WHO: sami rowd, dami brat & pals WHEN: jan - feb WHERE: places WHAT: a catch-all NOTES\WARNINGS: discussions of death, dismemberment, arson, child endangerment, and someone in here will probably start a fight at some point.
( He hasn't yet dealt with the significant losses that are likely a possibility for him to be forced to live through. Hasn't built a family for himself in any shape or form. Hasn't yet even fallen in love with a particular cat or Damian's mother where his heart will no doubt be broken over and over again through the years, most of the time because of his own doings. Clark had been someone like him in the sense of being new to the name and having expectations of a legacy not yet formed thrust upon his shoulders in a way anyone isn't entirely sure how to handle even on a good day. They'd had that in common β had slowly been looking to trust one another and then... he'd disappeared and Bruce had to, once again, deal with a loss of someone he [could have] cared for being ripped out of his life and against his will.
It's never easy for him. Even if it's been awhile. He never handles any sort of loss well.
If he were to lose Damian here... if he were to leave this place and go back to his own Gotham and his own father... it would be best, he knows. Where he should be and where he needs to go after all this... but that doesn't mean he'll handle it well. Doesn't mean he won't grieve or become angry or spiral into some self-destructive pattern where he doesn't care what happens to him so long as he can numb the pain even just a little. He knows he won't take it well, so he holds to him there as he curls up beneath his cape β as he presses his cheek against the chest plate and just stays there with him. Holding him. Shielding him from the city skyline around them as he stays there with him, gaze down. )
( he could bring up how impractical the greasepaint is again, but - there's only so many times damian can nag bruce over something before it becomes too much nagging. he knows it's impractical. or, practical for what he was working with before, but now he's got something nifty called lenses which actually protect his eyes among their numerous other technological advancements. damian doesn't need to point that out again, so he doesn't bother with the snide comment sitting at the tip of his tongue.
instead, he keeps his arms around bruce. sits there for a good several more moments in complete silence, before he bothers opening his mouth again, )
He lets Damian stay where he is β keeps his arm around him for as long as he needs. It's just the two of them up here and they aren't in any sort of danger of any means, so. Remaining like this is what he does and, again, it feels as if it's been awhile.
When Damian speaks, he lifts his gaze up ever so gently. )
( to say the least. damian feels like that bit is obvious, but he points it out regardless. he doesn't bother to meet bruce's eyes, but keeps his face pressed against his chest. )
You're only human. ( they both are, despite thinking of themselves otherwise. no amount of training, of honing their mental and physical capabilities, change the fact that they are mortal and weak to the same emotions any other human being would be. )
( Struggling isnβt the word heβd choose. Distracting himself with mindless tinkering and adjustments to things is more what heβd fallen into. A way to keep his mind busy and focused on something else as a means to cope. Heβs not about to claim itβs healthy, but it could also be a lot worse what with his penchant for not handling loss all that well to begin with.
He remains silent. Keeps Damian there against him and idly listens to the distant sounds that surround them. Both as a means to ensure their safety and privacy and also to simply let him mull over his sonβs words there while not growing too lost within them. )
Do you?
( He looks down to him again regardless of whether or not Damian looks up. )
Youβve had more than enough you know leave here.
When I was a child, ( he starts, easily. starts disentangling himself from bruce while he's at it - not because it's necessary, just because he feels like this isn't a topic one should get into while embracing. ) my mother gave me numerous tutors, to teach me everything she thought would be useful. When they had taught me everything they could, she would tie weights to their feet and drown them, leaving their bodies where they would still be visible.
( he's used to loss. )
Attachment to others is a weakness, and not one suited to the grandson of the Demon. I'm more accustomed to it than you are.
( Damian doesnβt often speak of his mother. Whether that be for his own benefit or for the benefit of his father, he doesnβt entirely know. What he does know is the few things heβs mentioned about her to him, he finds to be concerning, this included. But of course he would, given his stance on murder. He does his best to steel himself β to not show the concern there in his eyes or across his face, but. It has him wonder what Damianβs father could ever see in someone who could do such a thing and who he may be starting to think has possibly done worse. It justβ¦ doesnβt add up to him. )
Itβs not. ( A weakness, he means. ) It just makes you human.
