( he feels bruce moving, but doesn't respond in turn. his eyes stay closed, a sign of trust, one that he manages to keep up when that hand presses against the side of his head, even as the touch causes him to stiffen. it's not bruce, it's just - habit. instinct, even. he has his back out to the world instead of pressed firmly to a hard cot like he would have preferred. his guard is down, and it leaves him vulnerable in ways damian generally works hard to avoid.
i'm proud of you, bruce ways, and damian's mouth presses into a hard line. lets that sit between them for several moments. before he opens his eyes again and looks straight into bruce's own. )
He is.
( sometimes. sometimes, damian manages to find ways to disappoint his father even after all these years of progress between them. but he's been trying. he has friends now. his team, his own superboy that he's working on training. damian has made progress; he's no longer the child assassin he had been when talia had dropped him off with bruce. he's robin. )
( when damian's eyes open, he looks into them with his own. soft. curious. searching. not for the parts of himself within a boy who may one day very well be his own, but for who damian is. the boy he's come to know over the past few months he's been here... that they've been together. tower or manor. a constant here in this place he didn't know he needed... and now isn't so sure he'll know what to do without.
hand still there, cradling the side of damian's face, he sighs. soft. )
I'm glad you're here.
( words so soft, so vulnerable, they're meant to be kept between just the two of them. )
( bruce sighs, and damian shifts forward and hunches over a little more to press his face against his father's chest. hides the evidence of the little smile growing on his mouth against him. )
I told you. Batman always needs a Robin.
( a partner. someone to watch over him, to ensure he doesn't let himself sink too deep into the darkness. to be the light who guides him out of it when he starts feeling himself slipping. especially when he's this young, this vulnerable. without anyone beside him, bruce is a sinking ship with no land in sight. damian isn't alfred, but he can try to remove enough water to keep bruce from falling under. )
Even if you haven't had one yet.
( he hopes he will one day, even if damian knows how morbid that line of thought is. all of them, every child bruce has taken under his wing, had ended up there after suffering. he wishes he could find a way to save them from that; to keep grayson from watching his parents fall, todd from ending up alone in the bowery, drake from--well, drake's fine. but damian also knows how terribly everything else would be without them. where would damian be, if dick hadn't offered him the robin uniform? where would todd be, if his father hadn't ended up in prison? if his mother hadn't died? he assumes grayson be. . . happier if he'd grown up with his parents. it would have been better for him, but so much worse for the rest of the world. maybe hoping bruce will find dick makes damian a bad person, but he's been called worse. )
( damian presses in closer and bruce lets him, hand dropping to rest at the back of his head instead. he had told him such a thing, earlier on when they first met β when damian had taken it upon himself to be around him almost daily. at first, he scoffed at the idea. save for gordon and alfred at times, he worked aloneβ preferred it that way. yet with his being here and having been here for a handful of months now... he doesn't know. all he does know is that he's grown used to damian's company around him and as he had quietly confessed, he's glad to have him here.
a sigh leaves him. slow and soft. fingers gentle in the way they press to damian's head, keeping him close here in the darkness of the large room for himself. )
( attachment is a weakness. it's one of the things he'd been taught since he was small. every time he had a tutor and had outgrown them, had learned all they could potentially teach him, they'd gotten thrown into the ocean. any potential pets would have been called distractions and been disposed of. his father let him bring home a cow, gotten him a dog in hopes titus would give him something else to focus on. allowed pennyworth the cat to roam the manor. had given him a family he'd grown to love. taught damian that he didn't need to treat everyone like a rival or an enemy. that there was something else. )
Batman.
( just like this: damian has grown comfortable with the occasional hug, but he'd never allowed himself to be coddled or held. it was above him. he never needed it as a child, he doesn't need it now. but he lets it happen regardless. because he doesn't dislike it, even if it does make him feel - vulnerable. )
( affection like this is... not something he's used to giving or receiving. at least not for a very long time and yet... he gives it to damian. slow. gentle. careful. tries his best to in ways that might not feel uncomfortable to either of them. it's... a little easier. now. than it was when they first metβ than the first time when he had reached out and held damian against him after that nightmare they'd both been in. it's easier and yet he still doesn't know if he should. especially after what that thing wearing his mother's face had said.
still, he holds to him. lays there with him. quiet again. mulling over that short and simple answer given before he presses his cheek a little more into the pillow. lets his gaze wander around the dark room. )
( what does he need. it's a loaded question, with a loaded answer because damian - doesn't know. he's still working on figuring that out for himself. figuring himself out. he was damian al ghul, when he was young. had completed the year of blood, as was required of an al ghul. he is damian wayne now and has done his best to make up for the damage he did to others before he'd taken on his father's name. he's worked hard to become someone better, even when choosing the better path proved more difficult. and he's here now, helping a younger version of his father. allowing him to hold onto him while he works through all that has happened. )
I don't know.
