A/n: Just some of my fave batbros being their Batman-raised selves.

See, there was a reason Jason did stuff on his own.

It was so he didn't have to deal with his teammates doing stupid shit like Dick did on this one rare time Jason had come to him for help.

His stupid ass had been investigating a new gang when he'd been jumped by them somehow, and he'd been forced to admit he needed help from someone. This gang was better than he'd anticipated and as good as he was, it was getting more and more obvious that this was at least a two person or more job. Since he hated working with teams, two person was best, but it couldn't just be any other person if they were just gonna do it with the two of them. His partner for this had to be a Bat. And since he'd rather die again than ask the Bat for help, he'd have to go to one of his brothers. Most of which lived with the Bat so they were out of bounds unfortunately, leaving him with only one option.

"Jay!"

Dick seemed as surprised as he did about the situation; Jason just showing up at his older brother's apartment out of the blue. The only difference was, the longer they stood there in the hallway, Dick's expression became more energetic and happier as Jason's grew more resigned and regretful.

"What, uh, what can I do for you? Actually, come in first, I don't want you dropping dead in the hallway right now - that carpet is not the cleanest, believe me." Dick stepped aside to let Jason drag his feet into the small apartment, ignoring his brother's eyes on him as he passed by.

"Do… do I need to be watching out for anyone here, Jay?" Dick's voice was quiet and low, just loud enough for Jason to catch it. He knew what Dick was referring to of course, and he shook his head to let Dick know that no, there was no one tailing him and no one should be either. Regardless, his brother still glanced around discreetly before closing the door behind them.

Jason flopped onto the couch, exhausted from the past few days of working on the gang case. Dick just eyed him.

"This a social call or…?"

"Business. But I wouldn't mind some hospitality in the form of food."

That made Dick smirk. "Thought so. Am I ordering food, or will cereal do?"

Jason glared. "Fuck your cereal."

His overdramatic brother gasped, offended, even adding in a hand over his heart and a little stagger. But instead of saying something about the insult to his precious cereal, he just relaxed and shrugged. "Pizza it is then."

He couldn't help but stare, concerned. "Either you've run out of cereal," he started slowly, eyebrows scrunched in confusion. "Or something is very very wrong."

Another smirk, but now Jason could see the exhaustion in it. While that wasn't too concerning in itself - their little moonlighting habits came at a cost - he was more concerned that he could even see it. Dick was usually the best out of them all at hiding his emotions. It was enough to make Jason sit up straighter in worry.

Now a frown was on his brother's face. "Hey, relax Jay. Nothing's wrong. Well, I am running out of cereal which - well I really need to go do something about, I don't think I've gone grocery shopping in a while, maybe sometime this week - but anyway!"

"Cut the shit, Dickhead. Just tell me then I'll decide whether or not to tell you mine."

The frown returned, the brief smile that had come gone almost as soon as it had come. "That's not gonna make me want to tell you anything, you know. You obviously came here for something. Everything that's going on with me doesn't matter."

"Hypocrite."

A sigh and Dick joins him on the couch, getting out his phone. "What pizza we getting?"

"Whatever doesn't have bullshit on it."

"Jay!"

"Fine, fine. They got any truth serum sauce?"

"Veggie it is then."

"I'm leaving."

"Jay, please."

"Nope. We all talked about it. You're gonna be a shut-off hypocrite then we're not supposed to talk to you."

An exasperated groan. "Fine. I just finished up a case, and I'm tired. There were a couple hostages involved and one was a kid and one almost didn't make it but it's all good now. You gonna tell me what's up with you now?"

Jason took a few seconds just to process what was said. "Oh," was all he could manage. "Um, well if you're taking a recovery day then…"

"I never said that. Sit back down. I'm still happy to go beat up the gang that did that to you if you need me too. I'm tired, yeah, but I still got some steam to blow off."

