[Fortunately for Mike, that pesky little truth was about to be proven true in his favor. Wren didn't have to live off scholarships and financial aid anymore, after all. They covered their schooling, but they no longer had to pay for dorm living. There was no rent, Jason owned the building, and utilities split three ways was laughable.
Wren had their part time at the campus bookstore, Jay and Roy took jobs as they came, and Jason's criminal empire in the Bowery kept the three of them as comfortable as they could want to be, even with most of Jason's criminal earnings going right back into his city.
And that was before Tim decided to randomly buy them things and just leave them at the apartment like it was perfectly normal. Because for him, it was. His parents had been loaded from the time he'd been born and when they'd died, they'd left him millions. Add in the Wayne trust fund that he had no qualms about using (unlike Jason) and Tim had a full time accountant with a whole team of investors that he employed privately just so he didn't have to manage his accounts on top of running Wayne Enterprises.
Wren hadn't wanted for anything in a while. And now it was Mike's turn.]
Oh, trust me, I'm just as happy about it. I'm pretty sure that all of my siblings run for the hills if I close my book like I'm going to say something about it. [He laughed and it was his real laugh, not the put on Wayne act that he used around Bruce's functions.] There isn't really a whole lot to tell, though. Adopted, don't always get along with my dad or my siblings, but we're working on it. Wren's been trying to talk me into going back to classes, but I'm stubborn-sure you've heard plenty about that. Bit of a gearhead. In the middle of restoring a '64 Chrysler 300 with m-Tim.
[There was a hiccup in that last word and he glanced over at Wren with a subtle squeeze to their knee. Had they mentioned the whole 'poly' thing? If so, was Mike okay with him talking about his other partners? He was going to play it safe until Wren gave him something to work with.]
Tim's one of Jason's other partners - and a good friend of mine.
[ Wren clarifies to their dad, returning Jason's glance for just a moment. They were already asking Jason to lie about so much, it felt - they weren't going to ask him to lie about this, too. One of the reasons it took them so long to push for an introduction, to make sure their dad understood it.
Mike's brow furrows just a bit but he still nods. ]
'Right. That - polyamory thing. I admit I didn't get it at first and was real worried, but - Wren was patient with me and explained it wasn't like with Vivienne and they were happy and you two talk a lot to make sure nothing gets missed.'
[Well, there was his answer. He gave them a small smile, relaxing a little against their side. He didn't mind lying about the mask, he did that everyday of his life...but he didn't like hiding his affections. It was bad enough that Bruce would literally explode if he ever got an inkling of what his two middle sons got up to on their own time.
Keeping their picture out of the gossip rags was hard enough. Though, more than a few had surfaced of Tim and Wren on various coffee meet ups.]
Yes, sir. I completely understand the hesitation and I'm willing to answer any questions you have. And yeah, they're right. We try to have dinner together at least once a week so that everyone can be in the same room and bring up anything that needs to be talked about, but most of the time it ends up with Tim and Wren feeding Roy coffee and watching him vibrate out of a window.
[He rolled his eyes, but the expression on his face was one of pure affection. Talking about all three of them made him soften, even being so relaxed as to lean down a little to kiss the top of Wren's head.]
Keep waiting for the day they get tired of me and boot me to the curb before taking over the world and abolishing sleep once and for all.
[ Wren blushed ever so slightly at the public display of affection and all, but didn't shy away from it. Mike's own slightly furrowed brow softened too, his voice warm. ]
'Ah, I doubt that'll ever happen. Not with how over the moon Wren is with you. Haven't seen them crushing this bad since they were ten.'
Dad!
[ That faint blush became a VERY deep one in an instant. ]
I'm just lucky that they didn't run for the hills when I told them that I liked them.
[That part was 100% true, at least. Dancing at the christmas ball, watching Tony with them...His hackles had raised to new heights that day. Not because he was jealous, but because he could see the awkward tension in Wren. He didn't like it when they weren't comfortable.]
