Chapter Text
Tim’s fingers flew across the buttons of his controller in a series of rapid, well-timed movements. On the screen, his character rained a hail of gunfire onto the protected fortress, gradually chiselling away at the walls until they finally disappeared in a cloud of smoke. Not the most realistic, sure, but the effect was cool. With that accomplished, all he had to do was dodge one last desperate attack before he went in for the kill.
“No!” Jason shot forwards in his spot, mashing buttons desperately without a hope of them working. His character collapsed, and his side of the screen faded to black. “That’s no fair; you keep beating me!”
Tim shrugged and grabbed a few potato chips out of their shared bowl. “We’re both playing the same game.”
Pouting, Jason tossed his controller onto the sofa and curled in on himself, tucking his legs up against his body and wrapping his arms around. He stared at the screen that now had their stats for the night on display
A shred of guilt crawled into Tim’s mind. He didn’t usually go easy on Jason with gaming. Jason would have hated it, for one, and even though, yeah, Tim still had some advantages with this, it wasn’t as unmatched as if it had been a physical fight.
But tonight, Jason had been off his game and his scores were way lower than usual. Tim had crushed him every single match, and it didn’t feel all that great to win against a kid by this much. This was supposed to be a fun, casual sleepover at Tim’s, not something that made Jason miserable.
When he snuck another look sideways, he figured out the problem. Jason was holding his jaw tightly in one place, obviously trying to hide a yawn as he rubbed at his eyes. The kid was exhausted.
Tim flicked the TV off. “That’s probably enough for tonight, huh?”
Jason snapped his head up. “Wait, what? Why?”
“Well, it’s getting kinda late—”
“It’s only nine o’clock!” A whine started to sneak into Jason’s voice, and Tim braced himself. So much for doing this subtly.
“Sure, but… you know, if you’re feeling a bit tired…”
Jason’s face twisted. “No! I’m not tired! I wanna stay up with you!”
Thankfully, as soon as the little tantrum started, it ended. Jason froze, blinked, and then his expression crumpled in realization. He let out a little huff and slumped even lower on the sofa.
“Fuck,” he muttered
Cautiously, Tim shrugged. “It’s okay. Probably not a bad thing if I call it an early night, too.”
“But I… I’ve been getting better with this! I can stay up later sometimes and then sleep in in the morning and… and it’s fine!” There was a little, hidden sniffle from Jason’s bowed head. “That’s what I was gonna do tonight and…”
“Okay, well…” Tim moved the chip bowl out of the way and scooted close enough that his side pressed against Jason’s. “Sometimes people just get tired on certain days more than others. And I get that it’s annoying it’s happening on a day you were wanting to have fun and stay up late, but going to bed when you’re feeling tired is actually the more grown-up thing to do.”
Jason lifted his head, rolling his eyes at the same time. “Literally no one in our family does that.”
“Well— Okay, fine. Then I guess you have the chance to be the mature one out of all of us, huh?”
He rubbed at his eyes again, staring at the blank TV. Then he let out a sigh. “This fucking sucks.”
Tim nudged his shoulder into Jason. “I know. Look, how about you get ready for bed and then you can watch me play for a bit? That way it’s not totally calling it a night.”
It was still weird to think about that actually being fun for Jason; it was such a younger brother thing to do. But, sure enough, that offer was all it took to convince him. He dutifully trotted off to the bathroom to brush his teeth and change into his pajamas and all of that. When he came out, his blinks had gotten even slower and his bare feet were dragging on the carpet.
He also had his little Batman toy tucked in his arms. That, more than anything, was a giant neon sign for how tired he actually was; he usually kept the thing hidden even though absolutely everyone knew about it. Tim knew to play it cool, though, and didn’t mention the plushie at all. He just beckoned Jason back over to the sofa and started to unfold the quilt that Alfred had given him two Christmases ago.
“I know what you’re doing,” Jason grumbled as he wiggled around in search of a comfortable spot.
“I’m just being a good host.”
“Liar. You’re trying to make me…” A yawn interrupted his sentence. “Make me fall asleep here.”
