I've been unusually into cutesy stuff so you're spared from my angst for another day

Also, you better appreciate my attention to detail by having them have that "main character luck" yet actually look up the American School system to make sure I had characters in the right grade and also look up exactly how much older Barbara was for legit one sentence.

Edited 06/02/2024: slight format changes and some additional writing

December brought with it intense winter snow. 

Most people would be spending this time at home. They'd be curling up with a good book or a cup of whatever kept them warm. They'd complain about the TV going out thanks to the snow and chat about what plans would be cancelled. Kids would be going to sleep grinning at the thought of the snow cancelling school and letting them spend a day doing whatever they want, their overdue homework never crossing their mind. 

Some of them would have a family around them. Maybe some of them were babysitting. 

Others may be stuck in traffic, waiting for the storm to blow over so they could speed all the way home. 

As I wrote, most people would be doing that. A very small amount was trapped in a cave with a freezing ten-year-old and no hope of contacting the outside world. Bruce found himself in that category. You may be thinking, don't you mean Batman? Wouldn't this be a situation Batman would find himself in? Well no and don't try to correct me.

A few hours ago, Dick and Bruce were at the bottom of a small mountain. The weatherman that morning had predicted a clear day with snow falling in the late evening. Bruce took this as a piece of good news and got together some supplies so he and Dick could spend part of the day hiking. He called it endurance training but in reality, he just wanted to spend time with his kid. They hadn't hung out much these last couple of weeks. With Bruce being busy with work and Dick spending more time with Barbara, they didn't see one another outside of Batman and Robin. It was a long time coming. It wasn't healthy to only interact under the pretence of work and it wasn't the relationship that Bruce wanted to have with his ward.

Things went downhill when they got halfway up the mountain. Snow had come to greet them, which they had initially enjoyed the surprise of but then the wind made the snow harsher so it bit their exposed skin and forced them to close their eyes to shield them from the ruthless snowflakes. Soon, they couldn't see anything more than eight inches in front of them. Dick was so small that the wind nearly knocked him over a fair amount of times, soaking his clothes further. They needed a place to wait out the storm and a cave Bruce had just spotted seemed like the perfect place. He scooped up his foster son and made a break for it. That's where they were currently waiting for the storm to quiet enough for them to safely make the journey back down.

"What are we gonna do B?" Dick asked, worryingly eyeing up the storm. He supposed it wouldn't die down for a long time. 

"We'll just have to wait for it to blow over. I'm sure Alfred packed us some lighter fluid, we can make a fire to keep up warm." Dick frowned at him. He didn't like waiting. What could he say, he was a hyperactive kid. "Don't worry, I'm sure it won't be too long."

An hour passed yet no change instilled them with any confidence that the worst was over. If anything, it was just getting worse.

"Bruce, you said it wouldn't be too long," Dick whined. He was shivering even with the heat of the fire and despite sitting further in the cave so the cold wind didn't hit him as hard. His small frame was helpful sometimes but right now it was a pain in the ass. His thermal coat was soaked from the snow and the water irritated his skin which made him scratch but the scratching just made the irritation worse. Bruce sighed. They'd been waiting for eternity but the storm still raged on. 

"I know. At least we learned something from today."

"What's that?"

"Never trust weathermen," Bruce answered. He drew out a small chuckle from the boy. Every time his kid laughed, the world seemed to be just that bit brighter. The weight on his shoulders felt ever so lighter. It was a shame that he struggled to draw it out so often. "You're shivering," he commented. Dick glanced up at him for a second with a deadpan glare that screamed 'no shit' without getting told off for cursing. "You want a Bruce hug to warm you up?" The younger suddenly grinned brightly and scrambled into his arms as quickly as he could. Bruce hugs were rare, usually because the older was wearing something too expensive to wrinkle or because it would ruin his reputation. "Better?"

"Better."

