IMAGINE THIS:
Lil baby Damian, bored and being not quite old enough to start learning how to use proper weapons (curse these wooden ones, he wants true steel!) is wandering the base. This is not out of the ordinary, he’s the prince after all. What is out of the ordinary is that his shadow, his Akhi, is not here.
Technically, he should be napping, but he woke up and neither his mother or his brother- who is quiet but gentle and isn’t a good speaker (mother said it was from a head injury)- is there. Which is how he finds his way to the Pit, which he’s not supposed to be at. Or at least not alone.
But! His mother and Akhi are there! And- and Akhi is screaming and he’s never heard him scream like that, like he’s in agony- His eyes are green- they were blue, had, had Mother placed him in the Waters-
And then the pool is bubbling- he should be running away, get assistance or something, he’s five, he shouldn’t be running towards it when everything is screaming to flee. But one moment he’s at the doorway, the next he’s clinging to his akhi as something writhes in the Pit, a mighty bellow echoing even as the Shadows take defensive positions.
The water cascades, laps at their feet, splashes everywhere as a scaled form rises from the depths, wings like a bloodied sunset spreading as fur bursts into flames. Crimson eyes glare down at them all, pupils slits as they bare down at his Akhi.
The creature- the dragon- dips its head down, its breath warm as it chuffs at his akhi, wings folding as though it is bowing. His akhi is clinging to Mother, shivering, several scars glowing as they fade and a burst of hair burned white.
The Creature pulled itself free of the Pit, shaking itself free of the Lazarus Water that clung to it, the bright blue flames that ignited over it's spine making the green liquid erupt into brilliant sparkles and smoke.
Great claw click against the stone floor with every step, making Ra's al Ghul wince as they carved away lines while the dragon approached Jason, wondering what sort of damage they might leave on the beautiful flooring of the complex above.
With a great heave, the dragon pulled itself all the way onto land, approaching Jason and staring imperiously at him, as if daring him to close the distance, while outright snarling at the closest Shadow that dared come too close. Wary of the fangs in the Thing's mouth, but feeling a sense of right and this one is mine, Jason's hand lands on it's snout, right over one pale grey line that looked as if a scar over the nose.
A voice spoke in Jason's ear, the only sign of a speaker being how the Dragon's ears made the chains stuck to them jingle with every twitch.
I have waited long to meet you, Partner. You can call me Dan, and I pledge my Heart and Core to you, if you will pledge your Heart and Soul to me in return.
"Sorry for making you wait so long. I was a little busy being dead, but I got better!"
Dan's head tilts back as a warbling hum rose from his chest, laughing and curling up around Jason protectively. So did I! Except Death didn't want to let me go as freely as it did you! One question, though: how do you feel about twin terror children?
"What do you mean, 'terror children'? Dan, what are you-" tilting his head back, and opening his jaws impossibly wide, Jason's new partner set off a loud, rumbling whale call, which sent the Pits bubbling all over again, like when the dragon pulled himself free.
Just in time, too, as Damian reached his brother and the new arrival just as twin shadows came bursting out of the pit, as if kestrels diving, but out of the water, instead of into it. Two smaller dragons, if you can call something the size of a Great Dane "small", came fluttering down towards the first arrival, chirping and bouncing to reach what might be the Parent's nose, getting the bigger one to fully drop to the ground to greet the little ones.
Clinging to Jason's pants, Damian al Ghul had a front row seat to witness, wide-eyed and thoroughly enamored, a Parent fussing over their Babies, crooning at each other and grumbling, like a great slumbering lion pretending to be "defeated" by it's tiny cubs.
Still, best to be cautious, as the big one's tail kept rattling whenever Grandfather tried to take a step towards his two Grandsons. Which meant they were protective by nature, so it would be safe to leave them to bond.
Meanwhile, the little one with the icy blue wings seemed to pick up on some distant noise, as if a siren's call. And that call led it, sniffing at the air and pawing over loose gravel, to Damian. A chuffed from it's Parent, and the little one seemed to settle into a truly relaxed state, staring at Jason's little brother with big, curious eyes, almost entirely Lazarus green save for a cat-like pupil, flicking open and closed as it sniffed at the small human.
It seemed to find whatever it was looking for, as it eyes became almost solid black when staring at Damian, almost eye-level with him, and then the dragonet was tossing itself forward to knock it's chosen Human to the floor and nuzzle his face like a cat on catnip.
