It was a boiling hot day in Gotham city, and Dick had just returned to the manor early from work. He was exhausted. Working at Wayne Enterprises was definitely not his ideal job, but he couldn't bring himself to sell the company or anything like that, so here he was.
Between Wayne Enterprises and his night job and dealing with Damian, he hadn't been getting adequate sleep lately, and it was affecting him.
But despite his exhaustion, Dick felt the need to get out and do something. Hot days such as this seemed to be getting rarer and rarer in Gotham, even in the summer, and Dick knew he had to take advantage of it while it lasted.
"Hey Alfred," Dick said cheerfully as he entered the manor. It was hot even in here, and a little stuffy too. "Is the AC on?"
Alfred (who was sweeping the kitchen) came out for a moment to see Dick. "Yes it is, sir. And the ceiling fans as well. Shall I open a window?"
Dick shrugged. "Yeah, that's probably be nice. Maybe if we're lucky, a breeze will get going or something."
Alfred nodded, then opened several windows before going back to sweeping. "Master Dick, if you're at all interested, I do believe Master Damian is in the training room down in the cave. It's the only place that's not scorching hot. Perhaps he and you could do some sort of activity together in this heat?"
Suddenly, Dick's eyes widened and he grinned. "Yes! We could go swimming! Thanks Alfred, you're the best!" Without saying another word to the elderly butler, he ran down to the cave.
"Damian! Dami! Come quick! Hurry! Dam-"
There was a huff. "I'm here, Grayson. What is it?"
Dick grinned again. "Well, you know how it's a hot day today? I was thinking we should do something, and Alfred suggested doing an activity in this heat. So I dunno, but I-"
"Grayson, what do you want?" Damian demanded impatiently.
"Do you wanna go swimming?"
Damian stared at him like he was crazy. "Swimming? Of course not Grayson, don't be absurd."
Dick gave Damian his best puppy dog eyes. "But why? Pleeeeeeeeeeease?" he begged.
Damian raised an eyebrow. "No."
Dick pouted. "Oh, come on. Think of it as a training exercise if you want. Knowing how to swim is an important skill, and it can help build your muscles and-"
Damian cut off Dick once again. "-tt- fine. But only because it's a training exercise."
Dick, still grinning, reached over and happily ruffled Damian's hair. Training exercise. He could live with that. Besides, he was convinced that Damian would end up having a good time, whether he admitted it or not.
Dick looked at Damian and gave him a thumbs up as the younger boy stared distastefully at the swim trunks he was wearing. They had ridiculous designs all over them, though Dick kept insisting to him that they were fine. But Damian just wasn't happy to be wearing swim trunks in the first place. Their ridiculous design just added to his hatred of them.
The two walked to the outdoor pool right next to the manor. It hadn't been used for years, so Dick, Damian and Alfred spent a little while cleaning it out and restoring it again. Now, with the bright blue water, the chairs positioned in the perfect amount of shade and sun, and the hot temperature, they were ready to swim.
"I can't believe I'm doing this," Dick heard Damian mutter.
"Aw, come on Dami. The water's gonna feel so nice after being in this hot weather all day. Here, I'll show you, it's going to be so much fun. You'll love it."
Without warning, Dick canonbulted into the water, causing a huge splash of water to spray Damian. The ex assassin narrowed his eyes in annoyance as he got all wet. He had to admit though, it did feel nice…
To Dick's surprise, Damian smirked. "Is that the best cannonball you can do, Grayson? Mine will be far better than yours."
Damian sprung into the air, before wrapping his arms around his legs and jumping into the water, creating an even bigger splash than Dick. "Ha, beat that," he said with a satisfied grin.
Dick was still shocked from Damian's sudden display of enjoyment, but shook it off and smiled widely, before chuckling. "Oh, I know I can do better than that," he challenged as he went again.
From inside, Alfred looked through the large window of the kitchen and smiled as he saw his two young charges having a splendid time together in the water. Heavens knew they both needed it. And it was definitely nice to see this sudden change in Damian. He knew the affect Dick Grayson had on people, and was glad that the young man's charms were finally starting to work on the ex assassin.
Bruce Wayne was a great man, but Dick Grayson was acting like a much better father to Damian than Bruce ever had.