Are we gonna talk about my break? No. We're not.

Jason didn't know how to say it but he didn't want to sleep in the same bed as Dick and Tim anymore. Sure, he'd gotten used to the feeling of other people in his bed but that was because they had to. They had rooms all to themselves now that they could take advantage of. There was no reason to share the bed, even if the new mattress made it considerably less cramped. He'd settled into their new home too so he wanted to at least try again to sleep on his own. 

The only problem was, he didn't know how to say it. They'd always done it and if he went against the grain now who knows how they'll react? Dick didn't show it that much but he was...sensitive when it came to things like this and Tim wasn't much better. The matter plagued him. He just wished he could talk to someone about it but the only people he trusted to talk about it with were the ones he needed to tell. It was all so complicated and if there was one thing he didn't like it would be something complicated. Why did he have to care how the others felt? Why didn't he just do what he wanted to do? It couldn't be because he was nice since he got a thrill from beating innocent people up.

Whilst in the Batcave, Bruce did a little check-up on the boys he'd recently brought into his home. They didn't spend much time together outside of his business and his hero duties so this was the most he could do while he was swamped with work. He checked the cameras, finding Tim waking up Dick with paper in his hand. Probably their homework since it was around that time now. 

He looked around for Jason and found him on the small basketball court in the backyard. He bounced the ball a few times and shot it, getting it through the hoop and catching it when it bounced towards him. There was a long pause before he continued in which he looked down to the floor. 

Bruce frowned to himself as he watched the boy continue to play alone. There was something about those few moments of inactivity that set off alarm bells. Something was going on with Jason. Considering those he trusted most were just moments away upstairs and he wasn't going to them, this thing was something very troubling. Bruce glanced over at the stack of reports and then stood up to get dressed into his normal attire. Reports could wait. This could be his chance to get closer to the kid he took in.

"Something on your mind kid?" Bruce called to Jason. The younger turned to him and shook his head. 

"Nope. I was just enjoying a nice game before you interrupted me," he responded with a huff. Bruce frowned and walked over to him. 

"How about we play a game, huh? First to get ten points to win. If I win, you tell me what's going on. If you win, I'll call it quits and let you carry on." He stuck out his hand and, after some consideration, Jason took it. 

"You're on."

Timeskip because holy shit I don't understand how basketball works sshhh

It was down to the last point and Bruce was winning. Jason had no idea how he got so far ahead. He was winning in the beginning but the older one just pulled out some great moves that allowed him to get nine points in mere minutes. He'd have to ask where he learned that. The boys at school would love him even more if he could pull out that sort of skill. 

Bruce dribbled past him, weaving around so that he couldn't even see the ball let alone try to knock it out of his hands. The older dribbled up to the basket and threw, getting it in on the first try. The ball bounced to the floor and he caught it with a smug smile. 

"Looks like I win," he announced as though Jason needed the victory rubbed in his face any further. The younger folded his arms with a huff. "You better start talking," he added. He sat down on the steps that led to the garden and patted the spot next to him. Jason was hesitant at first but eventually went to sit with him. 

"What makes you so sure there's anything going on?" he asked though the answer was obvious. 

"If there wasn't something going on then why did I have to school you at basketball?" Bruce answered. He hummed and cast his sights to the ground where he scuffed his shoes every now and then. 

"You wouldn't understand."

"How can you be so sure? I don't even know what's up with you yet." Jason guessed that he would be willing to play the long game. He was a businessman so he probably knew how to negotiate things in his favour. It was better to get it over and done with. 

"Fine. Tim, Dick and I have always shared a bed. Before it was because we didn't have a choice and now it's because we're used it to it," he began. "Thing is, I don't want to do it anymore. There's no point and I want to try something new." Bruce cocked his head to the child.

"Well, what's the problem?"

"I don't know how they'll react. I don't want them to get upset over it," he explained. He looked at his feet again, almost in shame of caring so much about what they thought and felt. "We've stuck together through a lot with Dick tricking us and that. It'd be bad if it just ended over this." The older hummed. Yeah, there wasn't a bit in the parenting books about this. They were already pretty out of the ordinary. He doubted he'd find any subreddit that told him how this should go. 

