Chapter Text
Damian couldn't take his eyes off them, those damn kids who loved to make fun of him every day. Andy and Cody ran through the school door and jumped into the arms of the woman who always came to pick them up, obviously their mother since she looks extremely similar to the twins.
He has seen enough pictures of his father when he was his age to know that he is almost identical to him, except for the color of his eyes and skin. He has often found himself imagining a woman with the same color of skin and eyes, his mother who his family never spoke of. There are no pictures of her, all his family ever says is that she loved him very much and that she had to leave.
Dami wasn't stupid, he was already 6 years old, and he knows that when an adult says this kind of thing it's because they want to hide the sad truth. At least that's what the movies and older children say.
His mother must be dead, Spencer said that when his mother died his father said similar things. That must be it, his mother is dead and never abandoned him, like Andy and Cody say!
He should be grateful for everything he has, Jay said that many children never had half of what he has. But even so, with such a large family, he couldn't stop wishing for one thing: a mother.
He asked Santa for one as a Christmas present, he wished for one when he blew out the candles on his last birthday cake, he waited for his dad to tell him that one of those women who stick to his arm during the galas will be his mommy… nothing.
Then, during lunch, he overheard two teenage girls talking about how one of them introduced their art teacher, Miss Jones, to her father and accidentally made them both fall in love and now she is her new mom. That set off a light in Damian's mind, he will find a mommy himself.
Damian grabbed his notebook and colored markers and sat on the beanbag chair in the corner of his room, his favorite spot where his toy boxes and dinosaur lamp were kept. With Alfred the cat nestled in his lap, he got to work.
"Dad is an important person, so my mom must be too."
He made a short list of the names of important women he had known in his limited circle, each one written in a different color:
1- Catwoman
2- Wonder Woman
3- Doctor Leslie
4- Woman V from the newspaper
5- Blonde with short hair
6- Blonde with the wart
7- Brunette with long nails
8- Brunette with colored eyes
9- Brunette with curly hair
These are all the adult women he has seen with his dad, but on closer inspection he crossed numbers 3, 6 and 7 off the list. Doctor Leslie is too old; the ‘blonde with the wart’ had a coat made of fox fur, which is cruel to animals; and the ‘brunette with long nails’ turned her nose up at him.
Now comes the hard part, talking to each of them and figuring out which one will be the perfect mommy.
He was interrupted by someone opening the bedroom door. Damian looked at the intruder, a giant with a white streak in his hair.
“Here’s my fave li'l brother!”
“Jay!” Damian jumped, making Alfred meow indignantly at the disturbance. The little one threw himself into his older brother’s arms. “Do you come to see me?”
“Of course! Well, for Alf’s cookies too.” Jason smiled, crouching down, almost at Damian’s height. “So, do those brat twins still bother you?”
“A lot!”
“Whenever you want, just call and I’ll scare the shit out of them. I’d do anything for you Baby Bat.” The older boy ruffled the younger boy’s hair. Damian thought about his words.
“Anything?...”
The little Wayne smiled mischievously.
“Jay, I need help with something...”
He looked around, making sure there was no one nearby to hear them. He began to whisper in his brother’s ear, who listened attentively.
“A mission at Catwoman’s house?” Damian nodded firmly. “Do that involve petting all her cats?”
“That too.” The boy thought.
“I can’t say, it’s a secret mission.” He emphasized, making a serious expression that Jason had to restrain himself from bursting out laughing.
“Uh-huh, I’ll tell Alf and text your old man, or he’ll forbid me from comin' near for ‘kidnapping’ you.” Jason took his phone out of his pocket and started typing.
Damian smiled triumphantly, going to get his notepad and pen.
Jason parked the car that Alfred had forced him to take. The butler would never in his right mind let Damian ride a high-powered motorcycle, so he lent him the car that had a child seat.
Damian unbuckled himself from his seatbelt, jumping onto the sidewalk as soon as Jason opened the door. The older man guided him into an old residential building, going up to the top floor. Jason knocked on the door and it was soon opened by Selina Kyle.
“Boys, what do I owe the honor of visiting?” The woman smiled at the pair.
Damian cringed, gripping Jay’s pants tightly. “She's Catwoman?” He whispered to his brother, he had never seen Catwoman so close, much less out of uniform.
“Yeah.” Jason answered back. “Damian has something important to talk with you, right, Dames?”
“Y-Yes, it’s a very serious matter, Miss Cat!” Damian exclaimed, still partially hidden behind his brother.
