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Damian was born to fight. He was brought up in the League of Shadows as the heir to Ra’s Al Ghul, trained to do battle since he took his first steps. By the time he went to his father, he was already one of the greatest warriors in the world; there were only a handful of people who could best him in combat.
Unfortunately, Richard Grayson was one of them. He flipped and twirled and seemed to be everywhere at once, and it took all Damian’s skill to keep Grayson from taking him down in their training session. Even the slightest misstep would cost Damian, and he was not willing to lose in front of his soulmate. He didn’t look back, but he knew Colin was watching; he’d never admit it, but he loved showing off for his soulmate.
Damian would deny it until his death, but he was grateful when Grayson finally called an end to their sparring match. He took a few deep breaths and wiped the sweat off his forehead as Grayson picked up his water bottle.
Suddenly there was the sound of clapping behind him, and Damian turned in surprise. Colin was applauding wildly from the sidelines, his face lit up with awe; Damian couldn’t stop himself from smiling at the obvious approval of his soulmate.
“That was amazing!” Colin gushed.
“Tt. As expected.” Damian shrugged, but he could feel himself blushing.
“Get a room, you two!” Todd’s voice called out.
“You damn well better NOT get a room!” Grayson immediately shouted back.
Rolling his eyes, Damian led Colin back to the Batcomputer. “I just need a shower. I’ll be back in a minute, Beloved.”
Colin nodded and turned his attention to the collection of uniforms on display. Not wanting to be away from him for very long, Damian hurried towards the shower, stripped off his exercise shorts and tank top, then stepped in and turned the water on. The hot water felt very, very good.
Once he was done and dressed in sweatpants and a t-shirt, Damian felt considerably better. He made his way back out, instinctively looking for Colin, and spotted him examining the various Robin uniforms on display.
As he approached, Colin turned with a wide smile. “So, these are the original outfits?”
“They are.” Damian nodded. He lead Colin to the first in the line. “This was Grayson’s uniform when he first started.”
Colin blushed slightly. “Why didn’t he wear pants?” He asked.
Damian groped for the right words. “The uniforms are designed for each of our fighting styles.” He explained. “Grayson is an acrobat; he was in the circus before he joined Father. So, his uniform is designed for flexibility. He had bare legs because it was easier for him to jump and flip and pants would have been too restrictive for him.” He gestured to the tunic. “It’s the same reason he only had short sleeves. He wanted to be able to move as much as possible and clothing would have hindered him.”
“What about the pixie boots?” Colin asked.
Damian smirked. “I think he just looked ridiculous enough that he wanted to maximize it.” Colin giggled, and Damian couldn’t help admiring how beautiful his soulmate looked when he was laughing. “Actually, it was because he wanted to base his uniform off of Robin Hood, so he wore similar footwear to the Robin Hood costume.” That reminded him, he should show Colin the old Disney cartoon version of Robin Hood; Grayson had made him watch it once, and it was surprisingly entertaining. “Todd wore the same uniform during his tenure. If he became Robin today, he would probably wear something with more protection.” He skipped over that discussion quickly; they were having a good day, and discussions of Todd’s time as Robin were…complicated. “When Drake took on the role, he modified the uniform to be more practical. Thicker chest armor and leg coverings with knee protection, while keeping his arms bare so he could use his bo staff.” As much as he hated to admit it, Damian approved of Drake’s uniform far more than he did Grayson or Todd’s.
“So Tim started the tradition of Robins making their own uniforms?” Colin asked.
“Correct.” Damian nodded. He decided to avoid discussing Brown for now; he would tell Colin the story at some point, but he didn’t want to get into anything heavy today. His soulmate was happy and smiling, and the last thing Damian wanted to do was ruin it. “And this one, of course, is mine.” Colin had seen it, of course, Damian had worn it while rescuing him from the first kidnappers sent by Crane and Colin had seen him off on patrol since then, but he still wanted to show off. “It’s by far the best. Armored for combat, and unlike Grayson’s or Drake’s it’s designed to be intimidating. Robin may mean hope, but he also means business.”
Colin stared at it, looking awed. “It’s really cool.” He breathes. “The cape, the symbol, all of it.”