"Have you mentioned wanting to sleep in your own bed?" Bruce asked. He shook his head. "Maybe you should ease them into it? They won't get mad at you if you explain how you feel. Like you said, you've been through a lot together, I don't think they'll kick you out of the group over sleeping arrangements," he reassured him.

Oddly enough, sitting and talking with Bruce actually helped. He helped confirm that this wouldn't be the end of the world if he told them about it. Jason turned to the man beside him with a small smirk. He hadn't expected him to care let alone try to help him out. Maybe this was a more permanent gig than he first thought. 

"Thanks, Bruce," he said quietly. Bruce turned to him with a surprised expression. He didn't think he'd get a thank you. His advice wasn't that good. His shock got a low chuckle out of the boy. "No need to look like that. It's not like I said I love you or something," he added.

"Right, well, it was no problem. You can come to me anytime," Bruce replied. Jason nodded and got up. 

"I'll hold you to that. Mind showing me how you got nine points when I was only at two?" Bruce got up with him and laughed to himself softly. Who knew basketball would bring them just a little closer? 

"Alright, but you have to pay attention."

That night, the boys walked into Dick's room as they always did. Tim hopped on the bed with a book in hand, one that he'd gotten from the library downstairs, and got himself comfortable. He pulled the covers over him and then looked over to Jason who lingered in the hallway. 

"Something wrong Jay?" he asked. Dick looked his way too when he heard the question.

"No, it's not that something's wrong. It's just I'm not really into sleeping in the same room as you guys anymore," he answered. The youngest and eldest in the room glanced at one another with a confused expression. 

"Why?" Dick inquired. Their expressions almost made Jason want to drop the subject and just give in to sleeping on the same bed as them. They were surprised, confused and a little upset. Yet he didn't relent to the reaction. He didn't want to do this and that was okay. Bruce showed that it was okay. 

"I don't see the point in it anymore. We've been given massive rooms and yeah it was a little scary at first but I want to try again," he explained.

"So it's nothing we did?" Tim asked.

"No, not at all. I just want to try sleeping in my own room for once. It's been ages," he assured him. 

"Alright then. Goodnight I guess," Dick said, failing in masking his discomfort. "Feel free to come back if you need to."

"Goodnight Jay."

"Goodnight you two."

The pair waited until they heard Jason's bedroom door close before they talked about what happened. 

"That was weird," Dick stated as he went to close the door. He didn't really know what else to say. They'd been doing it for ages, he didn't even think there was anything wrong with keeping it going. The rooms were purely arbitrary. 

"He sort of has a point though," Tim replied. He turned around with a surprised expression. 

"Were you two talking about this? Do you want to do the same thing?" he pressed. He got back onto the bed and waited for a reply. Were they planning this behind his back? 

"This is the first I've heard of it. I can't help but agree with him. We probably only kept doing this because we were anxious the first night. We're more comfortable now so-"

"So you're gonna leave too?" Dick interrupted. His tone was slightly harsher than he meant it to be.

"I didn't say that."

"But it's what you meant, isn't it? You want to leave too so just do it. Why drag it out?" he snapped. Tim shut his book dramatically and slid off the bed in a huff. He didn't have to sit there and get ranted at and accused of things he didn't feel. Now that it had been brought up, maybe he should sleep in his own room. Especially if Dick was going to act like this. 

"I didn't want to before but now it's been mentioned it's looking very nice," he said as he began to walk out of the room.

"Fine! It's not like I need you hogging the sheets anyway!" Dick shouted.

"You don't even sleep!" He tore open the door and stomped off as Bruce got to the top of the stairs. He watched as the child went to his room and slammed the door shut then looked inside Dick's room. 

"Hey chum, is everything alright in here?" he asked after lightly knocking on the door as he opened it. He really hoped this had nothing to do with the advice he gave Jason. 

"Yes everything's just peachy," Dick answered harshly. He walked up to the door and shut it in Bruce's face before he could continue the conversation. He didn't need Bruce. He didn't need Tim. He didn't need Jason. He didn't need a single soul.