Chapter Text
─ ⋅ The Red Hood; A Good Soldier ⋅ ─
Summary; Jason Todd had died, but Jason Al Ghul had survived - crawling out from the rubble.
༄˖°.🐞.ೃ࿔*:･
⋅ ─ Chapter 02; Little Lady Gotham
Summary; Damian arrives in Gotham…Except Jason was his main influence as a child on how the bats work
Thursday - 4th of October
Jason doesn’t actually remember holding Damian for the first time. He was cathartic - practically a vegetable in his mind, only able to listen to basic commands and just stared.
But what he does remember is Damian coming up to him once he first regained consciousness, he had just come out of the pit - scared, alone, with everyone looking at him like he was a rabid dog due to the glow of his eyes… he didn’t really even have the ‘pit madness’ Ra’s experienced. He was just confused, and angry, and impulsive… he’d just, died.
But people didn’t see that, they didn’t see a scared child. They only saw his eyes glow and assumed, they assumed it was the pit’s doing- sure it may have made him more impulsive but it wasn’t ‘in control’ he was still him… not some rabid dog.
Sure, he was angry and he lost control of his impulses, which was amplified by the pits influence but it wasn’t the cause, just the catalyst. He had just died, of course he’d be angry and upset and crazy… he lost half his neurons he was running on the same symptoms that people dying of kuru were. He was hurting. Really hurting…
So, having his only source of comfort be in the fact that he had a family, he was understandably upset once Damian would return to Gotham. The place that the joker was. His murderer...
“No, you can’t send Damian there, I’m not letting him just… I can’t.” Jason’s voice shook at the thought, he saw it - his baby brother’s body, sprawled on the floor… the same way his own was. He wouldn’t allow that.
“Habibi, I love you; I will avenge you.” Talia stared into Jason's eyes, her hands cupping his face, she really meant her words and that made Jason want to sob. She wanted to avenge him, because she cared.
Once arriving, Jason stayed with Damian at the door - shaking intensely as Damian held firmly onto the man’s jacket making sure he wouldn’t run off like he had tried to at the gate.
“I- Damian I can’t do this.” Jason’s voice was like static sandpaper as the voice modulator attempted to change the shaking of his regular voice, it hurt Damian’s ears to hear as it just reenforced the weakness in his voice rather than hide it.
Before Damian could respond, the door swung open to reveal a tall, lean man dressed casually in a blue turtle neck and black trousers, looking at the two with wide eyes as he seems unsure of how to respond. Jason, upon seeing him, drops Damian’s bag - saying one final goodbye before turning on his heel to leave.
The other man turned to look at Damian, he had an expectant look on his face as Damian cleared his throat:
“Hello, I am Damian Al Ghul-Wayne" he paused slightly, "I am looking for Bruce Wayne, he is my father - I have been sent here by my mother to train under him, as well as learn from the other of this…” he pauses before continuing with, “family” although the word feels unpleasant in his mouth, he practically spat it out as if he had eaten something abhorrent in the moment…
The man just blinked, stunned as he moved out of the way to let them in,
“Right, well, hello then. I’m Dick Grayson, it is nice to meet you. Come in and I’ll grab Bruce” he awkwardly shuffles away as Damian enters the house,
“Alright… thank you, Grayson” Damian, now equally confused just waits wondering if Grayson was just stupid or if his mother hadn't alerted father yet... even so why was Grayson so tense? In his moment of thought he was hit by a flooding memory of something both his mother, and Ahki had told him - Grayson hated his mother.
Once Dick had returned with Bruce in tow, he handed the bat the letter his mother had given to him;
“Hello, I am Damian Wayne. Your biological son, here is the proof letter; it contains a DNA test, and a letter from my mother,” he said looking up expectantly at his father.
“Talia…” the man sighed, looking incredibly stressed at the mere thought of his mother,
“Tt," he clicked his tongue, before eyeing his father, "do you need to be so dismissive of my mother? It’s frankly rude, and unbecoming of a man of your legacy - especially when she has raised two of your children.” The young boy says, rather blunt.
“Two?” Dick asks jumping to attention at the shock, which Damian found stupid as he literally saw his brother.
Damian rolled his eyes, “Yes, two. Now, may I be led to my room by one of the staff”
“Of course, young sir. I shall show you to your room, and then we can double check you are definitely Master Bruce’s. I’m sure you are, but I’m sure you understand the paranoia.” Alfred answers for Bruce, as he walks into the room.
"Hm, yes... erm, where are the other servants?" Damian's eye brow raises, surely they must all be doing their job however the heir to the house was now here shouldn't his father be calling them?
"I am the only," Alfred said stern as he picked up Damian's bag,
"What?" he paused, turning to Bruce, "Father I am aware you aren't as wealthy as Mother, however I was unaware that you lacked the money for more than one servant... do you need me to ask Mother to send some? I am sure she would be happy to knowing you are clearly struggling" he asked, before thinking, "I understand the house is rather small, but would it not be best to have at least three or four more?"
