Work Text:
The Art Of Comforting A Dick Grayson - 3:
Sleepy Weepy Dickie Bird!
Red Hood was patrolling with the Outlaws through the streets of Bludhaven, when he saw a familiar black and blue clad man lying on a rooftop. Jason merely thought that his dorky brother was just stargazing, like he used to do, but something was wrong.
The Outlaws also recognised that it was Dick, and Roy wanted to say ‘hi’ to him. So, they proceeded on that way. But, as they were getting close, they frowned: Nightwing wasn’t moving at all. That in itself was wrong on many levels. Because Nightwing, or Dick, never stopped moving, even when asleep.
They immediately rushed to his side and Red Hood knelt beside him. He took off his helmet, so that his brother wouldn't be intimidated if he woke up, and handed it to Kori, who took it wordlessly. “Nightwing!” Jason whispered harshly, shaking his brother, trying to wake him.
Nightwing groaned and mumbled something. Jason tried waking him up again, but Nightwing didn’t even budge. Roy also knelt down beside Jason and tried waking up Dick, but to no avail.
That’s when they saw a few masked guys coming towards them. The Outlaws shared a look and a silent understanding passed through them: Distract the guys and get Nightwing to safety.
Arsenal and Starfire took on the guys while Red Hood slung Nightwing over his shoulder and grappled away to the Outlaws’ nearest safe house. Once there, Jason immediately laid Dick on the couch and took his blood sample for a quick test, because it was obvious that if Dick slept through all of this, then he was dosed with something. Probably by the masked men.
After a few short minutes, the results were ready and Jason found that Dick had a lot of sleeping drugs in his blood. “Shit!” Jason cursed and immediately went back to Dick, who was still out cold on the couch.
Jason quickly undressed Dick and left him in only his boxers. Then, he carried him to the bathroom and placed him on the bathtub, turning on the cold shower. When the freezing cold water hit Dick’s body, he woke up stuttering and shivering.
Dick immediately tried to get out of the bathtub, but Jason held him in place. “Whoa Dickie, it’s okay. Just a few minutes,” he said soothingly, but Dick whined pitifully.
Just at that moment, Roy and Kori entered the bathroom and saw Jason holding a whining and shivering Dick. “What happened to him?” Roy asked.
“Sleeping drugs. Had to wake him up sooner, that’s why this impromptu shower fest,” Jason said. “What was up with those men?”
“They were some kinda drug dealers it seems,” Kori said, and Jason muttered, “Of course they were.”
“It seems that Nightwing interrupted their dealing and somehow, these guys managed to get their hands on Nightwing and drugged him with their drug.”
“They developed a sleeping drug?” Jason asked incredulously, slowly washing Dick with soap. If he was gonna be in the shower for quite some time, then he might as well get cleaned, right?
“Apparently, yeah,” Kori replied and Roy sniggered. He also moved to help Jason. He took over washing Dick’s body, while Jason moved to wash his brother’s hair. Jason poured a bit of shampoo and lathered it, slowly massaging Dick’s scalp.
Dick instantly relaxed and Jason huffed. The men washed Dick while Kori watched them. After washing him, Jason held him in the cold water for some more time while Roy backed away.
The other two watched Dick silently, who was pleading with them through his wide, blue eyes. They just gave him a sympathetic look. After waiting for a few seconds, Roy and Kori left them, while Jason held Dick in the water.
A few minutes later, Dick’s shivering doubled and he looked thoroughly dazed. Jason decided that it was enough, and that Dick had to sleep away the rest of the drugs. He turned off the shower and helped Dick out of the tub. Dick lost his footing as he got out, but Jason was there to support him.
After successfully getting him out of the tub, Jason draped a towel over the closet lid and placed Dick upon it. He held Dick up with one hand and began drying him with another.
He also removed Dick’s wet boxers, silently thinking about how Dick owed him, big time. After Dick was completely dried off, and wrapped in a fluffy towel, Jason gathered him in his arms, and Dick complied with a content sigh.