“You can call me Selina, it’s a pleasure to meet you, Damian.” The woman extended her hand to the boy, Damian looked at her cautiously before returning the gesture. At that moment, a beautiful gray cat decided to show its face.
“Kitty!” Damian exclaimed when he saw the beautiful feline, who walked elegantly.
“This is Milady, she’s really beautiful but very presumptuous.” The cat meowed as if in agreement. “She had kittens, do you want to see them?”
She said the magic word.
“Yes!” Damian’s eyes lit up and he smiled from ear to ear. Selina invited them into the apartment, besides Selina there were two other women that Jason recognized immediately.
“Oops, we interrupted a Sirens meeting.” He looked at the duo on the couch in the living room, Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn, drinking beers and eating snacks.
“Hoodie!” Harley waved happily.
“Do you know each other?” Ivy arched an eyebrow at her.
“Of course I do! He’s one of the Batlings, and I’m practically an honorary member of the family!” She ruffled Jason’s hair, who grunted and moved away from her. “Beer?”
“No, thanks, have to be alcohol-free.” He tilted his head toward Damian, who was busy in the corner of the room with the kittens.
Selina returned to her place on the couch with the girls.
“So, what’s so important that Damian wanted to talk to me about?”
When she brought it up, Damian remembered why they were there. Regretfully, he left the kittens and approached Selina.
“Can I ask a few questions?”
“Go ahead.” She crossed her legs curiously, watching the boy sit on the carpet, taking a small notebook and pen from the bag on his back.
“How old are you?” Was the first question.
“It’s not very polite to ask a lady’s age, young man.” Selina replied amused.
“It’s not... polite… to ask…” He dictated as he wrote. “What do you do?”
“It depends. I like going to fancy events, rescuing stray cats…”
“Stealing super expensive jewelry.” Harley commented, stuffing her mouth with snacks, earning a reprimanding look from Catwoman. “'hat? It’s 'our favorite 'obby!”
“You steal?” Damian frowned. Selina pursed her lips, looking at Jason.
“Steal is a bit strong word, she takes what people have in excess, like Robin Hood.” He tried to soften the words, kneeling down next to his brother on the carpet.
“But stealing is wrong, my mother can’t be a thief.”
The statement fell like a thud.
“What?!” The three adults and the young man exclaimed.
“Dad arrests criminals, I don’t want him to arrest you, who’s going to take care of Milady and the kittens?”
“Wait, wait, let me get this straight: you came here to see if I could be your mother?” Selina asked, still incredulous that the boy had more attitude than his father.
“Yes, but my mommy can’t be a villain.” He replied disappointedly. Catwoman’s chest tightened, feeling sorry for him.
“Oh my dear, if you only knew…”
Out of nowhere Harley burst into laughter, her shrill laugh hurting the eardrums.
“The baby… looking for a wife… to the Bat!” She managed to say through her laughter, tears streaming from her eyes.
“You know my dad?” Damian asked, massaging her sensitive ears.
“And who doesn’t.” Poison Ivy deadpanned, helping the laughing woman compose herself.
“Dames, firs' of all, those two are already a couple.” Jason whispered to the boy in hopes of dropping the subject, but it had the opposite effect.
“So if they marry dad I’ll have two mothers?” His expression brightened. “I’ll be able to rub it in Andy and Cody’s face that I have two mothers and they don’t!” He was excited by the idea.
“Oh god, did he just suggest a threesome?!” Ivy put her hand over her chest, horrified by the idea.
“Aw, Ivy, can we keep him? Batsy has several, he won’t even notice!” Harley cooed, wiping away her tears.
“I think our time here is over, come on Dames.” Jason stood up, picking up his brother.
“But—”
“Bye girls, sorry to bother.” Todd said goodbye at the door.
“It’s okay, you’re always welcome.” Selina assured.
“I’m going to need something stronger…” Ivy mumbled, looking at her bottle of alcohol.
“Bye, li’l munchkin!” Harley waved excitedly.
As soon as they left the apartment, Jason sighed. “You put me in a tight spot back there, what was that?!” He grumbled, adjusting Damian on his lap as he made his way back to the car. Damian curled up against his brother’s chest, using his pen to cross off the first name on his list. Jason looked at the notebook, seeing the names, or almost names, listed.
“That’s an interesting list you have there.”
“It’s a secret.” Damian hugged the notebook to his chest. Jason didn’t say anything, he just kept walking to the car, helping Damian sit in the child seat and buckle up.
“Don’t get discouraged, Dames, if you want I can help you with the next one on the list.” He said, looking in the rearview mirror from the driver’s seat.
