A/N: Once again, thank you to all the lovely people who review and favorite my stories; it means so much to me! I'm going to do my best to put new stories up regularly, but right now I'm just going to add the stories I've posted on tumblr (which are all Batman ones, I think). I absolutely love the Dick and Damian duo, so expect a lot of that in the next couple days while I get those stories up here as well. I hope you enjoy them!

Patrol had gone quite normally, but Dick was starting to notice that Damian's movements were a bit slower than usual, that his usual energy wasn't there, and that he was barely speaking. Worried about him, he decided to make it an early night, since it had been pretty quiet anyway. Damian didn't question it—that was even more unusual—and sat rigidly in the passenger's seat.

Dick tried not to read too deeply into it. He thought maybe the kid was just tired for some reason, and figured he'd crash as soon as they got back…but he didn't.

Instead, Damian lingered in the kitchen with him while he grabbed a snack, without actually eating anything. He just stood there, leaning against the side of the refrigerator until Dick walked out.

Dick thought he was going to bed then, but a minute later he showed up in the Batcave and watched as Dick went through a couple files for a case they were working.

After fifteen minutes of feeling Damian's eyes boring holes into his back, Dick turned around.

"Are you okay? Is there something you need?"

"Tt." Damian crossed his arms, not moving.

"Okay…" What is he doing? Am I forgetting something? Is he mad at me? What did I do? No, wait, if he was mad, he'd be more straightforward about it. So…what is it? Dick sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Look, I'll probably go to bed soon, so if there's anything you need me to do…"

Damian shrugged.

Dick had absolutely no idea what he was supposed to do. He had no idea why Damian was following him around silently, had no idea what he wanted, and he was pretty sure he wasn't going to be told. "Um, you want something to eat?" he tried, offering him the other half of his sandwich.

Damian winced nearly imperceptibly.

He doesn't want food. Does that mean he's feeling sick? Couldn't he just say that?

But now that he had figured it out, it seemed obvious. Dick knew Damian would never actually admit to being ill or wanting attention, but he asked for it in his own way, and he saw the signs now. Damian hadn't wanted to be taken off patrol, so he tried to hide it, but it had probably gotten worse. And instead of asking for help, he waited. Like, if he stood there long enough, his partner would have to notice, and he wouldn't have to admit to anything himself.

It was cute, but it a little sad as well.

"Dami, what's the matter?" he asked gently, crouching down in front of him and pressing a hand to Damian's forehead to check his temperature. Too warm. "Come on, I need to know so I can give you the right medicine."

"Stomachache. Headache. Fever. Fatigue." Damian listed them off with a sort of clinical detachment.

"When did it start?"

"Earlier."

Dick let out a small sigh. "If you're sick, you need to tell me." He stood up. "Let's go back upstairs."

Damian trailed behind him soundlessly. He watched Dick find the medicine in the kitchen cabinet and let him give it to him, taking it without complaint. He let Dick guide him into the living room, where they curled up together in a cushy armchair. He didn't seem to mind when he was pulled into a warm embrace and soon fell asleep with his head on Dick's shoulder.

Dick smiled down at him, amazed by how different he was acting. He would probably be back to normal in the morning, but this cute, cuddly Damian was nice too. He wished it would happen more often, that he wouldn't have to be sick to allow Dick to get close to him, but that was alright. Damian had already opened up to him quite a bit, considering their rather rocky relationship when they first started out. For now, he was just happy to know that Damian trusted him when his defenses were down like this. And that meant more, in the end, because he knew Damian was taught never to show weakness to anyone.

He pressed a kiss to the top of his partner's head, whispering "good night," and fell asleep soon after.