desk. She quickly returned to her typing.

“C’mon, I know a great burrito place a few blocks from here.” They walked down the hall, back down the stairs, and out the door.

The whole time, Flynn rambled. It was nice.

By the time they got to the burrito place (a tiny building with a few tables and amazing smells), Jason knew that Flynn had just returned from Chile just earlier that day, he had a grandmother that would have adored him that passed away five years previously, Flynn had worked as a librarian for the last eight years, and had a huge variety of interests.

They ordered their food (Flynn insisted on paying) and sat down.

Feeling awkward, Jason wasn’t sure what to say. Fortunately (or perhaps unfortunate), Flynn had no problem starting a conversation.

“So, the letter said that your mom passed. I’m sorry.” The suddenly sober tone was a bit of a shock after the jovial rambling and occasional exclamation.

“It was years ago.” As he said it, there was a lump in his throat.

“Still doesn’t mean it doesn’t hurt. I understand.” The seriousness continued. Jason remembered him mentioning his own mom passing. Suddenly, Flynn clapped his hands. “So, where have you been since then? If you’ve been in foster homes, I can see about getting custody.”

Jason’s heart was full at that. Such simple acceptance after Bruce’s judgemental glances was amazing to Jason.

“I lived on the streets for a couple years before being taken in by a billionaire.” Flynn looked shocked at that. Jason really hoped the man wasn’t fond of rags to riches stories. The condescending tones from judgemental people using the term had given Jason a huge fucking dislike of the phrase.

“Wow. Okay, and you still wanted to meet me?”

Jason shrugged, blushing at the awe in his father’s tone.

“Just because someone has money doesn’t mean it’s all smooth sailing.”

Flynn nodded, before getting a dark look on his face.

“He hasn’t hit you, has he? Because statistics for abuse and neglect in higher income households—”

“No, he never laid a hand on me.” Jason cut off Flynn before the man told him the latest statistical analyses on bad parents. He took a deep breath. “I messed up and I can tell he regrets taking me in.”

Flynn took a minute to answer, which was surprising to Jason. He took a chance to bite into the burrito, now perfectly cooled. It was as delicious as promised.

“Adults have a lot going on. I’m sure it wasn’t you. From what I’ve seen, you’re perfectly nice.”

Jason just barely held in his snort. He was mid-chew and that would not have felt good.

Perfectly nice, what a compliment.

“Why don’t we get a hold of him? I’m sure he’s missing you like crazy right now.”

Jason swallowed.

“He’s out of the country on business. He’s hard to get a hold of right now. Alfred won’t even notice I’m gone until tomorrow.”

“Alfred?”

“The butler. He’s practically B’s dad.”

“I’m assuming B is your foster dad.”

Jason nodded.

“Bruce Wayne.”

Flynn looked befuddled for a minute, as if trying to recall the name. Jason supposed that was a normal thing outside of Gotham. In Gotham, everyone knew Bruce Wayne.

“Okay, so will I be charged for kidnapping? Because I’d rather not be.”

What?

“I left a note, saying I was seeking you out. I’ve got my phone.” He pulled his cell phone out of his pocket for emphasis.

“Alright. You can stay with me until your foster dad gets back or the butler calls. I’m sure they’ll be very worried about you.”

Jason nodded reluctantly.

“So, why did you seek me out? I know you said there were issues, but running away to find a birth parent that may have chosen to give you up in the first place seemed pretty risky.”

Jason’s throat tightened. He gave a small cough.

“I messed up. I wanted to do something bad and, even though I didn’t do it, somebody got killed. B thinks I did it, despite promising not to. He doesn’t believe me.”

Flynn looked at him with a deep scrutiny.

“That’s a pretty heavy issue. That said, I’m sure he doesn’t blame you. You’re only a kid.”

Jason shrugged, unconvinced. Not wanting to talk about it more, he took a huge bite of his burrito.

Flynn raised an eyebrow, but took a bite of his own burrito.

***

Flynn sat in the slightly dusty apartment, suddenly glad he had taken Judson’s advice and not moved permanently into the Library. Keeping his mother’s apartment had been more akin to keeping a storage space, his own bedroom having stacks of his books and a bed that he occasionally crashed on. He had given up his own apartment when his mom first got sick. The rest of the apartment was partly just like his mom had left it, partly packed up and replaced with more books of his own. The one untouched place was his mother’s bedroom.

So that was where he put Jason for the night.

Jason. Okay, now that he had the kid fed and taken care of, Flynn could properly freak out.

So he did.

He had a son, a living, breathing, human son that he had helped create.

He couldn’t help but think about all of those hints his mother made over the years in an attempt to have him settle down, often citing wanting grandchildren to spoil. And now here was one in her room.

He wanted to cry over the irony.

He remembered Sheila. Aside from his near perfect recall, Sheila was not the type of woman that was easy to forget. They had initially bonded over not wanting to be on the date in the first place. He had been tricked into it, thinking he was going to take his mom out to celebrate her promotion at work and Sheila had been guilted into it by her roommate. They ended up getting along enough to go to bed once or twice. But as soon as they had satisfied the interested parties, they called it quits with no regrets.

He had kept up on her achievements a few times over the years, hearing about her graduating and her name had been mentioned as doing good work in war-torn countries. He thought he may have heard about a scandal a few years back, but he wasn’t sure of the details.

He wondered if she had done the same, if seeing him act as a perpetual student, collecting degrees over the years, never settling, was why she never contacted him. It made sense.

That didn’t stop the hurt in his chest.

He looked over at the door to his mom’s room, to Jason. He already loved this boy, so bright and curious, despite clearly not having the best life. At least he had managed well in the end, staying with a foster parent that could supply for his basic needs.

Though, given what Jason had said earlier that day, perhaps the needs weren’t enough. Not that Flynn would be any better. The demands of being the Librarian had ruined so many potential relationships, had kept him on the move. Could he really try to raise a teenager while doing it? Especially because he knew that the false explanations or even lack of them would leave Jason as disappointed as all of his previous relationships, both romantic and familial, had been.

Flynn didn’t know what to do.

He sighed. Likely, the butler would know in the morning and call Jason (there was a butler . Jason would be okay, he reminded himself).

With that thought, Flynn shook his head and grabbed a book for some light reading before bed.

***

Three days passed and there had been no word. Jason looked down at the phone, willing it to ring.

As he checked the phone to see if he had missed a call due to sleep, his heart sank as he gained further proof that he had been right. There was no way Alfred had missed his disappearance for this long. He would have gotten through to Bruce on the emergency line. They would have tracked his phone and found him if they couldn’t simply call.

But there was nothing.

He got up, needing to get his mind off of this. He decided to make breakfast.

As he stepped into the kitchen, he found a note from Flynn stating that there had been a minor emergency at the Library (why Flynn had insisted on capitalizing it, he had no idea) and had to leave early.

That would leave Jason alone with his thoughts. Nope, he wasn’t going to do that.

Jason decided that, since Flynn wasn’t here for breakfast, it didn’t mean he couldn’t take breakfast to him. So, Jason whipped up a few omelets, and a couple slices of bacon. He packed it up in some of the prettier Tupperware containers (because breakfast deserved the extra attention to detail, fuck anyone that said otherwise), and locked up the apartment, holding onto the emergency key Flynn had given him after that first day.

As he walked to the library (he didn’t know the subway system yet and he had traveled farther as Robin), he thought about what kind of things counted as “minor emergencies” to librarians. It beat thinking about anything else and he had fun thinking up fun scenarios and then impossible ones. After thinking up the image of the stone guardians outside the Library coming to life and rampaging through, scaring patrons, he shook his head. It was a library, for fuck’s sake!

As he finally came up to the building, he patted the stone creatures at the bottom for good measure and then walked up cheerily.

He remembered the route to Charlene’s desk, so he started towards it, not even glancing towards the help desk, lest someone stop him for bringing food into the library (he wasn’t sure if it was allowed or not, given Charlene’s reaction to thinking he was a food delivery guy the other day, so he hurried along with the idea that it was allowed).

He got partway there when Flynn came flying past him, distracted and clearly in a rush. Jason pivoted and followed. Flynn quickly sensed he was being followed, though, so Jason hid himself when the man turned around. Once he had begun walking again, Jason fell into his Robin training and kept a further distance, following him with little trouble.

After a minute, Flynn got into a cab with a bag he had been carrying. Jason quickly got into another, feeling a bit foolish asking the cabbie to follow Flynn’s ride. The cabbie gave him a clear look of skepticism. If it wasn’t for Jason flashing his allowance money, the man would have likely refused him outright. Instead, he sighed and followed the cab.

A few minutes in, Jason’s phone went off. Hopeful, he pulled out his phone. His heart sank a bit as he saw it was Flynn.

“Hello?”

“Jason, hey! I’ve got some bad news buddy. I’ve tried to get out of this, but the library is insisting on sending me out of the country for a book. I’m so sorry.”

The man sounded genuine. Jason couldn’t help but compare it to Bruce. The first few times it happened with Bruce, usually for Justice League missions, he had sounded genuinely sorry too. Then, as time went on, it became more like a standard status update, more run-of-the-mill. He had missed someone sounding like this.

“It happens. If B or Alfred call or show up while you’re gone, what should I do?” After three days, Jason wasn’t betting highly on it. Three days of silence made things pretty clear. But, there was still a possibility.

“If they will, I’ll explain the situation and that you wanted to make sure they could still find me.” Jason lied. Bruce and Alfred could find him anywhere in the world.

They said their goodbyes and he hung up. They were approaching the airport. Jason paid the guy and gave a decent tip before getting out and looking around for Flynn. He spotted him just as he disappeared. Jason began a jog to catch up. Fortunately, in a busy airport, getting caught as a tail was a lot harder. He was able to catch up in no time. He followed for a few minutes before seeing which gate he was going to. Once he had that noted, he checked the flight times, cross referencing them with the amount of time needed to go through security and current time. There was only one flight.

He rifled through his backpack, pulling out the tupperware in order to keep the food intact (he was glad he hadn’t made pancakes like he originally planned, no syrup to cause issues in security). There was his passport and more of his saved allowance. There was enough for a flight ticket.

He went over to one of the terminals and bought a ticket for the flight. Since Flynn was likely to be in business class (or economy if the library was cheap), Jason splurged on first class (thank you Bruce and your ridiculous ideas of allowances). Once he had it printed, he went through security (remembering to throw away the plasticware beforehand) and did his best to keep his distance from Flynn until it was time to board.

*****

Bruce frowned as he looked over the information. It had been a few days since Alfred called him and told him that Jason had run away. The two of them had gone through everything left behind, including the birth certificate, Jason’s note, and the address book. The address book had the best lead, giving three names that started with “S”. One had been circled, but Bruce knew he needed to eliminate the others. It was possible that someone else had circled the name completely unrelated to Jason’s search.

He hoped that hadn’t been the case, given the occupations of the first two candidates. A Mossad spy was always troublesome. And Lady Shiva…

Bruce shuddered. It was fortunate she was willing to talk and said he was the first arrival in several months.

That left the circled name, Sheila Haywood. According to the search on the Batcomputer (he scolded Jason so many times on leaving research open on the computer, but he was quite happy his son had ignored him this time, when every second counted), Sheila was a doctor involved with charity care in Ethiopia. While it wasn’t the same country as the Joker and his plans, it was still too close for comfort.

He had made it to the area that Haywood was said to be working out of without issue. The tents and people gave away that it was the right location. So, he began to work, looking for a woman that fit the description. There were a few blonde women, but none of them quite matched perfectly or were nurses instead of Doctors or answered to a different name.

