Chapter Text
"Ugh..."
Jason groaned rolling over to bury his face in the couch cushion, tugging the warm blanket further over himself.
But it didn't feel very warm, he was cold, so, so cold, and his head was all stuffy, like someone had filled it with cotton.
He sat up a little with a small sniffle, his vision immediately spotting as he pushed himself up clumsily, getting a stern look from Alfred as the man walked in, his dress shoes clicking against the floor as he made his way into the living room towards the boy.
"Master Jason, it would be much appreciated if you would rest."
The butler had told him, as he stepped over to Jason, Jason for his part, was fairly compliant.
It wasn't like he really wanted to sit up anyway, in fact he wished he would fall asleep once more, but the stupid stuffy nose wouldn't let him, not when he couldn't breath properly, and then there were all of the other irritating symptoms.
"Sorry Alf..."
The child had mumbled quietly, laying back down, Alfred nodded, looking rather pleased, a gentle hand pushing Jason's bangs up, so the butler could slip a damp cloth onto his forehead.
Jason, in his dazed sick state, clumsily took ahold of Alfred's gloved hand, the man didn't seem to mind, just holding Jason's hand until the boy's eyes fell closed once more.
Everything was enveloped in darkness as his eyes shut, the warm dark curling around him like a soft blanket.
Why couldn't he just stay like this?
The question had drifted through his mind as he held onto the darkness, clinging onto it desperately, begging it to take the ill away with it as it began drifting away from him, the soft light of moonlight shining into his vision.
Once his eyes fluttered open Jason soon noticed he was no longer on the couch, now he was being held.
Swaddled in a dark blanket-like fabric as the world around him drifted past slowly.
Gentle arms carrying him, as if he were something important, something to want to be careful with.
That was odd, Jason was none of those things, he didn't need that treatment, he was strong, he was big, he was scary.
A soft hum drifted through the air and Jason recognized that voice, realizing what was going on.
Jason was curled up in Bruce's cape, held in the man's arms as he walked through the halls of the manor, a surprisingly gentle hand carding through the child's hair, humming a soft toon as he wandered aimlessly.
Jason couldn't help but notice that he felt a lot better now, mumbling through a sleep filled haze.
"Dad..?"
His tired voice sounded through the melody, most likely not even realizing what he had said.
Bruce fell silent for a moment stilling, before picking up his motions once more.
"Hey chum, feeling any better?"
Bruce murmured quietly, it was all so rare, and so nice.
Jason did feel better..a lot better.
"Yeah.."
He answered through a yawn, a soft amused huff falling from Bruce's lips, hand ruffling Jason's hair.
"Good."
And they were covered in a comfortable silence once more.
Jason's arms, now warm rather than freezing, curled around Bruce's neck, hugging on tightly as if scared the man would let go, head resting on his shoulder.
All of this was so....
What was the word? Melancholic? Nostalgic?
Maybe.
All of it was so familiar, so caring, so sad...
Jason could remember a time before everything, a time where he was so small, cradled in his mother's arms, as she attempted to brush his sickness away.
It was one of his nicest memories of her, it always brought a feeling of sadness to him, but beneath all of that, there was also, love, a softness melting his heart as he recalled the night, a soft lullaby falling from her lips as she gently rocked the toddler in her arms.
This situation was so... reminiscent of that, it made his heart ache slightly, but it made something whisper in the back of his mind as well.
This was so, so similar, it made him want to hold on, to never let go.
The man holding him was not his father.
No matter how much he wished he could be.
Bruce had no attachment to him, Jason was a... sidekick nothing more, nothing less.
He had to keep that in mind, Bruce was not his father, and Jason was not his son.
But it was so hard to remember that as Bruce drifted through the hallways quietly, just holding the boy, as if he really cared so much, as if Jason truly was his responsibility.
And worst of all the man didn't even seem bothered by being responsible for such a brash and reckless child.
And maybe that was the best part.
Maybe, just maybe, it meant Jason that was allowed to hold on for a little longer.
The thought had a smile tugging at his lips as his eyes fell shut once more, drifting into the comfortable lull of sleep.
It was soft and warm and dark as it had been before when he fell asleep.
Until it wasn't.
It was, until everything lost the softness, it felt like he was covered in needles, pushing into his skin, digging into the muscle, tears welled in the child's eyes as a gut-wrenching scream tore through his chest, up his throat and through his mouth.
It was warm until everything was drained of its heat, a violent cold nipping at any and all skin it could reach.
Dark until that darkness melted into a blinding bright green.
Such a sickening green that had bile burning at his throat, and then he wasn't so small anymore, longer more muscular limbs bracing himself as he tumbled to the ground he couldn't see.
His breathing came out rushed, gasping for air as if he couldn't get any to drift into his lungs.
And he soon realized he couldn't.
His chest wouldn't expand, he was suffocating.
And green tinged dark at the edges as he lost consciousness.
His eyes flew open as he shot up, gasping for air, greedily taking it into his lungs, tears rolling down his cheeks as he clumsily grasped at his chest.
Looking around he soon figured out he was in his bedroom, where he had fallen asleep to begin with.
What was all of that anyway?
The end wasn't exactly uncommon for him to dream of, but the rest of it?
Jason couldn't remember that ever happening, and it wasn't often he had nice dreams like that.
If only it was real.
But, the odd part, was that it felt like it was.
He could feel he dream still lingering in his mind, like something distant he had forgotten until now.
The feeling left him uncomfortable and unsettled.
He did not like that, not at all.
If that was real, if he had forgotten that, what else couldn't he remember?
It explained far too much, and he wasn't exactly pleased with that.
Jason for the longest time, had just thought that his childhood with Bruce was lonely, cold.
But that dream, proved something different...
What if he was missing everything?
What was real?
What wasn't?
How many of his memories were gone, how many were distorted?
He sighed heavily, running his hands down his face as he flopped himself back down to lay on his bed once more.
Just a dream.
Nothing to think so much about, it shouldn't be messing with him like this.
It was just a dream,
dream,
dream,
dream.
A dream he really needed to stop thinking about.
Yeah, just push it out of his mind.
It's not like it was real anyway.
Just a dream.
He repeated the thought to himself as he fell into a cold dreamless sleep.