The Short Guy

from the river to the sea

[ghurab-alzilal]

*Young justice is visiting Titans Tower *

Blue Beetle, talking about Red Robin : Is this a friend of yours, Rob?

Robin, disgusting pucker : Kind of? Not really. They're in my life and there is nothing I can do about it.

Red Robin: I'm his older brother. We're literally family.

Robin, whispering : Shhh! Do not say it louder! I have a reputation.

[robs-your-robins]

Bruce trying to do normal "Dad" things with Damian in order to bond, mainly on Alfred's direction because grappling around on rooftops or pouring over grisly crime scene photos is not acceptable - though Bruce reminds Alfred that Thomas Wayne used to show him surgery photos to which Alfred dryly reminds him "had you crawling into your parents' bed bawling like a baby". So he takes Damian to baseball and hockey games, he takes him on fishing and camping trips and he starts driving Damian to school in the mornings. And Bruce thinks it going well, this normal dad schtick until...

Damian, talking to Talia over face time: I still remain unsure.

Talia: It's not required that you're sure of any part of this, Damian.

Damian: But have you considered the possibility that he was lobotomised sometime after I was conceived?

Talia:

Damian: He sings along to the radio when he's driving. He dances in the living room with the first pretender. I have seen him consuming breakfast in his underpants, at the kitchen table. The spoon missed his mouth multiple times.

Talia:

Damian: Mother? Has the connection frozen?

Talia: No, it's just... Your father's condition seems about right. He was always... A free spirit

Damian: I've lost some respect for you.

Talia: Understandable

[currentlyjaywalking]

And he was, in fact, totally fine.

[chaparro0456]

Once’s Robin realizes that Billy wasn’t joking he used every excuse to get Billy over at the manor oh Alfred cooked too much food by mistake oh it’s getting too late just spend the night (it was 6 pm)

[gamelpar]

jason & damian fic recs

i really love these two together so much so here's some fic recs to prove it

** = fanfics where jason & damian meet in the loa

Destined For Family Life After All by @sohotthateveryonedied

“This is gonna be fine,” Jason says, mostly to himself. “No problem. It’s just…raising a kid. Easy peasy.” It sounded so much simpler when Talia said it. (Takes place in the Death in the Family movie directly after Talia handed baby Damian over to Jason to raise.)

He's Alive (I Didn't Know He'd Died) by Civilized_muppets **

Jason felt like they were forgetting to tell Damian something, that they were sending him into the mouth of the hellhole that was Gotham City without all the information. He didn't think it was a small thing either, he felt like it was something big, something that could make or break Damian's chances of success integrating with the Bats.

The Long Road Home by @beesbiteandwillowrites **

The first time Jason held Damian in his arms, the green abated and he knew he had never loved anyone else so fiercely before. The thing about love is that it is so rarely enough. --- Aka: Jason didn’t come home because Talia threw a baby at him and told him to run.

Across the Sands by Lulu_Rhythm **

Jason Todd wakes up every morning in a desert compound. Trapped. Empty. Alone. He doesn't remember much, but it doesn't matter, because one thing is for certain. He has an infant to protect.

wake up when you're ready (no body, no grave) by artofflorescence **

“Dying means I go somewhere else.” “You are lying to me. I will inform Richard that you are doing this–” “Somewhere safe. That’s all. I get the feeling that I’ve been safe, for just a moment.” (immortal jason)

Safe House by @lurkinglurkerwholurks

The safe house was supposed to be empty. It was not. So Damian rides out a storm with some unexpected company.

Red by @carf-writes **

"On Damian’s fourth birthday, his mother brought him a gift. He had never had a present before.”

cicatrix by @spiritsglade

Red Hood is injured in the field. Robin notices.

no burden that will not float away by @redbelles

Jason, Damian, and the quiet shelter of unexpected family.

Ages 12 & Up by @motleyfam

The real reason that Damian always refuses painkillers is that he cannot swallow a pill.

Fractured Moonlight by @d-xs **

Damian takes in a broken bird.

