Chapter Text
Dick was obvious.
He was obvious in the way he showed his emotions. He wore his heart on his sleeve. Bruce never failed to figure out what exactly Dick was feeling. That’s why seeing Dick curled up in the side of the Batmobile, nose red and cheeks blotchy, Bruce knew that he was sick.
Dick sniffles into the cape wrapped around his body for warmth. It’s a cold day. The type of day where the wind is biting and the tips of your fingers go numb. Bruce hated seeing the way Dicks blinks slow in the freezing breeze during their stakeout. Or the way his shoulders trembled.
As Bruce pulled into the Cave, he put the Batmobile in park and sighed as he turned to Dick.
He scanned over Dick’s body. He saw the way his breaths were uneven. The rasps of his breaths as they puffed out warmly against the cool window.
Maybe it was Dick’s pathetically red nose, or maybe Bruce was overprotective (as usual), or maybe it was the way Dick softened at physical contact.
Either way, as soon as Bruce pulled into the cave, he didn’t have the heart to wake Dick up.
Alfred comes up to the car, impatient that Bruce has yet to leave out.
“Master Bruce, might I aid in taking the young lad up to med bay for check over?” Alfred asks.
Bruce shakes his head. “You’re good to turn in for tonight, Alfred. I got it.”
“As you please.” Alfred turns and walks in the direction of the lift.
Now that Alfred was gone, Bruce was really able to admire the youth of Dick. His chubby cheeks, his small hands, his soft locks. Dick was truly Bruce’s son.
He had a son .
Bruce carefully shifts Dick to lean back against the seat and away from the window. He opens the door on the driver side and gets out to round the Batmobile and open the passenger seat.
Dick’s head is bent at an unnatural angle. He’s obviously not completely dead to the world, hence the uneven breaths and the twitch he gives every once in a while.
Bruce cups his hand around Dick’s head and brushes his thumbs against the side of his face. “Dick.”
Dick’s head lolls forward.
Bruce considered shaking Dick awake, but did he really want to? He imagines Dick whining as he’s finally brought all the way to awareness, shivering in the cold cave, and leaning against Bruce as stumbled his way up to the room. The walk was already two minutes. Dick would never make it standing up with sleep encrusted eyes. No, it wasn’t worth it.
Dick wasn’t too heavy. He was mostly lean and muscular so he wasn’t light either. His skin was pale, eye bags apparent in the harsh computer light that was bouncing against their faces.
Bruce unbuckles Dick’s seat-belt and positions his arms to be around Bruce’s neck. He pulls Dick close and grabs him from under his thighs. He hoisted him up, arms and legs dangling in the air, with a small grunt. Bruce was strong but Dick was still dead weight in his arms.
His legs hung next to Bruce’s hips and he was pressed against his chest. Dick’s nose swiped against Bruce’s neck, leaving a trail of snot behind. Bruce suppressed a grimace and pat Dick’s back to settle him. Dick sighs and finally rests his head on Bruce’s shoulder.
Bruce brings Dick over to the showers and sets his laying flat on one of the benches. He’s quick to change out his suit and then Dick into comfortable clothes. Dick doesn’t awaken once during the entire process. Bruce grabs Dick from under his armpits and holds him close, once again.
Dick smelled of Kevlar, sweat, and kids shampoo because Dick claimed ‘real shampoo’ burned his eyes which made him not want to wash his hair and then he’ll stink. And Dick did not want to stink!
Bruce chuckles at the memory. As he enters the lift, dick whines and lets out a puff of air that tickles the back of Bruce’s neck. Bruce shushes Dick and starts to sway.
Vaguely, Bruce remembers the days when his mother held him the same way. He remembers running up to be in her grasp. The way she swayed Bruce to sleep and quieted his cry’s.
Dick settles as soon as Bruce gets a good rhythm. He rests his head on Bruce’s shoulder and lets out a big sigh.
It was only when they finally reached Dicks room and Bruce started to slowly set Dick on the bed, he wakes.
“Shhh, I gotcha. I got you, chum. Just close your eyes, there you go.”
Dick’s nose is so congested that he can’t even properly sniffle. Instead, it comes out in some type of snort. Bruce chuckles and this aggravates Dick even more. He lets out a dry sob and Bruce’s heart sinks.
“ Hey, sweetheart, hey. What’s the matter?”
“ Dad.”
Bruce freezes.
Dick has never called Bruce dad before. It’s clear that his fever riddled mind either confused Bruce for Dick’s real father or Dick finally acknowledges Bruce as one of his parents.
Another sob breaks Bruce out of the trance he’s in. Quickly scooping Dick up, Bruce sits on the edge of the bed and rocks Dick from side to side. Dicks cries slowly turn back into snorts as he tries to breathe through his stuffy nose.
Bruce decides Dick won’t sleep alone tonight. He lays down on top of the comforter and grabs a blanket off of Dick’s chair. He lays on the quilt on top of the both of them and sneaks a hand into Dick’s hair.
Bruce thinks of how small Dick was when he first came. He remembers the way Dick was obviously so very scared, but his chest was puffed out and his hands clenched, as he said a greeting.
His strong, little boy.
Bruce smiles as Dick finally seems to really be asleep.
“Goodnight, Dick.”
Bruce closes his eyes and Dick is the last thing he sees before he drifts off to sleep.