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Another bolt of lightning struck the sky causing Dick to jolt involuntarily under his covers, the boy trembling at the loud sounds and bright lights.
It was currently midnight, Batman and Robin had skipped out on patrol tonight due to the raging storm keeping residents in Gotham.
The wind howled outside as yet another crack of lightning struck, this time closer than before.
The boy buried himself in his blankets, in hopes that the soft fabric would shield him from the cacophony just outside his window.
He knew it was childish, he was too old to fear thunderstorms, yet he couldn't help the tears that weld up in his eyes as another boom echoed throughout the manor.
During storms in his time with the circus, his mother would whisper to him that the storm wouldn't touch him as long as she was there, while petting his hair.
And his father would crack jokes or tell funny stories in an attempt to lift the boy's mood.
Sleep always came to him fast like that, the comfort of his parents outweighing his fear of the storm.
Except now his parents weren't here, and sleep was harder to come by than ever now.
The thought of going to Bruce's room was tempting, but he didn't want to wake the man from his much needed rest, so he opted to drown in his fear, hoping the storm would end soon.
Dick was sitting against the headboard, face buried in his knees and under a blanket.
He held zitka, (the stuffed elephant version) close to his chest, just like his mother used to do for him when he had a nightmare.
The boy choked back a sob as another crack shot through the sky, thunder echoing in its wake.
10 years old and he still couldn't handle the loud sound of thunder, he was pathetic.
Dick felt hot tears trail down his cheeks, lip quivering slightly.
The boy brought the blanket to his face in an attempt to muffle his sobs.
"Dick?" a voice, still gruff with sleep, spoke knocking lightly on his door.
It wasn't hard to recognize who it was.
Bruce walked into his room, concern etched into every feature of his face, his eyes confused and concerned, "Dick...are you ok?" his heart broke when he saw the young boy huddled beneath his blanket, with just his head poking out.
Bruce cautiously walked over to sit beside him, gently pulling the boy into his lap.
Awkward and stiffly the man wrapped his arms around his ward.
Enveloping him in a tense hug.
Bruce had never been good at comforting people, he had always been the one to be comforted as a child.
He had done the only thing he could think of, which was bring the mini acrobat into a tight hug.
Dick liked hugs, he would greet Bruce every afternoon with one after a long day's work, as stiff as it may be.
The man would always return the favor accompanying it with a small pat on the back and an awkward chuckle.
But never once had he turned down the affectionate squeezes, seeing as it was one of the things that kept the child happy.
The boy almost immediately reciprocated, wrapping his arms around Bruce's neck, burying his head into the elders shoulder.
"Is it the storm?" The man asked softly, as his face was pressed into the boy's fluffy hair.
Dick hesitated a moment but then nodded with a small sniffle, burying his face farther against Bruce's neck.
Bruce let out a fond sigh giving a comforting squeez to the boy in his arms "Don't worry chum, I'm here… I won't let the storm hurt you."