Tim shifted in his spot so he could be a better pillow for his brother. “I’m not trying to make you do anything, Jay. You’re just watching me play some games, right?” And if he happened to fall asleep in the middle of that, so be it.
Jason let out a drowsy whine as he finally settled. Batman poked up out of the blanket right by his chin.
Tim carded his hand through Jason’s hair, which always helped settle him. With his free hand, he flicked the TV back on, dropping the volume down to a low level. “What game do you want?”
Jason shrugged, eyelids already at half mast. “Something with guns.”
“Yeah, I figured.” Tim kept to the same one they’d been doing just before, but switched it over to single player mode.
It took less than ten minutes for Jason’s breathing to even out. A gentle whistling sound came from his nose with every inhalation, mixing with the dampened gunfire of Tim’s game.
In retrospect, that was another piece of evidence that Tim shouldn’t have missed, but by the next morning it didn’t matter anyway. Jason was very clearly sick. He had even less energy than before, and he was pale and sleepy. That little whistle had morphed into full-blown nasal congestion.
“This sucks,” Jason complained as he hunched over Tim’s kitchen table. “I don’t wanna be sick!” He dragged in a disgusting-sounding sniffle and pulled Batman closer to him.
“I know it’s shitty,” Tim sympathized from his spot by the kitchen counter. He had made a cup of honey-lemon tea for Jason, but it turned out that it was too hot, so now he was melting an ice cube into it. Somehow, he’d get it to the right temperature for a cranky eight-year-old.
“We were gonna do fun stuff today and now…” Jason pouted at his Batman. “You should just take me home.”
“Well—”
“I’m so dumb like this! My brain doesn’t ever want to think right and I know I’m being all annoying and… stuff.” He dug his fingers into his forehead, staring straight ahead at the kitchen table.
“Okay, look.” Tim put the mug of tea in front of Jason and then sat down, cradling his morning coffee. “I get it if you want to go home when you’re feeling crummy, and we can find another time to do the sleepover the right way. But, just remember that I don’t care if you go full-on whiny kid, alright? I know that always happens when you get sick or whatever, and it’s not the worst thing in the world. That’s just how your brain works.”
Jason sniffed again, and a faint smile twitched on his face. But then his expression twisted. “No, wait, I can’t get you sick!”
Tim shook his head. “It’s fine.”
“But—”
“Seriously, Jay. It seems like you’ve just got a cold, which means it’s probably viral and probably mild. Not the worst thing for me at all.” And thinking back to everything they’d done yesterday after Tim had picked Jason up from school, there was no way Tim hadn’t already been exposed to whatever bug was floating around Jason’s system. No point in getting all picky about it now.
Jason eyed him for a moment, forehead wrinkling. Then he slumped forward all the way until his chin rested on the table. “I can’t tell if you’re telling me the truth or if you’re lying to make me feel better.”
“Well… a little of both?”
Jason let out a little huff of laughter and then dragged in another messy sniffle.
Tim passed him a box of Kleenex. There was a bit of silence as Jason blew his nose and took a disinterested sip of tea. Then he slouched forward again.
“I kinda want Dad,” he said in a quiet voice.
“Yeah, I get it. It’s okay. C’mon, I’ll drive you home.”
It didn’t take long for Tim to collect Jason’s stuff and load him into the car. He didn’t seem to care about changing out of his pajamas, so Tim didn’t worry about it either. After sending a quick text update to Bruce, he hit the road and it was only fifteen minutes before he was dropping Jason off at the manor, a full twenty-four hours earlier than they’d planned.
“We’ll find another time,” Tim reiterated as he watched Jason cuddle into a very prepared Bruce. “Just watch, this whole thing will be over in a couple days.”
It was the same as before: Tim had said that partly because he believed it and partly because he’d wanted to make Jason feel better. Too bad the universe didn’t care about either of those things.
By now, Jason was totally used to the whole ‘being sick as a kid’ thing. He always had the exact same moves: throw on the giant, cozy grey hoodie that used to be Damian’s, grab Batman, and then go cuddle with whoever was around and watch old Pokémon episodes while sipping whatever drinks Alfred made for him.
