Hey everyone! Hope you all are having a good day... or will have a better day after reading this. Life's tough sometimes. A little late, but here's Whumptober prompt 5! Let me know in the comments any prompts you're excited for! I tried to correct any grammatical error, but forgiveness may be necessary. Lots of Love - Lorna:)

Shivering

Bruce knew it was going to be a rough day the moment he heard Damian coughing. Not because Damian was a difficult patient, he was, but that was beside the point. When one of the Robins fell sick, it was only a matter of time before they all did. It was a rather abysmal time for the entire family to fall ill, but Alfred was in England for a brief respite, and several sick children were hard to handle.

Damian shuffled down to the kitchen where Bruce was setting out bowls and different cereals. But one look at Damian, and he pulled out a couple slices of bread to make toast.

"Damian?"

"Yes, father?" He muttered meekly.

Bruce tried to conceal his frown at Damian's flushed cheeks and rasping throat. "Come here."

Damian looked as though he would rather do anything but stand up again, but his shoulders stiffened in determination. He had been trained that orders were orders and the follow-through was expected no matter the cost to personal wellness. Bruce had been trying to soften Damian's rigid understanding of that. Damian pushed himself forward, standing like a soldier at attention, stiff, upright, and wooden-looking. Bruce put his hand to Damian's forehead, relieved to find Damian's fever was low-grade. But the kid obviously was unwell; he was shivering ever so slightly as if attempting to raise his fever to a more detrimental level.

"You're sick."

Damian shook his head. "No. I'm fine to do whatever is needed."

Bruce's eyes softened as he knelt next to the kid. "You don't need to do anything today, alright? No school for you either." Thank any deity out there it was an early-out Friday. Nothing important should be going on, so Damian wouldn't fight him on that. "Here's a piece of toast. Go lie down."

"Father," Damien said, trying not to whine. "I'm perfectly capable."

Bruce shook his head. "Damien, I don't expect you to go to school or patrol like this. Go lie down."

He must have been feeling pretty awful because he submitted very quickly after that.

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Bruce knocked on Tim's door, not at all liking the several muttered curses he heard as a figure stumbled to open the door. Bruce frowned at the pale, sleep-deprived look in Tim's eyes as he coughed quietly into his elbow.

"Is there something I can help you with, Bruce?"

Bruce shook his head. "No, but I think there is certainly something that I can help you with."

"Is that?" Tim asked, and Bruce hated that he actually sounded confused. He hated Jack and Janice a little in that moment.

"Timmy, you look like you might be feeling a little under the weather." He tried to broach the subject gently. Tim tended to ignore concerns for his wellbeing, but starting it with parental concern seemed to help get something through his head. Bruce was working on it, just like with Damian. One day he hoped Tim wouldn't have to question why Bruce was here when the kid looked like the walking poster for the flu virus.

"I'm fine. Nothing coffee won't cure." Tim replied, eyes darting away. Always trying to be useful.

Bruce put a hand on his shoulder. "No caffeine, Tim. You need sleep and you haven't eaten anything."

Tim made a whining noise. "Not hungry. Please. I can go to school. Besides, I have work to do and…"

"Not Tim." Bruce gently grabbed Tim's hands, rubbing circles on his palms. "I'm worried about you. Can you please stay home?" It was a choice, he had been trying to get Tim more comfortable with having the choice to do small things that Jack denied him. Bruce praised any good decision that Tim made and it had helped him get comfortable with making decisions that defied authority figures when they were wrong, like Jack Drake.

"Ok." He squeaked.

"No caffeine alright?" Bruce responded, patting Tim on the shoulder.

He nodded and leaned into Bruce's side.

"Good Tim." He ruffled the boy's hair. "Can I do something for you?"

Tim shook his head, but his hands latched onto Bruce's shirt. Carefully, Bruce maneuvered them to Tim's bed, pulling the teen onto his lap and wrapping a blanket around him.

"Go back to bed, Tim. If you sleep for an hour, I'll give you back your laptop privileges."

Tim made a whining noise in the back of his throat. "Dn't no' those wr' takn' away."

Bruce smiled. "They won't be, so long as you take a good nap."

He waited for Tim to respond, but was met only with silent snores.

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Bruce opened the door to Dick's apartment.

"Hey Chum."

Dick gave him a small chuckle. Even if the sound of it made Bruce's throat ache in sympathy.

"B…" Dick rasped from his spot on his couch. "S' goin n'?"

"Dami's got sick this morning." Bruce said by way of explanation.

Dick winced. "V' im' to Blame' fr' ths' then."

