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Bruce parked the car in Gotham zoo's parking lot, as Dick chatted excitedly in the backseat next to Damian. It was the perfect day for a visit. It was a warm, sunny June day and would be Damian's first visit to the zoo, something he was very excited about. He sat in his child seat brabbling along side Dick.
“It's going to be great! They have all kinds of animals here,” Dick said to Damian. “They even have bats.”
“Bats!” Damian repeated excited. Bruce shuddered. He never got entirely over his fear of them. Damian loved them though, as almost everything he wanted for himself was themed after them. He blamed Talia. She was the one who just had to put him in a bat onesie.
Since Dick insisted, Bruce let him help Damian out of his seat and into his stroller. They made their way the entrance, as Bruce reminisced about the first time he brought Dick here. How he was both sad and excited to see the animals. Everytime they saw an animal that reminded him of the circus, he would look at them with longing and sadness before turning to Brice with a smile and bombarding him with stories about said animals in the circus.
Bruce noticed how packed the parking lot was. He hoped the zoo wasn't to crowded. Then again, they might be harder to recognize in a crowd. He really didn't want to deal with whispers and stares or worse, someone taking pictures of them.
Ever since the press found out about Damian, they had a field day. Playboy Bruce Wayne had a baby! The scandal! They constantly speculated who Damian's mother was. One reporter even accosted Dick outside his school to ask questions. Bruce got so mad he would have beaten that guy if he had been there, but since Alfred drove Dick to and from school, he wasn't. In the end Bruce held a press conference. He firmly told the press that it wasn't their business and threatened legal actions on anyone who continued to harass his family.
They arrived at the long line at the entrance. As Bruce feared, it's going to be crowded. Dick didn't seem to mind as he continued to talk excited. “They also have elephants here Dami! Isn't that cool.” Damian looked at Dick and said, “No! Bats!”
“What do you mean no? Elephants are much cooler than bats!” Dick retorted. He was outraged. How could someone like bats more than elephants.
No was Damian's favorite word lately. He was still in the phase were babies learn just a couple of words a month, but he made good progress. Dick was extremely happy when Damian first said his name. And Bruce was pretty sure Alfred shed a tear when Damian first said Alf though he denied it.
Dick and Damian continued to bicker about elephants and bats as the the line grew shorter and it was finally their turn. Bruce paid the entrance fee and they made thier way into the zoo. Bruce had a specific route planned for them to take. He worked on it with Alfred. He offered him to come with them but Alfred declined. He said he wanted a relaxing day with a good book and who was Bruce to deny him?
It was at their first stop that Bruce wished he had convinced Alfred to come. The three of them just arrived at the chimpanzee enclosure when Damian saw one of them and immediately wanted one.
“Baba want!” Damian said pointing to one chimpanzee who was lounging.
“Damian, chimpanzees aren't pets.” Bruce tried to explain gently. The 14 month old wouldn't have it though.
“Baba want!” Damian demanded, another one of Damian's favorite words. Want. Bruce once again tried to explain that chimpanzees aren't pets, but Damian continued to demand one. He even fought against the straps of his stroller as if he wanted to climb into the enclosure and get one himself.
“Damian, chimps make terrible pets,” Dick explained, “They can be aggressive and attack their owners. And you don't want that right?”
“Want!” Damian screamed. That is why Bruce wanted Alfred with them. He always seemed to know how to calm children down.
“Damian no. Chimps aren't pets.” Bruce said firmly. This caused Damian to cry. Bruce noticed the looks of judgment and annoyance he was getting. He was tempted to say, “What. Never saw a child being unreasonable!” but he tried to remain calm. It was then that he thought of a potential solution.
“Damian. You can get a plush one later from the gift shop, how does that sound?”
“Okay!” Damian said, tantrum forgotten. Bruce breathed a sigh of relief.
“If he gets something from the gift shop, I get something too right, Bruce?” Dick asked, doing his best puppy dog eyes.
“Of course chum.” Bruce had planned on buying them gifts anyway. They continued on their way and Bruce was glad the tantrum was over.
“Look!” Dick shouted excited, as they arrived at the elephant enclosure. He pointed towards the elephants and ran up to the partition that separated the animals from the guests. Seeing his brother running, made Damian want to walk too.
“I walk,” Damian said, fighting against the straps of the stroller.
“Fine. But you have to hold my hand.” Bruce replied, removing him from stroller. Damian happily toddled along side Bruce after Dick.
“You're so slow,” he teased. Dick picked up Damian to show him the elephants. The fourteen year old told him story after story of the circus. Damian looked at Dick in awe as he listened and Bruce decided to take a picture. He made a mental note to send it to Talia later as he does with every picture or Damian.
Bruce was about to usher them to their next stop when Damian declared, “Want.” He pointed at the closest elephant.
Dick chimed in, “Yes! What a great idea!” And Dick meant it. He wanted one since moving in.
“No! Not a great idea.” Bruce interjected. Damian once again started crying at not getting his way. Bruce once again promised to buy a plushie and Dick demanded another gift for himself. Bruce hoped this wouldn't turn into a pattern and that the rest of the day would go smoothly.
It didn't go smoothly. At every enclosure, Damian would demand an animal. And every time, Bruce would promise him to buy a plush version. Damian would always smile at him when he heard that. If Damian weren't a baby, Bruce would've thought he did it on purpose. Dick, of course, would then demand another gift as well.
So at the end of the day, Bruce walked out of the zoo with two bags full of stuff and two very happy children. He wondered if he spoiled his sons to much. Alfred would probably think so. He was always better at saying no to Dick and Damian than Bruce.
Damian's most priced possession was a giant bat plush. It was double the size of the one he had at home. His entire head was hidden behind it. Dick's most priced possession was a elephant plush he called Zitka jr. He was offended when Bruce asked if he wasn't to old for plushies. Dick said no one is to old for plushies.
“For the next trip, we should go to a aquarium,” Dick said, pushing Damian's stroller.
“So you and your brother can extort more money out of me?”
“Maybe,” Dick said with a cheeky smile. Bruce would have ruffled his hair if he didn't carry the bags.
Once in the car, Bruce let out a sigh of relief. He was glad this stressful day was over though the smiling faces of his children made it worth it.