( it's soft, but honest. damian raises a hand to curl fingers into bruce's shirt, holding onto him. )
( a soft admission with what it is bruce wayne needs.
gently, he lets his hand drop away from the back of damian's head and just lays there with him instead. quiet. breath slow and steady. cheek pressed to the pillow. eventually, his hand moves to rest between damian's shoulder blades and settles there. loose and capable of being moved away if damian wants it to be.
being here... like this... it's new. very new. yet the doesn't turn away from it β doesn't shrug it off and disappear under the sheets by himself. instead he lays there with him β lets damian hold to him as he wants. just the two of them. together. like this.
( the bed is softer than what he would generally prefer. but like this, he can feel bruce breathe, knows he's here and safe which is plenty comforting all on its own. damian can settle in here for a while, even if he doesn't have any intention of falling asleep. he just - wants his father to rest for a little while, to know he's safe, that he doesn't have to worry about anything horrid happening because damian's right here
but he doesn't say any of that. instead, he grumbles softly, )
If you tell anyone else about this, I'll show you first-hand how behind your training is in comparison to mine.
( soft as it is, there's a smile that touches his lips there in the darkness. one that can possibly be felt in the way he speaks, shifting ever-so-slightly there beneath the sheets as he does. an attempt to let himself relax a little more into the bed. with damian there. )
( they're not friends yet, but his father will, eventually, find friends he can relate to. not that damian suspects this would be something that comes up in conversation with anyone outside of grayson himself, but.
bruce tries to get himself comfortable, and damian - raises his arm to throw it over his midsection. )
I don't let Richard coddle me. He would whine endlessly if he found out.
( he lets that sit for a moment, before opening his mouth again, )
His son - Jon, and I - spent a significant amount of time quarreling when we first started to spend time together. Pennyworth admitted that it had been much the same when our fathers had met. Their ideals match, but their methodology is quite different. As are their temperaments, given the different ways in which they were raised. Jon and I were similar.
( heβs quiet for a long moment. lets himself chew on that bit of information heβs been given. still. breath content. hand pressing to damianβs back gently. after a stretch of silence, he speaks. clearing his throat first. )
I offered to help him learn to fight. Just the basics. See where he was at and go from there. In case he finds himself without the help of his powers.
( a beat. )
He said he could find other super powered people. So I left.
( it takes him a second to be sure he heard damian right and, after a moment, the faintest sound of amusement can be heard there deep within the back of his throat, hand giving a soft pat or two to damian's back. )
The thing is, despite how that sounds, I know you're being completely serious.
( he's sitting up now, throwing the blankets down as he gets onto his knees; this is no longer a laying down occasion, this is an arms up in frustration moment. )
He thinks he's more capable because he's Kryptonian, but he isn't. I could take him.
( there's a sound he makes at damian deciding to take that route with what he'd said, but he doesn't move from where he is. just lays there. looking to him with those blue eyes. )
Do you really think that's the best way to approach it?
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i'm proud of you, bruce ways, and damian's mouth presses into a hard line. lets that sit between them for several moments. before he opens his eyes again and looks straight into bruce's own. )
He is.
( sometimes. sometimes, damian manages to find ways to disappoint his father even after all these years of progress between them. but he's been trying. he has friends now. his team, his own superboy that he's working on training. damian has made progress; he's no longer the child assassin he had been when talia had dropped him off with bruce. he's robin. )
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hand still there, cradling the side of damian's face, he sighs. soft. )
I'm glad you're here.
( words so soft, so vulnerable, they're meant to be kept between just the two of them. )
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I told you. Batman always needs a Robin.
