Dick skipped stairs two at a time all the way up to the seventh floor, practically swinging himself around the banister in his rush. He skidded in front of the second door on the right and knocked brusquely.
"It's open," Roy called from inside. He sounded slightly exasperated. Probably because he'd told Dick to just come in like five minutes ago...
Dick took a pause, and breathed, trying to calm his nerves. He wasn't sure what to be prepared for and his adrenaline had spiked as he'd crossed into Manhattan, so he was a bit of a mess right now.
He twisted the knob and entered. Off to the side, there was a pile of what had to be Roy's shoes judging from the size and style. Without bothering to untie the laces, he stepped on the heels of his Sperry sneakers and slipped them off before kicking them onto the pile.
Over by the couch, Roy helped Jason sit down, slowly lowering him down to the cushions.
Dick strode over to assist as well but froze when his breath caught upon seeing the myriad of purple and red contusions that covered his brother's torso.
His nostrils the second time that night, anger welled up inside of him. His eyes then travelled up to the black eye and scratches, aggravating him further. A growl started bubbling in his throat and he saw red.
He flashed back to the video feed. Batman's kick shattering the helmet. Angry fists coming back for seconds and thirds. The upper cut that had finished it...
Maybe he should've hit Bruce a little harder.
He snapped back when a strong hand grabbed his arm. Roy was aggressively dragging him toward the kitchen.
"Dick. I know it's hard to look at, but you need to focus," Roy said, keeping his voice low so Jason wouldn't be able to hear. Not that he was even paying attention. "As much as I wish it would, getting pissed off isn't gonna do him any good. Now pull yourself together. You either have to help or you have to leave," Roy said, basically telling Dick that he was in charge here.
That was a pretty sobering slap in the face coming from a friend who normally let charge take him.
Dick nodded. "Right. You're right. I'm sorry. Let me help." He needed to help.
Roy patted him on the shoulder with an approving smile. "Just a minute."
He wandered off to grab a plastic water bottle from the fridge and a small bottle of Tylenol PM from the cupboard. He gave the Tylenol a quick rattle to make sure it wasn't empty. They probably had enough for the next few days. It didn't matter though. He'd have to go to the store soon anyway. He could always pick more up.
"Alright," he said. "Let's go fix him up. Shall we?"
They went back over and Dick sat down next to his brother while Roy popped the Tylenol open and handed Jason two capsules.
"Hey. How you doin', Jay?" Dick asked, trying to keep all the emotion he felt out of his voice. He desperately wanted to express his worry. Wanted to apologize. Wanted to hug his little brother. But he didn't want to come off too strong and set the teen off. So he kept his hands to himself.
Jason avoided making eye contact, instead choosing to first focus on throwing the pills in his mouth and wash them down with the water before handing the bottle back to Roy. His brother shrugged and responded flatly, "Been worse."
Okay. Dick should have been ready for that one. Jason used it a lot. Normally against Bruce in an attempt to get the overbearing man to back off, as well as subtly remind him that Jason had died. It had never been incredibly successful in warding off their fussing, much to Jason's dismay. And this one was even less effective because it lacked the bitingly defensive tone Dick had grown accustomed to.
Dick moved to place his hand on Jason's shoulder, but he hesitated and pulled it back before just standing up instead. "Well, let's get you patched up still. You're tough, but you're only human, Jason."
Roy hummed in agreement and then he started their check by flashing a light in Jason's eyes.
As they moved down the unwritten list, Roy asked Jason simple questions and gave simple instructions that didn't require lengthy responses.
Follow the tip of my finger. Do you feel dizzy? Nausea? How bad is the headache? Can you make a fist? Push up on my hand. On a scale of one to ten, how much does it hurt if I press here? Any difficulty breathing?
The procedure continued on and he logged away the information as he received it.
After all questions were asked and answered, and injuries were inspected through careful joint manipulation and gentle prodding, he felt like they had a pretty good idea of everything that needed attention. He stood up, grabbed a roll of bandages, and started on Jason's shoulder.
Next to him, Dick was just standing there, staring at Jason's battered chest again.
Roy decided he would take care of that particular injury as well. He already had a broken Jason. He didn't need a broken Dick as well.
He snapped his fingers to get Dick's attention and pointed at Jason's leg. "Focus, Dick. Take care of his knee."
That and the ankle were the least outwardly menacing of the injuries. All the damage was done to the ligaments, so it was mostly swelling and limited mobility. Dick could handle that.
Even if he was off his game.
Roy wasn't stupid. He knew this was extremely personal for the younger man.
His brother was hurt.
His father was the one who did it.
That was a lot to take in and he could see it on Dick's face. He'd known him since they were eleven and nine and a half. They'd still had half of their baby teeth.
They'd played together at charity events. They'd trained together back when Oliver and Bruce had gotten along.
They'd been on the Teen Titans together. And then the Titans. Twice.
That was more than enough time to pick up on someone's hidden emotions.
