Archive of Our Own

Dick hadn’t expected to be ambushed by Damian as soon as he opened the door. He’d been gone for a month-long mission and this was how he was greeted. The kid had run into his arms and sobbed after just one word. Something was wrong with his kid brother, and Dick didn’t know what. It scared him. 

“Dami, what’s wrong?” he led the kid into his old childhood bedroom after he had managed to let go of him. It was exactly as Dick always left it; Zitka placed it neatly on the bed with his Flying Graysons poster above it. He kept them here for safekeeping instead of at his apartment. He guided Damian to his bed and sat him down, wiping away his tears. Damian was hiccuping and unable to speak. “Dami, I’ll be right back, okay? Change into something cozy.” Dami nodded, his eyes still watery and his nose running. Dick threw a pair of pajamas at him with a sharp look ordering him to wear them.

Dick walked out to the kitchen, where he saw Alfred washing a few dishes. “Hey, Alf.” He grabbed a glass and began to fill it with water. “Master Richard! You’re home. How is your team?”

Alfred normally didn’t talk shop up here. In fact, he was against it. Something was up. “They’re okay.. Uh, do you know what's wrong with Dami?” Alfred paused. Dick stared at him, the full glass in his hands now along with a box of tissues. “I got home and he was just sobbing. I haven’t been able to get a word out of him other than him blubbering that he's sorry for the past  thirty minutes.” 

Alfred’s look softened. Dick knew that he knew exactly what was wrong; he always did. It was just a matter of getting Alfred to tell him.. “I think that you would be better off asking Master Damian. The young master has been off since your departure.” Dick felt even more worried. If even Alfred wouldn’t tell him, then what could it be? “Thanks, Alfred..” 

He hurried back to his room where Damian was sitting, sniffling. He passed him the water and placed tissues nearby just in case he needed them. “Dami, will you please tell me what's wrong? I hate seeing you like this.” 

“It is rather embarrassing, Grayson. I don’t want to talk about it.” Dick heart just aches at that. He had worked so hard with Dami to believe that what he felt was valid. He worked hard on convincing him that what happened his family did wasn’t his fault and trying his way of thinking. “Don't say that, Dami. Its okay to feel things the way you do. We don't have to talk about it right now, but promise me you will talk to me eventually Dami.” 

The boy nodded and wiped away a tear. “Could… could we watch a movie?” Dick smiled. “Of course, Dami. Let's go.” Damian trailed behind him to the living room. They sat on the couch and scrolled through countless movies. Before he left, they had been ON Disney movies and still had one left to watch. He clicked on it and wrapped his arms around Damian's shoulders, pulling his kid brother closer to him. Damian nestled his head on his shoulders and laid there, listening to his older brother’s breathing. Dick was full of worry. He knew not to push Damian before he was ready and knew he just needed comfort right now, but he wondered if that was the best thing to do. After half an hour, Dick listened as Damian’s breathing slowed and he fell asleep.

Tim came strolling into the living room and paused. “Dick! Your home! Why didn’t Bruce say anything?”Dick smiled at his younger brother. He was ready for a nice easy conversation to wash over him while they watched the movie. “I just got home a few hours ago and stopped at my apartment first. It's only been almost an hour, but I thought you guys knew that today was when I got home?” Tim shrugged. “Didn’t know the time. What are you and Demonbrat watching?”

“Uh,” Dick checked the title. He hadn’t watched this one either. “Frozen.” Tim sat down, farthest seat away from the two. Dick’s gaze was locked on the movie, invested in both it and Tim. “I cant believe Damian watches that. He's such an adult I forget that he's only, what, twelve?” Dick tried to ignore how much that comment bothered him. He knew Damian had hurt Tim in many ways and that was hard to move past, but he knew that Tim had managed to forgive Jason who was under similar circumstances. It simply made no sense to Dick.

“Yeah, Dami loves watching movies with me long as it isn’t violent.” Tim quirked his head, sinking back into the couch cushion. “He barely joined any of us on movie nights this past month. Are you sure he likes movies?” Dick swiveled his head from the movie they were watching. “He loves doing stuff like this! We used to have nights like this every night when I was Batman. Did you invite him?” Tim squirmed, frowning. “Well… no, we never asked him to come. He would stand in the doorway and watch us, but he never came in and sat down.” 

