Chapter Text
Jason didn’t know where he was going exactly, just that he needed some time to himself. Being in that giant manor still unsettled him sometimes, so here he was, out exploring in the woods. Jason couldn’t even really explain why he wanted out of the manor. Bruce was out as Batman, so no one was in the manor except Alfred. Jason hadn’t been allowed to go out because of his big test tomorrow in Chemistry, despite the fact that Jason would have preferred to get his energy out punching bad guys. Instead he had nothing to do but sit in bed and worry about the periodic table. It was too quiet in the manor, he’d thought. The lack of noise and nervous thoughts kept him from sleeping, so he decided to do something with all that energy.
He’d brought a backpack full of snacks, a flashlight, and the book he was reading and headed out. The forest surrounding the back of the manor was something Jason had been hoping to explore eventually. He’d just never gotten around to doing it yet, and tonight seemed like a good time to explore. It was still barely light out, so Jason didn’t think there’d be any wild animals to spook him. He just hoped there weren’t bears.
Huddled in his jacket, he treaded onwards into the woods. He figured he could loop around the manor, just to make sure he didn’t get lost or go too far. Part of him thought back to the magic treehouse books he’d read as a kid, and wondered if Bruce would let him build a treehouse out here. Jason thought bitterly, that maybe Dick would have loved to help build one if he wasn’t busy being mad at everyone.
Jason sighed. He knew Dick was just going through some teenage angst or whatever, Jason being twelve and Dick being sixteen, there was an age gap big enough that Jason didn’t understand Dick’s thought process. Sure, he figured Dick was angry he took Robin, but the guy had moved out. Nightwing was already a prolific hero, and Jason was trying to live up to the mantle. It just sucked, that the sibling Jason had always wanted growing up didn’t want anything to do with him.
It just made the manor a bit lonelier. Alfred and Bruce were great, but Jason didn’t feel like he could talk to them like a sibling, or a friend. Both were used to silent company, which was fine for the most part. Jason chattered with Alfred over tea, and complained to Bruce about school over breakfast. It wasn’t like he needed to be around someone all the time, and he had some people at school that weren’t inherently terrible.
Jason shook his head, and looked up to the trees. What made a tree a good tree for a treehouse, he wondered. He recalled the tv playing some show called Treehouse Masters or something once when Bruce had fallen asleep on the couch. Jason hadn’t paid much attention since he was more invested in his book, but he thought he could remember something about the tree having a lot of limbs being good.
Of course, the treehouses on the tv were a lot bigger than Jason was planning, so he figured any tree shape would be fine as long as it would hold a small treehouse. Then Jason could decorate it with all kinds of things, maybe rig up someplace he could read in. Trudging through the bushes, he kept looking, not finding a particular tree that stood out to him.
As he walked, Jason thought about putting pillows and blankets in one corner, with a lamp or something like those fairy lights he’d seen in some girl’s locker at school. Of course, the treehouse would need snacks, so maybe a box or secret compartment. Now that he was thinking about it, a desk and chair for when he needed to do homework would be cool. Jason stumbled over something on the forest floor, having not noticed it in the dwindling light while he was thinking about color schemes to paint the treehouse with.
Glancing down, he was surprised to find he’d tripped over an old tupperware container. He could see a crack down one side, and when he picked it up he recognized it as the same brand Alfred used. Curious, Jason looked around, spotting the Manor to the left and found himself closer to the driveway. He spotted the dumpster not too far away, and decided to meander over there to throw the container in.
He’d not known they had a dumpster out here, but he figured it made sense. Jason often heard Alfred grumbling about raccoons, so he figured maybe one of them had gotten into the trash and grinned. He’d always wanted a pet, and while he knew a raccoon would be potentially dangerous he sort of hoped there’d be a stray cat around for him to befriend.
Jason stood on his tiptoes to open the floppy lid of the dumpster, only to dart back in surprise when something inside hissed at him. Stumbling back, he dropped the lid with a smack and tripped on his own feet to land on his butt. Okay, so maybe there are raccoons, Jason thought to himself as he pulled himself to his feet.
He crept closer, hearing rustling in the dumpster. For a moment he thought they might be stuck in there, and he took out his flashlight. Jason was pretty sure a raccoon wouldn’t kill him, and even if he did get scratched or bitten, the manor was just a short jog away. Not that he was planning to fight the raccoon, he just wanted to make sure it wasn’t a cat. Or stuck in there.
