Nightwing Robin

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Robin's Lover

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Dick gave a small sigh for what felt to be the hundredth time that day. He had been looking through Bruce's will again. He'd done it a lot since Bruce's death but no matter how many times he did it still felt incredibly surreal. The company and the estate Bruce had already told him about but... Dick sighed closing his eyes. Why did Bruce choose him to be Damian's guardian? Why didn't he pick Alfred. Alfred would have been the more natural choice in Dick's mind but well Damian was a little rough. Whatever the reason Dick had to deal with this somehow. Damian didn't even know yet.

Dick put his head in his hands. Damian.. The little devil. What was he going to do? He'd have to move back into the manor. After his and Bruce's fallout Dick had thought he'd never go back. Damian needed someone though. Damian needed attention and somebody to care for him. No one else would do that. Dick understood why Bruce had chosen him to be the boy's guardian.

Dick stood and pulled away from the desk in well... what was now his office. It felt so weird. A number of memories flooded his mind and he shook them away. He couldn't be sentimental right now he had things to do. He needed to see how Tim and Barbra were doing. More then anything though he had to let Damian know that he was going to be his guardian.
 
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It was a cloudy and glum day for Gotham. Its citizens, the wealthy, everyone. Bruce Wayne was dead, and certainly almost all of Gotham mourned. But his death didnt hit as hard compared to the bat family...Moreover compared to Damian. A tween brat who was simply abandoned by his mother 'politely' and was now officially alone without Bruce. How will Gotham live on without 'The Batman'? Bruce was batman, and if there was no batman, there would be a lead.

Although Bruce's death mostly gave the batfamily questions on what to do as they mourned someway somehow, Damian seemed distant and colder. Nothing like 'dark and brooding' more like,'Alone and quieter'. Nonetheless damian was still damian. He roamed Gotham alone, and was still 'normal'. But no one other then a bat member would know how he really felt and the difference in his aura.

Since the young robin's father died, he only became more brutally violet. Now that he was home, who was he given to now? Damian felt that he was nothing more than a pet and caged bird, played with then given or sold around from person to person. Hopefully, Alfred would be. The boy loved his butler in a family type of way but had the feeling through common sense that he would belong to dick. His adoptive eldest brother, who he often gave attitude against alot. Though, when did damian not give attitude to someone? Excluding pennyworth. His common sense told him he would be under Grayson's care sadly, but he kept yelling mentally,"Alfred will be! I know it!".

Damian had on a simple suit without the jacket as his hair was combed back neatly. Since he was indoors at the mansion he laid his jacket nicely on his bed and wore just the vest instead before he walked out of his room. A storm would be coming soon, and he decided to go down into the batcave where his father's suit would be located at in a display glass. The bat suit.

As display glasses made its way up from below ground, Damian eyed the first one. The most recent batsuit, and pressed his gloved hands against the glass."Who will be the 'Batman' now? You're officially gone... And I'm to young." Damian muttered to himself. Alfred whom was at the top of the stairs merely listened to his young master in silence before breaking Damian's thoughts.

"Master Damian, I've made you some freshly baked cookies. Come up now before they cool off a bit to much and harden."

Heard damian. He looked away from the suit and sighed as he walked over to a button and pressed it, the suits going back to hiding below ground."I'm coming." He said, his voice echoing through the cave as a few flew about squeaking. The boy walked up the stairs, stopping and looking back down at the bat cave over his shoulders before everything became shrouded in total darkness. He but his lip looking away and followed behind Alfred as the door shut and locked and the large antique clock covered the camouflaged entrance to the cave. Slowly making his way to the dining room in silence.

This felt oddly familiar to Alfred. It was like the times when young Bruce sat at the dinner table, brooding while eating dinner in silence. The sight made him sneer but damian said nothing as he proceeded to eat the sweet treats which were freshly baked."Thank you Alfred.." He muttered as Alfred nodded.

But who would indeed be 'Batman'?

Grayson was responsible, but was more of a gymnastic type of guy with sticks, and probably not much of a combat person who's be used to the armor batman has. Also he wasnt bulky enough.

Jason Todd could be batman. But he relied on firearms and was similar to Damian upon violence only a bit more worse. Though he was pretty good at combat, just... He can't follow the laws morally as 'Batman' or like the brooding vigilante. All in all if he wasnt so messed up, Damian thought he'd be perfect!

Timothy drake. Annoying. That 'red robin' was out of the question. He was like a girl almost. Not all girls but the 'self conscious' ones. Logical, just over thinks things. How is he even a hero? Hell, for once in his teen titans or teen titans history a bat member wasnt the leader.

