Dick had only returned because the urge to see his younger brothers and Bruce had been beginning to claw at him from the inside out in a way that it was simply impossible to ignore. The acrobat had already lost countless hours of sleep because of worry and homesickness. Bludhaven was his world now but that didn’t mean all those years of working with friends and family in Gotham was easily ignored or forgotten. Even his dreams reminded him of what he had left behind when he placed the Bat costume back into the memorial and pulled out his own Nightwing costume once again. So unable to stop himself, Dick Grayson had asked for a vacation from Bludhaven Police Force and asked a favor from his fellow vigilante friends to protect the city they call home so he could return to the beginning of all beginnings.
The vacation was only a two week thing and for fourteen days, Dick went on patrol with Tim, checked up on Jason, and bothered Bruce enough for all of them to head out for a picnic on a rather sunny day. Most importantly, he checked up on the youngest of all brothers. Damian had scoffed at him when he first saw the acrobat make his way down the gym and toward the wooden puppets the boy was using as a sparring partner but said little to prevent the man from coming closer. “Grayson.” The greeting was curt and tense. Dick smiled and waved. “Damian! How are you?” He pushed away the guilt he felt when Damian simply shrugged and awkwardly nodded before answering in short sentences.
Slowly, the tension dissolved when Dick accompanied Damian as often as he could in doing all the things he did on a daily basis. The pair easily returned to the point when both were partners, in and out of the costumes. Dick trained with Damian and always managed to wordlessly give the boy the towel and the water bottle without a voiced request. Damian found himself easily picking up hints from Grayson for when the man wanted to do something or needed support for one of his requests to the other three stubborn men in the household.
But fourteen days were what he had taken and time passed by quickly. Soon enough, he had to leave. Bags packed and duffel over his shoulder, he said his goodbyes. The clock was ticking to eight now and soon enough, the batfamily were to head off and do their nightly patrol. Damian and Bruce were already suited up though Bruce kept the cowl down while he saw his first son off. Tim had already left, heading back to his apartment, and Jason always left after dinner which took place at six.
“If you need anything, Dick, remember to call.”
“Thanks, Bruce. I’ll keep it in mind.”
They nod, a quiet agreement to keep in touch. Dick bends down to ruffle Damian’s hair, the ten year old boy giving him a scathing glare in return. “Hey, lil D. I’m going off now but remember to call me, okay?” The boy sneered before crossing his arms over his chest, eyes narrowed. “As if you haven’t told me every day for the last fourteen days, Grayson.”
“Dick, you’re going to be late for your flight.”
He nodded and then turned away after giving both of them a quick hug. While exiting the cave, Dick picked up the sounds of soft words and he turned to look over his shoulder, curious. Damian had pulled his hood up, head angled down so that even with the bright lights of the cave, shadows played across his face. Dick couldn’t see his eyes or his expression but he could see the light tremble to the boy’s bottom lip as he purses them, saying nothing to his father. A piece of Dick knew that Damian was still watching him, eyes trained to his back as he walks away. Again. The acrobat found his chest clenching and swallowed but he keeps walking, peering over his shoulder once in a while.
“He’ll be back,” Dick hears Bruce say.
But Damian says nothing still, head lowering. The door closes behind Dick and the finality of that sound along with the knowledge of what he had left behind haunts him the whole way back to Bludhaven.
So I’m planning to restart Fics about Damian.
This time, however, instead of basing everything on Things about Damian, I will be allowing requests of any kind through asks.
Just remember, you have to include Damian in it thought that should be pretty obvious by now. c: Happy requesting!
I know we’ve been incredibly inactive lately, but real life has been a tricky bastard about kicking us in the pants with actual non-Tumblr-related duties.
HOWEVER!
I, Fleet Sparrow, will once again start writing some fics for Damian because I’m desperately trying to avoid writing serious things they’re very good practice and make people happy.
Requests still pending:
94. Damian always hides in his hood and becomes very quiet when he’s about to cry. I wish I could say I didn’t know this from personal experience.~Dick
95. I bought Colin a jacket once as a “Welcome to the Family” gift. Damian wears it every time they’re together after he found out it had cat ears on the hood.~Dick
105. Dick tried teaching the little hell spawn about the “Birds and the Bees”. Too bad Damian’s two kitties Floppy and Flippy beat him to it.~Tim
As well as a couple of personal favorites I’m saving for surprises.
Feel free to drop in any other requests you might have!
Damian was never one for physical affection. He scoffed at casual touches and only resentfully accepted Dick’s constant hugs. Colin had hundreds of stories about times where he sat “too close” to Damian, or had been “needlessly affectionate” on a visit. So, it both surprised and worried Colin when Damian began to sit closer than his usual two and-a-half feet from him. He asked Damian why, out of sheer curiosity. Damian just scoffed and rolled his eyes.
“You read too much into things, Colin. We’re growing, so we don’t fit on the couch the same anymore.”
Colin didn’t bring it up again.
Until one of their movie days, when he realized Damian was only sitting a foot and-a-half away from him.
“I thought you don’t like sitting close to people.”
Damian scoffed. “Don’t be ridiculous; I’m not trying to be close. I can see the screen better from here.”
Colin let it go.
Until one of their game tournaments, when Damian sat only a foot away.
“You’re sitting closer,” he finally said, after glares and an eventual “What?” from Damian.
“It’s easier to use the controller. Really, Colin, I didn’t think it would bother you so much!”
Colin hastily denied any complaint and the two continued their game.
Then, one day, while Colin was over for casual tutoring, Damian sat right next to him.
His hand brushed Colin’s.
His shoulder rested against Colin.
And he calmly explained the trigonometry homework as if nothing was happening.
