A/N I have no idea why this chapter was so difficult to write...I apologize in advance for any lousy sections that could've been written better.

Disclaimer Owning Young Justice is about as likely as snow in July. In a hot desert. During a drought.

~Aiva

Though his torso had limited mobility, being tied to the chair, he could manage movement with his lower body. He attempted to scoot the chair over, the legs squeaking against the dusty floorboards. Pain shot through Roy immediately as his leg and arm were simultaneously jostled. He hissed between gritted teeth, blue eyes screwing shut as he forced himself to scoot forward even more. He really wanted to let out the string of curses dancing on his tongue, but forced himself not to; he definitely didn't want Dick to start saying that crap.

"Roy," Dick spoke up, voice hesitant and quiet.

"Yeah?" Roy gasped out.

"You're going to bleed out if you keep moving your leg like that."

Roy grimaced; nothing got past this kid. "We can stop the bleeding after we get untied," he responded, shifting closer. Dick caught on (though thinking had become rather difficult with the concussion) and helped by managing to scoot over a good few inches. It felt like an eternity until Roy was at the point where he could reach Dick's hands. "Dick, untie me first, and then I'll get you," he instructed.

Dick nodded, though the movement made him wince. His fingers fumbled over the rough rope as he struggled to mentally piece together what exactly he had to do to untie the knots. He finally managed though, the rope loosening around Roy's wrists before dropping to the floor. The archer winced, rubbing the raw skin and ignoring the blood that now stained his fingertips.

He shifted in his chair, unwilling to stand until he absolutely had to. He untied Dick quickly and efficiently, the boy slouching forward as his restraints were loosened. Roy had a sneaking suspicion that those ropes had been holding him up for most of the time. Dick forced himself to straighten, though it elicited a soft moan out of him. Concussion and the flu…not a good mixture. He wasted no time in pulling out a roll of bandages; where he had gotten them, Roy wasn't entirely sure, but he had learned long ago not to question a Bat. Dick had once managed to produce a pillow pet out of seemingly thin air; Wally was still trying to figure that out, actually.

Ignoring the sluggish, foggy qualities of his thoughts, Dick studied the bullet wound in Roy's leg carefully. It didn't look like it would cause any permanent damage if it was treated properly, but they both needed a hospital. He bandaged the wound quickly, trying to ignore the hisses of pain as pressure was applied.

"Thanks, Dick," Roy managed once the boy was done.

Dick mumbled something inaudible in response, blinking his blue eyes tiredly. The only thing that had been keeping him going was adrenaline, honestly. He was tempted to just collapse. Roy poked him in the arm without the scrape. "Stay awake, Dickie," he ordered, voice firm. "We've got to get out of here."

"We can't fight them," Dick slurred.

"We won't," Roy assured. "We're going to sneak out of here. I don't think we're higher than the second floor; we could always use a window."

"No…your leg," Dick reminded.

Roy had been willing to risk it if it meant getting his little brother out of here, but he knew Dick wouldn't let him. "Fine. We'll just take the stairs," he agreed, though the thought of stairs seemed almost as painful as jumping. This was going to hurt like crap. He forced himself not to show it though, even as he stood.

Tears momentarily blurred his vision before he blinked them back, grinding his teeth together in order not to cry out. The pain was nearly overwhelming, but he refused to give in. He had been through worse, right? Still, he avoided putting weight on his leg as much as possible, and tried to avoid moving his arm too. "Come on, Dickie. Up you go," he grunted, using his free arm to tug Dick to his feet, though his leg screamed in pain at the momentary extra weight. Note to self, he thought, don't do that again.

Dick swayed slightly when he stood, coughing lightly. He pushed through it though; pain was familiar to him as well. He let Roy lead the way though; Dick didn't exactly trust himself to think clearly and provide good direction right now.

They made it down the stairs without very many problems, though Roy wanted to scream throughout most of it and nearly passed out once. Dick didn't seem like he had handled it too much better, his swaying much more pronounced.

Unfortunately, that's when things started going wrong. In hindsight though, Roy really should've seen this coming. Well, he did expect it; he just didn't want to think about it, simply because he had no idea how exactly he was going to deal with it. A bullet wound and fractured arm really sucked. "Stop 'fore I shoot!" the thug slurred. Judging by the empty alcohol bottles on the table, he had gotten even more drunk than before. It was an impressive feat that he was able to hold his gun as steady as he was.

…Then again, staring into the black hole of the muzzle, Roy decided he had the right not to be very impressed. Roy shoved Dick behind him with his good arm, big brother instincts becoming even more pronounced than before, if possible. "We've already called the cops," Roy said, attempting to reason with the guy, even though it was probably pointless. "You don't want to be charged for murder on top of kidnapping." Of course, they had done no such thing, but the guy with the gun didn't need to know that.

The thug's grip wavered, the gun bobbing up and down as his bloodshot eyes narrowed. "No…they ain't gonna find you," he reasoned, the slur in his voice even more pronounced.

