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Damian hates the multiverse. He’s met plenty of versions of himself. The one that practiced magic, the really evil one, the girl one, the one that took over Ra’s al Ghul… But then he never had to deal with a helpless one. One that grew up normal and safe. One that was never an assassin. One that isn’t Robin.
One that needed protection.
“Don’t go,” Alternate Damian wrapped his arms around Dick, “The bad people are coming and-”
The bad people were the league of another universe. The Damian Wayne of that universe was a healthy, raised by Alfred and Bruce, never died, untrained ten year old. A world where Damian’s father refused to let his children out there until they were eighteen.
“You agreed to let this imbecile stay with us?” Damian asked his father who geared up.
“I’ve been to that universe. It is one of my more favorable ones, I agreed to help that Bruce. The league there is not familiar with interdimensional traveling,” Bruce explained. Damian frowned at the thought, oh well it’s only for a few hours.
~
It was day two and Damian, the real Damian watched with disgust from the pool side as the other Damian played a game of ‘chicken’ with Brown, Todd, and Drake. Brown let herself be pushed off Drake’s shoulders despite knowing full well that she could win. Todd let him climb around and hug him from the front.
“Let's take a picture,” Dick jumped into the water, “Lil D’ wanna j in?”
It was the first acknowledgment that Damian had gotten since being near the pool. It wasn’t even sincere as Dick let the other boy float on his chest.
“I have to walk Titus,” Damian muttered… not that anyone was paying attention.
~
“What are you doing in my room?” Real Damian snapped at the intruder. Other Damian looked at him confused.
“Where’s the book shelf and Harry Potter series?” He asked.
Damian rolled his eyes, “I prefer the teachings of Confucius.”
“Well where’s the baseball sets from Jason?” He frowned, “Or Dickie’s arcade stuff? Or Tim’s Lego sets?”
“I have a katana,” Damian deadpanned. What use would he have of such idiotic children’s toys. It’s ridiculous. It’s annoying. He hates how this other world’s Damian looked at him like he was the one in the wrong.
“What about the pictures?” He asked.
“What pictures?” Damian groaned, unsure of why he was he even entertaining the lesser versions questions.
“You know… the lacrosse pictures, circus pictures, friends…”
“Assassins don’t have friends,” Damian gritted out.
~
It’s been longer than Damian appreciates with his alter self taking over his life in one swoop. Father took him out for ice cream last night just because the idiot missed home. Todd offered to drive him everywhere. Brown pressed kisses to the other’s cheek and ruffled the hair with glee.
“What the hell are you doing in this inane isle, Drake? Just because you’re intellect is that of a child does not mean that you are a child,” Damian sassed as the older teen looked through Legos.
“The good one and I are making some models tonight, brat,” Drake sassed.
The Good One…
Meaning Damian was the bad one…
Damian shoves tons of legos sets to the floor, making a gigantic scene. Drake jumps back before a barbie lego set could hit him.
“What the hell, brat!” Drake yelled after him but Damian stomped off.
~
“Look how much taller he is than you!” Todd laughed, “You really are a shrimp!”
Damian knew he wasn’t tall. He continued to hope that he was just a late bloomer like father said and it wasn’t stunted growth. Yet here was the perfect Damian at the perfect height.
The perfect Damian didn’t have to push his limits since the day he could walk. The perfect Damian did not have to hold a plate of rocks above his head four half a day balanced on a beam while mother made the servants apply more weight when she thought necessary. The perfect Damian didn’t have to climb a mountain or learn to reset his broken bones on his own. The perfect Damian didn’t die and be reborn.
Damian chose to knock Todd out by his feet.
~
“What are you doing?” Damian sneered as Brown got together pictures. The first one he saw being one of Drake and Brown canoodling like teenaged fools.
“Buzz off,” She sighed, “I send pictures to Cass each week so she doesn’t get homesick. You can look but don’t touch.”
“Tt.”
But as Damian looked through them he saw that most of them were of him. The other him. The Cute Damian. The Good Damian. The Tall Damian.
And none of them actually included their Damian.
Damian grabbed the image of the lesser one with all his family in the pool. He shredded the image into pieces without a second thought. Brown’s mouth gaped at the sight without thinking of why.
“Do you have to be such a brat all the time?” She screamed at him.
“Fuck off, Failure,” He sneered before storming out.
~
Grayson tracked him down with the most furious look that Damian had ever seen. Damian thinks that this might be the first time Grayson actually paid attention to the right Damian. Him. Not the other one. Drake quirked an eyebrow up at their older brother while he helped the good one set up legos.
Grayson grabbed Damian arm and pulled him to his feet.
“Go apologize,” He ordered. Damian knew immediately what he meant by that. It’s true, he should admit his wrongs. He lashed out at Brown for an inadequate reason, but the way the other Damian’s eyes lit up when Grayson entered the room had his blood boiling.
“Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck,” Damian decided to scream, “Fuck you!”
“Hey-” Drake jumped to his feet. Good, Damian could use a fight. In second he whirled a Bird-a-rang near Drake’s head, “God, you’re such a brat.”
“Better than being some dimwitted faux son who continues to mooch off my family,” Damian snapped.
The other Damian looked appalled. Good, that’s how Damian has felt all day.
In seconds Damian is thrown over Grayson’s shoulder despite how much he kicks to be put down. Grayson’s hold remains strong as Damian decides to scream curse words in all different languages. They reach Damian’s room where Grayson plants the youngest on the ground.
“What is wrong with you?” Grayson yelled.
“Apparently everything,” The ten year old snapped.
“I thought we were over this,” Grayson growled, “I keep trying- and trying to show people that your this wonderful and bright kid. But left and right, I feel I have to justify everything you do!”
