Chapter Text
It was the end of the night, and fourteen-year-old Brooklyn was in her room, changing out of her Gotham Archer suit. The weapons were stored downstairs in the Batcave.
She had managed to get the top part off, leaving her in the breathable bra-top that she wore beneath the armor when she heard yelling from outside. She sighed, rolling her eyes as she easily recognized Gray's voice. That meant the other one was Jase.
She crossed the hall to Gray's room, where the noise was coming from, still in her G.A. bottoms. She opened the door to see her seventeen-year-old brother wrestling her twelve-year-old one. Gray was in his boxers, already out of his Nightwing suit that was draped on a chair. Jason was still in the Robin suit.
"Will you two stop?!" She groaned, crossing her arms.
"He started it!" Jason yelled.
"By sleeping?!" Dick exclaimed in utter annoyance.
"In my bed!" Jason retorted, and Dick had it, snapping, "Why is your bed in my bedroom?!"
"Jase, this is Gray's room. Don't make me use my magic to break you apart!" Brooklyn threatened.
Alfred had walked up to the door as well, hearing the commotion, and stood beside Brooklyn. The brunette turned to him and asked, "Doesn't Jason have his own room, Alfred?"
"It was easier than opening up another room to clean every day," Alfred told her.
Jason heard that and said, "Seriously, Alfred?!"
Brooklyn sighed. Dick was in the process of moving to Blüdhaven, which meant he wasn't home every day anymore. She was helping him move out of the Manor, but she didn't realize that Alfred had given Jason Dick's room.
"You don't have to keep cleaning our rooms," Brooklyn told the butler. "And I'm sure Gray'd still want to keep his room,"
Dick huffed, shoving Jason to the floor and ending their wrestle. "Fine, stay in here. I'm sleeping in Alie's room,"
Brooklyn raised a brow, but she didn't mind. They've had their own rooms since they were kids, but she and Gray have been choosing to crash each other's rooms since the beginning.
Dick grabbed a shirt from the dresser then stormed out of his room. Brooklyn followed him as he put on his shirt, but not before Jason yelled, "Yeah, whatever! Pretty sure you just wanna sleep with her!!"
Brooklyn physically gagged in utter disgust, the insult causing bile to rise up her throat, and Dick turned around sharply with a murderous glare on his face.
"YOU KNOW WHAT?! YOU SON OF A—!"
"That's enough, Master Dick!" Alfred shot a glare at the boy before Dick could curse at Jason. Dick wasn't just insulted. He was infuriated and disgusted with what it insinuated against his sister. "You as well, Master Jason. Go back to your rooms! That's enough fighting for one night,"
"That's if I had my room back," Dick grumbled, choosing to not argue with Alfred nor Jason any further.
Fourteen-year-old Brooklyn still looked pretty affected standing in the hallway, refusing to even look at her brother. Dick noticed, and he said, "Hey, ignore what he said. It's not true,"
"I know. It's just gross," She mumbled, walking back to her room. Dick sighed as he watched her, his sister going straight for her bathroom. He cursed at Jason under his breath and went into her room, shutting the door behind him.
Brooklyn finished changing out of her suit, replacing with an oversized shirt and a pair of pajama shorts. Once she was done though, she just stood there, staring at nothing.
She and Gray were no stranger to the fact that they were both adopted. People didn't think they were siblings. When they started growing up, they were being mistaken as a couple based on how close they were. Still, she had to take a minute to collect herself from Jason's insult, completely disgusted.
She walked out of her bathroom quietly, shutting the lights behind her, and she scrunched her brows up when she saw Gray laying on the floor beside her bed. His head was resting on his right arm as he laid on his side.
"Gray, what are you doing there?" She asked.
"I'll stay here, Alie," Gray said sleepily. "I just didn't want to be in the same room as him,"
Alie sighed, walking over to him. He did not look comfortable. They'd often sleep on the same bed as kids, and she knew why he was insistent on staying on the floor tonight. He was just as bothered by Jason.
"Don't mind what Jase said," She told him, tugging his free arm up. "He's twelve,"
"Exactly," Gray groaned with his eyes shut, tugging his arm back. He was disturbed by how this boy, who was five years younger than him, dared to insinuate something like that. "It's disgusting,"
"I know it's gross," Alie agreed, kneeling beside him. "But you'll get more bruises from sleeping there than from patrolling,"
Gray peeked through one eye, squinting at Alie and whispering, "You know I will never do that to you, right?"
"Of course," Alie said, looking at him sadly as she heard the guilt in his tone. She mustered a small smile, poking his arm, and said, "You're my over-protective brother. You're like a bodyguard I don't need,"
Gray couldn't help the smile, hearing her call him her brother. He wasn't so fond of Jason, but Alie was always going to be his sister, his best friend. He shut his eyes and said, "You still need one, Alie,"
"Get up, Gray," She groaned and tugged his arm again, not having anything to counter to him. "I'll scoot,"
"No,"
"I'll freeze the floor," Alie tried.
"Then I'll steal your blanket," Gray retorted.
"Then I'll stay here with you,"
Gray's eyes shot open, and he got up. "No,"
Alie smirked triumphantly as he climbed up her bed, plopping down on the far right side and leaving three-fourths of the bed to her.
"Happy, Alie?" Gray asked now that he was settled on her bed.
Alie pushed him so he wasn't so close to the edge. It didn't matter that Gray was three full years older and much more muscular than her, or that he was trying to hold his ground. She was just as strong.
"There," She said once he looked like he was in a comfortable position. She circled over to the other side, plopping down beside him, and rested her head on her brother's chest. Gray naturally shifted so she was more comfortable, now nestled in his arm with her head on his left shoulder.
That's when she answered his question, muttering, "I'm happy now,"
Gray watched as she fell asleep first, despite him having already fallen asleep back in his room before Jason came in. She was completely at ease with him. She always has been since she was ten, and Gray knew Alie saw him as her safety net, her safe space.
When her guard was completely down, she instinctively shifted, hugging him as she slept. There was a faint smile on her face, and Gray smiled, staring at his little sister lovingly.
The fact that she didn't settle down until he was comfortable didn't go unnoticed. She goaded him onto going on the bed and pushed him into a comfortable position. If he had to take a guess, it was like she fell asleep on him so he wouldn't move back on the ground.
That was half-true. Alie really just wanted to spend time with him since he was moving away.
They were still like any other sibling duo, the three-year gap between them being the sweet spot for being #1 rivals. Both being vigilantes only made them more physically competitive with one another, and forty percent of their bruises were because of each other.
But at the end of the day, they still had each other's backs. They were best friends, and they adored each other to no end. They weren't siblings by blood, but they were by choice.
Gray softly kissed the top of her head, whispering, "Love you, sis", and he fell asleep soundly like the fight with Jason never happened.
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