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Danny loved his little brother the moment he laid eyes on him.
He was an ugly little thing in the artificial womb he was born from but Danny knew he would do anything to protect him. He wonders if this is how Jazz felt when he was born.
— — —
After the destruction of his hometown and being hunted by the GIW at the age of 14 Danny didn’t know what to do. He debated going to the Ghost Zone and living the rest of his life and afterlife there when he encountered a group of ninjas. The details of how and why are still lost to him but in the moment he fought. He fought and let out as much anger, frustration, and sorrow as possible. His eyes turned green and his fists were shaking and bruised from the fight.
Surprisingly, or maybe not with the life he lives, this isn’t the last time the ninjas come after him. He fights more and more off until he meets the man sending the ninjas his way. He is offered training by a man named Ra’s Al Ghul. Danny jumps at the chance, thinking how he could finally run away from his problems or fully die trying.
The training was ruthless and more intense than anything Danny has ever been through before. It got worse with Ra’s’ discovery of the extent of his powers. But with every push and treacherous day, Danny grew stronger and more resilient. He quickly grew to be favored by Ra’s as his star pupal. Danny was able to beat all his teachers but it was when he was able to pin Ra’s down with a sword to his neck that he was allowed to control his own learning. He grew in ranks with every completed mission.
There were whispers in the compound. Stories and warnings told of him behind closed doors and in hushed tones in empty hallways. He was a ghost even in this life. A scary story told to frighten children.
Talia hated him.
She hated the way he was brought in and captured all of her father’s attention and any warmth the man could offer. She hated how easily Danny was able to surpass any kind of expectation put on him. She hated his carefree attitude and the way he talked in disrespect but was never punished. She hated how he could get away with treason just because of the Lazuraus running through his veins. She hated how no matter how hard Ra’s tried he could never make Danny a pawn in his game.
Danny always found this entirely amusing. From the day he as a 15-year-old was able to best Talia in a fight did she have a small hatred for him that was buried under artificial respect. Danny was named the heir to the Deamon Head even as he spat on the notion. He didn’t care to be heir but he went along with it anyways. He and Talia formed a one-sided rivalry. Talia would try to best him but would never fully succeed.
Danny tried to tell her that he was beyond human expectations to the point he passed Ra’s himself. He was half dead, a ghost of something long dead but still alive. You couldn’t hold him to human standards and you couldn’t compare a human to him.
With Danny being named heir he was also adopted by Ra’s. Ra’s wanted him as a son but that is where Danny drew a line. He was no one’s son but he could be someone’s grandson.
Even with all the training from the League and the standards that they held it wasn’t enough to make Danny anything other than himself. He still grinned with all his teeth, he was loud and laughed freely, he stopped to look up at the stars, and he made jokes at inappropriate times. This infuriated some people and Danny could tell his more extravagant habits pissed even Ra’s off. But the people around him learned to deal with it and Ra’s looked past it with how much he favored Danny.
Danny got away with a lot of things that others would get killed for in the League. His room resembled that of a teen’s when every other room was crisp with order. He has possessions from his time before the League and new ones he got from missions. He has access to the outside through computers and gaming consoles. He could get away with treason due to the amount of power he held. What really infuriates the people around him is how he couldn’t care less about having that level of power.
When Damian was born he was ecstatic. He couldn’t be a son or a younger brother, not again, but he could look at this baby boy and be an older brother. With the birth of Damian came the removal of his title as heir. Ra’s wanted his biological grandchild to be his heir and again Danny couldn’t have cared less. He is sure that Damian would appreciate it more than him.
As Damian grew up the more Danny seemed to adore him. How could he not? He is his little Daylight.
It annoyed Talia, how much Danny loved Damian, but she seemed fine with it once Danny told her that he would do everything in his power to keep Damian safe, even when he is old enough to protect himself.
When Damian was too young to know the world he was born into he didn’t hesitate to run to Danny. Danny would gladly carry the boy around whenever he sought him out. In Damian’s early days, he was almost never seen without Danny right next to him. He wasn’t worried about a thing in the world when he was by his big brother’s side. How could he be when Danny promised him the world? He would crawl after him and watch with wide eyes as he trained and performed stunts only a Halfa could do.
