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Dick wanted a new little brother. Which sounded terrible, because he had two and he wouldn't replace them for the world but… Jason had moved out again, he'd tried moving back in after the whole Red Hood thing, after he and Bruce had vaguely tried fixing their relationship. It didn't last though, Jason just couldn't do it, and he'd moved back into one of his nicer safe houses. He still visited but it felt strained and Dick just didn't get to spend lots of time with him anymore and when he did it felt awkward and tense.
Tim was always busy with work now, he'd taken over at CEO of Wayne Enterprise and was never home, he was holed up in his office near constantly, furiously typing away or in conference calls or napping at his desk because when did he actually sleep in a bed? Dick dare not think how many days it had been since Tim actually slept in a bed because it would probably be too high.
So Dick wanted a new brother, please. Someone he could cuddle and love and spend time with.
He prayed for an Angel.
He got Damian Wayne.
"He's adorable, he's a mini B!" Dick cooed when Bruce introduced him to his apparent son that Talia had dropped off on him the night previous.
“Unhand me, you cretin!” Damian hissed when Dick tried to pull him into a hug. Dick didn’t move though, until he felt the blade under his ribs in warning, finally pulling back to pout. So Damian would be a little rough around the edges, he could deal with that, he’d dealt with Jason and Tim, this would be nothing.
“Damian, this is your eldest brother, Dick.” Bruce introduced and then gave a stern look. “We don’t stab family.” He added quickly, “No knives near your brothers.”
Damian looks disgruntled, pained and utterly offended all at once.
“It’s okay, B, he didn’t hurt me.” Dick beamed, wondering when he’d next be able to get his paws on his adorable new brother who needed to be initiated into the family via lots of snuggles.
“Next time I won’t hesitate-” Damian started, only stopping when Bruce glared at the youngster once more.
It proved terrible timing, but only a day into Damian’s stay at the manor, Bruce was called to space, a Justice League emergency that required all hands on deck and so Bruce was off world, leaving Dick to look after Damian.
“I’m the true blood heir, your existence and presence in the manor is both shameful and an embarrassment.” Damian snapped over the dinner table. Dick only beamed because he was only an embarrassment? Tim had once said he hated him in a fit of rage. (It was because Dick forced him to bed after 4 solid days awake so maybe his filter was shot but still.) So Damian only thought he was embarrassing? A big improvement.
Damian set his bed on fire the same evening, setting off the sprinklers once the collection of foam and springs were a burning blaze. Dick stood in the doorway while Damian shot him a smug look, charred remains of his bed and blackened walls to the room. Dick grinned. A mattress fire? How basic, one time Jason set Dick himself on fire. (It was an accident in the kitchen and Dick didn’t get hurt but it still counted.)
Morning number three of Bruce’s absence saw Damian sat at the kitchen counter, making a bold point of eating Dick’s cereal which only had Dick laugh and beam, ruffling Damian’s hair and dodging the swipe at his hand with a knife that appeared from nowhere, only laughing further when Damian looked disgruntled. Alfred once threw away all of Dick’s cereal (16 boxes, no less) when the man had found the sugary brands hidden in his closet. Eating his cereal was nothing compared to that.
Damian turned off the hot water when Dick was in the shower and Dick remembered to thank the boy after, it was the height of summer and it was nice to have a cold shower to cool off. Damian scowled through the words of gratitude and turned to stomp away while Dick frowned. What had he said wrong?
Day Five saw all of his remaining cereal burn, out on the front lawn and Dick could only watch with a frown. Huh, maybe it was out of date or something? That must be it! He was so lucky Damian was looking out for him!
It was only day seven that brought about the return of the blade though. Dick woke up to searing pain in his shoulder, letting out a choked noise as Damian was straddling his chest, blade plunged into his shoulder.
“Dami?” Dick asked, confused, biting hit bottom lip to keep from being loud about the flaring pain. Damian sneered down at him, lips curled in disgust, twisting the blade slightly that had Dick let out an uncharacteristic yelp.
“Shut up, you filthy gypsy. You clearly can’t seem to understand. You don’t belong here. I’m the Blood Son, you’re a fake imitation, Father doesn’t need you anymore, he has me.” Damian hissed out, twisting the blade a little more and making Dick choke out a whine, but despite this, Dick didn’t attempt to buck or knock Damian off, just lay there, confused, watching Damian’s facial expressions turn from disgust to confusion. “So why, why won’t you leave? Or fight back? I ruined your bed, I burnt your preferred source of substance, I made every effort to ruin your daily life and yet you never retaliate? You never try to ‘return the favour.’ Never attempt to maim me?” Damian huffed out, utterly boggled if his furrowed brow was anything to go by.
“Why would I hurt you? You’re my Little Brother? I love you.” Dick answered instantly, no trace of a lie on his face that Damian froze at.