But please, it is an honor to meet you and get to shake your hand...but this isn't my visit. Please, you two catch up. I'll chip in if needed and just enjoy the company.
[ It goes by too fast. Wren and Mike fall into that easy familiar conversation patterns of two people who are used to talking... but they both talk around certain things. Wren obviously doesn't talk about any cape work, and Mike avoids talking about the day to day in Blackgate a lot except for things he can somehow spin in a positive, focusing on asking about Wren's life instead. He remembers all of their teacher's names, every friend they've ever mentioned to him - it's easy to see that Wren's associations with him as a good dad aren't just rose colored nostalgia. But then the guard by the door is checking their watch and saying - "Five minutes" and both father and child deflate just a little. Everything is so limited now.]
'Thanks for coming to see me, Pumpkin. If you ever need to skip a week though, you know that's okay. I know it's a ways to come out here with school and a job now and all.'
[Jason didn't fade into the background, but he wasn't the focus of the meeting, either. He chuckled at funny stories, rolled his eyes at stories of annoying classmates. He chimed in to answer any questions that Mike had about their home life- The kinds of things he liked cooking, the books they were currently reading, that kind of thing.
He'd never had a parent interaction like this. Not as an adult and even when he'd been younger and Catherine had scooped him up into her arms after school, there had always been a lingering underlayer of violence from Willis if they got to chatting too loud over the tv. It hurt in the best possible way to see Wren interact with their dad and know that it was just as wholesome as it looked.
The five minute call earned a small frown as the other two visibly deflated and Jason glanced over at the guard who'd made the call. It was the woman who'd let him shake Mike's hand...and an idea started to brew. It wouldn't work now, but he'd give it time to mature and grow into a plan.]
It was a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Gray. I won't crash every visit, but I hope you'll let me come back every once in a while? As long as Wren doesn't mind, of course.
'Any time Wren is okay with it, I don't mind the extra company.'
[ He talks with the warm confidence, it's easy to imagine him in a different setting. Maybe a weekly breakfast, making sure they saw each other even after Wren finally moved out.
Some other life. There's a brief moment when Wren stands when their time is up and Jason has seen them enough to see what it looks like when Wren is close to tears, a feeling they push down quickly.
'If you could have anything, what would you want?' 'A hug from my dad.'
No touching. They give a nod to their dad instead. ]
I'll see you next week. I'll call if anything comes up.
'Get home safe, pumpkin. I love you.'
I love you too, Dad.
[ Time's up. One of the guards shifts to announce it but Wren is already heading to the door. They've got the routine down down to the second. Mike remains where he is- once Jason and Wren are gone he'll be unchained from the seat to move back to his cell. ]
Jason's lips set in a hard line, his gaze on the guards while Wren and Mike said their farewells. He knew that look on Wren's face, knew what it meant and how hard they had to swallow it back down. He knew it and he hated it, especially because he knew for a fact that so many other inmates completely ignored the 'no touching' rule for no more than a five spot left on the edge of a table.
But not for Michael Gray.
He didn't offer his hand again, not wanting to press their luck, but he did dip his head in a small nod.]
Thank you for letting me meet you, sir. I look forward to seeing you again.
[He looped his arm around Wren's waist, pulling them in close so he could press a kiss against their hair as they walked out of the door.]
[ Wren puts an arm around Jason in return, holding onto him tighter than they'd normally dare to. ]
Yeah. Thanks.
[ Jason gets cleaned up before getting into bed after patrol. Wren works to hide the melancholy they have for all they lost after a visit with their dad. ]
[He hated seeing them fight to put their brave face back on, but at least this time he could be there to help. Ice cream wasn't the same as being able to hug their dad, but it was something to help remind them that they were still there. Still alive and still got to see him and....
...and he didn't mention the idea he had rolling around in his head. Not until it grew up a little more.
It took another two visits before Jason had everything in place. It had taken a little more finessing than he'd originally thought, but nothing he couldn't handle. And once everything was in place, Wren got a text at 2 am.]
Meet me outside, songbird. Wear black and be prepared to fly a bit.