Bet on it by @lysical

Even Damian could admit that his older siblings occasionally had their uses. — "I need your assistance," Damian said, voice low and tense. "No," Jason replied, and hung up.

sweetness and light by badacts

jason and damian rescue and takes care of a dog

prodigal by @punkrockhades **

Dick liked to think he had a pretty good handle on the whole ‘big brother’ thing by now, even if Tim still saw sleep as optional and Damian still got a little stabby when a hug lasted too long. But then Damian’s other big brother comes to town, mysterious and red-helmeted and oddly familiar, and seems to want nothing to do with the Bats sans Damian. Damian is strangely close-lipped about his other brother's past, but Dick is determined to find out more about the Red Hood - he could always use more little brothers, anyway!

Lost Boys by @galaxymagitech

After Talia throws Jason into the Lazarus Pit, Ra's is furious. So, Talia takes Damian and runs. Damian is curious about the boy who inspired his mother to betray his grandfather—the boy who may just be his brother.

All Grumpy on the Northern Front by @audreycritter

Jason was just trying to follow a lead. But one lead led to another and now he's having the stupidest mistake of a week. At least there might be a silver lining. Who knew the best part of his week would end up being the Demonbird?

Change the End by @autumnhobbit

"I'm sorry, Damian. I'm so sorry," he sobs, and when Damian reaches one of those small, thin hands up towards him he ducks down and carefully curls his hand beneath Damian's head and neck, hides his tears in Damian's messy hair. He can feel the boy's tiny form shake with weak sobs beneath him, and he wishes he could fix this. But he'd never been good at that when his pain-in-the-ass of a family were still alive, and unsurprisingly, he's not gotten any better at it now that they're dead.

To Soothe an Ache by @preciousthingsareprecious

Damian's never had a migraine before. It's a good thing Jason knows how to help.

Jason and the Three Terrors by @cdelphiki **

One moment, Jason was peacefully sleeping, perfectly content with his life with the League of Assassins. Okay, so maybe not content content, but he wasn't unhappy, either. Then Talia woke him up at 2 am, threw three children at him, and told him to get them to America and far away from Ra's al Ghul. What the fuck. The last thing he wanted was to see Bruce. But with three brats relying on him and no Talia, there weren't many options for sanctuary. He just didn't expect the kids to grow on him so much in two short weeks. (jason todd damian wayne & athanasia al ghul & mara al ghul)

oh, just hangin' out by mikkal

Jason doesn't remember agreeing to imitate a dead butterfly, but here he is.

Are We Living In The Darkness (Do We Listen To The Light) by @yuzukimist **

Sometimes, one decision can change everything. (Or: Jason decides to return to Gotham not for revenge, but to give Damian a chance at a better life away from the League of Assassins.)

For a Good Paws by @renecdote

The one where Damian and Jason do some minor illegal things to stop other illegal things from happening. Oh, and rescue some puppies.

031. Knife by @atasteforsuicidal

jason takes a knife for damian

Two Sides by a_silly_gander **

“His name is Jason Todd.” Damian waits for her to explain the significance, or for his mind to tell him. He knows of no great fighter with that name, of no great ally or foe from his lessons with Sensei on League history. "He was the Batman's son. He was Robin." "A brother?" Damian asks. (Or, Damian meets Jason while Talia is taking care of him, post-resurrection but pre-Lazarus pit.)

The Better To See You With by @fishfingersandjellybabies

The wolf comes across a little red riding hood, and Jason realizes that maybe not all was what it seemed with Damian Wayne. (AU in which Jason is temporarily a werewolf)

Lithic paths by Aaren

Sometimes, being a good brother meant listening to your sibling's troubles and offering comfort afterwards as they bared their souls to you. Sometimes though, it meant dragging them kicking and screaming through the mud and stopping ill-advised bear adoptions from being a thing. (Jason and Damian backpacking in Canada.)

