A/n: I couldn't decide whether to do this with Dick, or Tim, so I decided to just do both. Also gonna try and keep this a shorter fic since I'm already behind on prompts by quite a bit, am pressed on time to write because I'm also supposed to study for a test I have on Monday, and so cannot spend the whole day writing. ToT
"Red Robin, come in Red Robin, you there?"
Jason's voice had a sense of urgency as it came through the Batcomputer, sounds of a fight in the background. It took a second for the boy in the chair to react.
"Hmm? Oh shit yeah, I'm up, I'm up! What d'ya need, Red?"
"A way out! I need an exit, quick."
"Okay, okay, gimme a sec," Tim said, fingers already flying over the keyboard as he looked at floor plans, security cameras, thermal cameras, and about five other things at once in an effort to help. So absorbed in his work he was that he barely registered the main doors opening to let in a man on a motorbike.
"Hey, Tim…" Dick said cheerfully, only to peter off slowly as he took in the situation as well as the state of his brother. A frown quickly replaced the smile, but he watched and waited as Tim kept typing and talking to Jason.
"Red Hood, listen carefully. You need to go down the corridor to your left, then take the second right," he instructed, watching his brother do just that on the screen through security cameras as he gave more and more directions.
"Okay, I'm clear. Thanks Red," came the reluctant acknowledgement after a few minutes, but it seemed that Tim had already dozed off again in the two seconds between Jason being in the clear, and telling them that he was in the clear.
"Hm? Oh, yeah no - yawn - problem."
"Why… why don't you take the night off from here, Little Red? I can manage from here, and Batman and Robin are somewhere else anyway."
"'M fine," Tim mumbled, half-asleep already, but cutting off the comms with Jason anyway before he can say anything else. "Buh-bye."
Dick gave Tim a few seconds before deciding now was as good a time as any to announce his presence.
"I think you should take Jay's advice and go sleep, Timmy."
Tim jumped in surprise, whipping his head around only to forget the chair could move and almost fall off it because of the sudden movement, resulting in him being half on the floor by the time he finally recognised who had spoken.
"When'd you get here?"
"The fact that you don't know tells should be all the evidence you need to go and sleep. If you didn't even hear me come in on my motorcycle like, five minutes ago, then maybe you shouldn't be on call at the Batcomputer? Just a thought," he added quickly, offering a small smile to counteract the glare he was receiving from his younger brother.
"I'm fine," Tim repeated to Dick, just as he had to Jason.
"Mhm… of course you are. Normal people just fall asleep about seven times in the span of five minutes while helping their vigilante brother escape some bad guys in an underground lab."
The glare only grew harder as his grin grew wider. As Tim picked himself up off the ground and slumped back on the chair, his glare turned more into a scrutinising one.
"And when's the last time you slept, hypocrite?"
The question made Dick pause, his smile wavering the slightest bit as he considered whether to lie or not.
"I haven't slept in days, but who's counting?" Dick flashed a hasty smile, quick to keep talking before Tim could interrupt and turn the discussion on him. "But this isn't about me. I'm not the one supposed to be alert and ready to help vigilantes right now."
"Exactly why I can't just leave."
"Exactly why you're a liability and you should, especially when there is someone capable of doing it for you."
"And that would be you, Mr. I'm-a-hypocrite-and-haven't-slept-for-days-either?"
Dick blew out a frustrated breath. He forgot how stubborn Tim could be sometimes.
"Why are you here?" Tim asked suddenly, the change of subject catching Dick off guard a bit.
"I can't just come by the house I grew up in anymore?"
Tim narrowed his eyes, looking over Dick more carefully, eyebrow raised. "You came in the back door, and you're in your suit. You needed something."
"I… well, I… not exactly?"
Tim sighed. "You're not bleeding, and none of your bones look broken, so it's not medical help you need. So… what do you need me to do, Dick?"
"I don't need anything from you… I actually needed something from B, but he's not here so I'll just…"
"Just spit it out. I'll do it in like, five minutes."
"If it was a five minute thing, would I have come all this way myself?" Dick snapped, before a guilty look came on his face. Tim just smirked.
"So you do need something." Not a question anymore, but a statement, and now that he'd admitted it, Dick sighed.
"Yeah. But it's not urgent, and you're obviously not in the right state to help me with it so it can wait until morning."
"It is technically morning, and it is urgent otherwise you wouldn't have come in the middle of the night for something you're obviously losing sleep over."
Sometimes Dick really hated that Bruce had taken them all in and trained them to be detectives. It made life so much more difficult sometimes.