“How?”
“It’s quite simple…”
After two days, the opportunity arrived. Bruce was away on a long mission, Alfred was busy with his tasks, and Tim was caffeine-free and had slept the whole day. Damian snuck into the Batcave, finding Dick as Nightwing, heading for the Zeta Tube.
“Dick! Wait!” Damian’s voice echoed through the cave, making Richard stop before he reached the teleportation point.
“Damian? You sneaked in the cave again?!” Dick put his hands on his hips, watching the little boy run through the cave towards him.
“‘You’ll have to use the Zeta Tube to get to the Watchtower, but you’re not registered in the system so you’ll have to go with someone. The best choice is Dickhead, it’ll be easy to fool him.’ Jason said without taking his eyes off the road.”
“I want to go with you, to see Wonder Woman.” Damian panted from his run.
“Wonder Woman? I thought you were more of an Aquaman fan, since he talks to fish.” Dick crouched down to be face to face with his younger brother.
“I want her autograph, it’s a gift for Jay.” The boy showed the notepad and pen he was carrying, and Dick’s expression melted like butter.
“‘One of his weaknesses is his guilty conscience, especially towards me, if you tell him it’s a gift for me he won’t be able to refuse.’ Jason explained.”
“Aw, Little D, Jason is going to be so happy! Let’s go, before Alfred misses you.” He didn’t think twice and picked Damian up, heading to the Zeta Tube. It was easier than Jay had said.
Damian had never traveled through the zeta beam. It was a strange feeling to be in the cave and the next second to be in a kind of space station. His head felt a little dizzy.
Luckily, he was being carried by his big brother, because he wouldn't trust his own legs at the moment. Passing through identical corridors, they arrived at a meeting room, where the princess of the amazons was reading a book.
"Knock, knock." Nightwing said, gaining the woman's attention.
"Nightwing." The woman greeted him, placing the book on the table. When she looked at him, her focus fell on Damian.
"A baby!" In an instant, she snatched the boy from her brother's arms and lifted him into the air, cooing at him as if he were a toddler.
"This is my little brother, Damian." Dick said a little afraid that the woman would hurt the boy with her super strength.
"H-Hello." Damian said, still a little disoriented.
"So you're Bruce's baby! Look at you, so precious!" Diana couldn't help but pinch Damian's round cheeks, which made the tips of his ears blush.
"Can you keep an eye on him for a minute? I have to get a file for B—"
"Don't worry, I'll take care of him."
Dick stroked his baby brother's hair before disappearing into the room adjacent to the meeting room, where the League's computers were located. Diana placed the boy in a chair, being dwarfed by the seat.
"You're much taller than I imagined," Damian blurted out without thinking.
"And you're much cuter in person, how old are you?"
"I turned 6."
"Oh! You're really a baby!" Wonder Woman cooed.
"Is it true you're a goddess?"
"I'm a demigoddess, daughter of Zeus and Hippolyta, Queen of the Amazons of the lands of Themyscira."
"So many hard names..." he wrote in his notebook. "What does a demigoddess do?"
"Hmm, no one's ever asked me that." She frowned thoughtfully. "I don't have a designated job, what we do is up to us, whether we choose the path of good or evil."
"More hard words... do you like children?"
“Of course, children are pure beings who bring with them the joy and innocence that men so desperately need." Diana smiled at the child. "Why so many questions, little one?"
"I'm looking for a mommy, and you're one of the candidates!"
Diana blinked once, twice, processing what she'd just heard.
"Damian, does your father know you're doing this?"
“No, it’s a surprise.”
“Little Cupid, no matter how… ingenious your plan is, I can’t be a part of it.”
“Why?” Damian asked in frustration. “You don’t like him? You think he’s ugly?”
“It’s nothing like that, it’s just that your father and I are just friends, I have no interest in a romantic relationship with him.”
Damian shrank back in his chair, making himself even smaller.
“You sure?”
“I am, Little Cupid.”
The boy sighed in defeat. “So, can I have an autograph? It’s for Jay, he’s your biggest fan.”
The boy handed the notebook and pen to her, and the woman took a blank page and signed.
“Jason Todd, I remember him.” She handed the notebook back. “Is he better after the side effects of the resurrection?”
"What resurre—"
"Hey! It's almost dinnertime, are you hungry? Because I'm starving! Let's get going because Wonder Woman has hero duties to attend to, okay? Okay. Thanks for taking care of him, goodbye!" Nightwing quickly picked up his little brother, slung him over his shoulder, and quickly left the room.