Damian's light snoring was starting to fill the room. Dick squeezed his shoulders, offering the comfort he hadn’t been getting. He moved slightly, curling in closer to Dick and his warmth. It was silly, the kid being asleep, but it made Dick feel better. “You could’ve invited him instead of pushing him away, Tim.” Tim just rolled his eyes.

“I should’ve known you’d get like this. You always take his side. He tried to kill me, Dick! I have tried as hard as I can but he needs to try too.” Dick turned down the movie. He wasn't even watching anymore, background noise to the anger he felt inside. “So did Jason! You forgave him just fine. Damian was a traumatized ten year old and it's like all of you forget that he isn't a mini adult! He's a child! That's why I take his side. Because nobody else realizes he needs somebody to.” Tim was quiet. It was like the reality of Dick’s words hit him and his anger washed away.

“I get we treat him kind of shitty, but… he's such a brat sometimes. He acted like being the “Blood Son” is so much better than the rest of us. He didn’t even eat burgers with me and Jason last night! He's always trying to be different.” Dick was confused. Burgers?

“You took him out to eat… meat?” 

“Yeah? Why? What's the problem with that?” Tim was more rigid on the couch now, looking like he was ready to leave the room. It had gotten a bit uncomfortable from their anger and now Tim's admission of how little he truly knows Dami. “Damian's vegetarian, Tim. He doesn’t eat meat.” Tim's eyes widened and his lip torment paused as his mouth gaped open. 

“What?” Dick nodded. “He thinks that it's just the same as eating cats and he would never eat his cat. He loves animals so much, Tim. He's not the same as when he first came here and it kills me that you never bothered to get to know this version of him.” 

“I'm sorry, Dick.” Dick just shrugged as Tim got up, feet quietly stepping up the stairs. He hadn’t really gotten to get a  word out and maybe Dick wasn’t fair, but it was Damian they were talking about.

Dick had always been protective of Damian. He was going to adopt him at some point in time; it only came naturally to him. Those papers were long hidden in a drawer somewhere. So when Tim uttered these words, there was a fire in his chest screaming at him to tell Time that the image Tim painted of Damian was wrong. When he spewed insults so naturally and painted an image of Damian that painted him as uncaring and indifferent to his brothers. He needed to tell them that Damian was so much more than his past.

But then Dick thought about what these past few weeks for Dami were like. Dick always would step in between Dami and Tim or Jason, stopping them from teasing the kid any further. They never learned that their words were too cruel for someone that young and so he had to do it frequently. Dick was the buffer.

He never thought about what it could be like for Damian if he didn’t have a buffer, and it just made him want to cry. Their teasing often could get to be too much for a kid obsessed with being perfect and he saw their insults as his proof of being less than. He knew that they likely weren’t cruel purposefully, or so he hoped. But Dick knew why Damian had sobbed into his arms now and it made him want to take his kid home.

Dick started to shake his shoulders gently. “Dami, dami wake up.” he whispered, Dami starting to rub his eyes and yawning. The kid stretched, much like how a cat would almost. It made him smile despite the anger and pity he felt. It was always jarring to him to be reminded of how poorly his mom and brothers have all treated him, the pure trauma he had and has to work through. “Grayson?” Damian’s sleepy voice slurred out, blinking slowly up to Richard as he leaped off the couch. “C’mon! You’re coming to my place, Dames,” Dick grabbed his hands and yanked the kid up. “Father would not approve. He said I could start heading out for patrol tomorrow night because my grades have improved.” Dick quirked an eyebrow. “He benched yo- That's not the issue. Look, Dami. It's okay. You just come with me for the night and I promise if your dad asks for you I’ll bring you right back.”

Bruce probably wouldn’t notice that Damian wasn’t there. It was left unsaid between the two.

“Okay, Grayson. I shall spend the night but I must get back the moment Father asks me to.” Dick smiles. He would not be bringing his kid back, no matter what Bruce said. He could tell, only by how Tim spoke to him, that the kid had been isolated and treated like shit for days on end. Benching him from Robin because of grades? He should’ve tried to figure out what was wrong! Hell, comfort the damn kid! No. Damian was going home with Dick, and that was final. 

