just some boys bein on a farm

continuing on from You're A Good Brother Damian decides to take Jon up on his offer and Bruce is still very much dead

get my jab today can't wait to be tagged by daddy gates

The Kent Farm was a long way from Gotham but both batboys could do with a break. It had been especially busy in their city and just as they finished one case, another opened. Damian was usually pleased with having this much work but even he was getting sick of how often they were having these stints of barely having time to breathe. A break would be better than running themselves into the ground and Alfred wholeheartedly agreed. He was making arrangements as soon as the suggestion was made. He was always one for them making the most of their civilian lives so it wasn't too surprising. That and he could do without the constant bickering. It was pretty much decided when Dick caught wind of the opportunity to leave the city for a setting where he wouldn't need to run from the press every five minutes. Since it was so far away it also meant they'd be staying the night there which the butler was all too happy to allow. A whole day without bickering plus a night of not fretting or patching up his boys? There was no way this wasn't going to happen.

The drive up was mostly silent aside from the radio playing music quietly and the brief conversations the pair had. Dick had his eyes trained on changing scenery whilst Damian was concentrating on the road. He didn't realize just how tired he was until they were an hour in. His eyes were begging him to let them close for just a few minutes but surprisingly he didn't want to crash the car. He'd try to get some sleep that night after checking Gotham wasn't burning down without his presence. Then he'd check Bludhaven too. Maybe check the other cities just in case. He sighed softly to himself. He was becoming his father and he really didn't like that. He was better than his father, he knew that for sure, but the parallels were still unfavourable. "I can change the song," Dick offered, overhearing the sigh. He glanced over to the other, seeing him tensed. 

"It's not the song," he replied. The acrobat nodded and opened his mouth to say something but closed it before a word was uttered. It wasn't a secret that Damian didn't like opening up and the younger was well aware of this trait. He clearly wanted to press yet he knew better. "I'll expect your best behaviour. Although this is our day off we still have an image." 

"I know Dami," he responded, returning his gaze to the window with a frown. Shit wrong time to bring that up. That should've been said when they were starting their journey, not in the middle. "It'll be nice to go further than Gotham for once even if it's not for work. It can get boring."

"I've never known psychotic clowns and riddle obsessed maniacs to be boring," he replied. Dick cackled at him and turned back. His body language was much better now. Relaxed. The older would be patting himself on the back for the next week thanks to that save. 

"You know what I mean. The last time I went to a farm I was like six. They let me feed the goats and help collect the crops and move hay bales- actually now I think about it I might've been working for them," he replied. He shrugged to himself.

"Sounds like child labour," Damian muttered. The younger tutted with a smile. He was getting used to that dry type of humour. Before he would've taken offence and then the car ride would've been an insufferable mix of angry silence and passive-aggressive comments. Things were mellowing out between them. It took a lot of mistakes but they seemed to find a healthy balance of bickering and caring. Damian would've never imagined having this outcome when they first met one another. He found Dick to be an over-excited ball of recklessness wrapped in terminal happiness but now he'd learned more about him, revealing that he was much more than Damian took him for. Smart, funny, quick-thinking, selfless. All the things that made him such a good hero. He couldn't help but wonder if Bruce hadn't died, would he have been given this opportunity to know Dick as he did? Looking after the younger began with fulfilling a promise but now he couldn't imagine going back. He really saw this boy as family. 

"Damian? You alright?" Dick called. He must've gone quiet.

"Yes, I was just thinking," he replied.

"Good thinking?" He nodded. "Makes a change, you're usually thinking about things going wrong. Maybe I'm rubbing off on you."

"I hope not," he mumbled. The acrobat tutted again and returned to looking out the window only he was much happier this time. "You should get some rest since we still have a few hours. I know you're running on Monster and coffee."

"You need rest too, Dami. Besides, I don't wanna have a nightmare in the car. Might make you crash and I'd rather not hear you complain about it for eternity. I'll tell Alf you tried."

"Thank you."

It was around noon when they arrived, pulling up outside the farmhouse where they were greeted by Jon who was standing on the porch waving to them. Dick jumped out of the car as soon as it came to a stop and stretched. He was never one for long journeys but if it meant getting out of Gotham, he'd do it again. Damian got out after him, tutting at him as he cracked his back by back-bending until his hands touched the floor. "I've told you before about that," he scolded. 