In the end, Batman was forced to make contact, asking for Haywood’s location. Once the person he asked got over their shock of seeing Batman far from Gotham, they were extremely helpful. He had only missed Sheila Haywood by thirty minutes, as she had left to deliver medical supplies.

He left in the direction of the tracks, flying overhead in the Batcopter, pushing the speed. He felt the adrenaline pump more and more through him as he crossed every mile, getting closer to Jason.

Then, the worst happened.

He could see the explosion light up the sky, feeling the heat through the batcopter. He set down, hoping he wasn’t too late.

There was the Joker, laughing at the explosion.

“What did you do?” He demanded, clenching his fists, hating that he couldn’t lay a hand on the Joker at the moment.

“Why Batsy! You came? I’m honored.” Giving a bow, the Joker looked towards the flames. “I’ve simply been tying up some loose ends, you know how it is.”

The smirk Joker gave left Batman with a tight feeling in his gut.

Batman ran towards the flames, intent on finding Jason. He spotted the body of a blonde woman—Sheila Haywood—lying there with a bullet to the head. Frantically, Batman continued to look around, using his rebreather to keep from passing out. He found no body. A small hope began to grow within Batman. Perhaps Jason hadn’t made contact before Sheila left.

That hope died away as he looked at what must have been the epicenter for the explosion. There was blood. Too much to have been accidental. The Joker would have had to strap someone right on the incendiary devices for that much blood.

Batman stepped out of the tent in a daze. The Joker had left, not that Batman would have been able to do anything. But he didn’t even have a body to—

He cut that thought off. Instead, he called Alfred.

“Haywood is dead. She was working with the Joker.” He informed Alfred. “If Jay was in there—” His voice grew tight. “If Jay was in there, there was no body left. We need confirmation.”

“I understand sir.” Alfred voice said, a noticeable tremble in it. “Calling his cell phone now.”

Batman held his breath as he could hear Alfred dialing. Jason often turned the locator in his phone off, citing wanting privacy, so Bruce hadn’t tried to track him through that. And he had wanted to talk to his son face-to-face. Given he felt the need to run away, Bruce doubted he would pick up. Face-to-face would have been best.

“The number you have dialed is not currently working right now. Please hang up and try again.” The automated voice stated.

“Try again.” Batman ordered.

So Alfred did.

And again.

And again.

“Stop.” He finally ordered.

There was no doubt now. Jason’s cell phone had been destroyed in the blast as well. His son was dead.

***

Jason had managed to avoid Flynn the entire flight and even kept a tail on him for a fair distance before his luck ran out.

It was only after Flynn left the cab and was partly down a trail that Jason was even noticed.

“What are you doing here?” Flynn demanded, coming out of nowhere.

Jason jerked in surprise. He thought Flynn hadn’t even noticed him as the man sat in a cantina. Unfortunately, in jerking, Jason fell backwards, landing on his backpack. Hearing a crunch, he sighed.

“I followed you.”

Might as well be honest. It wasn’t like Jason couldn’t handle whatever Flynn had to do to get his rare book. It was probably kiddie stuff compared to Gotham.

“Why?” Flynn asked as Jason opened the backpack to inspect the damage.

The food was intact, but his cell phone had been crushed. Cursing up a storm, Jason pulled out the cell phone pieces, prying them open to keep the sim card.

“Because I wanted to bring you breakfast.” Jason said, a little glib, pointing at the tupperware.

“Long way to go for a breakfast, kid.” Flynn was kneeling down, helping him pack the food back into the backpack.

“I saw you leave and I didn’t want to be on my own.” Jason admitted.

Flynn gave a small smile at that.

“As nice as the sentiment is, what about your family?”

Jason sobered.

“It’s been three days.” He reminded Flynn. “On top of that, if they wanted to find me, they could have. I know how to take a hint.”

Jason lowered his face, feeling the tears in his eyes.

Flynn gathered him in a hug.

“I’m sorry Jace. Maybe they’re just wanting to give you some space. Maybe they’re waiting for you at home right now.”

Jason snorted, but didn’t let go of the hug.

After a minute, Flynn let go and got up. Jason followed suit.

“Alright, I’ve got a room at a local hotel ready. You can stay there with me until this job is over. But you will stay at the hotel.”

Jason immediately began protesting.

“Jace.” Flynn looked serious. “Jason, I know you’ve been through a lot recently, but this is about your safety.”

“Look, if I promise I can defend myself, can I go? I’m perfectly safe, I promise.” Jason winced as he could hear a hint of a whine come out on the last few words.

Flynn sighed.

“Nope, I can’t risk you in all good conscience, no matter how good you are in self-defense.” Flynn tugged Jason’s sleeve. “Now come on, we’ll get you settled at the hotel.”

Chapter Text

Jason had long finished Sense and Sensibility and was working his way through the first part of North and South as he waited in the hotel room for Flynn.

He had arrived in the wee hours between night and morning missing his jacket and a black eye, as well as carrying a fancy box, presumably with the rare book inside.

“What are you still doing up?” Flynn asked upon seeing him.

“Couldn’t sleep.” Jason shrugged. “Decided to wait for you.”

“Well, it took longer to get to the buyer than I thought. I’m sorry for making you wait.”

Jason closed the book, his bookmark in place faster than a blink.

“No problem. Though, it looks like your competitor didn’t appreciate your acquisition.” Jason pointed to his eye to emphasize his point.

Flynn chuckled.

“What can I say? The world of rare books can get pretty cutthroat.” Flynn placed the box down and took his shoes off. “Now, I think we should at least get a couple hours of sleep before morning.”

Jason nodded, placing his book in his bag and moved to pull the covers over him, his lamp turned off.

For a hotel bed, Jason slept pretty decently. He managed a solid four hours on it before the door being ripped off its hinges woke him up. It took him half a minute to de-tangle himself from the blanket. Flynn had taken roughly the same time.

“I wouldn’t get any ideas, Librarian.” A man with a tattoo of a snake on his forearm said as he held a gun pointed at Jason.

Flynn held his hands up, glaring at the man. Jason only had one thought about this whole situation.

Fuck this.

Moving quickly, Jason kicked the man’s wrist, causing him to lose hold of the gun. His two partners, who had been grabbing the box and acting as back-up, noticed and began to attack.

Now, a hotel room isn’t, by and large, a spacious place, especially if the room is filled with more than one bed. There are exceptions, such as renting a suite or staying at a particularly high-end hotel. This room was not an exception.

As such, it took almost no time for the other two to reach him and Flynn.

Flynn dodged the first few attacks and even managed to slip around the goon that was focused on him. Jason chose another method.

Jumping onto the bed, Jason used the headboard and wall to gain momentum for a flip, landing on the goon. He performed a precision strike to the spine, causing the goon to collapse underneath him. Returning to the guy with the gun, Jason got off the goon and kicked the gun under the bed right before the guy could get a hold on it.

The guy, having seen Jason’s previous attack, was more prepared. He wasn’t bulky, but it was clear that what muscle the guy had was well-earned. He even managed a few good jabs at Jason before Flynn knocked him out from behind.

“Something tells me this is a bit more than cutthroat.” Jason quipped, referring to their earlier conversation.

“And I guess you weren’t kidding about being able to defend yourself.” Flynn replied, a speculative look at Jason. He turned to collect the box from where it had fallen near one of the unconscious goons. “We should see about getting an earlier flight. The further away from here we are, the better.”

There was clearly experience lacing the tone.

It was Jason’s turn to give Flynn a speculative glance. He kept his eyes trained on Flynn as they left the hotel, checking out, and got into the taxi on the way to the airport. Flynn moved with a grace that belied his librarian exterior. Though he wasn’t an expert fighter, he knew how to move his body for full advantage and had a decent amount of muscle that couldn’t be gained from hauling books around, no matter how heavy some of them may be.

Just what did Flynn actually do? Rare book acquisitions didn’t usually involve hotel break-ins or goons, not unless the book had something more going on besides monetary costs.

Jason looked at the box as they sat in the taxi.

It was elegant, gilded with fancy designs. The pattern was off though. It looked almost like it was pulsing, but also seemed to be missing odd portions in the pattern.

Flynn noticed his staring at one point and moved the box out of sight.

Jason had a million questions. Unfortunately, he couldn’t bring himself to ask any. As they flew home (Flynn insisting on paying for Jason’s flight back, despite Jason still having enough to spring for another first class ticket if he wanted), the questions came to the tip of his tongue over and over, but they wouldn’t be loosed like an arrow. He had only met Flynn a few days before. Even with the fact that they shared dna, it didn’t mean Jason had a right to Flynn’s secrets. It wasn’t like he had mentioned being Robin.

So, Jason tried to get some more sleep before they landed.

Feeling vaguely more rested, Jason had a bout of clarity. Flynn was a nice guy and seemed like he liked having Jason around, but he wasn’t Bruce. B, for all of their recent arguments and judgements, loved Jason. He had proven it time and time again. So, Jason would admit defeat and apologize for running away. Hopefully, B would forgive him and they could move on. He could keep in contact with Flynn and they could live their secret lives connected, but separate.

Jason felt really good about that plan. It was also when Jason remembered about his broken cell phone and mentioned it to Flynn as they landed. They stopped at a cell phone store and bought a decent replacement model to put his sim card into.

That seed of hopefulness for the future was ultimately crushed. As he dialed the Manor, the phone didn’t even ring. Instead, he heard an automated message.

“I’m sorry, but this phone is out of service. Please use another phone.”

Bruce or Alfred had taken his phone off of their service. They cut ties with him completely.

Jason stood there, purely dumbfounded for a minute before he started crying. He could vaguely feel Flynn rubbing his back as he cried “they don’t want me” and “I messed up” over and over again. Later, Jason would make jokes about the awkwardness of the other customers in the store dealing with his breakdown. But for now, Jason didn’t care. He just wanted to see his dad again.

***

Alfred had been through many tragedies in his lifetime. This was not the first, nor would it likely be the last, given Bruce Wayne’s penchant for nighttime activities.

But this certainly had to be the hardest.

Once Master Bruce had confirmed the blood type to Jason’s from the sample near the incendiary devices, Alfred got to work.

He made the arrangements. Since there was no body, they had to declare him missing instead of dead. There would be no sense of closure, no proper goodbye, not for a few years, at any rate.

So, Alfred did what could be managed instead.

He canceled various accounts in Jason’s name, his cell phone (likely destroyed with him), and informed the school and police of his status.

Once that was done and Master Bruce confirmed to be on his way home, Alfred went to his room, sat on his bed, and grieved.

He loved all members of the Wayne family, from Master Thomas and Mistress Martha to Master Dick and his exuberance. But young Master Jason had been the only one who he taught to cook. He was the only one that would discuss books over tea with Alfred. He was the only one who could make Master Bruce smile like he did before his parents’ murder.

Alfred loved all members of the Wayne family, but Master Jason held a special place in his heart.

He stayed on his bed until it was time to go pick Master Bruce up from the airport.

***

Flynn was overwhelmed. He was overwhelmed in a way that he hadn’t been since that first mission for the Library.

When Jason first arrived, he had that initial excitement about meeting someone he had helped create. As the boy explained the situation, Flynn had prepared for everything to work out and for Jason to go home after a few days. He had hoped they would stay in touch. Given the Library, it would certainly be the easiest situation for all.

Then Jason followed him on his mission. He had freaked out. How had Jason even been able to follow him? Then there was the fight with the Serpent Brotherhood in the hotel room.