Humanity is a weakness. It's just one I choose to indulge in.
( she's reminded him multiple times of that - that mourning others, feeling grief, will only weigh him down in the end. but damian doesn't care of it adds more onto his shoulders. there are things in this world that are worth hurting for.
eyes raise to focus on bruce's own, and damian - considers his words carefully, before he opens his mouth. )
Mother is. . . a product of her upbringing. She is intelligent, passionate, and fiercely loyal. But she hadn't needed to bring me to my father. I was meant to inherit the League, and while I had wanted to meet him I didn't want to be left with him. I want you to understand she went against everything she had been taught, even outright disobeying her father to allow me to become the man I am.
( Quiet, he listens β lets Damian explain to him the ways he sees his mother. The ways his father likely sees her. It still doesn't make sense to him but he isn't about to question his own love and relationship to his mother. Instead, he just looks to him. Words soft. )
You deserve better.
( A better life than what he's had thus far. Because he hates knowing his son could so intimately understand the weight and the ache of so much loss. He wears the cape and cowl as a means to seek vengeance on those who seek to harm others. Hoping that, maybe one day, he might come across the one[s] who murdered his parents and take it all out on them as he's wanted to for years now. Damian doesn't deserve to have this life. Regardless of having worn the cowl for only two years now, it's still too late for him to be anything other than The Batman. )
Better for me would have consisted of me simply not existing to begin with. And I know that, with your limited knowledge of my Gotham, you know that as well.
( talia al ghul could have still had her son, but given him up to prevent him from being raised within the league. either to a complete stranger, thus erasing the existence of damian al ghul in his entirety, or to bruce himself. and batman can't be batman with a young child, nor would his father have given up the mission for a child he had never intended to have. either damian would have been raised largely by alfred while his father consistently returned home injured, near-death, or disappeared for months on end, or he would have been raised by someone entirely outside of the wayne's household, intentionally removed from the bat's influence. damian al ghul, damian wayne, robin would have never existed. )
I have put in an almost insurmountable amount of effort to become who I am. The past cannot be changed, but my future is mine to decide. Father taught me that.
It is and I hope you choose to do what's best for you.
( Gently, he places a hand atop Damian's head β gloved fingers just barely squeezing through those dark strands of hair β before he drops it back down to Robin's shoulder there and he offers to him a squeeze of support. )
No matter what that may be, I'll always be here for you, Damian.
( it's said as if he is certain, but damian - isn't. he's lost his father before, lost his brothers, lost his mother, lost his father again - as he said, loss is something he's overly familiar with. but he raises a hand, presses gloved fingers over the top of bruce's own and squeezes tight for a moment.
( He may not be as old as his older self trekking along with his cane just yet, but the things he felt in his heart at the thought of something having happened to Damian when seeing that alarm⦠it had taken him a bit to regulate it, needless to say.
That being said though, )
Was there something you wanted out here? Or should we head back?
( no promises are made not to terrify bruce again, because chances are high damian will, even if it's unintentional the next time. instead, damian just raises a hand, and points out towards the justice tower that recently arrived. )
'Superman' and 'Batman' are staying there. I was able to confirm that this Superman is Kryptonian. He shares the same weaknesses as Kent.
( weaknesses that he and the rest of the robins previously refused to tell bruce. )
( a blade, to be specific. damian doesn't pull out the blade, but unlatches the sheath itself from his utility belt, and tosses it over towards bruce. )
( Unsure with whether or not Damian's being sarcastic there, he takes a second to watch him leap from the rooftop before he fires his own grapple hook off and follows after, swinging from the ledge of the roof. )
the grapple's line quickly goes taut, catching damian in his descent to start yanking him back up - but before it can pull him very far towards the next rooftop, he's cutting the line so he's dropping down rather than getting yanked from one rooftop another.
it's intentional. the grapple was meant more to lower him a little further safely. once cut, damian shoves the grapple gun back into it's holster and grabs onto the edges of his cloak, pulling it out until it helps him glide slowly towards the ground below. )
( One word comes to mind when seeing all this: showoff.