"Yeah yeah, chiropractors do the same thing but horizontally," Dick defended. "Hey, Jon!" The super smiled from ear to ear at the friendly greeting. It was much better than the last time they saw one another. He knelt down and held his arms out so the boy ran into them. Dick giggled as he was picked up and tossed high into the air. 

"Don't throw him too high," Damian warned as he brought out a duffle bag from the trunk. He shouldered the bag and locked the car. 

"Oh he's fine, aren't you?" Jon replied confidently. The acrobat was cackling so they assumed that meant yes. "See?" The older bat rolled his eyes and walked inside. "Your bedroom is the second door on the left!" The house had a fifties style to it with the newest piece of furniture being from the late eighties. It was surprising that they managed to keep everything so retro given the two supers in the family. Damian had stayed at the house a few times before, mostly during his childhood rather than his adult years. Still, he held some fondness for the old place even if he spent little time there. There was always some calmness in the countryside thanks to the quiet you never heard in the city. He heard the cackling continue and shook his head although he wore a small smile. He walked upstairs and found the bedroom, putting his duffle bag down on one of the beds and sitting beside it. The room was nothing special compared to the grand bedrooms of the Manor but it did feel homier. There were paintings that Clark and Jon had made when they were children hung up. One of the beds was lower down than the other and Damian recognised that this was the room he'd slept in whenever he visited. The sheets on that bed had superman symbols on them. He tutted at it, knowing Jon had picked that on purpose. As he began to unpack, his eyes felt so heavy that it became a losing battle trying to keep them open. Jon could take care of Dick for a bit, right? He was a hero so he must be responsible. Plus they were both of fairly good intelligence and Jon knew the farm well. A little nap would leave Damian rejuvenated and he'd be able to do much better work. One small nap. His body had already made up its mind as he found himself kicking off his shoes and getting under the covers, nodding off soon after.

Outside, Jon eventually let the acrobat return to Earth and felt relieved to see a bright smile on the younger's face. "It's nice to see you again. How's Gotham been?" Jon asked as they went inside. 

"Same old, same old," Dick answered. "Did you say the bedroom was second on the left?"

"Yeah but I think he'll be okay unpacking alone," the super replied. Dick hummed and looked longingly at the stairs. He hadn't seen the older go up the stairs so what if he didn't make it up there? "I'll check for you if you'd like? I know you worry but there's no point going up there just to see him unpacking underwear." The younger laughed softly then nodded, taking him up on the offer. Jon looked up at the ceiling and, thanks to his X-ray vision, found that Damian was upstairs just as expected. What wasn't expected was for him to be laying down. The sleepless bat was actually asleep or was at least laying down. Jon had planned to take Dick off the hero's hands for a few hours anyway so the impromptu nap wouldn't disturb today's plans. "He's good. Hey, how about we go feed the animals?"

"Shouldn't we ask Dami if he wants to join?"

"Nah, he's napping. Besides, he'll only be a spoilsport talking about "health and safety" or something."

"I guess so," he mumbled, hesitant to leave without at least checking for himself. Then again, he was in the middle of nowhere with someone who could shoot lasers out of their eyes. No one had followed them the entire journey and he had no reason to fear something bad happening. He was being paranoid by not trusting Jon. 

"He'll be okay. We'll only be a few hours and you'll be able to see the house. I can check whenever you want," the older assured him. 

"Yeah. Yeah, this is fine. It's only a few hours and you can speed over here," he responded. He nodded to himself and looked back at him. "Let's go." Jon smiled, happy that he successfully deterred the younger from bothering his brother, and led the way to the chicken coup.

As they fed the animals, Jon couldn't help but notice the little yawns that slipped through Dick's defences. He rubbed at his eyes occasionally but the older didn't think much of it. After all, they were heroes working the night shift. They were bound to get tired during the day and with how young Dick was, it wasn't surprising that he'd be tired for longer. He was probably too stubborn to have a nap just like his older brother. "So, have things between you and Damian been good?" Jon asked as they fed the pigs. The topic brought a smile to the acrobat's face.

