Batty Family - Batfam Oneshots

Inherently - Finale

TW: I'm not going to specify because I don't want to spoil, but read at your own discretion.
—
Jason woke up in a hospital bed, the sound of a monitor beeping next to him. At first he thought he was dead, but he'd be wounded enough times to recognize the smell of the rescue room that was in the Batcave.

He groaned and rubbed his eyes, then sat up and looked around. Surprisingly, Damian was sitting beside him.

"Damian?"

The boy jolted awake, "What? Oh—you're up."

"Yeah...what time is it?"

He glanced at his watch, "It's 4 AM. You've been out for two days."

"Oh."

There was an awkward silence before Jason spoke again.

"So, whatcha' doing here?"

The boy bit his nail, "When father told me you turned evil again, it wasn't really hard to believe him. He didn't let me try to find you, though—none of them did. They thought they were protecting me, but we both know that I could've taken you on in a fight."

"Yeah," Jason snorted.

"I stayed here because I wanted to see for myself. Todd, why? I just don't understand—after all the progress you made—why go back?"

His eyes softened, "I don't know, kid. I really don't know."

Silence ensued once more, and Jason stared up at the ceiling above him. The bright lights blinded him, but he payed no mind.

"I think I gotta get out of this city. Too many bad memories, y'know?"

"Makes sense," Damian nodded, "Where will you go?"

"Hm...well, I've always wanted to travel the world. Maybe Italy. I remember you mentioned something once about wanting to go there, maybe I could send something back for you."

"That'd be pleasant."

"Yeah...hey, do me a favor and go run along to your bed, alright?"

"I'm not a little kid anymore," the boy crossed his arms.

"You're twelve, Damian. That's still a kid."

"Whatever."

Jason chuckled softly, "But seriously, go."

Damian reluctantly pushed himself out of his chair and was about to open the door when Jason called, "Wait!"

The boy turned around, his hand resting on the handle.

"I just wanted to tell you that I'm proud of you."

He raised an eyebrow, "You're saying goodbye like you'll never see me again."

The young man kept a straight face, but the slight falter in his mouth told Damian everything he needed to know. The boy walked hastily over and pulled his elder brother into a fast but bone-crushing hug.

"Will you write?" He asked, placing his hands on the man's shoulders.

"Yeah, I'll write."

Damian looked down with furrowed eyebrows. He was upset that he'd never get to see Jason again, but like hell he was going to admit it.

"I'll be gone by tomorrow morning," Jason finished.

"Okay."

The boy walked to the door once again, this time opening it before he stopped.

"Goodbye, Jason."

As Damian closed the door, Jason finally broke. The use of his first name surely did not go unnoticed. Moreover, he felt as if the closing of the door symbolized something. Maybe the ending of a brotherhood, or the ending of this endeavor—this battle—he had put himself through for years. Maybe it was all finally over.
***
Jason Todd spent three weeks in Italy. His family was shocked to his room empty with only a singular note that read, 'Off to see the world.' Dick thought it was good for him to get out of Gotham, but it turned out that he was incredibly far from being correct.

Five weeks after Jason had left for Italy, Bruce Wayne received a letter from Jason's local police department. He had been found dead in his apartment two weeks after the life had left his body. The cause of death was suicide—a gunshot wound to the head. In one hand, he held the gun. In the other was a note for all the members of his family, simply stating that he loved them, and that he was sorry. He explained in short sentences that he found he could never be the good kid he once was; he would always be inherently evil. Upon reading this, all the members of the Bat family were outraged as they knew he could've made the change if he tried, but no one said anything minus the whispers and mutters.

Jason's funeral was a small and quiet one. They never opened the casket in fear of seeing his body after a bullet to the head and two weeks of decomposition.

At the funeral, Dick and Roy were the only ones to speak. Everyone else listened with misty eyes. It was the first time anyone had seen Damian cry, the first time Tim ever held Damian in his arms, the first time Roy and Kori were brought into a family hug, the first time Dick couldn't help the ones who needed him, the first time Bruce opened up to his children, and the first time the Bat family was a family—a true family—without Jason.

After Jason's death, Bruce donated large portions of his income to various therapists every month. Tim spent his time creating online organizations meant to help people who wanted to change or were in a crisis. Dick and Damian helped Tim with his organization, and Damian also worked on being more open and helpful to others.

Although Jason was gone, the family worked day and night to make sure his legacy lived on; while it wasn't a spectacular one, it was one that others could learn from. That was the family's goal. Often times, they wondered if Jason would be proud of their work. But they were happy, as long as their Jason kept living on through the good memories that others had of him. Because while he had done bad things, they all still loved him.

Jason smiled as he watched over them. Indeed, he was proud. And he was incredibly grateful that his family actually cared enough to allow him to live on.

He was never inherently evil. He loved, he hated—he was a normal human. A human who simply never got the help he needed.

But at least others would. All because of his family and what they did for their brother, their son, after he was gone.