Roy was tempted to curse him out for being such an idiot, but refrained. "They already know where we are," he pointed out, adding to his lie. "Just give it up."

"No," the thug insisted, seeming to only be able to manage one syllable at the moment. Sluggish mind obviously puzzling this over, he seemed to reach the conclusion that the only way to get out of this was to shoot…so that's what he did. Lucky for Dick and Roy, his aim was once again off, the bullet careening into the plaster of the wall.

Roy never thought he would be glad for alcohol. He instinctively flinched, pushing Dick farther behind him…only to realize Dick had disappeared. Somehow, he had managed to stealthily walk up behind the thug, and had picked up a gun from one of the dead criminals on the floor. Probably mustering whatever strength he had, he swung it, making contact with the thug's head with a satisfying crack. Needless to say, the thug dropped like a stone.

Roy made a mental note to never underestimate the kid again; how he had done that with a concussion while being sick, the archer had no idea. He only had a bullet wound to the leg and a fractured arm and he still wouldn't have managed to do that. "Good job, Dickie," he said, limping closer. He wanted to black out at the motion, but forced himself to ignore the black encroaching on his vision.

Dick blinked, blue eyes glazed and full of exhaustion. Obviously, doing that had taken quite a toll on his meager remaining strength. A soft moan escaping his lips, he sank down to the floor. Roy let out a soft curse, setting his pain aside to limp even faster. He dropped to his knees, though a cry of pain followed the movement. He anxiously checked the boy's vitals, cursing again when he noticed how shallow Dick's breathing was and the fact that he was as white as a sheet. His hand went to his pocket automatically in hopes of calling for help, only for him to remember that he no longer had his phone on him. Unless the thug had already called Bruce (which Roy had no idea if he had or not) no one knew where they were.

Roy came to the conclusion he had to get them out of there somehow.

This is going to hurt, he thought silently, already bracing himself for the agony that would surely follow what he was about to do. Ignoring the steady ache in his arm, he scooped Dick up, cradling the boy close to his chest. That in itself was enough to drag another curse out of Roy; it hurt much worse than he thought he would. Stupid fracture.

That was nothing compared to the fiery agony that coursed through him as he attempted to stand. Roy experienced the sensation of flying as the pain caused him to feel light-headed, and he was unable to help the cry of pain that slipped out again. A string of curses followed, words that would make Dinah wash his mouth out with soap. Though considering the torture that was setting his nerve endings on fire at the moment, Roy thought that he deserved a few good curses.

He took one faltering step forward, only the thought of Dick keeping him from collapsing on the ground and screaming. Just…ten more steps to go. By the second, he was ready to succumb to the unconsciousness that pressed on him persistently. He forced himself to keep going, somehow managing to open the door and get outside. By that point, his head was fuzzy and it was difficult to focus on anything. Roy spotted a car, and he let out a noise that wasn't half as loud as it should've been, muffled by how dry his mouth was and how hard it was to think.

That stole whatever breath he had left, and Roy simply couldn't hold on any longer. He collapsed, only managing to keep Dick from hitting the ground too hard before he sank into the welcome, painless state of unconsciousness.

An involuntary moan slipped out as Roy forced his eyes open, despite how heavy they seemed. He forced them to focus, trying to figure out where the heck he was. The smell of antiseptic and bright lights hit him a few seconds later…but why was he in a hospital? How did he get here? An even more important question surfaced over the rest of them. Where was Dick?

Roy ignored the haze of pain medicine, pushing himself into a sitting position. The motion made his head swim and sent a twinge of pain through his arm, but he dismissed the sting. "Easy there," Ollie's familiar voice said.

Roy blinked, noticing his mentor for the first time. Still, he struggled to get up. "Where's Dick?" he demanded.

"He's fine," Ollie assured. He placed a hand on Roy's shoulder, gently pushing him back into the hospital bed. Roy pushed him off, blue eyes hardening.

"That wasn't my question. Where is Dick?" he repeated, refusing to simply lay there until he was sure his little brother was actually okay.

"Roy-"

"Where. Is. Dick?"

Ollie definitely wasn't going to win this battle. Recognizing this, he let out a small sigh. "Just across the hall," he answered.

Roy attempted to stand immediately, though the biting pain in his leg nearly brought him back down again. He gritted his teeth, swaying slightly as his vision momentarily darkened. Ollie moved over to his ward, supporting him almost instinctively. He may not be the best father figure, but he knew how to handle injuries, at least. Roy attempted to shrug him off again, ducking out of his grip only to lose his balance on his good leg and tilt dangerously to one side. Ollie grabbed him again, steadying him. "It's either me or crutches," he pointed out, unable to help the slightly amused note at Roy's obvious frustration.

