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Dick stared at his phone.
He narrowed his eyebrows, pursed his lips.
Behind him, there was a cheering crowd.
With his thumb, he unlocked the screen.
No new message.
Swooping, Wally put his arms around him, propped himself on Dick's shoulders, and asked, "What's up, man?" He was as energetic as ever, a grin as wide on his face as Dick was far from able to manage.
Dick slumped forward just slightly under the weight of his best friend. He didn't have time to answer because the latter grabbed Dick's wrist and pulled him back into the crowd, where the laughter grew louder.
He slowly slid his phone back into his pocket, smiling at his friends as he continued to think about the nonexistent message.
Donna began stacking paper cups making bets with Roy on who would build their tower higher before it toppled. Needless to say, the cups were filled with liquids, and it was a sticky affair.
The Titans had made themselves at home to celebrate with Dick.
It was a happy surprise when he opened his door.
He was happy to see all their faces. Donna immediately wrapped her arms around him, pulling him inside, and Kory also gave him a kiss on the cheek as she wished him a happy birthday. Gar and Roy fired a confetti cannon into the air, and Wally whizzed around the room so fast that Dick barely noticed his friend taking off his jacket and shoes and placing him on his couch. Dick was sure he would still find confetti weeks later.
They sat there, playing game after game, eating food that the Titans brought and telling each other stories of days gone by and what they had experienced since they last saw each other.
Raven smiled gently at him, and Dick had the feeling she noticed how overwhelmed he was with the situation. He smiled back, his mind drifting off again as Wally once again wrapped his arm around his shoulders and pulled him close. Dick blinked, wondering what he had missed. Donna and Roy were still stacking as the others cheered them on, and Wally's flashing white teeth gleamed with his grin.
Apparently, nothing.
Slyly, Dick slipped out of his friend's embrace, patting Wally's upper arm briefly and apologizing without seeming odd. His friends continued to celebrate, and Dick wondered who would clean up the mess tomorrow. He would, of course.
He went into the bathroom and took a deep breath after closing the door. He leaned against it, put his head back, and clenched his eyes shut for a moment.
He paused a second before his hand went into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone again.
One new message.
He unlocked it and tapped at the notification.
Happy birthday, chum.
Bruce.
With a sigh, he locked his phone again, closed his eyes once more, and waited, bracing himself from the door, walking over to the sink and looking in the mirror.
He looked the same as he had the day before.
Didn't feel any different or older either.
Sighing again, he turned on the faucet and washed his hands, then his face.
Drops of water ran down his face as he peered into the mirror.
Nothing.
Still the same face.
He straightened up again, took one last look in the mirror before taking a deep breath and heading back to his own party.
No sooner had he opened the door than the laughter of his friends along with music switched in his ear. A small smile escaped him.
As exhausting as his day had been, as much as he wanted his rest, as much as he was just waiting for that one message, he was also happy to see his old friends again.
They all had taken time today to celebrate with him. They had secretly organized a small party just for him, their former leader. Their friend.
Even Roy was here.
Blissed out, he sat back down on the floor with them.
Donna cheered as Roy's tower crashed down. She threw up her hands in triumph while Gar supported Roy. Wally high-fived Donna, and Dick saw Raven looking to him and smiling. Again, Dick smiled back.
"Now you, Boy Wonder!" prompted Donna.
"Nah," Dick returned, raising his hands defensively, "I pass."
"What?" asked a playfully outraged Donna. „You have to defend the honor of the Wonder Twins!“
"There's nothing to save," Wally interjected, wrapping his arm around Dick again. Donna puffed out her chest and crossed her arms before dropping back down to the floor and joining Gar in tucking the cups in.
It was past midnight by the time the Titans left.
Gar and Raven were already at the door when Kory hugged Dick goodbye. Wally pinched his upper arm and turned to leave as well, and then eventually, only Roy remained.
"Well... see you 'round" Roy said, trying to grin at Dick. He didn't quite succeed. Seemed a little stiff and not as natural as it once was.
"Yeah," Dick returned, "...see ya."
His cell phone vibrated in his pocket, and he fought down the urge to pull it out while Roy stood beside him to say goodbye.
They hadn't seen each other in so long. Their relationship had been strained for a while now.
All his attention should be on Roy, not the possible, expected message in his pocket.