"I am the only," Alfred said just as stern as he had prior, "Now follow me, Master Damian" - Alfred clearly opting to ignore Damian wasn't really something the young prince concerned himself with, as Bruce just shook his head,
"Alfred is fine, Damian, maybe you should be thankful you are getting more independence, away from... servants" Bruce reasoned, which made Damian roll his eyes followed by a click of his tongue he followed Alfred upstairs.
After a moment, Dick decided to pipe up, questioning the boys behaviour, "So... your just gonna let him talk like that?"
"No, but I don't want to start needless arguments right now, the league is intense and we need him to be more comfortable with us before we try to change his behaviour" Bruce rationalised which seemed to placate Dick.
Damian settled into his room, placing his clothes neatly away as he puts up some paintings, and sketches of his family. Unfortunately, he was forbidden from bringing any of Jason until the others knew of his existence, which upset Damian but he understood - especially with his father immediately coming to his room… so much for privacy,
“Those are some well-done art works, Damian.” Bruce says, stood in the doorway.
“Yes, they are of my family. I like to keep paintings of them nearby... if they aren’t”
“That’s very thoughtful of you, how much has your mother told you about me?” Bruce asked, sitting on Damian's bed as the boy continued to sort his room out,
"Enough,"
"Alright... well erm..." Bruce thinks, attempting to connect with his son, "Hey why don't we go out and get you some decorations, maybe some art supplies and clothes,"
"I suppose,"
"Great, well I will introduce you to the others later - Tim isn't here right now since he is staying over at his... friends house" Bruce paused as he tried to remember whether or not the league was 'approving' of queer people, he wasn't sure he ever learnt either way so he just went with the easiest option of friend for now.
"Alright,"
"Now, do you need me to do a blood test. I’d rather get that out of the way, and then go to sleep - I have jet lag from the plane over here.”
Bruce slapped his legs getting up, “Yes, it is better to. Can you follow me. Of course I want to make sure you are actually my son - however, if you aren’t biologically mine, I’d still give you the offer to live in the manor… rather than go back to the league” he moved over to the doorway waiting for Damian,
“If I wasn’t yours, I would be with my family right now. I’d rather be there.” The words spat out of the young boy’s mouth, as if he was cursing the man stood so casually in the door way.
“Alright then, let’s just go do this…" Bruce sighed, "and Damian... I really hope I can show you that this is also your family…” Bruce sighed as Damian walked past him, waiting to be shown where the cave was.
Friday - 5th of October
It was a day since Damian first arrived at Wayne manor, and he was trying to settle in... then Tim came home.
Tim wasn’t in any way comparable to Jason, and to the young prince that meant he wasn’t in any way competent enough to have replaced him. Of course, he had to duel him for the place of Robin - surely that would make his ahk proud that he usurped the interloper - besides, Tim was basically just a glorified house guest...
Damian snapped out of his thoughts and walked over to the boy,
“Timothy” he greeted, pausing for a moment, “and, other” Damian noted the suspiciously superman (who he had seen on the Tv the night prior as Grayson attempted to teach him all of the 'heroes' names) looking teenager behind Tim who was holding what he assumed was an overnight bag.
“Conner” the other in question stated, pausing slightly before adding, “Luthor, I’m Tim’s boyfriend. Nice to meet you… sorry neither of us caught your name” Damian made a mental note of Luthor, and added in politeness to his mental list of traits - even if it was mostly for show. His Grandfather had always made it clear to note on an enemy's character no matter how insignificant or significant they may seem.
“Damian Al Ghul”
“Al Ghul? As in Ra’s Al Ghul?” Tim sputtered his words - Damian mentally noted ‘pathetic and possibly uneducated’ as he both eyed the boy, and realised he clearly didn't know how last names worked... Sure 'Al Ghul' wasn't his grandfathers original name, but that name had been long forgotten in the years his grandfather had lived replaced by 'al Ghul' as a show of power, and ease for everyone involved.
“Yes? He is my grandfather” Damian raised his eye brow, trying to decipher if his mental note was to be fully taken into account with Timothy going forward.
“Right… ok." he paused, "It’s nice to meet you” Tim smiled awkwardly, shaking Damian's hand ...it was, this boy was clearly uneducated.
After a few hours Damian come back up to Tim and Conner who are sat watching a TV show, he came up in front of the TV (true youngest child fashion) and demanded “I want to spar with you, Timothy” making Tim chuckle, agreeing.
“Alright, let’s go down to the cave”
Conner went down with them to mediate, and set out the rules, “Alright. You both know the rules, first to hit, and draw blood wins - only small amounts of blood no major injuries. Got it - small scratches only,”
The two then in sync say, “Got it!”
Finally, Damian landed a blow, which didn't stop the younger from stopping the fight...
Conner shouted, “Ok, Damian done” running over at Tim - making sure he’s safe once Damian got off. Tim was laughing slightly at Conner’s concern,
“Love, I’m fine. Don’t worry, it’s just a small cut” Tim chuckled, waving off his boyfriend who was very concerned having never had to deal with being harmed in any way as a Kryptonian, Conner tended to have over reactions to even the smallest of injuries.
“Tim, you’re bleeding loads, let me patch you up” the two then moved over to patch up Tim over on the bench...