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The baby in the cradle stared at Dick with the most serious look that a baby should have. He seemed angry at the world, and he wanted to study this new enemy he faced.
Dick thought he was unfairly cute.
He poked the baby's cheek, and the boy made a noise of displeasure.
"Oh damn...can I say damn? You won't repeat that, will you? You're so cute...don't cry, please, don't cry..."
His prayers were useless: the baby cried loudly, and Dick had no idea what to do. At that moment, Bruce entered the bedroom, his shoulder bandaged, and his right eye was swollen.
“I see you and Damian are getting along,” he said wearily, walking up to them.
The thirteen-year-old moved to make room for him. "I just touched his cheek, I swear!"
"Dick…"
"Look at him and tell me you don't want to see how soft he is. Tell me, Bruce."
He received only a sigh in response, and the man picked Damian up in his arms, cradling him to stop crying. It wasn't an easy feat: for being so small, Damian had powerful lungs. And he was demanding.
He didn't even seem to like his father.
Well, Dick thought.
I also wouldn't like Bruce if he took me away from my mother.
Dick didn't know the details, but it had been a messy affair. Lots of assassin ninjas are involved, a sociopathic ex-girlfriend who had lied about having an abortion, and Ra's fucking Al Ghoul.
The real surprise wasn't the baby, but that Bruce was back in one piece.
When Damian calmed down, Dick said, "It's because of him that you weren't with the other heroes when…"
"When they picked you up after your and your friends' CADMUS stunt," Bruce continued, frowning slightly. Ah, Damian got that from him!
"It was reckless and dangerous."
The teen grimaced, "Flash and the others have already told us that they expected better and were disappointed."
Dick was glad Batman wasn't with the others. He couldn't handle Batman's disappointment. Selfishly, Dick hadn't worried that he wasn't there. Gotham was a mess, maybe Batman was just busy.
Later when things had more or less settled down and Conner decided to stay at Mount Justice for the time being, Uncle Clark had told him of Bruce's solo mission to a League of Assassins hideout after eavesdropping on a conversation about an alleged Ra's heir.
He had expected a trained assassin—an adult. Not the cutest baby he'd ever seen.
"I didn't say I was disappointed," Bruce said, surprising Dick.
"Seriously?"
"You took command of a group of young heroes older than you. You calculated the risks and made the decisions you saw fit. Despite it, you should have waited for the adults to arrive."
He didn't compromise on that, eh? One sentence was enough to ignore what Bruce had said before. Dick was still treated like a child even though Bruce recognized his contribution.
Wasn't it unfair? First, Bruce told him that he had done a good job and then down with the criticism. It wasn't fair.
"Ah, come on Bruce. Is it really necessary to say this?"
“Yes, it is. You put yourself in danger by not listening to orders.”
"There were no orders."
"Waiting for help was an order, Dick."
He pouted, "It was unclear."
He hoped no one had mentioned how close all of them had come to not getting out of there, or that they were about to be cloned. Bruce would never stop talking.
What did it matter what they risked? Dick and his friends had made it. They had defeated the bad guys, saved a ten-year-old clone of Superman, and formed a team. The heroes will have to take them seriously. Robin and the others were forces to be reckoned with.
Bruce pursed his lips, "Dick if something had happened to you while I was absent, I would never have forgiven myself."
Dick was speechless. It shouldn't be surprising that Bruce worried about him—you didn't take a child into the house unless you were in the least bit interested—but Bruce had never expressed his fears in a way that Dick could understand.
All the animosity he'd been feeling up to that point eased. "It wasn't your fault."
"I'm the one who dragged you into this life."
"Last I checked, I was the one wanting to beat up mobsters in Crime Alley," the teen retorted.
"I set an example, I'm responsible."
Dick rolled his eyes, "There are a lot of heroes out there Bruce. They're all setting an example. It's just normal that I and other kids get inspired by them."
"You put yourself in danger."
"I'm doing what's right," he corrected.
“As much as you like to say you work alone, having Robin by your side has saved you a lot of time."
"I should be better than this."
Dick retorted, "There's no shame in needing help. It doesn't make you any less of a hero."
Bruce wasn't convinced, probably basking in his self-pity soup. But they were talking, really talking. Maybe both of them weren't the most proficient at that sort of thing, they just had different methods of deflecting emotionally uncomfortable conversations.
Maybe it was the first step to understanding each other better. Damian spoke up to let it be known that he was unhappy.
Bruce stroked his back, then asked Dick, "Do you want to hold him?"
"I don't think it's a good idea…"
"I'll help you. I have to introduce you properly to your brother."
Brother.
Dick hadn't thought of that. He had thought of the child as Bruce's son. He hadn't come to…okay, maybe he had pondered it a bit, but hearing it from Bruce himself had a different effect.
It was extraordinary, but not in an unpleasant way. Hesitant, Dick sat on the edge of the bed and Bruce gently handed Damian to him.
Dick feared for one brief, terrifying moment that he would knock the baby over. It didn't happen. Damian seemed comfortable in his arms.
A powerful feeling hit the thirteen-year-old. He didn't believe a person could love someone that much.
He was sure that if anyone came in now to claim the child, he would fight them without hesitation. He told that guy from CADMUS the Batcave was already crowded. He was wrong.
It was empty, and Wayne Manor was too spacious for three people and a dog.
"Hi, Dami. I'm your older brother."
The boy didn't cry and reached out a finger to pull his hair. It hurt, but Dick didn't even think for a moment of pulling that little hand away.
Dick said, "Ehi…next time you get me a little brother, call me."
"I doubt there will be a next time. I eliminated my genetic material in Talia's possession."
Dick hummed, "Talia isn't your only ex."
He enjoyed the look of pure panic on Bruce's face.