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The second Jason heard the faint crashing coming from the med bay of the Cave, he got up from his seat in front of the Batcomputer, ignoring the pins and needles in his foot from sitting too long.
"Hood, all good over there?" Oracle's voice crackled through his helmet which was set on the desk.
"I think Dick woke up," Jason called back, almost jogging across the Cave to the med bay. He could see his brother dazedly, but determinately tearing off the IV and monitors from here.
Oracle sucked in a breath behind him. "Good luck with that. I'll keep you updated," and with that, she signed off, a quiet beep signalling the disconnected line.
"Dick! That's not a good idea!" Jason warned, but the older man didn't seem to hear him. Dick was already making his way out of the med bay, pushing himself up with the help of the beds when his legs stumbled.
"I have to get to- I have to help them," his brother was muttering, jaw set.
"You better not pull your stitches, they're the best I've probably ever done, so I'm gonna be pissed- "
Dick was still making his way forward, unhindered by the bandages over his body, sling on his arm, cuts and bruises marring every inch of his body that Jason could see, not to mention all the internal damage he couldn't see. The cut-open parts of Batman's suit still hung onto Dick's waist.
Jason finally reached his brother and placed a gentle, firm hand on the older man's uninjured shoulder to stop him from going further.
"Dick…"
"Jason, let me go."
Dick's voice was low and rough, closer to Batman's growl than Nightwing's.
"You're in no state to go anywhere- "
"I don't care," Dick hissed, pushing against Jason's hand. "I have to go help them, he's going to kill them- "
"You can't help anyone like this," Jason said firmly, meeting Dick's hard stare with his own. "Babs and Cass are working on it, so get your ass back into that bed."
"Jason, I'm not going to ask again."
The look Dick gave him now was so different from his usual puppy dog eyes. This was the hardened gaze of someone who had lost too much, was willing to do anything to get it back. Jason had seen it in Bruce's eyes before, in his own, but Dick's was always scariest. If Dick went out right now, he wouldn't cross the line, but he was very capable of going far enough that whoever was facing his wrath would wish he had. This was the Dick Grayson who reminded everyone on the wrong side of the law that there could be fates worth than death. It still haunted Jason from his Robin days, seeing Dick like that.
Despite that, he also knew that if Dick went out right now, his older brother wouldn't make it back.
So, instead of backing down, Jason straightened. On a regular day, Dick could be a challenge in hand-to-hand against Jason. When Dick got vengeful like this, Jason would think twice about going up against his brother, because they both knew who would win and it wasn't Jason. Today? Right now? Dick was injured, and running on fumes. Had been for the past week since Bruce and Alfred left for a business trip, condemning Dick to assume the Bat's mantel and keep Gotham in check.
Right now, Jason could take Dick if it came to it.
"I'm not going to ask again either, Dick. Go back to the bed before I have to sedate you."
Jason watched as Dick's bandaged chest and shoulders rose and fell with a big, measured breath. Some red was peeking through the bandage on Dick's side. Dick's cold, blue eyes flicked up to Jason's face and narrowed. That was all the warning Jason got.
A mix of adrenaline and drugs fuelled Dick as he darted forward faster than he should have been able to. Jason whipped around, coming up behind Dick and wrapping his arms around his older brother. Mindful of the sling, he gently pinned Dick's uninjured arm at his side.
"Let me go, Jason," Dick shouted, fighting and thrashing against his brother.
"Dick, stop, you're gonna start bleeding again- "
Dick ignored him, straining forward. "I have to get to them. I can't let them- I can't not be- they need me, Jason. They," - Dick faltered, breath stuttering in his chest under Jason's hands, body weakening against his grip - "they were my responsibility, I was supposed to keep them safe and I…" Dick's voice cracked, his legs giving out. Jason loosened his grip as he sank down with his brother.
"I failed them." Dick's voice was a thick and broken whisper, spoken to the ground. "I let them get captured and now they're going to die. I was supposed to protect them, I wasn't supposed to fail anymore Robins, I promised myself I- "
A piece of Jason's heart broke at the first choked sob, and he adjusted his grip to hug Dick close to him, let the other man bury his face into Jason's shoulder. He tried to ignore the wound his brother's last words cut into his chest, murmuring reassurances instead.
"They're not dead yet, Dick. You did everything you could, anything more and you'd be dead. You gave them a chance. We'll find them. No more dead robins," Jason vowed, squeezing his older brother's shaking shoulders.
And there they sat, huddled together in the large Cave in broken silence, two robins determined to rewrite their title's fate.