[British and American] Jason Wayne's Struggle

Dick canceled his leave, accepted the care of his classmates and teachers, then packed up his things in the evening and moved back to his apartment with Jason.

When he went to pick up Jason, Jason was actually lying over the table doing Olympiad math problems, with a pair of black-framed glasses on his high nose to prevent myopia.

For the first time, Dick discovered that his successor had a very good-looking face. He had seen Wonder Woman wearing black-framed glasses. Rather than covering up her overly beautiful face, it made her look more fashionable and cute. Jason also looked eye-catching with glasses.

He was stunned for two seconds, then said, "I guess you must be very popular in school? A lot of people want to be friends with you, right?"

Jason looked up and glanced at Dick, thinking that this guy was a little weird.

Little Robin denied, "No, I don't have many friends at school."

His only friend had moved to New York.

By the way, Dick also found that the questions this kid wrote were very difficult, they were high school level math Olympiad questions.

The apartment had been unoccupied for nearly a week, so the two had to clean it first. It was at this time that Dick discovered that Jason was really good at housework. Every place that Little Robin had cleaned was clean and tidy, and the items were placed neatly and orderly. Watching him do things was definitely a blessing for people with obsessive-compulsive disorder and mysophobia.

Hearing his sigh, Jason frowned and replied calmly: "I remember I also cleaned the safe house before."

Dick scratched his hair in embarrassment: "I wasn't in a good condition at the time. I was just eating and sleeping, and I didn't have the extra energy to pay attention to what you did."

Jason said "oh" and prepared to go out with his wallet.

Dick: Where are you going?

Jason: “Shopping.”

In the spirit of not letting his 13-year-old younger brother with a plump wallet go shopping alone in the evening in Blüdhaven, Dick hurriedly followed him.

Both robins went shopping with the Butler. Jason selected the meat, vegetables and seasonings he wanted, and also bought an electric baking pan, a rice cooker, an omelette mold and other kitchen utensils that Dick had not prepared before.

Dick followed with a cart: "You know how to use all of these?"

It’s not that he thinks Jason can’t cook. In fact, even if he can’t cook, Bruce will require them to at least master a convenient way to prepare food. For example, Bruce will cut vegetables and fruits and add salad dressing to dress them, and he will also heat bread and ham, then cut the bread and stuff the ham in.

Dick was best at making oatmeal with milk. After all, when he and Bruce used to go on night patrols at home, the boy, who was in his growth period and had just consumed a lot of physical energy, would always have his stomach growling with hunger, and then Bruce would teach him how to fill his stomach quickly.

After arriving in Blüdhaven, Dick supported himself with milk, cereal and takeout.

Jason stabbed him coldly, "Why would I buy it if I can't use it? It's not like the money is too much."

Dick shut up. He felt that Jason's wallet was much fuller than his. Not only was there a thick stack of Franklin notes in it, but there was also a black gold card.

Otherwise, why would the eldest child feel jealous when looking at the favored second child? Dick's monthly pocket money was a fixed amount, but Jason had a black gold card, which was obviously for any child to swipe.

Dick didn't know at this moment that apart from practicing figure skating and buying books, Jason basically had no other way to spend money. He usually stayed at home reading and doing homework, or helping Alfu with housework. Bruce was worried that he didn't socialize enough, so he gave him this card to encourage the child to go out and play more. However, Jason always went alone even to art exhibitions.

In addition to these, Jason also bought a lot of bread, all of which were inexpensive, large in quantity, and easy to store, as well as a few blankets. Then he took Dick through many twists and turns to the most remote place in Blüdhaven. Nightwing would never come here during his night patrols, because the people living here were orphans and the elderly, and it was the most dilapidated orphanage in Blüdhaven, and robbers could not make any money here.

Dick watched Jason deliver food and blankets to the orphanage and suddenly remembered Jason's origins.

Before being adopted by Bruce, he was a homeless child living in Gotham's most chaotic Crime Alley and a part-time pickpocket. Every day he lived the same life as these poor people, with hunger and cold clothes, and no future in sight.

After leaving there, Jason told Dick that some of the lowest-level pimps would come here to find kids who looked okay, and control them to be the cheapest sexual service providers. The poor people who didn't have much money could go there to vent by paying very little money and food.

Some human traffickers also come here to look for targets. If they happen to come across "good stuff", they are very lucky.

So during the days when he took over Nightwing's night patrols, he went to these places specifically to take care of the pimps and human traffickers. However, given that Blüdhaven's crime rate was second only to Gotham, criminals would always appear in an endless stream. If possible, he hoped that Nightwing would pay attention to these people in the future.

Dick replied seriously, "I will."

Then Dick saw Jason smile, bright and soft. The dim sunlight at dusk shone on his face, adding warmth to his overly sharp eyebrows.

His voice was also soft and his tone was firm.

"I know you will."

Even though they had some unpleasant conflicts, even though Dick didn't like him, Jason always believed that Nightwing was a trustworthy hero.

Dick felt flattered. He never thought that even though they had such an unpleasant relationship before and he had been behaving badly in the past few days, Jason still expressed his trust.

He had to admit that what he needed most now was this kind of trust. He needed someone to tell him "This city needs you" and "I believe you can be a good superhero." Even though he never thought that the person who gave him this trust at this time was Jason, who had always been at odds with him, Dick was still grateful.

In fact, if Dick asked at this time, "I don't know what I have done to make you give me this trust", then he would probably know that Jason once admired the first Robin.

But at this moment Dick thought of something else. He looked at Jason's delicate profile, hesitated for a while, and asked, "You...are familiar with this kind of thing."