That amazement turned to resentment with Ra’s’ words.
When he deemed Damian old enough to train everything was “Daniel could do this” or “Daniel would have been able to do that” nevermind Danny was many years older than the boy and not even human. Damian was in a shadow too big and deep to crawl out of. He was stuck with every “but Daniel” and grew distant from his once beloved brother.
Danny tried to explain to him how he was only a kid and he at his age couldn’t do the things Damian could. Danny tried to put things in perspective but nothing worked. His footsteps were too far apart for Damian to walk in. Danny was put in charge of his training a few days a week and in those days he didn’t train him to be a copy of him like Ra’s seemed to want. He trained Damian to find his own strengths and to grow strong enough to last. Danny was determined to treat Damian like the kid he was. He would drag him out of his room during the few spare times he had and out of training early to show him how to be a kid.
Of course, Damian was absolutely terrible at it.
He didn’t know how to play and treated all their games like a new mission or a different form of training. Hide and seek were stealth missions and tag was a quick and deadly hit. Games formed into a mockery of childhood.
The sweet babbling of childish nicknames turned to sharp words meant to hurt.
Damian was a brat and Danny never blamed him for it. Even now when the boy is six and evades every form of affection Danny tries to offer the older holds on tight to the idea of childhood. But time is running out.
Damian has his first solo mission soon and how well he does and how Ra’s approves will form what his life is going to be like. Damian’s too blinded by familial devotion to see the disappointment in his grandfather’s eyes. But Danny can see it clear as day and so can Talia. They can see how much Ra’s expects from the boy due to Danny’s achievements and how he will break. He is going to be crushed by the expectations Danny set and he couldn’t be more sorry.
The night before Damian was to depart for his mission Danny snuck into his room with stories of the stars and the outside world. He went against Talia’s wishes and told him about his father. For the first time in years, Damian looked up at Danny with that same awe and wonder. He sat still and quiet in his big brother’s lap allowing Danny to hold him close as he spoke of his paternal side. He told him about his many more siblings and how he just knows they would all love him when they are to meet.
Damian questions why he talks about them like they aren’t his family as well. Danny explains, “I have no right to call them my family.”
“How could they be my family but not yours?”
“Daylight, I am an Al Ghul, not a Wayne like you. You automatically have a place in the Bat’s nest with your birth. I am perfectly content with you being my only connection to them.”
Danny didn’t leave the room until Damian was asleep. Across the hall stood Talia leaning against the wall with a sharp look in her eyes. “What did you tell him?”
“Well hello Talia how are you? How’s your day going? Do you intend on seeing your son before he leaves in the morning?” Danny went on in a sweetly fake tone of innocence. If anything her glare became more intense.
“I don’t need you filling his head with nonsense.” She moved forward getting into Danny’s space in a failed attempt of intimidation.
“I just told him what he had a right to know.” Danny’s voice didn’t waver. He has grown accustomed to this argument. “You have no right to tell Damian of his origins.” Danny started to walk down the hall to get away from his little brother’s door, just in case this became a screaming match no matter how unlikely. “Maybe I don’t have the right but that boy needs to know he has more people out there. You know how Ra’s looks at him, this mission won’t change that. He is going to decide that Damian isn’t enough and do something neither of us will like.”
Talia walks next to him to his right keeping up pace as Danny flees the hallway towards a more private part of the compound. “You don’t know that,” Talia argues, “Damian is going to succeed and surpass Father’s expectations. He won’t stumble or fall for he is an Al Ghul.”
“Yes he is and he’s the strongest kid I’ve ever met but Ra’s wont see that. He wants someone like me but more easily manipulated.”
“It is your fault Father sees Damian this way.” The resentment Danny knows is there peeks out.
“Yes, it is, and no matter how much I wish for Ra’s to see reason he won’t so are you going to stand there and throw a fit or are you going to help me come up with a way for Ra’s to willingly let Damian go to his Father?”
“You have a plan?” She seemed surprised and if Danny was anyone else he wouldn’t have picked up on it.
