Jp-todd-rp:

jp-todd-rp​:

Jason wanted to leave.

He didn’t want to talk about his mother.

Didn’t want to share how he had witnessed the slow descent from over the counter painkillers into heroin and morphine.

He resisted the urge to get up and leave. And he pushed down his desire to look for another feasible way out. She’d report back to Bruce, and he couldn’t risk Bruce taking away what he had worked so hard for.

So, instead, he found himself shrugging again.

“Dunno,” Jason muttered, still fiddling with the water bottle. “She was in pain a lot. And – normal painkillers didn’t cut it eventually, y'know. She needed stronger stuff to keep going. And that…” Jason trailed off, knowing that she’d pick up on it. Everyone knew what that meant, especially down in the Alley. The streets were riddled with addicts and sob stories like his. And no one cared.

She had hoped it had been something else. Not that there were any pleasant alternatives considering that the woman had died long before she ought to have. 

Leslie didn’t want to delve any deeper, not for a first session, it wouldn’t be fair.

Tightening her face into a grim kind of understanding, she nodded, not wanting to segue without acknowledging  what he had said. “It sounds like you did your best to look after the both of you during a really difficult time.”

Letting the weight of the moment settle slightly, Leslie made another mental note to circle back to this - his parents. It would take some time before he was ready for that, she was sure.  

“Is reading still something you enjoy?”

jp-todd-rp​:

And –

Oh.

Jason licked his lips, looking away. It wasn’t a secret. Hell, Bruce had found him on the streets, for fuck’s sake. He knew his dad died in jail, and knew his mom died because she’d been sick, well before Batman, and he, had crossed paths.

He wouldn’t take Robin away from him over this.

Right?

Jason shrugged, his tone quieting, and he kept his eyes averted. “Mom was sick, you know? Willis was in and out of jail, so someone had to take care of us. I managed just fine.”

Until I didn’t.

Until she died.

Ah. 

It matched with what little Bruce had told her. An orphan, living on the streets when Bruce had found him. But there had been a whole life before the moment Jason had decided to steal the wheels of the Batmobile.

“I’m sure you did.” Leslie agreed honestly. “It sounds like it was a difficult situation to have to deal with.”

Everything about his posture screamed at how uncomfortable he was talking about it. But sometimes feeling uncomfortable brought about good things, and Leslie wasn’t one to shy away from it. 

“What was she like?”

Part of the deal. It was part of the deal, Bruce had told him. Jason didn't have to like, but he'd just have to go through it, pass, or whatever people did, and he could go out there. Finally, be someone. Be Robin... Jason knocked on the door, grateful, that the hallway was empty. - @jp-todd-rp

Technically, this was off-book.

Not that running a session with Bruce Wayne's ward was a particularly unusual thing to happen. Frankly, Leslie was happy to do it; Keen, really. But there would be no record of what they would discuss, not where any of her peers could access at least. Discretion was of the utmost importance when dealing with vigilantes with secret identities after all. With young Jason Todd living with Batman himself, Leslie was sure it would come up at some point.

Opening the door to her warm, comfortably decorated office, Leslie smiled at the boy, stepping back to allow him entrance as she spoke.

"Jason is it? Hello. I'm Leslie Thompkins, it's nice to meet you."

jp-todd-rp​:

Jason didn’t take the glass. Nor did he even consider moving towards it. He watched her sit down in front of him, listened to her opening the door for him to talk and –

“Turns out dying and coming back isn’t as inconsequential as they make it out to be,” Jason began, and he let his gaze drop to his lap. “I – I can’t remember a day when I haven’t been in pain since… then. Sometimes, like now, it’s just… gets worse.”

Like I’m being killed all over again.

It was as if a heavy weight had dropped into the pit of her stomach. She had been hoping harder than she would care to admit that her hunch had been wrong. 

After what happened in Ethiopia... Just the fact that Jason had come back in the first place - well it was all so impossible that - Leslie had just assumed...

He had been in pain the entire time?

“Shit...” Sitting back in the chair, Leslie gave herself a moment. It made perfect sense, yet she hadn’t seen it coming. If it hadn’t of been for Grace, she might never have. Part of her itched to run all the tests she could, to see if she could put whatever it was right. But even if Jason would ever tolerate it, now wasn’t the time. 

Her heart ached for him. He had been alone - dealing with all of this, alone again.

Damn bats...

Leslie’s voice was laced with sadness as she asked him, half knowing the answer already. “You didn’t think this was something worth mentioning to anyone?”

Tim took a deep breath. He had met Leslie before, but not like this. It was all Bruce's idea; if Tim wanted to continue as Robin, he had to talk to Leslie. Sure, he had been through a thing or two, but he didn't really think he needed therapy. He always had Dick to talk to, his brother always picked up the phone when Tim needed him. Taking another deep breath, Tim applied his Timothy mask and knocked on the door. @nerdybirdboy

Bruce was concerned, that much was clear.

Leslie was in agreement that perhaps having someone outside of the immediate family to talk to would be helpful, however on the few occasions she had met young Tim Drake in the past, he hadn't exactly been keen on the idea of therapy in general. Still, she was optimistic enough to keep an open mind. And really, the pool of qualified professionals in the know about the Wayne's was very limited. There weren't many other options.

"Hello Tim." Leslie greeted him warmly, pushing down the sense of Deja vu and stepping aside to let him past into her office. "It's good to see you again."

jp-todd-rp​:

Three days.

Grace…

Fucking fuck!

“If you want to clean up my vomit, then go right ahead, and make me tea. It’ll be a nice change of pace for me at this point…”

Jason swallowed, not meeting Leslie’s gaze, before letting go of the door. He made his slow way to the nearest chair, slowly lowering himself onto it. “Doc, I don’t wanna hear it. Just – don’t tell Alfie, okay?” Jason looked up from his slumped posture towards Leslie. “I’ll be fine…”

“I would.” Leslie stated simply. He had to know that there wasn’t much she wouldn’t do for him at this point. She knew didn’t have much right to think of the young man as family, but she cared for him all the same. There was too much history there to pretend otherwise.

With a considering look, Leslie turned, making herself at home in his kitchen; Taking a glass from the side and running the water for a moment before filling it up. “It’ll take a lot more than the threat of vomit to scare me off and you know it. You are dehydrated though. I can tell just looking at you.”

Leslie placed the glass on the table, leaving the offer of a drink open to him if he changed his mind. She needed to know more, and knowing how stubborn he could be, she didn’t want to push Jason too hard. He’d managed this long on his own and knew his own limits.

Sitting down in a chair opposite, she spoke earnestly, sparing him the lecture he was clearly anticipating. “So what exactly is it that I’m not telling Alfred? I have a couple of theories: Bits and pieces I’ve put together... But you don’t look to be in the mood to play twenty questions and believe it or not, I didn’t come here to make things more difficult.”