Work Text:
You stepped out of Clark’s tiny Honda Civic, joining him on the driveway of the one-and-only Wayne Manor. Your dad had some kind of league business to sort out with Bruce, so you’d just tagged along.
Batman had a kid that was your age, so it worked out alright. You’d heard many things about the current Robin, mostly from your brother. Though, knowing Jon, it was probably all an overstatement.
You looked over at your father, chewing on your bottom lip. “Dad, is Bruce’s new kid really ten times more uptight than all the others?” You blurted out, shoving your hands into the pockets of your jacket. He quirked a brow at you, a smile pulling at the corner of his lips.
“He’s more of an animal person. Damian’s not bad,” he replied. “Jon just over exaggerates. And he’s really not all that new either, y’know.” He playfully winked at you, and you rolled your eyes. The kid had been Robin for almost three years now, was it? You’d forgotten.
After finally reaching the doorstep, Clark knocked, and less than a second later you were being greeted by a kind, older man.
“Mr. Kent, Miss Kent, it’s a pleasure to have you here,” he said, stepping aside and letting you walk through. “Mr. Wayne is downstairs.”
“Thanks, Alfred,” Clark said, nodding and motioning for you to follow him. He led you to an old grandfather clock, which seemed peculiar.
“Uh, Dad? What’s this?” You questioned, brows furrowed. He shot you a grin, reaching up to move the hands of the clock. You raised a brow.
“Just watch, it’s pretty cool,” he whispered, even though there was no one around to hear. You rolled your eyes and watched as he set the hands to 10:47.
“Oddly specific, isn’t it?” You muttered. Then the clock opened, like it was on hinges, to reveal a hidden stairwell. You let out a tiny gasp and stared in awe. Of course they would have some kind of creepy secret passageway into their spooky lair.
“Woah,” you whispered, letting your fingers trail along the wall as you began to make your way downstairs. It truly did look like a cave, until you saw the giant, mad-scientist lab in the middle of it. Sitting in front of one of the computer screens was the bat himself, albeit in civvies.
“Hey there, Bruce,” your Dad called out, walking up to him with a smile on his face. Bruce turned around in his chair and nodded to Clark, then to you. “This is y/n.” You stepped forward with a small smile and reached out to shake his hand.
While they got to talking, you looked around. There were a bunch of shiny toys and gadgets, but you didn’t think it was a good idea to touch them. Just looking got boring pretty quickly. You glanced back at the two men. They seemed preoccupied enough, so you decided to explore a bit.
Emerging from the hidden staircase, you took another look around. The manor was giant; you didn’t even know where to begin. With a shrug, you decided to venture down the seemingly endless hallway to your right.
It was like a freaking labyrinth. You wandered around, until you heard the faint sounds of classical music. Focusing in on the noise, you followed it, finally reaching a slightly cracked door. You leaned against the frame, feeling an odd sense of serenity fall over you.
You weren’t sure how much time had passed, when the music stopped. Your eyes popped back open and you jolted upright, moving to peek into the room again. You were met with the sight of a boy about your age, wearing a black t-shirt and dark blue skinny jeans. He was muscly, but more on the lean side. This was probably Damian, Bruce’s youngest.
You took a step back in surprise. Yikes. He raised a brow at you, opening the door and crossing his arms. You guessed people didn’t really appreciate being watched. Or rather, listened in on.
“Uhm, sorry about that,” you mumbled sheepishly. “I was just bored, and then I heard the music and then I followed it here and..” Great. You were rambling. An amused look flickered over his face, but it went blank so quickly you thought you may have imagined it. “You play beautifully, by the way. Was that the violin?”
“Yes. And you are?” He was short and to the point, staring you down with an intense glare.
“Oh, I’m y/n! Our Dad’s have some league stuff to figure out, it’s all really boring,” you replied. Suddenly, you realized you’d never actually asked who he was. “You are Damian, right?”
“Yes,” he replied, rolling his eyes. “Are you going to continue to bother me with your pointless small talk, or would you be so kind to adventure somewhere else? I can assure you, the manor is plenty big enough to entertain you until they’re done.” You crossed your arms, huffing a bit.
“C’mon, don’t be like that! Doesn’t it get lonely being all by yourself? All your siblings are gone most of the time, right?” He let out an exasperated sigh, turning around and stepping back into his room. The door was left open though, so you assumed it was safe to follow.
“It’s better they were. They are ten times as bothersome as random strangers who watch you without your knowledge,” he replied, glaring at you pointedly. You ignored that, and landed with a plunk on his bed. The room was large, a pastel green color covering the walls and a giant window covering most of the one opposite you. Damian sat down in a chair at his desk, opening up a laptop and beginning to type.
You blew a strand of hair out of your face, searching for something to say. “Jon says you don’t get out all that much.” He flashed you an irritated look, puffing out his chest.
“I get out plenty,” he muttered. You rolled your eyes, laying back against the pillows with your arms behind your head.