It was a little different this time because Alfred was out of town, but Bruce was taking charge of the food and the meds and everything, and it was all going good. The Tylenol mixed with apple juice had kicked in just like it always did, and this way maybe no one would bug him to get his grey hoodie washed until he was feeling all the way better.
He still didn’t like being sick, and he still felt sad about the weekend with Tim getting wrecked, but right now it was two days into his cold and he was halfway through his TV episode, cuddled right up beside Bruce, and it wasn’t the worst thing in the world. Yeah, his head felt fuzzy and he couldn’t breathe right because of all the snot inside of him, but he didn’t have to do anything besides relax, so it was… kinda nice.
As long as he made sure…
“This doesn’t mean I’m not gonna start going out during the summer,” Jason said.
Bruce blinked, and it took a second for him to look up from his laptop. “What?”
“Just— All the baby stuff right now. I’m doing it cause I’m sick, but that doesn’t mean I’m not allowed to be a vigilante.”
A weird little smile twitched up on Bruce’s face, and he reached out to push the hair off Jason’s forehead. “I know, Jaylad.”
“…kay.” Something about the way Bruce was acting made it seem like he thought Jason was being cute, but… he was agreeing, so it was probably fine.
Then Bruce said, “You still have to pick a name if you’re going to get out there.”
“I know…” Jason coughed into his sleeve and wriggled around to find a new comfy spot. He moved Batman to a new place: tucked inside Jason’s hoodie with its head poking out of the collar just a little bit. “It’s hard to pick.”
He had ideas, but not one single one that jumped out at him. With a sigh, he turned back to the TV where Ash and Brock were in the middle of a battle. The volume had been turned down low because of the headache Jason had had before the Tylenol, and even though it was gone now, it was nice to watch this and be able to talk to Bruce at the same time.
Pokémon was pretty awesome. He liked the stories and the games and the cards and learning all the stuff about all the different Pokémon…
“You can’t name yourself after any licensed character,” Bruce said suddenly.
Jason twisted around, even though it made his head hurt a little again. “I never said anything about that!”
Bruce tapped Jason’s cheek with his finger. “You had that look on your face. I know what you were thinking.”
“Well…”Jason slouched back down and coughed again. “It just would have been cool, is all.”
“Hm. I think it’d be more cool if you chose something that’s unique to you.”
Jason sighed because Bruce was such a dad, and dads didn’t always know what was cool. But… maybe he also had a point. It didn’t make the naming thing any less hard, though.
Silently, Bruce handed him a Kleenex. Jason blinked at it for a second because he hadn’t asked for that, but… maybe he was kinda sniffling in a lot without even realizing it, which was pretty gross. He blew his nose, and that made his cough start up all over again and before he was even done Bruce had taken the dirty Kleenex away and handed Jason his water.
“I don’t like the sound of that cough.”
Jason shrank down. “I don’t need any other medicine.” The cough stuff was gross and mixing it with something didn’t help that much at all.
“Hm. Well, at the very least, we should try a steam treatment in my bathroom. It’ll help with your sinuses, too.”
“Noooo, Dad! I just wanna stay here.” Getting up and going somewhere felt like way too much work, even if Bruce ended up carrying him.
“Alright, it’s okay. We don’t have to go right away.”
Bruce brushed his fingers through Jason’s hair, and a nice, calm, hazy feeling came into Jason’s brain. It was good. He could just stay here, all quiet and still, halfway watching Pokémon and halfway letting his mind drift.
That’s exactly what he was still doing when Damian came into the room.
“Father.” Damian stood to the side of the TV, making sure Jason could still see. “I want to discuss the routes for tonight.”
Bruce’s hand got still. “Damian.”
Damian got really still, too. “I am fine.”
It was weird enough that Jason started to pay more attention. Damian was standing there with his shoulders extra stiff and his eyes glued to a spot that was just a little bit sideways from actually looking at Bruce. Then he pulled in a really quick, small sniffle.
That was the only thing Jason needed to hear.
“You’re sick, too?” He sat up, blinking away the dizzy feeling that came with sitting in one spot for too long.