Jason lifted the lid again, this time rearing back as far as he could while angling his flashlight to the inside of the dumpster. He heard the hissing again, and felt a bit of disappointment when he saw the striped tail. There seemed to be only one raccoon, Jason noted as he tried to get a better position. His arm was getting tired of holding up the lid, but he didn’t want to scare the raccoon by opening the thing all the way.
Speaking of the raccoon, from what Jason had seen of it the thing’s tail was huge. He brought the flashlight around to where he’d seen it curled into the trash, hoping to see a fat, fluffy raccoon, but Jason nearly dropped the flashlight in surprise when what hissed at him had a human face.
“Holy shit,”Jason whispered, bringing the flashlight out of the squinty blue eyes looking back at him warily.
Nearly losing his grip, Jason stared with wide eyes at what looked like a little boy with black hair, dirt covered skin so much it almost looked black in the dim light, a tattered old shirt, and a raccoon tail eating what looked like a piece of dinner roll that Jason had seen Alfred throw out with the other occasional dinner leftovers the day before. The kid was small, and Jason couldn’t help but stare, even when the kid hissed at him again with his cheeks puffed out from the bread.
“Hey there,”Jason cooed, trying to project the voice he uses to comfort victims as robin. “Are you okay?”
The kid merely stuffed the rest of the roll in his mouth, afraid Jason would try to take it, and curled further into the trash. Jason winced, hoping there wasn’t any broken glass or anything that the kid would cut himself on. He couldn’t help the rush of anger he felt at someone leaving a toddler in the trash. He’s practically a baby, Jason exclaimed in his head, a bit hysterically.
Though, seeing the obvious animal traits the kid had, Jason could guess why the kid was abandoned. Not many people were fond of metahumans these days, even with the work the Justice League was putting in to protect them.
Suddenly an idea sparked, and Jason put away his flashlight to dig through his backpack. He fiddled around until he brought out a plastic bag filled with Alfred’s oatmeal cookies. “Are you hungry?” Jason asked, breaking one cookie in half and reaching into the dumpster towards the kid.
As expected, he got a hiss in reply, but after a few moments of sniffing, the kid made an adorable chirp and came forward a bit. It took some maneuvering through the trash for him, but Jason kept patiently still, leaning over the lip of the dumpster as far as he could go as the kid warily reached for the cookie.
Jason beamed with delight when the kid took it from his hand, making sure to not touch his skin, and snatching it as fast as lightning. The toddler examined it with a chirp, sniffing it thoroughly before taking a tiny nibble, all the while keeping an eye on Jason. A warm feeling grew in Jason’s chest when the kid lit up at the taste and scarfed the rest down.
The kid turned his big blue eyes to Jason immediately to beg for more, and Jason had to resist laughing. All it took to gain the kid’s trust was Alfred’s cookies, Jason thought, but broke another piece off the cookie to give to the kid. This piece was snatched much quicker, and the kid didn’t immediately retreat like the last time.
It worried Jason, how easy it was to get the kid to trust him with food. Anyone could have lured him in and Jason didn’t want to think about all the things some creep might’ve done. The teen swallowed around the lump in his throat, but dutifully handed the kid the last piece of the cookie. “You wanna come out of the dumpster?” Jason asked gently as the kid munched on the cookie. It was adorable, the way his head tilted to the left as Jason spoke. He wondered if the little raccoon even knew what he was saying.
“I’ll give you a whole cookie if you come out,”Jason bargained, holding up another cookie. The little guy brightened at the sight, and crawled forwards as much as he could until he was near the edge of the dumpster Jason was leaning over. He put his little hands up against the wall to balance as he stood up on two legs, reaching high as he could to get the cookie.
Jason broke it in half, handing one piece to him- or her, Jason couldn’t tell, but he’d stick to him for now. The kid just stared at him while munching, and Jason thought about ways he could get the kid out of the dumpster. It kind of smelled. Not that it was the kid’s fault, Jason knew, but he was more than ready to get this kid to the manor and into the bath. He swore the little guy was dirtier than any street kid he’d ever met.
“You wanna come out now?” Jason asked, reaching closer. The little raccoon boy sniffed his hand, still glancing at him cautiously until Jason handed him the other half of the cookie. Taking that as a good sign, Jason pulled the dumpster lid all the way back so he’d have both hands free. Thankfully, the kid stayed where he was, watching Jason curiously with crumbs on his cheeks.