"Tim. No."
"Dick. Yes. I'm not going to sleep anytime soon anyway."
"Oh yes you are. I'll make you if I have to."
"But that would mean you have to waste valuable time or sleep too."
"Tim, really, I can do it myself. I mainly just needed the computer."
"Why are you forcing me to sleep if you haven't slept in days either?"
"Are you really asking me that?"
"Yes. It's nothing more than hypocrisy, admit it."
Dick sighed. He was really tired and this wasn't helping, but Tim was right when he'd said that this case was causing him to lose sleep. Not just lose sleep though; lose any hope to sleep at all.
"It's not hypocrisy. It's just that me not sleeping is not for lack of trying, and I know you haven't even thought about actually sleeping for the past three days."
"Keeping tabs on us, huh?"
"Educated guess which you just confirmed." If Tim was going to try and be smart, Dick could always join in. After all, two could play that game, and not only that, but he was the original was he not?
Tim frowned, and opened his mouth, but Dick interrupted him.
"Look, I know what you're doing. Stalling, wasting time, trying to keep changing the subject. But I'm not doing that, not today. Go to bed now, Tim, and I promise that I'll get your help with my case tomorrow. I won't do the work myself but I'll take over patrol-watch, okay? Just go and sleep. Please."
Tim's eyes narrowed again, glaring hard at Dick, but Dick stood his ground. He really was too tired for this, but he physically could not sleep so there was no point in even trying. If it meant that Tim could sleep while he actually did something good/productive as a result of his insomnia, then that was great. A win-win. Why couldn't Tim see that?
"Fine," Tim finally said, after a long silence. "I'll go and sleep, and you can take over."
It was Dick's turn to narrow his eyes. He was happy that Tim had given in, but this was too easy. "No devices allowed in your room when you go in. I'll know. And if you try to sneak something in and I find out - which I inevitably will - then I have to force you to sleep and it won't matter if I'm wasting time or sleeping because it's a win-win for me. The only loss would be whoever needed help from the vigilante-on-call at the Batcomputer who wasn't there because he was busy forcing Tim to sleep or both asleep because of it."
An ultimatum that Tim couldn't refuse.
"I see why the Demon Brat gets along so well with you, now," Tim grumbled. "Both of you are the most annoying beings on earth."
Dick grinned. "Love you too, Timbo. Good night."
Tim trudged up the stairs towards the main house. "I'm only doing this so I can help you quicker tomorrow and you can sleep too, okay? My brain doesn't work as fast when I'm tired, so it would only take longer."
Dick's smile was softer now, but more genuine. "Thanks, Timmy. Now stop wasting time and actually go to bed."
A quiet "'night" drifted down from the door at the top of the stairs before Tim disappeared from view. He wasn't sure if Tim actually did go to bed or was just working on his laptop in the living room, but at least it was something. More than he could say for himself, but he was used to it by now.
He made a quick call from his phone a few minutes after Tim had gone and not come back immediately.
"Yeah, I managed to send him up. I don't know if he actually slept but - no, I'm not going to use the cameras, that's invading his privacy Jay, just be happy I got him to leave the Cave…. No, I'm fine…. A little tired but… fine, a lot tired…. I've tried Jay, it's not happening, not tonight…. I know, you think I don't know it's not good? Did I not just send my little brother up for the same thing?…. It's not hypocrisy!…. Fine, whatever, but it's not like I haven't tried. I just… can't…. Yeah I know. Now go to bed, Jay. Enjoy sleep while you can."
A/n: So somehow, in a complete out of character way, I ended up making this pretty dialogue heavy but I think it works? Idk, I don't actually edit or even re-read my works before I post them anymore lol. But yeah, a bit of sleep-averse Tim, a bit of insomniac Dick because we all know these two (and probably maybe most of the Batfam just in general) have problems with sleeping, and yes, Dick is very much a self-sacrificial hypocrite sometimes especially when it comes to health and well-being, but that's just part of being an older sibling too I think. I know I definitely do it sometimes with my brother - or friends even. It's probably not great but oh well, I'm trying to work on it.
Back to the fic for a sec though. I hope you liked the little convo with Jason and Dick in the end there. I feel like Jason probably would have known Dick had gone over, or texted him beforehand about Tim being a little too busy with Bruce and Damian gone somewhere because he does actually care and worry about his brothers, Tim most of all I think.
Anyway, stay safe, and see ya soon.
- CrowofArcadiaOaks