Merry Christmas/Happy Holidays!! Thanks to all of those who've requested stories and to everyone who stuck around to read my stuff, I love reading your comments!!

Our final story was prompted by Morally_Gray so big shout out to them and everything they've done this year to help with the books!!

"Hey B," Robin greeted tentatively. He'd been pretty quiet on the comms for a while but he'd chalked it up to a tantrum since he was left in the Batmobile (Robin called it that, he was horrified he was thinking that instead of calling it the car). "You know when you said to stay put?" Batman would've face palmed if he wasn't mid-fight. "Before you say anything, I had a valid reason. It's actually a funny story."

"What do you want?" he snapped. It wasn't that he was annoyed with the kid it was inefficient to tell him a whole story if he needed something. Time was never on their side so they couldn't waste it. He was better to teach that lesson in the beginning than after the consequences of treating time like it was abundant.

"I'm locked in a room."

"Are you in danger?" There was a long pause he attributed to Robin thinking about it. 

"The cold." He didn't roll his eyes, they merely darted to the ceiling, wall the floor then back to where they started. Batman didn't roll his eyes. 

"Wait there. I'll pick you up after the fight. Don't interrupt me again." Again, he hadn't meant to sound so blunt and annoyed. He just had a lot going on right now and he still wasn't used to running himself through a child-friendly filter yet. In his defence, this fight could go either way and he wouldn't be of much use if Penguin's goons knocked him out. Or worse. 

"Sorry B." He sighed. 

"It's fine. Just- sit tight okay."

An hour or so passed before Batman was able to look for his lost protege. His chest was tight with anxiety as time had allowed him to go over what he'd said. Raising Robin was difficult. It was like raising two different kids sometimes. One day he'd be met with a bubbly persona that could crumble if even the slightest thing went wrong and then on other days he was met by someone as stubborn as him prone to tantrums he'd find the reason for hours later. Talking to him as he had probably meant he was going to deal with a tantrum when he eventually found the boy or he'd be met with a weepy mess he'd struggle to fix despite being the one to cause it. 

He went over how he should approach Robin as he stalked down the halls, staying out of sight for the most part. In terms of their vigilante partnership, Robin should receive punishment. He disobeyed a direct order made to keep him safe and because of that nearly jeopardized the mission as well as got himself in a dangerous situation. He was lucky that all anyone had done was lock him in some random room. In terms of their relationship as guardian and ward, he wasn't sure. When he'd done something wrong as a boy, Alfred had asked why and then gone from there. Usually, something was done out of anger so he'd be expected to fix anything broken whilst explaining why he felt the need to break things in the first place. That was different though because they weren't in the safety of the manor. They were facing the big bad world where if things go wrong, you won't always get the grace of being able to fix it. Then again, Robin was only a child still. A smart child, one that Batman was proud to mentor. He just threw himself into things before seeing a way out. 

Batman didn't have time to figure out his plan before he came to the door that his tracker led him to. Inside should be Robin. What made his stomach drop was the type of door his ward was being kept behind. It was heavy and the small glass pane was frosted on the inside. Cool air bled out through the gaps of it and the lock was heavy. 

"The cold."

Robin was locked inside a freezer. He'd been locked in there for the best part of an hour. It was raining outside the last time he checked so the already tiny kid was probably at least a little soaked from it. Then he'd been locked in a freezer. Batman quickly got to work unlocking the door (AKA kicking and breaking the padlock on the door) and forced the heavy door open. His heart was in his throat as he looked around the walk-in freezer and when his eyes fell on a pale trembling form curled up on the floor he was sure he'd throw up. He rushed over to Robin and plucked him up into his arms, holding him flush against his body to offer the little body heat he had to give. A whine escaped his young protege who began to stir but not enough for Batman to be happy with. 

"I'm here. I've got you," he told Robin although he wasn't sure as to whose benefit he was saying it for. He turned on his heel and ran as fast as he could to his car. Alfred would fix this. Alfred always helped him fix things he'd broken and he must be experienced with hypothermia. It would all be fixed. 

Ignoring how limp Robin was in his arms, Batman got into his car and put it on autopilot. He couldn't risk pulling his ward away when he was desperate for warmth. The part of his brain not overcome by sheer panic stopped him right as he went to crank the heat up to the maximum by reminding him heating Robin up too quickly was just as bad as keeping him cold. Body heat, it supplied as he wondered about a replacement. The only issue with that was his suit was armoured and not exactly easy to get off when he was sitting down in a sleek car with a handful of a child. He made do with unclipping his cape and wrapping it around Robin. Now that he had the time to look, he inspected his protege for anything other than the hypothermia he suspected. His skin had lost its colour aside from his cheeks and nose which were flushed from the constant cold. The inside of his lips was slightly blue. It reminded him of the way Robin looked after getting a slushie because he was having a bad day at school. Frost had collected in his curls and clothes, confirming that he had indeed been wet before being locked in the freezer. 

