“And then I got thrown off a building!” Jason finished, grinning up at you as you set the plate of pancakes in front of him. “Don’t worry, there was a huge trampoline on the street, I was totally fine.”

The missing tooth in his big smile might’ve meant that he hadn’t been fine, but it had been a baby tooth anyways, so… surely it was fine. He’d only been Robin for a few months, and he was already missing teeth. Bruce had taken him in, trained him for a while, and then taken him out.

He was bold. Brash. He had no concern for his own personal wellbeing. He took off running across rooftops and he did more cartwheels than his predecessor’s predecessor. He had a big personality- being Robin made him feel invulnerable, like he was really doing something to protect his city. It made him happy.

You’d been Robin before him- only for a little while, before Bruce had taken the title from you after you got shot on a mission. Jason was quick, and he was strong, but he was still only thirteen.

“Do you wanna go to the library today?” Jason asked through a mouthful of pancake, beaming across the table at you. He was kicking his feet happily, his pajamas making him look so little. You had to remind yourself that he was just a little boy, sometimes. He was too mature for his age. It hurt your heart.

Bruce had tried taking the title from Jason, too, after he’d gotten hurt. The criminals seemed to get more and more dangerous as time went on, and Bruce seemed more and more reluctant to take a Robin with him. But Jason had refused. He’d argued, scathing words and biting comments that had chilled you and Bruce to the bone. And he’d made good points. So he’d been allowed to keep the title.

But he was still so little. So little, so angry, raised in a world that hadn’t valued him. He wouldn’t get thrown out again, not if he had any say in it. He’d been alone for too long.

But he had a family, now. He had you. He had Bruce.

He was Robin. And being Robin gave him magic.