Two for the Price of One

July 9th

"Look Ter, I go with B tonight, you observe, and get into the swing of things! We can ask to go alone again tomorrow for you to get a better hold of yourself right? We can do this for however long you feel you need to before you can patrol with B," Dick had softly spoken while he was getting ready for dinner in his room.

Terry grunted.

"Are you even listening to me?" Dick had asked, a little irritated.

Okay, yes Terry was, but his thoughts were somewhere else.

As he felt the motions of arms crossing at the chest, almost as if he was underwater, he was thinking about Jason. His injuries were worse than they had originally thought, but it wasn't dire. But it was enough that Dick had to go through some of the supplies they had bought or else they would have to go into the first aid kits. Dick made sure he tried to use only the stuff that Jason wanted, but unfortunately for Jason, Dick had to dip into the 'away' pile.

Terry made sure Dick made Jason take those supplies. "For sanitation you know." Dick had explained to the younger boy.

It made his blood boil that Jason went through that. Including the things at home. Jason might not think he deserves kindness, but he does. Same as all of the children who aren't shown any.

Maybe if Dick was okay with it, when they fix up the new 'safehouse', they'll be able to house those kids who don't have a home. Or shouldn't be at theirs.

Maybe they could do a series of those houses around Gotham? Try to make them all look the same so if a child goes to a different one for various reasons, they wouldn't have to rememorize the layout. Maybe Matt might find one if word gets around about it...

'TERRY!' Dick screamed in their bond.

If Terry could, he would jump. 'Holy crap! Jesus, Dick did you have to be that loud?' He asked.

'Well you weren't listening!'

'I was thinking okay! It sounds like a okay plan, let's do it! Slag it, if I had a ear right now I swear, it would be ringing right now.' He really wanted to rub his head, but there were two problems with that.

One, it wasn't his head.

Two, he wasn't even in control right then.

'Then what, pray tell, were you thinking about?' Dick sounded like he really wanted to know.

Terry made an audible sigh. 'You know that idea of a safehouse for Jason?'

He watched as Dick squinted his eyes in the mirror. 'Yeeeaaaah.'

'Well, I was thinking that maybe we could have them around Gotham. In case anyone needs it. Or maybe Matt might find it and have a safe place to stay... if he's even here.'

Now here was when Dick sighed with his whole body. 'Terry, I know you're getting antsy with not finding Matt but-'

Terry did not want to listen to that. 'I KNOW!' He exploded. 'I know that Matt is either here or not! It's as simple as that! Either he is or he isn't! I just-! I just...'

Emotions overwhelmed him. Feelings of rage, worry, sorrow, and regret were swirling around him, trying to drown him. Everything that he was trying to keep under the surface erupted into a storm. He wasn't like Bruce, who could hold down his emotions for ages. Terry could keep them at bay for only so long.

'Matt's my little brother. It's my job as his older brother to protect him and keep him safe. And he was not safe. I don't know... I don't know what I do if I found out that he... he's...' Terry couldn't even finish that thought. 'So if there's even the smallest chance of making something that he might find, in order to be at least a little safe, then I want to do it.'