Work Text:
In a small apartment in Gotham
The small boy woke up in the dark room. He frown as he realized the bed was empty. He climbed out of bed. He was greeted by the cold air. He grabbed his blanket from the bed to wrap around his shoulder. He is now regretting not taking his father advice of wearing socks after his bath. The cold floor made him shiver a little as he exit the bedroom.
He walked down the hallway to living room and kitchen. His father was sitting on the couch drawing. He didn't even look up from his drawing pad as his son enter the room. The boy noticed two cups on the table. His father's black cup and a robin theme sippy cup. The boy glared at the sippy cup.
"I am not a baby." He said. His father continued to draw as he ignored the comment. The boy marched up to the older one.
"I am seven and half! I am not a baby."he argues. The pencil stop moving as the father looks at his son.
" you are seven years, 4 months old meaning you are seven and a quarter old."said Damian as he contemplates if his son needs more math lessons or just drowsy. The seven year old stomp fold his arms.
"Oh now you want to listen! I want my chocolate milk in a cup!"he demands. Damian put his drawing book to the side. He pats the spot next to him. The boy didn't move an inch.
"Theodore, you are sleepy which making you irritable and unable to think clearly." Said Damian.
" I am big boy!"said Theodore sternly. The older one nods in agreement before patting the spot next to him. The boy climbed onto the couch. Damian grabbed the sippy cup. Theodore was about to refuse when Damian spoke.
"This isn't about your development level. This is about you keeping the furniture clean. You spilled milk on my couch last time." Damian explained calmly. Theodore wanted to lie and hope that his father would believe him. But unfortunately for the young boy, his father was had excellent detective skills. Theodore snatched the stupid sippy cup from his father.
Soon as the boy took the first sip of the milk, he forgot why he was so angry about. He doesn't know what his father put in this milk to make it so delicious and doesn't care. The boy relax against his father side as he drink.
Damian pets his son hair. They sat in peaceful silence. Damian enjoyed the moment but he just wishes the moment wasn't reoccurring thing.
Theodore only woken up because he had a nightmare. A nightmare that he has yet to disclose to his father. Damian tried to pull information out of the boy for years now. Theodore had only been in Damian care for three years now. Damian isn't any where closer to figure it out. But he did learn how to comfort the kid after the nightmare. Thanks to Alfred recipe and sprinkle of medicine. The kid can get decent amount of sleep at night.
Theodore fell asleep against Damian side. Damian gather the small boy into his arms with practice ease to not wake him. Damian was going to go place his son back in his own bed but he delay it. He wanted to hold the kid in his embrace for few minutes.
Theodore is going through a phase of wanting to be independent and avoid anything babyish. Damian supports independence but he still missing the three year old boy who demands cuddles. He is the reason why Damian even knows what a cuddle was.
Damian doesn't regret adopting the boy from the local orphanage. He remembers the day he helped the lost boy back to orphanage like it was yesterday. He just wishes he could had found the boy sooner and maybe then he could stop whatever cause his nightmare to happen.
Theodore nuzzle closer to Damian chest. Damian smiled fondly at the boy. Then his communicator rang louder in the small quiet apartment. Theodore starts waking up. Damian mumbled a swear word in Arabic before rocking the boy in his arms.
If the boy wakes up again, he isn't going back to sleep. Damian can only trick the young boy into sleeping so many times in one night. It was hard getting him to sleep at the beginning of his bedtime!
Damian starts plotting murder as he grabs his communicator across the room. He answered as he rubbed the boy back.
"Someone better be dying."he threatens.
"You should happy that nobody is dead. Scarecrow releases some fear toxin. Tim got hit. So cass is taking him back to cave for treatment but his part of city is unprotected for the next few hours." Barbara explains.
"Send Grayson."Damian growled as he continued to rock his son his arms. He knew what she was going to ask but he would hope she wouldn't.
"Dick is helping duke on a mission right now. I know you don't like leaving your son at night but we need you for few hours." Said Barbara.
Damian thought that hanging up the robin mantle when he was 17 years old to pursue his veterinary degree would mean he wouldn't have to be a vigilante anymore. But no! He is now just a part time vigilante. Batman still send him on missions and patrols.
However, since adopting Theodore, his father has been more lenient on sending him on tasks which Damian silently appreciates. But he has a brunch of vigilante siblings that can be called before him!
Sensing Damian sour mood, Theodore woke up. He immediately starts complaining that he isn't a baby and doesn't need to be carried.
"I am on my way."said Damian bitterly. He ended the call as he placed the kid on his feet.
"Go get your shoes on and jacket."said Damian. Theodore nods before leaving room. Damian put his shoes on and grabs his keys. Theodore met him at the door. They walked down to the apartment complex garage. Damian goes to his motorcycle.
"Do we have too?"whined Theodore. He doesn't like the motorcycle. The wind is too loud and he always gets an upset tummy afterwards. Damian would get his car but they need to get the bat cave fast. So , Damian can drop off his son to Alfred and get changed into his vigilante gear.
Damian placed a helmet on the pouty kid before strapped him into the carrier on the motorcycle. The motorcycle did loose a lot of cool points according to his brother, Jason when he added the carrier to the back of it. But it comes in handy for times like this.
Damian zoomed out of the garage and into the city street. He drove in between cars and ran stop light with ease. Damian made it to the bat cave within minutes. Theodore wasn't happy.
"Get me out!"he demands soon as the motorcycle was in park. Damian took him out of the carrier and on the solid ground. Theodore immediately regurgitated his dinner on Damian shoes.
