[ Jason has done so much work on himself, and Dick could see the difference day by day. That firey heart he knows and loves would always be there, and he wouldn't ever want to see it go anywhere, but he was also happy to see Jason learn to soothe away some of the pain that spiked to the surface.

He has also learned, too, not to always take that pain so personally. When Jason needed space, Dick was learning to give it to him, to patiently stay by Jason's side, even if sometimes it wasn't physically. He was starting to understand better and better where those needs came from. And the more Jason accepted Dick in these moments, the more he loved his brother.

Those words made him smile. A huff of laughter fondly pressed against Jason's hair as he dropped a kiss atop his boyfriend's head. ]

Hey. That's my savage beast you're talking about.

[ he set his hand on Jason's thigh, squeezing gently with the quiet tease. ]

Listen. I'm sorry, Jay. It wasn't my brightest moment to throw you a surprise party.