It's the birthday present Dick never expected.
In the first place, Damian isn't the kind of person who tends to give meaningful presents. Last year, Damian gave him a toaster. Practical, yes, since he hadn't yet bought one for his apartment and had been complaining, and it was nice to know that Damian had actually paid enough attention to listen to his private life.
But still. A toaster. Not exactly the kind of present you expect to get from your little brother.
This was much more like it.
"Oh wow! A coupon for one free cuddle from Damian!" Dick grinned from ear to ear and looked around at the assembled guests, most of whom had started sputtering on their punch. "Thank, Little D, I appreciate it. I'm totally going to use this."
"Just be sure you read the fine print," was Damian's terse reply.
Dick turned the paper over and read the stipulations. Non-transferable. Must be used within 14 days. Excludes acts of hair-ruffling and talking about "feelings".
He could barely hide his grin. Fourteen days, eh?
He'd make Damian sweat it.
Damian will not admit it, but he's beginning to get nervous about the cuddle coupon. He can't believe he actually acted on the idea. Actually, he'd been expecting Dick to use the coupon right away, and then he'd have his hug and be done with it. Then he could go back to avoiding physical contact and displays of emotion.
It's now been two days, and Dick keeps looking at him with this little glint in his eyes. Dick is not the former Robin anyone would expect to be an evil imp who delighted in psychological torture. Normally Damian would assume Tim had that particular attribute.
The leers are the part that creep him out the most. Half a dozen times now, Damian has been practicing in the cave, cleaning his bedroom, or even just sitting on the couch texting, when he feels this terrible menacing presence behind him.
He whips around to see that it's Dick, with a maniacal grin that would probably be better suited on Two-Face or the Joker, holding the yellow "Cuddle Coupon" in his hand.
"I'm gonna hug you now!" he says, and Damian braces himself for one of Dick's full-contact fraternal embraces.
But before the hug comes, Dick stands back, puts his finger to his lips, and says, "Nah, maybe not. I oughta save it for a really good time."
If Dick Grayson publicly embarrasses him when he uses his cuddle coupon, he's getting a used pair of underwear for his next birthday.
One week since his birthday, and Dick is extremely smug to see the way his subtle attack has been affecting Damian.
All Dick has to do is stand behind Damian and breathe loudly, and the kid whips around like he's been shot. There's this little tiny bit of panic in his eyes, although he tries to school his features. Dick can read Damian well – he's terrified that Dick is going to do something crazy.
Sometimes Dick feels a little bad about taking advantage of Damian's insecurities this way. He knows that displays of affection – physical or verbal – don't come naturally to his little brother. It must have been a huge decision to give him this coupon.
It's part of the reason why Dick treasures it so much.
But since he's gotten the coupon, he's really been having a difficult time figuring out what he should do with it. Obviously, he wants to spend it, but he really doesn't want Damian to hate the experience. Dick's hoping that this hug will open up a new level of how often he gets to show Damian how much he loves him.
But now that he's got Damian running scared, any hug is going to make him upset.
No. He's going to wait. Dick has to time this perfectly for maximum power.
Damian has just left the entrance to the Batcave and come into the house when it happens.
A pair of arms wraps around his chest lifts him bodily off of the ground. For an instant, Damian stiffens, and his first instinct is to send a nerve pinch or a kidney strike into his assailant's body, then deliver a debilitating blow.
The little yellow coupon clenched in the right fist makes him pause and as his mind registers that his attacker is actually his older brother, he takes a deep breath, forces his body to relax, and endures the hug.
Dick is rocking him slightly back and forth, and the motion isn't unpleasant. After the initial defensive reaction, Damian finds himself secretly enjoying the pressure and the contact.
Plus Dick is murmuring into his ear, "Hey, baby brother, I love you."
Damian is pretty sure the coupon stipulated no talking about feelings, but he supposes "I love you" isn't such a bad sentiment.
When Dick releases him, he hands over the crumpled slip of paper. "So, Damian," he says, grinning, "Who put you up to that?"
Damian thinks about shredding the paper, but changes his mind. There's always a chance he might want to use it.
"Actually, it was Drake's idea."