Jason was clearly competent at fighting and defense on top of being highly intelligent. Flynn had taken a closer look at Jason beyond the tiny teenager he presented to the world.

There was certainly more than he was saying. Being good at defense is one thing. Flynn had become good at defense out of necessity after losing Nicole to time. There hadn’t been a new Guardian called and Flynn knew how much he had relied on her during their few months together to stay alive.

Jason was an extremely skilled fighter. And not in the way someone on the streets learns to fight, either.

But all of that had little to do with the current situation.

Jason couldn’t go home.

His son had been fully, unambiguously rejected by those he had depended upon.

Flynn wasn’t the vengeful type. He was fairly upbeat, willing to live and let live when he wasn’t forced into kill or be killed situations. He didn’t know the whole story behind Bruce Wayne’s decision.

All he knew was that he had a teenage boy in front of him with nowhere to go.

So, Flynn skipped heading to the Library. Now that they were back on American soil, it would take a few hours at minimum before the Brotherhood came after the Box of the Moon and Sun. Instead, he took Jason and the box back to the apartment, hugging the boy constantly, and settling him into the bedroom he had been using for a nap.

With that done, Flynn decided to consider his options.

He would take custody of Jason. Aside from ensuring the boy didn’t end up on the streets again, he was growing to love Jason and wanted to make sure he would be alright. But the last few days had been just a temporary thing, a waiting game.

Now the game was over and there were logistics to handle.

His work as the Librarian meant he wouldn’t be home often. Jason was fifteen, so he didn’t need a minder necessarily. But his foster dad just abandoned him and Flynn not being at the apartment often would likely not go down well.

There was also the custody issue. Legally, Flynn had no connection to Jason. He wasn’t on the birth certificate, nor was he qualified to be a foster parent. If he was to try the legal route, there would have to be a dna test and probably a court case. That would involve Wayne, which would hurt Jason. He would check with the Library to see if they could magic up a new birth certificate for Jason. It would be less dangerous than a normal fabrication and simpler to keep custody, as well as avoiding involving Bruce Wayne.

Of course, that all depended on him talking with Charlene and Judson.

Tentative plan in place, Flynn wrote a note for Jason, leaving his cell phone for the boy, as well as writing the number for Charlene if he needed to get ahold of Flynn.

Taking the box and ensuring Jason was resting, Flynn left for the Library.

***

“So, you’re taking custody?” Judson asked as Flynn finished rambling about his last mission.

“That’s what you got from my complaining about the Brotherhood?” Flynn sighed. “Yeah. I need to make sure he’s alright and since his foster dad has all but kicked him out, he needs a home.”

“That is a pretty big responsibility you’re taking on. Teenagers are a handful.” Judson said in his comforting way.

That was one of the things Flynn liked about Judson, even after all these years. He would very rarely tell Flynn no, just remind him to weigh the risks involved. If Flynn was determined and sure he could handle it, then Judson simply wished him luck.

“They are, but I’m his father. It’ll take some doing to balance finishing raising him and my Librarian duties, but it is possible. I might even be able to take him with me on occasion.” Flynn admitted. “You should have seen him in the hotel room. He’s trained in martial arts and parkour at the very least. He’s also incredibly intelligent. Our conversations about literature analysis show that he’s almost at a university level of understanding.”

Flynn wanted nothing more than to introduce Jason to Judson. The man had been a father figure to him, even after his death a few years before.

Flynn smiled, but, before he let himself get too far ahead, he brought up the second reason for arriving at the Library so soon (aside from bringing in the Box.)

“Of course, for any of this to work, I have to gain custody. As his father, I should have a right. But my name isn’t on the certificate. And there would probably be a court case involved. I need to do what is best for him. Court case also means foster care and potential exposure to the foster dad that abandoned him.” Flynn hoped Judson was reading between the lines. Flynn hated having to admit to asking how to commit magical fraud.

“You’ll need to talk to Jenkins. He’ll know how to set up a magical identity. He does it for himself every few decades.” Judson answered.

“Great. Jenkins. Just two questions.” Flynn looked pleadingly at Judson. “Who is Jenkins and where can I find him?”

Judson chuckled in that small way that didn’t really sound like a chuckle.

“Jenkins is a researcher here at the Library. He’s worked with a lot of our collection over the years.” Judson then gave him directions to the Annex Jenkins worked out of.

“Thanks, Judson.” He told the reflection, wishing he could physically hug the man.

Flynn walked down the corridors, going left, right, right, down the stairs, left, and left again until he found the right door. Opening it, he found a room that was filled with what could be described as organized chaos. As Flynn had his own preference for such things, he appreciated it as he looked around. There was no person in sight, certainly no one that could be considered a person named Jenkins.

Flynn had never been the most patient of people. That hadn’t changed much in the years as the Librarian. So, he began poking around, wanting to see what kinds of research Jenkins was up to.

“Put that down!” A stern voice said. It wasn’t a shout, but there was certainly a raised voice.

Flynn put the object down quickly, but gently, turning around to explain himself.

“Librarian.” The man recognized him. “I apologize, but that is at a very delicate stage right now.”

“Jenkins, I presume?”

“Yes.”

Flynn clapped his hands together.

“Nice to meet you. I’ve been referred to you. I was hoping you could help me with something quite important.”

The man looked quite pleased at being sought out for help. Flynn made a note of that for future use.

“How can I help the Librarian?”

“I’ve been told you’re adept at making magical identities?”

Jenkins deflated a little at that.

“Hmm. Oh yes, I can make those in my sleep.”

Flynn smiled encouragingly. Jenkins just looked annoyed at that.

“Right. Well, in that case, it shouldn’t be an issue.” Flynn could feel himself getting nervous. “I recently found out I have a son and need to ensure custody. His current situation is…complicated.” Complicated was a good word to tell someone he had just met. So Flynn waved his hand as he said it. “It would make things easier if we could set up a new, separate identity for him.”

“Very well. How old is he and what name should I use?” Jenkins began to putter around at this point. As if creating magical identities was an everyday task. Then again, Jenkins and his ability to make them was why Flynn was here.

“Jason Carsen.” Flynn decided. He could have gone with Sheila’s last name, cause people to come to natural conclusions with why Jason only now came into his life, but he liked the idea of Jason Carsen more than Jason Haywood. Call him petty for Sheila never telling him, but it was his current decision. The only one who would be allowed to decide otherwise was Jason. “He’s fifteen.”

“Very well. I’ll have it ready in an hour.” Jenkins began to pour himself a cup of tea.

Flynn thanked him and left.

An hour later, he left the Library with a packet of documents. It seemed the identity was thorough.

“Normally, I’d simply use the person’s dna, but since you’re the father, I used yours to trace him. The best way to make it believable is to use as much of his real life as we can.” Jenkins informed him.

Flynn found the whole process interesting. If he had more time, he’d love to dive into researching. He had picked up enough to use magic when necessary, but any spare time he had for research was used for his more well-known academic achievements.

***

Jason woke. The sun was shining high in the sky. The hum of the air conditioning unit in the window was the only background noise.

As he rubbed his eyes, trying to get the sleep gunk out of them, he felt numb.

He reached the phone off the nightstand and tried making a call to Alfred.

The automated voice assured him that he had been right the day before. He was cut off, sent packing, and given up on.

He had been afraid for so long after Bruce benched him that he would be kicked out. Hell, that was why he looked into his birth parents in the first place.

But there was a difference in it being his choice and having the choice made for him.

Jason turned over in bed. He wasn’t even sure Flynn wanted to keep him. He was pretty easygoing and adapted with Jason’s presence, handling his visit, but that was a long way from keeping a teenager long-term that just developed a fuckton of abandonment issues.

He had fucked up big time.

And he didn’t know what to do about it.

Bruce had always chided him about acting without thinking. That had mainly been about fieldwork as Robin, but it definitely applied now.

His stomach rumbled.

Reluctantly, he got up. No matter what, he needed to at least keep his basic needs kept, especially if the possibility of returning to the streets was on the table. So, he got dressed and went to the kitchen.

Noting the time was closer to lunch than breakfast, Jason put together a sandwich for himself. As he ate, he saw Flynn’s note and decided to keep distracted. So, he found the one TV in the apartment and turned it on. Since Flynn didn’t have cable, he found a dvd and popped it in.

The background noise of the movie soothed him and he was able to gather his thoughts in order. When Flynn came home, Jason would tentatively ask what Flynn was planning to do. In the probable case that Flynn would reluctantly agree to take him in (he definitely didn’t see the guy he’d gotten to know the last few days just throwing him out on his ass), then Jason would assure him that he had back-up plans and Flynn didn’t need to worry about him.

Depending on how mad Bruce was at him, he could probably still access the Wayne family bank account or even the trust fund Bruce established when he was first taken in. He could live very easily on that until he graduated high school. If he didn’t have access, he’d ask for enough cash to get him to Jump City and just stay at the Titan’s Tower. There were one or two that lived there full-time for various reasons. They did homeschooling and seemed fairly content. It might be a little awkward if they overlapped with the Justice League, but that almost never happened.

With some ideas and the beginnings of plans sketched out, Jason settled into genuinely watching the movie. He hadn’t gotten more than a few minutes watching in before the door opened and Flynn came in.

“Good, you’re up. How’re you feeling?” Flynn asked him.

Jason shrugged, ready to get the conversation over with.

“That’s okay. Sorry, I took longer than I planned. I had to take the package in and, while there, I had a few things to take care of.” Flynn joined him on the couch before handing Jason a small stack of documents.

Jason took them, confused.

As he looked through them, his confusion turned to pure shock.

There was a birth certificate for Jason Carsen, son of Sheila Haywood and Flynn Carsen, a driving permit, passport, social security card, even school records.

Jason looked at Flynn, an unidentifiable emotion rolling through him.

“What is this?” He had to know for sure. This couldn’t be a joke or something that Flynn could just change his mind about later. This would give him a permanent place.

Flynn fidgeted as Jason looked at him, touching the back of his neck, and his face scrunched up.

“I know that staying here permanently wasn’t the plan, but I’d like for you to stay. And, if you don’t want to, that’s fine!” Flynn started gesticulating. “We can make other arrangements if you’d prefer. I don’t want to force you to stay just because of what your foster dad did to you.” Flynn winced as the words left his mouth. “Just…just know that this is an option. I’d like you to think about it.”

Jason looked down at the documents. These forgeries were nearly perfect to his trained eye, no flaws that would give away the creator. If he hadn’t known these documents hadn’t existed yesterday, he would have believed them genuine. They were certainly not cheap. The kinds of people that could make something like this were also dangerous. And for Flynn to have them made, and give them to him as an option, with no surety…

Jason looked back up at Flynn. There was no hesitation in him when he said

“I’d like to stay. Jason Carsen sounds like a good kid.”

Flynn beamed at him and Jason felt something other than the numbness that had been with him from the time he woke, a warm happiness.

***

As the first few weeks passed, life for the Carsens settled quite happily.

There had been a few growing pains as they got used to each other and started planning things on a more permanent basis.

Jason was registered to a nearby private school. Since there was only a week left of school, he had gone in and tested for the level he would enter come August. The school also set-up a partially self-guided course of study for Jason, given the school records that came with his new identity. According to Jenkins, the grades were pulled from Jason’s previous life. The magic simply extracted from it to allow for a more realistic identity wherever possible. And those grades were fantastic. Flynn wouldn’t have been surprised if Jason would be valedictorian, if he stayed in high school long enough to go through graduation (Flynn had skipped his own ceremony, leaving high school midway through his second year to start his first degree after testing out of his classes.)