Jason then got him to his bedroom, since he didn’t want to intrude Roy and Kori’s personal space, and the couch was definitely not an option for Dick. So his bedroom, it was.
He placed Dick on the bed and began manoeuvring Dick into one of his sweats and T-shirt, which hung loosely on Dick’s thin frame. Dick just let Jason do all the work, cooperating with each of his moves, since he was too out of it to do it himself.
After dressed, Dick let out a yawn and looked at Jason curiously, like a puppy waiting for orders. Jason didn’t say anything, but slowly tucked him in on the bed. The moment Dick hit the pillow, he was out like a light.
Jason couldn’t help but chuckle fondly at that. He looked at the clock and decided that it was too late, even for his standards. So, he changed out of his wet clothes and got into comfortable pajamas.
He debated over taking the couch, or the bed. He was really sore, and it wasn’t like he hadn’t shared a bed with his brother before, so he chose the bed. The moment Jason was on the bed, Dick rolled over to him and snuggled into his side, sighing as if he was finally warm.
Jason knew better than to push Dick away when he was asleep, because he knew Dick would just tighten his grip and, at one stage, it would get so tight that it would actually hurt.
So Jason just wrapped one hand around Dick, and covered his eyes with the other, letting his brother’s sweet smell and deep breathing lull him to sleep.
What he didn’t know was, Roy and Kori were watching the whole thing, from Jason tucking Dick to the both falling asleep, and they couldn’t help smiling affectionately at the two brothers.
Jason was awoken by the movements in his side and he slowly opened his eyes to see Dick thrashing at his side, tears rolling down his face. Jason was wide awake now and he immediately got on top of Dick, pinning his arms and legs.
Dick gave a yell, and Jason leant down and whispered in ear, “Dickie Bird, I need you to wake up. What you are seeing is not real, so wake up. Wake up Dick!” He shouted a bit at the end, and Dick’s eyes snapped open.
His breathing picked up speed rapidly the moment he woke up, but Jason immediately switched their positions, so that Jason was on the bed, and Dick was lying on top of him, with his head near Jason’s chest.
Jason breathed slowly and deliberately, and Dick began matching his breathing pace. Jason murmured sweet nothings while stroking Dick’s hair and back. After Dick had calmed down, he realised where he was, and he muttered, “Sorry for waking you up, Jay,” while climbing down from Jason, but Jason just tightened his hold on Dick and pulled him up, so that Dick’s whole body was on Jason, with Dick’s head on Jason’s neck.
Jason resumed his stroking, while Dick relaxed under his touch. “You don’t have to apologise, Dickie,” Jason said. He paused a bit before saying, “You were dreaming about your parents, weren’t you.”
A statement, not a question. But Dick nodded anyway. “No matter how many years pass, the memory is still fresh,” Dick admitted softly. “I can remember their smell, their laughter, the crowd’s wild cheers while they soared high above, everything.” A pause. “I also remember their anguished faces and blood covered bodies.”
And what could Jason possibly say to that? So, he just held Dick tighter. Dick pressed himself even more onto Jason.
“Is it wrong?” Dick asked in a whisper.
“What is?” Jason asked.
“To miss them? And to still be hurt by their deaths?”
“Of course not Dickie! They loved you, and you love them. It’s perfectly alright to miss the ones you love. Don’t ever doubt that, okay? But, you need to let go of the pain, Dick. You need to move forward. Remember what I told you after the fire incident? You should not dwell in the past. Remember your parents and all the people you have lost, but let go of the pain.”
“Okay.”
Jason felt something hot run down his neck, but didn’t comment on it. Dick needed to let go of the pain, and he wasn’t going to stop it. He just continued his movement on Dick’s back. After sometime, the tears stopped, and Dick’s breathing once again evened out, and Jason fell asleep shortly after.