Bruce: Dick! I need to stop this psychopath, he’s going to kill everyone in Gotham.
Tim: YOUR ARM IS IN A SLING, YOUR ANKLE IS SPRAINED, YOU HAVE THREE BROKEN RIBS, A BARELY BANDAGED KNIFE WOUND, INTERNAL BLEEDING- WHO ARE YOU GOING TO STOP IN THIS CONDITION?!
Dick: Okay, I got it. Bruce, open the door.
Bruce: *opening the car door for Dick*
Jason: Oh, ofcourse, he listens to the Golden Boy. Sure guess the rest of us are invisible or shit then.
Dick: *hopping in* *removing the manual brake lever*
Dick: okay, let’s go.
Jason, Tim, Steph, and Damian: what.
Bruce and Dick: *speeding off on tire rims and no breaks into the dark Gotham night*
Jason: WHAT THE FUCK! WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT?! WE HAVE TO GO AFTER THEM!!
Steph: Alfred, what happened?!
Alfred: *Wiping down the plate Dick grabbed the last cookie off before zooming away with Bruce* A lifetime of trust and experience, young master Stephanie.
Damian: Pennyworth, did you know this would happen?
Alfred: I’ll be sure to let Master Dick know to bring you along next time.
Something about Damian being the only one who knows the true meaning of robin because Dick sat him down and explained the origin of the name to him before handing him the mantle. Jason, Tim or Steph would see Robin as light, hope and something that Batman needs.
Only Damian would know robin as family and love. Only Damian would be the flying grayson's legacy after Dick. Robin was the only think Dick had of his mother and when Damian flew in those colors? For the first time in years it felt his again.
Chapter 7! @tree-reads and I are over half way through! @maribat-get-in
Link to AO3
Just friends
Waking up the day after her birthday was peaceful. Already past noon, with no smell of stale coffee or the faint wisps of pastry long since baked, Marinette was happily reminded that she no longer lived above the bakery. She wasn't the first one in their friend group to be living alone but it was the first day of the rest of her life and she was beyond ready to start living it.
Stretching out and checking her phone, she found that her friends had all messaged to see how she was doing. Message by message, she went down the list and let them know she was fine. The last message made her stop and blush, the night before slightly blurry but moments stood out in stark clarity.
Damian. She could remember his slightly uncertain look transforming into one that had left her breathless as the night wore on. Phantom pressure on her waist and hips made her shiver even now, and it took several minutes to compose herself enough to answer.
But what was she supposed to say to a guy she had met yesterday, danced with for hours, and shared the most amazing kiss with? Daylight and sobriety were fantastic tools for rekindling her anxiety and awareness that she wasn't really anything special. Maybe he was only so interested in her because he was foreign and, she might as well admit it, she hadn't exactly played hard to get. Things that had seemed like clear signs of interest the night before looked more like a lack of disinterest the following day.
She was dragged out of her spiral by a rapid fire knock on the door to the apartment. Ignoring the giggles of the various kwami, she jumped up from where she had immediately fallen out of bed and rushed to check who was visiting. It was a pleasant surprise to find Alya on the other side, carrying a takeaway cup of coffee and a sandwich bag from her favourite local shop, and she opened the door so quickly Alya jumped back from the door.
“Girl, last night was so fun! I know you said you were fine but I thought maybe a little pick-me-up would help with any hangover,” she said as she came into the apartment and set everything down on the kitchen counter. “So. Did your new wonder boy come in last night, or did you manage to remember you barely knew him?”
“Alya! I did not invite him in…we just kissed outside,” she admitted, grinning when Alya gave a squeal. Then her face fell and she took a sip of the coffee Alya had bought her to distract herself from her thoughts.
“Uh-oh, what’s that look for?” Alya asked, sympathy already firmly in place on her face.
“It’s nothing, I just don't know if he really liked me all that much,” she said quietly, blinking when Alya scoffed and trying to sort her feelings out. “Okay, maybe he did. I mean, he messaged this morning too, so I must have done something right. But, I don't know, it all feels kind of sudden. I think maybe I should just try to keep him as a friend.”
“Excuse me?” Alya said, clearly stunned. “Last night the two of you were inseparable and you looked at him like he hung the moon and stars. Your chemistry was explosive, and if he's already started messaging you after you didn't sleep with him then I'd say he feels pretty much the same way.”