When Alfred called Dick before, he not only told Jason to stay at Dick's place for a while until Alfred could deal with Bruce, he also said that he hoped Dick could talk to Jason and comfort little Robin, so that at least he would be submissive to Bruce when he returned home.

Otherwise, if he wants to fight back, Bruce will be tougher than him. Are the father and son really going to fight forever?

However, Dick now realized one thing, that is, Jason's reaction to x crime was very intense. He was born in Crime Alley and had an outstanding appearance. Has he... suffered similar injuries?

Dick wanted to ask, but was afraid that this question would be too much for Jason and make him uncomfortable.

Jason replied frankly, "I have indeed encountered similar things a few times. A pimp wanted to arrest me, and someone else wanted to rape me, but I never let them succeed."

That was half a year after Jason started wandering. At that time, he already knew that some pimps and human traffickers would look for victims in Crime Alley, so he made himself look ugly, such as smearing dust on his face. In addition, he was skinny and dry, and he tried to avoid those people when he was out, so he could still make a living.

Until Jason, out of kindness, shared a cookie with a starving girl of the same age. They worked together for a few days, and later the girl became the favorite of a pimp in Crime Alley. Other girls might have to pick up more than ten customers a night when they were working, but she only had to pick up five or six, and then take care of the pimp. Jason didn't like the way she tried to please the pimp, so he never approached her again.

Then one day, she suddenly brought Old Yak, the pimp, to the trash can where Jason lived, pointed at Jason and said, "That's him. He looks much better than me after he's cleaned up. He can be sold for a lot of money."

As soon as the girl finished speaking, Old Jack and a few others rushed towards Jason. Jason had no choice but to run. He knew he couldn't outrun an adult, so he lifted a manhole cover and ran into the sewer.

He was very scared at that time, and those people followed him into the sewer in order to catch him. Jason knew that he would be finished if he was caught, so he could only run for his life, but Old Jack and others were getting closer and closer to Jason.

When turning an intersection, Jason stopped. He looked in front of him and saw a monster that looked like a crocodile, but was walking upright and looked hideous and terrifying.

That was Killer Croc, he looked injured at that time, but Jason knew he had the ability to kill him.

The little child stood there, thinking he was about to die, and despairingly thought that it would be better to die here than to be caught and raped.

But Killer Croc looked at Jason with his cold, reptilian vertical pupils, said "get out", and walked behind Jason.

When the other person passed by him, Jason said thank you in a tearful voice. Behind him, he heard the screams of those people before they died. Jason continued to run forward, his vision blurred and tears constantly falling.

After he became Robin, he learned from the Batcomputer that Killer Croc did not kill children.

If Killer Croc commits another crime, Jason will still help Batman send him to Arkham, but he does not have the same "hate and want him to die" murderous intent towards Killer Croc as he does towards other criminals.

Jason didn't tell the story in detail, and Dick only knew that Jason had experienced attempted rape, but it was scary enough for a child.

At this moment, Dick felt that he understood where Jason's ruthlessness when facing criminals came from. The bad past left a deep shadow in Jason's heart.

Dick felt a little regretful. If he had known that Jason had such a bad past, he should have been more tolerant of the kid. At least when the Teen Titans acted together, he should not have scolded him harshly in front of everyone and beat him so hard that he couldn't get up.

Fortunately, it is not too late to start now. Jason saved Dick before, and Dick is willing to gradually resolve Jason's knot in the future.

Maybe Ah Fu was right, he was a unique child.

Jason was born in Crime Alley, but he did not choose to sink with others. He was once saved from being violated because of the occasional kindness of the villains, but he chose to follow Batman. He is Robin, but he has a strange resonance with some villains.

This trait is common in certain anti-heroes who have no qualms about killing.

So Jason is indeed someone who needs proper guidance. Dick thought that Bruce really picked up a troublesome kid.

……

Little Robin's cooking skills were much better than Dick had imagined. His cooking movements were as smooth and beautiful as flowing water. Soon the rich aroma filled the entire apartment, and Dick's stomach also cried out in desire.

The boiling soup made a bubbling sound. Dick leaned against the kitchen door and stared at the pot of soup. He unexpectedly felt the atmosphere of home.

It has been a long time since he left Wayne Manor and felt such a lively atmosphere in his life. Dick thought it was normal for Bruce and Alfu to like Jason, and he also liked this kid a little bit now.

The black pepper chicken steak was tender and fragrant, and the carrot and ginger soup warmed his whole stomach. Dick couldn't stop eating. Halfway through his meal, he heard a "ding" sound from the oven that hadn't worked since he moved in.

Jason put down his knife and fork, put on gloves and pulled out the baking tray. Another burst of rich milky aroma assaulted Dick's nose, making it impossible for him to take his eyes off the baking tray.

He shouted incoherently and excitedly, "Are those cookies? My God, Little Wing, you can actually bake cookies! Did Ah Fu teach you?"

Jason picked up the biscuits and put them on the plate, and replied calmly, "Afu taught me how to make this, but I changed the recipe a bit, increased the proportion of milk, and added some orange peel to adjust the aroma and reduce the greasiness."

Dick didn't listen to the adjustments to the recipe at all. He just reached out to grab it and was slapped on the back of his hand.

Jason said simply, "This is a midnight snack after the night patrol."

Cookies and milk are a great sleep aid. Sometimes when Jason can't sleep but doesn't want to sleep in Bruce's bed, he uses this method to help him fall asleep faster.

Dick begged, "Let me have one, please, I haven't had cookies for a long time... ugh!"

Jason impatiently stuffed a cookie into his mouth, and Dick gave a thumbs up to express his appreciation for the cookie.

After eating and drinking and changing into his uniform, Dick felt like a new person.