“A half-baked one but it’s there.”
The two continued walking down the hallways that make up a complicated labyrinth in the desert.
— — —
Just like Danny expected: when Damian returned from a completed and highly successful mission Ra’s still declares him a failure who could never compare to Danny. What Danny wasn’t expecting was for Ra’s to rip away Damian’s title as heir and bestow it back upon Danny. Danny could only stare for a few seconds at Damian’s face as the boy tried to hide his feeling behind a stone mask that was cracking.
Danny spoke up for his little brother. He told Ra’s that he was making a mistake and that with more training and a few more years, Damian will become the best of them all. Danny proposed to send Damian to his father for that training. Again Danny didn’t expect Ra’s to agree so easily.
With only Damian and Danny left in the room the older turned to the younger to offer some sort of support and comfort. But Damian acted like his touch burned. He turned away and left Danny standing there wishing he never chose to run all those years ago.
Damian left the following morning but there was no sneaking into rooms in the dead of night. Danny was faced with a locked door and no goodbye. He wanted a chance to explain and reassure but it was taken from him along with his little brother. He was going to brush his hair back and kiss his forehead and call him babe one last time. He was going to beg for forgiveness as he held his little Daylight and tell him to be a child. He didn’t care if he was stabbed or for any harsh words that Damian could send him.
Danny hopes Damian learns how to smile.
— — —
The compound was cold without Damian and Danny wondered how he was able to stand it before his little brother. Most of his nights were spent in Damian’s room. It has always been bare with no personality. The only thing that showed Damian ever lived in it are the blue sheets Danny got him years ago. They were softer and fluffier than anything the League had. A form of comfort Danny was able to give Damian that the boy allowed himself to cling to.
Danny looked under the bed where there was a loose floorboard to find one of its occupants missing. Damian was never allowed toys, only weapons, but Danny gave him this little fluffy dragon that was as green as Damian’s eyes. When Damian was little he was absolutely entranced by the stories and myths of dragons. The way they flew through the air and their power left the little boy in awe with every story.
Danny saw the stuffed toy on a mission and immediately took it for his little brother. It was the only toy he ever gave him and it was well loved. No one but them knew about it and they hid it well. It had some weight to it that Damian seemed to adore. Damian called it childish when he grew older but Danny still found him sleeping with it some nights.
It was no longer there when Danny checked its hiding spot. He could only assume Damian took it with him. The possibility made Danny smile with bittersweet nostalgia. What was still there tucked away, safely hidden, was a sketchbook along with a collection of art supplies. Damian always had a love for art and Danny made sure to feed into it whenever he had the chance. He gave him sketchbook after sketchbook along with a multitude of different pencils and pastels. There were charcoal and markers along with paint, both oil and acrylic.
Danny flipped through the pages of art within the books making sure not to smudge or ruin anything. Most of the drawings were animals but there were a few of people and portraits. Danny got to one of the last pages and froze. There on the paper was a detailed sketch of Damian. Danny remembers the day this picture was drawn. He and Damian were sitting in the younger’s room, both of them with a paper and pencil in hand and a mirror in front of them.
They were both attempting to do a self-portrait. Danny’s came out to be a mess of too-thick lines and shaky strokes. Danny was never an artist but if Damian wanted them to draw together he would. He ended up throwing his own picture away but he still remembers the amazement he felt when he saw Damian’s picture. He is such a talented little boy and Danny will forever question how someone could pick him over his little brother.
Now with his little brother gone, he sits on the floor of the room and stares at the drawing, carefully tracing the lines with his fingers. Danny feels his shoulders shake and there is a burning at the back of his throat and behind his eyes. Teardrops fall onto the paper and Danny quickly wipes them away. A sob is torn from his throat without permission as he clutches the sketchbook close to his chest. In the privacy of Damian’s room, he cries and wails over his missing little brother. He blabbers to no one about how unfair it is that he was taken from him.
Danny didn’t know how long it will take for him to see Damian again. A part of him hoped it would be never if it meant the boy wouldn’t face the League’s trials. A more selfish part of him wanted to whisk the boy away from his father and bring him home. But he couldn’t do that, his little daylight deserves to have a chance at a normal life. A life away from the expectations of their grandfather and constantly being surrounded by death. Danny had to move forward and not linger on what once was or else he would be eaten alive.
