Chapter 2
Clint’s apartment was pretty much exactly how Jason would have thought it would look like. Natasha quickly disappeared into one of the rooms for only a minute before reappearing wearing sweats and a t-shirt, so Jason followed Bucky’s lead and shed his armor until he was just wearing his tac pants and undershirt. Once they were all significantly less armed and much more comfortable, Natasha curled up on the couch while Bucky went to fetch a bottle of vodka and a bottle of something Jason didn’t recognize.
“James can’t get drunk off of regular alcohol so he’s got some special shit from Asgard,” Natasha explained when she noticed his curiosity. “Come sit, let’s watch a movie.”
They ended up watching the Saw movies, which was very entertaining when you were with people who also thought those kinds of movies were hilarious. The two of them were surprisingly funny, their dry and sometimes dark humor never failing to make him laugh. It was weird that he felt so comfortable around them, even before they started drinking, because it usually took him months before he could completely relax around someone.
Around four in the morning, Clint showed up, blinking in surprise at the three of them fairly drunk and laughing at the fifth Saw movie they were watching. “Clint! Welcome back,” Jason greeted with a grin.
“Hey, Jace,” Clint replied after a second, dumping a duffle bag on the floor and much more gently set his bow down. “How was your thing?”
“It was alright. Some dumbass didn’t know I’m a vigilante and thought he could hire me to keep Batman off his ass,” he answered, the idea sounding more stupid the more he thought about it. “I’m just hopin B doesn’t figure out I killed those bitches.”
“B?” Natasha asked curiously.
“Batman,” Jason explained. “The last thing I need right now is that kind of family drama.”
There was a pause where Jason quickly realized his mistake. “I’m sorry, did you just say you were family with Batman?” Clint asked, his voice up an octave. It probably wasn’t great that he was revealing that kind of information, because the three of them were smart enough to make connections between Batman and Bruce Wayne easily.
“I don’t think it needs to be said that any secret identities should remain secret,” Jason said, trying not to phrase it as too serious a threat while still getting the message across.
“It’s interesting that you’re protecting his identity,” Natasha stated, pausing long enough to watch his reaction, which was no reaction at all. She was apparently still testing him, trying to find out all the things that made him tick, and he doubted she’d stop until she completely figured him out, though he wasn’t about to just give anything away on purpose. “It’s not in any of our nature to reveal anything like that,” she added after getting nothing from him. “Everything’s starting to make sense though.”
“I’m sure it is,” Jason responded, slightly amused. He assumed most of the puzzle pieces were coming together; Batman and Bruce Wayne being the same person explained why and how he was Robin, as well as answered many questions about his complicated relationship with the bats.
He couldn’t help but wonder what his family would think of his relationship with the Avengers. He knew Bruce wasn’t Tony’s biggest fan, and the fact that they’re cool with killing people probably drove them insane, but other than that he had no clue. They’d probably just be surprised that he had friends outside of the Outlaws. He knew they were probably gonna find out eventually, but for now keeping this shit a secret was in his best interest; it was best to not stir shit up unnecessarily if it turned out they were opposed to all of this.
“Your secret’s safe with us, Jace,” Clint assured him, kicking his shoes off and sitting heavily down on the couch next to him. With a glance at Bucky, who was watching him with almost unnervingly sharp eyes, he got a steady nod, which was a good enough promise for Jason. It surprised him how easily he trusted that they’d actually keep their word, given his admittedly insane amount of trust issues. Somehow all of these people managed to slip past his defenses in a way no one really had done since he was taken in by Bruce at age twelve. Sure, he had friendships and was a part of the family again, but he’d probably require a fucking blood oath or something before trusting that they’d keep his secrets.
“Tony’s having a party this weekend, by the way,” Natasha said, eyes back on the screen as one of the assholes got caught in a trap. “You should come.”
“A party?” Jason asked skeptically, his attention half on the movie and half on his fellow assassins. “Jesus, even the smartest people in this movie are fucking idiots,” he commented, smirking at the remaining survivors trying and failing to think their way out of the next room.
“Yeah, it’s no wonder no one survives this movie,” Clint agreed before expanding on what Nat was talking about. “All of the Avengers are in town so Tony’s trying to celebrate and stay relevant. I promise the party won’t be as boring as your Wayne galas, though. Even Bucky’s gonna be there.”
“Not by choice,” Bucky added sulkily. “Steve thinks the public seeing me being friendly with everyone will make them less afraid of me or whatever.”
“Which I think is mostly wishful thinking on his part,” Natasha commented, smirking a bit at Bucky’s obvious discomfort and annoyance. “I personally think seeing James brooding in the corner might actually damage his public image.”
Bucky’s reply was just an eye roll and flipping her off, which made her smirk widen and Clint hide his own grin. “Maybe I’ll come,” Jason finally answered, trying not to grin stupidly when that seemed to make all three of them happy. He wasn’t quite used to feeling like people actually enjoyed his presence like this, and he’d be lying if he said it didn’t make him feel all warm inside. It was probably really sad that he was finally feeling like he was actually a part of something instead of an outsider when he’d been back with the family for such a long time, but he kinda hoped that said more about them rather than Jason’s own issues.
Later, much later, Jason would go back home and pretend he didn’t feel so fucking lonely all the time. Maybe he’d work on a case or two with one of his brothers and try not to react when they would remind him every single time to not kill anyone, always with those severe, distrustful looks sent his way. He would just roll his eyes and act like it didn’t hurt because it was worth it just to be around them again. For now, he relaxed into Clint’s couch, feeling genuinely content with Natasha’s feet in his lap, Clint ruffling his hair every now and then, and Bucky’s small laughs when Jason managed to say something funny enough for him to break that strong and silent thing he had going on most of the time. Tonight, he stayed focused on the here and now, basking in the sense of belonging and camaraderie with no judgement or conditions hanging over his head.