This fic is set during the middle of the invasion before the mountain blows up, but after Artemis went into deep cover. Jason has come back and stays with Dick when he is in Bludheaven. This story was written before the 3rd season was announced and has existed unedited on my phone for years, so enjoy! Rated T for swearing.
Jason fumbled for his keys to Dick's apartment, digging in one pocket then another, and with a rising sense of horror, he realized he had left them in his Gotham safe house. Groaning, he tried the handle with no success. Jason knocked, no answer.
Finally, with a sigh, he grabbed the one thing that he never left a bunker without, his lock picks. He looked both ways up and down the apartment building's hall. Making quick work of the deadbolt, it made a satisfying click. Lucky for Jason, the apartment seemed like a ghost town at 1:00 PM on a Tuesday.
Jason pushed the door open, wincing as it creaked a little, remembering that that was a trick Bruce had thrummed into their heads as Robins, "Never install a silent door. You'll lose a tactical advantage." He quickly walked in and shut it behind him.
Dick's place was almost always kind of a mess. There were a couple of dirty bowls in the kitchen sink, and Jason could see a sock beside the couch, or Jason's bed, as Dick called it. The oldest Boy Wonder was by no means a slob, but he was not a neat freak like Jason either.
Jason pulled his leather jacket off absent-mindedly and laid it out on the dining table, and kicked the sock to the other side of the room. He didn't need Goldie's smelly socks anywhere near him. Jason barely wanted to smell himself right now. Maybe he would leach off his brother's hospitality some more and steal a shower later, but Jason hated the girly fancy shampoo and body wash Dick loved. So, maybe he'd take a rain check on that.
Dick was perfect, at least that is what Jason thought, looking at his childhood idle through a slightly bitter haze. Why the Golden Boy had to get a golden job was beyond him. He figured Dick would either be at the police station or the mountain during this time of the day.
His resurrection had altered his view on the world. Hate and anger back then had driven him to extremes that he did not regret per se. Maybe if he had to do it over again, he wouldn't have shot Batman before making sure it was Bruce.
Jason had a whole elaborate chase he had organized just for Bruce to show him how a real vigilante worked but no. He'd shot the man in an armored area, but still, Dicks armor was always lighter than Bruce's, and he wouldn't have gotten into this whole predicament if he didn't feel bad for actually thinking he killed Bruce. It had ruined his fun.
It was Dick. And Dick was, of course, stupidly friendly even after he recognized the person that shot him, which annoyed Jason more; the asshole. Jason was also disconcerted by how quickly Dick came to terms with him not being dead, and Jason barely dodged the hug the injured man threw at him. Dick promised to keep his secret and offered a deal that had made Jason scoff.
"Stay? With you? Are you sure I am the one a little rattled in between the ears, Dick?" Jason scoffed, the nerve of the golden boy.
The man had ignored him the first six months he was robin and did not even acknowledge him until Two-Face captured him, and even after that, it took another six months for them to get even close to cordial with each other.
"Yeah, Jay, I am not exactly on good terms with B at the moment and Tim."
Jason darkened at the mention of Tim.
"Then why are you parading around like good old daddy bats then, huh!" Jason snarled.
"That's complicated," Dick sighed, struggling to straighten up with the bullet in his abdomen. Jason could see the wound was not deep, but any damage to the abdominal muscles was a bitch.
"What's wrong, Dickface. Is little replacement just as far up his ass as Bruce?" Jason said with his tone dripping malice.
"No, Jay, nothing like that" Dick ran his fingers through his hair and sighed, "this just has not been the best year for the young justice team, and I am in charge, so its… tense. Very tense."
Jason snorted.
Tense when is anything around here ever not 'tense.' But from the looks of Goldie boy over here, he was not wrong. He looked worn out and almost ready to topple over. Not just because he had just been shot, either, but Jason did see that the idiot was trying to be friendly with his offer.
"Fine." Jason said, sighing, I'll come crash at your place." Dick nodded and hugged Jason before he stepped off the roof like the punk show-off he was. Bastard. Jason already regretted his decision, following the black figure through the Gotham skyline.
As much as Jason didn't want to admit it after their conversation, he enjoyed having a somewhat homie place to stay in in the city. And Dick was an excellent person to have in your corner. Jason did consider him the closest thing he had to family these days, but it was still fun to pick at him.