( a partner. someone to watch over him, to ensure he doesn't let himself sink too deep into the darkness. to be the light who guides him out of it when he starts feeling himself slipping. especially when he's this young, this vulnerable. without anyone beside him, bruce is a sinking ship with no land in sight. damian isn't alfred, but he can try to remove enough water to keep bruce from falling under. )
Even if you haven't had one yet.
( he hopes he will one day, even if damian knows how morbid that line of thought is. all of them, every child bruce has taken under his wing, had ended up there after suffering. he wishes he could find a way to save them from that; to keep grayson from watching his parents fall, todd from ending up alone in the bowery, drake from--well, drake's fine. but damian also knows how terribly everything else would be without them. where would damian be, if dick hadn't offered him the robin uniform? where would todd be, if his father hadn't ended up in prison? if his mother hadn't died? he assumes grayson be. . . happier if he'd grown up with his parents. it would have been better for him, but so much worse for the rest of the world. maybe hoping bruce will find dick makes damian a bad person, but he's been called worse. )
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a sigh leaves him. slow and soft. fingers gentle in the way they press to damian's head, keeping him close here in the darkness of the large room for himself. )
And what does Robin need?
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Batman.
( just like this: damian has grown comfortable with the occasional hug, but he'd never allowed himself to be coddled or held. it was above him. he never needed it as a child, he doesn't need it now. but he lets it happen regardless. because he doesn't dislike it, even if it does make him feel - vulnerable. )
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still, he holds to him. lays there with him. quiet again. mulling over that short and simple answer given before he presses his cheek a little more into the pillow. lets his gaze wander around the dark room. )
And Damian? What does he need?
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I don't know.
( it's soft, but honest. damian raises a hand to curl fingers into bruce's shirt, holding onto him. )
I'm still figuring that out.
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( a soft admission with what it is bruce wayne needs.
gently, he lets his hand drop away from the back of damian's head and just lays there with him instead. quiet. breath slow and steady. cheek pressed to the pillow. eventually, his hand moves to rest between damian's shoulder blades and settles there. loose and capable of being moved away if damian wants it to be.
being here... like this... it's new. very new. yet the doesn't turn away from it β doesn't shrug it off and disappear under the sheets by himself. instead he lays there with him β lets damian hold to him as he wants. just the two of them. together. like this.
father and son. )
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but he doesn't say any of that. instead, he grumbles softly, )
If you tell anyone else about this, I'll show you first-hand how behind your training is in comparison to mine.
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Who am I going to tell?
( it's not like he has friends, damian. )
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( they're not friends yet, but his father will, eventually, find friends he can relate to. not that damian suspects this would be something that comes up in conversation with anyone outside of grayson himself, but.
bruce tries to get himself comfortable, and damian - raises his arm to throw it over his midsection. )
I don't let Richard coddle me. He would whine endlessly if he found out.
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I won't tell anyone.
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his eyes close, and damian tightens his arm around bruce. keeps pressed close. )
What did he do?
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Does it matter?
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( he lets that sit for a moment, before opening his mouth again, )
His son - Jon, and I - spent a significant amount of time quarreling when we first started to spend time together. Pennyworth admitted that it had been much the same when our fathers had met. Their ideals match, but their methodology is quite different. As are their temperaments, given the different ways in which they were raised. Jon and I were similar.
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I offered to help him learn to fight. Just the basics. See where he was at and go from there. In case he finds himself without the help of his powers.
( a beat. )
He said he could find other super powered people. So I left.
( and bruce, of course, took that as an insult. )
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He's underestimating you. Take him out, and he'll understand how unwise that is.
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The thing is, despite how that sounds, I know you're being completely serious.
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( he's sitting up now, throwing the blankets down as he gets onto his knees; this is no longer a laying down occasion, this is an arms up in frustration moment. )
He thinks he's more capable because he's Kryptonian, but he isn't. I could take him.
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Because everyone has a weakness.
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( damian could take out superman if he wanted to. he knows he could. )
All it takes is one magic wand and he's essentially useless.
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( except, you know. he decided a fellow supe was more equipped to teach him.
licking over his lips, he shrugs, gaze drifting off some. )
He wants to learn the hard way, he can. I won't make the mistake of offering again.
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damian, however, is turning to look at bruce with the most irritated expression on his face. )
No. I'm going to take him down and show him how idiotic he's being.
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Do you really think that's the best way to approach it?
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( so, yes, yes he does. )
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