Damian Wayne as the Owner of a Dragon Bat; A Collection of Everyday Stories
(I’m using a translator!
I’m taking some liberties with Goliath’s behavior—sorry, but not really)
Part 1: Sunbathing part 2 part 3
Let’s imagine that Goliath loves to sunbathe in the mansion’s gardens around noon, when he flops onto his belly on the grass damp from the sprinklers and takes a well-deserved nap. He is a Dragon Bat; the summer sun in Gotham—a mostly humid city—doesn’t bother him too much. Damian understands this; they both grew up in a varied climate and are used to the heat and grueling weather. Lying on Goliath’s stomach while he sleeps is undoubtedly a pleasure he allows himself as a well-deserved treat every so often (whenever they’re out in Gotham). Of course, his family has to worry about nonsense like “heatstroke.”
It’s a quiet Friday in Gotham, one of those rare days when the sun shines down on his head with a intensity that only promises to increase for the rest of the day. Damian adjusts his uniform with feigned indifference; the line of cars in front of Gotham Academy moves slowly, and the excitement of getting home early today is palpable in the air. Alfred’s car pulls up in front of him. Damian walks just a little faster to the back door—a routine rehearsed thousands of times before. Alfred greets him with his usual “Good afternoon, Master Damian” as he pulls out of the parking lot, and Damian, with feigned calm, masterfully keeps up the casual conversation about school.
The drive seems longer than usual—perhaps the speedsters are messing with time again, or maybe it’s just his eagerness to get there—but he can barely wait for the car to pull into the garage before jumping out. It’s been a long week, both for Damian Wayne and for Robin. Soon, Richard will arrive to spend the night, and if he wants to enjoy his free time as planned, he has to move as fast as possible.
He barely hands his backpack to Alfred before running to the backyard of the property and straight to the barn. In a fluid motion worthy of the training he’s had since he was a child, his shoes, tie, and uniform sweater are left neatly folded on the grass a few meters from the red patch of fur and happiness that is Goliath, sleeping comfortably on the fresh grass.
Damian lies down on the great beast with a satisfied sigh, forgetting propriety for a second as he curls up in the comforting warmth that surrounds him, slowly soothing the pain in his tired bones.
. . .
One of Dick Grayson Wayne’s many duties as the older brother of a bunch of individuals capable of world domination is to prevent them from dying; this regularly leads him to traverse the mansion’s gardens in search of a 13-year-old with little instinct for self-preservation and his pet/giant Bat-Dragon, to keep them from spending more time than they should in the sun.
One would think it would be easier to find the great beast. But he’s already checked the entire section of the garden where Goliath is allowed to roam, and there’s still no sign of either of them. Almost defeated, he heads toward the stables.
Maybe he should have started there.
First, he finds the clothes neatly left halfway along the path; Damian must have set them down to be comfortable. A few steps away, he finds his prime suspect in the search for his little brother.
Goliath
He trots over to the ball of fur and happiness that is Goliath, lying with his belly against the grass and his wings spread out in the sun. Amid the red, Dick manages to make out Damian’s white socks. He looks up, noticing the figure carelessly hiding behind the creature’s large wing. Bingo. He creeps up the last few steps, hands on his hips in a Big Brother™ pose, smiling at the sigh worthy of a teenager who’s been caught.
“Damian, you have to move,” he begins, already grabbing the younger boy’s ankles. Goliath watches him lazily, already accustomed to his owners’ nonsense. With a tug, Damian slides over the great beast’s back until he’s face to face with Dick. “You’re going to get dehydrated; Alfred is worried.”
He explains, already taking in his little brother’s flushed face; the boy’s skin is tanned, his cheeks red and drenched in sweat from prolonged sun exposure—if anyone were to ask, Dick would say he’s been out for about two hours. Dick would say he’s been out for about two hours. “I’m perfectly fine, Richard,” his adorable little brother replies haughtily, kicking to free himself from the iron grip on his ankles. “Leave me alone.”
“I’m sorry, Alfred promised me homemade ice cream,” he explains as he struggles to hold onto the little one, who is wriggling like a worm in the sun. “If I take you inside,” he continues, his voice strained with effort.
“It’s only been an hour and 45 minutes; I can handle more than that,” he argues, struggling to free himself from his brother’s iron grip, who has begun to back away, forcing Damian out of the comfort of his lethargy. Damian Wayne slides down his beast’s back until he lands on the ground with a soft thud. Dick barely gives him time to think before hoisting him onto his shoulder like a grumpy sack of potatoes. “Sorry, little bird, I’ve got an ice cream to win.”
From the comfort of his pile of grass, Goliath watches the two young men walk away down the path leading to the mansion. He lets out a weary snort and stands up, stretching his wings and yawning audibly. It’s time to go back inside.
me when i wrote a quick toad!peach fic taking place before mario Knows
Toadstool Chatter
Toadiko curtsied, and Mario performed a quick head bob as he lifted his hat off his head.
“Luigi said you would be coming this way, is everything alright?”
He nodded rapidly. Toadette tilted her head.
“Do you need an audience with the Princess? She shouldn’t be too busy—”
“No!”