“I know, and I haven't felt that sort of chemistry since I was hanging out with Blackbird,” she said as she ran a hand through her hair. It was part of the reason she had been intrigued by the young man with the brilliant eyes. “It was easy, and when he kissed me-”
“It was disappointing?” Alya prompted, clearly not understanding how anything else could have led to Marinette's decision to pump the brakes.
“Stars no, the opposite! I'm dying to kiss him again, to see if it was the alcohol or the fact that I was giddy to be out of Tom and Sabine's home, or if he's really just that perfect,” she groaned, head thumping onto the table in front of her as her face flushed at the memories of the night before. “But that's precisely why I can't! I need to settle myself and see what it's like as friends. Besides, he's not from around here and who knows when he would leave for the states again?”
Alya gave her a long, measured look but didn't argue. Marinette felt a part of her relax as she'd obviously made the right choice because Alya wasn't trying to convince her to give it a try, not like she had when she was trying to make Adrien and Marinette a couple.
Changing the conversation, they talked about their plans for autumn and Marinette admitted that she still wasn't sure if she wanted to go to university just yet. It wasn't that she didn't know what she wanted to do with her life, it was that she didn't know if school could teach her what she needed. And a small part of her - even smaller, now that she had met Damian - wanted to travel to America again, try to speak to Blackbird. Even as she thought on it again, she shied away from transforming even after a year.
By the time Alya left, it was mid afternoon and Marinette was completely resolved to be friendly with Damian but make it clear that that was as far as she could go. As much as the thought of kissing him again made her pulse flutter, she couldn’t get into a relationship at all while she was still figuring herself out.
With all of that in mind, she finally messaged him back, saying that she’d also had a wonderful time the night before and, maybe, would he like to meet up for a walking tour of Paris? She could tell him when they met that she wasn’t looking for a relationship and until then just treat him like someone she was getting to know. Because he was! And that’s all that mattered, because she liked him - as a friend - and wanted to keep him in her life.
His enthusiastic response that he would be thrilled to meet with her again left her feeling incredibly mushy, but she pushed the feelings away.
_ _ _
Damian breathed deeply as he stood outside Tom and Sabine’s boulangerie patisserie and tried not to let his panic overwhelm him. He was Blackbird, Richard Grayson’s adopted son, and Jonathan Kent’s cousin by blood. There was very little that he couldn’t do and meeting his birth parents was something he was capable of, even if a small part of him worried that he would be rejected summarily.
Before he could second guess himself any further, he pushed the door and almost flinched back when the tiny bell above it dinged. He was being ridiculous, Richard would be laughing himself silly if Damian had allowed him to be present for this first meeting. It was quiet in the bakery and the woman at the cash register aimed a customer service smile at him as he approached. His tongue felt too big for his head, his stomach roiling as he tried to say the words he had been rehearsing ever since he knew he had been taken by Talia and given to Bruce like a pet.
“Bonjour, may I help you with something?” the woman who could only be Sabine Cheng asked, her eyes light but with a wariness behind them. Damian had to swallow several times and only his severe training as a child prevented him from fidgeting as she looked at him.
“Hello, my name is Damian Gr-” he began, cutting off as he realised that she wouldn’t consider it his name. “My name is Damian. I wanted to speak to you because- because I believe you are my birth mother.”
Sabine’s eyes widened and she gave a soft scream as she covered her mouth with both hands. Instantly, a large man - is this where Damian’s sudden height had come from? - came running through from the kitchen, a rolling pin raised in his hand. Damian swallowed again as he looked up at Tom Dupain, hoping he would get the chance to explain.
“You- how did you get here?” Sabine whispered, coming out from behind the counter and reaching for his face. “Oh, we’ve missed you so much, xiǎo tiān shǐ.”
The endearment forced the lump in his throat to triple in size and he was suddenly holding back tears. These were the parents he was supposed to have, Tom dropping his rolling pin as he came forward to sweep him into a hug and Sabine stroking his face as she wept openly.
It took a lot more time for them to settle down and relax with each other, Damian overwhelmed by how much they were touching him and them clearly stunned by his sudden appearance. Their apartment was fairly sparse of pictures but he supposed that was only natural if he had been stolen away from them as he suspected.
By the time he left he felt wrung out emotionally and exhausted. But he also felt a sense of peace at finally knowing that his birth parents had wanted him. That they had missed him and were glad to have him back in their lives.
