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Jason hadn’t meant to end up in Dick’s apartment.
He tended to avoid the bats as much as possible, and the ever cheerfully annoying blue bird was not someone he typically sought out. But his closest safehouse was several miles away and Jason had already lost too much blood to be sure he’d make it there alive.
So he picked Dick’s specialized window lock (practically impossible for even your above-average thief, standard issue for bats) and dragged himself inside.
He might have thought the whole thing through a little better if he’d remembered that Dick was on late shift this week.
He froze when he registered the gun pointed at his helmet.
“Dickie.” Red Hood growled. “Put that thing away.”
Dick lowered the weapon, his whole posture relaxing as he recognized Jason. His arms dropped limp to his sides and he slumped against the back of the couch. “Jay. What are you doing here?”
Jason shifted uncomfortably, painfully aware of the warm wetness spreading down his side, but not quite willing to admit his weakness yet. “Can’t a brother pop in for a visit?”
Dick sighed, running a hand through his hair, which Jason noted was mussed and flattened from his police hat. “Jason. What do you want?”
Jason blinked at the sharp tone. He and Dick weren’t exactly close, sure, but big bird was rarely so snappish, especially when Jason was making an effort. He looked closer and realized that Dick looked truly awful.
“You doing okay, big bird?”
Dick sighed again, closing his eyes.
Jason might have been the one losing blood, but it looked as if Dick had had the soul sucked right out of him. His older brother looked like a hollowed out shell, going through the motions of being human without any substance behind it.
Frankly, it scared Jason a little.
“Dickie?”
Dick straightened, pasting on a smile that probably would have fooled a younger, more naive Jason. “I’m good, Jay. Did you actually need something or…Jason!”
Jason jumped at Dick’s sudden snap, and then grimaced guiltily when he realized Dick had seen the blood where his jacket had fallen open slightly.
Dick hurried over, the scary emptiness replaced by concern as he pushed the jacket out of the way to get at the wound.
“Buy me dinner first.” Jason grumbled automatically, but he let Dick manhandle him into the bathroom and onto the closed toilet seat. Dick just rolled his eyes as he dug out the first aid kit from under the sink.
It was kind of nice, actually, if Jason let himself think about it. Dick was very good at patching them up, having been doing it longer than anyone except for Alfred and Bruce. He was also far more gentle about it than either of them.
When Jason was swathed in bandages, Dick left briefly and came back with a water bottle and an electrolyte sports drink. “Down both of these within the next hour.” His older brother ordered, handing them off and then beginning to clean up the scattered medical supplies. “I should really take you to the cave with the amount of blood you lost, but I know you’d rather avoid that, so drink up and we’ll see how you’re doing after that.”
Jason nodded gratefully and pulled the cap off the water before taking a long swig.
“You know,” Dick started casually. “next time you should probably lead with the bleeding out part.”
Jason snorted. “Yeah well. You know me. I hate admitting I need help. Wonder where I got that from?”
Dick’s mouth twitched up at the corner.
“Seems I’m not the only one.” Jason watched Dick carefully, catching the stifled flinch. “If something’s wrong, Dick…”
“Nothings…” Dick began sharply, then bit his lip. “It’s fine, Jason. Nothing to worry about.”
“You look awful.”
Dick laughed, short and humorless. “Thanks?”
“No, I mean…” Ugh, Jason was terrible at this. “Can I make you dinner or something?”
Dick looked at him. “I thought I was buying?”
Jason rolled his eyes. “Sit. Chill. I’ll make you something warm and filling.”
“If you think I’m letting you anywhere near a stove with how dizzy you must be feeling…”
“Not right now, then.” Jason grumbled. “Sometime soon, though. You look thin and tired. How much time do you have to cook between the force and patrols?”
Dick looked away.
Jason nodded. “That’s what I thought. Look, go order something for tonight. I can’t go out again, and obviously I need someone to make sure I don’t pass out tonight so you get to stay in too. We can watch a movie or something.”