[ Wren was good with the brave face - when they went by themself, they were able to hide all signs of the sadness by the time they got home to Jason and Roy, even if the mask was imperfect now that it was so clearly there.
Nothing to be done about it but to keep going, though, right? Right. So they're really not sure what the 2am text could mean but Jason gets the benefit of trust that has them getting dressed in all black with the scarf they can turn into a makeshift hood and face cover if necessary even as they text back. ]
[Their trust was something he cherished and he hoped that this didn't break it. He didn't think it would, but the possibility was there. It certainly wouldn't be the first time that he'd tried to do something nice for someone only to have it backfire and blow up in his face.
Wren didn't get a text back, but when they made their way out onto the fire escape, Jason was waiting for them. Well...no. Red Hood was waiting for them.]
'Bout time. You don't know me and if anyone questions you, you have no idea what is going on. Come on, down onto the bike.
[He'd kept his voice modulator on and once he was done with his instructions, he almost casually vaulted the railing. Stupid Batkids and their second nature of throwing themselves off buildings.]
[ Wren hoped the darkness hid their faint blush. They had been right about no longer having the purest associations with his costume. They could pack it away on a job where it was important to keep their head in the game, but for all Jason was geared up to the nines he had only asked Wren to wear black. Given they didn't like the minimal armor on their own costume, they figured this meant it wasn't dangerous. Not physically so, anyway. ]
I don't know what's going on-
[ But Jason was already jumping off the building in that way that had Wren's heart in their throat, mentally running the calculations on how fast they could dive to catch him if they needed. It was dumb, he'd never been hurt by that, but - we'll, they'd never been hurt by their lack of heavier armor and Jason still fretted. Fair was fair. They tugged the hood and scarf up and jumped after Red Hood, gliding down to the bike with a fall that was all controlled grace thanks to their flight. ]
[Wren floated down like some fey creature, but Jason was sheer power. He caught the rail of another fire escape about halfway down, swinging himself in an almost lazy arc to eat up most of his momentum before he dropped the rest of the way back down. His boots made a heavy, intentional THUD when he hit the ground, but that was the only sound that told that he was there.
He didn't let himself admire the way they almost floated to the ground. If he did, he'd without a doubt let himself get distracted and he'd have to fight to get back into the right mindset. Instead, he waited until his HUD signaled their feet touching down before he tossed them a simple black helmet. It was different than the one that was still upstairs, hanging on the wall alongside Jay and Roy's civilian helmets. New, compact, but perfectly fitted to their head.
He swung his leg over and settled into the seat of his work bike, bringing it to life under his touch with a low, chest rumbling thrum.]
[ Going on a motorcycle, they couldn't exactly protest a helmet - and maybe even there was a worry that their normal civilian worn one would be recognizable somehow. They still gave Jason a suspicious look. No protest, that could come later. For now they put it on and got onto the bike behind Red Hood, arms wrapped around his middle. With the added bulk of the armor, they didn't quite wrap all the way around. Riding second behind Jason was becoming second nature to them. ]
[Fortunately for Wren, riding being Red Hood was almost the same as riding behind Jason. For as separate as Jay tried to keep the two parts of himself, his need for speed was something that bled easily between them. His work bike had more kick, though, and when he popped them into gear and twisted the throttle, the slight fishtail was to be expected.
The drive wasn't 'long', exactly, but it did take them out of Jason's territory. In fact, it took them off the northern island entirely, weaving through traffic easily even on the bridge. The middle island was much nicer, but even that was left behind as he took them down through the lower tunnels under Finger River. The southern island put them very firmly in Bat territory and Jason kept them low and fast, evading radar and making a turn that Wren would find very familiar.
They were heading for the not so tiny manmade island that jutted off the Southeastern bend. Blackgate.]
[ It would be easy to close their eyes and just relax into Jason's body language to follow how to shift on the bike, to see it as any other night ride, thrilling and romantic. Jason's in costume though, and it has to be important if he's going out of his territory while so geared up as Red Hood. This went for double as they entered into the area Wren knew was Batman's, something Red Hood didn't do lightly.