Second Death by @hotdadslade

ten years after rhato 25, jason wakes up for the second time in a lazarus pit

Ensemble Performance by lowflyingfruit

Damian has a deep, dark secret he needs kept from Grayson, his father, and most of all Drake, at all costs: he has, quite unwillingly, been volunteered for a part in his school's annual musical. As a grouchy dinosaur. This is now Jason's problem. Or his blackmail opportunity. Whichever.

Bang by @lurkinglurkerwholurks

“I think I have made a tactical error.” Jason’s assumptions staggered, then abruptly took a nosedive. “Robin?” (jason races against a time bomb to protect damian) followed by With a Whimper

Nightmares by @sohotthateveryonedied

Damian is awoken from yet another nightmare about his death, and Jason decides to step up and comfort his stubborn brother.

countdown by @envysparkler

Red Hood and Robin are exploring an abandoned construction site when they come across a bomb with a too-short timer.

Under the Wings of a Garygole by @dragonflyxparodies

Gotham's not all that different from the League. They don't talk about mental health there, either.

dark sarcasm in the classroom by @punkrockhades **

Dick is trying his best to be patient with Damian, but the kid keeps insulting Dick's long-dead little brother. Dick just can't understand why Damian is so callous towards poor Jason's memory, especially since his youngest brother had never even met the second Robin before he died. Turns out Damian might not have met Jason before he died, but after was a different story.

OUR HAPPY TO BE TIME. by @damianbugs

Damian goes to therapy. Jason becomes a big brother and rebuilds some bridges, all in good time.

Solace In the Strangest Place by @fishfingersandjellybabies

“I can’t find him.” Dick Grayson gasped, as soon as Jason accepted the transmission. “Hood – Jay – Robin’s gone.”

Big Brother Big Brother by @bloggerspam **

explores the brotherly relationship between Damian and Jason, tracing all the way back to their days at the LoA. Damian POV, Mute+Pre-pit!Jason.

Don't Let Go by @skalidra

Damian and Jason don't get paired to work together that often, but when they do work together it's always at least semi-hostile, in one way or another. However, that doesn't mean that when there's an accident on one of the missions, Jason's just going to let the brat die. Whatever else they are, they're still family.

Aftermath by Muddell **

The Batcomputer has case files for everything the Batfamily encounters. Everything includes Jason's death.

The Snap by @incorrectbatfam

Prompt: Who would get snapped by Thanos?

Carved Skins by @beesbiteandwillowrites **

“I have done extensive research on the effects of the pit—” “Congratulations,” Jason sneered. “I’m sure your research is far superior compared to my personal experience with being submerged in Ra’s nasty bathwater and living with the effects for years to come. Please go on and tell me again how I have no idea what the limits of my own body are because you are apparently an expert on everything.”

Go Big or Go - No, Not Boom by BleuSarcelle

(Or the one where Jason and Damian willingly decide to be stuck together during a gala and their chilled evening of throwing crab bites on strangers' hair is interrupted by unwanted bombs. Which would be fine, if Damian priorities were the same as Jason's.)

Lost and Found by only2braincellsavailable **

Talia told them to run. So a catatonic Jason brought Damian to the streets he used to know so well.

baby hotline (please hold me close to you) by TheWitchBoy **

"I doubt a revenantial child soldier would be willing to make another child soldier."

Hello Pain, My Old Friend by TimDrakeIsMyPatronus

In which Jason has chronic pain, teaches the youth about Jane Austen, and learns he has something in common with his littlest brother.

Shadows of the Neon Lights by @fishfingersandjellybabies

He didn’t know what was more surprising - that someone else had come after him, or that it was Jason Todd, of all people, trying to stop him from killing.

bad boys bad boys (whatcha gonna dooo) ♫ by @drakefeathers

a Jason and Damian as Batman and Robin AU!! featuring a bunch of graffiti, a rival dynamic duo, and Cat Jason (a cat named Jason).

make a wish (or two) by orphan_account

"You, Damian-whatever-your-middle-name-is, need my help?" (Damian's plans to parent trap Bruce and Talia are anything but foolproof. Jason agrees anyway.)