Roy grimaced, but acquiesced; being supported by Ollie wasn't half as humiliating as crutches. "Fine," he grumbled, reluctance obvious as he allowed his legal guardian to help him limp out of the hospital room. He made it to Dick's room, suddenly grateful for the pain meds; walking before had been a nightmare. He let out a small sigh of relief as he saw Dick already awake, though groggy, talking to Bruce. Bruce paused in whatever he was saying, causing Dick to look up.

The thirteen-year-old's eyes brightened when he saw the archer. "Roy!" he said, pale face lighting up. Bandages were wrapped around his head and arm, and his voice was stuffy and hoarse, but Roy was content to see he was alive and relatively out of harm's way. The ginger teen moved closer to the bed, both Ollie and Bruce moving away by some unspoken cue; it was obvious the two didn't need anyone around at the moment.

Roy settled himself into a nearby chair, still studying Dick with concerned blue eyes; his big brother instincts were still obviously raging. "You okay?" he asked.

"I'm fine," Dick assured, ignoring the nasally tone of his voice. "What about you? You were hurt worse than I was."

"Hey, I'm not the one who passed out and had to have my sorry butt carried outside," Roy teased.

"It's not my fault they gave me a concussion," Dick protested, a slight pout forming on his face.

"No, but you were the one kept insisting you weren't sick," Roy pointed out, fixing his younger brother with a slight glare. "Seriously, Dick, you have to stop doing that."

"…Sorry?" Dick tried, widening his blue eyes slightly to increase his look of adorableness. The fact that he was injured really just made him look pitiful, and Roy found himself ruffling the kid's dark hair affectionately.

"Just don't do it again," he ordered.

"Got it," Dick grinned.

"Good," Roy approved. "I don't need DaddyBats hunting me down." He suddenly shifted, ignoring the pain that followed. "Now scoot over," he added. Dick complied, making room for his big brother quickly. Roy plopped down on the bed next to him, wrapping a protective arm around Dick, trying to avoid the IV as he did.

Dick leaned into him, unable to hide the slight yawn. His blue eyes drooped shut, and Roy couldn't help but laugh. "Get some sleep, Dickie-bird," he said, adjusting his grip to make it more comfortable.

"M'kay," Dick agreed sleepily. It only took a few seconds for his breaths to turn into soft snores, and Roy grinned even as he shook his head.

This boy was going to be the death of him.

A/N Not entirely happy with this chapter, but I think I've already made that clear. I'm too busy to go back and rewrite it though...so, yeah.

For the record, I have no idea why a random car would be driving around a bad section of Gotham...let's just say they were lost. And I don't know if anyone was confused by this or not (since I didn't really mention it specifically), it was the driver/passengers in that car that took them to the hospital. Yep, a kind Gothamite stepped in.

I think Ollie was slightly OOC, too...oh well.

Oh, and I don't think I'll respond to reviews here anymore...I didn't like it as much as I thought I would. Next time, I'll just respond to the anonymous reviews here, and see how that works out.

Reviews are greatly appreciated!

Mailbag

I am psychowriter: It makes me feel awesome to hear that I have loyal fans, lol. Never thought I'd be able to say that... Right. Thanks for the review!

Midnightpath: I couldn't resist throwing that scene in. XD Actually, that's how I got the idea; this random scene about Roy and Dick arguing over who's worth more popped into my head all of the sudden. I brainstormed for a few minutes, and came up with the rest of this. ^^ And...I think a DaddyBats glare is only possible by someone other than Batman if they are incredibly angry/protective/worried. And it's very, very scary. ;)

Guest that reads: Yeah, the boys are having some issues at the moment. At least they've recieved medical attention now, lol. And...I don't know what to call Ollie either. ArcherFather could work...

Mikster22: Thanks! I'm glad you like it!

ARL15: Roy is an amazing big brother. -nods- The next part of review actually made me laugh out loud; I wish I could've put in Roy/Bats beating up the thug, but it didn't want to be written, unfortunately. I'll just go with imagining Bats tracking him down later and putting him in a body cast for touching his son, lol.

DarkMousyRulezAll: Lol, suspense. Gotta love it. I think someone once called me "the evil author of cliffies" or something similar...I think I sort of lived up to that in this. ^^

Reina Grayson: Lol, I'm tempted to use that phrase at some point now. ;) Thanks for the review!

celestialstarynight: Yeah, Roy and Dick weren't exactly the smartest there; they really should keep their mouths shut. Then again, where's the fun in that? ;) Thanks for the review!

I. Love. Dick. Grayson: I have officially bashed canon in the face. ^^ ...Why is it so much fun to do that?

jordylily777: Sorry! I couldn't help it...it's just so much fun to leave off at parts like that. XD No cliffie in this chapter though!

drawolftiger: Aw, thanks! Looking back, I probably could've posted it by itself...but I really needed to update this. XD

theotakuprincessofgotham: Well, here it is. ^^ Thanks for the review!

5-STAR: DaddyBats is amazing. -nods- Thanks for the idea!

Midnight1906: Angroy...XD I love that.

Airmage: Thanks!

READINGhearts17: Oh yes. Time to bust. ^^