When he made that familiar turn, their whole body tensed, more and more as he kept on that familiar road. It was well past visiting hours, so why Blackgate? Had something happened to their dad? They wanted to demand answers, but the wind around the bike made conversation impossible. ]
[And unlike their normal helmet, this new one wasn't rigged with a comm unit. Probably because he knew that if they'd been able to question him, they would.
He was risking far more than running into Bruce with this plan, but he was hoping that it would work out in the end.
Pulling up at a side entrance that Wren probably didn't even know about, Hood cut the engine and gave Wren's thigh a light tap to tell them to dismount, but he reached out to stop them from taking off the helmet.]
Leave it. Come on.
[He kicked the door hard enough to rattle it on it's hinges, walking in like he owned the place when a buzz sounded and the door popped open. Once inside, the door closed again behind them and Hood stood up to his full, rather impressive height as a guard appeared at the end of the hall.]
Cameras, sensors, all of it. You got an hour, Hood. After that, you never fucking saw me.
[Hood didn't bother responding, just reached into one of his many pockets to pull out a not so small wad of money. It was traded for a keycard and then Hood was giving Wren a little push past the guard and into the prison proper.]
[ For all that they could probably navigate the public parts of Blackgate half asleep or blinded, they didn't know anything about the back end of it. They're staring at it, unsure of what this means when the tap to their thigh breaks them out of it. Dismounting, going to take the helmet off to demand answers face to face (or face-to-helmet anyway) they hesitated again when he told them to leave it. ]
What's this about-?
[ Except they hardly even get the words out before Jason is moving on, going in like he owns the place, and they know better than to try to pull rank of significant other on him when he's in costume and there's unknown witnesses around. Of the importance of separation between masked life and real life.
Their fists still clenched at their sides. God, they were going to yell at Jason when they were done with ... whatever this was. They kept close behind him, easily overshadowed by the bulk of him when not in their own costume that was both bright white and offered height and padding to give a broader silhouette. They were trying to figure out what the guard could mean by his words when Red Hood pushed them forward, catching themself before it caused a stumble, hissing under their breath to Jason as soon as they were certain the guard wouldn't overhear-]
We are talkinglater.
[ The helmet might hide their expression, but it didn't hide that righteous anger in their voice. ]
His stomach sank and he winced in the safety of his helmet, but none of it showed on the surface. Red Hood didn't care about shit like that, Red Hood just needed to get shit done. The fact that keeping Wren in the dark would help sell his cover was just a thing to use and move on.
Inside that helmet, however, he knew full well that he was going to be sleeping on his couch for at least a couple of days.
Leading the way through the maze of employee corridors, Hood moved like he knew the space, confident and without worry that he was going to turn a corner and not recognize the new, identical white corridor. He kept Wren close, unwilling to lose them in the maze, but then they were coming out of the opposite door that they would usually go in and Wren would no doubt recognize the visitation room. It was dark and empty, no other guards at the posts as Hood gestured towards a chair.]
Stay here. I'll be right back.
[And then he was heading to the door that Mike would take at the end of their visits. Now was the hard part. Wren might be mad at him, but they trusted him enough to follow him.
A few more hallways later and he flipped the light on Mike's cell a few times to make sure the man was awake before he was swiping that keycard and popping open the door.]
[ Wren did trust Jason, so they didn't argue or protedt any further as they made their way through the prison, hoping it didn't show how anxious they were getting. Why could they possibly be here unless something had happened with their father, but what? Why wouldn't Jason just say?
They nodded a bit numbly at his order, sitting in the chair of the visitor area, wishing their danger sense would tell them anything about this - but they couldn't push it like that, it just became indistinguishable from their own anxiety when they tried for anything beyond actual life or death danger for themself.
But Wren did trust Jason, trusted Red Hood.
Mike did not.