Not that Dick was actually hiding anything. Much like Jason, and really the rest of the Bat kids, Dick wasn't good at hiding his all thought they were good at it. But that's because Batman is emotionally imbecilic and hiding emotions from him was cake. For the normal people outside of their safe little bat circle, them trying to hide what they felt made it that much more apparent.
As if on a timer, he saw Dick glance back up at Jason's chest again and he rolled his eyes.
So easy to read.
He refocused and finished wrapping Jay's shoulder before securing the end. . He then moved to check Dick's handiwork and make sure he wasn't wrapping the knee too tight. He used the opportunity to really look at Dick's face.
Dick kept biting his lip and his eyebrows were knit together, already making him look extremely troubled. But it was the addition of the glossiness in his eyes that concerned him a moment later.
Roy refrained from dragging a hand down his face. That was just great. They guy says he wants to help and this is how he ends up? Fan-freaking-tastic.
Way to go, Dickie. You're doing a real bang up job of keeping your shit together like we talked about.
Roy held back a groan. He was pretty sure the other man was gonna break down if he didn't do something to distract him. He reached back into the kit and grabbed two more rolls of medical wrap.
"Here." He deliberately hit Dick on the head with one of the rolls. "Get his ankle too."
After handing the roll to the hopeless boy wonder and giving him a pointed look, he took the other roll and sat down next to Jason.
"Turn towards me a little and lift your arms up," Roy instructed and starting circling the wrap around Jason's ribcage. A quick inhale made him glance up. Jason's face was pulled into a tight grimace. He must have passed over a particularly tender area.
He upgraded bruised rib, to possible fractured rib and kept wrapping.
"How's the shoulder," he asked when he noticed Jason's right arm was shakily starting to fall down. "Is it too tight? I can rewrap it in a minute."
Jason shook his head. "It's fine. Jus' hard to hold up," he said quietly, barely managing not to slur.
Roy noted the lethargy which seemed to have taken over him. The sleep aid sounded like it was starting to kick in.
"Sorry," he said. "I'm almost done. You can just let your arm rest on my shoulder if you want."
A moment later a weight settled on the offered shoulder and he hurried to finish up. As soon as Dick was done as well, they rechecked everything for proper circulation, just in case.
Roy then looked back over Jason, seeing if there was anything else they could take care of. He leaned in with a small frown and gently brushed his thumb along the swollen area under Jason's eye, making him flinch.
"Hmm. Well there's not a lot we can do about this or the concussion." He pulled back. "And it's a little late for ice. Unless you think it'll help with the pain."
Jason shook his head, "I'm fine."
That was a lie. He wasn't fine. He just didn't want to seem needy and become more of a burden. They'd already spent all this time taking care of him. Besides. He could handle pain. The physical pain hurt, but it was familiar. He'd be okay on that front. It was the pain he had quarantined in heart prison earlier that scared him. It was like a menacing shadow, waiting to crush him from the inside out. It would have sent him over the edge if he weren't so tired right now. But he just couldn't think about it. There wasn't enough energy. So the shadow receded back into its cell for the time being.
"You're sure? I have plenty of ice packs, Jay?"
Jason nodded and Roy pursed his lips.
"Okay, well, I guess we're done for now then."
He shut the first aid kit closed with a snap and Dick held out his hand.
"I can take that."
"Thanks. Just set it on the counter. I'll restock it tomorrow." He turned back to Jason. "You hungry at all?"
"No. Just tired."
Roy nodded. "Okay. Let's get you to bed then. Can you stand?"
"I think so."
Roy looped his arm around Jason's back for support as he helped the younger man up.
Despite the assistance, stars invaded Jason's vision immediately and his ears started ringing. He took a shaky breath, trying to stave off a familiar sensation he'd associated with passing out.
The arm around his back tightened.
"You good?" Roy asked, voice tight with concern.
He was more than ready for Jason to go down down a second time tonight. It had already almost happened again when Jason got up to shower. So it wasn't a surprise. He just wasn't sure if it was happening because of the concussion, the pain relievers, the fatigue, a combination, or something else entirely.
"Do you need to sit back down real quick?"
Jason felt tears forming on his lashes, frustrated by his weakness, and he whipped his head back and forth. "No," he rasped out.
"Do you need me to carry you?"
Jason quickly shook his head again and his chest tightened as he came closer to distress. He didn't want to be carried. He didn't want help. He didn't want them to be like this with him. It made him feel tiny and fragile and useless and he hated it.
He didn't want to feel anything.
He just wanted to go to sleep and wake up tomorrow and have everything be normal.
"Jason?" Roy asked again, worried because Jason's face and ears were starting to turn red and his breathing was off. "You okay?"