Damian shook his head irritably as he pondered. He knew it would be grayson, but grayson will not inherit that suit over his dead body. The kid will stab a birdarang through his damn feet before he dies. So to make himself satisfied he thought,'A responsible Jason Todd'. Even though a responsible Jason was very impossible. In Damian's case, it was good to dream.... For now.
 
Dick rubbed at his neck with slight apprehension coloring his mind. How would he even go about this? Damian was a little unpredictable. This made Dick nervous and uncertain as to how the boy would react. There was no getting around it. He'd simply have to come out and say it. He was going to be the boy's guardian and... What was he going to do about Robin? Gotham would know what happened if Nightwing were to suddenly start patrolling alone with Robin. He would have to put on the cowl. He'd done it before on a few occasions when Bruce asked him. It was to help secure Bruce's lack of association to the dark knight the few times he'd asked but... now. It would be permanent.

Bruce had wanted him to take on the cowl. Dick could read the writing on the wall. Him taking Damian as a ward would almost require it. The boy's respect was a finicky thing to retain. Bruce had managed it. With the help of his persona as the batman. Dick ran a hand through his hair. He felt his resolve shake a little. It was overwhelming. He didn't know if he was ready.

Could he deal with giving up the Nightwing persona? What would he do about Bludhaven? Dick grimaced as so many other questions began to race though his mind. He was tempted to sit and mull through them but he had to deal with Damian. He was far more important right now. The other problems would have to wait. Damian had just lost his father and he was probably scared and confused. Not that the little assassin would ever admit it.

Tim was probably feeling the same way but he was older and had lots of people to support him. Damian didn't so by far he was on the very top of Dick's priority list. He'd go and talk to him now.

Laying all of his other thoughts to the side Dick quit his pacing and opened the door to the study. He took a steadying breath and stepped out, finally prepared to go confront his younger brother. It didn't take Dick long to locate Damian. The boy was sitting at the dining room table with a half eaten choclate chip cookie sitting on his plate. It was weird how childish Damian could come across sometimes. If he was sitting quietly alone on occasion the little twerp sometimes looked like a normal kid.

Dick shook his head. Damian didn't have any milk! Well that kind of the job of the big brother right? To get the milk? Dick laughed quietly before making his way into the kitchen. He returned to the dining room a minute later carrying two glasses of milk and a few more cookies. They had a lot to talk about after all. Damian would need more then one cookie.

"You looked like you could use some milk. Alfred's cookies are always better with milk."
 
The boy fixated his eyes on the older male quietly, reaching for his half eaten cookie and eating it as his older brother left momentarily and came back with a glass of milk. Two glasses actually, setting one down on the table cloth for Damian."You looked like you could use some milk. Alfred's cookies are always better with milk." He heard.

Damian eyed the glass which was filled up to the top with solid white milk and looked at Dick, raising an eyebrow."There's no straw.." He said then looked at Alfred."Alfred, can you please get me a straw for my glass of milk?" The boy asked politely. Alfred bowed his head before disappearing and coming back with a reusable loopy straw that was red, putting it in the glass filled with milk. Damian looked at dick, before drinking some milk from the glass cylinder and dipped his cookie in it, eating it was more satisfaction, under that serious stare he gave his older brother.

"Grayson." He said normally. In that expecting tone of his which waited as he ate more fresh cookies, they were very large and chocolatey and there was quite a lot."Chocolate milk and icecream with condense milk would've also been better." He commented, but shrugged indicating that it didn't really matter. Damian had a love for sweets, but he knew better then to eat it all the time. He didn't want cavities anyways so ate it occasionally only when Alfred felt like getting sweets. Which was literally once in a while.

"Well... What do you want?" He asked staring at dick. And the sass, rudeness, and smart ass attitude begins now. Not like it ever ended anyways unless bruce was around to hear, he was always the one to keep Damian in check. But it wasn't that Damian meant to be disrespectful to others, or like he meant it anyways. It was just a part of who he is and how he showed his indirect 'love' and 'affection' that no one but the bat members understood. Only they could tell the difference between his downright hatred and his natural 'disrespect' that was like his version of showing love. Damian would never be rude for 'no reason'. Infact he could probably most likely list about thirty reasons in two minutes based on why he's being 'rude' to you on purpose and not out of caring behavior. But he is indeed unpredictable so it was sometimes questionable.
 
Dick gave a dry laugh. "Always straight to the point with you isn't it?"

Running a hand through his hair, Dick composed himself as best he could before starting. "I was looking through your father's will Damian. How are you holding up on account of well.. you know."

