This chapter plays with the whole Tim "I don't need any sleep" Drake trope. And of course, Jason decides to deal with it.
The dull hues lit up the Batcave as Tim worked on it. It had been a long night of patrol, but that didn't stop him from trying to find loose ends to tie up. Since he didn't want to with Bruce's, wanting to let Bruce have his cases, Tim pulled up three of his own from Gotham, Jump City, and Metropolis. He studied each intently, switching between all three, looking for anything he may have missed.
Tim paid no mind to his surroundings, welcoming the darkness of the cave. Not even the echoing sound of footsteps distracted him. The chair sank a little as someone leaned against it. The weight was enough to give Tim an inclination as to who his visitor was.
"Come on Tim, it's three in the morning." Jason complained.
Tim didn't respond to him, opting to keep himself preoccupied. Ignoring him was what he wanted to do to remain focused. It didn't amuse Jason, who was worried about Tim's lack of sleep recently. He wasn't the only one either since not only Dick and Alfred, but even Bruce took note of it. They tried talking to him about it, but Tim seemed to ignore their complaints. It was Jason's turn now, and he'd be damned if he let Tim prolong his workaholic suffering. Because if Jason didn't do anything, who would at this point?
"When was the last time you slept?" Jason inquired.
Tim still didn't answer, hoping Jason would take a hint and leave. Jason didn't, opting for a more noticeable approach. Grabbing the chair Jason twisted the chair around, forcing Tim to look at him. Jason could see the dark circles under Tim's annoyed eyes as he leaned over Tim. He wasn't going to ignore the sight.
"Come on Tim you've been at it all day." Jason lectured. "Several by my observation. You look absolutely terrible."
"So what?" Tim replied, not denying it as he tried to turn his chair around. "I've got to solve these cases."
"And you've been told to sleep multiple times by multiple people, not that you've been listening. Now answer my question. How long have you been up?"
Tim grunted, annoyed with Jason's bickering. He knew Jason wasn't going to let it go unless he answered. He yawned, which didn't go unnoticed by Jason.
"Three days."
Jason wasn't bothered by Tim's honesty so much as Tim's refusal to sleep for that long. The fact that he had managed to stay up that long was impressive, though unhealthy. Tim managed to spin the chair out of Jason's grip, turning it back to the screen. It didn't last long as the chair was twisted towards Jason yet again. Tim groaned in irritation, unimpressed with Jason's stubbornness. They both locked eyes with each other determined.
"You're not getting out of this Tim." Jason stated. "You need to sleep."
"I don't want to." Tim refused.
"You have to. This isn't healthy and you know that."
"I don't care. I have to take care of these cases. That's all that matters."
Jason's hands slipped under Tim's arms and lifted him to his feet. Before Tim had the chance to sit back down, Jason slung him over his shoulder. Tim gasped before tiredly squirmed around, hoping to get out of the embarrassing position he now found himself in.
"Let me go Jason." Tim demanded, tapping his fists against Jason's back.
"Not going to happen." Jason denied. "Not that you have the strength to fight back. Your cases will be here tomorrow. Don't you worry little bird, tomorrow's a new day."
Jason turned for the entrance and trotted up the stairs. He tuned out Tim's sporadic orders to release him, knowing that he wasn't going to listen to them. Tim's strikes weakened as his body slowly started to tire out.
The sun rose with enthusiasm, entering several parts of the manor. Alfred was making his morning rounds, looking for what he could do to keep himself busy. Bruce left for work, Damian was in school, and Dick returned to Gotham University for classes. The only two people not accounted for were Jason and Tim. Tim was not in his room, nor was he in the cave, which lead Alfred to wonder were the boy had ran off to. Not to mention Jason, who was still unaccounted for, had yet to be found as well.
He made it to Jason's room, which was the only room with the door closed. Curious, Alfred slowly opened the door. He peered into the dark room to see what was going on. What he found was an amusing scene.
Jason and Tim were sprawled out on the bed, not even covering themselves with a blanket. Jason was on his stomach, body stretched out. Beneath his arm was Tim, who was curled up as though he was comfortable in Jason's hold. Whether he was like that willingly, or after begrudgingly accepting Jason's concerns, Alfred didn't know. Nor did he care.
Neither looked like they were going to awaken anytime soon. They were both clearly too exhausted to get up at a reasonable time. Alfred didn't mind. The fact that Tim was sleeping was wonderful. Alfred was thankful that Jason was able to get him to sleep. That was all that mattered.
Alfred grabbed the throw blanket at the end of the bed. Not wanting to wake them, he slowly and carefully covered both of them. Tim twitched, startling Alfred, but thankfully, Tim didn't awaken. Instead, Tim scooted a little closer to Jason. Alfred swiftly brushed Tim's bangs out of his face before heading for the door.
Alfred looked back at them one last time with a smile. Seeing Tim resting for a chance was nice, and the fact that Jason took the time to handle it, was all the more pleasant. Alfred left them in peace, quietly closing the door behind them.
Yes a little late night fluff.