Danny mourned Damian like he was dead.
— — —
Damian showed up on his father’s doorstep with a bag halfway filled with the few possessions he had. Most of which were clothes and weapons. He will ignore the dragon at the bottom of his bag until he is left alone in the dark and a sense of longing overcomes him to the point he can’t ignore. Only then will he find comfort in its weight and the softness of its fur. But for now, his shoulders are squared back and his face is perfectly neutral as he waits for someone to open the door.
It only takes a few seconds for an older man to answer the door with a question about who he is. He answers swiftly with his name and who his father is: Batman also known as Bruce Wayne. He was quickly ushered inside with a promise of a meeting and a snack.
Meeting Father was a tense situation. Damian couldn’t help but think how Danny could have eased this situation with his open nature. Any thoughts of his older brother were quickly tucked away in the more childish parts of his mind.
He was brought to the cave and a DNA test was taken. Father looked at him like a betrayal. His eyes showed emotion that Damian could not place. He spoke in hushed voices with the butler- Pennyworth about Mother and how she hid him from him. He spoke about missed opportunities and firsts. There was a level of grief in his voice that he thinks Danny would describe as gutting. It was foreign to him. Everything here was foreign to him.
Damian was introduced to siblings he already knew of and all he could do was blink at them and give a curt greeting. He put faces to the stories Danny gave him. He was a stranger to these people but he knew of their achievements and some of their trauma. He clung to any information he already had of them for any semblance of comfort in the knowledge that this is where he’ll be calling home.
He was led to the bedroom furthest down the hall from his father. All the other rooms were claimed. Father bid him goodnight after telling him he will meet the rest of the family in the morning. Damian got ready for bed quickly as he unpacked his bag. He stared at the dragon, as green as his eyes, and took it into his arms. He crawled into a bed bigger than he was used to with sheets and blankets more silky than soft.
He fell asleep with his dragon curled in his arms in a room too big with no promises of midnight visits.
It was cold here… he missed the deserts.
— — —
In the morning Damian woke early and was met with a full table and proper introductions. He was being proper and showed the manners Danny beat into him. Contrary to what his older brother believed he did know how to act toward people outside of the League, he just felt it was time-consuming and unnecessary. Everything was going great, until…
“So Dami-” Grayson tried to begin a conversation with him across the dining table.
“Do not call me such childish names, Grayson.” He snapped with more venom than he meant. A few people around the table paused to watch what will happen next. Grayson took it all in stride though, completely brushing off his tone and apparent anger with a bright smile. It reminded him of Danny.
“Wow, the kid has some bark to him.” Todd laughed to himself as he stared at him like he was trying to piece him together. He must not have cared all that much because he turned back to his breakfast.
“It’s easy to see the resemblance, B,” Drake commented, “with all of the brooding the kid’s doing.” Damian turned his glare to the teen. “I will stab you.” He was scoffed at in reaction. Taking it as a challenge Damian quickly grabbed one of the small throwing knives he has on his person, throwing it at Drake’s shoulder. It was easily dodged as expected from the current Robin. “I was wondering when the League’s influence would show.” Drake said absentmindedly as he pulled the knife out of the back of his chair.
“Damian.” Father gained his attention with a stern tone. His head shot towards him, not expecting the reprimand. “We have a no weapons at the table rule. I expect you to follow it.”
Getting up from his seat at the table Damian proceed to take off every hidden weapon on his body. There were many and some he didn’t even bother with. It is stupid to be weaponless and unguarded in new territory. Pennyworth walked over and confiscated all the weapons he put on the table.
— — —
At first, things were tense as everyone got used to the new occupant of the household. Eggshells were walked on and mistakes were made. Unsaid boundaries were both made and crossed. Relationships were made and bonds were strengthened. With every night out in the field trust was formed. It was delicate at first but as the weeks turned into months, it grew sturdy. A new Robin was born and Damian found comfort in his own skin once again.
