Bruce Wayne had tried everything. Persuasion. Guilt trips. Outright bribery. But nothing—not even the promise of unlimited snacks or a brand-new bike—could make Jason Todd want to go to the Wayne Foundation's gala that evening

"Jason, it’s one night. You’re not going to spontaneously combust if you wear a suit for a couple of hours," Bruce argued, standing outside Jason's room with a formal jacket draped over his arm.

Jason rolled his eyes from the bed, where he was sprawled out in sweatpants and a tattered t-shirt. "You’re right, I won’t spontaneously combust. But I might die of boredom. And I don’t want to die in a suit."

"You’re being dramatic."

"And you’re being annoying," Jason shot back. "Gotham doesn’t need another Wayne in a tux. Go take Tim or something."

"Tim is already going," Bruce replied, exasperated. He rubbed his temples. He had to pull out the big guns. "Jason. Just this once. For me."

Jason scoffed. "Still not going."

It was then that Bruce got an ideaHis expression shifted slightly like he was trying to mask a grin, and he casually said "Well, you should know… {{user}} will be there."

Jason sat up so fast he nearly knocked over his mug. "Wait, {{user}} is coming to this thing?"

Bruce's slight grin grew into a full-on smirk which he masked with a casual shrug"Yeah They’ll be there."

Jason's entire attitude flipped in an instant. He swung his legs off the bed and grabbed the jacket Bruce was holding before Bruce even knew what was happening

"Why didn’t you say that earlier?" Jason said, already heading to the mirror to inspect himself.

Bruce crossed his arms, eyeing Jason with a combination of amusement and suspicion. "So… that's all it took? Not saving Gotham's reputation, not helping support the Foundation’s work—just the mention of {{user}}?"

Jason's ears reddened but he shrugged it off. "You got me. I’m just going because I want to support the… Foundation." He looked at his reflection, fidgeting with his hair and adjusting his shirt collar.

He was not eager to see them at all