"Go check it," Roy said, snapping Dick out of his thoughts.
At Dick's confused expression, Roy just pointed his head in the direction of his pocket.
"That... can wait," Dick said slowly.
Shaking his head in disbelief, Roy patted Dick on the shoulders and said, "He hasn't forgotten you."
Apparently he has.
Dick bit his tongue. It was almost half-past-one in the morning. His birthday long over.
With a final smile, Roy finally said goodbye, and Dick was left standing alone in his apartment.
Suddenly the silence was in reach.
The loneliness.
Slowly, he turned around, looked at the mess his friends had left behind, and pulled his cell phone out of his pocket.
Happy birthday, boy blunder!
Babs.
A second message followed:
Sorry, busy. I'll make it up to you!
There was a tentacle emoji after it. Presumably she was off with the Batgirls or stuck as Oracle.
Frustrated, he slid his phone back and started cleaning up the Titans' mess. Nothing he hadn't done a thousand times before. Besides his own, of course.
He stacked the empty pizza boxes, swept up the confetti, and took dishes and silverware to the dishwasher. Tired, he looked at his work. He could vacuum tomorrow.
With one last tired look around the living room, he turned off the kitchen light.
Tim had taken over patrol for him.
Briefly, he considered paying his little brother a visit, but decided against it. Tomorrow he would go to the Manor to celebrate with Bruce, Alfred, and Tim. For that, he should at least sleep a little.
He left the kitchen, walked past the entrance and was about to go into the bathroom when he saw a shadow through the doorway. He paused and thought for a moment, but before he could make a decision, his apartment door opened.
He looked into the puzzled face of one Jason Todd.
"You're awake," Jason stated as he held the door handle in his hand.
Slowly, Dick nodded and watched as Jason slowly regained his senses, stepped into the apartment and closed the door behind him. He shook his head and small drops of water dripped off. It had to be raining.
With a flop, Jason dropped his duffel bag next to the doorway and took a step toward Dick. Dick continued to eye him, about to say something, when his phone began to vibrate incessantly.
"Fuck, Goldie," Jason grinned. That grin. That crooked grin, the way his lips twisted, the dimple in his cheek and those flashing teal eyes. "Someone seems to be very popular."
Silently, Dick shook his head, took a final step toward Jason, and wrapped his arms around Jason's neck. In one fluid motion, as if nothing came more naturally to him, Jason eased forward, leaning toward him and putting his hands on Dick's waist.
"So needy," Jason whispered in his ear, and Dick felt the grin on his skin. Dick leaned in and caressed Jason's cheek. Yes, he was needy. He had missed him. He had waited all day for a message.
Slowly, Dick lifted his head, released his hands from Jason's neck and moved down to his shoulders, gently running them over the leather of his jacket, finally holding onto the collar before tenderly slipping it off Jason. Jason winced, suppressing a sound, and Dick looked up.
Jason grinned, albeit with a furrowed brow.
"Are you hurt?"
"...Maybe."
Dick screwed up his face, "Why didn't you say something?"
Again Jason wryly grinned at him, "Surprise?"
With a pout and a head shake, Dick carefully removed Jason's jacket and set it aside.
Jason's shoulder was swollen and he could guess there was blood under his shirt.
Sighing, Dick lowered his head. "Sit down."
"Nah," Jason returned. "'S not so bad. Let's have some fun instead."
"Fun," Dick returned with a raised eyebrow.
Jason reached out to put his hand on Dick's waist again, but Dick evaded, "Surely not."
Groaning in frustration, Jason turned and said, "All right, I'll get the first aid kit."
Satisfied with himself, Dick grinned, pushed aside the cushions on the couch, and waited for Jason to return.
Jason sat down and Dick carefully removed his Red Hood shirt, biting back a comment about the look of the wound. It was definitely at least a few days old, and Jason didn't seem to have treated it. The edges were crusted over and it was oozing. Jason should know better. Dick should know better. Of course, Jason took care of everything else before himself.
Quietly, he opened the first-aid kit, first removing the dirt around the wound before carefully cleaning it itself. There was something sensual in it.
Jason was silent as well, letting Dick do as he pleased, staring ahead of him. Dick's free hand rested on Jason's chest. Gently. Desiring. Holding, as if he were afraid Jason might disappear again.