"Yeah actually. I think he's finally getting used to me! Don't tell him I said this but he's been putting notes in my lunch boxes. Mostly just to-do lists for when I get home but at the end, he always puts a little Robin R. It's sweet and I know he does it because Alfie signs his notes," he answered. He patted one of the pigs who snorted in response, making him laugh. He really loved animals. In the beginning, it had been one of the few things he had in common with Damian. They'd make sure that any animal they found on patrol would be given to the right authorities or returned home. He liked to think that Damian's animals taking a liking to him also helped his stance. Alfred had pawed at his door the entire first week Bruce was gone, always meowing and making him open the door only to trot into his room like he owned the place and then jump onto his bed. Ace would never be far behind. He'd push the door open, sniff at him then walk back out to find his master. Showing such affection might've made Damian more patient with him or it might've just made him annoyed that all his pets were hanging out with the boy he found irritating. Either way, Dick liked to think it caused the first. 

"You've made him go soft then," Jon commented. "Let's go check the stables." The younger nodded and gave one last pat to the pigs before following the hero over to the stables that held the few horses the farm had. They were all pretty old now and weren't for riding but they were kept around anyway. Dick was about to enter the building when he looked back to the farmhouse. Seeing his hesitance, the super quickly checked on the bat they left behind. Sure enough, he was still asleep which he relayed to Dick. 

"Thanks. I don't know why I'm so..."

"Anxious?"

"Paranoid more like. I know it's just us out here but I guess my brain hasn't figured that out yet. I'm still worried something bad is gonna happen and he isn't gonna be there when we go back."

"Speaking of, have you managed to get your check-in times down?" he asked, grabbing a handful of hay and feeding the eldest horse with it. The horse used to be a stud but now spent his days lazying around. He couldn't blame him though.

"Yep! Every two hours now. One and a half if either of us has been hurt the night before," Dick answered. "Oh and I've been slowly convincing him to take a night off every month to hang out with you. I've got it to three hours so far but I'm sure I can annoy him enough to get to a whole night." Jon smirked at his confidence. If anyone could do it, it would be the tiny acrobat that had everyone wrapped around his little finger without even knowing it.

There was another yawn that caught his eye, this one much more poorly stifled than the ones that had proceeded it. "Are you tired?"

"Aren't we always tired?"

"Yeah but you seem more tired than usual. So does Damian for that matter." The smaller let out a sigh and he knew something bad was going to come from this. He almost felt bad for asking but then again, he'd never been a believer in the phrase curiosity killed the cat. He was much more supportive of the additive of satisfaction brought it back. 

"It's been super busy. Every time we think we have time to come up for air, we're drowning again," Dick began. He went to continue but he paused. His eyebrows furrowed together as he thought about whether to press on or not. "If I tell you the other stuff, you can't let Damian know I told you. He'll kill me for leaking it."

"You won't hear a peep from me," the super assured him. He nodded and chewed on his bottom lip as he thought harder. Eventually, he closed his eyes and let out a short breath before turning to face his fellow hero. It only felt right to say the next part face to face. 

"Damian isn't sleeping well. He's been trying out this new sleep medication but it's hard for us to get him to take it regularly. He doesn't want to sleep too heavily I think. He might be scared. Alfred and I have been forcing him most of the time. Ends in a yelling match every time. Sometimes he yells and takes them. Sometimes he yells and leaves," Dick explained. "Alfred is exhausted of it." He took a seat on a nearby stool and Jon held his breath. That wasn't the only thing going down at Wayne Manor and he didn't know how much more was coming. "I took over the pill duty so to speak. I feel shit about it but I still argue every night and hope he takes it."

"That's good of you."

"I guess," he mumbled. "The fights I can deal with, I really can. We've fought worse and when I'm not asking him to take the pills, we're getting on like a house on fire. He's just so wound up. He's gonna lose it one of these days and the less sleep he gets the sooner it's gonna be. I'm surprised he's even asleep now."

"Must've caught up with him. The drive up might've been the monotonous thing to make him tap out."

"A car ride. Who knew something so simple would put him to sleep," Dick mused. He got a glum look on his face that the super hated to see. "Things aren't gonna be perfect, I know that, I just wish they'd be easier. If it's not me, it's Damian. If it's not Damian, it's me. I'm tired and so is he and it would be so much easier if our stupid family actually got involved. Just maybe then we'd be close again and things wouldn't be so heavy." Jon sat beside the younger and put his arm around him. There was so much going on in this kid's life and he could imagine it was all like standing in the eye of the storm. It had been no secret the so-called Batfamily had fallen off the wagon. They were all dealing with the loss of their ex-mentor in their own ways and not everyone had the same way of dealing with it. Some worked, some talked, some reached out whilst others secluded themselves. Dick was one of the ones who mixed it up. He'd seclude himself then he would reach out for comfort. Damian just kept it to the first until he couldn't anymore. 