Damian leaned on him as he walked out of the manor, feeling incredibly safe and loved just by being in his dad  brother's presence. Dick brought his kid home.

—---

That next morning, Dick woke up to a lump of heat curled into his side. The twelve year old was awfully cuddly, a fact he was forced to keep secret although sometimes his family would bear witness to it. Dick tried to get Dami to sleep in the guest room but had no luck. He managed to peel Damian off and jumped out of bed, dashing into his bathroom to brush his teeth. His breath got nasty in the morning.

Afterwards, he walked into his kitchen. He knew he needed something comforting for Dami; he had a month of likely feeling unloved and alone in the Wayne Manor. It was far too large for somebody all alone in the world even when it was packed with their family. But Dick was also going to be asking Damian what happened and likely forcing an answer out of him; he would feel guilty but he knew that was the only way to help Damian sometimes.

Pancakes it was. 

He started up his playlist, his training playlist, and listened to it as he mixed the batter for the pancakes. The counter had all the condiments needed; butter and most importantly maple syrup. There was a bowl of fruit too. He was flipping pancakes as Damian came in, his pajamas wrinkled and hair tangled. Dami sat up on a stool, leaning his elbows on the counter. Dick smiled as he moved to turn the volume on his music down. “Makin’ some pancakes. How many do you want?” He started to plate his own as he waited for the answer. “Two please.” 

Dick slid the plate in front of him and leaned against the counter. He chose to stand instead of sitting next to Damian; this conversation would be better face to face. “Grayson. Why did you bring me here? The manor is perfectly fine.” 

“Dami… I don't think that the manor is the best place for you to be anymore. I want you to stay with me.” Damian blinked. He didn’t know how to feel about this. He needs to be where Mother told him to be; with Batman. He was supposed to fulfill his duty as his son and become Batman. 

If he didn’t live with Batman, and wasn't raised by him, then who could he be? 

Dick’s face softened and he reached across the counter, his hand covering Damian’s. He rubbed his knuckles affectionately. “Dami, it's going to be okay.” 

Dami looked at him, eyes searching for something in his face. “Grayson, this is rather foolish. I have to fulfill my duty as the Blood Son.” Dick’s heart broke. He thought he had managed to teach the kid about how that viewpoint was harmful to both himself and those around him but… 

“Dami, your only duty is to be kind to yourself. Staying with Bruce, in that household? That's not being kind to yourself.” Dami shoved a piece of pancake into his mouth to avoid speaking, shrugging like it was no big deal what he just said. “If you insist, Grayson, I will stay with you until Father calls for me.” the kid was still holding out on hope that he would be Batman and Robin? It broke Dick’s heart knowing that Damian deserved so much more than that. He deserved to be cherished by his family and loved . He wouldn’t get that in the manor.

“Dami, can you tell me what happened yesterday?” Dick knew but he needed the specifics. He needed to know what happened. Damian had finished his pancakes so he simply stared at the plate. “Dami, please just tell me. I can’t help you if you don’t.”

Dami breathed in, breathed out. He looked up at Dick. “Well… I don't know. I didn’t realize how different you are from the rest of them. My first night of patrol without you there, nobody really cared to make sure I was okay like you did. They just assumed that I was.” Dick’s heartstrings tugged at this sentence. He knew his brothers would mock him, calling him a mother hen, but he was going to be fighting somebody tonight at his welcome home dinner.

“And… I don't know. It just hurt because I thought that I could belong here if I changed who I was. I’m no longer acting as a tiny adult nearly as often and have lessened my efforts to become the next Batman. What more do I need to do?” Dick went over to the kid from the counter and hugged him. He practically lifted him off the chair and onto the ground from how he gripped the kid. 

“Don't you dare talk like that, Dami. You don't need to change a single thing. You are so amazing, Dami; it's not your fault if they can’t see that.” 

Damian had never realized how much words meant to him  before he met Grayson. Before, they were merely insulting people said to get under his skin and distract him from the mission. After? After, it was Grayson telling him that he was so worthy and loved even if he messed up. It was something he never got with anybody else. He tugged Grayson’s arms off himself and jumped off the stool. 

“I understand what you’re saying, Grayson.” Damian uttered out, his voice tiny. “But why don’t they?”