They sat in comfortable silence for a bit. Dick snuggled against Bruce's chest making this ordeal a little less awful. Of course, they were still stuck in a cave in the middle of a snowstorm but they chose to see the best in it. Sometimes it paid to be optimistic. Bruce supposed that this was somewhat what he wanted. He wanted to bond with his kid and catch up, what better time than being trapped in a cave with a raging storm outside?

"You've been spending lots of time with Barbara recently. Is someone having their first crush?" Bruce teased lightly.

"Why does everyone think I have a crush on her? We're just friends. Girls and boys can be friends without crushing on each other," he replied. "Even if I did have a crush on her, it wouldn't be my first anyway," he added. Bruce's interest was piqued by that. Suddenly he had the uncontrollable urge to find out who it was and remember it for blackmail. He may pretend to be serious but he liked to joke as much as the next guy. He just kept it private.

"Do tell," he said.

"Promise you won't laugh?" He nodded. "Pinky promise?" Bruce rolled his eyes yet still wrapped his pinky around his ward's. 

"Pinky promise. Now spill."

"You know the Muppets?" Oh God, Bruce was not going to keep this promise. Alfred was going to be the first person he told, he was going to bring it up in front of every partner Dick ever brought home and it would be in the wedding speech if there ever was one.

"Yeah," he replied, stifling a laugh.

"I really liked Janice." He burst out laughing before he could tell himself to keep a straight face. "You said you wouldn't laugh!" Dick scolded. His scolding lost its heat when he began to smile too. 

"I'm sorry, I just really didn't expect that." Dick scowled playfully before slumping back against his chest. He was warm. "So what have you been doing with Barbara? I know you well enough to suspect this isn't just you wanting to spend more time together." The younger looked up at him with a mischievous grin. "And if it's not a crush, what is it?"

"Well, it's not my crush. Babs has this crush on this ninth-grader so I've spent these last few weeks trying to get them together," he explained. "Of course, thanks to my master skills, he asked her out on Friday." Bruce chuckled lightly. It was a plot straight out of a Disney show. He could see the episode now. Yet, despite the obvious Disney feel, he noticed Dick's grin fade ever so slightly. 

"What's wrong?"

"Since they're going out now, Babs said we won't get to hang out as much. I don't blame her. She is two grades above me and I'm not exactly the most popular guy in school. She's gotta figure out her relationship with her boyfriend but he doesn't seem to like her having friends that are guys," he reasoned. Bruce frowned. Maybe this snowstorm was a blessing in disguise. He hadn't noticed any change in his behaviour, just spending a lot of time with a new friend. He supposed it all stopped on Friday. Suddenly he wasn't going out to the movies and he was staying in working on reports instead.

"It's like that sometimes when your friends are older than you but I'm sure you'll still hang out. Between you and me, high school romances don't last long. Especially when one of you is still in middle school." His foster son giggled softly. He guessed the kid was running on his last bits of energy. 

"I have the right mind to rat you out to Babs."

"You wouldn't dare."

"Try me," he laughed. They chuckled as the fire crackled. "What're you working on at Wayne Tech?" Dick asked. His eyes drooped a little, adding to how adorable he was. At least he was comfortable and not scared of what the storm had in store for them.

"Not much, I've just been swamped with paperwork," he responded. Nothing interesting had been going on in the labs for months. He couldn't even remember what they were supposed to be working on. Call him lazy but his concerns lay with Dick rather than what his lab was doing. 

"I can take over mission reports till you catch up," Dick suggested. Bless this child, he thought to himself. If he got any more precious, Bruce would explode. 

"How about I write them and you edit them? I don't want to make more work for you than you can handle," he replied.

"Sounds good."

The storm calmed down, making Bruce sigh with relief. He worried they'd be stuck there all day and night. 

"Ready to head back down?" he asked. The boy shook his head and clung to his mentor tighter, his eyes remaining closed as he tried to go back to sleep. "Want me to carry you down?" Dick looked up at him before nodding.

"Thank you."

"No problem Dickie."