Author's Note: Whoop! I'm back with another chapter of what I now affectionately call the BatBrother Bonanza. At least until I come up with a catchier title. This is another dose Dick/Jason brotherly love. Don't worry, I plan on introducing Tim and Damian to the party soon enough, as my adoration for them keeps me from ever leaving them out. Until then, please enjoy! Huh, I just realized that Jason doesn't come even close to cursing in this one. I guess there's a first time for everything. I'm sure it won't last! ;)

Potential Warning: Honestly, I guess you could call this a bit AU. From my understanding, Dick and Jay weren't quite this close in the comics, though they certainly had their moments. So if you want, you can see this as an idealization, the way I would have liked for them to have been before Jason died (hope that's not a spoiler for anyone).

Disclaimer: I own nothing but this story. The characters are just temporarily at the mercy of my whim. Lucky for them, I'm a nice girl.

Revised on November 2, 2013.

"Why am I even here?"

Dick starts and experiences an odd sense of déjà vu. Wasn't it just a couple months ago when he had mouthed those same words? When he had felt the overwhelming disappointment and frustration that came with being replaced?

Sometimes he's disturbed at how similar he is to the boy lying next to him. Despite their obvious differences, they have an undeniable bond between them that originates with one title, one way of life.

Robin.

"What are you talking about, Jason?"

"I mean he doesn't want me here! Why else would he keep me from going on patrol?"

In the passion of his speech, Jason lifts his head and turns to his surrogate brother, and Dick feels his heart stutter with empathy at the angry tears in Jason's too blue eyes. His dark hair is wild and disheveled, his clothes rumpled, and his face cloaked with hurt. Though understanding of the boy's obvious distress, Dick chuckles and ruffles his hair.

"How about the fact that you stole the Batmobile and went for an illegal joyride? Believe it or not, Bruce isn't known for giving a break to anyone who blatantly disobeys the rules. Especially his rules."

Jason sniffs indignantly and lowers his head back on the garnet bedspread, his distraught face smoothing into reluctant resignation. In a word, he's bummed, and Dick gets it. During his time as Robin, he committed an atrocity of equal proportions, and suffered the respective consequences. And even though he had agreed with the punishment, the disappointment that came with leaving the Robin costume in the cave that night had filled him with longing for the skylights of Gotham. And now his brother was in the exact same bullet-holed boat.

"…I guess you've got a point." With that, Jason sighs with surrender, and his body seems to sag even further into the large mattress. The stench of resentment is slowly replaced with the air of defeat, and Dick fails in his attempt to keep a relatively straight face. He grins and lies down beside his brother, and even brings a strong arm around the boy's shoulders, successfully shifting his position and trapping him against his body. Jason stiffens with surprise, as Dick's rare bouts of affection are still something to get used to; but he soon relaxes into the hold, contentment filling his person at the prospect of having a companion, though he'll never admit it aloud. About a month has passed since their acrobatic training session, and Dick has kept his promise to visit more often, in spite of the threat of Bruce's presence in the manor. Surprisingly, their interactions have been kept to a minimum, and Bruce seems to hold no qualms against allowing the two boys to bond. If Dick isn't mistaken, Bruce actually appears to be encouraging the relationship between them.

There seems to be a mutual agreement that whatever issues they have with one another, Jason doesn't deserve to be confined in the middle.

Tranquility settles around the bedroom, an unusual feeling in the Wayne Manor and one the two young men have no problem embracing. But, true to his nature, Jason soon feels the overwhelming need to break it. This time with conversation, and thankfully, not the blaring engine of the Batmobile.

"So, how long do you plan on stayin' this time?" His voice is slightly muffled by the fabric of Dick's t-shirt, and he shifts to release his mouth from the offending fabric.

"I don't know. A couple days? I can only stay so long before I start risking the destruction of the Tower. For some reason, things start falling apart, literally, when I'm not around for extended periods of time. I blame Wally and Gar." Dick smirks as Jason's laughter resounds through the room and through his body; he knows that Jason is more than aware of whom he speaks. His brother knows of the Titans, has met the Flash personally, and is subsequently attuned to the mesh of vibrant personalities Dick deals with on an hourly basis.

"Ha! Those guys are great. They know how to have a good time."

"Only at the expense of others."

"Duh. That's the only real fun there is."

"Keep telling yourself that and see if you ever go out as Robin again."

Silence. That gets him. Jason slowly shifts to rest on his elbows and hesitantly looks into Dick's azure eyes. The older boy smiles in silent encouragement, knowing the younger is deciding whether or not to confide.

"…You think he would do somethin' like that? For real?"

Dick is flabbergasted. "Wha-? No! Look, Jason. Bruce may be horribly anal when it comes to following his 'laws'," at that, Dick sweeps up both hands to make air quotes before placing both arms behind his head as a pillow, "but he's not opposed to forgiveness. If anything, he was probably expecting you to pull something like this at one point or another. Just be patient. You'll be back out there as Robin before you know it."

Still obviously worries, Jason's face lights up with tentative hope, and Dick remembers his conversation with Alfred during another visit, before he and Jason really began speaking, and he was still too bitter to give the boy a chance.

"While he may a bit rough around the edges, the boy is rather talented, Master Richard, and he has the street smarts to match. Unfortunately, he lacks the boundless confidence he so often boasts of, and he is actually rather self-conscious in his abilities. That is why he admires you so much, sir. He simply wishes to be the apt partner you were as Robin. He only desires to be a fitting successor for the legacy you perfected."

At the time, Dick refused to feel pity for the street orphan, despite the wise truth in Alfred's words. Now, he witnesses first-hand how Jason's boisterous attitude could easily be a shield for childlike insecurity. But the boy's uncertainty doesn't just rest with the legacy of Robin. It extends to the role of son, the role of brother.

With Jason's eyes currently wide with expectation, Dick decides that he could do a bit better himself. As a son and a brother. He smiles.

"Trust me, Jason. I'll speak to Bruce myself to make sure of it. Robin'll be back out there flying across the rooftops in no time."

Jason's eyes widen further, and a grin breaks out on his lips. "You'd do that? For me?"

Dick raises a hand and ruffles the boy's black hair. "For my little brother, you bet."