He brought a hand up to shield his eyes from the sudden light, squinting at Jason. His wrists had unconnected cuffs on them still - not cuffs but power dampeners that could be joined together if needed. He recognized red hood right away from description of what he'd heard alone - hard to not - and it gave him quite a sick sense of irony given what he was in here for. Not that anyone knew aside from 'metahuman' and 'multiple murders'. Protection of his secret identity had been part of the plea deal. ]
"Whatever you're selling, I'm not interested. Fuck off. I'm sleeping. Go bother Sionis."
[Yeah, the irony hadn't escaped Jason. He didn't know the full story, he'd never wanted to push Wren about it, but he knew enough to know that Mike had every reason to brush him off.
But he hadn't gotten this far to be thwarted by the very person he was trying to help.
Rolling his eyes in his helmet, Jason moved into the cell, shoving at the corner of the bed with one heavy boot.]
Up. You have a visitor and exactly 48 minutes of unsupervised time. Longer you lay there arguing with me, the less time you have to hug your kid.
[ Mike both seemed very determined to ignore Red Hood as well as not treat him like anything other than an annoyance. Maybe it was prison bravado, though - he'd been in the system for almost a decade now, and that was still less than half of his minimum term before he could even get a parole hearing.
Then Red Hood said the last part, and Mike was on his feet in an instant, grabbing Red Hood by the collar and shoving him hard enough against the wall that it would have broken something if he hadnt been armored.
...and instant really meant instant - Mike was both faster and stronger than his kid, and thise power dampeners did not work on him. ]
"The fuck are you doing with my kid?"
[ His expression was incendiary, he looked ready to murder. ]
[It was only a lifetime of vigilante work that gave Jason any kind of clue to what was about to happen. When one has gone toe to toe with metahumans since one was 12, one got good at recognizing immediate danger. He saw the stillness before he didn't see the movement, and that was just enough of a warning that he was able to get a grip on his instincts so he didn't actually have his finger on the trigger of the gun that was pressed against the underside of Mike's jaw.
He took a moment to breath before he slowly pulled the gun away, holding it angled out so that the older man could see his hands no where near the trigger.]
They're in the waiting room. A concerned party paid for an unrestricted meet up for the two of you. They're a little pissed cause I didn't tell 'em shit, but that's not my problem.
[And that was the real reason he'd been so short with Wren. If he'd told them, they would have been excited in front of the guards, not off kilter. For the first visit, he needed them to sell that there was no connection between them. Needed them to be mad enough to not send him the same looks that they'd send Jason Todd in front of their father.
He'd suffer for it later, both with their anger and the bruises he could already start to feel under his armor, but it meant that no one was asking questions or even looking their way.]
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Wren had their part time at the campus bookstore, Jay and Roy took jobs as they came, and Jason's criminal empire in the Bowery kept the three of them as comfortable as they could want to be, even with most of Jason's criminal earnings going right back into his city.
And that was before Tim decided to randomly buy them things and just leave them at the apartment like it was perfectly normal. Because for him, it was. His parents had been loaded from the time he'd been born and when they'd died, they'd left him millions. Add in the Wayne trust fund that he had no qualms about using (unlike Jason) and Tim had a full time accountant with a whole team of investors that he employed privately just so he didn't have to manage his accounts on top of running Wayne Enterprises.
Wren hadn't wanted for anything in a while. And now it was Mike's turn.]
Oh, trust me, I'm just as happy about it. I'm pretty sure that all of my siblings run for the hills if I close my book like I'm going to say something about it. [He laughed and it was his real laugh, not the put on Wayne act that he used around Bruce's functions.] There isn't really a whole lot to tell, though. Adopted, don't always get along with my dad or my siblings, but we're working on it. Wren's been trying to talk me into going back to classes, but I'm stubborn-sure you've heard plenty about that. Bit of a gearhead. In the middle of restoring a '64 Chrysler 300 with m-Tim.
[There was a hiccup in that last word and he glanced over at Wren with a subtle squeeze to their knee. Had they mentioned the whole 'poly' thing? If so, was Mike okay with him talking about his other partners? He was going to play it safe until Wren gave him something to work with.]