Flynn’s mom’s friends (who still worried and clucked over him in her place whenever they saw him) were enthralled with his new son. A few even declared themselves honorary aunts and insisted on giving the teen gifts that they said his mother would have, had she still been there. Jace would never lack for sweaters.

And, of course, Flynn did his best to balance duties to the Library with his new home life.

He and Jason had cleared out his mom’s room that first weekend. Flynn was expecting to be sad about it, but the room had become a tomb. Now, there was life in it again. He packed away the more treasured items, like the homemade comforter his mom made just to prove to Mrs. Agathorp that she could, or the photos of them together when he was a child, her jewelry, etc. He gave a good deal of her clothes and non-essentials to her friends and charity, figuring it was better to have her stuff still used.

And he and Jason redecorated the room. Painting it a soft blue, Jason had decorated with bookshelves (and accompanying books), posters, and a desk.

Flynn felt his heart lighten every time he looked at the door now.

Jason was also able to look after himself when Flynn had to go on missions. So far, he’d only gone on two, but he did his best to keep them as quick and nonlethal for himself as possible, not wanting to leave Jason without a parent again.

At least he would be okay sooner than Flynn had initially thought. The boy was so utterly brilliant, it hurt. Between Flynn’s intelligence and Sheila’s own brain, it would be obvious that Jason was smart. But he had a way of making connections between different subjects, as well as enough self-taught interests to make him a likely potential Librarian. As it was, if he kept up in his school, he’d be able to start working on his first degree by the end of the next school year. Whether that was by itself or in addition to his accompanying years in high school depended on how he did with the study plan. 

He was also more than happy to clean up after himself and cook most of their meals together, getting Flynn familiar with his diet plan. Flynn was passable, but his attempts were pretty bland compared to the miracles Jace could whip up in the kitchen. The apartment was also more dust free than it had been since he had taken it over.

They had arranged for finding a local doctor and therapist for Jason. Given the diet plan, as well as what Jace had told Flynn about his previous life, malnutrition was probably just the first of a few issues. The therapist was Flynn’s idea, given the recent upheaval in Jason’s life and seemed to be doing him good.

Overall, their new life together was fairly comfortable.

The only time Flynn had any issues was when Jason would probe about the Serpent Brotherhood, wondering why they had been attacked in the hotel room.

Flynn responded by probing about Jason’s defense skills. Flynn wasn’t the master of social graces, but turning the interrogation onto Jason had helped them come to a mutual unspoken promise to keep their own secrets.

Flynn hoped Jason would tell him. What he saw that night was far beyond what a person could pick up on the streets, like Jace had initially claimed. But he would be a hypocrite if he went further than that, given his duty to keep the Library a secret.

Fortunately, their combined knowledge meant that they could talk about almost everything else.

Jason had certainly surprised him with how knowledgeable he was in certain areas, speaking with an expertise that suggested years of familiarity with the subjects. And the subjects themselves were widespread and almost random at times.

They discussed art, literature, and history, but also forensics, languages, acrobatics, and so much more. Jason would often go to the Metropolitan Public Library where the Library was primarily based with Flynn and Flynn would leave him to read whatever caught his interest.

On days when Jason didn’t join him, he would find things to occupy himself with. Flynn had heard Jason mention going to a gym, as well as a bookstore and arcade.

It was steady in a way that Flynn had only felt in his missions over the last few years.

It was nice.

***

Dick entered the Manor, already in a foul mood. As soon as he returned from space for his mission, he had been summoned by B.

There was no explanation, no conversation. Just a simple “come to the manor.”

And Dick hated himself for coming.

He had taken some aspirin in advance, given the shouting match that was to come would give him a headache.

As he entered the Manor, it was quiet. The home was too large and had a natural quietness that occurred, but this quiet was not the same. This one was almost stifling. As he walked further into the Manor, the odd feeling from the quietness only grew. Alfred should have greeted him by now. Or he would have at least run into Jason.

Not finding Bruce in his office, Dick went down to the Batcave.

Bruce sat at the computer, his frame unusually heavy. He looked like the weight if the world was on him even more than normal.

“B? You called?” Dick tried for normal, but knew that he failed. There was a slight trepidation in his voice that could easily tie into his anger.

Bruce turned around, but he didn’t look at Dick. His eyes were focused on something behind Dick. Dick looked over, finding a display case, holding a Robin suit. Dick looked closer. It was Jason’s suit, having altered it to his preferences (and yet another reason he and Bruce had fought). Underneath it, there was a plaque.

As Dick read, he turned cold.

“What happened?” Perhaps he was a bit harsh, but if this meant what he thought it meant…

Bruce sighed before turning back to the computer.

“While I was overseas on a mission to deal with the Joker for the Justice League, Jason found out he had another parent, a birth mother. He ran off to find her.”

On the computer, scanned images were pulled up, one of a partially rotted birth certificate with a clear “S” circled on what was left of the “Mother” line. The other image was of a contact book with a name circled—Sheila Haywood.

Bruce continued, still not looking at him.

“Alfred alerted me the morning after he left. I eliminated the other possibilities and tracked the woman down. Unfortunately, I was too late. Sheila Haywood had been working with the Joker and, minutes before I arrived, he set off an explosion with her inside.”

The image on the computer changed, this time showing crime scene photos of a woman’s body and a blast zone.

“There was too much blood for one body, the blood type matching both Haywood and Jason. The leading conclusion is that he was sold out by Haywood after making contact, only for the Joker to betray her, tying Jason to the bomb before setting it off. There was no body. His phone was inoperable. And no sign indicating anything to contradict this.”

Dick felt the world move underneath him. He sat down on the floor, too weak to find a chair first. He looked at Bruce, who kept a steady voice as he reported this, as if it had simply been another nightly patrol.

“He has been declared missing for now, with the intent to declare him dead in a year.” Bruce concluded, finally turning away from the computer.

Dick had been taken in when Bruce was mid-twenties. And, even with a decade of vigilante experience, he had aged well. The Bruce in front of him looked far older. For him to look that haggard…

“How long ago?” Dick asked.

Bruce told him.

It was after he had gone to space, hard to reach but not impossible. For a second, Dick felt a flash of anger. Had Bruce even tried to contact him? But that left as he looked at Bruce again. The man contacted him as soon as he was back on Earth. And it wasn’t like he had missed the funeral. Jason was still considered missing to the public. There was nothing he could have done.

That didn’t make him feel any less guilty.

Had Jason tried to contact him first, only to be told he was unavailable? The kid liked to hang onto him, almost annoyingly so. Was his last memory of Dick another of his screaming matches with Bruce? And to be let down on when he may have needed an older brother?

Dick had failed as much as Bruce in this.

So, instead of yelling at Bruce about not telling him, he went over and gave the man a hug.

It wasn’t a great hug. Bruce was awkward and stiff, but after a minute he relaxed into the hug, placing his bulk onto Dick’s smaller frame.

Dick wasn’t sure how long they stayed like that, but Bruce eventually released him and turned back to the computer.

Right, back to business.

“You said it was the Joker?”

“He was untouchable at the time, made an Ambassador.” Bruce said angrily. “I’ve been working towards correcting that.”

Dick looked up at the file. If they even touched Joker, they’d be going to jail for a long time. Diplomatic immunity covered a lot of sins. It looked like Batman was making a case against Joker’s status. Given what had been known about the man when he had been made an Ambassador, it would take something major. But Batman had a good case.

“And when you do?”

“He’ll be taken care of.” Was Bruce’s short reply.

Dick nodded.

Things between them were still complicated. Dick still had so much anger. But, the fact that it had taken this for Dick to hug Bruce again was a sign. They needed to work through their issues.

“Let me know how I can help.” Dick offered.

Bruce didn’t smile. But he looked a little less sad.

Dick hugged him again.

It was too late to make things better for Jason. But maybe things with Bruce could be fixed.

Chapter Text

Jason developed a decent routine for his summer vacation in New York, even if he did feel a little restless at times. Going to the gym helped. It even had a gymnastics area, so Jason could keep up with the acrobatics Dick had taught him.

The ache in his chest as he remembered Dick’s pointers had lightened a bit over the weeks. The therapist helped him a lot with those feelings.

But there had been no sense of adrenaline, no feeling of justice as he helped people. He was just a normal kid in the city. He would go to the library, reading up on whatever interested him or reminded him of his training. He would go to the gym, keeping in shape. He would go to the local arcade, almost a relic in New York where it was a staple of entertainment in Gotham.

He needed something before he went insane.

Perhaps that was why he asked Flynn if he could go on his next trip with him. Jason had brought one of his Robin suits when he ran. He could modify it a bit and go patrolling in another country while Flynn was getting whatever the library needed. There would be enough distance and change for anonymity.

Jason did his best to look pleading, and Flynn agreed he could come.

The next day, they were flying to Greece.

He and Flynn compared myths on the way there. Jason had even managed to impress Flynn by knowing that the Midas myth involving his daughter was created in the 1800’s. That led to a fun discussion of modern retellings and the bad academia involved with certain revisions.

It was one of many such discussions they’d had and Jason found them a lot of fun. Aside from the intellectual challenge, Jason also enjoyed seeing Flynn’s face light up. He was so passionate about his interests and was more than happy to share his knowledge. He couldn’t help but wonder if he looked like that when he acted similarly.

They arrived in Greece with little issue and Jason got to test his new passport. The small ball of tension that had formed in his stomach as he packed it disappeared. He had used it in two countries now without issue. Jason Carsen worked for more than mere paper.

Flynn either knew what he was thinking or could see his tension, because he smiled at Jason and ruffled his hair. Jason mocked annoyance at that, but Flynn ignored it and continued to smile.

They arrived at a beautiful hotel that was far enough away from the tourist spots that they weren’t overcharged too much. Flynn spoke to the hotel clerk in fluent Greek (Jason had yet to learn it, but Bruce ensured he could at least recognize languages), which probably knocked down the price a bit more, at least if there was an overcharge applied to Americans. He’d seen it a couple times whenever he and Bruce had to play the “rude, dumb American tourist” role.

The hotel room was a lot more spacious, as well as being quite airy and filled with natural light. Beautiful to look at, but terrible for remaining secure. Jason only hoped that Flynn didn’t have those guys after him again this time.

“The auction isn't until tonight. Do you want to do the tourist thing this afternoon?” Flynn asked after they got settled.

“Sure.” Jason agreed. He could get an idea of the geography and plan out a basic patrol route. His suit was in his suitcase, disguised to pass as heavy clothing until put together.

They left, getting a taxi to the tourist sites, Flynn narrating the history of the town as they went. Jason was pretty sure that Flynn was an expert on the history of every vaguely well-known city. But it meant that there was never a dull moment with him.

They did the tourist thing for a few hours, Flynn buying him one or two small trinkets that he say Jason eyeing, and going on tours at a few of the more interesting monuments. The latter got to be especially interesting after Flynn corrected the tour guide one too many times and they were kicked out.

Laughing at the situation, they found a little restaurant to get lunch at. They drank sparkling waters and had some of the best pasta Jason had ever tasted.

Returning to the hotel room, they’d had a fun day. Jason tucked in for a nap before nightfall and Flynn mentioned making a call to Judson, who Jason had surmised was Flynn’s direct supervisor. He’d said hello to the man a few times on the phone, but had yet to meet him in person. Given he and Charlene were the only ones Flynn talked about in relation to work, Jason was more than a little curious about the man.