Damian looked back and forth between his uniform and his soulmate, the two things that meant most to him in the world, and he suddenly had an idea. “Do you want to try it on?” He offered.
Colin’s eyes widened. “Can I?” He asked uncertainly. “I know it’s important to you.”
“Nothing’s more important than you.” Damian answered, blushing as he started taking his uniform down. “Go ahead. It should fit you, we’re roughly the same size.”
Colin hurried over to the changing area, clutching Damian’s uniform tightly. Behind him, he saw Damian take up a guard position, deliberately facing away to give Colin privacy.
Stripping down to his underwear, Colin carefully examined the uniform. He started with the pants; loose enough that he could move but still padded for protection. His hands trembled as he put on the tunic; the fabric was surprisingly light, but he could still feel the armor inside it. It was a bit loose on him, which made sense; despite Alfred’s cooking and Damian’s self-defence training, he was still scrawny compared to Damian. He tightened it as best he could, and the gold buttons gleamed in the light as he fastened them; he was trembling so much it took him several tries to get them all. He clicked the gold belt around his waist carefully; at least it was adjustable so it wouldn’t fall off him.
The boots came next; green, steel-toed, with armor covering his shins and knees. Their feet were the same size, so the boots fit perfectly. Then he pulled on the thick green gloves, flexing his fingers as he stared at them. They were made for somebody strong, powerful, and brave. He wiggled his fingers, admiring the gloves flexibility.
Finally, the piece he was most excited for; the cape. He swung it around dramatically, draping it over his shoulders and carefully fastening the clasp.
“What do you think?” Colin asked, grinning widely.
Damian turned and stared. He didn’t speak for a few seconds, and Colin flushed. “Don’t you like it?” He asked, his excitement dimming as he reached up to take the cape off.
“I love it.” Damian corrected him, rushing forward and catching Colin’s hands. “You look very impressive, Beloved. It just needs one more thing.” To Colin’s amazement, Damian pulled out a domino mask. “Can I put this on you?” Colin nodded, and Damian carefully put the mask on his face.
Colin turned to look at himself in the mirror, and his eyes widened behind the mask. Gone was the scrawny little kid who had screamed in terror as kidnappers grabbed him. Instead, in the mirror he saw Robin. The symbol of hope, the light to Batman’s darkness, the Boy Wonder. He lifted a gloved hand and touched his face, trying to convince himself it wasn’t a dream.
Damian couldn’t stop staring. That was HIS soulmate, in HIS uniform. He’d assumed it would just be a silly moment, and an easy way to impress Colin, but to his amazement Colin looked GOOD as Robin. He could tell the uniform is a bit big on him, but that just added something to it; there was an inexplicable charm to Colin as Robin.
He gazed at Colin, drinking in every detail. The fact that the uniform looked so good on Colin just confirmed what Damian already knew; Colin belonged with him. For a moment, he had a vision of Colin going out as Robin some night accompanying him and Father, but he didn’t like that idea at all. Robin was still a dangerous role; as Robin, he’d been shot, stabbed, had broken bones, and been kidnapped more times than he could count. He didn’t want that for Colin. He wanted Colin happy and healthy and relaxing at home, far away from any danger.
But right now, standing in the Cave, he felt a warmth in his chest as he looked at his soulmate. All he can do is smile. He and Colin belong together.
Colin twirled, clearly enjoying the way the cape fanned out as he spun around. He looked at himself in the mirror again, pulling up the hood over his head.
Damian let out an approving hum. Colin grinned widely at him. “I’ll save you, citizen!” He called out, wrapping his arms around Damian protectively. Damian could easily break his hold, but he leaned into Colin and let him have his fun.
Colin playfully tried a few Robin poses before starting to take the uniform off. Damian gestured towards the bench. “Just put it there, and I’ll hang it back up.” He turned to give Colin privacy again and make sure nobody disturbed them, and when Colin gave the all-clear Damian turned back and put his uniform away. “So, did you enjoy looking like Robin?”
“It was so cool!” Colin sounded thrilled. “Thanks for letting me wear it!”
“You’re welcome.” Damian nodded. He hesitated, then added “Anytime.”