First Gear by nanami

damian teaches jason to drive

Primary by @nokomiss

Jason stumbles across Damian surrounded by glitter glue, pipe cleaners and just so many primary colors in the midst of a school project gone wrong. Turns out Jason doesn't end up regretting his offer to help out.

Fly By Night by @lysical

Damian is thirteen. Sometimes he even acts like it. "This is an injustice," were the last words Damian had spoken to his father all day.

[chaparro0456]

Tim : oh please you can’t get them to do anything you want

Damian: drake yes I can i have what you call youngest child privilege

Tim: just cause you’re the baby of the family doesn’t mean-

Damian: ah ow

Tim: what ?

Damian getting louder : drake stop it !

Dick who’s in another room : knock it off Tim

Tim: I’m not doing anything

Dick: I don’t care knock it off

Damian: told you

Tim: huh you have too much power over him

Damian: oh no it works on all of you

Tim: no it doesn’t

Damian: remember that one kid from Roblox had you shut off their WiFi for the whole summer

Tim: yeah you said they were cyber bullying you and making racist comments towards you

Damian: nah he just stole my brainrot i worked hard to get

[iszapizza]

Alternatively:

REVERSE ROBINS!! 🐦‍⬛🐦‍⬛🐦‍⬛🐦‍⬛

[nerdpoe]

Damian didn't mean to. But looking at the horror on Batman's face, he also knows it doesn't matter.

Someone had managed to sneak up on him, immediately after a fight.

Damian, exhausted and wounded and ever so slightly drugged by fear toxin, reacted.

He'd spun around and run his katana through the attacker-but it wasn't an attacker. It was a civilian, who was staring down at the sword in his chest with a stunned expression.

The civilian looked up, blue eyes meeting Damian's through the mask.

"I was just..." The man trails off, dropping the first-aid kid he'd been carrying.

Damian knows his time as Robin is over.

Danny, on the other hand, can already feel his healing factor trying to kick in, and just needs to figure out how to convince Robin to remove the Katana so it can work without letting Batman know he's a meta.

[evilminji]

"Well there goes Nana's amulet." He says, letting his mouth take the wheel while he holds the kids wrist. "Hey, look at me. Robin. Breathe. Just keep the blade steady, okay? We're gonna get through this. We have about fifteen minutes to pull it out. So I need you to focus for me, okay? We need to remove it so the magic can heal me. I'm gonna be okay."

And Batman is already looming. Clear trying to keep things from getting worse. He covers Robin's still shaking hands with his own, steadys the blade as he gently helps it pull free. His other arm catching Robin as his knees give out. Danny's already basicly healed, but the kid is clearly going into shock.

He's pretty beat up. Dead on his feet. And shows signs of Fear Toxin exposure.

A nasty combination.

And an accident waiting to happen. If it hadn't been a sword, it would have been a fist to the throat, some high voltage tazer. Danny let's Batman bundle the kid off for better treatment at the hands of his coworkers. Let's himself be poked and prodded to reassure everyone there are no new holes in the Danny.

Yep. Nana had a magic amulet. Family thing. Cause ghost hunting. It's weird enough you can't prove him wrong! Not like his parents would remember if he took something like that or not. Now the trick is to make sure it NEVER happens again. Cause Nana having AN amulet? Weird but believable.

But two?

[passionpeachy]

I wish that if people are gonna portray Ralsei as evil they would characterize him correctly instead of the cliche ass “muahaha I was just pretending to be cute and friendly I was evil this whole time”. if he was a villain he would still be the most insecure little loser about it and try to sincerely convince Kris that. nevermind I just found the funniest image ever

[soap-for-birds]

Damian is still a child guys

[gothamite-rambler]

Little Damian, 5 years old, walked quietly over to his grandfather, Ra's al Ghul. His tiny feet made soft thuds on the floor as he reluctantly approached the old assassin. Jason followed behind him as his bodyguard.

Ra’s eyed the child suspiciously. Damian avoided eye contact, clutching a piece of paper in his small hands. He hesitated before holding it out to his grandfather.

Damian: Grandfather, I drew this for you.