“I don't know, robin.” Dick shook his head, and started to guide Damian into his living room and sitting down on the couch. Damian got up onto the other side while Dick positioned himself to be sitting facing the kid. “Was there anything else going on, Dami?”

It all came rushing out of Damian in a breath and ended up with him sobbing. “I don't know where I went wrong, but I would see them having movie nights and they wouldn't even invite me! Nobody ever asked me if I wanted to join, purposefully excluding me. They… they didn’t even remember that I’m vegetarian. I know I shouldn’t care, Grayson, and my mother would be ashamed of me if she knew but.. I desperately miss our times as Batman and Robin. It was much better then.” 

“Oh, Dami..” Dick said as he moved over and practically crushed Damian into the couch cushion, wrapping an arm around his shoulder. The affectionate touch wasn't something Damian wasn’t used to but his body always sunk into it and soaked every bit up. It was a part of him that nobody else got to see because he didn’t know how to be vulnerable with anybody else. “Did you get to call your mom at all, Dami? Did you talk to her?” He knew that the kid’s mom loved him and was fiercely protective. Even though she gave up her parental rights to him, she loved him. 

“I called my mom, Grayson, and she didn’t even care. She was too busy. Everybody was gone, Grayson, and it hurt so badly.” Dick’s heart was breaking as the kid broke in front of him. Dami was never not composed and to see him like this made him know that Bruce and his brothers deserved hell for it. He wrapped him up in a blanket and rubbed his arm comfortingly. “Shh, Dami, it's okay,” he murmured into the kid's ear as he cried. “He took Robin away from me, Grayson. I don't understand. He treats Tim and Jason so well, what makes me different?”

 Dick had no way to comfort the kid, he didn’t have these answers and so he had no clue on what to say. He just grabbed the remote and searched for a movie as Damian calmed down next to him, only the occasional sniffle. They were done with this conversation at least for today.

They were getting enveloped into the storyline, having clicked onto a comedy movie to take their minds off of everything. Dick didn’t love thinking about how Bruce had failed his children either; Damian was a whole other story. He idolized the man after all. They burst out laughing at a certain scene.

Damian paused in his laughter when his phone pinged. He opened it and just looked.. Sadder. His tear tracks and red rimmed eyes just managed to break his heart more when Damian got on this particular face. “Dami, what is that? Who texted you?” Dick asked. He had a hunch. It was probably Bruce, asking where his youngest son was after not noticing his absence for almost twelve, fourteen, maybe even seventeen hours. Dami just passed the phone over, looking out the window and sniffling.

Father 

               5:08 PM

Father: Damian, where are you? It is almost time for Dick’s welcome home dinner. I didn’t expect you to run off knowing that you just earned patrol privileges back, but I suppose I stand corrected. Be here by 6pm or don’t even think about being Robin for the next five months.

Dick contained his anger as he looked at Damian. “You ignore your father. He’ll be in for a real shock when you show up with me, kid. And don’t worry; he could never take away Robin. It was never his in the first place.” 

Almost an hour later, they were dressed and knocking on the Manor’s doors. They were greeted by Alfred who only smiled at the presence of both Dick and Damian, no look of surprise anywhere. Almost like he was expecting it. Dick knew that Bruce assumed the kid had only run off, not that his older brother had realized what a shitty parent he was and took him in. 

“Here, Alf. A gift.” Dick passed over one of his finest scotches. With a kid in the house, it felt strange to drink. One of his morals that Jason would mock and he wanted somebody to enjoy it. Alfred took it and smiled. “Why, thank you Master Richard. That's very kind of you.” He stepped aside and the two of them walked in, finding their way to the dining room. Bruce, Jason, and Tim were all seated; Steph and Cass were off in Hong Kong or whatever they’re up to lately.

Bruce stared at him. His eyes latched onto Damians shy face as he stood next to Dick. Dick put his hand on Damian’s back and steered him to a seat, a seat farthest away from Bruce. The two sat next to Jay, but Dick acted as a buffer between the two men. Nobody would get away with hurting his kid tonight. “Damian. Where have you been?” 

His kid squirmed next to him. He pulled the chair closer to him and looked at their plates. It was his favourite; fettuccine alfredo. Bruce hated fettuccine alfredo. Perfect. Alfred was on his side, then. Damian was silent at his side, not knowing what to say. He was squirming in his seat, twirling pasta on a fork; all obvious signs he was scared. It broke his heart to see him scared in a place he was supposed to call home.

