Chapter Text
Waking up from anesthesia is never a pleasant experience.
Jason feels foggy and a little slow, his mouth is dry and his tongue feels weird and fuzzy.
A familiar anxiety starting to build in his gut, he doesn't know where he is or who he's with or what happened but it's probably bad if he's in an actual hospital.
Trying to sit up doesn't feel right, his chest weirdly tight, though he doesn't get far before someone is gently pushing him back down.
"Jaybird?" He hums, relaxing abruptly back into the bed as relief washes over him.
Roy is here, everything will be okay if Roy is here.
"Got shot again?" His voice sounds weird but he still feels kind of floaty as he blinks his heavy eyelids open, scrunching his face up to try to avoid the piercing hospital light. Roy stands up, his hand leaving Jason's thigh, and then the horrible fluorescent lights turn off.
"Better?" He hums happily, reaching for Roy.
He snorts "You're cute when you're high" he says and Jason can feel himself pouting a little in protest "Not cute." This time Roy laughs but it's hard to hold onto the annoyance when he has this soft smile on his face, taking Jason's hand again.
"You usually worry more" he slurs a little and Roy still has this weirdly happy look on his face. "Yeah well you didn't get hurt this time ayóó'ánííníshní" he blinks, slow and confused.
With anyone else the vulnerability and haziness would have anxiety prickling under his skin but right now he just feels fuzzy and mildly irritated with how cryptic Roy is being, this weirdly eager expression on his face.
"Stop being so fucking vague."
Roy snorts but his freckled face is still crinkled with glee, clearly enjoying whatever this is far too much even as Jason glares at him.
"You got surgery" Jason grunts, a tiny implacable feeling stirring in his chest.
"And what, I pissed you off so much you're happy about it?" Roy's answering pout is unfairly attractive for such a ridiculous expression and Jason rolls his eyes hard as Roy sighs. "I am not pissed off, however I am questioning if the anesthesiologist overcompensated for your weird pit genetics."
Jason flips him off.
For some reason Roy still has this eager little smile on his face.
"Jay, baby, you got top surgery."
He blinks, eyes widening and heart picking up as he reaches instinctively towards his chest.
Roy catches his hand before he can touch it.
But Jason is completely distracted now, his gaze flickering downward and fixating on his flat, if unusually lumpy, chest. The bandages are a little uncomfortable now that he knows they're there, tight and rough, but he doesn't have tits.
"Holy shit" it's comes out rough and whispered all at once, Jason gaping as he tries to raise his heavy head enough to get a good look, eyes burning as he swallows forcefully. Roy's blue eyes are soft and focused when Jason finally looks back over to him, a proud smile on his face.
"You did good Birdie" he coos and if it was anyone else he'd hit them but it's Roy so a ridiculous blush spreads across his face instead, still floundering and a little off from the anesthetic, though he manages to glare nonetheless. "I didn't do anything but lie unconscious on a table while someone cut me open" he mutters but Roy's stupid soft smile doesn't falter, a hand settling in Jason's hair.
It feels gross and crusty but he can't really focus on that.
All he's really thinking is that they're finally gone.
Fuck they're-
He really did it didn't he?
Right after making fun of Roy not even a minute ago for saying it like it was an accomplishment on his end.
But maybe it kind of was, he fought his way back from the grave for this after all, he made it work with his own money and his own family.
"Fuck" he murmurs and Roy slings an arm over his shoulders, cupping the side of Jason's head, pulling it onto his shoulder and ruffling his hair in the process. He feels vaguely ill, muffling a groan into Roy's shoulder, feeling the strong muscles flex under his cheek as Roy continues petting his hair concernedly.
"Does anything hurt? They said the nerve block would make things pretty comfortable but I can get the doctor-" He shakes his head, blushing slightly as he takes Roy's calloused hand in his. He's not usually big on physical affection or anything else that could potentially be used against him but right now he's too- happy isn't even the right word, but there's too much inside him to care about something so small. "No, doesn't hurt. Little nauseous from the anesthetic."
"I can get a nurse-" Jason shakes his head, pushing his face further into Roy's neck, suddenly very aware of the fact that he can't lift his arms or turn his body into Roy's like he usually would but craving the comforting warmth nonetheless. "Don't- don't leave" He swallows, feels Roy gently squeeze his hand in return "Don't worry baby boy, I got you, I'm not leaving until you say the word."
Even blushing and grumbling under his breath at the ridiculous pet name Jason doesn't pull away.
He doesn't care that his head feels weird or that his mouth tastes awful or that his stomach is sloshing uncomfortably, in a way that necessitates the emesis bag Roy has settled on his lap.
He- fuck he really did it.
And under the overwhelming knot of emotions he is still way too high to try to process he just feels light.
Like he's finally set down a weight he hardly realized he was carrying and now he can breathe for the first time with the bandages wrapped around his flat chest and Roy's arm laid comfortingly over his shoulders.