In Shades
Summary: Damian paints his family.
Ao3:
Part of batfam flufftober2020
Damian had an art assignment. Paint a portrait of one person in your life and use only one colour and explain why you chose that one colour.
It was an interesting assignment and Damian could not choose just one person to paint. So, he painted everyone in his immediate family. He figured he could hand in the best one.
He asked Alfred to sit down first.
For Alfred, he chose the colour grey. Dull and able to blend in, a symbol of dignity and sophistication as much as it was a symbol of loss.
Alfred had taken care of them through their losses and their fears, through their triumphs and their victories. He had stood by them as they had fought each other and had stood by them as they had held each other. Always there always reliable.
Yes, grey it was for Alfred.
"I am honoured, Master Damian," said Alfred once he showed it to him. It was the only thing he said but it still made Damian feel warm.
The second person he sat down with was his father.
For his father, he chose the colour black. It seemed a bit cliche but it fit the man. Black stood for strength and mystery, for formality and elegance, but at the same time stood for aggression and authority, for death and darkness.
This one might not end up with the rest of his assignment for it would be hard to explain to a civilian how all these characteristics could fit the airhead billionaire Brucie Wayne. But Damian could not bring himself to draw his father in false colours. He would just have to hide this one away.
Once he was done with the portrait, he looked at the harsh lines and smiled. Yes, black definitely worked.
His father must have agreed with his observations because one look at the piece and he had laughed.
"Well, you certainly got me, Kiddo. But maybe not take this to school. Though, I would like to hang it in my study instead. Would that be alright with you?"
"Yes, Father," Damian had agreed.
Father had them given him a long and tight hug, softly whispering how proud he was.
It almost made Damian cry. Almost.
Dick sat down for next, a wide smile on his face.
Damian chose to paint his brother in bright greens. Green was the colour of growth, harmony and renewal. His brother had moved non from tragedy after tragedy and always found a way to make his world right again, not only for himself but for others too. The freshness of the colour captured the man's smile in full and made him seem wiser than his years, which in Damian's opinion was exactly what his brother was.
Damian knew this one would be his favourite.
When he showed Dick, he was gushed at his talent but had been confused about the colour choice. Unlike most of their other family, Dick had never had an interest in the visual arts, opting to express himself physically as Cassandra did.
Once he explained, Dick had gotten tears in his eyes. Damian had almost become alarmed but his brother had swooped him up in a hug and held him close, much as his father had.
"Thank you, Damian,"
"You're welcome, Richard," said Damian, though he did not know what the thank you was for.
Cassandra did not sit but chose to stand instead. Damian was quite alright with that.
He painted his sister in shades of purple. Purple was the colour of royals, elegance of a certain kind, and ambition. Violet was the colour of magic and dreams.
Cassandra smiled all the way through painting, holding her pose together. This painting took the longest as Damian knew that it would e important to paint her whole body instead of just painting her face.
Once he was done, Cassandra hugged him before she even saw the painting and then hugged him again after she was it.
"Good," she whispered, "You got me,"
"I'm glad you think so," he whispered back
After Cassandra came Jason. And the only reason he had agreed was that he was stuck on bed rest.
Damian drew him in shades of red, head bent over a book. Red was the colour of anger, danger and sacrifice. It was also the colour of love and passion, the colour of a fire that burned bright and a heart that beat for others. Jason was all that and more. He rose from the ashes like a phoenix and had devoted his life to his family and city. Sacrifice after sacrifice, all in the name of love for people he thought didn't even love him. He was wrong about that of course.
"The angry brother in red, huh?" said Jason once he saw it, voice showing just a fraction of the bitterness he was feeling.
Damina instantly refuted, "No, the passionate brother, and the loving one,"
Jason looked at him in surprise.
Damian continued, "You are too sacrificing for your own good, you are passionate about what you do and you love so much that overflows out in bursts,"
For a few moments, Jason watched him with his mouth open, and then ever so slowly, a smile spread across his face.
"You know," he murmured, "I think red could be your colour too,"
"Really?"
