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[Jason is actually really eager to try it out. He's a nerd, he'll love all and every one of the gadgets tossed his way and this looks like something he should have figured out long, long ago already. When he goes back home, if what he's been told is true and his memories will be intact he'll totally rub it in Batman's face.

But at the same time he's getting a present. From Bruce. Not his Bruce but it's definitely close enough to count. He reaches to rub the bridge of his nose with a sigh.]

Well, now my birthday present to you kinda sucks in comparison.

[ He hasn't included an instruction manual on purpose. Bruce knows Jason will be able to figure it out, put it together and customize it how he wants it. Whatever problems Jason has, being bad at tech isn't one of them. ]

No it doesn't.

[ Jason not only remembered, but did something. Even if he threw a rock through his window, Bruce probably would have been somewhat touched. ]

[Jason lets out a scoff, going 'right' under his breath. But he's too amazed by the present to try to start a fight. Will he do it accidentally? Well, only time will tell. He's never had a problem doing it before. As long as Bruce is involved he always seems to pick the wrong things to focus on, the wrong things to react to.

Which reminds him-]

Clark's probably mad at me.

[ Bruce considers that statement.

Slowly, ] Perhaps he was, for a moment. [ He holds up one hand, forestalling-- ] Whatever it is, he didn't mention it to me. But that's the kind of man he is.

[ Mad for a moment, then over it, too kind and good of a person to hold onto anything like that. It'd be more nauseating if Bruce wasn't so in love with him. (As it is, it's only slightly nauseating.) ]

It pisses me off.

[He admits, quietly. He knows this will make Bruce angry but he can't seem to stop himself. Why? He has no idea. He just wants to push and push and see how quickly he can be pushed away again. Maybe because if he forces it, it will hurt less when it unavoidably happens.]

I wish I could make him angry, just once. I know he cares, he's proven that to me, but if you care about someone you're supposed to get angry when they fuck up. And he just doesn't give a damn.

[ No immediate response. Bruce figures that's best when dealing with Jason - to consider what he says carefully, even if it doesn't seem to have helped too much so far. ]

Two things.

[ He rolls one shoulder in absence of a hand gesture, working out the right words. ]

First thing. You don't actually want to see him angry. If his temper snaps he's not going to shout at someone or throw a table over. He's going to accidentally put you through a wall and break every bone in your body, or not close his eyes fast enough and heat vision your head off. Second thing-- [ he exhales slightly. ] The fact that he engages with you and risks feeling anger should show you how much of a damn he gives. Nothing scares him - and I mean, terrifies him, a fear beyond what most humans are even capable of feeling - like the thought he might hurt someone. But he cares about you so much he confronts that terror. Not as Superman with all the implicit power looming as a threat to make you behave. As himself.

Edited (phrasing) 2016-02-28 21:45 (UTC)

[Jason mulls that one over, actually giving himself time to think about it. He's aware of what he's doing poking the bear, he's aware that Clark's anger isn't something to sneeze at. And yet, because he's always seen anger as the ultimate expression of caring about someone, he can't help but be frustrated by it.

But not frustrated enough to actually try to hurt Clark. He understands what Bruce's implying, he knows that Clark keeps meeting with him despite how difficult Jason makes it. And that should count, it really should. If Jason wasn't so fucked up.]

...His birthday's soon. Give him something nice.

I picked out some real fancy socks.

[ Deadpan. He's not the best at birthdays but-- something, yeah. He's not going to make blowjob jokes to Jason, anyway.

But: ]

I get it. He drives me up a fucking wall, half the time. [ There's an old, lifelong fondness in how he says it, despite his wry tone. Bruce shrugs. ] I've seen him angry. And I know what it feels like to shatter my hand against a Kryptonian. People like you and I aren't ever easy, even with someone like him.

Like you and I?

[He hadn't meant to sound startled, but he is. Jason is anger, fury, a failure when it comes to controlling his emotions. What part of that makes this a 'you and I' kind of thing?]

We don't know what to do when someone cares.

[ Is he off the mark? Maybe.

Doesn't feel like it, though.

Bruce gestures to the box Jason now holds. ] Let me know what you think if you give it a go.

[ He should get out now, before it turns into an argument. ]

[Jason takes a second to process that. Well, he can't argue that logic can he? He's so lost when it comes to caring every compliment feels like a physical hit, so Bruce's got a point there. And yet it feels so weird to be compared to him- and by Bruce himself, no less.]

I will. Wanna run a couple of tests first, figure it out- but it's... [He's loss at words. He hopes Bruce understands that he's thankful, anyway.]

I'll be using it.

[ Jason is so much like Bruce, sometimes. It's a wonder that more people don't see it, really.

He looks at him for a moment, quiet - letting Jason decide if he's going to continue when he trails off, or maybe just thinking. But he nods. He wants to understand, and wants that understanding not to be just wishful thinking on his part.

With that, Bruce is off, slipping back into the shadows and on his way. ]

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