Chapter Text
He'd been at school for only a week, the new kid. He wasn't talkative at all and didn't seem to care about making friends. At recess he just sat alone in a quiet corner away from the other kids, reading a book. He didn't look sad necessarily but you thought he looked lonely and so were you, so you thought you'd at least try and get to know him. You also had lots and lots of questions to ask him so you just walked right up to him at his reading spot one day.
“Whatcha reading?”
He ignored you completely, like you hadn't said anything at all. You crouched down on the grass to read the cover of his book finding some fancy looking Arabic words.
“You can read Arabic? That's so cool. Can you speak it?”
Damian's eyebrows scrunch further, glaring at the pages of his book. If only he knew how foolish he was to think you'd go away if he ignored you.
“Did your mom teach you? Your dad doesn't seem-”
“Why are you here?”
Neither his stony face nor his tone of voice do anything to scare you away.
“Well, I noticed you don't have any friends and I don't have any friends either.”
“I wonder why.” He downright sneers. The sarcasm drips like venom from his metaphorical fangs.
“Likewise.” You cheerfully respond in kind and he huffs, looking back to his book.
“See, we're bantering already. Basically besties!”
“I don't want to be friends.”
You just shuffle closer, opening your school bag and pulling out your own book, one with a much more childish cover than Damian's which looked more like a grown-up's book. You settle against the wall with him and read silently for the rest of recess.
💬🗨️
The next day, Damian thought about finding a nice place to hide during recess, it wouldn't be hard for him but the more he thought of it, the more embarrassing it seemed. The son of Batman, hiding from a little girl? He couldn't disgrace his lineage like that, he had to face you head on and he did that by sitting in his quiet reading spot just waiting for you to scamper in and ruin his peace.
“Guess what I found in the library?”
You call to him, waving a book in your hand. Damian can't help how his eyes follow it as you sit down next to him, way too close. You excitedly show him the cover of the English to Arabic dictionary in your hands.
“You know what word I looked up first?”
You ask while flipping through the book to get to the page you bookmarked with a bright pink sticky note. You show him the page, pointing to a specific line of text that read,
“Friend - صديق (Saadiq)”
Damian clicks his tongue at your foolishness, “It should have been muzeij.”
You blink at him then look down at your dictionary, paging through to look for the word he just said. Damian watches, deadpan as ever.
“Uh, say that again?”
Your question comes after fruitlessly searching for not even ten seconds. He rolls his eyes,
"It means annoying.”
He spits it like venom but you just nod and give him a little "ohh.", skimming the dictionary until you find the word 'annoying' and then bookmarking the page with another sticky note from your bag.
"Any other useful words I should know?"
Another question. Damian curses himself, he was supposed to ignore you so you'd go away but instead he's been entertaining your nonsense this whole time. He knows children his age are fickle, if he ignores you, you'll get bored and leave, easy as that.
"Wow, you can draw? Who taught you?"
He grips his sketchpad tighter as you point towards the drawing of Titus he was touching up.
"Is that your dog or is it just a random dog? What's that breed? Are you more a dog person or cat perso-"
Damian's snaps, he turns around and grabs the collar of your purple jacket, bringing you up to meet his glare.
"Go. Away."
Damian finally sees a flicker of fear cross your face as you stare up into his fiery gaze.
"But I have so many questions to ask you."
"Why?!" He yells out of mostly frustration even when he knows he should've just shoved you back so you'd run away.
"Because I want to get to know you. You seem really...cool.
Damian had no idea what to do with you. People ask him questions all the time, about his dad, his mom, his brothers, but not usually about him. Not because they don't have any questions, they probably have plenty, it's because he makes people uncomfortable. The way he acts, the way he talks, the way he carries himself, it's not normal for a child. "Cool" probably isn't the word most people would use to describe him.
His grip on your collar loosens and he lets go with a very frustrated huff. Sitting back down with his head lowered, he mumbles lowly.
"His name is Titus. He's a Great Dane."
You adjust your collar and make yourself comfortable again, this time not as close as before, as to not overwhelm him. There's a long silence as Damian goes back to touching up his sketch.
"Do you have any other pets?"
He's quiet for a long moment, long enough that you thought he just wouldn’t answer, but then he turns the page in his sketchbook to a still life he drew of a cat, lazing on a windowsill.
"This is Alfred."
Damian feels a strange swell of pride when you look so amazed at his drawing, as if it's a Van Gogh and not one of the many sketches he's done.
He'd often get praise from his mother and grandfather but it was always conditional. Only after an order was executed with absolute perfection and it always weighed heavy with the expectation of continued perfection. His father was... better but it felt forced, like he was trying too hard to make up for lost time.
You wear adoration so plainly it comes as a shock to him, not necessarily an unwelcomed one.
"How do you say cat in Arabic? That's an important word."
He pauses his sketching and slowly brings his pencil to a blank space next to his sketch of Alfred, writing out the Arabic and romanized word for cat.