He didn't want to rush straight into the subject. Damian was slightly volatile by nature. One wrong step could set off the young boy's temper making the whole discussion significantly more complicated. Less then the conversation though Dick didn't want to introduce his new role in the boys life under a bad light. He needed to get a feel for the boy's emotional state before deciding how he should broach the issue of guardianship.

Dick took a bite of one of the cookies before looking attentively at his younger brother. He was careful to assess any small movements or ticks he could to help him understand as best as he possibly could. The kid was probably on alert though and already masking any body language he could use to assess Damian's true feelings. He would be sure to look for pupil dilation and small changes in the boy's breathing.
 
Damian heard what his eldest brother had to say and stared at him, long and hard.mhis eyebrows were narrowed to show annoyance as he slowly ate his cookie and looked slowly away."You should know that by now." He retorted. Then,Damian saw dices movements from the corner of his eyes and glanced over at him, as his hand rested over his hair. Fingers combed through."I was looking through your father's will Damian. How are you holding up on account of well.. you know."

For a moment Damian had a straight face through it all. He was quiet of course, trying to find the right words to explain, but if course was nonchalant. A trait naturally known if you were a bat-member and he blinked,mslowly giving a response. There was some hesitant before the response though, which was apparent, and he knew that."You're annoying me." Said the current robin bluntly."I think I'm doing great. it depends on how you think I'm holding up on father's death." Damian scoffed before eyeing back at Dick.

"If he's gone, batman is gone. But not his kid-sidekick and more badass robin." Commented the young, used to be assassin."Hopefully mother won't come and try to take me." He added, in a flat tone yet indirectly showing his concern. It was a fifty/fifty chance, and he had to also count in the dark side and doubts, not just the good bright side. Then he rethought of what dick had said to him and immediately changed the subject.

"You looked through his will. I tried to see but Alfred refused, did you order him to keep something from me since you're older?" He asked."It's no fair. I'm the biological son, yet Alfred takes orders from you first.... Unless Jason is around, that's a different story. What did you see grayson?" Finished Damian. Feeling something wrong in the situation. In truth, right now, Damian was disappointed and pitied himself. He was slow to catch it first, but maybe it was just a grieving affect.... Or something along those lines. He believed he was to confident to grieve, so he became more alert.
 
Dick sighed softly, so the kid wasn't hurting to bad about Bruce then. A twinge of sadness prickled and Dick's heart. The kid had hardly even gotten the opportunity to know Bruce. Not that he was a easy person to get to know but Dick had hoped that maybe during the time Damian had stayed with the man that perhaps he would have felt some sort of affection towards his own father. If he was grieving anything it was the partnership he'd had with Bruce as Batman. It was an outlet for the kid. It gave him purpose and now that was becoming uncertain.

Now Dick knew what to do. Damian's insecurities were the first thing Dick needed to take care of. Bringing up the guardianship at this point shouldn't set him off now that he knew where he was standing.

Setting down his cookie, Dick looked up solemnly at his younger brother. "Your mother won't be taking you back Damian. I'm going to be taking Bruce's role as your guardian. So long as you want to stay with here I won't allow her to take you."
 
"Your mother won't be taking you back Damian."
"That's a relieve. Not like she even wants me back anyways."
"I'm going to be taking Bruce's role as your guardian. So long as you want to stay with here I won't allow her to take you."


Damian immediately put his cookie down. So many rude comments and objections to say, he had to keep himself in check and stared at dick directly in his eyes now finally. He bit his lip silently, and narrowed his eyebrows."You as my main guardian?" He repeated irritably. That means dick had the higher authority then Damian, as high as Bruce's. Pretty much dominating him. His hands became two fists and he looked away, jaw tensing with anger. But Damian understood, and as he took in a deep breath, he let out a rough sigh."Ok. I understand.." He muttered, the look of anger turning into a deep frown.

Damian really did understand. Tim was to young, Jason wasn't fit to be 'guardian material', and dick was the most responsible and trustworthy. The perfect one. Don't cry Damian, crying really is for losers..... The boy thought to himself over and over. His eyes were clearly watering, he felt infuriated at everything now -not just at dick being his guardian-, gloomy, and frustrated.

"The batman. What about him? Robin has been lurking in the shadows for nothing."

Damian said. His voice changing from cold and stern to curiosity. He tried to hide the anger and sadness in his voice, his emotions were just spiraling out of control into some vicious circle. Eventually Damian finally broke down as tears rolled down his cheek and his lips began to tremble. He sniffled roughly, now having a bratty frown and clenched his hands on the table cloth set Infront of him quietly as he stared at dick.