"Was it at least worth it?" asked Dick after a while, mostly to break the silence. Or was it because of his circling thoughts?
"Huh?" went Jason, looking to Dick.
"The injury. Was the mission at least successful?"
Jason looked around the room again, thinking for a moment before answering. "Yes."
This time, Dick looked at him. He looked at Jason's face in the dim light and asked, "Why did you hesitate?" It was supposed to be a straight „yes or no“ question.
He shrugged and regretted it as the wound gave him a sting. He gritted his teeth and Dick just hummed in amusement.
"It was successful," replied Jason, "but it still didn't go as planned."
Dick nodded as he searched in the first aid kit for an ointment, opened it and gently smoothed it on Jason's wound. "When does a mission ever do that?"
With his fingers, he softly caressed Jason's skin, enjoying the contact, even if the reason for it was not pleasant. Then he took out one of the large band-aids and stuck it over the wound. He traced the edges to make sure the patch would hold, and Jason reached out for his fingers.
Astonished, Dick looked up.
Jason looked at him earnestly.
"I'm sorry," the taller man said.
"For what?"
"For not being here."
Dick shrugged, "You're here now."
"Yeah, but I should have been here sooner."
He didn't know what to say in response. He'd be lying if he said he wasn't hurt. He'd be lying if he said it was okay.
"That's just the way things are in our line of work," he returned instead. It was true. As if every one of them hadn't failed to keep a meeting, a promise, a date. Dick was no exception.
It didn't ease the pain.
Much less that Jason didn't even have two minutes left to send him a quick message.
Jason still held his hand, but lowered it without breaking eye contact. "Let's go to sleep," Dick said, pulling away from Jason's hold and silently putting the first aid kit back together before closing the lid. "You've had a long trip, and the Titans have kept me pretty busy. I think we both need our sleep before we leave for the Manor tomorrow."
Jason groaned, "Do I have to go?"
"Be a good boy and stop grumbling."
"But I'm hurt!" Theatrically, he pointed to his wound. "I need to rest! Very, very badly!"
"Oh, now it's bad all of a sudden?" asked Dick mockingly.
Boyishly, Jason stuck his tongue out at him, and Dick could drown in the sight. The little dimples in Jason's eyes, the wild hair, and that absolutely relaxed attitude he showed to no one else.
Jason started to smile. "C'mere," he called Dick with open arms, and Dick didn't have to be told twice and snuggled into his boyfriend's arms.
"But seriously," Dick began again, stroking Jason's bare chest, careful not to touch his scar, "let‘s go to sleep. I'm really tired."
Jason nodded, got up slowly, and slid his palm along Dick's arm until their hands locked and he lead them into the bedroom together.
Tired, they laid down in bed, hardly losing any more words, and were asleep faster than they could say "Holy Batman."
When Dick was awakened by the sun, he was lying on his stomach and rubbing his eyes. Next to him, Jason was snoring softly. He was also lying on his stomach, clutching his pillow, and had his head pressed tightly into it.
Dick wondered when the last time was he had slept. It was rarely that Jason woke up after him. Usually he was already in the kitchen, making breakfast, and the smell of fresh coffee and fried eggs with bacon filled the apartment.
Smiling, he looked at Jason's bare back and reached as quietly as he could for his smartphone to take a picture.
He smiled to himself, holding the phone briefly in front of his mouth to look at Jason once more before looking at the screen again.
His eyes fell on the small notification.
74 new messages.
He again remembered that his phone was vibrating when Jason arrived.
Presumably the Titans had sent photos from last night in their group chat. He wouldn't be surprised if there were over 70 photos. Every now and then, one of them had started snapping photos like crazy to capture the moments. They had made plans to see each other more often again, and as much as Dick would like that, each of them knew it wasn't that easy. Each of them had responsibilities. That made last night all the more special.
Slowly, he ran his thumb over the notification and blinked.
Jason Todd: 74 new messages
Huh?
Curious, he clicked on the screen and the chat opened.
In no time, photos loaded and Dick began scrolling to the top.
The first new message was from two weeks ago.
Dick frowned and stared at his phone, turning it in his hand. It was Wayne tech. Why was he only getting the message now? He couldn't see any external defect, turned it again and clicked the first picture.