Dick chewed his lip. “I should really check on a few things tonight…”
“No.” Jason said firmly. “Dick, you’re no use to anyone as burned out as you are. Take the night off.”
He saw the moment Dick gave in. “Fine. Indian okay?”
“Perfect.”
He hadn’t meant to, really, but the image of Dick slumped against the couch fragile as glass had stayed with Jason. Three night later he picked the lock on Dick’s window again and landed lightly in the same spot.
Dick wasn’t home yet, the spartan living space silent in the way only an empty space could be. Jason had never really noticed how little furniture Dick had. The couch, a low table, a TV, and a few chairs for the kitchen bar. The walls were bare and white. The only other decor were a few picture frames on the TV stand. Dick with Bruce, Dick with Damian, the human-passing Titans out of costume, Dick’s arm slung around Tim’s shoulders. One of Jason and Dick, an old one, with a young Jason grinning toothily at the camera. Jason didn’t remember when it had been taken. He wondered how long Dick had had it.
The state of Dick’s fridge was just as sad. There were a few containers of leftover takeout, some protein shakes and supplements, and a carton of yogurt. The pantry held trail mix, protein bars, and some stale crackers. It just confirmed Jason’s theory. He knew Dick was perfectly capable of cooking when he had the time and energy. Jason suspected he’d had neither for longer than he would admit.
Back out the window, because Jason was just extra like that, and to the store. He went through the front this time, since he didn’t want to risk dropping the produce from three stories up.
He put away the groceries and started on his task.
Dick showed up about an hour later, just as Jason was finishing clean up, the smell of the cooking food filling the apartment.
His older brother blinked at Jason in shock.
Jason decided to skip the awkward explanations. “Dinner will be about thirty more minutes, so you have time to shower and change.”
Dick hesitated, obviously confused. After a moment, he shrugged, toeing off his shoes and heading towards his room with one more backwards glance as if to confirm Jason was really there.
The shower started up a moment later.
Jason finished the last bit of clean up and slumped onto the couch, messing around with the TV, trying to pick a movie.
Dick emerged from the bedroom about the same time as the oven timer beeped. Freshly showered, the older boy looked almost human.
Jason handed him a plate filled with meaty lasagna and fresh salad and served up some for himself. They sat on the couch, chewing in silent companionship with the TV droning a random channel for background noise.
When Dick’s plate was clean, the older man leaned back and looked at Jason curiously. “Not that I don’t appreciate…all of this. But, what is this, Jason? What are you doing?”
Jason had really been hoping Dick wouldn’t ask that. He wasn’t sure he knew the answer.
Or perhaps he was more afraid he did know the answer and he didn’t want to admit it. Didn’t want to bare his soul and tell Dick that he had seen the same loneliness and emptiness in Dick’s eyes that he often saw in the mirror.
He wasn’t ready to be that vulnerable.
So he deflected. “Well, you have such a nice kitchen, Dickie. I just wanted to take it for a test drive.”
Dick snorted. “Well, feel free to repeat the experiment. I don’t know the last time I ate something so good. Maybe the last time I was at the Manor.” The older man admitted. “You were right, I haven’t had a lot of time to cook with how busy I’ve been.”
“Yeah, well, don’t get too used to it, Dickface. It’s not gonna happen often.”
Except it kind of did.
Jason held out almost a full week after that first night before he showed up at Dick’s to make enchiladas. Then three nights later, for grilled shrimp and veggies. After that, it became almost every other night.
Jason had to admit it was fun. Dick had a really nice kitchen, and Jason had always loved the experiment of cooking and trying new recipes and flavor combinations. Almost everything turned out well, and even those that didn’t were still edible, and eat them Dick did.
It was subtle, but the older man was regaining a little bit of healthy weight, the shadows behind his eyes retreating a bit more every time he found Jason waiting with hot, fresh, home-cooked food.
It was just over two months into their new routine that Jason brought up a subject that had been on his mind. “You don’t really… have a lot of stuff, do you.”