“I am fine,” Damian said again. “I— may have picked up the same virus you are dealing with, but—”
“Wait, when? Cause Dad said I probably got it from school but you don’t go to Pathways, so—”
“When you slept in my bed a few nights ago.”
Now it was Jason’s turn to go still. “Oh.”
He… kinda did that now. Every once in a while. On nights when Damian was out patrolling as Robin, Jason would sometimes sneak across the hall after Bruce had tucked him in and climb into Damian’s bed instead. He still ended up falling asleep before Damian came home, but it meant he got to wake up with Damian right beside him and it was… nice.
It was also a super baby brother thing to do, but something about the way Damian was always super careful not to wake Jason up when he got home showed that he liked the whole thing, too. But maybe he wasn’t as big of a fan now that he got a gross cold because of it.
“Sorry, Dami.”
He shook his head. “It’s not an issue; I am more than capable of pushing through a minor illness.”
Right. He’d trained for that for a really long time, so of course some dumb little cold wasn’t gonna slow him down.
It was totally different for Jason, though. He was letting this stupid cold totally wipe him out and take away every single scrap of grownup brainpower he had. It was just like Tim said, he’d been going full-on whiny little kid this whole time and… and Bruce had been letting him get away with all of that.
Jason pushed himself up to sit a little straighter. Having Batman tucked right under his chin suddenly felt kind of stupid and… and maybe he should take the cough medicine so he could feel a little better. Then he could work on the whole ‘pushing through’ thing. He knew he wouldn’t be nearly as good at it as Damian was, but—
“Jason. You need to rest.” Damian came over to where Jason was sitting and put his hand on Jason’s shoulder.
“No, I can do your thing! I can push through it.” Another big cough hit him, but he tried his best to swallow it down.
Damian’s hand gripped a little tighter. “No. Overtiring yourself now will only prolong your recovery.”
“But that’s not what you’re doing!”
It was such a stupid fight to pick, and Jason’s voice was getting even whinier as he said it, but something about it kind of worked. Damian didn’t say anything back right away, and he froze right where he was.
Then Bruce chuckled. “Jay’s got a point, you know. You should set a good example for him.”
Wait, that wasn’t— It wasn’t like Jason was copying Damian. He was just…
Ugh, it was too much work to make sense of it in his soupy head. The only thing he knew for sure was that Damian was suddenly really thinking it over, and Bruce was pressing a kiss into the top of Jason’s head. With a snotty sigh, Jason flopped back against Bruce. Who cared why it was happening? The only thing that mattered was that Damian was actually going to rest and maybe he’d even hang out with them a little.
“You said you would watch Cars with me sometime, remember?”
“Yes…” Damian’s eyes drifted over to the TV before he looked back at Jason.
“So… we could do that tonight if you stay in from patrol. And you can borrow my Red Hood blanket if you want.”
Finally, Damian nodded. “Alright.” He also reached for a Kleenex from the box on the coffee table. Wow, he was totally giving up on pretending not to be sick.
Even though Jason still felt pretty gross, he smiled. “Kay. Cool. And, um… sorry again I got you sick.”
Damian shrugged it off. “It’s immaterial.”
Bruce shifted from underneath Jason and reached out to put his hand on Damian’s forehead.
“Father.”
“Just checking. How about you go change into some comfortable clothes? I’ll get some tea for you two.”
Without even grumbling, Damian went to go upstairs. Like magic, he wasn’t fighting about it at all anymore.
Then Bruce gave Jason another kiss on the top of his head. “Good job, Jay.”
Jason started to shake his head, but then he realized. He had kind of helped, hadn’t he? He’d showed Damian that it was okay to take a break and relax for a little, especially if you were sick. These days, there wasn’t very much that Jason could teach anyone, so it was… pretty cool to realize he could do this.
His smile got a little bigger as he gave Batman a hug inside his hoodie. There was something he could do that actually helped his big brother in an important way. That was great; a brand-new skill he hadn’t known about before.
What he didn’t know yet was there was gonna be a lot more times in the next few days that he’d get to practice it.