“Damian, I do not like repeating myself.” 

“He was with me, Bruce.” He heard a low whistle from Jason. He never used Bruce’s full name, usually called him B, unless he was mad. Bruce’s sharp look softened when he looked at Dick. “Oh. I’m happy to see that you two are spending time together, but a note next time would be appreciated.”

“Or maybe Bruce, just maybe, you could’ve noticed that your son wasn’t in his own bed, his own home, for the past…” Dick checked his watch, “twenty hours?!” Dicks voice was loud and it was protective because they hurt his baby and he couldn’t let that slide. Jason looked at him out of the corner of the eye, mouth opening like he was going to say something, but realizing that Dick was not to be messed with right now. Good. 

Damian had shuffled his chair over even closer. The way it made Dick’s heart sing but hurt at the same time was a concept he couldn’t explain. He lifted his arm and wrapped it around the kid’s shoulders. Bruce’s eyebrows furrowed like he was calculating something, “No. I heard you two watching a movie last night. Damian wouldn’t leave without telling me, Dick.” 

Dick just rolled his eyes. “Well, guess what Bruce! You’re not as good a detective as you thought.” Tim’s eyes widened. Dick looked to the kitchen to cast Alfred peering in, a proud smirk on his face. His eyes darted to Tim as he dared to open his mouth. “Dick, why would you even take Damian? He loves the manor. He wouldn’t leave.”

“Oh sure, Damian loved the manor when the people in it actually loved him. When they didn’t insult him every chance they had and bothered to get to know him!” Bruce looked confused. The audacity. “You see, Damian told me everything. He told me that after patrols, you barely checked in on him to make sure if he was alright; you assumed that he had it handled. Bruce, your own son showed up to the manor and you couldn’t be bothered to be an actual fucking parent to him. You ignored him, didn’t invite him to bonding nights, and the worst of all? You benched him instead of actually helping him. Damian is not an adult. Why can’t you three get that into your thick fucking skulls?”

Dick’s truth was laid onto the table. Damian was shaking and Dick wrapped his arm around him, bringing him into his side. Damian just stared at the family he wanted to love him (a secret he wasn’t discreet about). “Damian… why wouldn’t he tell us about this?”

“Bruce. Damian is twelve years old and he came from a fucking cult and you want him to talk about puppies and the sad feelings he feels inside? When he came from a cult that told him feeling anything other than pride and anger was wrong?” Bruce sunk back into his seat. Batman sunk back into his seat, but just a moment later he fixed his posture and sat tall. He had a glass of water and the room was silent, able to hear him swallow. The tension rose with every minute. “Richard. I have done nothing wrong with how I raised Damian. Him being here right now and not trying to kill you or your brothers is all due to me and how I helped him. Giving him this treatment was needed. Perhaps I could’ve been more fatherly, but Damian was an assassin. Forgive me for believing differently.” Damian sat next to him, trying to ignore the tears threatening to burst. He drank a sip of water, hoping it didn’t draw any attention.

Dick was seething at his words. “Fuck you, Bruce.”  

“Don't you dare say those words to me, Dick. You’re not seventeen anymore.” Dick just smiled. He grinned. I“I’m not seventeen. That's why I can say whatever the hell I want to you and tell you that you’re wrong. Damian is not an assassin; hes a fucking kid who just needs love. You think YOU are the reason he got to become the person he is today? That was Damian. It wasn’t me, it wasn’t you, and it wasn’t anybody else. Because at his core, Damian is a caring and kind kid who just doesn’t know how to express that. That, being able to express it? I helped. You didn’t. You did jack shit for him and you dare to think you’re his father?” Jason and Tim were staring at him. They had never seen their brother so angry before, so worked up, and they had never had him protect them like this. 

“It wasn’t Damian’s fault! ” Dick realized that he felt like he was fighting for all of his brothers and himself. Yes, he was pissed with them all. But he knew how Batman treated them all. That he blamed them for things they couldn’t have stopped and thought he had no reason to understand why they did it. He knew that he was fighting for more than just Dami, even if he was the reason he had to. He squeezed Dami’s shoulders, half hugging the boy.

