Nothing they ever did ended well. The closest they'd ever come had been before, because Jason had come to Bruce already familiar with sex and the knowledge that pain came with it. Bruce hadn't needed to watch him from afar until his needs outgrew his caution because Jason had come to the Manor expecting to be taken to Bruce's bed.

It was what he was good at. What he'd been doing to survive. Why the hell would Bruce Wayne keep him around if he wasn't warming his bed? It wasn't until he'd become Robin that Bruce had actually taken his offer seriously, but those early years? Just the two of them? It had been good. Yeah, it hurt, but it was a good hurt and it was different if Bruce was the one hurting him. It was different if Bruce was the one doing a lot of things to him. Bruce loved him.

It was why he'd taken the accusations of pushing Garzonas so personally. No. It was why he'd taken Bruce being so angry about Garzonas' death so personally. He hadn't pushed the man, but he wasn't sad to see him dead and...and it drove a wedge between them that had only gotten wider.

But for tonight, he wanted that wedge gone. Tonight, he wanted to curl up against Bruce's chest and pretend like their lives had gone a different direction. Pretend that they could have this, for just a few hours.

It hurt to roll onto his side, but with Bruce's strong hands to help him, he went easily. Having the broad warmth of Bruce's chest against his back was soothing and he sighed softly as he shifted back, threading the bandaged fingers of one hand into the hand that draped across his hips. The other got a small, almost shy brush of his lips before he closed his eyes and let himself relax back into that hold.

"I know you do. I know, dad."