“Right, when you’re prancing around the city at night dressed like a traffic light,” you shot back, smirking. He swiveled around in the chair and crossed his arms, narrowing his eyes. “C’mon, why don’t you and I go around town for a bit? It’ll be fun!”
He sighed internally, cursing your father for the puppy dog eyes that you’d inherited. “I suppose scouting the area before patrol tonight couldn’t hurt.” You chuckled, knowing that he probably already knew all of Gotham like the back of his hand. Bouncing off the bed, you practically skipped out the door, until you realized you’d forgotten which way to go.
Damian popped out of his room with a small smirk, tugging lightly on your arm. With his help, you managed to make it out the door. You thought you may have seen Alfred in the corner of your eye, but figured that if it was a problem Damian would’ve said something.
“So, where’re we goin’?” You drawled, struggling to keep up with him. He was fast, for someone so short. Or at least Jon had said he was short, but he must’ve grown in the last few years, because you were not seeing it.
“Patience,” he murmured. After a short walk down the crowded streets of Gotham, you ended up in a tiny, classic-looking bookstore, with a complementary coffee-shop next to it. It was like Barnes and Noble, but with more of an olden times vibe. Maybe fifties.
You both browsed the rows for books, picking one up every so often to tell the other of how good it was. You ended up at the register with a decent stack of literature, and even managed to convince Damian to go get a cup of coffee. You found out that despite his bitter facade, he liked his coffee with a crap ton of sugar and cream. You raised an eyebrow when he poured in his third teaspoon. He just stared at you deadpan, dumping in another spoonful. You giggled, noticing a hint of a smile pulling at his lips. Not quite, but close.
The rest of the afternoon went great; you talked over coffee, walked around the block for ice cream, and then finally decided it was time to head home. You didn’t think you would get into trouble, but you sure did not want to find out.
Walking into one of many living rooms, you plopped into an armchair and cradled one of the books you got. Damian sat down on the loveseat across from you, and you smiled at him.
“I had fun today!” You said, giggling a bit. That was the most you’d gotten out and about in a while. “You know, you’re not really that bad of a grumpy gus,” you teased, tilting your head and winking at him.
He scoffed, crossing his arms. “Tt. I suppose it was not the worst thing I could’ve experienced. If your father needs to revisit, then you could be a useful cover to scout the area again.” You rolled your eyes, beaming at him. You were pretty sure that was the closest to a compliment you were going to get.
“Mmhm. We could be partners in crime. Or partners in hero business. Whatever you call it.”
“I’m not sure I could handle seeing that much sunshine all the time,” he muttered, and you giggled.
“Well, who knows. We seem pretty compatible,” you said, wiggling your eyebrows. You could hear the old men walking up the steps, so you lowered your voice. “I betcha ten bucks that we’ll even get married one day.” You caught a glimpse of Damian’s slightly flushed face, before jumping up from the chair as your dads appeared at the top of the staircase.
“Hey, Dad!” Clark smiled at you and Damian, the wrinkles around his eyes clear.
“Hey there, kiddo. Did y’all have fun?” You nodded, walking over and pulling him into a side hug. “Well, we’ve just finished up here, so we’re gonna get going. See you guys later!” Bruce nodded to you both, and Damian seemed to be pouting. You chuckled, walking over so that you could lean down and peck him on the cheek real quick.
“See ya!” You walked away before anyone could say anything, leaving Damian with his mouth ajar, and followed Clark out the door.
A couple hours after you got back to Metropolis, your phone buzzed on your dresser. When you went to check it, you were met with a simple text message:
Deal. -DW
You chuckled to yourself, placing your phone back on the dresser, and retired for the night. Lord only knows how he got your number.
——
Setting your bag down on the kitchen table, you ventured through the house. You just wanted to take a hot shower and hit the hay. As you walked into the bedroom, Damian stood up and pulled you into a hug, resting his head on yours.
“Hello, love,” he murmured into your mop of hair.
“Hey,” you whispered, snuggling into the warmth of his chest. He pulled back, hands coming up to cradle both sides of your face. His eyes traveled over your features, flicking to your lips, then back up to meet your eyes.
“Y/n..” he started, trailing off and looking away. You raised your brows, a bit concerned.
“Yeah?” He looked back again, wrapping his arms around your waist.
“I.. I love you, y/n,” he whispered, bringing his lips to yours. You smiled against them.
“I love you, too, Dami. You seem a bit out of character, though.” He took a deep breath, sinking to his knees before you. “Damian?”
He pulled a tiny little box out of his back pocket, flicking it open to reveal a diamond ring. You inhaled sharply, taking a step back. “Marry me?” His voice was so low that you almost couldn’t hear it.
“Are you serious?” He nodded, looking a little uneasy. You laughed, sinking to your knees in front of him. You felt giddy. “Of course I will, hon.” Your reached up to peck him on the lips, letting him slip the ring onto your finger.
You ran your fingers over the diamond on your ring finger, admiring it’s sparkle in the light. Suddenly, you looked back at him, a devilish smile on your face.
“You owe me ten bucks.”