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Jason had forgotten the monster that lurked in the old hallways of Wayne Manor. A creature that hid in the thousands and yet went as undetected as a ghost, zipping through the long stretches of darkness.
With eyes that bore into Jason’s and wings that knew exactly what to fly into, the moth problem the manor was facing seemed to be something Bruce was inclined to ignore. Letting the brunt of the problem fall directly into Jason’s lap. Or his eyes, more precisely, as the moths crowding the place made sure to collide into them as much as what was physically in their power to do so.
The fuckers seemed to love trying to blind him, was what Jason was trying to itterate here. They came out of hiding the moment Jason sought out any semblance of peace and they struck hard.
Jason wanted one day, one fucking day, where he wasn’t terrorised by those winged assholes. They had flown circles around him back when he was robin and they were just as happy to do the same thing now. No regard to the fact Jason was now an esteemed gun wielder. If he didn’t have just as much of a chance of pinging holes in the walls as he did of actually hitting one of them he’d have gotten out his gun the moment he’d seen them since his death.
He never liked being in the manor, but a broken arm made sure he was seen there until it healed enough for him to go on patrol without the constant lecture in his ears from Batman. So he was left stuck in his weird, old, shrine-like room where everything was in the same place as it had been five years ago but Jason stuck out like a sore thumb. Safe to say, he was at least a hundred pounds heavier and had shot up about a foot. He hated this room but he didn’t use it enough to warrant him caring enough to kick up a fuss. For now, he’d have to stare at his horrible walls filled with horribly tacked up posters and wait until the sun spilled from his horrible window and he could attempt his first break for it.
The moths weren’t so kind as to wait an hour before they began their assault. Jason wanted this night to be quiet. The sky was getting steadily darker until midnight passed and he was still wide awake. The only thing he could think to do was pick up an old book still on his nightstand, coated in dust, and read. He was just a poor man trying to read.
One of the moths started to taunt him through the lampshade. Making the light flicker and dance as it streamed onto the wall. He kept a quiet eye on it, enough to ensure the moth wasn’t slowly encroaching on his space and for ten minutes a small understanding was present before it terribly betrayed him.
The noise that came out of his mouth was not a shout nor a quiet yelp. You can’t blame a man being gunned down for screaming. Jason thought it was in his right to defend himself, and as he wasn’t technically allowed to shoot in the manor the next best thing was intimidation tactics via loud, blood-curdling noises.
But that didn’t deter it for a minute, circling back around to face him. Jason was just trying his hardest not to scream again and alert anyone about this embarrassing fear. He just didn’t like moths, sue him. They always flew straight for his fucking eyes and they were always right there when he was trying to relax. The thing dive bombed him.
“You fucking asshole, get the hell away from me!” Jason hissed as he ducked under his covers and used them to swat the thing further away, “Please just leave me alone! I’m not doing anything to you, just stay on your side!”
He let the desperation bleed through into his voice as it rang a few pitches higher than normal. Was it such a crime to just want this damnass bug to leave him alone? He didn't want to make the whole ordeal of herding the thing out the window or getting near it with a cup and paper especially since he'd have to take a trip down a million hallways and a flight of stairs and the chances of seeing boy-zombie in the other room was way too high.
“Please, I don't have any light for you, ok?” Was he begging or bargaining with this creature? “You can't lay your eggs in me. Go away!”
It was flitting near him again, landing just next to the curtains. Jason ditched his book, deciding he wouldn’t be able to do shit with this fucking thing tainting his space. He pulled back a curtain and cracked his knuckles as he muscled the window open. Then he pointed at the damn bug.
“Listen to me.” He began. “Anyone in here without two legs needs to fucking schooch their pooch which means you, bug boy, get the hell out!”
It attacked.
“YOU FUCKING PIECE OF SHIT WANKER!” Jason was not proud of what transpired next. He would take how he had turned into an amateur dancer, leaping around his room trying to fend it off to his next grave.
“OH MY FUCKING GOD I’M GOING TO FUCKING KILL YOU WHEN I LIGHT THIS BUILDING ON FIRE, I WILL BURY YOU MYSELF!” But it landed on his face, making him jerk back so violently he landed on the dresser. Which then knocked into the bookcase, which collapsed immediately.
God send me help, was the only thing spinning through Jason’s mind. But God had never liked him much. The bug prevailed.
It darted back onto the lamp shade just as Bruce and Dick burst through the door.
Then, the only thing spinning through Jason’s mind was Fuck. He had been defeated, sprawled out on his dresser as a mountain of rubble lay beside him.
This was so mortifying, Jason thought, they probably think something deep happened but it was just this.
“Are you ok? What the hell happened?” Dick demanded.
“I hate this fucking house,” Jason bemoaned, “I’m fucking leaving, fuck you and fuck your shitty house!”
“what happened?” Bruce repeated Dick’s stupid question. The moth flipped again inside the lampshade, mocking Jason. He was in half a mind to just say nothing and crumble into mortified dust but then it happened. And Jason will deny to this day he leaped for Bruce but the bug flew in Jason's direction and the man had to make a quick decision in a life or death scenario, ok? He scrambled out of his wreckage and practically teleported before them with how fast he moved, not without a lack of screaming either.
When they realised the problem, a fond smile grew on their faces. Jason has always been scared of moths.
“Ay! This is not a smiling moment, asshats!”
“I’ll get a cup” Dick murmured but Bruce shook his head.
“No need.” He said as he bent down to pick the moth up and Jason jerked back behind Dick as Bruce walked past them. And then, almost like he'd been transported five years into the past, began to subconsciously follow Bruce to see him throw the stupid thing outside.
“Why the hell has this haunted place got so many moths anyway?”
Bruce tried not to smile at what was happening. “It's old and big.”
“Yeah, yeah so lots of spaces for ‘em.” Jason scowled, “We gotta start from scratch and tear this place down, B, I'm sorry to be the one to tell ya.”
Bruce just huffed a laugh. And Jason didn’t feel so terrible either as he watched the inky darkness swallow the flitting moth whole.