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Lying in bed was really starting to be Tim’s least favourite thing to do at home.
Not that he had been one to do much of that anyway, but he supposed that it’s what got him there in the first place. Running on coffee instead of actual sleep had been his general modus operandi for long enough that even his family could hardly tell the difference anymore. At least until he started falling asleep and seemingly random, at school, at the batcomputer, even on patrol.
Falling off the rooftops was a strong wakeup call, though he really wished that his eyes had shot open even just a second earlier so his aim with the grappling hook would have been less off. Crashing into a wall at full speed was no fun and the black eyes, broken bones and subsequent infection- “This is what happens when you do not rest properly Master Tim. Now please lie back down and allow your body and immune system to recover properly.” -even less so.
The drip in his arm was for the vitamins and general hydration that he admittedly also skimped out on during his latest research binges, though he swore that something else was in them as well that made him just incredibly tired. Or maybe his body was just finally catching up on months of sleep deprivation? A mystery for the ages. Maybe something for him to research while lying down, if only his arms were long enough to reach the phone on his table so he could-
“No.” A voice said. Someone was in the room with him. Someone who took his outstretched hand and put it back on the bed next to him. What a gentle hand.
The swelling on his eyelids had gone down enough that he could at least partially open his eyes, but any further caused a splitting headache. Tim already knew that it was neither Alfred nor Bruce- both spoke very distinctly- but with the ringing still in his ears and his vision slightly blurred he was only able to conclude that it was one of his brothers.
He thought he saw a shock of white and piercing, toxic, green eyes, but a blink blinding light? And a second once over only showed black hair and blue eyes. That his hurt body and slightly concussed mind made him think that Jason of all people had come to visit him in full pit madness in this state was beyond insanity. He swallowed back the laughter that started to crawl up his spine, a souvenir of joker venom that usually spiked back up to prey on his anxieties and leave him breathless in his very worst moments.
His brother sat down next to the bed on the ground and pressed his head against Tim’s unbroken arm. A feeling of calm overcame him at the contact, spreading from the feeling of hair on his arm. Hair always did have such a nice texture. As much as baby bird had been warming up to family as a whole, tuning down the stabbiness ever so slightly, there was no way that the person sitting there next to him was Damian (not to mention the green eyes), so that only left Dick.
They stayed that way for quite a while. Tim wasn’t sure if he had fallen asleep and woken up again or if he had just been drifting along in a haze for who even knows how long when Dick finally stood up, stretched In the way that showed how bendy he really was (incredibly so) and waved him goodbye.
“Bye Dick”, Tim rasped out. His brother chuckled and was gone when he blinked next.
What a busy day Dick had been having in Bludhaven would only get back to him many, many days later. No need to give him anything worth investigating while Timmy was on strict no-electronics bedrest and a full caffeine ban after all. Right?
-DPxDC-
After Danny had felt a liminal in distress while on vacation (which was rather unusual outside of Amity and its surrounding cities), checking on the guy was quickly becoming one of his favourite ways to spend the holidays away from all the jingles and memories that taunted him everywhere he went. Hopes of Gotham being too rogue infected to celebrate Christmas had gone down the drain the moment he stepped onto the first big streets, lit up in red, green, and golden lights with lit up stars hanging atop the walkways.
Following a liminal’s signs of distress into a fancy looking mansion until he found the room the feeling came from and finding it utterly devoid of Christmas-anything was a nice change of pace. The guy, around Danny’s age, so in his late teens, had clearly been through something. His left side had been broken badly and Danny was unsure if he’d lost a fight against the ground or another person with those black eyes but it must have hurt either way.
The bedsheet shifted slightly, a shaky hand reaching out towards a desk that stood too far away to reach without falling out of bed entirely. It was honestly quite the funny sight to see but the dude was already injured enough.
“No.” He grabbed the hand and gently put it back on the bed.