Colin opened his mouth to ask about their current proximity, but stopped when Damian shifted a little more of his weight into him. Colin smiled and leaned back against Damian.
Maybe he was over-thinking things. Maybe he should just let them be as they are.
Sure! I’ll have them up hopefully by the end of tomorrow or the weekend! Thank sfor requesting!
C: of course! We never turn down requests. OTL We just at times go through them slowly. At the moment 94 is being written.
8D You’re welcome! And I’m glad you like it! + V + feel free to send requests. They make take a while but they are being written. C:
The sound of thunder rips through the mixed sound of heavy rain crashing into pavement and buildings and cars honking at each other as owners find themselves in a rush to return to the safety of their own home. Dick had found himself drenched in a matter of moments, body shivering slightly from the feel of sudden coldness. Gotham was a city of smoke and crime. In the day, there were at times sunshines but every so often, a thunderstorm usually hit. Even the criminals and common thugs would pause in their work and plans to head home for the night.
Even as Dick looked up, the flash of lightning spreads and crackles across dark skies, clouds the color of foreboding darkness. He turns to look at the boy next to him, still determinedly and stubbornly staring through a pair of night vision binoculars at the bank in front of them. Earlier, they had gotten a call that someone had threatened to break into the bank. But after waiting for hours, no one had shown up. Grayson had called it a prank but Damian refused to leave, saying it was their duty to stay and teach idiots who try at their hand at crime a lesson.
But the clouds were thundering louder now and from the top of the roof, even Dick knew it would not be a good idea to stay out for too long. At this point, they had already stayed out in the rain for at least two and a half hours. A gloved hand moved to place itself on Robin’s shoulder, squeezing gently. “C’mon, D. Time to go.”
Robin only tried to shrug his shoulder out of the hold. When he found he couldn’t, Damian put down the binoculars to glare at him. “Grayson, it’s not time yet.” Dick could only shake his head, the frown on his lips being the only visible thing with the cowl covering the rest of him. “Robin, it’s time to go. Stand down.”
The boy only let out a soft grumble before standing up, tucking the binoculars in his hands back into one of his belt’s pocket. There was a moment of stillness that made Dick wonder if Damian was going to say no and that he was staying. Then one of the green gloved hands pulled out a grappling gun. Dick offered the boy a small smile before he pulled out his own. They left their look out spot seconds later, two bodies swinging against the rain and the wind heading for a familiar warm home while clouds thunder behind them.
When they did get home, however, Dick knew something was wrong. Since they were dripping wet, Alfred had immediately told them to get changed. With a slim brow arched, the butler had given them both two fluffy towels and a change of clothes. With a grin, Dick had pulled his cowl back and tugged Damian into the closest bathroom. It was there that Dick had noticed the slightly red flushed face of his partner and the beginnings of sluggishness. The man felt a frown pull at his lips as he tilted a stubbornly cranky Damian closer to press his forehead against that of his own.
Even through the dampness left by the rain, Dick could feel the unnatural warmness. His little brother was getting sick! He told the boy to quickly take a warm shower and change into fresh clothes as he hurried out of the bathroom to Alfred.
“Alfred, how fast can you make chicken soup?”
The butler immediately started on it after having a word with Dick about what to do to keep Damian warm and what not to let the other boy do. “Try to rest for the rest of the night and turn in early, Master Richard. I’m sure the young master will be unhappy at being placed to bed earlier than normal but for the sake of his health, it would be best for you to do so.”
So as Alfred was preparing two bowls of piping hot soup and freshly baked bread, Dick prepared the living room for an impromptu movie night. The whole Lion KIng dvds were placed on the table, the first one already rolling past advertisements. Blankets and pillows were gathered on the couch as Dick waited for Damian to join him. The first set of foot steps into the living room belonged to Alfred who placed the food on the table before leaving for other duties. The second set of footsteps were quiet but fluid, much like a cat.
Damian had first frowned when he realized exactly what was being set up. Then with a weary sigh, the boy made his way to the couch, using one blanket to wrap around himself. Dick pretended to not notice the shiver or the flushed cheeks, turning redder from an increasing fever. With a small gentle and loving smile, he pulled his younger brother into his arms.
“Grayson! What do you think you are doing?!”
“Awe, c’mere lil D. We are going to watch a movie so relax, okay?”
Dick didn’t give the boy much time to respond before starting the movie and then pressing a bowl of hot soup into Damian’s hands. The ten year old boy scowled at him before a childlike but obviously unnaturally scarred and callused hand grabbed hold of the spoon and Damian began sipping at the chicken soup.
The movie marathon lasted for almost a few hours -Dick had switched dvds multiple times, playing Aristrocats after they went through the Lion King series- and by the last bit of it, Damian was asleep. Dark lashes covered dark blue hues, at times fluttering when Dick shifted to keep his arm and legs from falling asleep. The blanket covering Damian had slid down his shoulders sometime earlier, leaving the boy possibly rather chilly.
Dick wondered if Damian was cold.
Almost as if the boy heard the question in his sleep, Damian snuggled closer to Grayson. A cheek moved to subconsciously nuzzle at a broad chest causing Dick’s dark blue cotton shirt to wrinkle slightly at the spot. A warmth surged in Dick’s chest as he pulled Damian closer, one hand moving to wrap the blanket around the both of them. He smiled, watching as Damian grumbled quietly in his sleep. He pressed a small sweet kiss to the boy’s forehead, sending both his love and taking note of the lowering temperature at the same time.
They both fell asleep, Damian cuddled and held lovingly in Dick’s grasp, despite the crashing thunder and pitter patter of rain outside. They were both safe and sound in each other’s arms. What comes tomorrow or the day after doesn’t matter. They will continue to preserver.