He understood that Flynn’s library work was highly specialized, when he was actually at the library, and that meant his office was off-limits. But he’d met Charlene plenty of times, gotten to know about her and her ex-husband, her current dating woes, her preferences in food, and having a shared love of penny dreadfuls. He knew nothing more about Judson than what Flynn had let slip.

With those thoughts, Jason fell into a light sleep.

***

Jason felt light in a way that he hadn’t since he had been benched by Bruce. As he roamed the rooftops, he found an ample supply of muggers going after drunk tourists. He had gotten his adrenaline rush and nobody would wonder why Robin was running around Greece.

He was about to head back to the hotel when he spotted the building Flynn had said the auction was in. Jason had always been a curious soul, one with more bravery than was probably good for him. That was what led him to stealing the Batmobile’s tires, after all. And it was what made him decide to crash the auction.

He landed on the roof with a perfect landing that, had he been practicing at the gym or with Dick back in Gotham, he would have pretended there was an audience to cheer him on. He didn’t see a skylight, so he unlocked the roof entrance and covered cameras as he walked down.

He found a convenient spot on one of the higher-up floors with the center of the bottom floor open to the rest of the building. The security guards had finished roaming the floor when he arrived, so he had at least ten minutes before they would come again. He sat, looking out at the auction floor. He spotted Flynn in the third row on the left. He looked to be in a bidding war with a woman.

It was getting quite heated, neither willing to back down. There was a sparkle in the woman’s eyes as it went on. She looked teasingly at Flynn a few times. Perhaps they were rivals? Jason enhanced the goggles to get a look at her wrist. No tattoo at least.

In the end, the woman won after making a far higher bid than they had done previously.

The auction moved to the next object and Flynn and the woman moved to leave.

Jason slunk to the end of the stairs, jumping down lest he run into security. After landing three floors down onto the expensive marble (which impacted his feet just as hard as regular concrete), he used the shadows to catch up to Flynn, lest he and the woman got into a fight.

“You have to understand, I need what is inside that artifact. I’m willing to pay you handsomely for it and let you keep everything else.” Flynn was insisting. “It is pre-Hellenistic, you have to admit that the deal is more than fair. Simply name your price.”

The woman was unimpressed. In clear, clipped tones she said

“I am not letting you take any part of my new purchase. If the object inside is so valuable, then it is likely worth keeping.”

“The thing is that it isn’t really valuable to anyone except me.” Flynn protested.

“And just what are you, to find value in something that no one else does?”

“I’m the Librarian.”

Jason felt his neck prickle at the casual use of magic Flynn used to imbue his words. As far as reasonings go, being a librarian was pretty weak. It made sense for Flynn to try to be persuasive. But where had he learned to do magic? Also, Jason noted that Flynn had said “the librarian”, as if it were a position of importance, a title, with no description of what he did as an explanation.

The woman stood there and blinked.

“That makes sense. Perhaps we could come to some sort of arrangement.”

Jason looked at the woman again. She seemed a touch dazed, but otherwise fine. She wasn’t mindless like a lot of magical persuasion made people. If Jason had to guess, it was more like her mind accepted the reasoning as logical. Of course, such things wore off fairly quickly after the caster got out of a reasonable distance or if someone unaffected questioned it.

Just what was going on?

Flynn and the woman walked together. Flynn was still Flynn, talking a touch too fast, happily sharing information on the piece they both bid on. As they walked, negotiations began for how much Flynn would give her. After settling on a price that covered perhaps one-tenth of her bid, they shook on it.

They entered a nearby room with a handler for the piece. Jason crept over to the door, sliding a listening device underneath the door.

The woman paid without fuss and collected the object (which turned out to be a statuette. Flynn showed her how the piece was actually made of two interlocking pieces and pulled them apart. Inside was something glowing, though Flynn didn’t tell her what it was. He pocketed it and the woman reminded him sharply that he owed her. He cut a check and they shook hands again before Flynn began to leave.

“Oh, Dr. Carsen, one thing before you go…” The woman trailed off.

A man walked in from another door on the other side of the room.

“We really don’t want to be parted from any aspect of the statue, if possible. You understand.” The man said, pulling out a gun.

Jason looked over to the woman again. She also had a gun, as well as a knife she presumably pulled from her hairdo, given her hair was now free.

Jason knew that Flynn, while able to handle himself, was in a terribly risky situation. So, Jason decided to act.

He banged open the door in an attempt at distraction and went barreling himself at the woman, as she was both closer and had more weaponry. She fought back, her muscles clearly well-developed in a way that belied her image. She even managed to get a good scratch at his face.

Finally, he managed to get a hold of her windpipe and held on until she began to fall unconscious. Careful of applying too much pressure, he let go immediately and gently set her down. Looking over at Flynn, he was wrestling with the man over the gun. After another moment, the gun was sent flying underneath a table.

The man grabbed a sword off the wall, to which Flynn followed suit. It seemed Flynn had some formal defense training after all, as he was able to compete as an expert swordsman with what Jason had to guess was a short sword.

They bantered as they fought, which Jason would normally enjoy (it seemed there was more that Jason got from Flynn than he had originally thought) but the woman was starting to stir. Jason got to work tying her up securely just as Flynn managed to knock the man down.

“Let’s go.” Flynn said as he tapped him on the shoulder, running past.

Did Flynn recognize him?

Pausing on that thought, Jason followed him. They ran to the front door, where Jason could feel a tickle of magic again. Maybe a luck charm? Just what was Flynn into?

Now that they were out of the building, Flynn slowed and looked for a car to use. Jason wasn’t in the mood for a car chase, so he pulled out his grappling gun and angled it for a nearby roof. Once loosed and secured, he grabbed Flynn by the waist and retracted the gun, forcing it to pull them up.

“Okay, you don’t grab a person without warning, man. What were you even doing there?” Flynn demanded as soon as they were safely on the roof.

It was the first time he had seen Flynn truly angry. A cold ball of anxiety formed in his gut. He had messed up. Hoping things would go easier without the mask, Jason peeled off the domino and began to form his apologies. However, he was cut off by Flynn.

“Jason!?!” He asked incredulously.

Oh, Flynn hadn’t known it was him. And Jason just gave himself away.

He felt like an idiot.

***

Flynn paced the hotel room, unable to wrap his mind around Jason. He had left the boy in the hotel room with a room service menu and a new copy of The Odyssey and an Ancient Greek Primer. The plan was for him to try to begin to read the first page.

Obviously, Jason had other plans he didn’t seek to inform Flynn about.

Flynn knew Jason had secrets. He had his own. He was trying to be respectful and not push boundaries while they were still getting to know each other.

But this was something that Flynn would have liked to at least have a hint about before!

This definitely explained Jason’s expertise in several subjects, as well as his fighting ability.

Eventually, he stopped pacing and looked at his son, sitting on the bed, still in his body armor. The armor wasn’t any particular hero or sidekick that Flynn had been aware of (he had kept up on the ones that made the news, in case he ran into one. It had come in handy when he had to argue jurisdiction with one of them a few years back). But Jason had been from Gotham. And Gotham had one particularly famous hero, who was known equally for his sidekick.

“Are you Robin?” Flynn asked gently, seeing how skittish Jason’s body language was.

Jason froze, before relaxing and sighing.

“I was. Since I ran away, I’m not sure if I still am. I was benched before.” Jason’s mouth quirked downwards. There was definitely a story there.

“Do you know how much danger you put yourself into? How did you even become Robin?” Flynn tugged his hand through his hair before settling onto his own bed.

“That’s a long story. I’ll trade you.”

Flynn was thrown.

“Trade?”

Jason nodded.

“Both times I’ve accompanied you, you’ve literally fought people, ones that carry guns. That is unusual for acquisitions. Not to mention your use of magic.”

It was Flynn’s turn to freeze.

“Whatever is going on is more than what you’ve told me so far. So what do you actually do?”

It was on the tip of his tongue to say that he wasn’t allowed to tell him. But Jason was a Potential Librarian (he had long since managed to confirm it with the Library). Perhaps he could be brought in on the secret.

“If I tell you, you’ll tell me about your superhero life?” Flynn wanted to confirm.

Jason nodded.

“Yeah, I promise.”

“Alright.” Flynn clapped his hands together, a little excited to actually be able to share this with Jason. “I was telling the truth when I said I was a librarian. I’m just not the kind you were thinking of.” He began.

The words flowed out of him, explaining the letter he had received, the interview with Charlene, meeting Judson, being sent on a mission right away, meeting Nicole Noone, decoding the Language of the Birds, and saving the world from the previous Librarian.

Jason looked enraptured at his tale.

“It was like nothing I had dealt with before that. And I knew that it was what I was meant to do with my life. So, I continued to work as the Librarian, picking up skills in order to help me survive, especially after losing my Guardian. And I’ve worked to keep people safe from those that would use various artifacts and items of magic to destroy everyone. That is the goal of the Library.”

“Huh.” Jason said after a minute. “That certainly explains the magic you used.”

“Yeah, it has come in handy a few times.” Flynn agreed. “Now, I’ve held up my end of the trade. Your turn.” He took a drink from a bottle of water he had bought earlier in the day.

“Alright. My turn for confession time.” Jace ran his fingers through his hair, much like Flynn had done earlier. “So, I mentioned living in the streets before getting taken in by Gotham’s Daddy Warbucks. But, he wasn’t the one to find me, Batman was. I saw the Batmobile parked on the street and figured the tires could keep me fed for weeks.”

“You stole Batman’s tires?” Flynn interrupted. His kid really did have a brave streak.

“Yep. Got three of them off before Bats returned. When he found me, I hit him with the tire iron.” Jace was smiling a bit smugly at that. Flynn just started laughing. “Anyways, once he realized I was a street kid, he took me to Wayne Manor where I was given into the custody of Bruce and trained up by Batman to be the second Robin.”

“Robin’s been around for a while now, how old were you when you started?” Flynn knew he wasn’t going to like the answer. Jason was only fifteen, almost sixteen now.

“I was trained for a year and then debuted at the age of thirteen.” Jason shrugged. “Batman made sure I could handle myself and drilled safety into my head so hard, I can still recite what to do in each situation in my sleep.” He moved to lay down. “If there is a gun and Batman has yet to arrive, hold back or leave. If Batman is present, provide support, but do not go after the bad guys on your own. In case of sharks with lasers on their heads, use the Batman provided shark repellent.”

“Gotham is landlocked on three sides and has one of the most polluted piers in the United States. When would sharks, especially with lasers on their heads, come up?” Flynn spluttered, thoroughly distracted for the moment.

Jason shrugged.

“Villains get all sorts of stupid ideas. Apparently one was a big fan of Dr. Evil from the Austin Powers movies and used the sharks idea from there. Didn’t work, but Batman is prepared for every possibility.”

Flynn squeezed the bridge of his nose.

“Alright. It is late and we have a flight to catch tomorrow. Let’s get some sleep and we’ll figure things out in the morning.”

“Alright.” Jason nodded.

They stripped out of their suits (Flynn’s being a classy tuxedo and Jason’s being a vigilante suit), cleaned themselves up, and went to bed.

“So, what is the glowing gem?” Jason asked the next day as he saw Flynn use a subtle magic to keep the Customs Officer from paying said glowing gem much attention.

“It is from the Necklace of Harmonia.” Flynn said absentmindedly.

“The necklace Hephaestus created purely to bring disaster to anyone that wears it? Should we be flying with that thing?” Jason was suddenly quite hesitant to step near the plane.