Richard was waiting for him as soon as he returned to their accommodations, perking up from where he was sitting and watching Damian’s face for signs of distress. When he apparently found none, he grinned brightly and leaped over to him to gather him in a hug.
“It went well?” he asked, ruffling Damian’s hair affectionately. Damian nodded and allowed a small smile to grace his face as he began to tell Richard everything he had learned that day. It was a weight off his shoulders as he talked about his plans for spending time with the bakers, and he couldn’t help but smile more broadly when he saw a reply from Jonathan, who he had messaged earlier that day to let him know what he was doing.
Richard gave him some space after they had spoken at length and he toyed with his phone as he read the most recent messages from Marinette. They had been speaking frequently over the past few days and he found he was craving the sound of her voice. There was something about her that soothed something in him, and at the same time sent anticipation surging in his veins.
Before he could overthink it, he dialled her number and waited patiently for her to pick up. When she did, she sounded slightly harried but not annoyed to be speaking to him in spite of her apparent rush.
“Damian!” she said, breathless and clearly juggling her belongings. “Hi, I was just - oh merde - I’m just on my way to meet a client - pardon me, I’m so sorry - but enough about me! Did you want something?”
“I wasn’t calling you for a particular reason,” he said, feeling a little guilty. “I apologise, perhaps I should call you another-”
“No! I mean, no, it’s fine, I like talking to you,” she said, sounding earnest. A bell sounded faintly on her end of the line and the sounds of a bustling café came through in a muffled way. “Oh, one second- yes, please could I have a café au lait with two shots of espresso and a pump of caramel? Thank you! - I’m already late, I just can’t survive this without getting my usual. So, are we still on for tomorrow? I have a bunch of my favourite places listed out for us to visit.”
“I am looking forward to it,” he murmured, sure that he was going to make a fool of himself before too long. He would be lucky to get through their date the next day without giving into temptation and kissing her. “Am I permitted to know what you have planned for us, or is it all to be a surprise?”
“A surprise, obviously,” she giggled, turning away again to accept the drink she had ordered gratefully. “Why, is there somewhere you want to add to the list?”
“No, so I suppose I shall leave the plan in your lovely hands,” he replied, pleased to hear her squeak. “How long until you are at your meeting?”
“I’m actually there now,” she said, and if he could see her he was almost certain she would be pouting. “But I’ll see you tomorrow? And maybe text you when I’m home again?”
Murmuring his goodbyes, he wondered if he was patient enough to wait for her to message him first.
_ _ _
Marinette was resolved. It didn’t matter that Damian was smart, witty, and gorgeous, she was capable of being his friend and telling him that. And she was definitely not going to turn into a puddle of mush just because he had an attractive smirk.
“Marinette, apologies for my tardiness,” Damian said as he approached from her left. She glanced at him, automatically smiling up at him before her brow furrowed as he thrust a coffee cup towards her. “I realise it is earlier than you normally begin texting so I thought you might appreciate a coffee. Café au lait, two espresso and one pump of caramel, correct?”
“It- yeah,” she stammered, holding onto it with two hands and gazing up at him in wonder. How had he known? “You heard me order it yesterday? And remembered it?”
“Tt, it was hardly difficult,” he said, though Marinette thought he was preening slightly at having managed to surprise her. And oh, wasn’t this precisely the issue she had been having with this? He was perfect. And she was just a woman who craved affection in the form of someone noticing the little things. “Did I make you uncomfortable?”
“Uncomfortable?” she asked, incredulous. “Damian, you got my coffee order right, after never having seen me order it, and I don’t think I’ve ever had anyone do that before. I don’t think some of my friends could get that order right and they’ve known me since maternelle. Merde, I don’t know if I can take this.”
“What do you-” he began, breaking off when she stepped forward and pressed her lips to his cheek. “So you are pleased?”
“Pleased? I’m in awe. Maybe we should sit down and talk about…us,” she hedged, biting the inside of her lip when he nodded. His face was so serious and concerned, she just wanted to kiss his worries away. Leading the way to a nearby bench, she took several sips from the coffee before looking him directly in the eye. “I really like you, Damian. An absurd amount for the fact that we’ve known each other for all of a week. If I’m honest, I wasn’t sure if dating you was a good idea because my life is such a mess and I didn’t know if I was ready for a relationship.”
