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[batsymbol]

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[brat]

( eyes look down to the bat in his hoodie, and damian slowly unwraps the bat from his hoodie, cradling it gently in his hands. )

She was on the ground. It looks like her left leg may be damaged. I was intending to take her home to give her a safe space to heal.

[batsymbol]

( a slow nod of his head, he looks back down to the map drawn but doesn't add to it. just... stares. mulling over something. lost within his own thoughts as usual. )

Home as in... the manor?

[brat]

Yes.

( the bat makes a disgruntled little squeak as damian rubs his thumb against her stomach, but she doesn't struggle against his hold. yet. )

Richard is living with his significant other. Even if I had wanted to live with him, I wouldn't want to be in their space.

( because: gross. but also: dick deserves his own space. he's young. he's already had so many responsibilities thrown onto him at a young age. he doesn't need damian, too. )

[batsymbol]

( hm. )

Guess you're stuck with me then.

[brat]

I don't - ( lips press together, and he moves to carefully cradle the bat between his hands. shakes his head. )

Richard is my older brother. He will always be important to me. But he is not my father.

[batsymbol]

( teeth sink into his bottom lip, gaze drifting down. )

I'm not either.

( a beat, wanting to clarify. )

Not the one you know and have had with you.

[brat]

I know.

( if he had been, damian would be more willing to leave him on his own shortterm. or let tim take over being robin as needed. but he isn't. this bruce is younger, newer, and needs more support. )

Which is why I had not been talking about you, when I said he didn't have the. . . patience for me.

[batsymbol]

( silence comes between them again, bruce letting his gaze drift over to damian for just a moment before he's looking down to the piece of chalk there in his hand. fingers covered in white powder from it. )

When you were upset about Dick... I wanted to help but I... ( taking a moment, he licks over his lips. ) ...I didn't know how. I guess I'm not very good at this.

( being a father, he means. )

[brat]

( he's quiet, for a moment. stands himself up with the bat in hand so he can go over to the kitchen, grab hold of a dishtowel, and gently swaddle her so he can safely set her down without risk of her squirming around.

once she has been taken care of, damian turns his attention back to bruce. walks over to him, to wrap his arms around bruce's shoulders. )

I am not good at accepting help either.

[batsymbol]

( feeling those arms come around his shoulders, eyes fall shut and he just... accepts the embrace. forgetting the chalk, the map, everything that isn't damian. he gives it a moment — needs a moment for himself before he's bringing a hand up and gently placing it on damian's arm. a gentle squeeze. a means to offer support. reassurance. )

We'll figure it out.

[brat]

( damian doesn't let go. doesn't loosen his grip any either, just leans into bruce as he reaches to grab hold of damian's arm. )

I am learning still, to accept help when I need it. To not think of needing it as a weakness.

( the league of assassins had no room for those who couldn't take care of themselves. an al ghul has no room for emotional vulnerabilities. )

I know it isn't. That it's a sign of being human. But it's difficult to let myself treat it as such.

[batsymbol]

( his hand stays there. strong yet gentle in the way he holds damian's arm. feels the way the boy leans into him and keeps himself steady so as not to accidentally topple over. he feels for him — for those words he offers and he lets his eyes flutter open. casts them down. licks over his lips some before he speaks. )

Yeah. ( a soft word from his lips. ) But we can work on it together.

( because he's really no better there himself. )

[brat]

We can. ( bruce is still so young. damian knows he's - overwhelmed, by what has been put on his shoulders. by the amount of people here who are familiar with him that he doesn't know. by wayne manor, damian. but he's trying, and damian's doing his best to try, too. to support him. to be beside him. to not be the terror he was when he had first met his father, but show this version he can be better. )

I'm sorry, for snapping at you.

[batsymbol]

You were upset.

( the words are soft yet matter of fact. )

I know it's difficult for you.

( a lot of things are for him, he thinks. because bruce can see and acknowledge that, even if he's not sure how to make it easier for damian. )

[brat]

( arms release bruce, after another moment. this embrace has gone on long enough, and damian needs to busy himself. he turns his attention back to the bat he'd put down, who has squirmed her way over into trying to escape the makeshift swaddle. damian re-wraps her gently, then holds her under an arm. )

It shouldn't be. I know how to control myself and temper my emotions.

( it didn't help with anything when faced with grayson's corpse. when he'd felt his blood on his fingertips, felt his body go cold under him. it was his fault, he should have done better, tried harder.

and damian doesn't second guess himself like that. he doesn't get stuck on the what ifs, and yet - )

I was taught to be better.

[batsymbol]

( he lets damian untangle himself from him — lets him focus on the swaddled bat in his care while he looks back to the chalk mapping he's been doing on the floor there. )

We'll all need to be better here.

( what with their worlds being on the line and all. )

[brat]

I'm aware.

( they need to be more steadfast, stronger, braver, less fallible. damian was - he was doing alright, until bruce began to try to talk to him about how he felt. maybe he should do better at holding that back, pushing it in, rather than letting his feelings get the better of him.

bruce turns back to the chalk map, and damian comes up beside him. picks up the bundle of bat, and offers it out to bruce. )

Her name is Maya.

( take the bat, bruce. )

[batsymbol]

( he gives a glance out of the corner of his eye to the bat damian holds out. silent. then looks back to the chalk mapping. scribbling a few more things down on it. damian's the animal collector. apparently. )

Have you come across anyone we should be concerned about yet?

[brat]

Father.

( damian doesn't move any, keeps the bat in her kitchen towel held out towards bruce. take the bat, you hardass. )

[batsymbol]

( rather than a glance, he looks over to damian now. still silent for a moment. )

Aren't pets your thing?

[brat]

I can't fix your mediocre map if I am keeping an eye on her.

( take the bat. )

And I wasn't allowed pets as a child. If you want to blame someone, blame your older self. He was the one who forcefully gave me Titus.

[batsymbol]

( as if bruce had pets when he was a kid. please.

staring to him for a moment longer, he holds a hand out then to take the bat. )

You didn't answer my question.

[brat]

( titus was meant to give damian something else that wasn't robin to focus on. a distraction. it had been effective after damian had stopped ignoring the dog entirely.

because titus is one of his most treasured companions, the second he'd tried to bring here.

with his hands emptied, damian gets down onto his knees and takes the chalk from bruce, to start filling in parts of the map. )

I've met a few metahumans who we may want to keep an eye out for. No one who has struck me as an outright concern, but several who may become one down the line. ( well. ) No one new who is an outright concern.

[batsymbol]

( holding the bat, he watches as damian goes about adding to the chalk map there on the floor. )

Who might be a concern down the line?

[brat]

Barry Allen, The Flash, is a member of the Justice League in my time. This one seems young, arrogant which isn't abnormal for a speedster, but is irritating. I would consider him more ally than enemy, but the extent of which has yet to be seen.

( bruce has the bat, so damian feels relatively safe taking his attention fully off of her and focusing on fixing a few of bruce's lines. moving buildings over, marking the distances between others, the width of the river. )

There is a woman who has befriended Goliath, and is a powerful healer. I will get her name next time we meet. Another woman with blond hair has proven herself to be a hinderance. She asks too many questions. The Avatar, a boy around my size, has proven to be a reliable ally thus far. His. . . extraordinary capabilities leave me hesitant to bring him into the fold. The younger Hawkeye is a - friend. I believe we can trust her, and she is a capable marksman. In the absence of Green Arrow or his underlings, she may be a good sharp shooter to bring in. ( with a tip of his head, teeth digging into his lower lip. ) If we are unable to bring Todd back into the fold.