Batman had thought his listing the cold as a potential danger was a joke. He wasn't the best with tone but with how flat it had come out, he'd assumed it to be sarcasm or some way to make him feel less worried about everything. It wasn't and he should've known better. Robin joked around sure but he knew when to be serious. That's part of why he was a smart kid. He could banter and joke and remain so lighthearted but knew when the cut-off was because he was brilliant like that. Did Batman tell him that enough? How brilliant he was? How precious he was to a city that was drenched in the dark? 

"Wha's happenin'?" a tired voice mumbled against his chest. God this kid was incredible. 

"I'm getting you home," he replied softly. 

"Freezer," Robin stated as though reminding himself where he'd been. "B's gon come get me." 

"I've already got you. I'm right here."

"He's gon be so mad," he muttered before sniffling and letting his eyes fall shut. Batman might've been mad if he wasn't so worried. Maybe it would come later but right now all he could feel was that guilt that made him want to throw his guts up. He could imagine what would've happened if Robin had been awake when he entered the freezer and it didn't make him feel much better.

"You didn't say it was a freezer!"

"I said I was cold," Robin whined, on the brink of tears. "You sounded so mad I just- I didn't." He couldn't get his words out which only made him more distressed. He balled his hands up and then flexed them out over and over again, something he did when he was resisting the urge to pull at his hair. 

"Let's just get out of here."

"You're mad!"

"You're freezing."

"Please don't be mad."

"I'm allowed to be mad when you disobeyed me and got yourself locked in a freezer you conveniently forgot to tell me about," he bit back. He could see the oncoming tantrum and was quick to nip it in the bud. "You dare throw a tantrum here and you're never being Robin again. Got that?" 

He shivered at the imagined words. Batman knew he'd probably never say that but his mind liked to pretend that he would. He imagined that's how he sounded to Robin sometimes because he was so blunt in everything he said. He wondered if Robin only put up with him because it was all he had. The circus that had been his home was long gone and although he was smart, he wouldn't be able to catch up to them or stay there without the right paperwork. Batman let himself wallow in that thought before he could supply sufficient proof that wasn't the case. 

Those days when he couldn't get out of bed and Dick would just sit with him, usually watching some movie or YouTube video. He'd get bored eventually of remaining there so he'd leave and then return with something to occupy himself with. Last time, he brought in an old Nintendo DS Bruce had been gifted at some point and they took turns writing messages on Pictochat. 

Those times when he was so desperately unprepared to raise a kid and Dick would offer him cheat codes by dropping hints here and there. Sometimes they were such blatant attempts at getting sweets that he knew that they were jokes to make him laugh.

The nights he'd be up late haunted by the images of his parents only for Dick to conveniently have a much more childish nightmare and require them both to make hot chocolates. Then by the time he put Dick back to bed he'd realised how he long he'd gone without thinking of the blood on his hands.

"I'm sorry you have to save me so much," he muttered before pressing a kiss against Robin's forehead.

Eventually, they made it home and Alfred was confident in his ability to fix the mess Bruce had made. He gently took the boy from Bruce's arms and placed him onto a bed before putting an oxygen mask onto him and pumping in warm oxygen. He waited a few moments before wrapping a thick blanket around the boy and assured Bruce that it was mild hypothermia luckily. Any longer and it wouldn't be as tame. 

"We'll wait until he's warm enough to my liking then get him ready for bed. The young sir is in need of a shower. He smells like a wet dog."

"He must've been caught in the rain before they locked him in a freezer," Bruce replied quietly. His eyes had never left Dick since finding him in the freezer. He couldn't tear them away even if he wanted and he really did want to because it was an unnerving sight to see someone so full of energy so still. 

"Perhaps he'd enjoy your company tonight," Alfred suggested. "He'll likely still feel chill after his body returns to its usual temperature. He's always been a hugger."

"A hot water bottle would be better suited for that than I would be," he responded defeatedly. Their closeness in the car had been purely from a healthcare standpoint. He'd play off the kiss as some kind of temperature check if anyone had seen and asked about it. Dick was such a cuddly child and he was the opposite. Physical contact made him tense despite how much he craved it and how his skin would burn whenever it was released from someone's warmth. He'd bought Dick enough teddy bears that have pockets for hot water bottles to somehow make up for it. Some of them smelled like lavender too to promote calmness. Dick would always thank him for it but he'd get this look on his face like he'd been expecting more or maybe something else entirely. 

"Sir, a hot water bottle doesn't suffice for human attention. Skin-to-skin contact is beneficial for those with hypothermia anyway. Think of it as medical care if it helps."

"Why can't you do it?" he asked rather childishly.

"Because I'm not the boy's guardian. You are. You promised me you'd care for him and give him everything he needs. That includes physical comfort. Don't tell me you find it easier to dawn him in a suit and have him fight crime than you do hugging him." He shrugged. "It wouldn't kill you to compromise. God knows he does enough of that for you." He hummed. "I'll leave you to think about it. I'm going to prepare his room for the evening."

