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Jason peeked around the corner, watching as Dick collapsed onto a chair with a heavy sigh. His shoulders were shaking a little, like he was shivering from the cold air in the Batcave.
Maybe Dick needed a blanket to stay warm?
He quickly scurried away, remembering to stay light on his feet and finding the nearest closet.
When he returned, Jason snuck around the back of the chair, luckily unseen since Dick was holding his head in his trembling hands.
Jason gripped the blanket, stuck between announcing his presence or just waiting to be noticed.
…
He could tell that Dick was crying, even if there wasn’t much sound to his sobs.
Dick always cried quietly after arguing with Bruce, like being heard would bring more yelling.
Jason didn’t like the yelling because it meant that Bruce stopped talking in the Batcave. He wouldn’t speak in the kitchen or the hallways. He'd remain silent on patrols no matter what Jason did to cheer him up.
…
Jason tiptoed forward, unfolding the blanket and carefully laying it over Dick’s shoulders.
The older boy flinched at the touch, and when he looked up his eyes were wet and rimmed with red.
“Oh.” He wiped his face with a gloved hand, “Hey, little wing.”
Jason blinked up at him, taking in the sight of mused hair. He reached up and patted down the stray locks as Dick softly chuckled, pulling the blanket around him.
“Stop moving.” Jason said, “You look like you just got out of bed.”
Dick stilled, letting Jason fix his hair until he was satisfied.
He pulled off the gloves of his Discowing suit, dropping them into his lap as he continued to strip out of his uniform gear.
“I’m sure I’ll look better after I shower.”
“And smell better too.” Jason added, dodging the light slap aimed for his shoulder. “Hey!”
Dick laughed, and the sound was so much lighter than the sobs he’d been choking back a minute before. It was like walking through a door finding a whole new world, nothing like the rust plaguing the hinges.
“You’re such a menace.” Dick muttered, and Jason smiled as he fiddled with the edge of his pajamas.
His bare feet were freezing against the stone floor, and he knew that Alfred would make him wash them before making it halfway to his room.
“C’mon,” Dick stood, half-dressed in his suit and wearing the blanket like a cape. “Let’s get a snack.”
Jason followed along, happily soaking up the affection of Dick’s hand ruffling his hair, making the curls stick up in odd directions.
“Stop it! I just brushed it and you’re gonna make tangles!”
Dick ignored his pitiful cries for mercy, easily scooping up Jason and carrying him on his hip. His complaints of Dick being all sweaty echoed throughout the cave, but their mixing giggles were enough for Jason to give up on escaping.
“Hush, little wing. Let me have this.”
So Jason let his brother hold him, allowing himself to be wrapped under a blanketed arm and pressing his nose into the fabric.
Making Dick happy was the best thing in the world.
Even if he and Bruce didn’t get along all that well, Jason knew that Dick wouldn’t stop loving him.
…
“I’ll always be here. Close enough to pick you up if your feet get tired, yeah?” Dick had whispered to him once they settled in Jason’s room, his face encompassed by the dark.
Jason nodded, leaning into the warm hand stroking his cheek while simultaneously melting into his pillows.
“And you’ll never forget me if you leave?”
“Oh, Jay.” Dick laid down beside him, smelling like berries and freshness after their snack and his shower. “I wouldn’t leave you. I’d miss you too much.”
“But everyone leaves.”
“You’re right. Leaving is a part of life, little wing. The world will push and pull whenever it can, but it’s up to you to make the decision to stay. And I’ll always come back for you.”
Jason closed his eyes, his heart fluttering like leaves blowing over sweet summer grass. He felt safe in his brother’s arms, snuggling closer as if to steal his comfort.
“Would you still even if I was bad?”
“Hmm? Bad at what?”
“At being a good person?”
Dick pressed his lips to the crown of Jason’s head, then rested his cheek there, smiling softly to himself.
“Yes. I would follow you to the ends of the earth, Jay. There’s nothing that could take away my love.”
…
Jason hummed, “Okay. If you say so, Di—“
“—CK! BRUCE!!”
Jason coughed, feeling the fire in his throat as his vocal chords shredded from how much he was screaming.
“ANYONE! SOMEBODY HELP ME!!”
He banged on the door, leaning on it as he tried to pull himself up from the floor. His bloody fingers slipped from the handle, the joints cramping and his nails splintered from his attempts of clawing at the hinges.
His crying echoed in the warehouse, bouncing off the walls like mocking laughter.
Help me. Help me. Help me.
Jason let out a hoarse cry as he slammed his shoulder into the door one last time before fully collapsing.
“And I’ll always come back for you.”
“Is anyone there?” He asked despite the emptiness, “Please? Anyone?”
The silence was heavier than before, and Jason curled in on himself when his broken ribs protested from his panicked breathing.
Help. I don’t want to be alone anymore.
Jason heaved against the concrete, trying not to throw up as his head pounded ruthlessly.
“I’ll be okay.” He whispered to himself, “I just need to wait. Yeah.”
“I would follow you to the ends of the earth, Jay.”
The warehouse fell back into silence.
In the distance he could hear thundering and roaring engines.
…
Tick…tick…tick…
He peeled open his eyes, seeing white cloud in front of him with every panting exhale. The ground was cold against his skin, and his face was mostly covered in gravel rash and sticky blood.
With the stillness came a clarity, and Jason realized that in the far corner was a stack of boxes connected by wires.
Tick…tick…tick…
Jason choked on the blood pooling in his mouth.
[00:11]
Bruce could still save him, right?
Tick…tick…tick…
He would make it in time…right?
[00:07]
Jason felt the tears roll down his cheeks drying in the cold, and he felt the energy draining out of him by the millisecond.
[00:05]
He held his breath when the pain of existing became overwhelming and the truth settled in his chest.
Bruce wasn’t going to make it.
…
[00:01]
He closed his eyes and braced himself for—
Jason awoke with a single blink.
He felt calm for only a moment until his body caught up with his mind.
The ceiling was intact above him, not in large chunks weighing down on his body.
He breathed in staccatos, each action detached from his control as he fisted the sheets underneath him.
I’m alive. I’m alive. I’m alive.
He repeated the mantra in his head, over and over until his thoughts stopped racing faster than his heart.
Tha-dump—tha-dump…tha-dump…tha-dump…
Jason squeezed his eyes shut until the image of red blinking numbers faded into the deepest corners of his mind. It haunted him as he felt the air stutter in his throat, and his body shuddered as he let out a quiet sob.
He was no louder than the humming pipes in the walls, his anger and hatred disguised by the world as he broke down into glistening shards of grief.
…
It was always in the comfort of night that Jason was left a helpless heap of bones, crying into the cover of his pillow as if it could ever make up for his brother’s sweater.
I’m not dying, he reminds himself. I’m still here.
The blankets over his shoulders felt too thin to keep away the shadows, but it was enough for Jason to bury himself under.
But I wish I wasn’t.
It was just another nightmare.
Just another bad dream.