Chapter Text
The next morning, Jason woke up to silence much to his confusion. His mind was muddled and he looked around the room he was in, recognizing it as his own in the manor. He sat up and found a band tee and jeans sitting on a chair beside the bed, getting up to start putting on clothes and head downstairs.
It didn’t take long for him to pull on the shirt and open his door, hearing a few faint sounds coming from downstairs that he couldn’t really make out. It was the only sound in the silence and Jason still couldn’t remember how he got to the manor in the first place- much less how he ended up spending the night.
When he reached the grand staircase that led down to the foyer and then the kitchen, the noises grew fainter instead of louder and Jason suddenly remembered what had happened last night.
“Shit,” He said- or, rather, he thought he said. Jason still couldn’t hear himself beside the faint watery echo that rang in his ears. Apparently he said it louder than intended and heard a distant sound before Dick appeared, a concerned look on his face.
“Jaybird?”
“Dick?” Jason asked in bewilderment. “What the hell?”
Dick got a sheepish look on his face and stepped forward so Jason could read his lips better. “Bruce called Tim and I last night. He said you got hurt.” Dick’s face turned into a frown suddenly, pity in his eyes. “Your hearing is gone?”
Jason groaned and quickly signed, ‘Yes. Don’t want talk about deaf.’
Jason pushed past his older brother and walked into the kitchen, finding Tim hovering drowsily over a cup of coffee, Bruce reading the morning paper, Barbara and Steph standing by the window and talking about something (probably a case), and Cass was perched on a countertop and watching as Alfred finished cooking and distributed food out to the clan of Bats.
Cass noticed Jason’s entry almost immediately, eyes lighting up. She hopped off her perch and hugged him as he entered.
‘Brother!’ Her face was all smiles as she signed. ‘Sleep good?’
Jason nodded and smiled back, nearly jumping at Dick’s hand on his shoulder. He knew Dick was saying something by Tim’s raised head in their direction and Bruce setting down his paper so he glanced at his brother but couldn’t catch a complete sentence. Cass got his attention and started translating for him.
‘Last night, L-e-s-l-i-e came. Tests done. Results come soon. We all need learn A-S-L in case you deaf continue.’
Jason signed a ‘thank you’ to Cass and walked further into the room, approaching Bruce. He had just realized who was missing from the kitchen.
“Where’s Damian?”
Bruce looked up at Jason, frowning but locking eyes so Jason could read his lips. “Cass put him to bed last night but he hasn’t come down yet. He’s only let Alfred in his room before asking him to leave-”
“So he’s still upset.”
They had the whole room’s attention, even Tim’s (caffeine induced as it was). Cass was sending Jason a look, signing for him to lower his voice. Jason ignored her and walked back out of the kitchen before Alfred caught his arm.
Jason didn’t realize why until his adoptive grandfather placed a tray in his hands, piled with two plates of pancakes, eggs, and fruit. Alfred met his eyes before Jason left, nodding gratefully to his grandfather.
It took him a few minutes to arrive at Damian’s room, having to be careful not to trip and lose the breakfast. He knocked on the door and waited a second, the ringing in his ears covering anything Damian might have been saying.
Apparently the Demon had been saying something, presumably a ‘go away’ or ‘come in’, but when Jason called Damian’s name, the door immediately opened to reveal a sight Jason never thought he’d see: Damian Wayne crying.
“Todd-”
Jason walked in and placed the tray of food on a table in Damian’s room, turning to see the boy had shut his door. His eyes were red and his face was blotchy and although he tried to hide it, he was sniffling too.
“Damian, come here.”
No sooner had Jason said the words, his little brother tackled him. Jason cradled him, shushing Damian as he cried onto Jason’s shoulder, his whole body shaking. Jason picked him up and carried him over to the bed, comforting him much like Alfred and Bruce had done for himself the night before.
“What’s wrong?” Jason asked and pulled away so he could see the boy’s face. He was crying still but was swallowing it, trying to keep his facade up but failing.
“It’s not fair,” Damian said, going to look down but remembering that Jason needed to read his lips. “I just started getting along with you after our case on the Joker and now… now you’ve lost your hearing and-”
“Hey,” Jason said and held Damian away from him. “Don’t start with that. Me being… deaf doesn’t change anything, alright? And, yeah, it sucks and all- especially since it’s still up in the air what is exactly going on. But this won’t change our little brother thing we’ve started, Damian. Most this’ll do? Cass will need to teach you how to sign more than just stuff around the manor.”
Damian sighed and nodded, worry leaving his eyes. “Jason-”
“If a word comes out of your mouth complaining about my problems, I’m going to make you deaf.”
“You wouldn’t dare,” Damian said and smiled a little, a sign of the progress that Jason had made with his most difficult brother.
Jason smiled back, ruffling the teen's hair causing him to grumble. “I brought breakfast.”
Damian turned his gaze to the tray and then reached over, grabbing one of the fruit cups and a fork. When he started to devour the whole cup within a few seconds, Jason took it as a sign that he hadn't eaten since the night before.
A silence fell between them then, Damian moving again to hand Jason his portion of the breakfast. The two ate together in quiet company, although if Damian had said anything it was unlikely Jason could hear him anyway. It went on for so long that Jason choked on a piece of cantaloupe when Damian suddenly tapped his arm.
Damian looked appalled at Jason's action, like he wasn't the one at fault for making Jason choke. Jason recovered quickly and sent his brother a look.
“What was that for?”
“I needed to get your attention somehow.” Damian retorted. Jason mentally attached the boy's dry, sarcastic tone to the statement and rolled his eyes.
“And….?” Jason prompted, setting aside his plate to fully face his brother.
Suddenly there was a new emotion on Damian’s face, one Jason thought looked like discomfort. Odd.
“I was wondering,” Damian started, facing Jason but his eyes looking everywhere but. “Since Cain is otherwise occupied, as is Pennyworth, and Father and the others are less qualified- I was wondering if you… if you could teach me your language.”
Jason blinked, a blank expression on his face as Damian looked down, a blush rising up his neck. He was pleasantly surprised to see Damian finally expressing the teenage nervousness common with his age, although his request caught Jason a little off-guard.
“Dami,” He said quietly (or so he hoped). Damian still wasn't facing him but he knew the boy was listening. “Of course I will. I mean, the whole family's going to have to learn at some point but-”
Damian shook his head and shifted on the bed, meeting Jason's gaze again. “Cain will teach the family, I'm sure. Todd, I wish for just you to teach me. We are brothers after all,” Damian straightened his back and Jason imagined he was using that formal tone he had. “And it would make Grayson… pleased to see us ‘bond’.”
An amused smile cut Jason's face. “Dami, if you want to hang out you can just say so.”
His little brother started sputtering, causing Jason to laugh as he was tackled by the small teen, the two wrestling in a brotherly fashion. It ended moments later and Damian sat up, a serious yet hopeful expression on his face.
“You'll teach me?”
Jason grinned and took a bite of pancake. “I'm you big brother, tater tot, what else am I here for?”
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And if Bruce happened to silently push open Damian’s door later that morning to check on his son and saw him coping Jason's hand shapes and motions as the older boy brokenly spoke the english translation, well, no one else had to know.