There one thing that his background of being raised as assassin didn't train him. It was how to deal with bodily fluid that isn't blood. Fatherhood taught Damian a lot of things. The minor but very frequent things was vomit.
"My tummy hurts."whined Theodore. Damian bite his tongue from stating the obvious. He picked up the boy to comfort him as they walked into the bat cave. Alfred greeted them at the entrance. He had a pair of slipper and wet wipes with him.
"Thank you pennyworth."said Damian. He passed his son to the butler/ pseudo grandfather. Alfred cleaned Theodore face while Damian changed shoes.
Damian went to the locker room to get changed. Theodore stay with Alfred who was happy to feed the boy snacks. Damian wasn't surprised to see Theodore munching crackers when he walk past to get his weapons.
Damian was about to leave. Theodore ran up to him. Damian kneeled down to his level.
"Pinkie promise, you will come back." Said Theodore. He isn't normally here when Damian has to go do vigilante work. Damian always drop him off at dick house when he can. Damian tries not to expose his son to this line of work. He doesn't want his son to go down the path of justice like this. However, things don't all go to plan. Damian gets called in missions sometimes. He is gone few days at a time. He hates it especially since Theodore becomes a clingy thorn in his side afterwards.
"I pinkie promise."said Damian before linking their pinkies. Theodore hugs him before going back to Alfred.
Damian walked out of bat cave with a sense of urgency. He needs to make it back before the night is over to ensure that Theodore goes back to sleep.
While Damien was protecting the city, Alfred was trying place the boy in bed. Theodore wasn't happy. He didn't want to sleep yet! His father isn't back yet.
"Theo, we can watch a tv show while we wait."Alfred suggest. He just needs the kid to relax long enough for his sleepiness to catch up to him.
"No!"said Theodore. He climbed out the bed and stormed out of the room. He was going back to the bat cave to wait. He barely made it down the hallway when Alfred block his path.
"Move!"whined Theodore before trying push the older one out of the way. Alfred remain in place. Theodore glared at him.
"I gonna tell my papa that you being mean to me!"threaten the child. Usually that threat would make people allow him to do whatever he wants. However, that threat doesn't work on Alfred who isn't afraid of Damian.
"You can tell him after you go to sleep."said Alfred. Theodore bit the butler leg. Alfred moved out of way. Theodore zoomed past him and to the bat cave. He was greeted by cass.
"You should be asleep."said cass. Theodore started running away from her. Cass chased after her nephew. The nephew was at a severe disadvantage since he doesn't know the cave layout. Cass found him within minutes. She grabbed him and held him close. Theodore squirm in her tight hold.
"I am not a baby!!!"he whined. Cass chuckled at him as she walked back to center of bat cave. Alfred was waiting patiently. Cass tried to pass the young boy to Alfred. Theodore refused to let go of cass.
"Fine. I will take you upstairs."said cass. Theodore bit cass arm. Cass let of the child. Theodore duck Alfred hands trying catch him. He ran away from them. He noticed they wasn't chasing after him. He smirked until he ran into someone legs. Theodore fall back on his bottom and look up. It was his uncle Tim.
"You creating a ruckus."joked Tim.
"Master Tim, you should be resting. The treatment isn't done."said Alfred. Tim pick up Theodore who was squirming in his hold.
"I am feeling better. You can tell the brat to get his spawn."said Tim. Theodore bit his uncle arm. He immediately forgot that Tim was still wearing his uniform. Theodore starts crying in pain because he bitten into protective gear.
"Maybe you shouldn't bite people."said Tim. Alfred gave Theodore a wet cloth to help with the pain. Tim rubbed the boy back to comfort him. But Theodore didn't like it. His father does it better. He wants his father. He starts crying again.
"You okay. There no need to cry."said Tim gently. Theodore tried wipe his tears.
" I am not crying. Crying is for babies."said Theodore. Tim looked at Alfred for advice. Alfred pick up Theodore.
"Theo, crying is okay. Everyone cries." Said Alfred.
"My papa doesn't."said Theodore. Tim and cass looked at each other knowingly. They barely seen Damian look sad before. Unlike Alfred who been there to wipe away Damian tears when he was younger. Alfred who was the only one beside dick was able break down Damian walls enough to show his raw emotions.
"Yes he does. Now why are you crying? Is your teeth still hurting?"asked Alfred. Theodore shook his head before nodding. He didn't want acting like baby that needed their dad. Cass walk to Theodore. She stare at him for a moment before frown slightly.
"You miss Damian."said cass. Theodore shook his head. Cass gently pat his head. " it's okay to miss people sometimes. I miss Alfred and his cooking all the time." She admits.
"So you understand why I need stay here and wait for him."said Theodore. Cass grimace. Damian gave instructions in advance that Theodore sleeping is priority if he had to spend the night at the manor.
"I will wake you when he arrives."said Tim. Theodore narrowed his eyes at his uncle. He doesn't trust that Tim will wake him up. This is same uncle who allow him to sleep through a whole movie because Theodore look cute. Theodore still mad that he missed the movie.
" I will wake you when he arrives."said Alfred. Theodore nods. Alfred took him to the elevator. They were waiting for it when Batman and the crow entered the bat cave. Theodore jumped out of Alfred arms and ran to his father.
Damian kneeled down to caught his son. Theodore hugged him. Bruce continued to discuss his investigation with Damian. Damian was listening as he hugged the boy.
"Father, we will discuss this later."said Damian to Bruce. Theodore was fast asleep in his arms.
"Master Damian, I can transfer Theodore to bed while you get changed." Said Alfred. Damian shook his head. He didn't want to wake the boy with the abrupt moment. He went to a quiet area of the bat cave so Theodore can rest while in his embrace.