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“You called for help?” Dick swings and lands softly next to Jason on a rooftop.
“Don’t rub it in my face birdie,” Jason leans on the elevated edge of the roof and his voice comes out robotic through the red helmet.
Dick just shrugs and doesn’t comment any further, he doesn’t want to make Jason unnecessarily angry. Their friendship, if you could even call it that, had been rocky at best since Jason revealed himself as Red Hood. But Jason had asked for his help so Dick hoped that maybe they were going in a positive direction for once. Though it was hard to tell exactly what Jason was thinking with his helmet on.
“I found an…interesting company that popped up in my territory about a week ago,” Jason explains as he points to the building next to them, “They stayed quiet for a couple days before I realized they were importing humans.”
Dick rolls his eyes, “They must be stupid to even think about doing that in your territory.”
“Right?” Jason scoffs, “But that’s also the reason why I called you. It seems almost too easy.”
“A trap?”
“Maybe, but I’m not sure,” Jason answers quickly, “Anyways, here’s the plan.”
Jason hands Dick a pair of binoculars, “We enter through a hidden hatch at the top of the building. I’ll go first and deal with the guards and you will find the people they’ve trafficked.”
“Why do you get the fun part?” Dick lowers the binoculars and pouts at Jason.
“It’s my mission, pretty bird,” Jason snatches the binoculars back, “And you’re significantly less intimidating than I am with that pretty face. We don’t want to scare them, now do we?”
Dick feels red rising on his cheeks at the offhanded compliment and his brain stutters for a couple seconds before he manages a soft, “okay.”
Jason tilts his head to the side and laughs, “Wow, didn’t think I’d get you to agree that easy.”
Dick gives Jason a light shove, “Shut up. Let’s go.” Dick grapples over to the target rooftop and makes his way to the hatch. He hears Jason fall into step beside him but he doesn't say a word. Once Dick reaches the hatch he pulls out a set of lock picks and makes quick work of the lock, opening the hatch.
“Wait for my signal and stick to the plan,” Jason says in a low tone as his voice modulator crackles. He doesn’t wait for Dick’s response before dropping into the building. Dick sighs, he wants to go in there and help but he promised himself not to stray from the plan because he wants to build trust, not break it. Dick hears the sound of gunshots and winces slightly, he really hoped that Jason was using rubber bullets like he promised.
“The top two floors are clear, I can see the heat signatures of the people on the top floor,” Jason says through their comms. Dick doesn’t waste another second before dropping down into the white halls of the building. He turns on the infrared setting in his mask and sees where Jason was talking about. Dick weaves through the maze-like hallways and eventually reaches a locked door where he can see the people are behind. Dick tries to kick open the door but it seems to be completely sealed shut, almost like a contamination chamber. Dick pulls out his pick and manages to get the lock to click open after a couple minutes. These people really didn’t want anyone getting in.
He opens the door to reveal a series of about 20 prison cells, 10 on each side, with people collapsed inside them. The cells aren’t traditional ones with bars but glass containers with hazard warnings on the outside. Dick carefully surveys each cell and sees that every person was unconscious. It made Dick’s stomach churn with dread as a million possibilities fly through his head.
“Did you find them?” Comes Jason’s robotic voice over comms.
“Yeah, but…there’s something wrong,” Dick whispers back as he looks at an unconscious person sitting in a pile of white feathers. Dick looks around for a way to open all the cell doors but there isn’t any technology on the walls indicating a source to open them. Dick frowns, is there even a way to open the cells?
“Don’t touch anything. I’m coming,” Jason demands. Dick just nods even if Jason can’t see him. Now that he’s inside, the whole room looks like some kind of de-contamination area. Dick lifts his head and sees shower heads attached to the ceiling, the bad feeling in his stomach increases ten-fold.
“Well, well, well,” A voice cracks over a hidden speaker in the room, “I was waiting for a hero to show up.”
Dick whirls around, trying to see where the voice was coming from to no avail. Dick hears a lock click back into place behind him and he sprints back to the door at the entrance. He pulls at the door but it doesn’t budge.