"Really,"
Tim was surprised at being asked, and really that made Damian feel just a little guilty. He was almost an adult now and quite ashamed about how he had acted all those years ago.
For Timothy, Damian chose blues. Blue represented the open sky and ocean, depth and stability. It stood for loyalty, faith, truth and confidence.
Over the years, Damian had watched his brother grow into his abilities and become sure of himself. He was a leader, a detective and a man loyal to his cause and family. Damian was proud to have him in his life, to call him family. Even if he never admitted it out loud.
He explained the meaning of the picture in a few words, the whole interaction being awkward in a nice way, both of them feeling a bit shy about it.
"Thanks, Dames," said Tim
Damian just shrugged in response.
It was enough.
Duke was the last sibling he asked to sit down.
He chose to present Duke in pink. Pink was intuitive, pink was tender, pink was kind. It was a positive colour that inspired warmth and appreciation. All of the things he felt for the second oldest in the family. Duke had a soft way about him that drew people out of their shell. He was a leader but not an authoritative one like Father or even Timothy. Instead, his leadership consisted of inspiring and lifting others.
"Pink? Isn't that a girl's colour,"
"While you are right that pink represents feminity in today's society, it is a more recent development, I chose to focus on other meanings of the colour,"
"Yeah? And those are?" Duke asked disbelievingly, but not unkindly
Once Damian was done explaining, Duke grinned and held out a fist for him to bump. Damian complied.
"Thanks, man," said Duke, bounding out of the room as if someone had filled him with unlimited energy.
Damian watched him go with a shake of his head.
Damian contemplated whether or not he should do anyone else, and in the end, asked Stephanie to sit for him too.
He painted Stephanie orange. The colour represented friendliness and enthusiasm, competitiveness and risk. It stood for raw instinct and free spirit, lead to the person feeling warm and at home. The colour of the autumn.
Stephanie was a friendly spirit and was somehow always present. She pushed forward when knocked down and fought to make her home. Her success came from her enthusiasm and competitiveness and her willingness to risk it all.
Stephanie gave him a grin and a big kiss on the cheek when he explained the colour.
"Ew, Brown! Stop!"
"Uhuh," she cried, "Yuu love meee! Now I knooow!"
"Oh god, you are such a child,"
The last person that sat for him was Barbara Gordon.
Damian chose to paint her in browns. Brown was the colour of reliability and support, of protection and security. It stood for everything genuine, honest and sincere. It was what came to mind when he thought of Barbara. The way she was always there, a voice in everyone's ear. The way she always spoke the truth, light and clear. She was a friend, she was dependable, someone that could be trusted and relied on unconditionally.
Oddly enough, like Alfred and Father, Barbara did not need an explanation for the colour. She merely smiled and nodded.
"You have a great eye," she told him, "I really love this. Thank you, Damian,"
"No, thank you, Barbara,"
xxx
After a long night of patrol, Damian was ready to fall into bed. However, before he could do that, he realized there was an envelope sitting on his pillow. He took it out and smiled.
There was a picture of him petting his animals, most likely taken by Timothy, and it was tinted yellow. Beneath it, were words written out in yellow glitter pen.
Sunshine. Happiness. Fun. Hope. Mind. Perception. Optimism. Creativity. Freshness. positivity.
Underneath was a paragraph written in his father's neat cursive writing, though he could tell the input had probably come from a few different sources.
'Yellow represents the heat of the sun and the loveliness of a smile, it evoked hope for the future and is linked with the optimistic. Yellow showed creativity, freshness and positivity. Damian, you are almost an adult now and have grown into someone who had learned to channel your creative side, look towards the future and smile, even if it is internally. You have a beautiful mind and your artistic perception of the world takes our breath away. Always stay you, Damian,. You are bright and wonderful,'
Wiping the happy tears that were making their way down his cheeks, Damian quickly took out his phone. He pulled up the group chat and wrote a short message, knowing it would get the sentiment across.
'Thank you. I will do my best,'
