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Bruce forgets sometimes, how young Dick is. Forgets he's just a kid, a baby really. He's barely nine and small for his age, he could pass for seven easily. But Bruce still forgets. Doesn't see the little boy who likes to watch cartoons on a Saturday morning and drink hot chocolate in the evening with Alfred. He just sees his partner, he only sees Robin.
He forgets that Dick is only a child when he's grappling his way through the Gotham skyline, flying effortlessly like he was born for it. He just sees his sidekick, fighting side by side with him, fierce and determined, relishing the excitement.
But tonight, tonight Bruce remembers that Dick Grayson is a nine year old child. He's been quiet on the drive back home from patrol, which is unusual but not unheard of. It's been a long night, with a particularly nasty run in with some of the Penguin's men, so he doesn't blame Dick for not being chatty. But when Dick doesn't answer Bruce's question about whether he wants hot chocolate when they get back, Bruce glances sideways at his young ward.
And he sees, not entirely to his surprise, that Dick is fast asleep. He doesn't think the boy's been sleeping well lately, he looks constantly tired, dark smudges under his eyes when he comes down to breakfast in the morning. This painfully reminds Bruce that he's not just training a partner, he's raising a kid, and a traumatised kid at that. Dick doesn't really talk about his parents but he's clearly still struggling, still angry about what happened to them. And that's a lot for any kid to deal with. So Bruce lets him sleep.
When they arrive back in the cave, Bruce kills the Batmobile's engine and glances over at Dick. He's completely out of it, his head lolling to one side, dark curly hair flopping over his forehead. Bruce doesn't have the heart to wake him up and get him to walk to bed.
So he climbs out of the car, making sure not to slam the door behind him and walks around to Dick's side. He opens the door and leans over to undo Dick's seat belt, trying not to jostle the boy too much. But Dick's so sound asleep he barely stirs, just makes a snuffling noise in his sleep. Bruce scoops him out of his seat and Dick's arms lock around his neck, his head resting on Bruce's shoulder.
He weighs next to nothing, Robin is an apt name for him, a tiny little bird with hollow bones. He's so light that Bruce can easily support Dick's weight with one arm and lock the car door with the other.
'C'mon bud.' he says softly into Dick's ear. 'Time for bed.'
Dick's eyes flutter open momentarily as he looks at Bruce, and then he nods sleepily and rests his head back where it was.
By the time they exit the cave into the hallway, Dick is properly asleep again and Bruce can feel his deep even breaths against his neck. Bruce carries him up the stairs to his bedroom, and opens the door with one hand. The room is messy, littered with clothes and books, and the bed looks like it's been hastily made.
Bruce crosses the room to the bed and pulls back the duvet so he can put Dick down. He attempts to disengage the boy's arms from his neck but Dick grumbles in his sleep and clings on tighter.
'Hey,' Bruce says quietly. 'I need to put you down okay?'
Dick loosens his death grip on Bruce so he can deposit him in bed. Bruce gently unclips his cape from his shoulders, they can deal with the rest tomorrow. He's not gonna properly wake Dick up to change into his pyjamas, not when the boy is pretty much asleep again already.
So he puts Dick down in the bed and pulls the duvet over him. His dark curls splay over the pillow as he falls back into a deep sleep, and Bruce stands and watches him for a few moments, and a wave of protectiveness crashes over him, that's not his sidekick, that's his son.