“Then just send me back,” Damian snapped, “I feel that the company is better there anyways.”
“Why can’t you just be like the other Damian?” Grayson sighed in exhaustion. The realization of what he said and what is truly wrong showed in Grayson’s eyes, “Dami-”
“Leave!” Damian screamed, “Just leave!”
~
Damian chose to skip patrol and dinner. No one came to get him at all that night, not after her shoved Grayson out of his room. But it wasn’t till late at night when the heavy footsteps coming through his room- father. The man was most likely their to scold him.
“Son,” his father’s voice sounded broken and tired.
“Haven’t you heard, father,” Damian spat out, “All of your boys are downstairs.”
“Earth-38 came for their Damian today,” Bruce spoke, “He’s back where he belongs and I believe our minds are all cleared up now.”
Damian did feel a small amount of joy by that annoyance being gone but he still felt the rejection running through him deeply. Would they have rather he left with Earth-38. Damian felt the bed dip and his father’s heavy hand rub up his arm. Damian didn’t know if he wanted to lean into it or push it away.
“Damian, either you face me or I’m picking you up and throwing you into Richard’s room where he will coddle you into forgiveness,” Bruce began, “One… Two…”
Damian flipped over fairly fast.
“You all wanted him,” Damian frowned, “The Good One. The Tall One. The Cute One.”
Father rolled his eyes and pulled Damian up. Damian pushed him away at first before crossing his arms and scowling, he hated how much of a petulant child he must look like right now. But they deserved it.
“Damian, you are my son,” Father promised, “The reason we were so taken with him is because he is what we wish we were able to do with you. I so very much wish I could turn back time and take you as an infant. But that is not the case here. I have you baby. You’re my boy- don’t ever doubt that. Earth 38 just needed us at the time.”
Damian leans against his father, “I fear the others may disagree with you father.”
He could feel the small snort his father gave, “After your mouth down there… the only thing anyone disagrees with me about is my decision not to wash that mouth of yours with soap.”
Damian remembers the one time Pennyworth put soap in his mouth, It was an unpleasant experience, “Am I truly as awful as they think?”
Bruce pulled Damian over onto his lap, a place that if he were in public Damian would squirm to get out of. Instead he soaks up the attention in the safety of his own room where he doesn’t need legos or nerf guns, thank you very much. His father is warm and gentle.
“I know for a fact I have a living room of ashamed siblings waiting for you downstairs,” Father explained, “So you and I can go down there or wait up here and let them stew a little more… What’s your decision?”
Damian contemplates, “I suppose I should tend to Grayson before he drowns in grief.”
Father laughed at that, “That is very mature of you.”
They walked down the stairs together towards where the rest of the family sat. It was nearing six in the morning and all of them tired from the exhaustion of patrol. Still, Brown launched herself at Damian to pick him up. He most certainly did not squeak.
“I’m so sorry you felt left out, Baby Bat,” she squeezed, “I swear I’ll never do it again. I haven’t even mailed off the pictures yet. Cass wants to see you so much. We can do a photoshoot right now.”
Damian patted the blonde awkwardly, “Put me down.”
“Not until you forgive me!” Brown yelled.
“Brown,” Damian began to kick but she squeezed harder, “You’re forgiven! Now put me down imbecile!”
She put how down but left him with a big kiss on his cheek. Unlike the other Damian, this one did not turn red. Nope, no unrealistic crush on Fatgirl here. Not at all.
“Damian, something you would like to say to Stephanie?” Father drawled.
Damian sighed, “I’m sorry for cursing. There would be more mature ways to handle your wrongdoings.”
Damian heard his father sigh from behind him but Brown didn’t seem to care as she squeezed Damian one last time, “All forgotten, baby bat.”
Drake was the next one to step up. He rubbed the back of his neck in that nervous habit type of way, “I guess I’ve been a jerk lately.”
“Tt,” Damian crossed his arms, “No more than usual.”
Drake sighed in annoyance, “You’re going to make this hard for me, aren’t you?”
“Extremely hard,” Damian smirked.
“Okay brat wonder,” Drake began, “I am so extremely sorry I made you think I wanted any other little brother. Sure, Earth 38 was cute and all but he most certainly would not help me rig Jay’s and Dickie’s cycles to blurt out Hannah Montana. And It’s not like he’s much fun to train with. I can’t really show him how to drive the batmobile and-”
“I believe that is enough, Drake,” Damian began ready to move on before he thought better of it, “I suppose you belong here as much as I do aswell.”
They stared at one another awkwardly, “We don’t have to hug, right?”
“I’m glad we can agree on one thing,” Damian nodded before turning to Todd.
There was a wolfish grin on his face that Damian certainly did not enjoy. If Todd thought he could achieve another noogie than he was dead wrong. Damian is prepared this time. He catches the baseball bat thrown at him.
“We are not playing ball, Todd,” Damian scrunched up his face.
“Of course not,” Todd smirked, “We’re going to try using these to bash some baddies, get it kid? Street style. Your mom and pops didn’t teach me everything.”
Damian catches the wooden bat with ease. He balanced it in his hand, it showed some promise- not a katana but good enough for brotherly bonding or whatever. He turned to Grayson who’d obviously been in the most distress from the events. Damian felt guilt swallow him whole at the sight of his favorite brother.
Perhaps it was out of character for him, perhaps the others were watching but Damian can remind them later of who he truly is. He threw tiny arms around his favorite brother enjoying the way Grayson hugged him even tighter than father while Grayson ran fingers through the spikey yet soft hair.
“Never change baby,” Grayson told him.