“Don’t waste your energy, you can’t open it from this side,” The male voice speaks again. It’s by now that panic has gripped Dick’s entire system, there’s no way out and he might become another unconscious victim like the others here.
“What do you want?!” Dick screams into the room, hoping the person can hear him.
“Oh nothing. Just for my experiment to finally work,” The voice said in a giddy voice, “All these subjects are too weak, but you? Well, I was just waiting for someone strong enough to show up.”
“Hood! There’s someone else here,” Dick yelled over comms.
“Nightwing? What’s going on?” Jason’s gruff voice sounded panicked. Dick left the channel open so he would be able to hear.
“A crime lord teaming up with a hero? Isn’t that interesting,” The voice seems to contemplate for a couple seconds, “It doesn’t matter, this will only take a second.”
“I see him, I’ll get to him in a minute tops,” Dick could hear the breathlessness in Jason’s voice as he ran through the building, trying to locate the person who was causing all this.
Releasing chemicals in 15…14…13…
A monotone robotics voice fills the room. Dick’s eyes widened as the showerheads above him began to hiss. He frantically looks around and comes to the conclusion that there's no way out. Dick ran up to a random wall and started to pound it with both escrima sticks but not even a dent was made.
10…9…8…
“I got him but I can’t stop the sequence,” Jason informed him over comms but Dick could barely hear him over his own panic.
4…3…2…1
Dick watched in horror as a blue chemical released from the heads and filled the entire room. Dick placed his rebreather over his mouth in hopes that if he didn’t breathe it in, nothing would happen. How wrong he was.
The chemical wrapped around him and sank into his skin like a thousand knives piercing through him. He let out a scream and collapsed onto his knees. Pain bloomed through his entire body and he started scratching his arms, trying to get the chemical out of his system. Blood rushed through his ears and he couldn’t tell if Jason was talking to him or not.
Sobs wracked through his body as he could feel the chemical running through his entire body, “Jay…please make it stop…Jay, where are you?”
Dick started mumbling nonsense as the pain made his brain all fuzzy. Eventually he could feel the chemicals gathering at his back and his skin started to rip open. White hot pain flooded his vision and he collapsed further onto his stomach. The skin on his back was ripped open and something was pushing out. Dick sobbed out more futile pleas for Jason or maybe just for the pain to stop, he wasn’t completely sure what he was saying.
After what felt like forever, the pain subsided and Dick was left shaking like a leaf on the floor. A foreign weight sat heavy on his back. Dick twisted his head to take a look and he let out a gasp, beautiful dark blue wings sat limply on his back. Unfortunately the pain lingered and Dick was unable to move his aching body.
“Dick!” Jason’s voice cut through the haze of pain. Footsteps sounded from somewhere and Dick couldn’t even begin to think about responding, voice hoarse from the screaming.
“Dickie, fuck, are you okay?” Jason came into his line of vision but another wave of lingering pain tore through his body. Dick let out another scream and his vision instantly went black.
~
Dick groaned as light pierced through his eyelids. He slowly blinked open his eyes to see that he was laying on a bed in a cozy looking room. The memories came flooding back to him and he flinched. Dick slowly turned his head and tears stung at the corners of his eyes when he saw the dark blue wings resting on his back. He thinks back to how he was pathetically calling out for Jason and even fainted in front of him, God, he must think I’m weak.
“Dickie?” Jason entered the room holding a glass of water, “Glad to see that you’re awake.”
“I’m sorry,” Dick ducked his eyes away from Jason, “I ruined your mission.”
“Don’t you dare fucking apologize,” Jason growled out, “You didn’t ruin anything. The police were able to get all the people to safety and we took out their entire operation.”
Dick shook his head, still not looking at Jason, “I’m sorry for taking up your time. You can leave me, I’ll be fine.”
Jason placed down the glass of water and moved towards where Dick was facing away from him. Jason grabbed Dick’s jaw and forced him to make eye contact, “You’re not wasting my time. You’re hurt and I want to help you, so stop apologizing.”