The warmer Dick got, the more he fought to stay awake. He pushed himself up when he'd found the strength to and pushed off his mask before Bruce could tell him to leave it alone. He'd refused to lay back down even when his head lolled to his chest and his eyes became half-lidded. Alfred took over from that point on, picking him up and taking him to his bedroom to get dressed into his pyjamas. Bruce watched from afar like some kind of ghost lingering around the pair. He stood awkwardly as his butler helped Dick brush his teeth and wash his face, his heart breaking when he could tell his ward was getting frustrated at being cold and sleepy but having to stay awake to go through the routine. He looked about ready to burst into tears when Alfred handed him off to him and wished them both goodnight. Dick wiped at his face a few times before climbing into the bed that was too big for him and gripping onto his stuffed elephant for dear life. He was still shivering and he wouldn't be getting much relief from the old cuddly toy. Bruce watched him before realising he'd never changed out of his Batman gear. 

"I'll uhm just go change. I'll be back for- yeah," he stated, mentally kicking himself for sounding so unsure. He left before he heard any reply.

When he came back, now clad in silk pyjamas, Dick was still shivering although his breath had evened out enough for him to be asleep. Bruce was silently thankful he'd dropped off so easily and slipped into bed as carefully as he could without disturbing him. Gently, he picked Dick up and cradled him against his chest, smiling to himself when the shivering tampered off. It was still there but it was less severe and would hopefully be gone by morning. He leaned against the headboard and let his eyes close. Tonight was a lot and he was exhausted, he had to wonder how tired Dick was after all he'd been through. As he drifted off, he thought about how things would go after tonight. Would everything reset between them? Would he be angry now the worry had subsided? He didn't know. Right now, he just wanted to sleep.

At around four in the morning, Bruce was woken up by movement and when he woke up he was met with a very confused acrobat staring at his chest as though an alien was about to burst out of it. He thought for a moment that Dick was sleepwalking by how distant his gaze was but when the boy felt eyes on him, his eyes shot up to meet them. The room was dim, the only light coming through the street lights and moon above, but still, Bruce could see the way Dick's bright blue eyes were glazed over. He didn't like it.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

"We're hugging," Dick whispered, his voice croaky and near silent.

"It's to raise your body temperature." That response was apparently the wrong one because that glaze grew stronger and Dick dipped his head out of view, determined to fix his eyes on the empty spot on the bed. The reaction had the billionaire stumped. Was there something else he was supposed to say? What else had Dick been hoping for?

"Well, I feel warm now. You can go."

"You're still shivering."

"It's fine. I know you don't like me being this close."

"I never said that."

"Don't have to," Dick sighed. With shaking arms, he pushed himself off his mentor's chest and flopped over to the empty space on the bed. His shivers became more violent as he made contact with the cool sheets but he made no attempt to go back. 

"Dick, you're obviously not warm enough," he replied. "Did I do something wrong?"

"You were mean. Before. Mad probably," Dick mumbled. "Left me in there."

"You think I left you in the freezer for that long because I was mad?" He nodded silently, hiding his face in his pillow. Bruce swallowed thickly and turned away for a moment. He was so shit at showing how he felt that he'd managed to make his kid think he hated the mere thought of touching him and would leave him to freeze as some sort of punishment. That hurt. He'd been hurt a lot but this was easily one of the most painful things he'd gone through. Someone he loved dearly felt so unloved by him. Thinking of Dick curled up in the freezer, not knowing when he'd be saved and being told to not interrupt so he couldn't even check. He felt horrified when he noticed himself crying and was even more horrified when out of the corner of his tear-filled eyes, he saw Dick gaping at him. 

"B?" he called, crawling closer and putting his tiny hand on the man's shoulder. That didn't help at all because he was just so nice. Even when feeling like he'd been left to suffer, here he was offering comfort. "Why are you crying?"

"I care about you but I made you feel like I didn't," Bruce stated. "When I saw you in the freezer, it hurt and you thinking I left you there on purpose hurts too." He sniffled and wiped at his eyes. "I wouldn't want anything bad to happen to you."

"I know," Dick replied softly. "I'm sorry. Just got scared. I don't like being left."

"I didn't listen to you. You said the cold was a danger and I didn't think- I'm sorry. For everything. I really am." The acrobat nodded and returned to where he'd been cuddled up in Bruce's arms only this time he wrapped his arms around the man's neck to return the hug. 

"Mama used to say adults mess up too because they're so busy thinking about big things they miss the small things. I guess you were busy thinking about fighting 'cuz that's a big thing."

"She sounds like a smart woman."

"She was. She also said that the best cure for tears is hugs and hot chocolate." Bruce could only chuckle at the remark. 

"It appears we've done the hug part," he said quietly although he made no move to break off the hug. Dick seemed to catch on and let himself lean further into his mentor.

"Hot chocolate tomorrow," he replied. "You need big hugs."

"You're something else, Dick."

"Is that good?"

"Yeah. It's great."

"Then you're something else too, Bruce."