It was a landscape. Slightly blurred.
It showed a crowd of people in a narrow alley. The houses looked old. The plaster was crumbling. Some houses had wooden facades and everywhere lanterns hung in front of the doors. Under the picture, Jason only had written "Arrived."
Dick scrolled on.
Three more pictures followed.
Again landscape, only this time in a kind of jungle. The whole picture shone with green and leaves. There were only a few tree barks visible. Again, the pictures were slightly blurred. There was definitely a smudge on one from the dirty lens.
This time there was no text.
The next were again landscapes.
Again in the jungle, this time a distant view. Ruins were visible in the distance. Dick guessed from a former temple. Followed by close-ups of said temple. In one of the photos, Jason's hand was seen holding a torch and walking down a dark hallway. Dick looked at Jason's hand. He was wearing his Red Hood gloves and Dick's gaze lingered on the piece of skin visible between his shirt and gloves. He remembered the last time he had felt Jason's skin against his.
Slowly he detached himself and looked at the whole photo again. The quality of this photo wasn’t good because of the darkness.
The last photo in this series was another long shot. Dick guessed it was the view from the temple. These photos were barely blurred.
Again, there was no text.
Dick scrolled through the other photos.
They all had one thing in common: they were always shots of what Jason saw. No shots of him. Rarely any of Artemis or Bizzaro, and when they were, it was only while they were busy. Snapshots at the camp or when they walked in front of him on a street. Most of them were blurry, leading Dick to conclude that Jason had shot them all in motion. Shot and sent to him. He thought of Dick in those moments. Let him share and know where he was.
He paused before continuing to look through the photos, hugged the phone to his chest and peered over at his still sleeping boyfriend.
He eased himself away from the sight of a calm, quiet Jason Todd as he was curious to see what photos were still waiting for him.
As expected, there were more photos of landscapes.
A few were from a street festival, it seemed. Bizzaro was biting into what looked like meat around a stick, while Artemis stood blurry in the background and appeared to be discussing something with a man. Another showed Artemis sitting on a wall and gazing up at the sky. She seemed sentimental. The picture seemed sentimental and Dick could feel the atmosphere in this picture.
Surprised, he looked at the next photos. They were the blurriest so far, and Dick was sure that the blurry spots on them were blood. All he could see were shadows of people, and Dick seriously wondered if Jason had taken the photos during a fight. He shook his head. Of course Jason would.
While Jason still slept quietly beside him and the sun was shining on Dick's back through the window, he was looking further at all the photos Jason had sent him. He paused at the last one. It was a shot of the sky. Blue sky with white clouds. Nothing more. No birds flying in the picture, no sun or sun rays. No branches reaching in either. Just bright blue sky. Underneath it said "Happy Birthday."
Dick got all warm.
He pressed his lips together and closed his eyes briefly as he clutched his phone tightly against him.
There was a rustling sound next to him.
Sleepily, Jason blinked and looked at him.
His hair was standing up in all directions, the white streak fell in his face and he could see little grains in his eyes.
Jason reached out to Dick and asked tiredly, "What's wrong?"
"I got your pictures," Dick whispered without taking the phone off his chest. He held onto it like the most precious treasure.
"Oh," Jason returned just as quietly. He smiled wryly. "Bad internet. Sorry."
Dick smiled.
He had already guessed something like that while he was looking through them.
It wasn't until Jason's phone reconnected to the wifi in their apartment that the messages were sent through.
Dick cleared his throat, straightened up, and asked in a clear voice, "How's the wound?"
"Hmm," Jason hummed, "Been worse."
Dick admonished him with a piercing look.
"'S alright, alright?" Jason replied defensively. "I'm okay, ready to get in the family's face."
Maybe it wasn't the birthday he had imagined, and certainly not the day after. But, yet, the day after, so far, was definitely better than he had imagined.
Dick smiled, leaned over to Jason and kissed him tenderly. "Good."
Jason smirked against his lips and ran his hand through Dick's hair.
How he'd missed those touches.
Sliding his fingers through Dick's hair, feeling the soft touch, he settled into it. Slowly Jason released his hold and held a small piece of confetti between his fingers. Wryly, Dick grinned at him and Jason blew it in Dick's face. "Happy Birthday."