"Bye." The woman laughed. Interactions with members of the Batfamily are always the strangest.
After yet another failed plan, Damian was already feeling discouraged. Finding a mother was harder than it seemed, especially when the candidates weren't cooperative. He was out of ideas, so he put his plan on hold until a new opportunity arose.
Which came almost two weeks later.
Damian, Tim, Cass, and Stephanie were in the living room playing poker on the rug. Damian and Cass didn't know how to play, so the other two had to teach them.
"How the heck are you guys winning?!" Tim watched Cass and Steph play a Full House, winning the game for the third time in a row.
"Skill, loser! I'm the queen of cards!" Stephanie boasted, leaning over to gather the cards and reshuffle them, the movement causing six cards to fall out of her sweater sleeve. "Whoops."
"So, that's your skill?" Tim grumbled, looking at the cards and the girl's cynical face at the cheating.
“Ah, there you are.” Bruce entered the room, interrupting the game. “I need to discuss something with all of you.” He sat on the sofa facing the four of them.
“It was Dick!” Tim immediately accused.
“... what?” Bruce asked, confused.
“The dent on the side of the Batmobile— wait, wasn’t that what you were going to talk about?”
An awkward silence fell.
Bruce sighed wearily, already feeling a headache coming on.
“No, but we’ll talk about that later.” He massaged his right temple, returning to the topic. “Tomorrow is the autumn ball of the Capell’s, anyone volunteering?”
“I’d rather be grounded.” Tim grumbled.
“Not adopted~” Steph hummed.
“Lots of people?” Cass asked, the young blonde confirming positively. “No.” Cass is still adjusting to social interaction, and the last thing she needs is to be surrounded by strangers. The youngest member of the family was also going to decline, but he realized this was his big chance.
“I’ll go! I’ll go!” Damian raised his hand high, leaping off the ground.
Bruce smiled at the bundle of energy that was the boy. “Sorry, chum, but you’re still small, let’s wait until you get a little bigger, okay?”
“I’m already big! Look!” He stood on tiptoe and puffed out his chest trying to look bigger, which only made him look cuter.
“Yes, I see, but the party goes on late and you can’t be running around the hall.”
“I’ll behave myself, I promise!” In a desperate move, he clung to Bruce’s leg, making puppy eyes. “Please, daddy…”
“Poor innocent soul, he has no idea what he’s asking for.” Tim commented, observing the drama, mentally counting how long Bruce could endure Damian’s famous puppy eyes.
The result was 13 seconds. A new record.
“Alright, you’ll go to your first gala!” Bruce picked up the child and lifted him into the air, to the little boy's delight.
"Yeah!"
"We will erect an altar in his honor, oh noble sacrifice!" Steph lamented the child's fate.
Everything was going as usual at the gala: soft background music played by an orchestra, the ballroom full of elegant people discussing their personal or professional lives – or the lives of others – waiters wandering through the maze of bodies distributing champagne… except that Bruce Wayne was walking through the ballroom undisturbed by the usual women seeking to know everything about his love life and whether there was room for a lasting romance with them.
Not that he was complaining; without them on his heels, he could better enjoy the ball, which wasn't all that interesting anyway, but this was an unusual change.
“My copartner suggested investing in wind energy, considering the land is high and experiences strong air currents year-round.” Bruce listened as the owner of another company spoke about the details of his new branch.
“It seems like a good idea; the search for sustainable energy is booming, and this increases the credibility of your company,” he opined, taking a sip of his champagne.
“Ah, Mr. Wayne, you’re exactly who I was looking for!” Vicky Vale’s unmistakable voice distracted him from his conversation. “Excuse me for interrupting the business, but you don’t mind if I steal Wayne for a few minutes, do you, Mr. Breston?” She didn’t wait for a reply before pulling Wayne to a quieter corner of the room.
“Well, what’s so urgent, Miss Vale?” he asked, using his Brucie Wayne voice.
“Aren’t you ashamed?” the journalist hissed.
“I beg you pardon?”
“Using a child to charm women and make them throw themselves at your feet, you didn’t need that, Bruce, honestly I expected better from you.” This conversation was only confusing him more.
“I don’t understand anything, what are you talking about?”
“Your son, Damian.”
“Damian?”
“Yes!” Seeing the man’s confused state, Vicky’s expression lightened. “Wait, you really don’t know?”
“No, Damian is eating cake with the other children.”
“Are you sure?” She raised an eyebrow.