There were still bad days and stumbles and setbacks but with every bad day, there were two more good ones. Damian still hissed and scowled at any form of positive contact, not that it stopped his siblings. He grew to miss his older brother even more in the months away. He found pieces of him in all of his new siblings. It hurt to look for a certain shade of blue but to only find ones not close enough. He got lost in the sea of black hair and sometimes he imagines how Danny would fit in the family.
There were moments when Damian wished Danny was there with him. Moments when he looked for him in the shadows only to be left disappointed. He had to adjust to a life without Danny. It was harder than he thought it would be and it made him regret locking his door the night before he left for Gotham.
Damian never before knew a life without his big brother. He was there in every memory and moment of his life. With every goal and accomplishment, he could look over and see Danny.
He never told them about Danny. Not when they found his dragon, not when they questioned his seemingly random pop culture knowledge, not when they asked if he liked the stars and space, not when they commented on how his accent was sometimes more American, not when they questioned any mannerisms he had from his older brother. He kept the knowledge of his brother close to his chest and protected it. Those memories were his and his alone.
Soon a year passes and Damian blows out candles secretly on Danny’s birthday. Exactly 437 days after Damian showed up on Father’s doorstep did he finally see a shadow from the corner of his eye.
— — —
It has been over a year since Danny last saw Damian. Time in the League passed by almost unbearably slow. He continued training and fighting and going on missions but he wasn’t able to distract himself from the lack of his little brother. He still bantered with Talia and insulted Ra’s and was only met with scowls and fond amusement.
Eventually, Danny broke.
He needed to see his baby brother.
He had a mission in New Jersey. He was so close to his little brother and yet so far away. He was due back to the compound as soon as he was finished but he has to see what’s come of his Daylight as opposed to the few whispers he got about the new Robin. The decision was easy really, he made his way to Gotham.
He arrived in the dead of night when the vigilantes were at the height of activity. He knew who would be with who and where to look. If Damian for some reason wasn’t out tonight he knew where their cave was. He knew where the birds nested and where the bats set up a roost. He will go there if needed but would rather not without an invitation.
Danny knew the moment Damian spotted him from the shadows in the way he tensed and whipped around, stopping in his tracks. He heard a few concerned calls from the Bats and Birds that were with him, but Danny paid them no mind.
He jumped across rooftops and ran at his little brother. Somewhere in his mind, he took note of how the vigilantes tensed and readied for a fight. Damian didn’t even dodge or try to stop him from picking him up in his arms and holding him to his chest. ‘He’s gotten bigger’ Danny thought. He noticed how he doesn’t exactly fit quite as he remembered in his arms. It seems gone are the days he is able to cradle Damian close and comfortable in his arms. A dam of emotions brake as he feels Damian tighten his grip around his neck. His hands are still so little.
Taring off his own mask Danny lets out a broken sob as he just holds his brother. His knees go weak so he allows himself to crumble to the dirty rooftop. He had Damian cradled in his lap as he rocked the both of them back and forth gently. He could barely remember the last time he was allowed to do this.
“Danny.” Damian whispers in his ear like he couldn’t quite believe he was there. Damian’s voice was rough like he was on the brink of tears. At the emotion in his voice, Danny pulled them apart just enough to get a good look at him. He did what he wished he could more than a year ago: he cradled Damian’s face in his hands and brushed back any stray hairs and kissed his forehead. “I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry, Daylight please forgive me,” Danny continued to apologize through tears. He should be embarrassed, ashamed even. He was a full grown adult but here he was reduced to tears after reuniting with his little brother. He doesn’t know how he’ll be able to bring himself to leave.
“You have nothing to apologize for. I am sorry for never saying goodbye.” Danny just shook his head and brought Damian back in for a hug.
— — —
Dick didn’t know what to make of this. His usual cold and distant little brother who scoffed and dodged any form of affection is allowing this assassin to hold him close. The only reason he wasn’t more concerned was due to the man holding Damian like he was something precious. Damian was clinging to the man just as tightly with fist fulls of his shirt in his hands. The man looked to be in his early to mid-twenties. He wore a Leagues uniform and Damian called him Danny.