"قِطة (Qitta)"
"Qi...tta."
You repeat as you page through your dictionary to bookmark another word you apparently found important.
💬🗨️
"What if they don't like me?"
Damian rolls his eyes, adjusting his backpack as you both walk down the street.
"You asked to meet Titus and Alfred. If you're so scared then just don't come."
That doesn't calm you much. "Is your dad going to be there?"
"Probably. It's his house."
"Is he nice?"
Damian thinks on that odd question for a moment, "Not really."
You think a little before asking, "Is he scary?"
Damian thinks of the way criminals cower when they see the empty white eyes of his fathers cowl in the shadows.
"Sometimes."
You stop walking, fiddling with the strap of your bag, having some real second thoughts about this whole thing. Damian doesn't stop walking, doesn't look back at you either. Is he trying to scare you? Is this a test of friendship? Is he telling the truth or messing with you?
You grip your backpack tighter and run to catch up with him. You have questions, lots of questions, and the only way you can answer them is by being brave.
Damian glances over at the barely contained fear on your face and lets out a huff of amusement. The amusement dampens when you get to Wayne manor and you're spouting questions like a bursting pipe.
"When was it built? How many bathrooms are there? Is there a ballroom? Do you have a big library like in Beauty and the Beast?"
You prattle on until you reach the front door and an old man opens for you.
"Master Damian, and.... a friend?"
Alfred gives Damian a questioning glance but the boy just ignores him so Alfred continues,
"Hello Miss, My name is Alfred. I'm the butler of the house."
You give him a look of pure wonder and shake his outstretched hand, giving him your name.
"How long have you been a butler? Are you named after Alfred the cat or is Alfred the cat named after you? Did you go to school for butlering or are you self taught?"
Alfred seems just delighted by the child in front of him but before he can answer any of your pressing questions, Damian grabs your arm, pulling you towards the grand double doors that lead to the back yard of the manor.
"I'm only introducing her to Titus and Alfred, then she'll leave."
You wave a little goodbye to Alfred and he waves back politely, watching you get dragged away by your sleeve.
Damian drops his bag and lets out a whistle when he gets to the back yard, which is more like an open field bordered by beautifully cut shrubbery. A huge dog runs up to the both of you and you instinctively hide behind Damian. He's big, big and intimidating, black fur shining in the sun, tongue lapping between sharp white canines.
"Titus, sit."
The huge dog sits on his hind legs, closing his mouth, face as serious as you've ever seen a dog be. You look to Damian and he just gives you a raised eyebrow and a nod in the dogs direction.
You step forward, slowly extended an open palmed hand for the dog to sniff. You glance over at Damian and the little quirk in his lips doesn't make you feel better. Titus sniffs your hand and it a little lick.
You take this as a good sign and lightly scratch at his head. His tail starts wagging and he's panting again, the immediate change in mood making you laugh. You crouch to the ground and scratch and pat and play with him.
“Who's a good boy, huh? What are they feeding you!?"
Damian lets you both have your fun before getting bored and all but ordering you to follow him back into the manor to meet Alfred. You run after him, waving goodbye to Titus.
He tells you to wait in the foyer for him while he tracks down the feline. You awkwardly stand on the Wayne manor's grand staircase, staring up at the massive portrait hanging on the wall, two pairs of eyes staring back at you.
They’re clearly painted with reverence but it still feels eery, like you're not supposed to be looking at them. You hear Damian padding back and tear your gaze away, letting out an “Awee" when you see Damian holding the cutest, fluffiest little kitty you've ever seen.
“He’s just like the drawing. Can I hold him?"
Damian swallows down the pride filling his chest at your comment and hands Alfred over, gently settling the cat in your arms.
You stare into the cats eyes for a moment, wondering if he knows he's just met a new friend.
“Are those your parents?"
You nod your head towards the portrait and Damian looks up at it too.
“My grandparents. I never met them."
You nod in understanding and you both just stare at the massive painting for a bit.
"It's a beautiful painting. Who painted it?“
Before Damian could answer, a voice behind you answers for him.
“Alfred did, he's quite the artist."
You spin your body 180 degrees and almost choke when you see Bruce Wayne coming down the stairs.
You look back at Damian who rolls his eyes at your fear stricken expression. He greets his father stiffly, introducing you by your full name.
”She wanted to meet Alfred and Titus."
Bruce nods his head in understanding and turns his gaze to you.
“Nice to meet you. It’s good to know Damian is making some friends."
The statement feels pointed, like he didn't know Damian had friends in the first place, which he doesn’t really, you haven't seen him even talk to anyone else in school since he arrived. You realise you need to respond, and quickly jut your hand out, startling Alfred a little.
“Nice to meet you, sir."
“Bruce is alright."
Damian, noticing you haven't asked his father even one of your seemingly endless questions, raises an eyebrow and clears his throat.
“We will be outside, father."