Dick nodded hesitantly, “I just don’t understand why you want to help me.”
“God, Dickie. What the fuck has Bruce been teaching you over there?” Jason released Dick’s jaw and ran his hands down his face in annoyance, “You’re important too.”
Dick didn’t have a response for that. He was so used to looking after himself he had forgotten what it felt like for someone else to help him. Bruce had always taught him to be independent and he took that to heart, he didn’t want to burden anyone else with his problems.
“How is your back feeling?” Jason reached over and ran a hand down Dick’s bare back where the wings had sprouted. Dick shivered at the contact and goosebumps raised anywhere that Jason’s hand travelled.
“I-It’s fine,” Dick stuttered out.
Jason hummed in acknowledgement then moved his hands to the wings themselves and ran them over the feathers, “How about here? They’re really pretty, just like you sweetheart.”
A blush rose on Dick’s cheeks and neck at that. He couldn’t tell if Jason was serious but whether it was real or not, Dick still felt all tingling inside. The feeling of Jason’s hands running over his new addition was strangely calming and a low rumble formed in his chest. It was too late to stop when a soft purr echoed through the room.
Dick flinched back away from Jason’s hand, “S-Sorry.”
“No no, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have touched them without asking,” Jason backs up immediately and gives him some space.
“It’s okay,” Dick hesitates, “I felt n-nice.”
The room sits in silence at Dick’s confession. Jason changes the subject immediately when it becomes awkward, “Do you want to try sitting up?”
“Sure,” Dick states plainly. He doesn't really think he can sit up properly with the new weight on his back. Before Dick can even voice that thought he feels Jason’s hands on either side of his torso, pulling him up into a sitting position. Dick let out a squeak and snapped his eyes to Jason who had a mischievous grin on his face.
“I lied, but hey, it worked,” Jason smirked at him. Dick didn’t dignify that with a response. Instead he moved around, trying not to fall backwards with the new weight, and settled into a sitting position half underneath the covers.
Dick kept his eyes fixed on the blanket pooled around his waist, wings trembling with every shaky breath he took. The weight of the wings, of everything that happened that night, pressed down on him until he felt small and fragile, like was taking up too much space in a room he didn’t deserve to be in. Jason had never invited him to his safehouse and was always so protective over it, but now Dick felt like he had basically forced his way inside with his new…condition.
“I’m sorry for making you bring me here,” Dick whispered, voice small, “If I hadn’t opened that door, if I hadn’t–”
Jason cut him off with a look, “Dick. Stop. You didn’t do anything wrong.”
“But I walked right in,” Dick insisted, trying to explain the cruel reality he felt like he was causing. His wings curled inward like they were trying to hide him, “I should’ve been smarter. Why did I just walk right i–”
“Dickie,” Jason said in a strong voice. He stepped closer to the bed, “You were trying to save people. That’s not a mistake.”
Dick swallowed hard and decided to pointedly ignore Jason, “And now you’re stuck dealing with…this,” he gestures weakly to his wings, “I’m sorry for being such a problem, you can leave, it’s okay. I'll understand.”
Jason hesitated, at a total loss for words at Dick’s self-worth issues, “You’re not a problem, Dickie. These wings aren’t a problem, they’re just another part of you. Another beautiful part of you.”
“It’s so unfair, every part of you just has to be beautiful, huh?” Jason tried to lighten the atmosphere a bit.
Dick’s breath hitched, “You don’t mean that.”
“I do,” Jason’s voice was warm and steady. He slowly reached out, giving Dick time to pull away. When he didn’t, Jason’s fingers brushed the base of one wing and he rested his hand at the juncture. Both the feathers and Dick shivered under his touch. Jason began speaking again, “You scared the hell out of me tonight. I thought I was going to lose you when I heard you screaming.”
Dick’s eyes widened at Jason’s sincere tone that he hadn’t heard since before he died. Dick’s eyes stung at the realization, “I didn’t think you cared that much.”