To his side, Dick can tell Bruce was tense like he was waiting for something to go wrong. No one said anything until the two got up off of the ground. Damian allowed the man to continue to carry him like a child.
“Maybe we should continue this back at the cave,” Dick suggested. Bruce grunted in agreement, never taking his eyes off of the stranger. Dick turned to lead them to the cave with Bruce at the back of the group. They kept the man cornered with their actions.
Finally being put down Damian ran along the rooftops right next to the man- Danny. They moved in sync like they were used to this. The obvious League training shined through with their movements and actions. Dick couldn’t hear Danny’s footsteps even as the rest of their feet pounded against the ground.
Dick alerted the rest of the family when he spotted Danny and informed them that they were taking him back to the cave. All of them were already there when they arrived. They stood divided with everyone looking at the new arrival. Damian stood at his side with Danny’s hand on the nape of his neck. He didn’t even attempt to shoo his hand away.
Nobody said anything waiting to see who would break the silence first. Oddly enough it was Damian, “This is Daniel, my brother.” He motioned to Daniel and the man waved with a sheepish grin on his face. For a few seconds, no one said anything until chaos broke out in shouts and questions. Daniel leaned down a bit to mock whispers in Damian’s ear, “A noisy bunch, aren’t they? You must hate that.”
“They are a lot at times… but I adapted.”
“Of course you did.” Daniel rubbed at Damian’s head, messing up his spiked hair in the process. All Damian did was lowly protest and hiss at the action.
The family observed them and took in all their interactions. They took notice of how comfortable they are in each other’s presence. There was nothing awkward or tense in the way they stood side by side, not in the way Damian still was with them every so often. Daniel stood slightly behind Damian, protecting his back with a wide and steady stance. It makes Dick think back to all the instances Damian seemed to look back expecting someone to be there.
“I go by Danny.” He said gaining everyone’s attention. He was having a staring match with Bruce. “Go ahead,” he smiled mischievously, “ask what I know you’re dying to know.”
“Are you mine?” Bruce asked with a seemingly steady voice. The only way Dick knew there was any emotion in those words was due to how long he’s known the man. Dick looks at Danny and could see the possibility. They didn’t know how old or young he was so they don’t know how times could match up. Dick looks at the shape of Danny’s blue eyes and the way his eyebrows curve on his face and he can see Bruce. He can see the dark hair both Bruce and Talia share but he can’t see anything else. The way Danny’s smirk holds no resemblance to either person.
Danny laughed at Bruce’s question “Don’t worry,” he says, “I’m not yours.” There was no bitterness in his tone. He seemed genuinely amused by the idea of being the Bat’s kid. Bruce’s shoulders slightly slumped, whether it be from disappointment or relief Dick couldn’t tell. Knowing Bruce it could be either.
“I’m not even Talia’s technically.” Danny went on to say, only confusing the others in the room more. “If we wanted to be accurate I’m more like Dami’s cousin. But even then I’m not blood-related to him.”
“You’re not an Al Ghul?” Tim questioned. Danny’s attention turned to him and this is when Dick realized how unnerving his smile was. It seemed a bit too wide. “I would have thought the Waynes of all people would understand how real adopted families are.” The casual reveal of their identities made a few people in the room pause before they really thought about it. Of course the person Damian sees as his brother would know their identities. “The old man wanted to adopt me as a son but I refused. We decided to settle on the title of grandson as a compromise. Of course I’m still an Al Ghul.”
“Old man- do you mean Ra’s?!” Tim sputtered out. Dick was also surprised by the blatant disrespect toward Ra’s. Even Damian holds some respect on his tongue when talking about his grandfather. “He is the oldest man to ever man.” Danny continued to tease. Damian rolled his eyes under his mask at the words. This must be common behavior if Damian isn’t commenting on it.
“I have a hard time believing Ra’s adopting anyone.”
“Brother is the best of the League,” Damian started to praise. “He holds the most accomplishments and when he is on a mission everyone knows it will be completed most efficiently. Daniel has bested both Mother and Grandfather in combat.” His words remind the family that in front of them is a fully trained League member. If Damian’s words are true then he would not have much trouble taking out anyone in this room. Danny, even with his laid-back attitude, is deadly and until further questioning should not be trusted.