"Gang, how - wait why do I even, stupid Batman detective kids - "

The smirk was back. It was either that or the frown tonight it seemed, but Jason would rather the former than the latter. "You're one of us too you know?"

"Nope. But I'm too tired so not tonight. New gang, as usual but I underestimated them and I might need some help."

"How'd that happen?" Dick pointed to Jason's arm, which was wrapped up in a cast.

"They jumped me in an alleyway when I was doing some recon of a potential base of theirs and one of them got in a lucky hit with a baseball bat."

Dick winced. "What's the plan now, then? What you need me for?"

"Gonna try and find out some more about the leader along with maybe heading up their main base."

"You got any leads?"

Jason got out his phone and tossed it to Dick. "Just take a look yourself. I'll finish up the pizza order."

Their pizza had come in half an hour, giving Jason time to change into some of Dick's clothes as his brother read up on the case. As they ate, they discussed a plan.

"Okay, all makes sense?" He asked, watching as Dick chewed thoughtfully on the crust of his third slice.

"Yeah, but just one thing."

"Mhm?"

"You're staying here."

Jason almost choked on his bite. As he coughed and drank a bit of soda to help, Dick kept eating. "What?"

"Yeah," Dick said nonchalantly. He gestured to Jason's arm. "I'm not letting you out there like that. If these guys are as good as you say then you need to be at peak condition. I know you're good, even with one arm but - "

"These guys are as good as I say and that's why I came here in the first place! This is a two person job," Jason protested.

"I can manage. You'll be on comms with me the whole time."

They argued some more but it wasn't enough. Jason should have just aborted the mission or fought back harder or snuck out anyway because now he was stuck in this stupid situation, unable to help his asshole of a brother.

"Nightwing! Nightwing can you hear me? Ugh, fuck you Dickhead. I thought you were smarter than this."

Smart enough not to go into an enemy base and suddenly call radio silence while you were on your own. Bench me on my own mission and this is what you get.

Because Dick had, in fact, initiated radio silence just as he'd been about to go into the bad guy's base with no time for Jason to shout at him while he could still hear. Every bad thing that could have happened to his brother ran through his head, every scenario, every state his brother could be in. He couldn't even go and help. Instead he was stuck here, because Dick had locked him in to make sure he wouldn't sneak out.

It was just a fucking broken arm! He'd managed with way worse! Why was his brother like this? Stupidly self-sacrificial for no fucking reason.

Jason raged for the next few minutes before he gave up, too exhausted and knowing that there was nothing really he could do anyway. He just kept trying every minute or so in case Dick would answer back.

He didn't.

God, was this what Batman felt like every time he had cut off his comms? Oh god, was he feeling sympathy for Batman now? How long had he even been waiting for? He checked the clock. Two hours. Two fucking hours of radio silence. Dick could be dead already!

Just as he resolved to change into his suit and go after his brother, there was a sound outside the window. The clang of someone on the fire escape outside, and a soft thump against the window itself. Jason walked over to the window but didn't go to help Dick open it from the outside, even if he did want to make sure that his brother was okay; his annoyance outweighed his concern, so instead he just stood with his arms crossed in front of the window.

Dick all but fell inside, giving Jason a sheepish grin when he noticed him. Jason just glared. He didn't even give his brother a chance to speak.

"For two fucking hours, I had no idea if you were even alive," he berated, feeling for all the world like a mother telling off a child who'd just snuck out but he didn't care. "I paced around for hours on empty, I jumped at the slightest of sounds, just to see if maybe by some miracle you were still okay. You can't just do this to people, Dickface. You are not invincible, you - just like what you fucking told me - are not at peak shape right now, and people care about you and I can't lose you again, you ever think about that? Remember that fun little year where we all thought you died? Oh of course not, you were undercover. And you benched me on my own mission? I came to you for help. Did you even get anything for your troubles and my worry at least?"