“What?”
“You’re my brother. We might not be blood, as you rightfully said, but I’m your Big Brother, I could never hurt you.” Dick smiled through the pain as Damian’s hands flinched off the blade as though it had burnt him, leaving the blade where it was, blood seeping from the wound to stain the sheets on Dick’s new mattress.
“What…” Damian whispered this time, voice uneven.
“We’re family. I love you. I’ll never hurt you.” Dick implored, hand on his good side reaching up to cup at Damian’s cheek gently, surprised to see the eyes were filled with tears. He hadn’t seen Damian do anything but be angry since he arrived so to see another emotion after a week of rage was unexpected.
When the first tears fell, Dick’s hand was there to wipe it away with the softest touches that had Damian crumple down, face instantly coming to tuck under Dick’s chin, his form trembling where it rested on Dick’s chest. Dick bit the inside of cheek until he tasted blood to ignore the inferno of pain radiating from his shoulder that spread down his arm in a burning embers and crept into his chest with fire that choked him. Instead, his good arm reached to wrap over Damian’s back and hold the young boy close as he cried and sobbed and let years of pain and neglect out.
“I- I don’t know how to- to-” Damian sniffled against Dick’s collarbone.
“How to what?” Dick asked, keeping his voice level the best he could, toes curling to keep quiet through the pain.
“Be loved.” Damian answered quietly and Dick felt a different kind of pain, one in his chest that hurt significantly more than his shoulder.
“You’ll never have that problem again, as long as I’m here Dami, Honey.” Dick replied, squeezing the arm around the boy tightly, reassuringly, as Damian sobbed heavily and loud and let out everything he’d never been able to. As soon as Dick got the feeling back in his other arm properly he was going to hijack the Batplane and go wrap both his hands around Ra’s Al Ghul's neck. Despite the searing pain and the blood in his mouth, Dick felt relaxed, soothed, on the precipice of sleep once more, with Damian snuggled against him when the shout of surprise echoed the room, jolting him to awareness, eyes swivelled to the door.
“What in the blue blazers is happening? Dick why is there a knife in your shoulder? Damian, sweetheart, are you okay?” Bruce asked, clearly having just got back, eyes wide in concern as he took in his two sons, one staining the bed red with a nasty and raw looking wound and the other with red rimmed eyes and tears down his cheeks, trembling body.
“We’re going to be fine, B, welcome home. Um, I might need a trip to the med bay.” Dick sheepishly grinned and then let a hiss out through his teeth when Damian sat up, jostling the wound, eyeing it with shame and guilt, quickly wiping away his tears.
“I apologise for my appearance, Father. It was me who injured Grayson, I’ll take my punishment immediately, but please get him medical attention soon, I fear I may have damaged a nerve.” Damian pleaded reaching to pull off his own shirt, halting only when Bruce surged forward, arm stopping him.
“What do you mean, Punishment?” Bruce asked, “You’re sorry, are you not?”
Damian nodded.
“And it looks like Dick’s forgiven you?”
“Instantly.” Dick beamed and then winced and his good hand came up to clutch at the wound around the knife still lodged deep.
“So, while we’ll likely need a discussion on why you don’t stab your siblings, I don’t think it warrants anything further this time.” Bruce spoke carefully.
“But- But I-”
“It’s not your fault, Dami, it’s the Leagues.” Dick answered, sitting up and then cringing when the feeling of blood on his back hit the air, an uncomfortable sensation.
“So I won’t receive any lashes?” Damian asked quietly, climbing off Dick, carefully, to stand beside the bed, fingers twisting together, looking down, eyes filling once more against his will.
“Fuck no. If B ever tries to even remotely touch you beyond a hug I’ll break his fingers.” Dick snarled, “No offence B.” He added quickly, Bruce nodded slowly.
“I expect nothing less, Chum. I will never punish you in such a way, Damian, I may ground you, or perhaps give you extra chores, should you do something wrong, but I will never raise my hand, or anything else for that matter, against you.” Bruce implored and eyed Dick critically, noticing the little twitches and the pale colour to Dick’s skin.
“Come on, Chum, let's get that looked at, quickly.” Bruce changed the topic, knowing he’d need to sit further with Damian and explain his expectations and rules further with the boy, having not been here long enough to start to get to know his son properly. For now though, Dick needed his attention and quickly.
“Mhm. Yeah, please.” Dick breathlessly nodded, teeth bared in a inhale, nose scrunched up and eyes squinting as he headed to the door, a stumble later and he had Damian, arm around his torso to support his weight. Dick looked down and smiled softly.
“Thanks Dami.” He murmured and Damian silently nodded, tears still in his eyes but a small smile of his own breaking onto his face. Dick let out an exhale of relief. Damian would be okay. He’d make sure of it. That’s what family did for each other.