Chapter Text
The first time it happened, he was undercover as Damian's bodyguard at one of Bruce's frankly overly opulent parties.
Oh, sure, he had made a number of death jokes before. Sometimes, as a way to cope; sometimes, purely because he found them genuinely funny. Sometimes even, because he knew it hurt Bruce and the small flinch was a reminder that his Da– Bruce had cared for him at one point or another. More than just as a soldier, or a warning, but as a family member too.
It was particularly satisfying to throw his death in the Bat's face, back in the beginning.
Nowadays, he did it because, frankly, he found the jokes hilarious. And what was the point of going through all that trauma if he couldn't even laugh in its face afterwards?
Plus, now that they had mostly -some diverging opinions were still being thoroughly "debated" on bad nights ( if one definition of debating involved stony silences, accusing glares and grunts as part of one party's argument ) -made up, Bruce didn't even react anymore. Some of his guilt complex over the matter had probably evaporated with Jason's return.
So it was probably not the first time it happened. But it was certainly the first time Jason noticed.
It started innocently enough.
Jason was standing near an lotus painting that was worth an obscene amount of money, sipping at his champagne glass (a behaviour that would get any professional bodyguard fired, but apart from a curious murmur or two, the rich crowd didn't seem to mind if Bruce Wayne employed incompetent idiots ) and perhaps slightly taunting the Brat about his supposed inability to jump from the banister to the glittering crystal chandelier. All perfectly innocent things that anyone bored out of their mind at a fancy party would do.
So, of course, Dick had to walk in and ruin everything.
He was quickly walking towards them, smile bright if a bit strained, a gorgeous redhead following him closely ( Babs returned his welcome nod with a warm smile of her own) and an obnoxious blonde hanging off his other arm.
An obnoxious blonde calling him "Richie" and shrilling about going on dates and meeting Bruce.
Ha.
Jason could already see the Batbrat tensing, teeth uncovered, looking for all the world like a puppy ready to defend his eldest brother's honour. A puppy with at least a dozen hidden knives. And training to use them with.
He put a hand in Damian's hair and messed it up, quirking a judgemental eyebrow at Dick.
Splutters of indignant rage began echoing in the background.
(Welp, if the brat was to be believed, Titus would get some handmade food tonight.
Gross.
Never let it be said that Jason never did anything for this family. )
Dick smiled at him gratefully and walked towards Damian, shooting an apologetic "Hey, sorry, gotta go and calm the little bro before he makes a scene, you know how this goes " glance at his date.
Said date huffed in annoyance over losing the attention of one of Gotham most prized bachelors - and wasn't that traumatising all on its own, both Bruce and Dick being considered catches - before her gaze zeroed-in on Jason with a speed and an accuracy that would have made the Flash turn green with envy
They say you can be hypnotized by the dangerous glint in some predators' gaze. The viper or the tiger are supposed to be good examples of this. Your body reads the danger but the fight or flight response doesn't always activate correctly and you're left staring in the face of your imminent death, fascinated by its hypnotizing beauty.
Jason had faced plenty of predators before and never felt such a strong urge to flee.
Granted, with all that happened to him, he never had the time for a significant other and apart from his bogus date with Artemis, he didn't have a lot of experience in the matter.
He had also died too soon for all the sharks that were after Bruce's money to began circling.
Still. That was one hell of a scary smile.
The girl stalked closer to him and Jason very bravely did not take a step backwards.
From behind the girl's shoulder, Dick gave him a sympathetic wince.
Asshole.
"Had I known Bruce Wayne employed such striking security staff, I'd have come to these parties sooner. " She purred.
Jason stared blankly at her. Was that seriously a pun? Did he not even rate the good pick up lines ?
Not deterred in the least by his lack of response, she continued.
" My name's Amelia. " She extended a hand and looked at him, eyebrow raised.
He shook her hand.