The two Toads jumped, and an apology spilled out on the heels of the outburst.
“It’s…about her.”
Toadiko and Toadette exchanged looks before Toadette gave a mischievous grin.
“What about her?” Toadiko asked.
To the surprise of both Toads, Mario’s face started to get red as he fanned his face.
“I—ehm—what are the rules for the Princess to…to date?”
At this, Toadette gasped.
“Wait, don’t tell me you—“
“I just—I’ve felt this way for a while, and—“
“She’s betrothed,” Toadiko said, her expression somehow flatter than her tone. Toadette swatted towards her.
Mario blinked. “Be…trothed?”
“Set to marry,” Toadette chirped.
“To who? Bowser?!” Then he clamped his hands over his mouth as the two frowned. “Mi scusi, I was thinking too fast.”
“Oh, nonono. To Prince Peasley! You’ve met him, right? Such a dreamy man.” Toadette swooned.
Mario cocked his head to the side a little. “…No?”
“Really? He’s come to visit at least twice since you’ve arrived in our kingdom.”
“He was away that first time,” Toadiko reminded Toadette. “And I remember Master Luigi sent word that Master Mario was sick the second time he visited.”
“Oh, right…” Toadette looked a little upset.
“He’s—“ Mario’s voice hitched. “Sorry, I—“
“Nono, it’s okay! Prince Peasley’s amazing, but look at you!” Toadette grabbed his arm with both hands, and his eyes flitted to how her tail excitedly waved around. “You’re the hero of our kingdom! You make our princess laugh. I know she would accept your hand if you offered it.”
“But…you said she’s betrothed…”
Toadette brushed it off with a wave. “They can call that off! I know she’s getting cold feet—“
“Toadette!”
She flinched away. Toadiko looked flustered on the princess’s behalf.
“Sorry, Toadiko. You’re right.” Toadette looked back to him. “Just…don’t count yourself out, Mario, alright?”
Mario looked a little less hesitant, and gave her a thumbs up.
“I won’t.”
Toadette clapped her hands together.
“Yay! Toadiko, don’t you think they’re a great match?”
Toadiko stared at Mario before averting her eyes and swallowing.
“I believe Princess Toadstool…may share your feelings.”
Mario blinked. “Mama mia, I thought I was imagining it.”
“I will ask that you understand what this may mean for you before you continue. Our princess isn’t just an object of affection.”
“Of course.” Confusion leaked into his voice, but no question followed.
Toadiko looked to Toadette. “Maybe he should talk with Toadsworth.”
At this she fully turned to face Toadiko. “Stars above, Ko, you’re trying to set him up to fail! Let them think about courtship first.”
At ‘courtship,’ Mario’s face started to get red.
Toadiko frowned. “He should know that our Princess isn’t a fling.”
“It won’t be!” Toadette turned towards him. “Right?”
“R-Right. Have I—“
“See! It’ll all be fine.”
“What will be fine?”
They all turned to see Princess Toadstool, who looked rather amused. Toadette and Toadiko quickly curtsied, with Mario awkwardly doffing his cap in a bow. The princess smiled.
“Oh! Mario, what a pleasant surprise! Was there something you needed?”
“Princess, I…” He cleared his throat. “You will be hosting a party soon, correct?”
“Yes. I assume you and Luigi have received my invitation?”
“Yes, thank you. We will be there.” He opened his mouth again as if to add something else, but shook his head and closed it.
“Mario, didn’t you have something to say?” Toadette looked a bit coy.
His face turned a mottled red and he found a sudden interest in the castle tiles.
“No,” he squeezed out. “Not now.”
Toadette gave a disappointed sigh. “Alright…”
Princess Toadstool looked between Toadette, Toadiko, and Mario with an arched brow.
“I’ll let Mario tell me what he wanted on his own time.” At this he visibly relaxed, and she could properly address him. “Could I interest you with some tea while you’re here?”
“Oh—ehm—sure.” Mario tugged a bit at the neckline of his shirt.
She clasped her hands together. “Wonderful. Toadiko, Toadette, do you want to join us?”
A sudden overlapping “yes” from Toadiko and “no thanks” from Toadette startled her. An awkward beat followed for a tad too long.
“Thank you for your generosity, Princess,” Toadette recovered, “But we don’t want to intrude on your time with Mario.”
Toadiko said nothing as Mario and the princess both started to blush.
“My time with—Toadette! This invitation was for both of you to relax.”
Mario looked away from the trio as Toadiko frowned at Toadette. Toadette did not seem to notice.
“I just…wanna get on top of things for the party! Reduce the work for you, my princess. We can take a break later.”
Princess Toadstool seemed to hesitate.
“Are you sure? I don’t want you two to overwork yourselves.”
“I’m sure!” Toadette gave a smile. “Have fun! Don’t waste Mario’s time! We’ll see you later, Princess!”
Toadette quickly curtsied, yanking Toadiko down with her into a more sloppy one. Princess Toadstool returned the gesture a bit hesitantly. Mario weakly raised his cap at them.
“Excuse us, your Highness. Master Mario.” Toadiko bowed again before Toadette lead them away. It was only when they were presumably out of earshot that Toadette began to speak again.