“Alright,”Jason sighed, holding another cookie. “Are you gonna bite me if I try to lift you out of here?”
He didn’t receive an answer. Jason briefly entertained the idea of calling Bruce or Alred to come help him, but shook his head. He was Robin. Which meant he was perfectly capable of getting one meta raccoon toddler out of the trash. Probably. He took off his jacket in preparation, holding it in the hand that didn’t have snacks.
Jason gave the kid the cookie, then while he was distracted, wrapped him into his jacket and lifted him out of the dumpster and into his arms. Predictably, the kid flailed a bit with a yelp, but his hands kept hold of the cookie so Jason didn’t get scratched. Jason exhaled in relief, even as the kid growled lowly through his next bite. The noise sounded funny as he continued to growl while eating, but Jason held back a laugh.
“You’re okay, it's okay,”Jason cooed, hoisting the kid into a more comfortable position. Jason looked in awe at how small and dirty the kid was up close. The only thing that wasn’t completely covered in dirt was his big blue eyes. The growling let up, and the kid started to squirm when he’d finished the cookie, but Jason was prepared.
The crinkling of the chip bag caught the kid’s attention, and thanks to Robin training, he had no trouble keeping hold of the squirmy child in his arms while he got a chip out to hand to him. He didn’t yet trust the kid to hold the bag, but he couldn’t help the coo escaping him when the little guy crunched the chips with excitement.
Jason started walking back towards the manor while feeding the kid chips. It still amazed him how food-motivated the kid was that he’d just let Jason pick him up and bring him to a strange place as long as he fed him. Absently, he wondered what was gonna happen when the kid wasn’t hungry anymore, or if he ran out of snacks.
Throughout the short walk, the kid had relaxed in his arms. He was peering over Jason’s shoulder to look at the Manor, Bruce’s parked car, the garden, anything that caught his eye as he snacked. Up close, Jason noticed the tiny little fangs the kid had as he crunched down on them. Halfway through, Jason opened another bag of chips, and was delighted to find the kid enjoying the different flavor.
A pang shot through Jason when he wondered if the kid had any favorite foods or if he just ate whatever he could find. That gave Jason more determination to feed the kid a warm meal and get him wrapped up in the fluffiest blanket he could find. The kid chirped at him brightly when he held him closer, and Jason hoped he’d be able to stay.
He couldn’t help but think the manor would be a little less lonely with the little raccoon, and Jason knows he’d worry his head off if the kid went to go live with someone else. There was just so many variables, especially regarding a feral meta child. He didn’t want the kid to end up in some asylum, and knew they’d have the time and resources to help the kid at the manor. Besides, he’d already gotten attached.
Jason quietly snuck into the house through one of the side doors, only pausing briefly when the kid whined in protest at moving indoors. He calmed him down with more snacks, and led them to Jason’s room. The kid seemed distracted with looking around, so Jason took that time to set the kid on his bed while he gathered things for a bath.
Keeping an eye on the kid, he grabbed some cozy pajamas that would definitely be too big on the kid, a towel, and a few more snacks from his stash. The kid was wiggling hs way off the bed, and Jason noticed embarrassingly that the only clothes the kid was wearing was a tattered shirt. No pants. Which, now that Jason was thinking, made sense with the tail in the way and the whole living in dumpsters thing. Jason, armed with a granola bar, came back to scoop the kid up and headed for his ensuite bathroom. The kid whined, kicking his feet for a second before Jason passed him the granola bar, which calmed him down enough for the teen to set him down on the bath mat while he closed the door.
“Alright, let’s get you cleaned up before Alfred finds out we’re in here,”Jason murmured. No doubt the old man would have a heart attack at how dirty this kid was. Jason could barely tell his skin color through the thick coating of grime. The kid bristled at the sound of the tub filling, but Jason was quick to soothe him. He sat next to him while the tub filled, petting the kids dirty hair as he chewed on the granola bar. Jason was surprised the kid was so content to sit patiently, but couldn’t help but smile when he leaned into Jason’s hand.
Soon enough, it was time for the kid to go in the tub, and Jason turned off the water. He paused for a moment, hoping the kid wouldn’t have a problem with water before he got the kid’s attention. “Here we go,”Jason said, scooping the kid up into his arms. It was nice to see the kid relax in his arms and start climbing his shoulder to peer at Jason’s face.