“I am, I left —” Bruce turned, looking at the children’s table, which clearly didn’t contain his son. “— him there…” he sighed defeatedly, turning his gaze back to the journalist. “Where?”
“In the east aisle, on the benches in front of the fountain.” She replied, now with humor in her voice. “But I must say, your son knows how to charm women, he’s a real Wayne.” She smiled, leaving the man alone.
Following the indicated corridor, Bruce couldn't help but notice a group of women circling Damian, who stood up on a bench in the middle of them, holding a small notebook and a pen.
As he approached, he could hear the women's comments.
“Aww! He's a sweetheart!”
“He'll be as charming as his father when he grows up!”
“So intelligent, he'll be a prodigy!”
It was official, Damian Wayne was the darling of Gotham City's socialites.
“Excuse me, ladies,” Wayne said, attracting the attention of the women, some of whom sighed dramatically upon seeing him. “I hope my youngest isn't causing any trouble.”
“Dad, you arrived just in time! I don’t know which one of them could be my mother!” Damian jumped off the bench, handing the notebook to his father.
“…excuse me?” Bruce blinked.
“Miss Parkinson has a farm full of all kinds of animals; Miss Livermore has two houses on the beach near coral reefs; and Miss Rutherford’s family owns a ranch in Montana…” The boy listed, pointing to the notebook. Bruce looked at the page scribbled with the notes. “So, which one do you choose?”
“Of course, nothing compares to having a mother’s love, that’s something no farm or ranch can buy.” One of the women approached Bruce, placing her hands on his shoulder and arm.
“But for that you have to have children, like I have my precious little girl. They’re almost the same age, they’ll be great siblings.” Another clung to his other arm, glaring at her rival. Noticing more women wanting to participate in the competition, Bruce had to act.
“Ladies, I’m sorry to say it’s getting late and Damian has a sleep routine.” He disentangled himself from them, picking Damian up. “I hope to see you ladies again another time, perhaps at the Strauss winter ball?” He flashed the charming smile that is Brucie’s trademark, making them sigh.
“Oh, that’s a promise, Mr. Wayne!”
“And bring your little angel more often!”
As the group of young women left, the older Wayne turned his attention to his son, noticing his grumpy frown. He sighed, putting the boy down.
“Okay, son, what exactly were you planning?”
Damian crossed his arms, refusing to look at his father. “I wanted to find a mother for myself, because you don’t want to give me one, and you ruined everything!”
“Damian—”
“Why can everyone have a mother and I can’t?! That’s unfair!” The boy stamped his foot in frustration.
The man crouched down, taking his wallet out of his pocket and opening it, pulling out a piece of paper from a secret compartment, and extended it to Damian; the boy looked at the paper reluctantly, but curiosity got the better of him and he accepted the piece of paper. It was a photo.
“This is your mother. Her name is Talia Al-Ghul.” Damian looked surprised at the woman in the photo, paying attention to every detail: her long brown hair, the gold accessories, the slight smile on her lips, her skin color, her eye color…
“She has my eyes!” The boy smiled, pointing to his own eyes.
Bruce nodded. “Her father, your grandfather, is the leader of a warrior clan far from here; she lives there with him.”
“Like a king and princess?” Damian stared at his father; he was royalty?!
“More or less.” Bruce pulled his son onto the bench, where they sat side by side. “Your grandfather and I aren’t very close, so the relationship between me and your mother was practically forbidden.”
“And what did you do?” He clutched the photo to his chest, careful not to crumple it.
“Your mother hatched a plan; she pretended to be traveling to stay out of your grandfather’s territory. During that time, you were born, and she asked me to raise you because the clan has many enemies, and your grandfather isn’t in good health.”
“Is she a warrior like Wonder Woman? Does she use swords? Can she come visit us?” Damian babbled incessantly, excited by the idea of his parents’ epic story and his royal lineage.
“Calm down, chum.” He laughed, pulling the boy onto his lap. “Unfortunately not, it’s too dangerous for her to come here. But she sends presents every year on your birthday. Your book of arabian stories, the plush chinese dragon, the toy sword, they were all gifts from her.”
“Were they all from Mommy? Does she remember me?” Damian snuggled into his father’s lap, resting his head on his chest as he looked at the photo one more time.
“Yes, she never forgot you, and maybe one day you can meet her.”
The boy yawned. Seeing this, Bruce adjusted Damian, resting his head on his shoulder, picked up the abandoned notebook and pen, and stood up.
“It’s time for us to go home. And Dami, please never try to set me up with a girlfriend again.”
“Hm, okay.” The boy murmured, burying his face in his father’s neck.