“It only works if it is worn. The necklace was melted down two hundred years ago and the pieces scattered. Unfortunately, someone has been trying to piece it back together for the last few years. When the Library found out that one of the pieces was resurfacing, we needed to ensure it didn’t fall into the wrong hands. Without the gem, the necklace won’t work. And the gem needs to be worn as part of jewelry to work.” Flynn patted Jason’s shoulder at that.

He relaxed.

“So how does the Library find out about this stuff?”

“The magic involved in the creation of the Library built a magical sonar into its foundation. When the Library was first created, magic was dying from the world. It still exists, but it is closer to a percent of a percent compared to how much used to be in the world. With how little there is, the sonar is able to detect the pieces and cross-examines for new data. Such as the announcement of an auction. The Library then lets us know about it and the Librarian is sent to retrieve or protect the piece of interest.”

Jason watched as Flynn beamed in his excitement. He had thought the man had been enthusiastic before, but it was clear that the Library was his ultimate passion. He couldn’t help but think back to the previous night’s explanation. Becoming the Librarian was a calling, literally. And Flynn was clearly born for the calling.

“Cool.” He said, because Flynn expected a response. In truth, he was feeling a bit entangled. He had thought his calling had been Robin. He had felt magic in the mask. But when he went out the previous night, though he felt amazing, it wasn’t quite the same magic.

He had also never looked like Flynn when talking about it.

They were called to board after a few minutes, and they walked onto the plane for a relatively smooth flight.

***

Excalibur felt the moment FlynnBestFriend entered the Library. He was ready for his duty. He had to ensure FlynnBestFriend kept up his defense, so he was ready to play with FlynnBestFriend as soon as they met.

However, there was the feeling of another person with Flynn. The person wasn’t NewGuardian nor CharleneInCharge. Excalibur cataloged all other previous persons. This was someone new.

New people tend to be ThievesIntrudersBadGuys. So, rather than go after FlynnBestFriend in play, Excalibur began to charge at NewPerson.

“Whoa, Cal!” FlynnBestFriend protested. Excalibur paused at NewPerson’s throat, a hair's breadth away from slicing (Excalibur was quite ready to slice. He had just been polished three days before.) “Jason’s with me. He’s allowed to be here. Jason, this is Excalibur.”

Excalibur moved back, scanning JasonNewPerson, so as to prevent issues in the future.

“Excalibur? As in Lady of the Lake, King Arthur Excalibur?” JasonNewPerson was quite excited. He held out his hand, but stopped short, clearly finding reverence in Excalibur.

Excalibur preened.

“Yep, Cal’s my best friend. Taught me everything I know about swordplay.” FlynnBestFriend said fondly.

Excalibur performed a flourish in thanks for the compliment.

“That is amazing.” JasonNewPerson said, clearly still in awe.

Scan done, Excalibur saw the family line between FlynnBestFriend and JasonNewPerson. Seeing it, Excalibur had no compunction with having JasonFlynnSon wielding him.

“Cal likes you!” FlynnBestFriend was happy with the development.

“I’m honored.” JasonFlynnSon stated.

And Excalibur was delighted that he was right in his choice (not that he had any hesitation. Aside from him being FlynnBestFriend’s son, FlynnBestFriend wouldn’t have let him anywhere near the Library if he wasn’t to be trusted. There was also the spark of PotentialLibrarian in JasonFlynnSon that, while not always correct, was a good starting point.)

JasonFlynnSon took him through a few basic katas, clearly having at least some experience with swords. His footwork was decent. Excalibur had trained far worse prospects.

“And what is he doing here?” CharleneInCharge asked, walking towards them. She had been talking with JudsonInSpirit when FlynnBestFriend arrived.

“He found out about me.” FlynnBestFriend began. “I didn’t tell him anything until he knew at least half of what was going on.” FlynnBestFriend began to wave his arms as CharleneInCharge’s expression became darker. “Besides, he’s a Potential Librarian, remember? I did the test. Think about it, we can train him up.”

FlynnBestFriend smiled at the thought.

JasonFlynnSon looked surprised, perhaps at FlynnBestFriend’s plans. FlynnBestFriend had a habit of making plans for people without consulting them first.

CharleneInCharge did not look amused.

“Potential Librarian or not, we have practices for keeping the Library a secret. You didn’t even clear it with me or Judson.” CharleneInCharge looked down her nose at JasonFlynnSon before sighing. “There is precedent, but he will have to meet certain standards before joining you in the field. There is no Guardian, after all.”

“I got thrown into the middle of things with barely any hints but he gets to be trained?” FlynnBestFriend spluttered.

CharleneInCharge looked coolly at him.

“You were a grown man with several degrees and a Guardian. He hasn’t even finished high school, lacks a Guardian, and needs to meet the Library’s approval first. Or would you rather risk his life more than this will already cause?”

FlynnBestFriend sighed and agreed. The Library summoned forth a series of puzzles on a nearby table.

“It looks like the training begins.” FlynnBestFriend said.

JasonFlynnSon looked thoughtfully at them before looking at his father.

“Do you really think I could become a Librarian?”

“I’ve seen you in the field and I know how smart you are. I also know how goodhearted you are. All that put together means you could become a great Librarian.” FlynnBestFriend assured him.

JasonFlynnSon gently let go of Excalibur, who floated in the air. JasonFlynnSon walked over to the table and picked up one of the puzzles. He looked at it thoughtfully and began to solve it. In under a minute, he was working through another one. In less than ten minutes, he had a row of solved puzzles.

“Looks like you’ve passed the first test.” CharleneInCharge said, a faint smile on her face. “Make sure this one” she pointed towards FlynnBestFriend “keeps his receipts for his missions. And keep it under budget as well.” CharleneInCharge left at that. “And I’m not going to be the one to tell Judson.” She yelled back at them as she walked towards the elevator.

“Definitely glad we didn’t have to fight her.” JasonFlynnSon murmured.

***

The rest of summer passed happily. Jason would go with Flynn to the Library instead of just the library. He would train, research, and develop his potential. It was fun. It was challenging. It was home. In truth, Jason was sure he and Flynn spent more time there than the apartment.

But Jason was working hard. He had to meet Charlene’s expectations, Flynn’s rules, and the Library’s whims.

Charlene went over bookkeeping with him, stressing the importance of the budget, and how the Library’s local offices were taxed. He had been familiar with the US taxes, so they flew through those in no time. It did get interesting when Charlene began to dive into international tax laws. While those stationed at the various local branches took care of their office’s taxes, Charlene looked over every one of them.

Flynn was building up his research skills, teaching him in the areas he found most useful in his tenure as Librarian. He encouraged Jason to make connections and use his intuition. He also forbade Jason from going on another mission until he was done with high school.

Jason had hated that.

“I've given it a lot of thought and Charlene has a point.” Flynn had said that night. “I took you with me because I thought you were fairly protected in the hotel room. If I had known you were going to seek out danger on your own, I would have said no. You need to have more experience first. At least finish high school. We’ll see about it when you’re studying for your first degree.”

Jason had reluctantly agreed.

Then there was the Library. Some days, the Library had a row of puzzles, all of increasing difficulty. Some days, Excalibur put him through his paces. Other days, Jason was given a map and made to get to know the inner workings of the Library.

By the time he started at his new school, Westbrook Prep, he felt like several lifetimes had passed since the last day he attended.

He looked at his schedule, wearing his new uniform, and walking up the steps into the school.

He had to finish high school before he was allowed to go back into the field, to help with Librarian missions. He also needed to keep on top of his lessons at the Library, as well as keep in shape.

So, rather than go to his first class, he walked towards the office. He had been there before with Flynn to make his schedule. He had three formal classes and independent courses for the other four subjects. He was technically considered a Junior, having skipped a grade back in Gotham and testing above that at Westbrook. But he needed to graduate in as little time as possible and this course of study was a medium between all study and socialization with his classmates.

It would take two years.

Jason was sure he could finish in half that time. Unfortunately, the school had pretty good encryption and he had to be careful so Flynn didn’t catch on to what he was doing, lest he stop Jason.

So here he was, going to the office and sneaking onto one of the school computers.

The office was fairly busy, a receptionist and a student were discussing something. There were two office workers, both away from their computers. It was too open. He would be spotted in an instant.

There was a reason he could sense magic. What most people didn’t understand was that Gotham was cursed—or blessed, depending on how you looked at it—and, as such, it meant that all those that consider Gotham home by birth or by choice were given a small measure of magic. It manifested itself in various ways. A person might recover from an attack a little faster or find money whenever it is most needed. Jason, perhaps due to becoming Robin, could use shadows.

He called upon the small shadows in the corners of the office, far more reluctant than the shadows of Gotham ever were but still persuaded to help, and hid in plain view. He moved towards the principal’s office, fortunately empty. Entering the room, far shadowier than the rest of the office, he accessed the computer and quickly altered his schedule to all independent study. Quickly printing it out, he called upon the shadows again and left the office, no one the wiser. Allowing the shadows to return to their natural place, he began to walk to meet his first advisor for independent study.

***

“Happy Birthday, Dear Jason! Happy Birthday to You.” Charlene, Judson, and Flynn sang.

Jason blew out the candles and the three of them clapped.

As Charlene began to cut the cake, Flynn brought over the small pile of gifts. Charlene handed him the first slice.

“Cake first, then presents.” She gently reminded Flynn.

Jason didn’t pay much attention after that, having taken his first bite of cake. The flavor was less sweet than what he tended to associate with cake, almost more of a spice cake, but mellower. Swallowing the deliciousness, he said

“This is delicious.”

“My old recipe.” Judson replied, the mirror having a birthday hat taped to the top.

It had been weird when he first met Judson, the man having technically died a few years before. But his spirit living on in the mirror and being able to communicate with the Librarian anywhere in the world that had a reflective surface was pretty cool, in Jason’s books. It was also pretty clear that Flynn and Jason had something else in common in finding father figures in their lives. The fact that Jason had not been as lucky due to messing up so badly with Bruce, notwithstanding, it was interesting to ponder whether that was a matter of nature or nurture. Flynn’s father died when he was young, while Jason just didn’t like the one he was stuck with until he freed himself from Willis.

“How old is ‘old’?” Flynn asked.

Apparently Judson had been extremely long-lived. Not immortal, given his mirror status, but he had hinted at the centuries he had lived in various conversations. Flynn had even let slip he was pretty sure Judson had been the first Librarian, but the man had never confirmed it.

Judson just gave a small chuckle and encouraged them to eat up.

After finishing the cake slice, Jason had to ask

“Do you think I could have the recipe? It would be fun to recreate or experiment with.”

“Jace is a wonder in the kitchen.” Flynn boasted.

Jason felt his face get heated. The casual boasting was something that warmed him inside, no matter how many times Flynn had done it. He wasn’t excessive in his praise, but he was clearly proud of Jason.

It was nice.

“I have it written down somewhere, we can trade recipes later.” Charlene assured him. “Now, would you like another slice or is it time for presents?”

“I couldn’t eat another bite.” Jason stated. “I think it is time for presents.”

“Sounds like I’ve arrived at just the right time.” A voice from behind them said.

Jason turned around in his seat, seeing an older man with white hair that he had never seen before.

“Jenkins?” Flynn asked.

“Yes.” The man named Jenkins said. “When I made young Jason’s identity, I noted the birth date. So when I heard you were training him up as  future Librarian, I thought it appropriate to bring a gift.” Jenkins held up a brightly colored gift bag, his expression not changing. “Was I wrong to do so?”

“Not at all.” Flynn walked over and clapped the man’s shoulder. “Thank you for coming.”

Flynn walked Jenkins over to Jason.

“Jace, this is Jenkins. He’s a researcher here at the Library and set up your identity. Jenkins, this is my son, Jason.”