Damian handed the drawing to Ra’s. The man took it, glaring at the paper. Damian kept staring at his feet, worried about the reaction.

Jason: He’s been into drawing animals lately. I think this is his best one yet. And Ra’s, you probably agree.

Jason gripped a folding hunting knife in his hand, casually pretending to swipe it across his throat, an ominous gesture meant to simulate where he’d start if Ra’s caused Damian to cry again. Last time that happened, Ra’s had ended up sewing up a hand wound after Jason stabbed him with a carving fork.

Jason: What do you think, Ra’s? Great? Tell him it’s great.

Ra’s looked at the drawing, then at Damian, who was nervously avoiding his gaze.

Ra’s: …I do not feel like fighting with you today. Damian, it’s adequate. I will file this away with some other sketches of yours I didn’t hate.

Damian looked from his grandfather to the side, a small smile forming.

Damian: Really? Oh… Thank you, grandfather. I appreciate the kind words.

Jason carefully folded the knife and slid it into his pocket. Damian turned to him, holding out his hand.

Jason: Here ya go.

Jason handed Damian a yellow fruit chew, which the boy ate happily.

Damian (chewing): It’s sour… I like it. Thank you for being here while I showed grandfather my picture.

Jason: No problem, kid.

Ra’s silently covered his eyes, fuming at the sight of candy being given for what he considered an adequate—if uninspired—art piece.

Jason (whispering): That pencil can go up your urethra, don’t test me.

Ra’s pointed to the door.

Ra’s: Get out of my office.

Jason and Damian left, chatting about a show Jason had been watching with Damian. Ra’s groaned, rubbing his forehead, but when he looked at the drawing, a surprisingly decent depiction of a bunny, his usual stern expression softened.

Ra’s: He’s not that bad an artist. This actually looks like a bunny… I will keep this one.

[abedgaza]

"When the house falls, the voice remains" — A message from Gaza, written by Abdelmajid ✍️

In a time where news is just numbers, and images pass in seconds, there are faces that remain. I am one of them.

My name is Abdelmajid. I don't carry an extraordinary story — I share what has sadly become ordinary in Gaza: Waking up to find no roof above me 🏚️, calling out to my mother and hearing no reply 💔, surviving a certain death… only to face the daily battle to live.

We used to believe war was a moment that would pass. But we’ve learned it may begin… and never end. It doesn’t just take homes — it takes childhood, voices, the faces we love.

Since that day, I no longer have a little world called my room. No key. No quiet corner. What remains? Fragments of memory… and a flicker of hope I carry every time my niece looks at me and asks, "Why did this happen to us?" 👧

I’m not writing for pity, nor for passing sadness. I write because we need a voice — someone to carry our story back into the rhythm of this loud world 🌍

You may not be able to end the war, but you can ease its cruelty on those who survived. You can extend a hand to someone trying to rebuild from rubble 🤝

Abedmajed’s Hope: Rebuilding Our Family’s Life in Gaza

My name is Abedmajed Elderawi, and I live in Gaza with what remains of my once large and loving family.

Whether you donate, share, or simply read these words to the end — your action may go unseen by cameras, but it makes a real difference ✨

For authenticity, Abdelmajid is verified and listed as #537 on the GazaVetters trusted vetting list. ✅

From my heart, and from the heart of Gaza: Thank you for still seeing the human behind the headlines 🕊️

[shattersaurus]

I made a new sticker collection of these cute little Pridesaurs!!

They are currently available on my esty page, we got the whole gang!

ACE-kylosaurus (Ankylosaurus)

ALLY-oramus (Alioramus)

ARO-margasaurus (Amargasaurus)

BI-rachisaurus (Brachiosaurus)

Me-GAY-losaurus (Megalosaurus)

LESB-beosaurus (Lambeosaurus)

THEY-rizinosaurus (Therizinosaurus)

PAN-oplosaurus (Panoplosaurus...yeah its juts literally its name...)

