Reverse BatFam Trash

Some Emotions To Get You Through Quarantine

-Real quick, I'm drunk and sad while writing this, so it's not what I usually write (comedy)-

"I'm dealing!" Dick ordered, grabbing the cards, and shuffling them (sloppily).

"You don't gotta call dibs, no one wants to deal." Jason rubbed his nicotine patch, He' applied it four days ago, but he was all out and the shops were closed thanks to the outbreak. Dick was watching him intently, Jason pulled his t-shirt sleeve down a little lower; Dick was the only brother who didn't know about Jason's smoking, and if all went according to plan, he wouldn't until he was 18 or so. 

Dick began dealing for a game of president. They'd been inside for a little over two-and-a-half-weeks, Tim and Damian had tried to section themselves off in the manor while the younger brothers tried to be around people as much as possible. Anyways, everyone currently hated each other and themselves.

Tim picked up his cards and assessed them. Well, pretended to assess them, to be honest he was just there to ensure his brothers hadn't completely lost it. So far he had made the following diagnosis for each of them.

To Tim, quarantine was just another day of being locked in his room, except he kept tripping over his younger brothers everywhere else in the house. "Dickie, do you wanna go first? We'll go counter clockwise.

"Okay!" He looked nervous, like he thought that if he did anything wrong they would just decide to leave and stop loving him. Tim had plenty of experience with that, and it always hurts to see someone else feel it. 

"So what'd you do today?" Tim asked the air. 

"Nothing. What did you do?" Dick asked. 

"Played animal crossing. What about you, Jay?"

"YouTube."Jason went back to viciously, yet exhaustedly, scratching his long worn-out patch. He hadn't slept in ages.

"Nice, nice. Dami?"

Damian grunted quietly in acknowledgement and threw down a 2 of hearts, burning the stack.

"Okay, well," Tim wasn't much for small talk, let alone counselling, but Bruce had barely been home, and Damian wasn't doing it, so it fell on his shoulders. "Hey, how have your guy's redheads been?"

"I dunno, you" Dick replied and then immediately cringed.

"Roy's okay, he's just been live-streaming on his roof to pass time."

Again, Damian didn't answer, but continued to own them at cards.

"Alright, I can't tip-toe around this, quarantine is fucking us all over." He exclaimed without thinking. At least the swearing sure got their attention. 

"Damian, You're always emotionally distanced, but I can't remember the last time I heard you say ANYTHING. Like cool, man, you were raised not to give a shit, but you're in a fucking family and can't just keep disappearing! Back me up and knowledge you're brothers!"

His brother watched him with an nondescript look.

"Jason- I don't blame you or Dick for anything. Besides, we went over this last week."

"Nice!" Jason was secretly relieved that  Tim hadn't called him out for breaking own and having a cig the other day.

"Dick- I love you so much, I'll stay around you non-stop if I have to, until you realize you have fucking value."

"Holy shit- yeah," Jason took all the attention on him, and shoved it on his brother. "Dude you've been following me around all week like a lost puppy, do you want to play xbox or something? You need a self-esteem boost."

"Sorry. No, Sorry, It's fine, thanks. Sorry."

"God, dude, you want to scheduled an appointment with my counselor? It's physically painful to watch you hate yourself."

"-sorry..." His voice cracked. 

"No, buddy- just. No. Not AT ALL what we meant." Jason shook his head tiredly. He needed a smoke. "Also, Demon, Fuck you. Take care of your brother, he's only like twelve."

"Uhh, Jay, where you going?" Tim was trying to sooth is kid brother, watching his other kid brother head for the door. "I'll be right back, I'm just getting something."

"Todd," Damia shouted after him.

"DAMI, stay with Dick." Tim ordered, sprinting off after Jason.

The two sat there, still.

"Richard."

"Hi, Dami."

"What did you do today?"

"Nothing."What's nothing?"

"uh... y'know... YouTube, online school, homework, stuff."

"What homework did you do?"

"English."

"Do you want help with English? You struggle with it every term."

"Yeah, okay.

Tim sprinted up the stairs after his younger-yet taller brother. "JASON!"

"WHAT?" Jason turned, confused and irrationally irritated. But he knew he was being irrational.

"Where do you think you're going?"

"Upstairs?"

"You are not going for a smoke!" Tim hissed,

"Well fucking Duh, you took my cigs."

"You're acting weird, when did you put on that patch."

"Fuck, I don't know, a few days?"

"Fu-shoot, why haven't you replaced it?" 

"Quarantine; I'm all out."

Tim tried to keep quiet so as not to alarm his brothers in the other room. "Do you need something? Screw quarantine, let's run to the drugstore, I'll buy you  some Nic spray!"

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Jason was a minor and couldn't buy it himself, luckily he had a protective big brother with pocket money. By the time they got back, Jason had spritzed his throat with the nic spray, and was beginning to relax again. Tim had also bought a bag of Reese's pieces, and the two of them had easily emptied half the bag by the time they got back. 

They entered the Living room.

Damian had his back to the door, sitting completely still with his back to them. Tim crept forwards to get a better look. 

Dick was lying opposite to Damian, bangs in his face, mostly asleep. They were surrounded by English worksheets and cards.

"Do you understand?"

"Yeah."

"Do you want to try?"

"Okay." Damian scribbled an example sentence and slid it across to Dick, who took a dull pencil and began looking for faulty punctuation. 

"Hey guys, What's up." Jason flopped on the couch.

"Where were you?"Damian gave him the you-stuck me-with-babysitting-and-then-left look.

"Reeses?"

Withen about half an hour Dick was asleep, Jason was pretending to be awake but was barely conscious, resting his head on his little brother's back. Tim was sorting Dick's homework, figuring out what he's studying and how to help him if he asks for help. Damian looked up from his phone besides him.

"You worked things out, good job."

"Thanks."

"How do you manage to fix social problems ?" 

"I don't know, I have a couple Technics."

"Teach me."