forceforlight | IC Inbox

'cause it's always all about you, ain't it?

( jason's eyes flick down to dick's hands for a moment, before they're raising to refocus on dick's own, lips twisting into a snarl before he continues on. )

What do you think you're doing that's keeping us all together, huh? You haven't done jack shit for me, I've had to figure out crap all on my own. You never even noticed Kon was gone an' that Tim's been moping all on his own in my safehouse, did you? An' I had to come to you about Dickie. He didn't tell you anything 'bout what happened, did he?

( it's harsh, but it's meant to be. jason's still pulling his punches, he doesn't mean for it to break break dick, just-- )

You can't do crap for anyone when you're like this an' you know it.

[He does know it. He's too wound up, trying too hard to be what everybody needs and not giving himself enough leeway. It's probably one reason why Tim hasn't come to him about the fact that Kon is gone. Tim knows Dick already has a lot on his plate.]

[His hands flex, heartbeat fast in his own ears, adrenaline flooding his body.]

[He should have more of an answer. He should be able to articulate that Jason ran off and didn't contact anybody for a month. That Tim wouldn't have shut down if the Jasons hadn't been shouting at him.]

[That some part of Dick has always been like this and that's why his own double didn't come to him.]

[He should be able to say those things out loud.]

[Instead, he gives in to the anger (at Jason/at himself) coursing through his body, and punches Jason.]

( better.

some people look at dick grayson and they see the epitome of patience. they see the older brother, the golden boy, the one who holds his shit together when everyone else is losing it because he's just--like that. jason sees all of it, but he also sees the anger lurking under the surface. the cracks slowly breaking apart the soft smiles he wears when he's trying to hold everything else together. dick grayson is the eldest. the golden boy. the one who holds his shit together. but it's not because he has the patience of a saint, it's because he's got so much bullshit on his shoulders that he feels like he doesn't have a choice. jason can't do it, he can't pretend everything is fine when it's not, he can't wear a mask that hides away all the bullshit going on under it; it's part of the reason for the hood, isn't it? because jason's face often reflects everything going on in his head, and he can't be that when he's out on the streets.

dick doesn't have that problem, but dick does have this: all that pent up anger, frustration, irritation, everything bothering him that he keeps inside until he can't anymore and jason--jason knows this is something he can handle. he can push dick over the edge, he can let dick take it out on him for a minute, work out some of the anger until he's riding the edge a little less hard. jason knows how to do this, which is why he pushes.

it's also why he takes the hit. gives a soft grunt when it lands, before he's raising his own fist to return it. he's not trying to hurt dick, not exactly. he's mirroring his anger, mirroring his hits and pushing it just a fraction harder so dick himself will. )

[It's at least partly his showbiz background. As long as you weren't hurt enough to affect the show, it had to go on. You plastered on a smile and kept going. Kept your mind in the here and now because if you don't, somebody might get hurt.]

[That somebody might be you, so more reason to keep it up.]

[He SHOULD deflect the punch, make it so that Jason's doesn't hit. But he has body armor on under his clothes. It's why he's wearing a light jacket in the middle of summer, why he hadn't taken it off in the cafe. So it absorbs some of the hit, but not all of it. Not enough to keep Dick from grunting, already punching again.]

[He has enough presence of mind to keep the punches to center mass. He's not trying to hurt Jason, after all. He trusts his brother to have armor on. This isn't about harming each other, anyway. It's just a more emotional bloodletting.]

( see, that'd be a great idea usually. jason's wearing body armor, because he always is these days. it's not quite visible under the jacket, given he's got a loose tee on over it--but dick can probably make out the fabric under the collar of his shirt, if he looks close enough.

except jason's torso is also covered in bruises currently; he's still recovering from a few cracked ribs, but he's not letting that slow him down any. there's a grunt when dick's fist slams against him, but jason's shifting near immediately into another hit, putting more force behind his fist this time when he swings it directly for dick's face.

there's just something satisfying about leaving bruises in visible spaces, especially on someone like dick. not that he'd say that out loud, especially not now. )

[It's easier to put bruises on Dick when he's like this. When he's needing a fight enough to just jump in like this.]

[He moves his head enough for Jason's punch to glance more than actually hit. Mostly because he's more careful about his head these days. Even if he does heal faster than he used to.]