Instead of a hand on the nose, Damian pressed his face against his Partner's snout and descend into happy tears as the Bond snapped in place, a rush of LoveLoveLove-Friend-Brother-Kindred-LoveYouLoveYouLoveYou flooding his heart with joy and a sense of Belonging.
In the distraction of the two Grandsons of The Demon, and the Grandfather himself having already left to prepare suitable accommodations for the new arrivals, the second little dragon snuck out of the cave and into the compound above to hunt down it's own Partner, following the same call that had first brought Dan to the summons, and then sent Danny towards Damian.
Just as the mood started settling between the two other dragons and their new friends, one particular child came tumbling into the Lazarus Pit cave, laughing like no one had heard Respawn laugh before, wrestling down a very excited dragon cub, screeching about not holding back even against a girl (while actively holding back, because this is his Friend, and he wants her to be alive, not dead at his hands).
Needless to say, some...renovations had to be implemented, as the first time the League attempted to put the dragons anything remotely like a Stables, they broke the flimsy door and flew off to find their Bonded Partners, to snuggle against them as is their right. Jason realizes he's going to need a bigger bed. And a new room. Sleepy Dan is about as sneaky as a sledgehammer, and just as good at knocking down walls, to the joy of Danny and Ellie when they woke up to Jason staring flabbergasted at the new entryway that had been carved into his room.
Thankfully it led outside, so it was easy to modify the Hole into an actually entryway and install a landing sturdy enough for his Dragon Friend.
Except that mean Damian ALSO wants one, which means Respawn and Ellie also need one, and both Ra's and Talia are starting to realize that, if Damian's pouting was already dangerous, then FOUR pairs of puppy-dog eyes have lethal consequences.
Still, a small price to pay for the benefits of the League's new members. The little ones are as stealthy as little shadows, and near impossible to find if they don't want you to. Their Humans are learning to expect a dragon pouncing on them out of nowhere as a means of friendly greeting, and their sense for incoming threats grows sharper.
Jason feels the Pit Rage clear up more and more with every day that he and Dan spend together. The dragon will even drag him off to the Arena to spar. Work out all those bottled up feelings, he would whisper in Jason's mind, goading the Rage into flaring, and burning intelf out of existence while Jason struggled under the massive weight of his new Friend and Brother. Until, that is, when two smaller dragons come dropping out of the sky. Not yet big enough to fully fly with their Bonded on their back, but enough to glide from the top of the stands and onto Dan, bouncing off his ribs and crumbling onto a heap of happy dragonets and human children, snuggling against the Older Brother Duo and enjoying the setting sun.
Quietly, to himself, Ra's al Ghul thinks of how absolutely Not Ready Batman will be for this.
Talia wonders how she ended up involved in raising not just her own sons, but also Wilson's child and their dragon partners.
Bruce: Why is Danny Crying? Dick, Damian stop beating up Jason!
Jason: *laughing hysterically as Damian and Dick kick and Punch at him*
Danny: *curled up in Cass's lap as he cries and she hushes him softly*
Damian: Todd is a scoundrel who dare toy with Danyal's fragile heart! *also has tears in his eyes but he refuses to let them fall*
Dick: What he said!
Bruce, sighing: Tim?
Tim, not looking up from his laptop: Jason had Danny and Damian play "Can Your Pet".
Bruce: Can your pet, what?
Tim: No, its just "Can Your Pet". You make a pet chick and play games with it and like brush it and stuff but if you click on an icon that looks like a bike it sends your chick to a chicken mill and it shows the chick being ground up and put in a can.
Bruce: Jason Todd! How could you do that to your little brothers?!
Jason: *being choked out, but still laughing* Worth it!
Bonus: 2 weeks later
Danny: Damian look! She likes me! *petting a black hen with white speckles*
Damian: She does. *also happily petting some black and yellow chicks*
Tim: I can't believe you bought them chickens.
Bruce: Danny stopped crying, Damian stopped stabbing, we adopted some in-need animals, and we get fresh, cruelty free eggs in the future.
I just know his ahh was clingy during her pregnancies, esp the first one
I love Kataang I love Kataang I love Kataang I love Kataang I love Kataang I love Kataang I love Kataang I love Kataang I love Kataang I love Kataang I love Kataang I love Kataang I love Kataang
