Just Robin Oneshots pt 4

Sicktember: Day Two

Alt prompt: "I didn't mean to wake you up"

It wasn't unusual to see Tim passed out somewhere in a back-breaking position. He was married to his work from the moment he became Robin, and his coffee consumption had long since destroyed his sleep cycle before he was old enough to drive. He could sleep anywhere which was both a good thing and a bad one. The good part was he didn't need to drag himself to bed and spend the last of his energy scaling the stairs. The bad part was he woke up with aches and pains that he never really shook off. It was even worse when he was sick. A cold would last double the regular time because he'd work himself to the point of exhaustion and avoid any cold medicine that had the slightest chance of making him drowsy.

Dick watched him from across the room, angling himself so he could sneak glances over the top of his laptop screen to where Tim was scrunched into an office chair. A tissue box to his right and a bin to his left close to overflowing with used ones. He had three different mugs on the desk. One contained something to help his throat, another was filled with coffee and a third was water with some lemon and ginger inside. Alfred had given him some cold medicine but that had been tossed to the side when one of the effects listed drowsiness. 

Bruce sat further away, both to provide personal space and to avoid being close enough to catch anything. He wasn't a germaphobe. More like a workaholic who didn't want to risk being benched. He also gave his ward some concerned glances that read like they were supposed to accompany gentle pats on the back or a hug. Dick noticed that the pair had caught eyes a few times, having one of those mental conversations everyone in their family learned. He was a little rusty but he caught a few familiar phrases.

"You should go to bed."

"I'm fine."

"You're sick."

"It's just a cold. I'm fine."

Whilst he gave Bruce his dues, acknowledging that his parenting skills had definitely improved, he was still left with something to be desired. If it was Dick's kid, he'd be in bed with a tummy full of soup and medicine by now. It wasn't his place to advise anyone on how to raise a kid being childless himself but he did have the Titans. Sometimes that felt like raising kids. Tim would be banned from a computer after a few days of not getting any better. Still, he didn't say anything. Just watched from the sidelines.

Eventually, Tim began to sag in his seat and his eyes closed once and for all. He needed the sleep but he'd probably wake up feeling just as shitty if he stayed there. Dick's gaze drifted over to Bruce. His previous mentor had noticed Tim slip into sleep but he made no effort to cart him off to bed. He frowned to himself.

"He can't sleep there," Dick said, unable to bite his tongue any longer. 

"He's slept there before. I can keep an eye on him here," Bruce responded. He didn't snap like the acrobat had expected. He almost sounded regretful as though he was only allowing this because it was the lesser of two evils. Progress, he supposed. 

"I could keep an eye on him," he offered. "I can take my laptop anywhere."