Bruce shared a small smile. "tTim came down with it less than two hours later and I figured it was just a matter of time before it got you too."

"Mmm. Sucks." Dick hissed. "Hot n' ld'"

Bruce nodded. "I know. I'm sorry chum, but you're fever is much worse than either Damian's or Tim's. Have you taken anything?"

Dick nodded weakly. Holding up his hands in a ten motion.

"In that case, we'll have to wait for the medicine to kick in and try to bring the fever down a little ourselves."

Dick made a whining noise as bruce ran a room temperature washcloth down his face and neck, but tried to stifle his discomfort as best he could.

"B," He moaned after a minute of torture.

"Sorry Chum." Bruce didn't sound apologetic as he put a freezing rag on the back of Dick's neck.

"S' fine, I guess." He muttered. "Cn' we go back t' th' manor?"

Bruce nodded. He carefully helped Dick sit up and dragged him to the car.

Within thirty minutes of being home, all the three robins were gathered on the family room couch, curled together. Three birds down, one to go. Bruce walked out the door with silent footsteps. Dick was the only one who noticed, and they shared a small, knowing smile.

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Bruce carefully approached the unmoving figure, listening intently for any signs of illness. There was a horrible rasping sound followed by a series of unpleasant wet coughs and an unhappy moan.

Bruce knew it was serious when Jason didn't even here the silent intruder. He laid a gentle hand on his sons back, tightening his grip for just a moment as the sick teen jolted. Jason didn't even open his eyes before he was abusong his vocal cords.

"B-"

"Yes, Jason."

Jason managed to crack open his eyes, which were red and watery. "B-" he rasped, sounding like his vocal cords had been rubbed with sandpaper. "Sck'."

"I know. Your brothers are all sick too. Started with Damian this morning." Bruce ran a tender hand through Jason's sweaty hair. Jason unknowingly leaned into the touch, eyes closing again, if only for a moment.

"Shld' go. Gt' kds' to take are' of." Jason slurred.

Bruce carefully moved to get Jason a glass of cool water, helping him sit up so the water wouldn't spill all over himself.

"As much as you may deny it, you're my kid too Jason." Bruce whispered. "You're the kid that needs the most care right now."

Jason didn't respond for a moment, gulping down water as though it was a luxury he would never get again. After he finished, and handed the glass back to Bruce, he collapsed into his bed with a groan. Bruce cupped Jason's cheek in a moment of care, rubbing a small circle on his soft cheek. Jason closed his eyes at the abrupt, but tender contact.

"Wanna go home, B."He rasped. It was probably a good thing his eyes were closed, because Bruce nearly dropped the cup in surprise. His heart burned with joy at the Jason calling the manner home, causing Bruce to grow an uncharacteristically genuine smile.

"Ok, Jaybird. Let's go home."

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Jason was led into the Manor with Bruce's help. His footsteps were unsteady and slow, but Jason refused to be carried and Bruce wasn't going to embarrass him.

Damian, Tim, and Dick were all laid out on the couch in the main room, watching an animal documentary, probably to keep Damien entertained. Once he had fallen asleep, Bruce wondered why the other two boys had changed it.

Dick and Tim looked toward the door as Jason stumbled in.

"Jasn'?" Dick mumbled, his gaze blazed with sickness and medication. Bruce was just glad his fever was down to a more manageable level. Damian was curled into Dick's side like a housecat, head resting in Dick's lap. Tim was also leaning into Dick but he was on the floor, his laptop slipping out of his fingers as his head leaned against Dick's knee.

Bruce nodded. "He's sick too. You boys are all overachievers."

Tim gave him a nasty, tired look before turning back to watch the TV with slowly closing eyes.

Bruce set Jason on the couch, Dick and Damian on one side and Tim deciding to actually lay on the couch beside his brother. Jason immediately wrapped his arm around Tim and pulled him so they are both comfortably resting on the couch. Tim sighed into Jason and promptly closed his eyes and fell sleep. At Dick's incredulous expression, Jason gave him a victorious grin.

"S' he actlly' sleeping?" Dick whispered.

Jason didn't trust his vocal cords to respond effectively, so he nodded. Bruce could only smile as he watched from his chair in the corner. His four sick birds had made their own little nest on the couch, snuggling together for comfort. After they had all fallen asleep a short time later, Bruce carefully made his way over to them, gently pulling the stray blanket around them. He ruffled Dick's hair, fixed Damian's arm so he was arranged comfortably on the couch, and took Tim's laptop out from under him. He went to the kitchen to prepare some soup for the four sick little birds who were going to be waking up very hungry.