send me ± for a headcanon about our characters / (no longer accepting)
When Bruce’s parents died, for many years his Spanish sat unused in the back of his throat. He couldn’t bring himself to ask Alfred to practice with him, and the Latinx population at Gotham Academy wasn’t exactly formidable. In truth, sometimes it hurt to call it forth, because it brought up memories that were all the more miserable for their former sweetness.
It was only when he trained under Don Miguel in Brazil that his fluency was restored, and Bruce came to realize that not all pain was bad.
He learned Arabic from the al Ghul’s many years ago. It wasn’t hard to start bringing it out around the house, to stock the library with the relevant literature, to nudge Alfred into participating. In the early days, Damian recoiled at the barest brush of sentimentality, so Bruce masked the practice under the guise of Developing A Strong Tactical Skillset. He’d maintain the cover by throwing out phrases in Russian, Japanese, and Swahili every so often, even as Arabic was transparently the steadiest presence at their dinner table.
Over the years, the other languages fell away, but Damian made no mention of the change.
It’s instinctual, these days. They joke in Arabic, they discuss literature, they talk about Hal Jordan while he’s still in the room. There are perhaps more delicate ways of preserving one’s past, but Bruce isn’t that proficient at sentimental ritual either. He just wants Damian to understand that all parts of him - not just those that come from Bruce - are loved, and in equal measure.
