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As Damian closed the fridge with two drinks in hand, he was met with the irritating countenance of one Timothy Drake.
“What do you want?”
He shrugged without explaining, crossing his arms to follow Damian around the counter back to the living room where everyone had gathered. Today had become one of those rare occurrences where most of Damian’s brothers decided to visit the manor. It usually would bring some quiet joy he’d never dare admit out loud, to see them bringing life to a place too used to stillness; however, when they all came with their… friends …the chaos became quite unappreciated. Especially when he had his own friend to entertain as well.
“If silent hovering is your new annoyance tactic, I’d have to remind you that I am far more proficient at silence--”
“But not hovering,” Drake snorted, waving his hand above Damian’s head.
He scowled and smacked the hand away. “So I will ask you again: what do you want?”
Drake stopped in the hallway, tilting his head in observation. Damian hated being observed by people he didn’t think knew anymore than he did, but he’d been forced to endure quite a lot of it since becoming a Wayne. He knew from experience that observation was just their way of picking apart his flaws, of which they believed were in abundance considering his initial upbringing. The legacy of the league hung heavy above him most days, like a sword threatening to skewer him whether from a slip-up or at the behest of one of his judgmental family members.
Finally, Drake deigned to speak. “I just think it’s funny.”
“What’s funny? Your taste in friends?” Drake happened to be the only one present today without a friend visiting, much to his irritation. So of course Damian couldn’t help pointing it out yet again.
“No, yours.”
Damian turned to face him head on, eyes narrowing in confusion. “What are you going on about?” The only friend he had visiting happened to be Colin, a local boy unused to the lap of luxury offered at Wayne Manor. Combined with the abundance of guests, Damian couldn’t help but feel antsy to get back to him. If the family and their friends said anything or did anything to make Colin feel unwelcome, he’d be forced to meet them with the sharp end of his sword to find out why.
“Nothing. Just that I never realized.”
“Will you stop being so cryptic and just speak your mind? These drinks are getting warm.” Damian shook the sweating bottles of soda in an attempt to dislodge the water seeping into his fists. He knew he should’ve asked Pennyworth to do this. Colin had whispered to him about being thirsty and he thought it bad form to leave a guest parched for too long.
Drake leaned against the wall and looked down the hall with his hands in his pockets. “I mean, after Dick and then Jason following suit, I thought it would end with me. But alas…”
Shoving past him, Damian decided ignoring a pest often yielded the best results. “I don’t have time for this.”
“He has red hair.”
The proclamation befuddled Damian so much that he felt struck dumb by the inanity of it all. “What are you--”
“Colin. He has red hair.”
“And?” This was ridiculous. Why did Drake always pull him into these absurd talks?
He came up to wrap an arm around Damian’s shoulder which he aggressively shrugged off. “Just like all the others.”
Damian scoffed. “You should have Pennyworth check your head, you’re talking nonsense. Did Kent concuss you again with his fumbling attempts at affection?”
He smirked at Drake’s sudden flush of embarrassment. It was bound to happen when one took up an affair with a brute alien incapable of controlling his strength. Sometimes it was quite unfair how some were granted gifts such as the Kryptonians; he could do so much with their powers if given the chance.
“Alright, I’ll prove it. Come see.” His long legs carried him past Damian to the doorway leading to the living room. Aggravated by being left behind, he feigned a stumble to kick Drake in the ankle. The teen barely flinched, more annoyed than anything else, but it helped soothe the ache of inadequacy in Damian’s chest. The constant open wound that wouldn’t close no matter how much he tended to it. Grayson told him it would become a scar one day, something that would only flare up when picked at, but the longer the wait became the more he believed it’d never go away--he had so much to prove, it felt overwhelming at times.
Once they reached the open doorway, Drake bent down behind him to whisper in his ear, “now what do you see?” He waved towards the room as if Damian didn’t know where to look, so he elbowed him in the chest in retaliation. Their constant battling hinged on making the other feel inferior; father and the others tried to make them get along but it worked for them.
Sighing the most put upon sigh he could manage, Damian allowed himself to give in to Drake’s challenge and observe the guests visiting:
Closest to the fireplace sat Todd and his silly Outlaw friends as they underwent some sort of drinking game with father’s most expensive bottle of alcohol. Father pretended he didn’t notice and Todd pretended he didn’t do it in a complicated bonding ritual Grayson had tried to explain to him once but he found it all too dumb. In the chair next to Todd sat Queen’s reject son, Harper, while Miss Kori curled up in front of the fireplace, long fiery hair resting within the flames in only the way an alien princess could find comfortable. He’d asked Grayson once why he’d let Todd steal two former friends of his, and the sorrowful smile he’d gotten in return still haunted him to this day.
