Mask of Glass

Ch 19

Tim and Damian stalked down the hall toward Jason's room. They opened the door and barged in, seeing Jason staring at a picture on the wall.

Jason soon found himself pinned against the wall of his bedroom with a katana pressed against his neck and a bow staff jabbing into his sternum. Tim and Damian were glaring at him, both looking murderous. He let out a nervous chuckle and said, "So what's this all about?"

Damian growled and Jason shifted slightly, causing the blade to nic his neck, which sent a rivulet of blood rolling down towards his shirt.

"This isn't very funny." Jason said with a hiss.

"Neither is you being a bully, especially to Dick." Tim said, pressing his bow staff down harder against Jason's chest.

"Ow! What are you... Oh." Jason said, remembering his spiteful words from earlier in the day.

"Dick has been up in his room for who knows how long thinking that nobody cares about him and that nobody wants him around. It doesn't help that Bruce never actually took the time to adopt him officially." Tim growled.

"I never told him that... exactly..." Jason said, looking ashamed.

"Grayson and father told me about his time in a detention center after his parents died while he was waiting to be approved as father's ward. He suffered verbal abuse daily, most likely the same types of things that he heard today from you." Damian said with a glare. "Father also told me that for the first few months Dick was so scared that father was going to send him back that every time someone knocked on the door he would rush up to his room and hide under his bed."

"I didn't know." Jason whimpered pitifully, pushing himself harder against the wall as Damian increased the pressure on his katana, cutting deeper into the skin of Jason's neck.

"You should never say those kinds of things to anyone whether or not they have had them said to them before, especially not to members of your own family." Tim said vehemently.

"You're also not supposed to kill members of your own family." Jason whimpered, staring at the blade that was pressed against his throat.

"I don't know." Tim said. "I think perhaps the offence warrants the punishment."

"Ok ok! I'm sorry alright!" Jason shouted, panic clear in his voice.

"I believe that the one you need to apologize to is Grayson, not us." Damian said, lessening the pressure on his katana. He finally removed the glinting sword, and Jason clamped a hand over the cut on his neck.

Tim reluctantly removed his bow staff as well and Jason sunk to the floor, letting out a relieved sigh.

Jason looked up at Tim and Damian to see their murderous glares. Not wanting to tempt fate a second time, Jason jumped to his feet and rushed to his older brother's room. He looked over his shoulder once to see both of his younger brothers still glaring at him before he lunged into Dick's room, falling to the floor right in front of Dick.

Dick was so startled by Jason falling into his room, that when Jason looked to where his older brother had been only moments before all he saw was empty space. Dick had managed to climb up one of the four tall beams that made up his 4 poster bed and was now huddled on the top of it where the posts connected with the upper panels to make the upper frame.

Ace took that moment to jump up from where he had been laying and hop onto Jason's back, licking his hair and ears.

"Ugh! Stop it you crazy hound!" Jason said, trying to shoo Ace away.

Dick slid back down to the ground and grabbed Ace's collar, pulling him off of Jason and telling the dog to go lay down on the large bed he had for him in the corner of the room.

Jason sat up slowly, looking bashfully at the ground. "Hey Dickie... I'm sorry for what I said earlier. I didn't really mean any of it. I was just frustrated that you had to keep helping me, that I wasn't strong enough to save myself." Jason awkwardly rubbed his neck, waiting for what Dick would say.

Dick however, didn't say anything. Instead he wrapped Jason in a hug. Jason relaxed and laid his head on Dick's shoulder.

"I didn't know things had been so horrible for you during the months after your parents' death." Jason whispered, biting his lip as Dick tensed. "I had always assumed that Bruce took you right then and there." Jason let out a humorless chuckle.

"I'm sure that would've broken some sort of laws." Dick replied, echoing Jason's chuckle.

"I'm so sorry." Jason whispered again.

"I know." Was Dick's soft reply.

—

The two brothers stayed in their hug for a long time.

When Dick finally released Jason he saw the cut on his neck.

"Jay, what happened?" Dick asked, brushing a gentle finger over the small cut.

"It would seem that you have some very overprotective younger brothers." Jason said.

Dick groaned. "I'm sorry about that. I should've never told Damian and Tim about that." Dick said, mentally berating himself.

"No need to apologise." Jason said. "I was being a bit of a stubborn jerk, and I needed some sense knocked into me. Besides, I would've done the same to them if our positions were reversed."

Dick looked up skeptically at Jason.

"It would seem that you have 3 overprotective younger brothers." Jason said with a smile, wrapping Dick in another hug.