Chapter Text
Damian :
Damian was excited, Richard and him were going to patrol together at night. It had been a bit more than a month that the youngest did not go out as Robin. He had insisted but Richard had express his worry about it.
After a few explanation Damian agreed to wait and if he had to be honest he was happy with that. When he first asked to be back as Robin it was mostly because it was his duty and not because he truly wanted it.
Richard had probably understand that, telling the youngest that it was fine to stay at home and take time to make sure he felt ease enough to patrol again. The youngest also knew that Robin was now his and that no one could take it from him and taking a break won't get him fired.
Richard had went back to work a few minutes ago, he was going to be back late in the afternoon. The older man needed to start working again to earn living because he refused to accept Father's money.
Damian did not really understand why Richard refused, the older man explained that he did not want to rely on his father money. The youngest suspected that it was because of the tension between Father and Richard even when they both said that they were on good terms but Damian could clearly see that there was something wrong.
The youngest had nothing much to do, he had try to draw but the excitation for tonight was too distracting. He had already tidy the whole house twice, done three different training session and Richard still wasn't back.
So he just laid down on the couch, it was Richard's birthday in a week and his gift was ready, he just needed to find something to wrap it up. Father had asked Pennyworth advice on a proper giff for Richard's birthday but Damian left before hearing the answer.
As he was about to go once again check if there was anything left to clean, Damian heard the frontdoor unlock and open. Richard was finally back. The youngest hurried to go greet the older man.
Richard was taking off his shoes and jacket when he met Damian's eyes. A warm smile immdetialy found it's way on the older man's face.
"Hi Dami, ready for tonight. I'll just eat something quick and we can start to warm up."
Damian nodded eargerly, he was more than ready. As he followed Richard into the living, the youngest noticed something wrong with the way the older man held himself.
"Is everything alright Richard?"
"Yes just injured myself while trying to stop someone with a gun."
Worry flooded Damian's body. "Did you got shot?"
"Oh no, just got pushed against a wall and landed on my bad shoulder."
The youngest had forgot that Richard's shoulder was sometime painful to him and easier to dislocate again. "Do you need to rest?"
"Don't worry Dami, I've fight with worst." Richard joked, trying to lighten the mood but it only made Damian's heart tighten at the thought of Richard fighting while being badly injured.
"You should take care of yourself Richard."
The older man kneeled infront of him, eyes soft. Richard opened his arms, welcoming Damian. The youngest immediately pressed himself into it, suddenly overwhelmed with the fear of losing Richard to injuries or illness.
"I'm fine sweetheart, you don't have to worry." Richard reassured.
"Please stay safe." Damian needed him to be safe.
"I will."
Damian felt warm and at ease. Lately he had grown a need to be close to Richard, to feel the warmth and the proof that he was safe. He pressed his head to Richard's chest, listening to the familiar heartbeats.
The older man was gently patting the youngest's hair, not scolding Damian for needing hugs and closeness.
"You should go eat Richard."
"You're right but you come with me." And without a warning Richard picked him up.
"I can walk." Damian protested. Not wanting the older man to injure his shoulder some more.
"I know but I like having you near, it help me relax."
"Very well, I will allow it if it helps you."
"Thanks Dami." Richard smiled, walking to the kitchen and settling Damian down on the counter.
The youngest watched Richard eat, looking for any sign of discomfort or pain in the older man's body. Damian found none, appart from the way Richard did not use his injured shoulder.
"Alright let's get ready shall we? The best duo back together."
Damian hidded his smile as he followed Richard to put his suits on. The older man pressed a few hidden buttons, making the closet open, revealing strairs leading down to their base. It was smaller than the cave but still large and enough for them to work in.
As they dressed up, Damian watched Richard pay more attention to his shoulder in their warm up. The youngest was worried, a part of him wanted the older man to rest and wait for tomorrow but he also couldn't wait anymore and wanted to go out as Robin again.
"I can see you are worrying Dami, I promise you it's going to be alright. We can do a short patrol?"
"It could be a good for your health indeed." Damian did not add that he was also weirdly anxious about going out again. He never once felt that before going out on patrol, even the first time he had wear the Robin's mantle.
He started to wonder if something was wrong with him. Was he broken? The youngest started to notice how even little things could startled him easily, how just going outside was looking scary.
