Chapter Text
The bruise on his cheek is a dark purple, ever so gently, featherlike, Eleanor runs her fingers over it then tucks a strand of black hair behind his ear. Dick smiles softly at her, blue eyes fluttering open. He looks so peaceful like this, maybe she should feel a little bad about drawing him from his sleep, but with the concussion he had from the hits he’d taken, she had to make sure he woke up from time to time.
“Hey.” He rasps out, voice deep and rumbly from sleep.
Eleanor leans down and presses her lips against the side of his head, careful not to bump the bruise.
“Hey,” she replies then, continuing to run her fingers through his greasy hair. “You need a shower.”
Dick chuckles sleepily, “you know just what to say to flatter a guy, babe.” He closes his eyes again, leaning into her touch. “How’s Jay?”
“Still asleep.”
One blue eye open to watch her. “Did you get some rest?”
“A little,” she hums, she’d been to wired when they got back to the safe house to sleep and too worried to get anything more than a couple of power naps in. Dick shuffles to lie on his side on the sofa, his movement slow, staring up where she’s leaning over the backrest. “I can’t wait to go back home,” she murmurs, moving her hand down the back of his head to his neck, gently rubbing at the muscles there.
He lets out a soft sigh, arching ever so slightly to give her better access. “I miss our bed.”
She does too.
“Did you manage to get a hold of Wally to water our plants?” She asks, still whisper quiet this early in the morning.
“Mhmm, he said we owe him dinner.”
“Brave of him.”
Dick chuckles. “It’s Walls, he’ll eat anything.”
Eleanor smiles, running her thumb over his eyebrow, then down the slope of his nose, his lips.
“Get some more sleep, Sunshine.”
“M’kay.” He mumbles, letting out another sleepy sigh. Eleanor slowly withdraws her hand when Dick’s breathing evens out, holding back her own yawn as she stands up properly and walks over to the door leading into the small bedroom in their safehouse.
Jason’s still asleep when she stops by the door, although it looks restless. Eleanor had spent the entire night after they’d gotten back to the safe house in an arm chair by the bed, dozing off from time to time but always on alert to make sure he was alright.
The wound he sustained hadn’t been that bad, it had knocked him out to begin with, but he’d been conscious when Dick and she had dragged him out of the building with a tied up Black Mask left behind for the GCPD. Conscious enough to curse a storm up for not killing Sionis, still, the exhaustion was probably why he hadn’t protested too violently.
A jerk of motion makes her step into the room properly, the sheets fall away by the time she makes it to the bed, exposing Jason’s bandaged chest. He looks up at her, for a moment his sleep glazed eyes shine with fear and confusion.
“Hey, Jay, it’s only me, Eleanor. You’re safe. You’re in a safehouse on Fifth in Burnley. We got here six hours ago after we left the building on Maple.” She lists as many details as she can think of, knowing how confusing being disoriented could be. How dangerous they could be when they’re confused.
“Wha—?” He blinks, fingers digging so hard into the fabric of the blanket that it almost rips.
“Safe.” Eleanor repeats, sitting down by his side. Holding her hands up in front of herself so that he can see she’s not a threat.
Jason sits up properly, running a hand through his hair, rubbing at his temple. “What happened?”
“Mask shot you. The armour took the brunt of it, no internal bleeding.” She doesn't need to mention that Batman had swooped in and pulled all of their asses out of the fire. Jay hadn't even noticed him, and Bruce hadn't wanted to cause any more stress, so he'd silently sent them on their way. Even though Eleanor saw that he'd wanted them to go back to the cave. So that he could protect them all. She doubted that Jason would have been fine with that though.
“I feel like I’ve been run over by a tank.” He mumbles, dropping his hand to his chest.
“You’ve got some severe bruising,” Eleanor tucks a leg underneath her. “And a couple of your ribs were fractured but you’re going to be fine with some rest.”
He grunts, grimacing. “You said we’re still in Burnley?”
Eleanor nods.
“And… Dick is—?”
“He’s okay, just bruised, sleeping on the sofa.” She assures. Some of the tension in Jason’s shoulders leave him. Then he pushes back the rest of the sheet through another grimace and goes to stand up. Eleanor immediately reaches out to put a hand on his shoulder.
“Nu-huh, no way mister. You need to rest.”
“I need to get out of here.” He argues, yet can’t muster the strength to push her hand away. The dark circles under his eyes look even worse in the pale light coming through the curtains.