The teen laughed lightly at the curiosity, but gestured to the bathtub. “Okay, you might not like this but please don’t bite me, okay?” Jason pleaded, lowering the kid down to the water. The kid jolted when his feet touched the warm water, hissing automatically and digging sharp claws into Jason’s shirt. He winced but stayed where he was, instead reaching down to stick his own hand in the water.
“It won’t hurt you, see?” Jason tried, lowering the kid into the water. His claws dug in deeper, but after the kid’s legs were in it he was squirming to get out of Jason’s arms and into the bath. Jason laughed as the kid sat down in the water, mesmerized by the warmth no doubt. He watched the dirt and grime color the water brown while the kid stuck his hands in and out of the water. “See, you’re all good,”Jason said when the kid looked up at him. The big blue eyes stared, and when it looked like the kid was about to try to leave the tub Jason grabbed some bubble bath and a snack.
He handed the kid an open pack of carrot sticks to keep busy while Jason poured a small amount of bubbles into the tub, swirling it around until some formed at the surface. Jason smiled, holding the washcloth while the kid busied himself with dipping carrots into the water and playing with the bubbles. Water splashed a little as the kid wouldn’t sit still, but Jason sighed at he mess and got to work trying to rub the dirt off the kid’s skin.
Jason started on the kids arm, gently rubbing some dirt off while the kid watched him grumpily. The little guy chewed on his carrots while Jason discovered pale skin on both arms, but with almost black coloring on his hands. The teen figured it was part of his meta abilities though and continued washing the kid. He was proud of the raccoon boy for letting him meander around him with the washcloth, only protesting a bit when Jason gently washed the grime off his face.
“Huh,”Jason said absently when dark circles around the kid’s eyes were revealed. It seemed that part of the raccoon genes manifested in dark markings on his face, hands and feet. It was kinda cute, Jason thought, framed by pale skin and bright blue eyes. His heart ached to think about such an adorable kid being abandoned outside for looking the way he did.
After the carrots were gone, the little guy seemed to get sleepy, so Jason figured he should wrap things up. He’d left the kid’s tail and hair alone so far, but was able to get rid of the tattered shirt. Taking a breath, Jason poured some shampoo into his hands and gently ran it through the kid’s tangled and matted hair. He almost immediately pulled back at the discovery of little raccoon ears poking out of his hair, the kid growling sleepily. Jason just passed him an oreo before getting back to working shampoo into his hair. The little guy seemed to like the feeling. Jason glanced over to see him with his eyes nearly closed, taking sleepy bites out of the half eaten cookie that looked like it had been dunked in the bath water. Jason grimaced at how mushy it might taste, but figured it would be a bad idea to take it away from the kid.
Letting the shampoo sit, he worked some into the soft fur of the kid’s tail as he drained the muddy water from the tub. He startled the kid a bit when he turned the faucet back on to refill it with cleaner and warmer water, but let out a smile when all he did was go back to eating his cookie grumpily. The warm water seemed to soothe the little guy more, and was nearly drifting off by the time Jason turned the water off and grabbed a cup. He scooped some water from the tub into the cup and gently poured it over the kids head, careful to keep his head tilted a bit back and the water out of his eyes.
The kid’s cute little ears twitched, and Jason tried to not get any water in them despite trying to rinse the shampoo out of the fur on the outside. After rinsing out the shampoo, he had to keep one hand on the kid’s back to keep him from tilting into the bathwater. Jason was pretty sure he was nearly asleep, so he drained the tub and grabbed a fluffy towel he’d set aside.
“We’re all done,”Jason said cheerfully, prodding the kid a bit to stay upright. He growled adorably, but let Jason wrap the towel around him and lift him out of the tub. Drying him off was easy, and the kid- Jason really wished he had a name for him- was mostly asleep by the time Jason got him into some underwear and a sleep shirt. He only had pajama pants that were way too big on the kid and he didn’t want him to trip and fall, so he left them in the bathroom. Seeing how there were still a lot of tangles in the kids jet black hair, he figured he’d try to brush it tomorrow.
Jason marveled at how the kid snuggled into his chest when he picked the little guy up, scrunching his nose against the fabric of his shirt. He cooed, bringing them over to Jason’s bed so he could wrap the kid up in his fluffiest blanket. Looking at the clock, Jason saw it was nearly 5am, a few hours after Bruce had no doubt gotten back from patrol and a few hours before Jason would have to get up for school. He sighed, tucking himself and the kid burrito under the covers. It wasn’t long before the rush of the night caught up to him and he was fast asleep with the little raccoon curled up next to him.