Bruce sighed, running his hand through his hair. He'd decided to take a night off from being Batman, opting to prioritize sleep for once. A decision he admittedly felt a bit guilty about making.
He walked into his room and flicked on the light, surprised to find a little 8 year old boy cocooned in his blankets, something seemingly chewy in his mouth. "Dick, what are you eating?" He asked, feeling almost as if he was scolding a dog.
"Fruitsnack," Dick grinned, holding up the bottle of melatonin gummies Alfred had purchased in an attempt to help normalize Bruce's sleep schedule.
Bruce's eyes widened, his mouth falling open into a small o. "Can you put those down bud? They're for grown up's like me and Alf," he asked gently, trying to judge the younger's response time. He had no idea how many of those gummies Dick had eaten.
Dick blinked groggily, his eyes not quite blinking in sync with each other.
"Do you remember how many you ate bud?" Bruce asked, deciding to change his approach and gently grab the bottle from the eight year old's tiny hands.
Dick's face furrowed in thought. He was silent for a moment before holding up 3 fingers. "Two," he said with a slightly drunken smile.
Bruce sighed softly in relief. At least he didn't eat very many. That was assuming Dick had actually remembered correctly.
The jar of gummies sat on the nightstand innocently. It did look like candy Bruce realized. Colorful bottle, not at all dissimilar to the vitamins Dick ate every morning at Alfred's insistence.
Bruce sat down on the bed next to Dick, surprised when the younger immediately leaned into him. He hesitantly wrapped his arm around the younger, playing with his soft curls.
Dick lazily accepted the show of affection, letting out a contented hum.
Bruce scooted Dick onto his lap. "Let's get you to bed," he said softly, standing with the little acrobat in his arms.
Dick whined, protesting the decision to leave. "Stay," he mumbled.
"Don't you want to go to your room? You have your stuffed animals in there," Bruce tried to reason.
"No," Dick whined, "safe here... smells like Bruce," he added, nestling his head closer to the elder.
Bruce chuckled quietly. "What if I stay with you in your room?" He asked.
Dick hummed in reply, his eyes sliding shut.
Bruce took that as a yes, adjusting the acrobat in his arms before walking across the hall and into his room. He needed to monitor the younger anyway.
After scooting the various pillows, blankets, and stuffed animals out of the way, Bruce gently set the acrobat on his bed, climbing in next to him when Dick opened his eyes and reached for him.
Dick rolled himself over on the bed, pressing as close as he could to Bruce. "Wuv oo," he mumbled, his face nestled beneath the elder's chin.
Bruce couldn't help the smile that stretched across his face. "Love you too little Robin," he replied, closing his eyes and allowing himself to drift off.