HAVE SOME MERRY JOY!

HAPPY NEW VOTE!

Prompt: Secret Santa. 

https://youtu.be/35fs0jC8ccU

The tradition started the first year Dick lived at the manor. It was a careless thought spoken out loud during patrol. He had barely been Robin for a couple of weeks and wanted nothing more then to share his good nature joy for the season. 

Batman wasn't santa and Bruce would never pretened to be him either. 

Dick half knew santa wasn't completley real but his parents still use to tell stories over him, over his elves and reindeers. Telling him over Santa bringing not only gifts but hope, joy and peace as well. It gives children someone to put their beleif in and help them escape in a land of dreams where he waits for them all to protect them from any hardships in their lives. 

Santa always had a different story to tell across the world, everyone saw him differently but all at least knew his name. 

Secret Santa. 

That was young Robin's idea at the time. 

It was just him, Bruce and Alfred at the time but they all still tried their best. Pretending to not guess who got who and sneak away to get them something for Christmas eve.

Secret Santa wasn't for christmas day, not to them, it was one gift that was allowed to be open on Christmas eve. A small, meaningful or joked theme gift that would lift their spirits as they face the day before christmas. Crime would either go up or down for christmas leaving Batman and Robin ready to face whatever horror or crime happening that night. 

Alfred being left at home as always, no family to distract him or spend christmas even with him as it should be. 

So, secret santa became an escape. A chance to recharge and be reminded over the family they've gained and how at least one of them put thought into the gift sent to them. 

And so, every year secret Santa came along. 

Their small family of three turning into four than back to three. 

Than it was a family of four again. 

Than a family of five and just kept growing without control. 

Ever bat's joined in on secret santa, if they lived at the manor or not, they all pulled a name out of the hat. 

And this year, after all that happened and the family learning to keep the peace and live togehter again. Nightwing pulled out Red Hood's name. 

Normally everyone went down one of three paths for said anithero. 

Path one was normally avoided since it meant getting him a new gun or knife and no one liked the idea of giving a man who almost killed them (morr than once) a new weapon to attack them with on a bad day. 

Path two was either giving up a tiny bit of blackmail on one of the other bat's for him to laugh at or use against them for tiny favours. Or to give up a single favour for him to use but that was also dangerous since a favour could be used for any of his odd jobs without warning. 

The last path was the easiest one to take. Passing over supplies, be it food, medical or for the bathroom. Something simple and easy that would be needed and used for him but also basic and couldn't be used against anyone later. 

Dick, he's never gotten Red Hood before.

No, that was a lie. Well, half lie. 

He'd gotten Robin before, a robin who stood as Jason Todd. 

Dick regretted how his own bitter emotions had clouded his mind during those early days of Jason Robin days. But he wasn't angry enough at Bruce or furious enough at Batman to skip out on the yearly secret Santa. And even if did try walking away from it, Alfred would surely have dragged him back to the manor to take whatever last name was left unpicked. 

So, Nightwing had gotten Robin. 

Fate was rather funny and cruel sometimes.

But he took it in stride and decided this was the best way to bond with the new Robin without any tangled strings getting in the way and hurting them both. Jason had a temper, he could hold his own to Nightwing backlash but Nightwing didn't want that to become regular. Deep down he cared and he tried proving so by paying small and quick visits whenever he knew Bruce wasn't home or Batman was patrolling far away from his newest Robin. 

Jason seemed to accept the strained relationship, seemed happy that he was getting attention. The good type and not a full out war type he'd normally been given. 

And that's why on Christmas eve when things seemed bad, a certain robin had opened their gift on the roof beside his favourite gargoyle. Finding a personalized book tucked inside with waterproof papers to protect it better. 

A book about a certain "Little Wing" that stood as Robin and shined it's goodness over the dark shadows of Gotham. A robin that saved the day and stood as one of the bat clan members. 

It wasn't a long book, not long at all since he'd only been Robin for a couple of months and didn't have many adventurous noted down but the book was short and sweet. Telling his Robin story so far and leaving the book lover completely warm and cherished over all the small details secretly added to the story. 

Nightwing would never tell his little wing how he gained the book. It was rather awkward for a hero to walk into the actually company since doing so online would clearly make people look into "Dick Grayson" with a keener eye. But somehow the company accepted the storyline, approved his ideas over the artwork and happily accepted the cash payment afterwards. 

Now, he wasn't sure if a certain Robin remembered that book. It was still kept untouched in his forgotten and locked room at the manor. 

But Nightwing knew he was given a second chance with the secret Santa this year. 

And he already knew what gift the Red Hood would be opening, he just had to work his magic and pray his luck was filled enough for it to work. 

Come Christmas even morning, the gifts were all laid down on one of the tables and computer printed names printed off for them to simply stick on the gift to stop leaving any easy clues on who gave who's gift. 

Everyone came at some point in the day to received their gift, leaving afterwards. Not all of them stayed in Gotham afterwards or spent time with the family. Kate had a wife and a one year old waiting on her to spend Christmas with them after all. 

Tim, Cass and Steph had their own plans during the day but had promised to be out during patrol. 

Barbra was spending the day with her father for any last Christmas shopping needed as she knew he'd been busy with his own work.

Bruce and Damian had taken the bat-plane to see Talia for a couple hours before planning to return a couple hours before patrol started up. Damian wasn't use to the family loving and care, the whole family celebration and gift giving with meaning. But it's grown on him, his own batman being the main teacher for learning new emotions and accepting affection given to him. Such teaching had made Damian want to give a gift to his mother, to spend a small amount of time with her during the holidays so all his family was involved. Bruce mostly going to stop anything from happening to his son or for Talia to try anything either.

Alfred was busy with his last minute chores and cooking needing to be done by tonight. All had offered to help the first Christmas spent with him but all of them had also learnt to simply leave the butler to his own doings if they knew what was best for themselves. 

And no one really knew what Jason did. His gift was the first to disappear but no traces of him being around was left. The only problem with leaving the cave open for everyone in the bat clan for the day. 

But Nightwing knew Red Hood as well as he knew all the other Robins that followed after him. And a certain grumpy bat, he read everything easy enough. 

So, for now, he sat on the roof edge beside Red Hood who sat beside his favourite gargoyle as he always did whenever he took a break in Gotham. The gift already unwrapped and laid with care in his lap. 

A photo over his mother and a much younger Jason, both smiling and true happiness seen in both their eyes. Finding any photos of Catherine Todd was rather difficult of itself and finding one where she looked happy and not high on drugs was even harder. 

But he found one. 

He framed it, also gained a digital copy for Jason to keep in case the printed copy got ruined. The frame was red, flowers growing on the corners and helping to light up the bright and teeth showing smiles in the photo. 

Jason was young, maybe a toddler and Catherine looked as healthy as any parent normally did as well. It was taken so long ago and clearly taken in a time before things grew overly worse with time. It was a rare and forgotten memory that Jason never knew he needed to cling to. 

"H-How?" Jason choked out, his hands gripping at the end of his jacket as he was overcame with so many emotions he felt like he'd explode and do something stupid again. 

"Merry Christmas, little wing" Dick gently whispered in reply, pressing a kiss to the younger man's cheek before standing up again. 

Neither Jason or Red Hood spoke a word as they watched him swing away into the night to carry on his own patrol before the limited time ran out and all of them were forced to take Christmas off. 

And when morning came, if a certain Dick took notice over a new frame added to their bedroom than he never spoke a word or pointed it out either. It was simply left in place and left to belong in their home as did all the other emotionally attached objects that belonged to his partner.