QUEER-mesaurus (Quilmesaurus)

TRANS-ceratops (Triceratops)

If you are interested in owning one of these pretty pretty dinos, please consider supporting my silly art and visit my shop through the following link

I CURRENTLY RUN A 20% PRIDE MONTH SALE (May till end of June):

ShatterHeadShop - Etsy

Shop ShatterHeadShop by ShatterHeadShop. Smooth shipping! Has a history of shipping on time with tracking. Speedy replies! Has a history of

Link to the stickers:

Prehistoric Pride vinyl sticker pack of all my chibi pride dinosaur stickers. Handmade, designed and printed by me on high quality vinyl pap

[chaparro0456]

There’s are some of cutest things I seen

[chaparro0456]

Tim: hey Damian I got a cut on my knee while on patrol

Damian who was reading a book: and why you telling me this

Tim:because don’t you want to become a doctor just tell me if I need stitches or not

Damian looks annoyed, but checks the cut

Damian: … drake I don’t want you to freak out

Tim;wait what

Damian looks concerned and worried : Tim don’t move a muscle ok I seen this before in the league if I don’t treated now

Tim genuinely worried now: treat what now

Damian shoving a book in Tim mouth: bite on this i don’t have time to get aesthetic this will hurt a lot but trust I need to treated now or you could lose your leg

Tim closing his eyes and biting the book expecting the worst pain imaginable

Damian puts a bandage on it: you’re fine it heal on its own

Tim: you little shi- !

[moomenalmdhoun]

Help my Son " Ezzdeen "

🌟 Our campaign is vetted by

🇵🇸 @/gazavetters List at #291

Donate to Help my family rise from the ashes, organized by Tahir Awad

Hello Everyone, I am Nour Al Madhoun, 30 years old, a computer engineer from gaza, my h… Tahir Awad needs your support for Help my family r

I want you to know that my ezzdeen is "ADHD" and very picky in his food, and now he is suffering from huge weight loss, because the crazy expensive prices for the food ,so that we can't afford to buy what he accepts, without you ezz will not regain his health.

We needs your support more than ever, the daily costs of living, the expensive treatments, I hope that through your support I can reach safety with my family.

Please Take Action Now‼️

GFM Donations Link Here 🍉🇵🇸

[chaparro0456]

Tim: We’re great at babysitting

Kon: yeah totally we’re so good at it we could use this as practice for when we want kids

Tim: yeah definitely

The door bell rang and kon opened the door to Damian holding a water gun outside in the dark

Damian: I’m cold and I saw a coyote

Tim:maybe we should practice with a dog

[chaparro0456]

My opinion on the Nintendo switch 2 price

As a long time Nintendo fan boy since the og ds days I was genuinely hyped from the direct then it dropped once’s i learned about the the prices i figured that the switch two would be expensive (didn’t expect half a grand in usd) like im fine with it what im not fine is games price 80 for digital games and 90 for physical copies its way too much and I already thought 70 dollars was too much and don’t get me started at the enhance versions of games i already own 30 dollars to play with hand graphics im the type that gets nervous when buying something expensive that isn’t a necessity i don’t know i just want it to vent it out or something 

[yourlocalmushroom]

The Absence

The Amulet pt.2 The air in the League's stronghold was always thick with silence, an oppressive stillness that mirrored the discipline Ra’s al Ghul demanded. Yet, for young Damian, there was one silence that suffocated more than any other—the silence of the room next to his.

He noticed it more as he grew older. Once, he had heard muffled cries behind that door, the sound of someone weeping in the night. Now, there was nothing. No whispers, no silent sobs, no traces of the presence he had felt as a much younger child. The absence gnawed at him, burrowing into his thoughts like an unanswered riddle.

He had once asked his grandfather about it.

“Where did Akhi go?”

Ra’s al Ghul’s piercing green eyes had turned to him, void of warmth. “You have no brother.”

Damian had blinked up at him, confusion knitting his brows together. He had asked again, only for his grandfather’s expression to darken.

The first strike came swiftly, a cane snapping against the back of his legs. Damian had gasped, the pain sharp and unexpected. Then another strike. And another.

Damian’s body trembled, but he refused to yield. He wanted to ask again, to scream, to demand the truth—but before he could, hands grabbed him, shoving him towards a metal door.