"I'm sorry Dickie," Jon said.

"It's not your fault. You're helping by letting us stay up here," he explained. He leaned on the older and let himself wind down for a moment. He wouldn't sleep. No, he couldn't sleep. That was a big no-no but he would relax. They shared a quiet moment, slowing down from their fast-paced lifestyles. It wasn't often they got these moments to just sit and let their minds be at peace. Dick shifted away and blinked a few times so he didn't fall asleep. He got up to get his brain kicked into gear then looked down to Jon who gave him a concerned look. "I'm fine," he stated.

"I doubt that but we better get going. I need to figure out what vegans can eat," Jon replied.

"Oh, I know a few recipes. I've helped Alfred with a few. We could do a vegan pizza?"

"Perfect."

Damian woke up to laughter coming from downstairs and he wondered how long he'd been out. One glance over to the window and he noted it had to have been a few hours considering the sun was setting. He must've needed the sleep but he wasn't happy about losing all that time. He got up and stretched before making his way downstairs. In the kitchen, Dick and Jon were throwing flour at each other. They were both covered in it and Damian could only shake his head disapprovingly. "You two are making a mess," he announced, making the pair turn to face him.

"He started it!" Dick cackled.

"I plead the fifth," the super retorted. "How'd you sleep?"

"Fine. What are you two doing?"

"We're making pizzas. I taught Jon the vegan recipe we do for you at home," the younger replied. He hummed in response. There was a ghost of a smile playing on his features as he looked at the messy sight. Dick had that stupid big smile on his face and it had annoyingly grown on him. Jon didn't help, looking just as goofy. These two idiots had somehow wormed their ways into his heart yet he wouldn't have it any other way. He wouldn't say that to them of course. Appearances and all that. 

"If you're quite done, you should clean up. You'll get baker's asthma."

"It's only a little flour Dami," Dick replied.

"No, no your brother's right. There's only one way we can get ourselves cleaned up," Jon began, a mischievous smile on his face.

"Have a shower?"

"Use the wind! Let's go!" The older bat could only shake his head as Jon picked up his brother and flew out of the room. He was sure there was a rule against flying in the house but he decided to let them be for now. Whilst they were gone, he looked over the pizzas. He could tell which were which. They'd attempted to make his look as neat as possible whilst theirs were messy and piled with toppings. It surely wouldn't cook so he washed his hands and took some of the ingredients off before putting both of the pizzas in the beeping oven that had done preheating. As he cleaned, he could hear their laughter echoing through the countryside. He did love their laughs. It was a wonderful coincidence that they matched one another. 

Upon their return, Damian tutted and fixed Dick's windswept hair. At least they were flour-free. He caught up with Jon as the pizzas cooked then they all sat down together where Dick helpfully filled him in on everything they did whilst he was asleep. Admittedly, the older had hardly listened to a word of what he'd said. He instead more focused on that smile that he'd seen so dulled for far too long now shining brightly. They'd had good times of course and he'd seen the smile often before Bruce died but now that he was drip-fed it, he'd come to appreciate it much more. Maybe he'd been working the acrobat too hard lately. He was only young after all. It wasn't his fault that Damian had been raised to work every minute of every day even if Bruce never admitted to such a regime. He had to do right by his little brother and maybe days like these were more necessary than he thought. Before he knew it, the meal was over and they were watching a movie together then it was time for bed. Everything went by so fast that it all felt like some sort of snapchat story yet he enjoyed every minute of it. He carried his dosing brother to bed and tucked him in. "You two good for tonight?" Jon asked.

"We should be. Thank you."

"No worries dude."

"No, really. Thank you. For taking care of him," he stated. 

"Anytime Dami. Y'know, maybe we could hang out one of these days. One on one. Like the old times?" Damian paused and looked up at him.

"Uhm."

"Right yeah sorry you've got him and everything and you two are going through a lot and the whole separation anxiety-"

"I didn't say no Kent. I'm just thinking about it."

"Just kiss you weirdos," Dick grumbled, half asleep. The pair blushed and just hoped that was part of an oddly timed dream since he didn't open his eyes. 

"I'll get back to you."

"Y-yeah. Cool. Nice, I'll uh...yeah."