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[ Wren clarifies to their dad, returning Jason's glance for just a moment. They were already asking Jason to lie about so much, it felt - they weren't going to ask him to lie about this, too. One of the reasons it took them so long to push for an introduction, to make sure their dad understood it.
Mike's brow furrows just a bit but he still nods. ]
'Right. That - polyamory thing. I admit I didn't get it at first and was real worried, but - Wren was patient with me and explained it wasn't like with Vivienne and they were happy and you two talk a lot to make sure nothing gets missed.'
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Keeping their picture out of the gossip rags was hard enough. Though, more than a few had surfaced of Tim and Wren on various coffee meet ups.]
Yes, sir. I completely understand the hesitation and I'm willing to answer any questions you have. And yeah, they're right. We try to have dinner together at least once a week so that everyone can be in the same room and bring up anything that needs to be talked about, but most of the time it ends up with Tim and Wren feeding Roy coffee and watching him vibrate out of a window.
[He rolled his eyes, but the expression on his face was one of pure affection. Talking about all three of them made him soften, even being so relaxed as to lean down a little to kiss the top of Wren's head.]
Keep waiting for the day they get tired of me and boot me to the curb before taking over the world and abolishing sleep once and for all.
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'Ah, I doubt that'll ever happen. Not with how over the moon Wren is with you. Haven't seen them crushing this bad since they were ten.'
Dad!
[ That faint blush became a VERY deep one in an instant. ]
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I'm just lucky that they didn't run for the hills when I told them that I liked them.
[That part was 100% true, at least. Dancing at the christmas ball, watching Tony with them...His hackles had raised to new heights that day. Not because he was jealous, but because he could see the awkward tension in Wren. He didn't like it when they weren't comfortable.]
But please, it is an honor to meet you and get to shake your hand...but this isn't my visit. Please, you two catch up. I'll chip in if needed and just enjoy the company.
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'Thanks for coming to see me, Pumpkin. If you ever need to skip a week though, you know that's okay. I know it's a ways to come out here with school and a job now and all.'
I know. It's worth it, though.
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He'd never had a parent interaction like this. Not as an adult and even when he'd been younger and Catherine had scooped him up into her arms after school, there had always been a lingering underlayer of violence from Willis if they got to chatting too loud over the tv. It hurt in the best possible way to see Wren interact with their dad and know that it was just as wholesome as it looked.
The five minute call earned a small frown as the other two visibly deflated and Jason glanced over at the guard who'd made the call. It was the woman who'd let him shake Mike's hand...and an idea started to brew. It wouldn't work now, but he'd give it time to mature and grow into a plan.]
It was a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Gray. I won't crash every visit, but I hope you'll let me come back every once in a while? As long as Wren doesn't mind, of course.
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[ He talks with the warm confidence, it's easy to imagine him in a different setting. Maybe a weekly breakfast, making sure they saw each other even after Wren finally moved out.
Some other life. There's a brief moment when Wren stands when their time is up and Jason has seen them enough to see what it looks like when Wren is close to tears, a feeling they push down quickly.
'If you could have anything, what would you want?' 'A hug from my dad.'
No touching. They give a nod to their dad instead. ]
I'll see you next week. I'll call if anything comes up.
'Get home safe, pumpkin. I love you.'
I love you too, Dad.
[ Time's up. One of the guards shifts to announce it but Wren is already heading to the door. They've got the routine down down to the second. Mike remains where he is- once Jason and Wren are gone he'll be unchained from the seat to move back to his cell. ]
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Jason's lips set in a hard line, his gaze on the guards while Wren and Mike said their farewells. He knew that look on Wren's face, knew what it meant and how hard they had to swallow it back down. He knew it and he hated it, especially because he knew for a fact that so many other inmates completely ignored the 'no touching' rule for no more than a five spot left on the edge of a table.
But not for Michael Gray.
He didn't offer his hand again, not wanting to press their luck, but he did dip his head in a small nod.]