Jason huffed, “Yeah, well. I’m not great at saying it. But for you Dickie? I care. A lot.”
A soft blush spread across Dick’s cheeks at Jason’s response. Dick could tell Jason was avoiding using the ‘pretty bird’ or ‘birdie’ nicknames that Jason liked to use a lot. It made a warm feeling spread throughout his entire body and he fought to keep a smile off his face. His wings slowly unfurled from their previous position of trying to hide Dick and stretched instinctively towards the warmth that Jason’s body was emitting.
“Let me help you figure this out,” Jason finally broke the silence. Dick looked up at him and was about to apologize before Jason raised a hand, silencing him, “Not because I think I have to but because I want to.”
Dick looked into Jason’s eyes for any sign that he was lying, but all he found was an open and honest expression that Dick rarely saw anymore. Dick couldn’t take his eyes off Jason’s face for a couple seconds.
“...Okay,” Dick breathed out eventually.
Jason’s thumb gently brushed a wing, “Good. Because you can't lay like this for the rest of your life.”
“Do not pick me up this time,” Dick gave him a pointed look but there was no real heat behind it.
Jason raises his hands in mock surrender and smiles at him, “I promise I won’t.”
Jason kept his hands raised for another couple seconds, as if proving he wasn’t about to swoop in and pick him up again. Dick huffed, but a tiny smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. Dick pulled his legs out of the blankets and swung them over the side of the bed so he was sitting at the very edge.
“Okay, just go slow,” Jason moved closer, one hand was hovering over Dick’s shoulders and the other was near his waist so he could catch him if something went wrong. Dick leaned forward and planted his feet on the ground. But the moment he shifted his weight off the bed, the wings dragged him backwards like anchors. His balance tipped and his wings flared in panic, utterly useless.
Jason moved instantly. He shot out a hand to press against Dick’s shoulder blades, guiding him forward again, “Easy, Dickie. I’ve got you.”
Dick’s breath came out short and fast, “S-Sorry. They’re heavy.”
“I know, you’re doing fine,” Jason said softly since they were standing so close now. Dick was very much aware of exactly where he could feel Jason’s breath tickling his ears. He willed the blush to stay down, he didn’t want to embarrass himself any further today.
With Jason’s support, he managed to stand up properly. Every movement seemed to tug at the muscles along his back, he winced as he tried to support the wings without the bed to help. Thank god he worked out his back muscles or else this might be a completely different story.
“Still okay?” Jason asked. Dick nodded his head slowly, this was as close to ‘okay’ as he was going to get. His wings involuntarily flapped behind him and a dull pain shot through his entire body. Dick flinched and he could feel Jason’s grip tightening, it was comforting to know he would be there to catch him.
“Put your arm around my shoulder, I don’t want you to fall,” Jason bent down slightly so that Dick could comfortably lean on him. Dick hesitated, not because he didn’t want to but because the closeness of this whole situation made his heart thump embarrassingly loud. It was bad enough that his entire face was bright red.
Still, he obeyed and looped an arm around Jason’s neck. Now almost every part of Dick’s side was in contact with Jason’s strong and warm body. The contact sent a shiver through his spine and to the tips of his wings. The new sensation made a quiet moan slip out of his lips. Dick froze completely and he felt Jason go rigid beside him.
“Sorry,” Dick whispered, absolutely mortified. He turned his head away from Jason, not wanting to see his reaction.
“Don’t be,” Jason answered slowly, “I already told you that every part of you is beautiful.”
Dick flushed a brighter red if that was even possible. He let go of his concentration for half a second and suddenly he was tilting sideways. Jason was quick to catch and rebalance him, “Careful there.”
Dick let out a shaky breath as his back and legs trembled from the weight, “This is ridiculous. I feel like a baby deer.”
“You look like one too,” Jason took the opportunity to tease, “A very pretty baby deer.”
“Jay~,” Dick whined at the compliment.
“What? I’m helping,” He grinned wickedly.