“Oh. I take it you are considering otherwise now?” he said, nodding like everything was going swimmingly while she was having a minor crisis.
“You got my favourite coffee,” she half shrieked, half cried. She was sure it seemed a silly thing to be hung up on but it was the only thing she could really think about without grabbing hold of his gorgeous face and kissing him until she couldn’t breathe. Taking a deep breath and trying again, she fiddled with the cup to occupy herself. “Like I said, I like you a lot. Having said that…I think we should take things slowly, because if this is going to work I’m going to need to know that we aren’t just going to burn out. Okay?”
“That seems reasonable,” he agreed, hesitating for only a moment before taking hold of her hand so that she was holding her coffee in just the one. “If we are being completely honest with one another, I am also going through some changes in my life and I would be disappointed if things went poorly between us because we hurried into things. But for today perhaps we can continue with the tour you had planned?”
Dick took Damian to his first pride parade. Dami pretended he didn’t want to go but Dick knew he wanted to and enjoyed himself there.
They do these times where they both just sit in the same place and just exist. They don’t talk, Damian will do homework or would be drawing while Dick was doing some case work or WE thing or just something.
Damian realised how much Dick genuinely likes his drawings and randomly gives some to him. Like ever few weeks a painting or a sketch will show up on Dicks bed. Usually it’s someone Dick loves a lot. His parents, siblings, the titans, etc.
Dick has kept ever single one of them.
Some are on the fridge, some framed, and some in a carefully preserved and loved album.
Dick is one of the only people Damian trusts with his pets. Other is Alfred and eventually Jon gets added to the list.
Dick comes to all of Damian’s school events even small ones.
He especially never misses art showings.
Dick was the one Damian went to when he realised he likes boys as well.
Dick was the only person Damian was not scared of telling.
Damian was the first of the bats ( besides Alfred and Bruce but they knew earlier) to know about the origins of the name Robin.
He was even more proud of being Robin and swore that he’d make not only Dick but all the Graysons proud.
Dick taught Damian Romani. ( I’m sorry I can’t spell)
Damian taught Dick Arabic in return.
Dick was the first person Damian knew loved him.
Dick is the only person that Damian trusts not to get tired of him.
Dick introduced Damian to Zitka.
Dick is protective but never controlling of Damian.
Since Dick lost the original poster he had of the Flying Graysons Damian painted him an exact copy.
After Robin Damian took the name Flamebird and became Nightwings partner.
While Bruce was dead Dick adopted Damian.
It still continued after Bruce came back.
Bruce may be Damian’s father but Dick is his baba.
“Only Human” Chapter Two: “Part Two: Cohabitation” Now Uploaded
Quietly closing the door behind himself, Dick looked around, seeing a few doors, knowing where two of them led. One to the bathroom, and the other to Damian and Krypto’s room. A third was a linen closet…but that left the two in the back left to the imagination. He hadn’t even been in them the first time he and Rachel had come through to investigate Luthor’s death.
He did stop to check on Damian and Krypto, the room illuminated by the softly lit lamp, allowing the dog to perk up his head and see as Dick entered the room. Dick pet him on the way by, leaning down to kiss his head with a quiet, “Hi, boy” before turning his attention to the crib. Damian was sleeping peacefully, his little face twitching as Dick gently caressed his little cheek, smiling as Damian cooed quietly, staying asleep.
After kissing the baby’s forehead, and giving Krypto one more pat, he carefully and quietly closed the door and continued to look for Connor.
The one door was dark, Dick reaching for the doorknob and testing it, being met with resistance, indicating that it was locked. He could pick the lock, but he had decided against it. He knocked experimentally and called for Conner, but received no answer. That left the last door at the very end of the hall, the one with the ominous green light coming out from under it.
Dick raised a brow as he made his way over to it, raising a hand to knock but he didn’t get a chance as it slid open, Conner standing behind it, looking equally as surprised as Dick.
“Oh, I wasn’t expecting you to be awake, Richard.” Conner greeted, hands staying folded behind his back, “Up to check on the baby?”
“Uh…no. I came to check on you.” Dick admitted, blinking to adjust to the bright light blinding him, curiosity making him look over Conner’s shoulder, but Conner obstructed his field of vision, leaning against the doorframe, and thus in Dick’s way, “…everything okay?”
“Everything’s fine.” Conner replied curtly, “Just working on something. Couldn’t sleep.”
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