Thank you for letting me meet you, sir. I look forward to seeing you again.
[He looped his arm around Wren's waist, pulling them in close so he could press a kiss against their hair as they walked out of the door.]
Ice cream? My treat.
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Yeah. Thanks.
[ Jason gets cleaned up before getting into bed after patrol. Wren works to hide the melancholy they have for all they lost after a visit with their dad. ]
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...and he didn't mention the idea he had rolling around in his head. Not until it grew up a little more.
It took another two visits before Jason had everything in place. It had taken a little more finessing than he'd originally thought, but nothing he couldn't handle. And once everything was in place, Wren got a text at 2 am.]
Meet me outside, songbird. Wear black and be prepared to fly a bit.
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Nothing to be done about it but to keep going, though, right? Right. So they're really not sure what the 2am text could mean but Jason gets the benefit of trust that has them getting dressed in all black with the scarf they can turn into a makeshift hood and face cover if necessary even as they text back. ]
What's going on?
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Wren didn't get a text back, but when they made their way out onto the fire escape, Jason was waiting for them. Well...no. Red Hood was waiting for them.]
'Bout time. You don't know me and if anyone questions you, you have no idea what is going on. Come on, down onto the bike.
[He'd kept his voice modulator on and once he was done with his instructions, he almost casually vaulted the railing. Stupid Batkids and their second nature of throwing themselves off buildings.]
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I don't know what's going on-
[ But Jason was already jumping off the building in that way that had Wren's heart in their throat, mentally running the calculations on how fast they could dive to catch him if they needed. It was dumb, he'd never been hurt by that, but - we'll, they'd never been hurt by their lack of heavier armor and Jason still fretted. Fair was fair. They tugged the hood and scarf up and jumped after Red Hood, gliding down to the bike with a fall that was all controlled grace thanks to their flight. ]
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He didn't let himself admire the way they almost floated to the ground. If he did, he'd without a doubt let himself get distracted and he'd have to fight to get back into the right mindset. Instead, he waited until his HUD signaled their feet touching down before he tossed them a simple black helmet. It was different than the one that was still upstairs, hanging on the wall alongside Jay and Roy's civilian helmets. New, compact, but perfectly fitted to their head.
He swung his leg over and settled into the seat of his work bike, bringing it to life under his touch with a low, chest rumbling thrum.]
Come on, be a good backpack and hold on tight.
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Ready.
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The drive wasn't 'long', exactly, but it did take them out of Jason's territory. In fact, it took them off the northern island entirely, weaving through traffic easily even on the bridge. The middle island was much nicer, but even that was left behind as he took them down through the lower tunnels under Finger River. The southern island put them very firmly in Bat territory and Jason kept them low and fast, evading radar and making a turn that Wren would find very familiar.
They were heading for the not so tiny manmade island that jutted off the Southeastern bend. Blackgate.]
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When he made that familiar turn, their whole body tensed, more and more as he kept on that familiar road. It was well past visiting hours, so why Blackgate? Had something happened to their dad? They wanted to demand answers, but the wind around the bike made conversation impossible. ]
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He was risking far more than running into Bruce with this plan, but he was hoping that it would work out in the end.
Pulling up at a side entrance that Wren probably didn't even know about, Hood cut the engine and gave Wren's thigh a light tap to tell them to dismount, but he reached out to stop them from taking off the helmet.]
Leave it. Come on.
[He kicked the door hard enough to rattle it on it's hinges, walking in like he owned the place when a buzz sounded and the door popped open. Once inside, the door closed again behind them and Hood stood up to his full, rather impressive height as a guard appeared at the end of the hall.]
Cameras, sensors, all of it. You got an hour, Hood. After that, you never fucking saw me.
[Hood didn't bother responding, just reached into one of his many pockets to pull out a not so small wad of money. It was traded for a keycard and then Hood was giving Wren a little push past the guard and into the prison proper.]
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What's this about-?