Because nobody else was fighting for Dami. He was the only one in his corner lately.

“Dick he tried to kill me. How could you ever excuse that? I can’t believe you, Dick. This is nonsense.” Tim said as he pushed himself up from his chair, too angry to sit there and listen. Damian had gone rigid in the grip Dick had on him. Dick’s voice silenced Bruce’s as he tried to speak. “That’s a lousy excuse Tim.”

Tim turned his head, eyes peering into Dick’s soul. “An EXCUSE?!”

“Yes, because as I recall, Jason tried to kill you too.” Tim sputtered, the anger deflating out of him like a balloon. “Well- yeah, he did…” 

“I did do that!” Jason smirked, the only one finding this situation the least bit humorous. “Damian was a confused little kid doing the one thing that he had been raised to do. It was the only thing he ever got praise for and he thought it was right because Damian was practically brainwashed into believing that. So don't give me that shit, Tim.”

Tim looked at Dami, and he whispered. “Sorry, kid.” Dick smiled tightly. That was better than nothing. He turned to Bruce, his gaze icy cold. “I have words for you, Bruce.” 

“I am done with bei-” Bruce started but was promptly cut off. “You never sat aside your guilt for any of us; you used it and you pushed it onto us but you never forgot it. You believe that every little failure in this world is placed upon your shoulders and that it's your job to fix it, but it’s not!” Dick paused to take a glass of water. He had a finger raised, simply daring anybody to interrupt him. He needed to get this out before he left. Tim was sulking by the door, wanting to leave, while Jason was simply soaking it in. It was a rare day that Goldie yelled at Bruce and spoke such truth. Ahh, he loved it. 

“Your only job was to be our father. When you took us in, that was your only obligation in this world. But you could never get over mine, Jays, Tims, or Damians past. Never get past that we had hurt people and were dirt poor and that we were different from you in your castle and saviour complex. It was clear to me from the moment I met you that there was no room for anything less than perfect in your life. You’ve NEVER got past Damian’s past and I doubt you will. So I’m taking him. I’m adopting Damian.” 

Those words echoed through Damian’s ears. He was comfortable, leaning into his brother dad and listening to his words as he fought for him, but he sat up and left that warmth at those words. He stared at him. “Grayson?”

“You can’t do that, Dick. You can’t.” Bruce’s voice was small. Dick stood up and he walked over. He pulled out papers from a random drawer, which only needed two signatures. When he got it, nobody knew. Jason was staring at him and Tim gasped. Nobody expected this turn of events.  It had Dick’s name written under the guardian. It had Thalia’s under her absolvement of her parental rights. It only needed two more. Damian read it, his eyes narrowing and heart aching at the thought of her just giving him away without a second thought. 

He kind of wanted her to, since it was Richard.

“Dick…” Bruce pleaded. “No. Bruce, you’ve done enough. Damian is my son. Blood means nothing. You will sign these papers or I will take you to court, and you may have the money but I will never ever let you win.” 

Damian had tears running down his face. Nobody mentioned it because he was pretty sure that Jason had some, too. Muttering about how it was all so sweet and he loved it. Pfft, emotions. 

“Okay.” Bruce said, and started patting his pockets for a pen. He pulled one out and grabbed the paper from Dick. His face was sad; who wouldn’t be sad when having to face the fact that they were as shitty of a father? He signed it with a flourish and passed it to Damian. “Grayson… what?”

He was shocked. Dick softened and realized the gravity of what he was doing. He rushed to Damians side and grabbed his hands. “Dami, if you don’t want to… that's okay. That's okay with me, but you deserve so much better than all of this. You're a good kid.” Tim’s eyes were watery. “Am I?” 

“Yes, of course you are. I will kill anybody who says otherwise.” Dick said, his voice soft and whispery while delivering such a threat. Dami nodded and grabbed the pen, signing it. He knew that he may regret it, but… He didn’t want to be forced into this manor anymore. Richard’s apartment was home. Richard was home. 

“Let's go, Dami.” 

“Okay, dad.” Damian Al Ghul-Grayson said, getting up from his chair and trailing behind Dick. He turned back to his father- his grandfather now?- and just stared for a moment. Then, he turned, and he left. 

Apologies would be dealt but for now he wanted to be with his dad.