Dick opened his mouth before wincing and pitching forward. Jason sprang forward to stop him from face-planting, grunting as his one arm took the weight of his brother. When Dick spoke, it was muffled through the fabric of Jason's t-shirt.

"That gang won't be a problem anymore," he slurred.

"Yeah, and soon you won't be either. And not in the 'you're not annoying anymore' way."

A drunk-like giggle sounded as Jason dumped Dick onto the couch.

"Do I need to get the med-kit?"

"Nah, 'm okay haha."

"Well what happened?"

"Eh, just got a little stabbed in the side, you know? Popped my stitches on my thigh too. That one kind of tickled if I'm being honest." Another giggle.

"You sure they didn't gas you or anything?"

"Hm, maybe?"

"Oh, great. This is just great."

"Just let me sleep it off, Jay. Ooh, there's some pizza left?"

Jason rushed back from where he'd gone to grab the med kit and swiftly pulled the pizza box away from a whining Dick, replacing the space on the table it left with the med kit.

"No, I'm not dealing with you if you throw up. Honestly, you make me take care of you - this was my case, and you just had to go get yourself hurt, huh? You couldn't just let me come help? Why are you like this, huh? Take your top off and let me see the - oh, um that's a lot of blood okay, um - yeah, this doesn't mean you get a free pass by the way, but I gotta patch you up so we'll revisit your self-sacrificial tendencies later but - we gotta get you to the bathroom, your couch might not survive this.

"Ugghhh, I just want to sleeep," Dick whined. "Let me sleep Jason. I'm so tired. I already almost died once this week, and then that guy almost died on my watch, and ughhh my side hurts Jason."

"Yeah, I know," he answered absently, mind still stuck on what Dick had just said as Jason helped him up and to the bathroom.

They made it to the bathroom and a few minutes later, Dick was sitting half-naked on the edge of the bathtub as Jason dressed his wound. Dick winced and became quiet. That unsettled Jason more than anything.

"Tell me what happened after you went quiet on comms."

"Ah-ha, that was funny, because you were totally right. Those guys were assholes."

In the next ten minutes, Jason spent more time biting his cheek to stop himself from shouting at Dick than he had in his entire life. By the end of it all, he was actually surprised he still had a cheek to bite.

He was just cleaning up the medical supplies he'd used as Dick looked like he was falling asleep against the wall when Dick groaned.

"Jay… I don't feel so good," he said suddenly.

Jason froze. The clothes he was wearing were Dick's but that didn't mean he was okay with vomit all over him because of it.

"Oh, um…"

He put the supplies down on the sink counter beside him. He was about to move to help Dick up and to somewhere comfier when his brother lurched off the edge of the bathtub and promptly threw up in the toilet.

"Oh great," Jason muttered, moving to help his brother before moving to the door instead to go grab a glass of water for the guy.

When he came back, it was to Dick slumped against the wall next to the toilet, eyes closed.

"Dickie boy, you still with me...?" Jason asked tentatively, crouching down next to his brother.

"Hmm, unfortunately."

He grinned, and that made Dick smirk too.

"The gas whatever it was out of your system now?"

Dick's laugh was humourless. "Yeah, I think so." He rubbed his eyes and held out his hand for the glass of water which Jason gave him.

Jason yawned. "I'm crashing here, okay?"

"Thought so. Take the bed, I'm good with the couch."

"Don't be a dick, Dickface. Why on earth would I take the bed?"

"The couch is closer," Dick murmured, half-asleep already and Jason had to smirk.

"Yeah, right okay. That makes sense. Now, come on let's get you cleaned up. And clothed a little more," he added, looking at Dick's half-dressed and still a little bloody state.

Dick held up a floppy thumbs up which fell down limply onto his leg.

"Ow."

A/n: End on a bit of a happy note there yk? I really gotta stop writing such long fics daily man, god. No one ever tells you how exhausting it can be lol.

Anyway, not much else to say about this fic I think, so stay safe and see ya soon.

- CrowofArcadiaOaks