He had refuse to acknownledged it for a few weeks now, scared to be put aside again. Richard had promise him it was normal to not feel fine, that all this would take time but was the older man really going to keep him once he noticed how useless and broken Damian was.
But he wasn't in the league anymore, right? Richard had say that he would never treat the youngest like that. If Damian was injured, Richard would let him rest, if the youngest was sick, the older man would make sure he was warm and safe.
So maybe Damian could speak about that to his older brother without any risk of getting kicked out. Richard had promised that if something was broken they could fix it together so it must mean he could fix Damian, make him good again. (make him usable.)
"Dami?" Richard's voice pierced through the fog that had settled in his mind.
"Yes we can go."
"You're sure everything is fine?"
Damian nodded, gathering his gloves and putting them on. He tried to ignore the worry on the other man's face. The youngest would be fine, it was nothing.
And so that's how Damian was now jumping from rooftop to rooftop. He felt happy, it was as if he was floating. Nothing mattered at the moment, only him and Richard.
The older man had defy Damian for a race. The first one to touch one of the high roof in front of them would be the winner. The youngest had train for that, he never won a race like that against Richard. In the past it was bothering him, he needed to be better, he couldn't lose to who he had once call a stray dog.
But now that him and Richard grew closer he wanted to win because that meant he had progress, because it was that precious little competition between him and Richard that had first began when Damian had tried to kill the older man and to not let it affect them, they had turned this into something nice and safe.
It was a rare thing Damian allowed himself to appreciate and seek for. It wasn't useless, he told himself. That was a way of progressing, it was benefic, not some useless feelings or lost of time.
As he felt the air hitting his face, Damian smiled. Richard was telling Damian to go faster, that he knew Damian could do it. So that's what the youngest did, he pushed himself past his own limits and for once the aching in his heart ceased to exist.
Nothing mattered but the little seconds between a jump from a roof to another. Those little floating seconds where it felt like he could fly.
In the past he had once ask Richard why did the older man loved to jump and do all sort of acrobacy. And back then his older brother had replied that it felt like he could fly, that he was free and unbound to anything. Damian did not understandd back then but now he did.
But not even that feeling of freedom could win against the feeling of being with Richard, being Robin and Nightwing, just them being together was everything for the youngest. And this he would cherish until the day he die. Or until they erase his memory, once again... (And he would do anything to keep it, anything.)
Damian loved the older man, he never acknownledge it until recently, until just seeing Richard happy and being near him, filled a void in his heart. He wasn't sure what exactly but he just knew he felt less empty, something had been fixed in him and all this was thanks to Richard.
One last jump and Damian touhced the rooftop. He nearly won, Nightwing only had arrive a second earlier.
"Wow Robin I'm impressed, since when did you get that good? I should start training more, I can't let you win." Richard playfully elbowed him.
"Don't get ahead of yourself. I will win. I am younger and will only grow stronger." Damian huffed.
"Sure thing. I can't wait to beat your ass again."
"That wasn't a beating, you only won because you know the city better than me." Damian protested. It was a big advantage for Richard, if they were in Gotham the youngest would had win.
"Oh you wanna play dirty. Then remember that my shoulder is injured." Richard grinned. Knowing that Damian could not counter arguments that.
"Tt, I will still win once you recovered."
"Sure thing kiddo."
As they both took their breath again, listening to the city below them. Damian stared at Richard, the older man looked happy and everytime he looked at the youngest his smile widdened.
And why did this made Damian happy? Why did it filled him with an unexplained joy? Damian had try to not care for the older man, but now, it was undeniable that he was fond of him.
The strange thing is that he did not view Richard as an older brother, calling the older man that felt.... Wrong? Richard wasn't his older brother, Damian care for him more than but he already had a fath-.
Damian shut those thoughts, he couldn't. It wasn't important. He was safe and that's all that matter. Feelings were not... allowed...
"You okay?" Richard asked. As if he knew Damian thoughts, as if the older man knew Damian more than the youngest knew himself.
"Yes, I was just," Damian looked up at the sky, as if it would gave him some answers. "Thinking."
"I'm here if you wanna talk about what's going on in your head."
"I know but it is nothing important. I shouldn't let my-"
"Nope, you let yourself feels whatever you want and whatever you need. We need to have a serious conversation about that."
