etrayalogs | My whole heart, will be yours forever

[ The baby — the one Damian hates and the one Barbara looks at askance — wasn't sleeping. And sure, you could argue until you're blue in the face about whether an android needs sleep or not, but even if Dick hadn't been moved by the little thing's pathetic cries over the baby monitor, taking care of it is a part of their mission, and their performance will be noted.

At least, that's how he'd argue it to Babs or Damian, if they saw him slide out of bed to go into the nursery, where he leans down to get his hands carefully under the baby's warm weight. ]

Hey, buddy. What's wrong? Can't sleep?

[ The house had come equipped with that most useful of parental tools: a rocking chair. Dick settles into it with the baby against his chest and rocks slow and steady, hardly noticing when the thing stops squirming and crying and settles down against him as he dozes.

Probably he should go back to bed before he spends the whole night here. ]

( they're all light sleepers, damian included. he can occasionally sleep through disruptive noises, when he's someplace safe, but this is neither safe, nor is the infant's screeching something he could sleep through.

he doesn't go into the room when it's still going off, instead opting to wait until after dick has gotten it settled down before damian pokes his head around the doorframe, and looks into the baby's room. doesn't walk into it, just - glares into the room while keeping himself outside of it. just in case it wakes up again. )

It's out, put it back down.

[ Alertness looks the exact same as dozing on Dick right now; he doesn't jerk awake or even open his eyes. ]

He might wake up again. I'll give it a little longer.

[ No doubt it woke Babs up, too, but hopefully she'll have turned over and gone back to sleep. They all need their rest, especially when dealing with a sleep-destroying infant — Damian included. But at least he isn't outside trying to sneak past murderous bots and whatever else is out there, making those low noises he can hear through the walls. ]

Go back to sleep, Damian.

I won't sleep while you're still holding that... thing.

( he considers, for a moment, just - staying right here, watching from the doorway until dick does decide to move. but after realizing there is a more than zero percent chance that he might stay on the rocking chair forever, damian gives a soft sigh and lets himself into the baby's room.

stops when he's just in front of the rocking chair and extends his hands out towards dick. )

Give it to me.

[ Dick opens his eyes at that— it's the only way to give Damian an appropriately suspicious glance. ]

Why? What are you gonna do with him?

[ Will he stab the baby? Throw it out the window? March outside and offer it to the roaming bots?

The possibility that Damian might just hold it never crosses his mind. ]

»Tt«. I'm going to hold it so you'll go back to bed.

( if it turns out to be a weapon of mass destruction, damian will have no issue eviscerating it. he doubts that's the same for richard; he's already acting attached to the thing. )

You need sleep even more than I do, Damian.

[ All of this feels so normal, and so abnormal at the same time. It's not that none of them had this: he had loving, if atypical parents; Babs had Jim Gordon, Steph did her best to have a normal life with her mother even while acting as Batgirl. Some part of him has always assumed that, one day, he'd have it again.

Not Damian, though. None us this is anything but strange to him, even after finding Bruce. ]

Don't you have a vocabulary test tomorrow?

No, I don't.

( biologically, grayson is correct: damian is younger, has yet to reach full maturity and thus, does require more sleep to be fully functional. he's clocked his body's personal need to be approximately nine and a half hours of sleep, which is - about average for someone his age, albeit less than ideal for one with his occupation. he's balanced it out by ensuring he gets numerous micronaps throughout the day. but they don't need to discuss damian's sleep habits.

especially when he's getting a little irritated at this whole thing. not just the fake infant, but also, )

And I am not going to a useless school to take a vocabulary test you and I know I could pass effortlessly.

I guess that means I'm going to be spending an afternoon with your principal sometime in the near future.

[ Better him than Babs, probably. Of the three of them, he's maybe the most successful with smoothing things over. Dick considers Damian over the baby's head and shakes his own. ]

It's fine, Damian. I'd have to be up in an hour for work anyway.

( why does grayson have to insist on doing things his own way.

damian's expression sours; he wouldn't be able to place why this is irritating him as much as it is if he was asked, but he recognizes the feeling even if he's uncertain where it's coming from.

instead of offering a verbal response, he twists back around towards the door and takes several steps towards the exit, before kicking the door hard until it slams loudly against the wall. )

Hey -- c'mon, man --

[ The door bounces against the wall with a sharp smack and the baby in Dick's arms startles, blinking open big blue eyes for one confused, hanging second before it screws them up. ]

No, no nononono, don't --

[ Too late. The baby opens its mouth and wails, venting its frustrations at having been woken up again at an unjust world as Dick stares wearily at Damian's back. ]

Thanks, that was really helpful.

You wanted to spend time with your stupid, traitorous doll that you won't even trust me to hold, so I've woken it up for you. You're welcome.

( with one last kick to the door, that sends the door knob right through the wall behind it. more house repairs for grayson to have fun doting over later. in the meantime, damian starts down the hall. )

I'll be leaving at sunrise. Do not come looking for me, I'll return tomorrow.

[ The baby keeps crying, Dick keeps wincing, Damian keeps storming off, which means Dick won't even get the fun of telling him to go to his room. ]

What's your problem, Damian?

[ Except he knows what part of the problem is, right? They've been through this before, in hypotheticals. But it's not like this robot baby is actually his kid. ]

Are you seriously getting jealous of a doll?

( he's still going down the hall, but luckily, the walls in these cookie cutter houses aren't the best, so when damian yells, it carries, )

I am going to my room! Where you were going to tell me to go. And I'll be leaving Titus to guard the door, with instructions to remove anyone who tries to so much as touch the door!

[ Zero chance they haven't woken Babs up--

The problem here, of course, is that it would be easier to talk to Damian without a squalling baby in his arms, but if he puts the baby down and leaves it, there's no chance it'll stop crying.

One thing at a time. He breathes in through his nose, tight and annoyed, and settles back into the rocking chair, rubbing his hand over the baby's back until its sobs peter out into tired whimpers. It's maybe twenty minutes before he manages to get the baby back to sleep, but once it is, he deposits it carefully in the crib and catfoots it down the hall to lean against the wall by Damian's door. ]

I know you're still awake.

[ Stand down, Titus; he hasn't touched the door. ]

( titus is stationed outside his door, as promised, but he doesn't look like he has any interest in whatever dick is doing outside the door. he's trained to guard and protect, but this generally doesn't apply to other robins, and especially not grayson.

and damian is still awake. he's waiting for the window to clear up, for the sun to shine through so he can open it and let himself out. so he hears the thump of dick's back hitting the wall next to his door, eyes flicking over to watch the door knob closely from where he sits on the edge of the bed. )

I'm not jealous.

My whole heart, will be yours forever

rock-a-bye — open to Babs & Damian

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