Dick flopped down onto his and Jason's bed with a grunt, allowing his eyes to slip closed like they seemed to want to do.
Jason's side of the bed was noticeably empty, so Dick curled up by himself on the soft bed, pulling the blanket tight around him and falling into a peaceful slumber.
—
Jason's brows furrowed when he finally stepped into his room. There was a metallic scent in the air that made him uneasy. He thought for a moment about waking Dick up to get his opinion on the smell, he did after all have his weird enhanced senses... He immediately nixed that idea when he saw Dick curled up and sleeping in their bed.
Deciding that whatever the smell was could wait until morning, Jason climbed into bed and shut his eyes, letting sleep whisk him away.
—
Jason's mind gradually came to attention when he felt something on the bed next to him. "Dickie... d' you spill somethin'?" He asked, his mind still foggy with sleep.
Dick gave a quiet grunt as a response, shifting slightly on the bed.
Jason sighed, opening his eyes and glancing at his hand. His breath caught when he saw the wet red blood that coated his hand as well as a large section of the sheets.
Curses spilled from Jason's mouth as he quickly sat upright in bed, pulling off the blanket Dick had covered himself in, and gasping in surprise when he saw the gash that ran the full length of Dick's back. "Dickie," he mumbled, stumbling out of bed and going to the bathroom for the first aid kit.
Jason rushed back to Dick's side, cupping his husband's cheek with one hand. "Dickie. Wake up," he said, shaking the elder's shoulder.
Dick blinked, looking up at Jason with his bright golden eyes.
"You have a cut on your back. Can you heal it?" Jason asked loudly and clearly, making sure Dick understood what he was saying.
Dick's brows furrowed minutely and his eyes fluttered closed. "N...ot enough," he breathed quietly, forcing his eyes open again.
"Not enough what?" Jason asked, tapping Dick on his cheek when his eyes started to close.
"Blood... need... need more electrum," Dick said.
Jason gently brushed Dick's tangled curls off of his forehead, his brow creasing in concern. He'd have to bring Dick to the manor and have Bruce put him in his pod to heal.
Dick's lips twitched up into a smile when he felt the familiar gesture, and he subconsciously leaned into Jason's touch.
Jason sighed, pressing his eyes closed for a moment before getting to work wrapping Dick's back to help stop some of the blood-flow.
—
Dick was no longer conscious when Jason carried him into the manor. Alfred and Bruce, both of which had been alerted to the situation during Jason's drive over, were waiting near the front door.
Gotham being Gotham had decided to open up the heavens and pour down enough rain to soak Jason to the bone almost as soon as he stepped out of the car.
"Master Jason stop right there sir. I forbid you to take a single step forward into this manor while you are dripping water like that," Alfred said, tossing Jason a towel.
"But..." Jason started, looking down at his husband in his arms.
"Hand Master Dick over to Master Bruce. He knows well enough how to take care of him," Alfred said, folding his arms over his chest.
It was clear Jason wasn't going to win this fight, so he didn't even bother bringing up the fact that Dick's clothes were just as sopping wet as his.
Bruce gently took Dick in his arms and rushed him away to the Batcave.
—
Dick's eyes snapped open. He was in a pod again...
Instantly Dick's mind started going wild with fear. He couldn't be with the court... he just couldn't. Bruce had promised him he'd never have to back... and Jason... Jason had promised he'd protect him.
Dick looked outside of the pod. Everything was pitch black.
As his panic increased Dick's breathing quickened. He realized at one point that he was hyperventilating, but he couldn't bring himself to calm down. He could only assume the court had him again.
"Jay," Dick called hesitantly. "Jay?"
Dick pounded on the inside of the coffin like pod. "Jay?! J-Jason?! Jason!" Dick called, his cries getting more frantic as he switched from pounding on the glass to desperately clawing at it.
Blood smeared across the glass as Dick's fingernails tore and broke, scraping against the glass and metal.
Dick's cries faded into quiet sobs. He must be back with the court after all... shouting was of no use.
—
Jason kicked the secret Batcave entrance, holding his phone up for a light. "Why did you have to make all the entrances to the cave protected by some sort of electrically powered tech?" He asked, glaring angrily at the door.
I didn't expect that a storm would knock out the power and trap my eldest in the Batcave," Bruce spit back.
"Well that's exactly what happened wasn't it?" Jason's glare softened to a look of worry. "Dick's bound to have unfrozen by now and he'll be trapped in that horrible pod in the dark," he said.
Bruce ran a hand roughly through his hair. "I know," he said quietly. "And it's my fault for not turning on the backup power system when I put him down there..."
Jason sighed. "You couldn't have known this would happen."
Bruce's brows furrowed and his gaze fell to the floor.
"Is there any other way to get in?" Jason asked.
"There might be one..."
—
Turns out there was a way into the cave. The same way Bruce had originally entered in fact.
Bruce and Jason repelled down to the main area of the cave, using flashlights to light their way.
As soon as his feet touched the floor, Jason rushed off to the area where Dick's pod was kept while Bruce went to activate the backup power systems.
Jason stopped in front of the pod, hearing Dick's heartbroken cries from within. He quickly opened the pod's door and Dick fell to the ground, curling in on himself.
"No no no no no," Dick mumbled over and over as tears spilled down his cheeks.
"Dickie?" Jason called, kneeling down next to his husband.
Dick's eyes snapped up to Jason and he immediately launched himself into his arms, wrapping his arms as tightly around his husband as he could, grabbing fistfuls of Jason's shirt and burying his head in the younger's shoulder even as the lights in the cave flickered on.
"Hey, you're safe. You're in the cave. Remember... we had to put you in the pod because you lost too much blood to heal yourself," Jason said calmingly.
"J-ay... Jason," Dick mumbled, still holding onto Jason as if he were his only lifeline.
Jason ran a hand through Dick's curls. "The power went off Bluebird, and we were locked out of the cave. I'm so sorry for leaving you in that thing for so long," he said.
Dick began to relax slightly as Jason continued to card his hand through his hair. "Jason," he said once more.
"Hmm?"
"Don't... don't leave me," Dick mumbled as his eyes slipped shut, his crying having drained him of all energy.
"Not plannin' on it Dickie. We're in this til death do we part remember?" Jason mumbled quietly, lifting Dick up into his arms so he could carry him up to bed.
Dick hummed and snuggled closer to Jason.
Jason leaned down and placed a kiss on Dick's forehead. "I'll never leave you," he whispered softly. "Never."