Dick somehow was the only person that could keep the pit madness from encroaching on his thoughts. That alone was a big reason Jason kept coming back; it was peaceful without the rage and the nightmares.
Jason settled on the couch, enjoying the feeling of sitting down after a long night kicking ass. He missed feeling like he was at home somewhere. He supposed it was a familiar feeling for most kicked abandoned puppies and kids, but the bliss that came with living in a place legally was downright calming.
He leaned his head back, letting it rest on the couch. He absents mindedly reached down, pulled the laces free from his combat boots, and let them slide off his feet with a loud thunk. Wiggling his toes, he laid down and stretched out across the couch, closing his eyes. It was time for a nap.
"Jason?" the stupidly familiar voice asked.
Waking Jason up from the dead sleep he found himself in a second ago. He felt groggy, like he had just woken up in a parallel dimension – freaking naps!
"Who else would I be?" Jason snapped back peevishly, trying to regain his bearings, angry that the dumbass woke him up.
"How long have you been here?" Dick asked casually like a random man was on his couch every day. Jason heard a clink of keys and weapons being unholstered and set down on the countertop in the kitchen. It must have been around 5 for Dick to be home.
"I dunno 1ish, maybe? Does it really matter?" Jason pulled out his phone to check the time. It was early, 2:30. Dick was never home before 5. What was dickface doing here so early?
"What are you doing home so early? Little Mr. perfect walk out on the job?" Jason honestly thought that the police station had the opposite problem and could never get Dick home.
"Nope, they are not that lucky at the BPD, and no what time you broke in doesn't matter; I was just surprised to see you," Dick said, walking into Jason's line of sight and surveying the other vigilante.
"Are you okay?" Dick asked, not seeing any blood or missing appendages.
"Just peachy! Hiding from, a crime syndicate in Gotham now after blowing up their safe house but other than that peachy." Jason said, giving Dick a shit-eating-grin.
"You were the one that set the explosive then. I thought I recognized the handy work, though I would appreciate it if you didn't blow up an organization that I was about to have legally booked." Dick said, narrowing his eyes.
"But Dick!" Jason said in a mock whiny tone. "I put the fear of God in them."
Dick rolled his eyes and ran his hands through his messy hair. Dick did look like a hot mess; bags hung dark under eyes that were squinting slightly and out of focus. He had also lost weight since Jason had last seen him a month ago. His usually tight shirt and pants hung loose.
Shrugging, Jason saw that his brother wasn't going to bite and added, "you know my thoughts on the legal method of fighting crime, so let's leave it at that." He said, resettling himself lazily into the couch.
"So, are you going to tell me why you look like shit or not goldy?"
Dick just shrugged in return.
"Amy told me to go home. I guess I didn't think that was a bad idea today. I can go to the mountain sooner." He finished rubbing his eyes with the palm of his hands.
"Okay, that does not answer my question but whatever. If your partner intentionally let you leave her with all the paperwork, I'd say you should take a nap or something. Don't go to the mountain, I already told you, you look like shit. And this is coming from the dead guy crashing on your couch."
"Ah, you do care." Dick sniped back, slightly surprised at the genuine concern in Jason's voice.
"Of course, after I figured out your house was an all-you-can-eat breakfast buffet. I mean, do you even eat anything other than cereal and eggs? I am not complaining but aren't you missing some vital nutrients? Like most of them." Jason piped in.
Dick snorted and ran his hand over his eye again, dropping his hand and making a slightly hurt face at Jason.
"Your one to talk, Mr. Chili Cheese Dog." Dick said before he started pushing both palms into his eyes.
"You know what, Jaybird, I'll go take a nap BUT only if you promise me you won't blow up another safe house without letting me know." Dick finished looking meaningfully into Jason's eyes.
"Whatever Wing-ding. I won't blow something up at all for the next 24 hours. Sound fair?" Dick rolled his eyes, clearly not in the mood to argue, but nodded.
With that, Jason heard him walk around the couch and into the only other room in the house. Jason made himself comfortable again. Goldie had good taste in couches. Which was something that Jason would have never thought possible after seeing the rest of his adopted brother's astatic choices. Jason swears this is the most comfortable fucking couch in all of New Jersey.
Jason was going to close his eyes for a few more minutes. Then he'd focus on killing the rest of the crime syndicate. And maybe keep tabs on Dick. San's explosives, of course.