[ Except they hardly even get the words out before Jason is moving on, going in like he owns the place, and they know better than to try to pull rank of significant other on him when he's in costume and there's unknown witnesses around. Of the importance of separation between masked life and real life.
Their fists still clenched at their sides. God, they were going to yell at Jason when they were done with ... whatever this was. They kept close behind him, easily overshadowed by the bulk of him when not in their own costume that was both bright white and offered height and padding to give a broader silhouette. They were trying to figure out what the guard could mean by his words when Red Hood pushed them forward, catching themself before it caused a stumble, hissing under their breath to Jason as soon as they were certain the guard wouldn't overhear-]
We are talking later.
[ The helmet might hide their expression, but it didn't hide that righteous anger in their voice. ]
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His stomach sank and he winced in the safety of his helmet, but none of it showed on the surface. Red Hood didn't care about shit like that, Red Hood just needed to get shit done. The fact that keeping Wren in the dark would help sell his cover was just a thing to use and move on.
Inside that helmet, however, he knew full well that he was going to be sleeping on his couch for at least a couple of days.
Leading the way through the maze of employee corridors, Hood moved like he knew the space, confident and without worry that he was going to turn a corner and not recognize the new, identical white corridor. He kept Wren close, unwilling to lose them in the maze, but then they were coming out of the opposite door that they would usually go in and Wren would no doubt recognize the visitation room. It was dark and empty, no other guards at the posts as Hood gestured towards a chair.]
Stay here. I'll be right back.
[And then he was heading to the door that Mike would take at the end of their visits. Now was the hard part. Wren might be mad at him, but they trusted him enough to follow him.
A few more hallways later and he flipped the light on Mike's cell a few times to make sure the man was awake before he was swiping that keycard and popping open the door.]
Up and at'em, Gray. We're going for a walk.
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They nodded a bit numbly at his order, sitting in the chair of the visitor area, wishing their danger sense would tell them anything about this - but they couldn't push it like that, it just became indistinguishable from their own anxiety when they tried for anything beyond actual life or death danger for themself.
But Wren did trust Jason, trusted Red Hood.
Mike did not.
He brought a hand up to shield his eyes from the sudden light, squinting at Jason. His wrists had unconnected cuffs on them still - not cuffs but power dampeners that could be joined together if needed. He recognized red hood right away from description of what he'd heard alone - hard to not - and it gave him quite a sick sense of irony given what he was in here for. Not that anyone knew aside from 'metahuman' and 'multiple murders'. Protection of his secret identity had been part of the plea deal. ]
"Whatever you're selling, I'm not interested. Fuck off. I'm sleeping. Go bother Sionis."
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But he hadn't gotten this far to be thwarted by the very person he was trying to help.
Rolling his eyes in his helmet, Jason moved into the cell, shoving at the corner of the bed with one heavy boot.]
Up. You have a visitor and exactly 48 minutes of unsupervised time. Longer you lay there arguing with me, the less time you have to hug your kid.
(Clearly I need icons for wren's dad now)
Then Red Hood said the last part, and Mike was on his feet in an instant, grabbing Red Hood by the collar and shoving him hard enough against the wall that it would have broken something if he hadnt been armored.
...and instant really meant instant - Mike was both faster and stronger than his kid, and thise power dampeners did not work on him. ]
"The fuck are you doing with my kid?"
[ His expression was incendiary, he looked ready to murder. ]
:P
He took a moment to breath before he slowly pulled the gun away, holding it angled out so that the older man could see his hands no where near the trigger.]
They're in the waiting room. A concerned party paid for an unrestricted meet up for the two of you. They're a little pissed cause I didn't tell 'em shit, but that's not my problem.
[And that was the real reason he'd been so short with Wren. If he'd told them, they would have been excited in front of the guards, not off kilter. For the first visit, he needed them to sell that there was no connection between them. Needed them to be mad enough to not send him the same looks that they'd send Jason Todd in front of their father.
He'd suffer for it later, both with their anger and the bruises he could already start to feel under his armor, but it meant that no one was asking questions or even looking their way.]
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