I'm fine, really. Why the hell am I crying? Damian asked himself mentally. He was cursing and yelling at himself mentally as well,
 
Seeing tears in Damian's eyes surprised Dick. The kid always remained so hard and stoic. In fact Dick wasn't sure he'd ever even seen Damian cry. The kid was scared. Dick should have known he wasn't doing as well as he was letting on. Bruce was the one person holding together Damian's entire existence. Losing the man had great implications for Damian.

"Dami.." Dick felt a twinge in his chest. He had to do something his first instinct was to hug Damian but he felt uncertain as to how such affection would be recieved. After watching Damian cry for a few more seconds though Dick listened to his instincts and picked Damian up. He set the boy in his lap and ran his hand throught the kids hair.

"Your father was a great man Damian. The time that you spent as Robin was by no means in vain. You did great things. Your father didn't ever tell me what he wanted for Batman after he died. I think he wanted to allow me to make that choice. Robin needs a Batman though and so does Gotham." Dick sighed brushing a few stray tears off of Damian's face.

"I want to know what you want before I choose. What would be best for you Dami?" Dick asked quietly.
 
Damian wiped his face. He quietly got off of dick, and stood there to clean up his face a bit."No one.." He mumbled under his breath."No one can be the perfect batman like father. Jason is to brutal, tim is to young, and you're to.." Damian paused momentarily, thinking carefully about his words."Optimistic, to take up the cowl. You are also acrobatic.... I don't see much combat in you then I see Jason." Said the blood wayne as he looked at dick."But, I also can't be selfish or picky. If you take the cowl then fine. You are my new guardian, so my life is in your hands." Damian looked at him then shrugged and walked away to go to the living room.

The boy hopped back in the cushioned couch quietly, grabbing the remote which hid in the crack between the cushioned seats and he flicked the high definition tv on, flipping through channels."There hasn't been major crimes... It can only mean that a huge one will pop up soon with the death of father. He was like one of the pillars of Gotham, being the most powerful person around." Commented Damian as all he saw was the death of bruce wayne on tv.
 
Dick frowned. That was it then. He was moving back to Gotham and taking up the cowl. The thought scared him. Damian was right. He wouldn't be able to fill the role like Bruce could but without Bruce around he didn't have much of a choice. He'd have to back away from his Nightwing persona though which wouldn't be easy. He'd find a way to make it work though. He had to for Damian's sake.

Dick bit his lip as a wave of emotion suddenly overcame him. He didn't know if it was regret exactly but he felt bad that at the end, his and Bruce's relationship had only been beginning to get better. If he'd had a little more time maybe he would be prepared. For well whatever this was. Bruce still had things to do. Why did he have to leave? He wasn't ready for this.

Biting back the feelings of uncertainty Dick went to go take care of some, well Batman business. The thought felt so strange. He already had a Batman uniform. He just needed to make sure it still fit. He would leave Bruce's as it was out of respect. "Damian how does patrol sound?!" Dick shouted as he was headed for the cave.
 
Damian looked over his shoulder. Patrolling? There hasn't been any crimes besides the simple ones for the GCPD to handle. Like small robberies, etc."Are you serious?" Damian asked raising his voice for dick to hear, but nonetheless slid off the couch and walked out the living room to meet him down at the batcave.

Slowly walking down the stairs once again, Damian was greeted by groups of bats who screeched and filed around. Their wings making flapping noises as they hung on the ceiling upside down, their usual position of relaxation. If there were bats, why not add robins? Damian always wondered why his father didn't do that, but then again some bats do eat birds. Oh well... The thought did keep Damian busy once he was finally at the bat computer, sitting on the seat instead."Oh wait.. Patrolling.. Lurking." Damian said now understanding and he shook his head much to his own dismay of being slow. Damian walked to one of the 'display containers' and grabbed his current robin suit."Here's another night of nothing." He said negatively, changing right here and now to his vigilante outfit.
 
Dick appeared a few minutes later. "We want to get seen a little bit tonight. Get the word spread that Batman is still alive. I think we should me with Gordon too. He has probably heard the rumors."

The young man waved Damian over to the batmobile. He looked the vehicle over with a bit of dismay. The idea of riding in the driver's seat felt weird but he would have to get used to it now. "Come on Dami. It might make you feel better." Dick knew patrol whether it accomplished anything big or not always made him happy when he was Robin. That kind of logic really didn't work on Damian though. Maybe once they got into it though Damian would start to enjoy himself. It would be a good opportunity to get a feel for the role under safer circumstances too. Dick hoped into the drivers seat and waited for Damian to do the same before closing the hood.
 
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