Jason stood up, remembering Alfred’s chiding voice concerning manners.

“Nice to meet you. Thank you for helping.” He put his hand out to shake.

“Not a problem. I am always happy to aid the Librarian.” Jenkins shook his hand and handed him the present.

Jason opened the bag and found a beautiful leather bound book. Opening it, he saw it was a journal.

“Look at that.” Flynn said admiringly.

“Thank you.” Jason said, feeling the high quality paper in the journal

“Librarians, aside from protectors of knowledge, are also researchers. I find it is always important to keep a record. I hope you may find it useful.” Jenkins nodded his head at Jason.

“Alright, time for my present.” Flynn said excitedly.

Jason sat back down, placing the journal down carefully on the table.

So far, this had been a great sixteenth birthday.

Chapter Text

With Jason settled into the Library and doing well in school and well aware of what Flynn was doing, the man felt comfortable enough to go on more missions, which had been piling up as they adjusted.

Jason refused to see this as abandonment like Bruce.

“Flynn’s time as the Librarian has changed him in a lot of ways. He is far from the nervous young man that was happy to forever wade through academia when he was first appointed. But, it has also made him far lonelier. He is used to relying on only himself. He has done a lot to try and keep you in his life without neglecting the Library.” Judson assured him as they talked in the Library one night. “Would you believe this is the most open and communicative I’ve seen him in a long time?”

Jason frowned. Flynn called every day he was gone and spent as much time as possible with Jason when he was there. But he was gone more than he wasn’t and Jason was stuck in high school.

At least it wouldn’t be for much longer, he mused. He had already tested out of Junior level in two subjects and it was only November.

“Considering he doesn’t say much about what he’s actually doing, that isn’t the most reassuring statement.” Jason replied.

Flynn’s insistence about him getting therapy when the consequences for his running away hit him had been helpful. Jason had done a lot of emotional processing and acceptance. Despite this, even thinking about Bruce set him into a rage ball of anger and rejection. He could only imagine how he’d feel if he had been forced to deal with this on his own. Flynn had done his best to accommodate the sudden intrusion of a teenage boy in his life, but his life wasn’t exactly conducive to keeping a family.

Jason had learned to accept that. He had a roof over his head, plenty of warm, homemade sweaters, enough food to keep him healthy, access to as much learning as he could dream of, and a father who had proven he wouldn’t kick Jason out if he messed up (the whole fallout of the Robin reveal had proven that). It was definitely a good life and he was becoming content with it. He even found a new role that was as fulfilling as Robin.

Unfortunately, it was time for his life to be disrupted yet again.

Jason had done his best not to look into Gotham’s situation. He had been benched and kicked out. He likely wouldn’t be accepted back as Robin. He’d probably be considered flighty or something. He had also gained enough emotional intelligence in his sessions to admit that seeing it and knowing that, had he stayed, he could have regained his position and now it was barred from him forever would hurt. So he focused instead on his potential future as a Librarian (or at least a researcher. Magic was fascinating ).

That said, he had a morbid curiosity about news concerning Robin. The speculation as to what happened to him was fun and he had contributed a few of the wilder conspiracy theories, going off of what he had seen Bruce do on the Batman identity sites (he was particularly proud of the surprisingly popular idea that Robin was a clone of the first Robin that found out he was a clone and quit due to identity issues. Soap opera at its finest). As the months passed, speculation died down and most of the pings he got were about how much Gotham missed the Robins.

This latest ping wasn’t that. As he checked his phone, he felt the world slip from under his seat. There was a new Robin.

Judson must have seen Jason’s face change somehow in reaction to the news. He asked Jason what was the matter.

“Nothing.” Jason dismissed the notification ping and put his cell phone away. “Nothing. Now, you were telling me about the magical properties imbued into the Mona Lisa?”

Judson clearly didn’t believe him.

“Just so you know, you, um, you can talk to me about it. I’m a pretty good listener.” Judson said sympathetically.

“Thanks Judson, but I would really prefer to talk about the Mona Lisa. Then I want to go and admire it for at least half an hour.”

“Alright. So, when Da Vinci painted the portrait,” Jason let Judson’s calm demeanor and casual lecture style wash over him, learning about how Da Vinci used magic to experiment in all his different areas of academic interest.

He said as much when he talked with Flynn that night.

“It sounds like you had a fun day at the Library. Did anything else happen?” Flynn’s voice was less than subtle.

“You talked to Judson.” He accused.

“I talked to Judson.” Flynn confirmed. “He said you seemed upset about something.”

Jason sighed. He was planning on talking to the therapist about this. Albeit, Robin would be replaced with “new foster kid” but still. He also knew that Flynn would ask about it every time they talked until he got home.

“I’m texting it to you. I really don’t want to talk about it.” While a phone call was no mirror communication (Flynn apparently never bothered to learn that bit of magic, leaving it as “Judson’s domain”), some things were better in written form.

“Oh, Jace.” Flynn read the article, but Jason could hear the sympathy in the tone. “Do you want me to come home early?”

“You’re on a mission.” Jason reminded him.

“I’m almost done anyway. I can just change my plans, go in tonight instead of the morning with the guide, and be home in less than twelve hours.” Flynn offered.

Jason paused at that. Perhaps it was the news, but Jason couldn’t help but compare it to B. The mission always came first with both men. Jason’s fifteenth birthday had involved a gala to ferret out information on the Penguin. Flynn had left for a mission the day after his sixteenth. It was just his luck that both of his fathers had the same drive and mission of safety regarding people. The only difference was that B’s was protecting Gotham and Flynn’s was protecting the world from magic.

But Flynn still made the offer. And he knew what it took Flynn to rearrange his mission to get home early. Just like when B had arranged that for someone else to cover a mission to space for the Justice League because Jason had freaked out over a science project.

Best to quit comparing before the waterworks started up.

“That would be nice.” He said. “Thank you.”

“Of course buddy. Now, we won’t talk about it if you don’t want to, but we will hang out and spend all day having fun instead, okay?”

Jason laughed at Flynn’s enthusiasm.

“Okay, but only if the bookstore is our first stop.”

Flynn acted wounded.

“Of course! What do you take me for?”

“Alright, well, you’ve got to get to work and I need to get some sleep. I’ll see you tomorrow?”

“See you then.”

The click signaling the end of the phone call hit, leaving Jason alone in the apartment. He turned his phone off and left the room. As he lay in bed, his thoughts began to surround him.

Why hadn’t he been good enough? If B could replace him so easily, then did he matter at all to the man? Did he have any regrets in kicking Jason out? Thing had started so good and then Jason ruined them. What would it take before Flynn reached that point? All the questions he had been forcing himself not to think of circled around his brain as sleep eventually overtook him.

***

Flynn was beyond exhausted. Changing the plans had been easy in theory, but had caused a much higher risk in execution. He ended the mission twelve hours early, artifact secured, and only a little singed for his efforts.

He had tried to sleep on the plane. Years of traveling by plane had helped him get used to at least catching a little bit of sleep, barring time-sensitive cases, but it was never very restful. He did his best, using a small enchantment to aid his sleep. But when the plane touched down and he awoke, his body still craved rest.

Ignoring that, he caught a taxi to the Library and dropped off the artifact. Jason wasn’t there, so Flynn headed to the apartment. Jason was still asleep, which made sense, given the time. Flynn wanted to start the day with Jace as soon as the kid was ready, so Flynn skipped heading to bed, himself, and settled onto the couch, only his boots and jacket taken off.

He woke three hours later to the smell of eggs. Sitting up, he wiped the sleep from his eyes and got up and walked to the kitchen. There Jace was, humming to himself and making scrambled eggs with cheese.

“Smells good.” Flynn commented.

Jason still had his instincts honed from being Robin, because he wasn’t even surprised at Flynn’s sudden appearance. (Flynn had so many questions about the whole “my kid was Robin, the vigilante sidekick to Batman” thing. He’d asked only a handful of them, given Jason’s clear lack of comfort with the situation.)

“They’re almost done.” Jason replied. “Grab a plate.”

Huh, it looked like Jason had cleaned all the dishes recently. Flynn went to the fridge to grab some juice, only to find neatly arranged shelves. The kid seemed to be better at taking care of himself than Flynn was.

Once the eggs were put on his plate, as well as toast grilled with butter, a couple strips of bacon, and a tomato slice (Flynn vaguely remembered Jace mentioning the British butler at his foster dad’s home), he and Jason settled into a quiet breakfast. Jace was still clearly upset and Flynn was still pretty tired, so conversation was not a priority. Besides, what did one say to a kid that was going through something major, but had marked that particular subject off limits.

Flynn was very new to parenting. None of his degrees dealt with psychology, therapy, or child development. He was good in a crisis, but had no idea how to handle long-term issues. And this would be long-term. So far, they had been doing decently. Jace was pretty self-sufficient and was content when Flynn was there, as well as on their chats when Flynn was away. Ensuring that Jason had a place to stay, school to learn at, money for food, and a listening ear for learning about each other was good so far. But this was different.

Flynn had never been good with people in general. There was a reason he never bothered knowing his classmates’ names, nor try to befriend them. Facts were facts. The only time they were confusing was when the truth hadn’t yet been discovered. People were different. They were complicated and confusing and contradicting. So Flynn would sooner read a book than deal with people. Being the Librarian had helped him to get some people skills, just enough to interact and achieve his objective.

What little conversation that did happen was generic and noncommittal.

With breakfast done, Flynn grabbed a quick shower and changed into some fresh clothes, making sure Jace was dressed warmly enough, and they headed out.

The first stop was Flynn’s favorite bookstore, a shop in Queens that dealt with rare and obscure books. The first time he took Jason, the kid would barely touch the books, awed by their beauty and aged condition. Fortunately, with a pair of cotton gloves and exposure to rare items on a regular basis, Jason was mostly comfortable handling the books from the shop and had the permanent approval of the shop owner, Mr. Kadovsky.

Geared up with two or three books each, they then went down the street to the more contemporary bookstore, where Jason could rifle through novels that he would buy two copies of, one to read clean and the other would be marked up with his thoughts. While Austen seemed to be his favorite, he also really enjoyed Eliot and Gaskell. The notes he made in books that Flynn had seen were quite enlightening. Flynn wouldn’t be surprised if Jace made literature his first degree.

Once done there, they went to an ice cream parlor, two museums (one art, one science), laser tag, lunch, a movie, and finally home to the apartment.

Placing their multiple bags down (Flynn swore museum gift shops weren’t nearly as awesome when he was a kid. Either that or his mom had more restraint than he did. It was likely the second), they both sat on the couch, worn out from their fun day.

Jason was smiling, which was far better than he looked that morning. But Flynn knew the heaviness that had been there that morning was still there. Given the arrival of a new Robin, it wasn’t likely to leave Jason’s mind for too long right now.

Flynn had the urge to go and punch both Bruce Wayne and Batman. Bruce for abandoning Jace and Batman for replacing him after only six months. Jason had told him a little about his preparation to become Robin. The kid had trained for two years. Did Batman plan to replace Jason all along and had another kid waiting and training without a word to Jace? Or worse, the kid was going out undertrained? Was Jason really that expendable to either man?

It seemed Jason could tell what he was thinking. His smile gave way to a frown.

“Today has been fun.” Jason observed, his frown still in place.

Flynn pasted a large grin on his face, hoping to get Jason to smile again.

“It was. We should do that again soon.”

Jason’s smile didn’t return. Instead, he curled himself up, looking so small on the couch. While he’d had a growth spurt or two since first arriving (making him look closer to his actual age), he was still on the smaller side and curling up only made that more noticeable.

