-Thank you for your support and patience. I usually need 5-10 chapters to find my footing in a new book-
Ages
Damian - 16
Tim - 13
Jason - 9
Dick - 6
"Bruce?"
"Dick." His father pushed through the door. "It's late, what are you doing up? You should be asleep."
"Can't." The child crawled half out of his covers, still relatively awake.
"Dickie, we went out on patrol hours ago." He brushed charcoal waves off hair back off the child's face. "aren't you sleepy?"
Dick shook his head a little. "Miss you."
"You missed me?" Dick nodded a little, eyes wide in the darkness.
The light spilling in from the hallway was interrupted by a shadowy silhouette. "He's still awake?"
Bruce nodded a little, addressing his youngest child affectionately. "Didn't Alfred come to check on you?" Dick nodded. "Didn't he notice you were up?" Dick shook his head.
"I pretend to sleep."
There was a clattering and shouting from the stairs and hallway, and eventually next to Damian in the doorway. "What?" Jason panted "he's still up?"
"I guess." Tim pried his brother off from around his neck. "Hey Dickie, what are you doing?"
Dick shrunk back a little, he was starting to think that he wasn't supposed to be up. Bruce rested a hand reassuringly on the child's back. "He couldn't sleep."
"Why?"
They all looked at Dick. Too shy to explain himself, the boy curled up, burying his face in the duvet. Bruce smiled, sighing a little. "He missed us too much."
The older brothers smirked at each other. Dick was adorable, but still really shy talking to them. "It's well past midnight, I think it's time you were asleep." Damian said, watching Dick, who was peaking over the bunched up covers at them.
Bruce nodded, softly tussling the boys hair. "Damian's right, I better put him down for the night."
Dick grabbed Bruce's sleeve in his tiny fist. "Don't go." He muttered.
"What was that?" Jason asked, leaning in the doorway.
Dick closed him mouth, bashfully. He looked away.
"Can you repeat that, Dickie?" His foster father asked.
Dick timidly gripped the sleeve with both his hands. "Don't go."
"Don't go?" Bruce asked. the boy drew back, hiding his face in the comforter again. "Okay, Okay Dick. I'll stay." He helped the boy under the covers and shot a glare up at his other sons in the doorway. "But you all better be showered and in bed by the time he's asleep."
"But he falls asleep so quickly when you're there!" Jason objected.
His surrogate father glanced up. "You'd better get to bed quickly, then."
Damian stopped his little brother before he could argue. "Good night. Good night, Richard."
"Night." Jason reluctantly agreed, waving to the youngest.
Tim Watched his little brother being tucked into bed. "See you in the morning, Dick."
Dick pulled his arm out from under the covers and pushed his hand into Bruce's. His father gave his hand an gentle squeeze. Dick eyed the three in the doorway. "Good night."