Dick shrugged, eating another spoonful of tortilla soup. “Never needed much. Guess I’m still a circus kid at heart.” He hesitated, the spoon halfway between the bowl and his mouth. “If you wanted to… add something?” He offered hesitantly.
Jason looked up at him, surprised. “No, what? This is your place, Dick, I don’t wanna mess with it.”
“I mean, you spend half your time here already. If you want to put a personal touch on it, I really don’t mind. Maybe don’t do anything drastic without asking me, but… yeah.”
Jason stared down at his soup, his mind whirling. “Uh, yeah. Okay.”
A plant.
In Jason’s defense, he’d spent half an hour in the store staring at decor until he’d nearly worked himself into a panic before he’d grabbed the small pot.
It wasn’t a big deal, Dick offering this, except that it was. Jason didn’t do this. He didn’t mark his territory, he didn’t buy home decor or whatever. His safe houses were stocked with necessities and a comfy bed. And books, but always cheap paperbacks. His nice books, his favorites, were either at the Manor or in his carefully guarded home base. Which he hadn’t been to in over a month because he’d practically moved in with Dick.
He wasn’t sure why he was freaking out about it now, when it had been going on for three months.
Maybe because he was holding a plant that felt like a promise.
Dick burst out laughing when he saw it. “I give you free reign to decorate and you get a succulent?”
Jason scowled.
Dick sobered, though his eyes were still mirthful. “Sorry, Jay. It’s just… we are a pair, aren’t we.”
Even Jason had to crack a smile at that.
With the plant well-received, Jason relaxed again into his little routine with Dick. He was over more nights than not, cooking, cleaning, watching TV, and keeping Dick company. It was… nice. He’d been on his own for so long. And it wasn’t like Dick didn’t enjoy it too. Jason knew Dick was completely capable of caring for himself, and was in fact extremely independent under most circumstances. But right now, Jason had the time and energy to do this sort of thing and Dick didn’t.
Which led to the next step.
Over dinner one night, Jason shyly pushed a set of brochures over to Dick’s plate. The older man glanced at them, raising an eyebrow. “Gotham Community College? Trying to tell me something?”
“No.” Jason fumbled for words. “Uh, I was thinking I might attend a class or two.”
Dick looked pleasantly surprised. “Really?”
“Yeah. I uh… there’s just one thing…”
“You need a permanent address to enroll.”
“Yeah.”
Dick nodded. “Of course you can list my apartment, Jay. You’re here all the time anyway.”
Jason let out the breath he’d been holding. “Thanks.”
Dick smiled at him.
The Community College was two blocks from Dick’s place, which of course led to Jason’s first night crashing on the couch after a long study session for an early morning test. Then there was a second night after midterms, and then he stopped keeping count.
He kept most of his books and school supplies at Dick’s, he’d integrated Red Hood’s stuff with Nightwing’s, and every other night dinners turned into every night.
They never really talked about it. They didn’t need to. It worked better that way, maybe. Jason still kept a safe house or two open around the city for when he needed an escape, and they didn’t patrol together often, but in all other ways they were roommates.
Jason had just finished the last test of his first semester, already signed up for a full schedule the coming spring. Dick was prepping for the test to make detective. Nightwing and Red Hood had kept their area of the city spic and span for the last two months. Life was good.
He arrived home to find a cake on the table, a rich chocolate. Dick came out of the kitchen grinning.
“Hey Jay! Happy anniversary!”
“What?”
“It’s been a year. Since you broke into my apartment, bleeding out, and offered to make me dinner.” Dick seemed far too amused.
“We’re celebrating anniversaries now?” Jason grumbled.
Dick laughed. “Well, I needed an excuse to give you this.” He passed Jason a small round pot. A lovely little succulent was in full spread inside.
Jason cocked his head. “Uh…Dick? I already have a plant.”
Dick bit his lip, his eyes dancing. “Yeah. A fake one.”
Jason whipped his head around to the window, where the tiny plant he had been faithfully watering for eight months sat in the partial sunlight. “WHAT?”