“You need to rest, Jaybird.”
He glares at her. “Don’t call me that.”
“Okay, Little Wing.”
“Why are you so annoying.”
“I’m your big sister,” Eleanor smiles. “It’s part of my job description to be annoying.”
He finally stops fighting her and sits back on the bed, resting his elbows on his knees. Staring down at the hardwood floor with a thousand mile look in his eyes. Eleanor keeps a hand on his shoulder, gently squeezing in silent support. It breaks her heart that she doesn’t know how to help him, and it scares her that even if she did know, would Jason even want her help?
“I had a plan, you know? Coming to Gotham.” He lets out a humourless chuckle. “Should have known you’d throw a wrench in it. You can’t just leave well enough alone, can you?” Jason looks up, no anger on his face, in fact, no emotion at all. Just a terrifying blankness.
Do you want me to leave? Is what she wants to ask, but at the same time the answer to that question scares her. Eleanor wouldn’t know what to do if he said yes. I want to help you. Is another thing she wants to say.
“What do you want?” She asks gently instead.
Jason opens his mouth, closes it and opens it again. When no words come, he looks away. “I don’t even know anymore.” He whispers, shrugging, and then wincing when the movement agitates his ribs.
“Okay.” Eleanor nods. “Do you want to stay in Gotham?”
“Where else would I go? It’s not like I have a home anymore.”
She winces, of all the things he’s said through their conversations, that’s the one that hurts the worst. Swallowing back her own discomfort, she drops her hand from his shoulder.
“Come back with Dick and I to Boston.”
“That’s— Why?” He looks at her, then over her shoulder as Dick speaks from the doorway.
“Well for once, you’re the only one Alfred ever trusted with his recipes.” He smiles, walking over and bouncing on to the double bed as both her and Jason watch him. “And you know, you shot us, so you kinda owe us dinner.”
Eleanor feels a smile curl up on her lips.
Jason stares for a long while, until Dick opens his eyes and gives Jason a warm smile.
“You want me to cook you dinner?” Jason says slowly, like he’s talking to a child.
“And cheesecake, the one with almonds.” Dick chirps happily.
“I’m not making you cheesecake.” Jason protests, bewildered.
Dick pouts for a second. “So… Just dinner?”
“This is ridiculous,” Jason groans, turning to her. “Control your boyfriend.”
Eleanor bites back her smile, reaching out to bop Dick on the nose. “Behave.” She says, barely containing her laughter. Dick’s nose scrunches up at the gesture the cheeky smile on his lips never leaving. Sky blue eyes sparkling in delight.
“That’s not what I meant.” Jason grumbles.
They lapse in to comfortable silence, Dick stretching like a cat on the bed before closing his eyes, radiating contentment. Even Jason seems to relax, leaning against the headboard toying with a pillow over his lap. And Eleanor? She feels more at peace than she has in years, maybe even in her life. Two of her favourite people in the same room, tucked away from the harshness and harm of the world outside. Greedily, she thinks that if she could keep them both here forever she would, be the impenetrable wall that kept them safe.
“You really mean it?” Jason murmurs after a while, sea-green’s flickering up to look at her.
“Yes.” Without a single doubt in her mind. “It’s not a large apartment but the couch is extremely comfortable.”
“And the company is fantastic.” Dick smugly adds, his eyes still closed.
Jason ignores him, swallowing once then nods. “Okay.”
“Yeah?” Eleanor smiles again, joy spreading like a wildfire in her chest. Jason’s hesitant and vulnerable smile back makes him look like the young man he’s supposed to be. And it’s a promise of that even if things weren’t okay now, maybe they would be in the future. When the smile drops he moves down on the bed, lazily kicking Dick’s thigh to make room to lay down. Dick’s smile, however, doesn’t drop, neither does that aura of contentment. He holds his arms out for her as she watches them, and Eleanor carefully crawls on to the bed. Jason opens his eyes just briefly enough to look at her as she wriggles comfortably, then huffs out a breath.
“I’m still not cooking for you.”
“Not even a little bit?” Dick whines, still grinning like an idiot.
“No.”
“But getting shot really hurt, Little Wing.”
“I said I was sorry.” Jason grumbles.
“Pretty please?”
“… No.”
“Jaaay.”
“Shut up Dickhead.”
“One meal?”
“You—No.”
“One meal.” Dick murmurs, nodding.
“… Fine.”