His breath caught in his throat.

Not this room. Not here.

He twisted in their grip, struggling, but they were stronger.

When he was smaller he remembered walking past it at night, hearing the cries from within, yet never able to reach whoever was trapped inside.

Now, he was the one being thrown in.

The door clanged shut behind him.

Darkness swallowed him whole.

Hours passed. Or maybe it was minutes. Time blurred into the cold of the floor beneath him, into the aching sting of his leg. His stomach growled, but he knew he wouldn’t get food—not tonight. Ra's had made his punishment clear.

Damian pounded against the metal door. “Let me out!”

No answer.

“Please—!”

Nothing.

His small hands trembled as he banged the door again, his voice cracking. “Tell me what I did wrong!”

Still, silence was his only companion.

Tears stung his eyes, but he furiously wiped them away. He was not weak. He was not some child who cried and begged. He was Damian al Ghul. He was strong.

But even as he repeated those words in his mind, his body curled in on itself, his arms wrapping around his chest. His fingers brushed against the amulet resting beneath his tunic—the one his brother had given him.

Brother.

He squeezed it tightly, letting his exhaustion pull him into a restless sleep.

He dreamt of warmth.

A gentle hand stroking his hair, soothing his pain. A familiar voice humming softly—a lullaby he barely remembered.

“Don’t cry, little brother,” the voice whispered. “I’ll always be with you.”

Damian reached out, but the warmth faded. The dream slipped through his fingers, leaving behind the cold, empty reality of the room.

The door creaked open.

Damian squinted against the light spilling in. Silhouetted against it was his mother—Talia. Her face, usually unreadable, was clouded with something that almost resembled sorrow.

She stepped forward, kneeling beside him. “Damian.”

He barely had the strength to lift his head. His limbs were heavy, stiff with exhaustion, but he didn’t resist as she scooped him into her arms.

Her hold was firm, careful to avoid the bruises already forming on his leg. She carried him out of the room, down the stone corridors, until they reached his chambers. There, she laid him onto his bed with practiced ease, as if she had done this before.

Maybe she had.

Damian didn’t speak. He watched as his mother retrieved medical supplies, her movements efficient. She dampened a cloth and pressed it against the welt on his leg. He hissed at the sting but said nothing.

“You shouldn’t have asked him that.”

Damian swallowed hard, his throat dry. “Why?” he croaked. “Why does everyone act like he was never here?”

“Because he is gone, Damian.”

His heart clenched painfully. “That’s not true,” he whispered. “He told me he was going on a trip. He always comes back.”

Talia’s expression flickered, a rare moment of vulnerability crossing her features before her mask returned. “Do not speak of this again.”

Damian shook his head. “Where is he?”

Her grip on the cloth tightened, but when she met his gaze, her expression was unreadable. “He is long gone.”

The finality in her tone made his chest tighten.

“But—”

“Enough,” she said firmly. “You must not question your grandfather.”

Damian bit his lip, his eyes stinging. He wanted to argue, to scream that she was wrong, that they were all wrong, but he could see the warning in her gaze.

He lowered his head. He didn’t say another word.

Talia finished tending to his wounds, wrapping them with practiced hands. Once done, she brushed a hand through his hair, an unusual moment of tenderness.

“Sleep, my son.”

But sleep did not come easily that night. He curled into himself, his fingers clutching the amulet at his chest. Tears slipped down his cheeks as he muffled his sobs into his pillow.

Everyone was lying. He knew they were.

Danny wasn’t gone.

He would come back.

He had to.

—

Days passed, and his tutors became more unbearable. 

The air in the study was thick with tension. Damian sat on a cushion, his back straight, his hands poised perfectly on his lap as he listened to his tutor drone on about strategy. The boy had learned early on that tutors within the League of Assassins had two things in common: arrogance and cruelty. And as the days passed, they only grew bolder in their treatment of him.

“You lack discipline,” Master Akiro sneered, his aged fingers slamming down onto the table before Damian. “Your form is precise, but there is no heart behind your attacks. You hesitate.”