"It is not necessary, if I go back there all this will make me weaker."
"Da-Robin, I swear you will never go back there. I will fight hell and heaven for that. If you do not want to go back then you will never go back."
"I-" Damian was unsure what to reply. Was he really going to be able to escape the league? It never had been a possibility for him. He knew the league, knew they won't let their perfect shaped toy far away for too long.
But maybe if they saw how useless had Damian became then maybe he would be free? Or they would kill him. There was a sharp pain in his chest. He felt like he was stuck, like there was no escape.
It was just a question of time, he could never leave happily with Richard. They would want him. A whine escaped his lips without his permission. The youngest quickly clamped a hand to his mouth. He try to hold it in, forcing his already painful throat to not let out more pityful noises.
But it failed, the whine quickly turned into a sob. Richard was already by his side.
"Breath sweetheart. You are safe right now. I'm here, I'm not going anywhere."
Damian turned his head to look at Richard's eyes but those same eyes were covered with a mask. He could not see them and it strangely made the panic grew wider. He whined louder this time. His chest hurted, it felt like his heart was getting squeezed tightly.
"Shh, none of this, you are going to hurt yourself."
Damian did not understand why Richard said that. The older man then gathered him in his arms, slowly rocking him back and forth.
"We are going to go home yea? But going home does not mean we will never go out again yea? I'm so proud of you sweetheart. Now let's get back and rest, we both deserved it."
Damian nodded, this wasn't the end, Richard was proud of him, they would go out again. Richard was proud, Damian did not fail. he was proud of him, someone was proud of him. He did not fail. He wasn't a failure.
After that the youngest did not recall how they made it home. Strangely he did not hate what happened. Maybe the end of the night ended up bad but the moment before had been amazing and this Damian would try to cherish it.
Richard had helped him get out of the Robin's suits, making sure to not touch directly Damian's skin. This little gesture made the youngest grateful for how mindful the older man had been since the begining.
"Do you want to talk about it?" Richard asked, voice soft but with a hidding concern. As they were now sitting on the couch, the older man was dressed in a sample pair of sweatpants and black loose shirt.
"I just don't know how you would be able to keep me safe from the league, you don't know them. They will do anything to get me back. They are stronger than you think." Damian stated. The league wasn't weak. They were vicious and sneaky. Loyal was not in their vocabulary. Trusting the league was like giving them a dagger, turning your back and hopping for the best.
"And you also underestimate all of us. Don't forget you have the whole family with you, I'm sure even Superman would land a hand. I can't say about the whole justice league but I'm sure if needed B would be able to convince them. You are not alone anymore Dami, people care for you."
The youngest did not believe that anyone would want to save him. Father would be better without him. Drake would finally be alone and free of Damian. Maybe Todd would try but only because Richard would ask him and Damian had notice how soft Todd could become around Richard.
"I'm not sure, I had cause a lots of trouble to everyone, they are probably better without me."
"Nonsense Dami, I do not want to hear you say that ever again about yourself. I love you so damn much and many people know how amazing you are and if they dare question it, I'll knock some sense back into them." Richard slighlty raised his voice.
Damian huffed a laugh, not quite believing yet but amused that Richard put so much heart into that sentence.
"If you say so Richard, I will believe you." He would try at least.
"Nice, I'll remind you every single hours if I need to. And don't even tempt me cause you and I know damn well, I'll do it." Richard grinned and Damian knew he shouldn't mess with that or the older man would made sure to keep his promise.
"I do not doubt it, please spare me the headache."
Richard laughed at that before kissing the top of his head. "I love you sweetheart, don't forget that."
"I, also care a lot for you Richard."
He heard Richard make a noise before the older man squeezed him tighter. "Wanna sleep with me tonight Dami? I kinda want you around but if you don't want, it's your right."
"Who in their right mind would let an injured person sleep alone." Damian said, fully knowing that this was just an excuse.
Richard made a small snort before standing and extending his hand for Damian. The youngest took it and followed the older man to his bedroom. They were quickly in bed as they were both exhausted.
Damian made sure to stay as close as possible but without pressing on Richard's injured shoulder. The youngest felt asleep quickly to the soothing sound of Richard's heartbeat, a proof that he was still breathing, that Damian wouldn't be alone in that... Scary world.