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“This is my son, Damian. Damian, this is Dick, my eldest.” Bruce spoke.
“What do you mean, that's your son?” Dick asked, head cocked to the side as the child that was standing beside Bruce, a carbon copy except for the shining green eyes and the permanent scowl to his features.
“He’s my son. I wasn’t aware of his existence but he’s going to be living with us from now on, to keep him safe.”
“Whose his mother?” Dick asked, arms crossed, a frown of his own present.
“Talia.” Bruce answered curtly, not making eye contact with Dick who wrinkled up his nose at the images the name brought to mind. Yuck he didn’t need to imagine those kinds of get-togethers thank you.
“Al Ghul!?” Dick he finally shrieked and Damian hissed at him, despite his human form.
“Don’t you dare speak ill of my Mother you Cretin!” He snapped, teeth on display.
“Well I can tell he doesn’t take after you In one way at least.” Dick mused, “You a cat too?” Dick added, addressing the boy who snarled. It wasn't a secret Talia was a feisty Caracal.
“I am not a ‘cat,’ you nitwick. I’m a Caracal.” Damian was quick to correct the matter. Dick frowned.
“A cat then. Great. Good job, B.” Dick snarked, at the fact their newest brother could likely eat them all if he so pleased. Damian smirked and Bruce sighed. He sounded tired and done with the whole thing. He was such a tired dad of 3…4?
"Please don't torment your brothers, Damian, and Dick please don't antagonise Damian." Bruce sighed again.
"Whatever," Because despite his higher class idiolect, the kid was still a kid with an attitude problem.
"A cat?" Tim seemed entirely unimpressed, as he stared at the shorter boy. Tim had gone from the baby of the family, despite being Thirteen to now having a nine year old staring at him, eyes narrowed. Could a kid look that intimidating?
"Not a cat!" Damian snapped, teeth bared, cat-like characteristics minus the shift. Tim raised an eyebrow. That was curious.
"You don't shift much huh?" Tim asked and Damian snapped his teeth, clanking painfully but not flinching at the action.
"Not often at all…" Tim decided out loud at the show. Damian huffed, didn't answer nor give explanation as to why and then turned on his heels to run away, silently and out of character.
"Where's Todd?" Damian spoke, low and quiet and a dip of his head that had both Dick and Tim look surprised.
"Jason?" Dick asked in his own quiet tone that was both uneven and a tremor to it.
"Yes, the middle child as it were." Damian nodded, carefully examining his fingernails.
"You don't know?" Tim asked and Damian frowned.
"He's not back yet?" Damian enquired with a furrowed brow.
"What?" Dick was confused, "back?"
"Yes, tt. Do you not understand the meaning of the word?"
"I know what it means I just don't understand what you mean? Jason's… He's dead, Damian."
"Hm? When did that happen? Mother will be displeased to hear." Damian looked displeased, as thought he was trying to hide some deeper emotions.
"Um, A year ago?" Tim answered, voice quiet, he didn’t like to speak about it, he missed his brother. Talking about him hurt. Jason had stood up for him, protected him. And now he never would again. Damian looked pleased at the answer though, as though the words had given him some relief.
"Oh. You don't know." Damian exhaled and shrugged, "well it's not my place to say then."
"What are you talking about? What do you know?" Dick asked, tone growing more urgent, resisting the urge to grab the child by the shoulders who'd suddenly gone silent.
"I cannot betray the trust instilled in me." Damian spoke, low and threatening.
"What do you know about Jason?" Dick implored, tone desperate.
"Cease your questioning at once, I've already explained I cannot give any information on the matter." Damian snapped at them, baring his teeth again, one of his little cues they’d picked up on him having.
The only reason Dick dropped the matter was because Damian shifted for the first time since arriving at the manor into a tiny caracal kit that had him both coo and his anger melt away. Damian stubbornly couldn't reply while shifted and Tim had been worried about the kids' lack of shifting…
So they didn't press further, despite both wanting to know what the child meant by 'back?' And how did he even know about Jason at all? And to speak about him with an ounce of familiarity?
One time, shortly after Damian took over the role of Robin, he fell asleep in the library, curled up under a window, napping in the sunlight, unconsciously shifting into a Caracal. Dick had found him, utterly cooed at the sight because Damian usually only spit and hissed in his form. This looked like a kitten. An actual baby. Dick hadn’t hesitated to slide down into his Sugar Glider form and curl up beside the child. His every instinct was screaming no, that the kit could maul him in his sleep despite still being a child. He ignored them. The nap was beautiful.
When Dick woke and found a Raccoon also snuggled against him, he didn’t protest. He purred quietly, soothed though pained. The only thing that could have made the instance better was a certain skunk sibling of his. He lay there, purring in content for a good twenty minutes before either of the other two stirred.
He missed Jason.
Damian was the next to wake up, much to Dick’s displeasure.
When Damian woke up and found the two boys snuggled against him, he yowled and struggled to escape the cuddle pile, waking Tim with his shuffling and twisting body, hissing and baring his little fangs at them once he’d gotten a distance away. Tim huffed and trotted away, not shifting back nor fighting the instance, clearing assuming their nap was over and never to be spoken about again. Dick pouted, he watched sadly as Damian also fled. He was alone again.
He still missed Jason.