“If anything you’re distracting me.”
“Same thing,” Jason shrugged. Dick let out a breathy laugh at his tone. Jason’s hands tightened around his waist, like he was trying to hold onto the sound.
“Okay, this clearly isn’t working. How about…” Jason trailed off and moved behind Dick. His hands slid up the small of his back and reached up to support the weight of the wings at the base. The relief to his back was immediate, it was like someone just lifted a backpack full of rocks off his shoulders.
Dick couldn’t help the contented sigh from slipping past his lips, “Wow okay. That helps.”
“Yeah?” Jason’s voice was warm, “Now try to walk.”
~
And so, for the next couple days Dick was relearning how to walk and despite his many protests, Jason wouldn’t leave his side. Dick was beginning to feel like maybe, just maybe, Jason shared the same romantic feelings that Dick had. Or maybe he was reading this all wrong and Jason was just being a nice brother. Though that seemed more and more doubtful as the days passed.
Dick made sure to text his family that he would be staying at Jason’s for a while. Of course, they were worried as they asked a million questions but Dick told them to respect his privacy. Even going as far as to call them to ensure they wouldn’t come snooping. Hopefully that would keep them off his back for a couple more days.
Tonight Jason was out on patrol and Dick had the apartment mostly to himself. It warmed his heart that Jason trusted him enough to leave him alone in his house. Well he didn't really have much of a choice, but it was nice anyway. Dick was walking towards the kitchen for some water when an unexpected flare of pain shot through his body; Dick tripped and then fell onto the floor. Dick let out a pained groan as he lay on the floor face down, held down by the pain constantly flowing out of his back.
There was a click of a lock and Jason walked into the apartment, “Well well well, what do we have here?”
Of course he had to come back at this exact moment. Dick covered his face in embarrassment when he heard Jason let out a low laugh, “Come on Jay, it’s hard to walk around by myself.”
Jason only hummed in response and crouched down beside him. Dick turned his face to watch whatever Jason was planning on doing. Jason studied his back and wings with a seriousness Dick usually only saw during missions, “All the muscles around the base are locked up.”
Dick winced as more pain flowed through his body, “Feels like it.”
“Yeah. You’ve been walking around too much. You probably need to stretch out your back,” Jason murmured, “and the wings too since you’ve kept them bunched up.”
They sat in silence for a bit before Dick’s wings fluttered nervously, sending another shock of pain down his back. Dick gave him a look, “Are you seriously going to make me ask? You know I can’t reach my back.”
“Come on, Dickie. It’s not that hard to ask,” Jason smirked, not moving from his position, “How am I supposed to know what you want?”
Dick stared at him in disbelief for a solid minute before the pain swelled and he gave in, “Jason. Please. Just…please help me.”
Jason’s smirk deepened, “Alright, sweetheart. How can I not help you when you beg so pretty?”
Dick held back a whimper. He could feel his skin heating up against the cold floor while his wings twitched uselessly behind him. Dick took in the full context of the situation and he fought back any other embarrassing sounds. Jason could do anything he wanted really, Dick was completely helpless sprawled on the floor. Their size difference seemed clearer than ever like this as Jason swung a leg over and straddled Dick’s thighs, completely dwarfing Dick beneath him. Dick froze, heat blooming across his cheeks. Dick tried to take a deep breath to slow his wild heart but it just came out shaky and did nothing to calm him.
Jason used the leverage of his position to press deep into Dick’s back to smooth out the knots along the base of the wings. His hands were warm, unfairly warm, and Dick felt the tension and pain unraveling under each press of Jason’s thumbs. Dick all but melted into the floor underneath Jason’s strong hands.
“Jay…” Dick breathed out, wings fluttering around involuntarily. It took every lesson of self control to keep a moan from bubbling up past his lips.
Jason pressed particularly hard and Dick let out a low whine. Jason chuckled, “Hmm, feel good?”
“Shut up,” Dick snapped. Jason laughs but respects his wishes and doesn’t tease Dick any further. Jason moved onto the wings next, fingers sliding carefully along the base where the feathers met skin. Dick shuddered, a full body tremor that he couldn’t hide.