"Jonas Pennyworth"
She smiled wider. A few meters behind her, out of earshot, he could see Bruce staring at them, a small furrow between his brows and completely ignoring the group of rich snobs he was mingling with.
“So, Jonas,” And honestly, when would Babs stop snickering ? “ Tell me about yourself ”
Jason put on a bland smile.
“Oh, there's not much to tell, really.”
“Come on, don't be like that.” She stepped a little closer to him “ You work security, that can't be boring”
Jason snorted. Well, his everynight life certainly wasn't, but he couldn’t exactly tell her that.
“Boring’s not the word I'd use to qualify working in Gotham, no.”
She lit up at the prospect of a anecdote. From the corner of his eye, he could see Bruce making his way over to them.
What now ?
“Oooh! Have you ever had to protect someone from one of the Rogues ?”
Jason resisted the urge to laugh. Judging by the constipated expression Dick was making two meters over ( and real subtle eavesdropping there, Nightwing ), he was encountering the same problem.
Jason smirked and downed the rest of his champagne.
“Maybe once or twice”
“Now, you’ve got to tell me! Which Rogue was it? Did you –”
Brucie Wayne arrived and wormed his way into the conversation with none of the awkwardness and assholeness Jason knew was Bruce's actual default setting.
“Hi! Bruce Wayne. I usually try to make a point of greeting every party guest –” Liar “ especially ones as lovely as you”
Okay, what the hell ? Bruce usually only did the flirt thing when he needed to uphold his cover.
Amelia shook his hand, looking slightly dazed under the sheer amount of sparkles emanating from Bruce's smile.
“Amelia Livilan. Lovely to meet you.”
“ I hope I'm not interrupting ?”
Well no, but Jason was officially freaked out now. Bruce deviating from his usual protocols (that he hadn't turned into an emotionless robot while Jason was dead was yet to be proved) usually meant business. Serious business.
Luckily, having been trained by the Bat meant being able to communicate discreetly and silently in any setting.
He signed “ Danger?”. Barbara was the first to answer, shaking her head, an amused glint dancing in her eyes.
Bruce signed “Nothing, stand down.” back at him.
Not one to be outdone, Dick inserted himself in the conversation and signed “ Nosy” while smirking at his dad.
Damian looked about as baffled as Jason felt so at least there was that.
Amelia giggled.
“ I was just talking to Jonas about his job. Has he worked for you long, mister Wayne ?”
“ Oh a few years, I'd say ?” Bruce said, grabbing a glass of champagne from a tray Alfred had miraculously appeared with. Because apparently even Alfred was curious enough to come see what was going on.
Thank god Tim was talking to WE investors and Cass was not in Gotham tonight or at the rate they were going he'd have the whole set staring at him right now.
“ Really ? I've never seen him around. And believe me I’d remember”
She shot another flirty smile at Jason. Bruce's smile never dimmed but from where he was, slightly behind him ( and when had that happened? ) Jason could see Bruce's back muscles tensing and his grip on the glass slightly tightening.
What even.
Jason took it upon himself to defuse the situation. And really, when presented with an opportunity like that, how could he resist?
“ I ended up working the graveyard shift for a few years, back when I first started.” Jason said “ Probably the reason our paths didn't cross.”
Three things happened at once:
Damian let out a noise that could almost pass for a giggle, had Jason not been informed several times in the past year that “Al-Ghuls do not giggle, Todd, that's preposterous.”.
Dick chocked on his sip of champagne.
And the glass in Bruce’s hand shattered spraying shards everywhere. His face looked ashen for less than a blink before the careless grin that was the norm for his public appearances came back.
Jason was left gaping at Bruce's back while a flurry of activity erupted around the both of them. He could barely hear the other man's sheepish laugh mingling with the sound of concerned voices.
What the hell had just happened?
Later, when the mess was moped up and the guests gone, he asked Dick what the hell had been up with Bruce.
His brother just sighed and shook his head, muttering about stubborn idiots.
Weird.