Robin one shot part 3!

Gotham flu

Continuing on from Can we keep him?

Dick is around 5 and Damian is protective as hell but he'll stab you before he admits it

TW: SMALL MENTION OF VOMIT

Damian adored his little brother Dick but he wouldn't have anyone know that. He made a big show and dance whenever he was given babysitting duty and complained every time he was given a task to do with the child. Yet, despite his show of anger, nobody really bought the act less so Dick who was now a spritely lad that was a delightful handful. He was the only one who could draw out that softer side of Damian, even getting the older to sneak him sweet treats when Bruce already said no. That was quite the feat considering Damian was insistent on keeping his diet healthy. The pair had been near inseparable since Damian saved Dick from freezing in the stairwell and from the moment of saving him, the older had become protective of the boy. Anyone that dared to upset Dick was asking for death when Damian caught word of it, leading to a few fights at galas where comments had been made that Dick wouldn't understand but he certainly did. Bruce only mildly punished him by sending him to bed without dinner but Dick would sneak food away and give it to the other. This bond they shared was powerful so when Dick got badly sick, well that nearly drove his brother round the bend. 

Gotham winters were notoriously awful for the youngsters of the city as illness spread through crowds and schools seeking them out ready to ruin their week. It was practically a right of passage for them to catch it at one point and everyone in Wayne Manor had succumbed to the seasonal sickness. Well everyone except Dick who Damian made sure to protect every time the cold rolled in. Unfortunately, you can't prevent sickness that easily and one day when Damian was hanging out with Jon, Dick decided to spend his day outside playing in the snow. "Pennyworth, did he go out in appropriate clothing?" Damian asked as Dick hovered around the older. He simply adored his older brother and it admittedly had the others in the household jealous. Considering all the love and support they gave to him only for him to gravitate towards someone so cold stung. Yet there was nothing they could do to change it now and they'd just have to deal with the knowledge that the teen would get a bigger welcome home than they would. Totally not a big deal. 

"He did Master Damian. You fear too much for him. He's perfectly healthy," Alfred assured him. Damian narrowed his gaze at the butler and pressed the back of his hand against the acrobat's forehead. Nothing noticeable yet. 

"Grayson I told you about going outside in this weather." The younger frowned.

"Might I remind you that you aren't the lad's father," Alfred commented. 

"I'm aware yet Father's absence is ever obvious and I'm naturally the best fit for the position."

"Is that so?"

"Yes, it is." There was a tense silence between them as they both stood their time but Dick didn't understand why. He never did understand. Those matters were beyond him and as emotionally smart as he was, he wasn't a master and the intensity between the pair was above his understanding. 

"Cuz you saved me! Tell me the story again Dami!" Dick exclaimed, jumping up and down with excitement. 

"Inside voices," both of them told him, breaking the silence. He stopped jumping and nodded, suddenly becoming very shy. He always did when he felt he'd been scolded. They wondered where he picked it up since he certainly didn't get it from his brother. They wished it would brush off on the problem child. "I have work to do."