Bruce nods and gives you a warm but practiced smile as you make your way to the back garden again.
“Rather inquisitive that one, Sir.”
Bruce quirks an eyebrow, "Really?"
Bruce hears you yell from outside, “You have a cow?!" and huffs in amusement.
“Not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing.“
💬🗨️
“Do you think that dress would look good on me?”
Damian glances over to the mannequin in the store front and scrunches his eyebrows.
“When would you wear that?"
“Prom's next week, Dames."
He rolls his eyes and carries on walking through the crowded mall.
“You said you didn't want to go."
You jog to catch up with him, dress forgotten.
“Yeah, but aren't we supposed to go? Like in the movies, they always go to prom and something really good or really bad happens."
He scoffs, "It's a waste of time. We're just going to stand around in a dark, warm gym in uncomfortable clothes with people we don't like, who also don't like us, for hours."
You shrug, can't really disagree with him there. "What do you want to do instead then? To celebrate graduating?"
Damian surprisingly feels put on the spot with that question. He should really be used to your questions over all these years but sometimes he still gets caught off guard.
"Stay at my house and watch a movie."
"But we do that all the time."
"Because we like doing it." He says like it's simple logic, "Come, I want vegan doughnuts."
Your expression lights up immediately, “If you were a vegan doughnut, which flavour would you be?"
“Chocolate.”
“Cus you’re boring?”
His scoff doesn’t hide his amusement.
"Because I'm reliable."
💬🗨️
"Who is she again?"
"She's the Aunt from the beginning."
The home theatre is empty besides you and Damian, a common occurrence throughout your friendship. This time it's a randomly chosen Spanish romcom. A bad one it seems.
You both have formed quite an affinity for movies, the bad and the good. You like asking questions throughout the whole film and he likes answering. It’s infuriating for other people to sit through but it works for you two and it means the home theatre gets some good use. Damian's found that the number of questions often correlates with how bad a movie is.
"Do you think they'll kiss less than half way through?"
You ask before taking a chomp of your doughnut, the almost empty box of treats sitting between you on the comfy leather couch.
"Almost certainly, yes"
"Have you ever been kissed before?"
Damian, for the second time that day, pauses at your question. It's a little embarrassing to say, but he's come to pride himself on his ability to answer, so he does.
"Yes."
You whip your head towards him like you weren't expecting that answer. Damian questions if he should be offended by that but then you swallow your bite and ask,
"What was it like? Was it like the movies?"
He tries to remember, the thing between him and Flatline was a while ago. He recalls the giddy feeling he had in the moment.
"...I suppose."
That answer wasn't satisfying in the slightest. You turn to face him better, moving the doughnut box aside with a determined look.
"What does that mean?"
“It’s how you imagine it. There aren’t dramatic fireworks, it's just a kiss.”
There actually were literal fireworks when he kissed Flatline that first time but he doesn’t mention that, his point still stands.
You don’t say anything after that, turning to face the theatre screen again. No follow up questions. Damian tries to watch the movie but there’s a notable shift in the air. After a while and the last doughnut is eaten, you break the silence.
“I could be having my first kiss if we were at prom right now.”
Damian looks at you with an incredulous face,
“Who would you kiss at prom?”
“I don't know, some rando! That’s what happens at prom.”
He turns to face you better, neither of you paying attention to the movie's melodramatic performances any longer.
“Why would you want your first kiss to be with 'some rando' at prom?”
“I just want to know what it’s like, doesn't really matter who.”
“That’s ridiculous.”
“Easy for you to say. You won’t even tell me what it's like!”
“Why don’t you ask me to show you?”
You’re shocked to silence, sure that you must have misunderstood him.
“What?"
“Why would you want your first kiss to be with some rando instead of me?”
You stutter for a response and Damian can’t help but feel a little smug that he got you off guard with a question this time.
“I can show you.”
He says a final time, leaning in. Your gaze flickers from his eyes to his lips. “Okay. Are your sure? You don’t have to-”
His lips interrupt whatever doubts you had. It’s soft and a little stiff because you have no idea what you’re supposed to do. How are you supposed to breathe? Are your lips too dry? Are they too pursed or not pursed enough?
Damian separates from you with a little “tt” and mumbles, “Stop thinking about it.” and kisses you again, his hand in your hair so he can pull you in deeper.
His other hand reaches for yours to place it on his shoulder and you shuffle closer into his arms. The kiss turns into another and another and suddenly you’ve just had your first dozen kisses and they’ve all been with your best friend. The revelation shocks you a little and so do his hands pulling you into his lap. You separate from him, face a little hot, breath a little short.
"Can we be more than friends?"
Damian lets out a breath and rolls his eyes before looking back down at you and simply saying, "Yes. Any more useless questions?"
You purse your lips like you're thinking over something and Damian almost kisses you then to stop whatever’s about to come out of your mouth. He wishes he had.
“Are you Robin?”