“I do not,” Damian replied, his voice measured but firm.

Akiro smirked, as if pleased to have drawn even a hint of resistance from the boy. “Then prove it.”

The test that followed was brutal. They did not hold back—not with their words, nor with their hands. Every lesson turned into an excuse to belittle him, to remind him that he was nothing more than a child who had yet to earn his place. The more he endured, the more their cruelty escalated, as if testing how much he could take before he broke.

One evening, after a particularly grueling lesson that left bruises blossoming on his arms, Damian sought out his grandfather. He found Ra’s al Ghul standing in the grand hall, the flickering torches casting long shadows across the ancient walls.

“They disrespect me,” Damian said, his voice tight. “They are overstepping their place.”

Ra’s turned to him, his sharp green eyes gleaming with interest. “And what would you have me do, my grandson?”

“Punish them,” Damian said without hesitation.

Ra’s studied him for a long moment before nodding. “Very well.”

The next morning, his tutors bore fresh wounds—nothing life-threatening, but enough to remind them of their station. For a time, Damian believed he had won. But the tutors were cunning, and they had not forgotten his complaint. Their retaliation was slow, deliberate. They would push him harder, setting impossible standards. If he missed a mark by even the slightest degree, they would belittle him twice as harshly. They no longer just instructed—they challenged his every action, his very worth.

When he could take no more, he went to his mother.

Damian found Talia al Ghul in her chambers, dressed in flowing silks, her posture poised as she polished a dagger with deliberate movements. She did not look up as he entered.

“Mother.”

“You should be training.”

“I have been.” His voice wavered, but only slightly. “They have grown worse. They humiliate me at every turn, and they do so as vengeance for my complaint to Grandfather.”

Talia finally looked up, her dark eyes locking onto his. “And?”

Damian frowned. “And they—”

“You are my son,” she interrupted coldly. “The grandson of Ra’s al Ghul. And you weep to me about mere tutors?”

His fists clenched at his sides. “They—”

“Are beneath you.” She stood, setting the dagger aside. “You are an al Ghul. If they test you, you break them. You do not run. You do not complain. You show them who holds power.”

Damian swallowed hard, her words slicing into him as sharply as any blade. “You want me to fight back.”

She stepped forward, her fingers tilting his chin up so he could not look away. “I want you to show them why they should fear you.”

—

The change was not immediate, but it was noticeable. Damian did not lash out wildly; he was too disciplined for that. Instead, he refined his approach. He paid attention to every flaw in his tutors’ methods, every moment of hesitation, every contradiction in their lessons.

And he used it against them.

“You contradict yourself, Master Akiro,” Damian said one morning after the man stumbled over an instruction.

Akiro stiffened. “What did you say?”

“I said,” Damian repeated, his voice sharper this time, “that you contradict yourself. You tell me to strike quickly, yet a moment ago you said precision was more important than speed. Which is it?”

The other tutors paused their lessons to glance in their direction. Akiro’s lips pressed into a thin line. “You dare question me?”

“If you were worthy of unquestionable authority, you would not be so easily challenged,” Damian replied smoothly.

The room fell into stunned silence.

After that, he did not simply obey. He corrected them when they erred. He spoke back when they tried to demean him. And when they went too far, he made sure they understood their mistake.

The first time he threw a dagger, it was a warning—a blade embedded into the wooden post behind one of his tutors, so close that the man could feel the rush of air as it passed.

The second time, it cut through fabric.

The third time, skin.

By then, they had stopped underestimating him.

It was not just his tutors who noticed the change. The servants who had once whispered about him in hushed voices no longer dared meet his gaze. He walked through the halls with the quiet assurance of someone who knew his place—and had fought to earn it.

He trained harder, pushed himself further, until no one could say he was merely the spoiled child of Talia al Ghul. He was more than that. He was a force to be reckoned with, a warrior who had clawed his way to his rightful place.

He is an al Ghul.

He was untouchable.

And then it happened… he was being sent to his father by the order of his mother.

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