“So sensitive,” Jason whispered, almost to himself. He cupped the base of the left wing and lifted gently to stretch it out. The motion sent a warm ripple through the wing muscles and Dick gasped.
“Tell me if it’s too much,” Jason instructed him softly. Dick nodded in response, not trusting himself to open his mouth and keep down a moan at the same time. Jason hummed and guided the wing in a slow, deliberate stretch. The feathers fanned out and brushed against Jason’s arms. Dick felt every point of contact and it ignited sparks up his skin. Eventually Jason switched to the other wing and did the same thing. He slid his hands down the length of the wing, smoothing the feathers with careful strokes. Dick melted under the touch, muscles finally going soft and pliant. The pain from earlier was a distant memory, now replaced with Jason’s warm hands.
“Jay…” Dick said again, voice barely more than a breath.
“Yeah?” Jason’s hands stilled.
“No…don’t stop,” Dick blurted out.
“Wow, so bossy,” Jason teased, resuming his movements.
“No…I just wanted to say thank you,” Dick managed to collect himself for long enough to form a complete sentence.
Jason leaned down and let his forehead rest between Dick’s shoulder blades, breath warm against his skin, “You don’t have to thank me. I want to take care of you.”
Dick’s heart stuttered and a soft purr escaped his chest. His wings, once tight, now lay relaxed on the ground and completely unfurled. Jason shifts his weight off Dick’s back, “Better?”
Dick didn’t answer right away and instead let out a small, content sigh. Dick could feel how his body wasn’t wound up anymore, pain long forgotten. Now it was replaced by exhaustion, “Yeah, but I’m tired.”
“I can carry you to the bed so you don’t have to move,” Jason offered easily.
Dick looked up with wary eyes, “You don't have to do that. What if you drop me?”
“I would never do that, pretty bir-...sorry,” Jason cut himself off, looking guilty.
Dick gave him a soft smile, “It’s okay. I don’t mind you calling me that, even if it's literal now.”
“Alright then, pretty bird. Do you trust me?”
“Of course,” Dick didn’t miss a beat. Sure, their relationship had been rocky recently but some part of him would always trust Jason. And the last couple days were evidence enough that he could trust Jason.
Jason bent down and gently rolled Dick onto his side before picking him up bridal style. Dick immediately threw his arms around Jason’s neck to make sure he didn’t fall. Dick leaned into Jason’s chest, not only because he didn’t want to fall, but because it gave him a sense of comfort he rarely felt. Jason kicked open the door to the bedroom and gently placed Dick on the bed face down.
He was about to leave when Dick shot out a hand and wrapped it around Jason’s wrist, holding him back, “Don’t go…please.”
Jason froze and turned around slowly, “Yeah. Of course.”
Once he hit the bed next to Dick, Jason realized how tired he was from a long night on patrol and now all he wanted to do was sleep. Dick was watching him with sharp blue eyes as Jason shifted to get into a comfortable position. Once Dick was sure Jason was done moving around, he flopped onto Jason’s chest. Dick settled there, cheek pressed against a strong shoulders and fingers curling lightly into Jason’s gray shirt.
“Dickie…” Jason whispered, surprised at the sudden action.
“Shhh,” Dick said softly without lifting his head, “You’re comfortable. It feels safe.”
Dick’s wings slowly folded around them both, encasing them in a cocoon of blue feathers. Jason wrapped an arm around Dick’s waist and pulled him closer into his chest. Dick tucked his head underneath Jason’s chin like he was always meant to be there.
“Jay?” Dick whispered into the darkness.
“Mm?” Jason answered, half awake.
“Thank you, for everything.”
Jason turned his head and placed a soft kiss on Dick’s dark curls, “There’s nowhere else I’d rather be.”
Dick lets a smile rest on his face as he drifts off into sleep, knowing that he’s safe and cared for. This is where he was meant to be, inside Jason’s arms.