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Dick is buried under blankets when he hears his phone beep. He’s ready to tell Bruce he needs the night off. He’s been fighting a cold for the last couple of days, and he’s promised Alfred he’d take better care of himself. He needs sleep. Rest.
His phone beeps again, and he blindly reaches for it. Squinting in the dark to see he’s got 2 new messages.
He opens the first text, I need you. The second one makes him sit straight up. D needs help with his science project. Dick is already ripping his blankets off and grabbing his gear. That’s the code phrase that means something has happened to Damian. Dick texts back that he’s on his way and prays that Damian is okay.
***********
Nightwing finds Batman, Red Robin, and Red Hood perched on a roof top by the docks. Dick’s worry for Damian helps him forget about his own aches and pains, but it also slows him down. “About time, Wing. I was starting to think you didn’t care about the Demon Brat anymore.” Jason remarks.
“Sorry. “ Dick replies tiredly. “What’s going on?”
Bruce explains that some drug dealers got the drop on Damian while he was patrolling and he had managed to send out his distress beacon which led them to this location. Bruce was monitoring Damian and he seemed unhurt, just detained by the thugs.
Dick breathed a sigh of relief, and rubbed his aching head. All they had to do was beat up some 2 bit thugs and they would be on their way. “Plan?”
***************
The plan is for Batman and Red Robin is to flush the bad guys out the back where Nightwing and Red Robin would be waiting for them. Nightwing was leaning against the shipping containers next to the dock when he catches Jason starring at him. “What?”
“You okay?”
Dick concedes that he has a headache than he’s stepping back trying to avoid Jason’s fever check. “I’m fine. Come on. B will need us in a second.”
Sure enough gunfire erupts from the inside of the warehouse and they both tense, as they wait the escaping thugs. The door bursts open and a large man exits tugging Damian who seems to have his hands restrained behind his back and he’s gagged. There’s a bit of blood at his hairline, but for the most part he seems to be unharmed. Following them come 2 armed thugs pointing back to where Batman and Red Robin are with the remaining men.
Nightwing and Hood leap into action disarming the men easily. Dick brings his man down fast and hard, trying to get to Damian. Hood has a bit more trouble, but nothing he can’t handle. Nightwing spins to the man holding Robin, “Let him go.”
The thug looks at Nightwing then glances at Hood still fighting, and then picks up Robin and tosses the boy into the river. Nightwing, who had seen how Damian's hands were tied behind his body, panics and then is diving into the cold water after him. The water is dark and murky and he can’t see beyond his own glove. He continues diving under water and breaking the surface and then swimming forward again. Not even finding the time to get his breather. Damian needs help now, and Dick can’t find him.
***********
“Let him go,” Jason hears his older brother demand as he is busy trying to put down the burly man he is currently fighting. Hood finally brings his knee up smashing the other man in the face and when he hears a splash. He spins around as he sees his brother do a perfect dive in after their little brother.
“Fuck.” And then he’s running to the dock, where he sees his older brother keep swimming out further and further. Jason can see the other man starting to panic. The thug is gone, but he’s sloppy, Hood has no doubt they will find him. “Wing!” He yells, but Dick’s too far out and all his attention is looking for Damian.
Jason’s hands fly to his numerous guns to throw them to the dock to dive in after them when he sees Dick break the surface, his arm wrapped snuggly around Damian. A minute later Jason is hauling them out. He’s shivering, but he can’t take his eyes off Damian. Jason’s got his knife out and quickly cuts Damian’s bonds and rips the tape off his mouth. Damian starts coughing up river water and Dick pulls him into hug when he’s finished.
“I’m fine, Grayson,” He lets Dick embrace him, and fuss over him, but then pulls back when he feels the fever heat coming off of his elder brother. “Tssh. You’re sick. You shouldn’t be in the water.”
“You shouldn’t either,” Dick replies and coughs still on his knees on the dock, not quite recovered from his impromptu dip.
In the distance they could see Batman and Red Robin, rushing towards them. Jason hauls Dick to his feet before carefully reaching out again to steady him, when Nightwing seemed off balance. “You okay, Wing?” he asked quietly. Dick gave him a quick nod. Damian also eyed Nightwing with concern.
Bruce frowned at the dripping duo, tipping Damian’s head back to inspect the cut. Damian allowed the inspection but nodded toward Dick. “Grayson is sick.”
Dick was shivering with his arms across his chest hugging himself, “I’m okay.” His voice was sounding raspy and he had to cough into a balled up fist.
“Pretty sure no one believes you,” Jason said. “You’re sick and that swim didn’t help.”
The answering hacking cough leaves Dick panting a bit as he tries to catch his breath. He doesn’t argue with Jason.
Bruce sends Red Robin and Red Hood to deal with the clean up and tracking down the stragglers. He then shepherds Dick and Damian back to the car, where he promptly wraps them in blankets. Damian dozes in his seat, exhausted from his ordeal. Dick’s eyes are closed too, but Bruce suspects he’s still awake. There’s a strain of pain in his oldest face, like when he’s dealing with a headache and his body jerks every so often as chills shake his frame.
Alfred is waiting for them in the Batcave with sweats and warm blankets. It doesn’t take long for them to get showered and changed into comfy clothes. Dick seems to be breathing a little better from the shower steam as he perched on a med bed while Alfred checks his vitals. But Dick is feeling hot again and the older man’s cool hands feeling like heaven as he’s feeling around Dick’s jaw. Dick steals a quick peak over Alfred’s shoulder at Damian who is sitting across from him on another bed. Damian is still watching Dick with concern even while Bruce cleans and dresses his wound and checks for sign of concussion. He gives Damian a wink. Damian rolls his eyes with a hint of a smile back.
“Your lymph nodes are swollen, Master Dick.” Alfred tells him. “Did you get your flu shot?”
Dick shakes his head slowly. Bruce had an arranged for a doctor to come to the mansion specifically for flu shots, but Dick had been busy with a case and couldn’t make it.
The cool hand lies across his forward and his eyes close savoring the feel. “Fever,” he hears Alfred mutter. He takes all the medicine he is given without argument and things start feeling a little softer and easier. He can hear Bruce talking quietly in the background, and then suddenly Bruce is talking to him, holding him up. Dick’s eyes open in surprise to see that Jason and Tim had returned as well.
“Let’s get you up to bed, then you can crash,” Bruce wraps an arm around his shoulders to support him, and leads him to the elevator, with Jason following carrying the now sleeping Damian. Next thing Dick knows he’s sitting on his bed, and Bruce laying his hand on his head to control his fall as he’s being laid carefully on his side. “You could have told me you were sick,” Bruce lightly chastises him.
Dick groans, because he knew this lecture was coming. “No sick days allowed when Dami is in trouble,” he mutters turning his face in to the pillow.
Bruce covers him with a blanket then feels his forehead one last time, “We’ll discuss it later,” the older man says. Dick hears him softly close the door, and then he’s asleep.