[He grabs Jason's arm, pulling him closer and aiming another punch at his brother's midsection.]

Edited 2023-08-22 20:14 (UTC)

( that hurts.

and the hiss between his teeth makes it clear enough, too. he bends forward, doubles over a little, then reaches with the arm dick had used to pull him in to grab onto a fistful of dick's hair. yanks, hard.

briefly considers trying to flip him over onto the ground, but dick'd probably just turn it around on him, so jason just-- )

Come on, I know you can hit better than that.

You're already fighting injured, you dumbass.

[He can definitely hit harder than he has been. The first few swings were testing out, seeing what Jason was willing to tank. It doesn't mean for a moment that Dick hasn't noticed that Jason's already in a bad way.]

[Which means he should disengage, but he doesn't. Jason knew how injured he was when getting into this. Which means Dick can take it into account when fighting, but not go too easy on him. Which is why Dick shifts with the hair pull, leg going behind Jason's to catch him behind the knee, along with another punch to the midsection. He'll probably lose some hair, but he can afford to.]

( oops. dick wasn't supposed to know about that, thank you. )

Don't be a little bi-- ( dick shifts into jason's grip, which shifts jason's weight along with it. it would have been fine, really, except he goes for his knee in the same moment, which throws him off balance enough that the hit lands dead center, and jason doesn't get the opportunity to try and lessen the impact.

he falls back onto his ass on the roof with a wince, but now he's determined, thanks. jason raises a leg to kick at dick's shins, at the same moment dick's shadow reaches out from behind him to grab onto his shirt and yank him back. )

[It's like Jason doesn't expect Dick to actually fight. He might not be going for broke, but he's fine with going for what will end the fight with the fewest injuries.]

[And even that is helping because his mind is working through the fight, seeing where it's going, what he can do to counter Jason. His mind has a problem it can actually solve, not just worry at.]

[He's only just learned about Jason's powers, so he's not ready when his shadow pulls him backwards, also landing him on his ass. He shucks his jacket, pushing himself back up. Though a bit slower as he hadn't been able to break his fall, other than to curl and protect his head.]

( it's a hit dealt to throw dick off balance for a moment, so jason can pull himself up to his feet without the threat of getting knocked over again. he gets up onto his knees, then his feet. shakes out the strands of dick's hair that'd gotten stuck between his fingers when he yanked them out.

waits, for dick to throw off his jacket.

and then raises his fist to take a swing at dick's gut. he's more careful this time around. extends out one arm, keeps the other close to guard. jason wasn't going hard before, but the determination that flashes behind his eyes shows he's going for it now. )

[Taking off the jacket reveals what Jason had to know by now: Dick's actually wearing the Nightwing suit under his clothes. He wasn't expecting a fight, but he's ready for it.]

[He grunts as Jason's fist connects, though he takes hold of his arm to push it aside. It gives him a moment to gather himself, putting his other hand on Jason's shoulder and vaulting over his brother. Just enough to put him behind Jason.]

( jason's twisting himself around while dick still has a hand on his shoulder. he knows what he's going for, here--except twisting causes strain on his midsection and he's wincing but shoving his arm back regardless.

tries to shove his elbow right into dick as soon as he lands. fuck him and his dumb flips and vaults. )

[That's always the problem with fighting with somebody who knows how you fight. They're going to counter in ways that other people wouldn't.]

[Dick's able to tank it, but it's a near thing. It does make him stumble slightly, but he grabs the elbow and pulls, trying to get Jason off his feet.]

[The fact that it will ALSO pull at his midsection is barely considered at the moment.]

( it hurts like fuck, when he's already twisted and dick yanks on him more, but it's nothing jason can't handle. he's pushed through much worse for less, and he's pushing through this with nothing more than a hitched breath. dick pulls him, and jason lets his body go with it. swings his other hand around, fingers curled into a fist so he can try to slam it into dick's face. )

[This time, Dick isn't as fast about getting his head out of the way. Too close. So Jason's fist connects, snapping his head back and making him let go of Jason's arm so he can stumble back a bit.]

[And has to take a moment to shake his head, trying to get his head to stop swimming.]

( perfect. dick needs a minute to pull himself together, but jason doesn't give him that. he's raising a leg, swinging it straight for dick's midsection to kick him over, to throw him off, so jason can try and follow him right down to the ground and pin him to it. )

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