If it wasn’t for Drake’s incessant breathing down his neck, Damian would have almost forgotten why he was looking at them at all. “Okay, fine. Jason’s friends with criminal tendencies both have red hair. So what?”
Instead of responding, Drake nudged him to look towards where Colin sat conversing with Grayson and his friends. A warm bubble of gratitude fizzled in his chest upon seeing Grayson helping Colin feel at ease among so many strangers. “Yes, that’s my friend. What about it?”
“Not your friend. His friends.”
Rolling his eyes, Damian focused in on the others surrounding them:
Next to Grayson, sat Gordon with her wheelchair empty beside them. He often admired how a woman who’d been through so much could come back stronger than ever and keep fighting. His mother didn’t usually talk about the Bats while they trained, but he did remember her remarking just how much of a threat Oracle had become over the years; he thinks she wanted to recruit her at some point. While she remained dignified and poised, on the ground by their feet laid West as he acted out some heroic blunder or another to all their amusement. He’d wondered why Grayson put up with the Flash’s antics so often to which he responded with a story of his own about a time where the Titans had all been in great danger and it was West’s actions which saved them all. As foolish as he seemed sometimes, he had to admit that a man both Grayson and Father approved of must be worth his respect after all.
Unfortunately, they both did have red hair as well.
“So what, that doesn’t prove anything. It’s not like--”
“Excuse me.” From the shadowy depths of the hallway, Drake and Damian were unceremoniously shoved aside as a towering red-headed Amazon walked past to meet with Todd and his drunk friends. Damian would be lying if he didn’t find Artemis impressive, especially when she threw Todd around like a ragdoll during their training sessions, but seeing her added to the mix caused a pit to open in his stomach. He didn’t want to admit it. The thought pained him to even think let alone ever say out loud, but…
Drake was right.
Like some kind of disease, Grayson had passed this proclivity for red-headed companions down to Todd, both of whom must’ve infected him too. The proof showed in his own red-headed friend who had finally noticed him standing in the doorway. Colin’s smile and wave fell flat upon seeing whatever expression had befallen Damian’s face. Too broken by this revelation, he felt stuck in this spiral of bewilderment.
“I told you so.” The most horrid phrase ever to be utter by anyone, especially one Timothy Drake. Damian knew he’d never be able to wipe the smugness from his face for weeks after this.
“But I…that wasn’t supposed to happen…”
The now lukewarm drinks hung despondently at his side as he contemplated how he could’ve fallen into the same trap. Drake simply patted his shoulder in mock sympathy before waltzing off to do more irreparable damage elsewhere, probably. So lost in thought, he didn’t notice Colin tapping his head with the bottles until a drop of water landed in his eye, startling him back to awareness.
“Sorry! You just seemed so out of it. Are you okay? What happened?” Colin’s frown of concern would’ve usually loosened whatever knots had encased his chest but looking at his red-hair framed by various other red-heads behind him, had his breath coming quickly.
“Let’s go.” He collected the bottles Colin had taken from him in one hand and grabbed Colin’s arm with the other. “Let’s get some new ones, Drake ruined these. And then let’s get out of here.”
Colin followed like always, but his frown hadn’t dissipated. “Wait, why? I wanted to hear Mr. West’s next story about--”
“Please.” Damian almost never said please. Not in such a desperate manner. He just knew if they didn’t escape this den of red-headed seduction, he’d never be the same.
Thankfully Colin had learned when to push and when to let things go, simply nodding along as Damian replaced their warm drinks with new ones before dragging him towards his room. “You’re the only red-headed friend I’ll ever have, Colin. Remember that.” He would not let Drake win. He would not become Grayson and Todd.
“Um…okay Dami. Sure.”
“Just so we’re clear.”
Colin smiled and hugged him close as he whispered, “as long as I still get to be your friend, I’m good.”
The blush darkening his cheeks felt hotter than a fever as his hands twitched. Colin’s red hair tickled his cheek and he had to force himself not to tremble at the feeling. Oh no. Perhaps there was no fighting it now.
Damn you, Drake.