But it was easy to relax around him. It was easy to fall into a more friendly dynamic and it was easy to give into the bantering. “I would have expected someone who was adopted by Ra’s to be more…” Stephanie trailed off but everyone knew what she meant. “More like Damian?” Danny asked. “I joined the League when I was 15. I like to think I kept most of my mannerisms from before I was an assassin.”
“Why did you join the League?” Bruce crossed his arms over his chest as he questioned Danny. Danny scratched the back of his neck almost sheepishly as he answered, “I had nowhere else to go… everyone I knew and cared about was just killed and I was running away from the government. I was desperate to get away so I just- I was 15 and offered a chance at a new life. If I’m being honest I expected to die during training.” Dick can see the way Damian was looking at his brother. That look tells Dick that he didn’t know about Danny’s past. For all he knew this could be the first time Danny ever shared his past with someone.
Bruce interrogated further, “Why don’t you leave?”
Danny didn’t speak at first, he just stared at Bruce as if he was stupid before he finally said, “I can’t.”
“Why not?”
“Because I won’t.”
“You can’t or you won’t?”
“Both.” Dick can see this going nowhere. It seems like Danny was being purposefully annoying with his short and non-specific answers. He can feel the frustration coming off of Bruce. If Danny was one of Bruce’s kids the man would be pinching the bridge of his nose already.
“How can it be both?” And there’s the annoyance Dick has been waiting for. Bruce tries to pride himself on how he can keep a perfect poker face but frustration and annoyance have always been easier to pick out of his tone.
Again Danny waited to answer. He looked pointedly at Bruce like he was judging him, judging that he deserved his information and thought process. Maybe if he even deserved to be talked to at all. Eventually, Danny took a steadying breath and gave a clear answer, “I can’t leave because I won’t put that type of pressure on Damian.”
“On me?” Damian looked up at his brother with clear confusion and the same annoyance Bruce’s voice carried.
“With the old man focusing on me he won’t drag you back to the League.” Danny’s full attention was on Damian. It was like everyone else wasn’t even there when Danny talked to Damian. He gave the child his full undivided attention.
“You always said you had no desire with being the Demon Head.”
“I don’t, but I’d rather you have a life outside of the League.” Danny got down on one knee to be at the same level as Damian. He put both of his hands on the boy’s shoulders as he talked to him. There was something desperate in his voice as he said, “Damian, you are the most important thing to me. I’d rather go through everything again if it meant you learned how to be a kid.”
“We can protect you, both of you.” Bruce interrupted them gaining Danny’s attention. He stands back up but doesn’t turn his back to Damian, he simply turns his head to show he’s listening.
“I’m not yours, Bat. I won’t ask you to clean up my messes.”
“But you’re Damian’s.”
“But I’m Damian’s.” Danny repeats and says it like a law of the universe. Like it is a fact everyone in the world knows about. The sun rises and sets every day, there are 24 hours in a day, and he is Damian’s brother.
“You might think it’s too late but it’s not.” Bruce tries to reason with Danny, “And I think Damian would benefit greatly from you being here.”
“Using my own little brother against me now?” Danny chuckles softly, “I can’t promise anything right now. But I will make sure to come visit… when it’s safe to do so.” It is quiet in the cave with no one else having anything to say. Danny eventually turned back to Damian like he always does.
“Damian, a snake will eat its own tail when starved.” Damian took in a sharp breath at his words and stood there still like a statue as Danny leaned down to kiss the top of his head. Danny was gone in a blink of an eye and one last hair ruffle, leaving the bats and birds to look around wildly until they knew for sure Danny was gone.
“What did he mean by that Damian?”
“It’s a code between Mother and Daniel… they’re plotting against Grandfather.” When Damian was told this phrase growing up it usually meant Mother and Danny were reluctantly working together to get something from Grandfather that would be mutually beneficial for them. Something tells Damian that this time something much bigger is going to happen.
If anybody could figure out a way to behead a demon it would be his brother.