Work Text:
Jason rubs his eyes again just to make sure he's not still asleep, even though he is dead tired. A part of him is angry because he just went to sleep about an hour ago and he's already up. The rest of him is just exhausted and confused. Because, if he's quite honest, waking up to a grumbling Damian Wayne staring at him is not something he's used to. And he could say he looks kind of spooked but that may be because his brain is still trying to process everything. So he rubs his face and eyes so insistently, because he's sure he must be dreaming.
"Can you stop that, Todd? You're getting on my nerves." snaps the definitely very real Damian sitting on the end of his bed, tense as ever. It's strange seeing him in civilian clothes, but that eases Jason a bit, seeing as this must not be Official Batman Business after all and helps his sleep-deprived brain discard options.
The older of the two lets out a long sigh and pushes the hair out of his eyes. "Fine, batbrat, tell me what do you want from me." His words still slurs a bit but he feels more awake, if only a bit. Damian still hasn't said a word, but he crosses his arms over his chest and stares intently at the wall in front of him. Jason gives him a minute before repeating himself. "So... Are you gonna talk or are you gonna stare at the godamned-"
Damian turns to stare at him instead of the wall and interrupts him, blurting out of nowhere, "How can you sleep at night?"
Jason, now really pissed off at the fact that he has he been woken from his precious sleep only to be questioned about his morals of all things, growls and spits back full of sarcasm, "I lay on my bed and close my eyes. It's not fucking rocket science, kid."
Damian goes quiet for a moment before speaking in a low voice, "I meant. The nightmares." Now Jason feels like an asshole for saying that. "How can you sleep with that? You get them too, right?" He looks at him half desperate and half hopeful, like he has some magical answer that he overlooked. That just makes Jason feel worse, because he doesn't. There's none.
He lets a heavy sigh and rubs his eyes yet again. He hates talking about it. "I don't, that's how." He hears the little 'tt' Damian makes and he looks at him, "I won't lie to you, D. I have no idea how to make them go away, not permanently. Sometimes they stop and I can sleep. Sometimes I have to drink or patrol until I pass out, or read until I can't distinguish one letter from another. The point is," he sighs again and suddenly he feels that Damian looks way more tired than before, "that they always come back. Be it a day, a week, a month. You can go whole months without a nightmare and one day you go to sleep and wake up drenched in sweat and you can't breathe because you feel–"
"–like you're dying over again." Damian finishes for him and both fall silent. Jason wishes he could do something for him. The expression the boy has is nothing like he's used to seeing and it makes him think how sick it is that a kid that age knows how coming back from death feels like. It makes him think of another kid who came back and broke hell loose. In the end, they're both just undead kids.
Robin lets out a long sigh and stands up, "Sorry for waking you up, Todd. I should go home." It's Jason who clicks his tongue this time, catching the boy's attention.
"I don't have a miracle cure for your nightmares, but I've found that sleeping with someone near helps a bit." He shrugs and throws off the covers to make room for the kid. "I'll go drop you off with B tomorrow and all goes back to normal." Jason turns to see Damian and meets his skeptic glare, making him roll his eyes in return, "Oh come on brat, I can tell you won't even make it halfway to the manor without falling asleep hanging from some fucking roof. So get in bed and stop looking at me like that. I'm tired as fuck, my whole fucking body hurts and it's four in the goddamned morning."
Damian gave another soft 'tt' but took of his sneakers, jacket and jeans, folding them neatly and leaving them on top of a dresser. He got into the empty side of the bed after turning the lights off and Jason falls back so he can pull the covers over both of them. Damian shifts a bit before finally finding a comfortable spot and stays still, if a bit tense.
"Go to sleep already." grunts the half asleep man next to him, his hand feeling around the pillows until he finds Damian and ruffles his hair. The kid rolls his eyes but curls onto himself, pulling the covers around him and slowly lets his tired body relax. Before falling completely asleep he mutters, "Jason?" His brother only answers with a grunt. "Thanks." Damian goes to sleep with Jason's fingers softly going through his hair.