The guy’s eyes shifted slightly towards him and Danny could feel, truly nearly taste, utter terror. Liminals sometimes saw more of his true form when he was transformed (eldritch abominations are cuddly but not when unexpected he guessed), so he transformed back. Those swollen eyes would keep his identity secret enough.
The terror was still there, though seemed to be directed inwards now. Something in the air tasted off to Danny. A bad kind of off. So he did what Jazz had always done for him when he wasn’t feeling well: Offer an easy way for physical contact that seems reassuring, non-threatening and can easily be ended by one party.
Leaning against someone.
Plopping himself down on the ground (getting on a strangers bed without an invite was a big no-no, especially with ghostly territorialism) and leaning his head back until he felt the warmth of an arm that had most likely been lying under the covers for hours until that attempt at grabbing something was nice. As Danny projected safety and calm into the guy behind him and felt him go slack in relief, a smile crept up his face.
This was the kind of thing he wanted to do for people. Be there. Help. Probably disappear into nothingness again to psych them out. And definitely no fighting. Not anymore.
Being calm and spreading calm.
And so he stayed there for hours. The guy- Tim, if the ‘get well soon’ card on the desk could be trusted -fell in and out of consciousness several time, snoring loudly whenever he did reach the land of dreams. It was just so endearing.
The sun was starting to creep in through the windows as Danny decided that it was time to go. Getting caught in an injured strangers room was probably not the best idea after all. Danny stood up, stretched (a little more than would be humanly possible by his estimates) and turned around one last time to see Tim’s face and give a wave goodbye.
“Bye, dick” Tim said. It didn’t feel like an insult but he had just removed himself from a very comfortable position, so it wasn’t surprising that the dude was a bit miffed, but the dryness made it even better in Danny’s eyes. He let out a chuckle before going intangible and leaving through the nearest wall.
What a great day.
-DPxDC-
Checking in on Tim became a regular thing. Even with his enhanced healing factor from being liminal, Tim was sure to have a lot of painful days to full recovery, and spending time away from the incessant Christmas cheer and with a fun, if slightly stir crazy guy was better than most other things his mind could come up with.
The second time that Danny came he took pity on the poor guy and put on a cool audiobook (about astronomy!!!) for him to keep the guy some company when he was away.
The third time the audiobook was just finishing up, and Tim was in a much better mood. That no one had shut it off left Danny concerned for the level of supervision this clearly sick dude got, but noticing the food tray at the bottom of the bed alleviated it a lot. Looks like there hadn’t been any desert though.
The fourth time, Danny brought cookies and some non-alcoholic mulled wine. Food in the winter time really did have such a comforting quality to it when it didn’t come to live again at the dinner table. Tim also seemed to enjoy it immensely, which sent a flutter through Danny’s core.
The fifth time, he really couldn’t take the fact that Tim always seemed tired, no matter how much he slept. So he brought a large thermos (triple checked to make sure it wasn’t anti ghost) full of the best, liminal-friendly-coffee that he had ever found. And for the first time since he broke into this mansion he felt hostility from Tim about his very presence.
“Who on earth are you, cause you sure as heck aren’t my brother Dick. The coffee really gave it away,” Tim pointed out, taking a long sip of a beverage that tasted even better than the brilliantly delicious stuff he got at the best YJ coffee machine and a handful of other facilities all across the world. “I’m not allowed to have any coffee until further notice.”
He downed the extra strong half litre of coffee in one go.
Danny only looked back and forth between a disgruntled Tim, the empty cup and himself as his laughter came out in short, rapid bursts. It got to the point of needing some acute help centring himself again with some breathing exercises to avoid waking anyone else.
“M’ name’s Danny. I’m only a bit more dead than you apparently, which is how I found you in the first place. Great vibes.” Danny paused for a few seconds, contemplating a little before adding “Maybe we can go out for coffee sometime when you can go out again, huh?” before literally vanishing right in front of Tim’s still slightly swollen shut eyes.
Tim felt oddly okay with the idea of it all, and the detective in him wanted to know all about what on earth had happened.
Timmy’s caught himself an undead date. Nice.