“We can. In the meantime, why don’t you tell me about how school’s going? You making any friends?”

Flynn didn’t bother to ask about Jason’s grades. Given his transcripts from Gotham, as well as the individualized focus learning style at his current school, there was no way he could have done poorly in his subjects.

“I’ve got one or two people I hang out with once in a while. The kids at school are less judgy than my old one.”

Flynn had done his best not to pry into Jason’s previous life, only asking after Jason offered details in the first place. From what he had gathered, his son had far from a great childhood and he knew he would have to look up Sheila one of these days to ask her just why she left their kid to that fate. But that would be when Flynn could find the time. Perhaps after Jason got over his current upset.

“Why were they judgy?” He kept his tone to a mild curiosity, knowing how intense he could get in the occasional interrogation.

Jason snorted.

“Bruce sent me to Gotham Prep, the top of the top, where the elite go. These kids were not only rich, but most were several generations of wealth. And I was a street kid from the poorest of the poor sections of the city and did nothing to hide my roots.”

Flynn winced. That kind of disparity would put any kid to a disadvantage. And given how small Jason was, after living a few years with a stable home and diet plan, he must have been downright tiny when he started at Gotham Prep. Flynn had been glad to skip over grade after grade as soon as possible, partly for learning, but also because of several instances of bullying.

“Yeah, sounds like they didn’t bother getting to know you from before they even saw you. I am glad that you’re doing okay in your current school.”

Flynn patted Jason on the shoulder, which his son leaned into. Flynn took the opportunity to turn it into a side hug.

They didn’t talk about Robin that night. They didn’t talk about it the next day at the Library. Nor did they talk about it over the next week, even with Flynn not having any missions during that time.

“I just don’t know what to do.” He admitted to Judson by the end of the week. “He clearly isn’t okay with this, but refuses to talk about it at all.” Flynn sighed. “I’ve tried being patient. I’ve tried asking. He either distracts or shuts the topic down every time.”

“Well, um, I can definitely say there, um, there’s a strong resemblance there.” Judson teased, a small smile on his face in the mirror.

“What? C’mon Judson, I don’t do that.” Flynn laughed off the remark, but that died down as he noticed the spirit wasn’t laughing with him.

“You did the same thing when your mother passed. You tried to, tried to act like everything was normal and, um, it clearly wasn’t.” Judson said in a comforting tone. “It took a lot to get you to, um, open up. He’s likely the same.”

Flynn slumped in realization. Judson was right, as usual.

He thought about the aftermath of his mother’s death. He had escaped into work for a while before exploding at Judson and Charlene, who had been supportive and caring throughout. But that had only worked because of years together, forging a strong mentor/mentee relationship.

Jason didn’t have that. And, given the rules Flynn had created for Jason to go on missions with him, Flynn likely wouldn’t be present enough to do so.

There were a few options.

The first possibility would be to quit being the Librarian and get a safer form of employment. But that would also cut Jason and Flynn off from the Library, its inhabitants, and their support network there.

The second option was a milder version, where he pulled back from his duties and was in New York more. The problem was that would leave more room for the Library’s enemies to gain power and destabilize the current balance of the world. And given their discussions that had emerged from the reveal of Jason’s former life including vigilantism, Flynn knew his son would be opposed to the risk.

Third was finding Jason a mentor and confidante of his own. Judson was great, but Jason didn’t see him as more than a member of the family. He'd bounced around some of the various areas of the Library, but hadn’t become particularly close to anyone. And, if he had one, he would have similar support to what Flynn had needed during that dark time of his life.

So, he explained this thought process to Judson, who seemed thoughtful.

“Well, we’ve had him try out a few things. We will just, um, have to find the right, the right fit.”

***

Jason knew Judson and Flynn were doing something, something to do with him. They weren’t exactly subtle and having him cycle through the departments, only to be all but interrogated by Flynn after a few days was becoming a predictable event.

And if it wasn’t Flynn, it was Judson and his reassurances of always being there for a talk.

Jason hated this new situation. It was so obvious what was going on.

Jason’s reaction to being replaced proved to them that he probably wasn’t Librarian material.

They were trying to find a new role for him.

They were preparing to replace him before he even gained the role.

That was the only thing that made sense. Despite his own brain trying to deny it, as well as the inevitable questions that came to mind, and every other possibility he could come up with, there was no other answer.

He had failed in rejection. And now he was to pay the price.

They thought they were doing him a kindness, having seen how upset he was at losing Robin. Perhaps he should have been more open about it, but it had been his own damn fault. It wasn’t right to act the victim.

The only thing that could be done was to prove them wrong, he decided.

So, he did his best to take to each new area, but not so well as to have it decided as his new role.

Whenever Flynn questioned him, he kept his answers noncommittal, expressed mild interest at best, and didn’t try to make new friends in any of the departments. If the questioning got more intense, as Flynn was searching for something that Jason wasn’t going to just give him, then Jason would just shift the focus to his school work, which had benefited from his extra focus.

He would be a senior by Christmas.

Of course, the closer it got to then, the more likely Flynn and Judson were going to catch onto his not being okay with the situation. He needed to have a plan for that, to prove himself worthy of the future they once offered him.

He couldn’t fail. He had time. He knew Flynn wouldn’t kick him out while he was still underage. He had promised him.

But Dick had been kicked out or ran away when he was eighteen (Jason had never been entirely sure. It happened before his time and he tried to stay out of the whole mess, given the shouts that reverberated the walls whenever they got into it). It had been done after one too many fights. And, while Flynn wasn’t Bruce, he could have been more than willing to do his duty and end it there. He sure as shit didn’t have the kind of life that keeping a kid long-term for would be considered a good idea.

Jason was probably gonna get to his post-secondary education and Flynn would dwindle the amount of communication, slowly but surely. Then, one day, he would be completely without the man, on his own, Flynn’s duty to him fulfilled.

That seemed like the kind of way Flynn would do it. He was caring enough to ensure Jason would survive on his own.

These thoughts, he didn’t share with the therapist. So long as he didn’t say them out loud, there was still a chance they wouldn’t happen.

They couldn’t happen.

Right?

***

Jenkins was unsure why he was being stuck on babysitting duty, but it came at the Librarian’s request. So long as the boy didn’t get in the way or touch things unnecessarily, he supposed he could live with matters.

According to the break room gossip (Jenkins often liked to sit there by the window on pleasant days with a bit of light reading), the teen had been polite, done the tasks assigned to him, learned quickly (as was expected of a child of the Librarian), and did not show a preference one way or another for any of the various departments he had been temporarily assigned to.

Not particularly surprising, in Jenkins' opinion. The teenager was pegged to be a future Librarian, himself. Likely to be chosen when the elder Mr. Carsen eventually fell in the line of duty, as so many others had before him.

The mild pang in Jenkins' heart at the thought was irritating, but even after centuries, seeing the loss of brilliant minds who did so much good in the world still hurt.

He liked to muse that he had been fortunate. He had never been Librarian nor Guardian, merely a Knight turned Researcher. And by the time he had gained his immortality, he had already faced the worst of his losses.

The Librarian, as well as the many Librarians before him were so young when their mortality was forced upon them. Several of them had left behind loved ones. Though Jenkins did not interact much with the Librarians, nor their families, the sadness of those that served losing their lives never faded.

And now he was to interact with the child of one. A child who had already faced loss and rejection, from what he glimpsed when performing the magic to create his new identity. When he eventually lost the Librarian (and he would. The current Librarian was the longest lasting they had had in a long time, but all Librarians’ luck ran out eventually) the hurt would be right in front of Jenkins.

He shifted his thoughts away from such tender topics and focused. He was expecting the Librarian’s child any moment now. Wanting to appear as though he had not bothered to wait, lest the child believe he was receiving special treatment, Jenkins set up his most recent experiment.

Gloves on, he dived right in. The particular artifact he was working with had potential to be used to help disguise the user in public. If he could just adjust the camouflage to work on more than desert environments…

***

Jason walked to his latest assignment expecting more of the same. So far, each department had been open and inviting, doing their best to make him feel at home with a warm greeting and simplified explanations for what the duties were.

Arriving in the Experimental Artifact Research Department, he was a little surprised it appeared to be a staff of one. But, rolling with that (perhaps it was a more tedious duty than most preferred?), he stood there for a few minutes, waiting to be greeted by polite smiles and professional tones.

When the silence continued (maybe the guy was fully occupied by his work?), Jason cleared his throat.

Nothing from the guy.

Alright, he had to at least try to get the guy to acknowledge Jason, lest he be accused of never showing up. So, he walked up to the researcher and introduced himself.

To his credit, the guy didn’t flinch or act startled, but it was clear to a trained former Robin this was the first time the researcher was aware of him.

“Very well. Since you are here, do your best not to be in the way and do not touch anything without explicit permission. Understand?”

Jason nodded, unsure how he felt about the change in tone from his previous temporary assignments. Maybe this one would be even shorter than the others? And all without risking his future as a Potential Librarian?

“Yes sir.” He replied, figuring a polite tone was best.

“Don’t call me sir. I am Jenkins. Now, put these on.” Jenkins ordered him, passing him a pair of gloves.

Jason did so without protest. The gloves were a little loose, but they were high quality cotton gloves, meant for old books and delicate machinery.

For the first hour or so, Jason did nothing more than observe Jenkins tinkering with the artifact. Occasionally, the older man would mumble something or let out a hum, but that wasn’t particularly common. Jason slowly crept closer, trying to gain insight into what they were working on.

Given the sheer scope of artifacts, as well as the variety of appearance, guessing at what the artifact could do was based more on legend, context, and process of elimination instead of commonalities within types. But, without those factors, he could only go off of what the artifact was made from.

There was some basic gearwork, which eliminated fewer ancient civilizations than Jason had initially thought when he started his training. The color indicated sandy surroundings, given the tan and beige tones in the outer shell, probably a desert.

Most artifacts concerning desert civilizations were meant to provide a small oasis or enough water to support small populations that traveled the lands on a short-term basis. As such, the Librarians often left them alone and intact, simply recording the artifact, any interesting markings, and indications of which civilization likely created it. There were a few in the Library, taken for protection from those that would abuse the gifts that the magic of the artifacts provided.

That said, they were often of a similar enough shape. Usually a jug or with water or oasis designs to indicate the usage carved onto the shell. This one lacked both. With a critical eye, Jason noted the designs, ones that illustrated the desert, as well as some kind of wave, possibly indicating a shimmer.

“It’s a camouflage artifact.” His observation was out of his mouth before he could even think. Jenkins paused and gave him an unreadable look.

“That’s correct. The area it protected had long dried up by the time the Librarian at the time discovered and used it to flee his enemies.”

“And you’re working out how to use it?” Jason ventured. The look Jenkins gave him was a lot more obvious.

“No, I already know how it works. I’m trying to adapt it for use outside of the desert.”

Jason nodded as Jenkins began a small lecture on the device and the components, explaining how they worked and created the illusion, as well as what he had already attempted. After he ended, he returned to the device and Jason, now with context, looked at the device with a far more critical eye.

By the end of the day, Jason was fairly sure his time in Experimental Artifact Research was going to end even sooner than the other departments. Oddly, he felt a small pang at that. Perhaps it was because of Jenkins clearly not wanting him there, but the attitude felt more welcoming to him than all of the polite smiles and polite explanations. The brusque tones reminded him of Alfred with Bruce.

Oh well, he thought as he prepared dinner for himself and Flynn. Best not to get too attached.