Jason opened his mouth to respond, intent on lying, but something urged him to tell the truth instead. That no, he wasn't okay. But he couldn't make his voice work now. There was a heaviness that had settled itself in his throat, and it made breathing hard. He tried to swallow past it and keep it together so they wouldn't fret over him more, but that only seemed to make him feel worse. All it took was being asked a simple question and the dam he'd been carefully maintaining for the past hour or two reached capacity. Overflowing and sending a sudden deluge of emotion his way. His vision blurred and he covered his face with his hands.
"'M sorry," he mewled quietly, his voice cracking at the end as he deflated.
Within seconds, Roy gently pulled Jason to his chest and secured his arms around the shaking shoulders. Like an injured child, Jason curled into him, emitting small cries between quiet gasps. "It's okay." Roy started rubbing an arm up and down the younger man's spine. "Don't be sorry, Jaybird. It's okay to not be okay."
He tightened his hold when Jason's leg stop holding him up a second later. He did his best to control their fall back down to the couch, grunting when 175 pounds of nineteen year old landed partially on his lap. "Oof. Okay. This is fine. We're okay. I've got you."
Jason let his head fall to Roy's shoulder and the rest of his body felt heavy. He couldn't manage to summon the power needed to even hold himself up. Instead, he just let himself be held while tears streamed down his face and he quietly wept onto Roy's shirt.
Roy leaned back a little and dropped his arms into a more relaxed hold. "We'll just sit here for awhile. Okay?"
Dick, who had been in the kitchen when the break occurred, grabbed some napkins and headed over.
He sat down next to them and put his hand on Jason's uninjured knee, giving it a small squeeze.
They stayed like that for a while. Just sitting with Jason and letting him cry.
They let the meltdown run its course. That's all it was. Just a release from all the stress, anxiety, and general fatigue. Because he was exhausted. Mentally and physically Jason had nothing left to give and this was how his body decided to collect its due. Right now, all he needed was sleep. The bigger breakdown would come later when he had the strength for it.
But until then, he sat collapsed in Roy's lap and regressed to a simpler time, seeming more like a tired young toddler than a young adult.
It wasn't too long before the tears stopped. Whether he ran out of tears or ran out of stamina, they weren't sure. But his breathing evened out and the last signs of tension left his body as he was captured by a dead sleep.
END OF CHAPTER 4
0000000000000000
ENTIRELY UNNECESSARY BONUS SCENE
(BECAUSE I ENDED THE CHAPTER, BUT THEN I STARTED TO DRAG IT OUT, AND IT GOT AWKWARDLY LONG SO YAaaaay…*walks away in shame*)
"Jay?" Roy whispered when all he could hear was soft breathing.
Unsurprisingly, he didn't get a response.
"Alrighty then," he yawned. "Guess that's that. Going to bed, take two." He sat forward and got a good hold on Jason before standing up with a grunt. "Dick," he said, kicking the slacker's foot.
Dick had let his eyes slip shut at some point and was nearly asleep. He breathed in sharply through his nose and blinked up at Roy. "Sorry." He rubbed at his eyes with his palms and pulled out his phone to check the time. "Oh, man. It's late. I should probably get going." He stood up and stretched.
Roy scoffed. "And what? Fall asleep on the drive back, crash, and let me blame myself for the rest of my life? Yeah. No. You look like crap. Just crash here."
Dick sent him a relieved smile. "Thanks, man. You have an extra blanket somewhere?"
"Yes. But I meant you can sleep in the bed, moron. That couch is a back destroying demon. Now hurry up. He's not exactly light."
Dick followed Roy to the bedroom and pulled the covers back so he could put Jason down.
Roy studied how much room Jason took up and nodded. "Well, it'll be close but, we'll definitely fit. Help me move him to the middle. I don't want your tentacle limbs wrapped around me."
"What? I do not have tentacle limbs," Dick defended, but he still helped Roy slide Jason over.
"Okay. Well I'm just saying," Roy walked around to the other side of the bed and changed into a shirt that wasn't wet on the shoulder. Then he tossed a pair of shorts over to Dick. "You have a tendency to smother whoever is next to you." He climbed into his side of the bed and started turning off the lights in the living room via his phone.
"Hey. I can't help it!" Dick said as he changed from his jeans to the shorts and climbed in as well. "My mom was really huggy. I'm a product of my upbringing."
"Yeah, whatever. Just go to sleep, Koala-wing." Roy shut off the ceiling fan light and set his phone on top of his dresser. "And if you're gonna hug someone, hug him. But keep it on that side," he mock warned. "I better not wake up with one of your legs over here."
"No promises," Dick smiled. He scooted closer to Jason and snaked his arms protectively around him, taking care not to aggravate his injuries. It was gonna be a long road to recovery from this incident. But he was gonna do his best to be there for Jason every step of the way.
Nobody would ever be able to say he wasn't where he needed to be again.
"Night, Roy," he whispered to the other side of the bed.
"G'night," Roy echoed back. Then a moment later added, "I'm glad you came, Dick. I know he didn't really show it, but it meant a lot to him."
Dick closed his eyes with a soft hum before drifting off to join his brother.