AN: Hey! So I'm back with another drabble for the Robins... This was supposed to be angsty, but somehow turned fluffy at the end :) Here's your daily dose of cuddly Damian (because we all know there isn't enough of it out there :D)


With a groan, Dick dragged himself out of his oh-so-comfortable spot on the couch and reached for the phone buzzing on his dresser. He groggily pressed the flashing answer button and placed it at his ear, mumbling, "Hello?"

"...T-tt. I take that you were asleep."

The soft, melancholy voice drove the last bits of fogginess out of his head, and Dick sat up. "Damian? Is that you?"

"Who else would it be."

Unbidden, Dick's mouth crept up into a smile. "What's wrong? You usually don't call at," he glanced at the clock on his dresser, "five in the morning. Don't you have school today?"

"It is a teacher work day. And there is nothing wrong."

"Alright," said Dick, stretching. "Then why'd you call?"

"Father is attending a conference in Belgium this week, and I require your help to clean out the basement."

Dick frowned slightly at the code for I need you with me on patrol. "Bruce said okay?"

"His approval is not necessary." There was a short pause, followed by what sounded like a repressed sigh. "Come help anyway."

"Damian, are you sure there isn't anything wro - "

"There isn't." Damian's curt reply cut off Dick's worried statement. "Just be here by tomorrow." The phone clicked, indicating that Damian had hung up.

Dick placed his phone back on the dresser and sighed, flopping back onto his bed. What's wrong with Dami? he wondered. He usually asks for Bruce for permission before asking me over for patrol. He got back up and walked towards the closet, reaching for the duffel bag on the upper shelf that had been packed in advance for such situations. Did something happen between those two again? Dick tossed the bag onto his bed and tugged his pajama shirt over his head, musing all the while.


"Hey, Alfred! Long time no see!" Dick closed the door behind him and hugged the grandfatherly butler.

Returning the embrace, Alfred replied, "Indeed, Master Dick. I am pleased to see you in good health. I take that you have already eaten lunch?"

"Yeah, I stopped by at a diner on the highway."

With a fond smile Alfred took Dick's jacket and hung it on the hat stand by the main entrance, saying, "I do believe Master Damian is waiting in his room. Please inform him that we will have dinner at six, as usual."

"Sure thing, Alfie!" said Dick over his shoulder as he bounded up the stairs. He turned at the second floor and sprinted down the hallway, stopping in front of Damian's room. Flinging the door open, Dick exclaimed, "Little D! I'm home!"

"Tt," said Damian, as he pulled out an earphone bud. "I could hear you from all the way up here."

"I missed you too, little bro!" said Dick, and approached Damian, arms spread wide. "Hug?"

Damian scowled, but turned and faced him, not shying away. "I guess this one time wouldn't hurt."

Surprised that Damian hadn't threatened to kill him, Dick peered down at the ten-year-old in his arms. "Are you sure everything's all right? You usually don't like getting hugs."

"It has been a while since you visited. I felt it was necessary."

Dick smiled fondly, catching Damian's unspoken I missed you. He reached down and ruffled Damian's hair, grinning widely when Damian burrowed closer into the hug. His smile slowly faded as he realized something. If Damian's actively looking for affection, whatever happened must have been pretty bad. Gently maneuvering themselves around Damian's cat, he tugged Damian onto his lap as he sat on the bed, brow furrowing when the boy did not protest. "Damian, what happened? You usually throw a fit when I try to sit you in my lap. Come on, Dami. Talk to me."

There was a rustle of clothing as Damian adjusted his position. Then, with a barely audible sigh, Damian turned his face towards Dick's neck, fisting his hands in the man's shirt. He refused to reply, and remained silent.

Patience was not one of the acrobat's virtues, but Dick waited, slowly stroking the boy's hair. Gently, he pried away Damian's fists from his shirt, and shifted the boy to prevent him from feeling uncomfortable. Damian didn't resist, slowly relaxing into the warm, comforting embrace that was all Dick Grayson.

"Nothing happened," the boy mumbled. "I just felt... lonely." With another sigh he snuggled closer, wrapping his small arms as far as he could reach around the man's waist. A mumbled, "If you tell Drake, I will end you" drifted up from Damian, and Dick hid his smile in the boy's hair.

(Of course, this meant that Dick had to talk to Bruce again, because the Dark Knight's parenting skills were MIA if Damian was feeling lonely. But that was alright - no parent was perfect, after all.)