Still, he follows down, gliding through the sky in his descent towards the ground, hand on the grapple gun as he swings down. Even as he does, he keeps an eye on their surroundings β an eye on Damian β then focuses a little on his dropping down to the ground there. )
You like to showoff.
( It's said gently as he touches the ground, reeling in the line before he's making his way for the car nearby. )
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It's never easy for him. Even if it's been awhile. He never handles any sort of loss well.
If he were to lose Damian here... if he were to leave this place and go back to his own Gotham and his own father... it would be best, he knows. Where he should be and where he needs to go after all this... but that doesn't mean he'll handle it well. Doesn't mean he won't grieve or become angry or spiral into some self-destructive pattern where he doesn't care what happens to him so long as he can numb the pain even just a little. He knows he won't take it well, so he holds to him there as he curls up beneath his cape β as he presses his cheek against the chest plate and just stays there with him. Holding him. Shielding him from the city skyline around them as he stays there with him, gaze down. )
And grease paint.
( It's an attempt at a joke. Mostly. )
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( he could bring up how impractical the greasepaint is again, but - there's only so many times damian can nag bruce over something before it becomes too much nagging. he knows it's impractical. or, practical for what he was working with before, but now he's got something nifty called lenses which actually protect his eyes among their numerous other technological advancements. damian doesn't need to point that out again, so he doesn't bother with the snide comment sitting at the tip of his tongue.
instead, he keeps his arms around bruce. sits there for a good several more moments in complete silence, before he bothers opening his mouth again, )
Are you going to be alright?
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He lets Damian stay where he is β keeps his arm around him for as long as he needs. It's just the two of them up here and they aren't in any sort of danger of any means, so. Remaining like this is what he does and, again, it feels as if it's been awhile.
When Damian speaks, he lifts his gaze up ever so gently. )
Why wouldn't I be?
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( to say the least. damian feels like that bit is obvious, but he points it out regardless. he doesn't bother to meet bruce's eyes, but keeps his face pressed against his chest. )
You're only human. ( they both are, despite thinking of themselves otherwise. no amount of training, of honing their mental and physical capabilities, change the fact that they are mortal and weak to the same emotions any other human being would be. )
Do you want to talk about it?
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He remains silent. Keeps Damian there against him and idly listens to the distant sounds that surround them. Both as a means to ensure their safety and privacy and also to simply let him mull over his sonβs words there while not growing too lost within them. )
Do you?
( He looks down to him again regardless of whether or not Damian looks up. )
Youβve had more than enough you know leave here.
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( he's used to loss. )
Attachment to others is a weakness, and not one suited to the grandson of the Demon. I'm more accustomed to it than you are.
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Itβs not. ( A weakness, he means. ) It just makes you human.
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( she's reminded him multiple times of that - that mourning others, feeling grief, will only weigh him down in the end. but damian doesn't care of it adds more onto his shoulders. there are things in this world that are worth hurting for.
eyes raise to focus on bruce's own, and damian - considers his words carefully, before he opens his mouth. )
Mother is. . . a product of her upbringing. She is intelligent, passionate, and fiercely loyal. But she hadn't needed to bring me to my father. I was meant to inherit the League, and while I had wanted to meet him I didn't want to be left with him. I want you to understand she went against everything she had been taught, even outright disobeying her father to allow me to become the man I am.
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You deserve better.
( A better life than what he's had thus far. Because he hates knowing his son could so intimately understand the weight and the ache of so much loss. He wears the cape and cowl as a means to seek vengeance on those who seek to harm others. Hoping that, maybe one day, he might come across the one[s] who murdered his parents and take it all out on them as he's wanted to for years now. Damian doesn't deserve to have this life. Regardless of having worn the cowl for only two years now, it's still too late for him to be anything other than The Batman. )
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( talia al ghul could have still had her son, but given him up to prevent him from being raised within the league. either to a complete stranger, thus erasing the existence of damian al ghul in his entirety, or to bruce himself. and batman can't be batman with a young child, nor would his father have given up the mission for a child he had never intended to have. either damian would have been raised largely by alfred while his father consistently returned home injured, near-death, or disappeared for months on end, or he would have been raised by someone entirely outside of the wayne's household, intentionally removed from the bat's influence. damian al ghul, damian wayne, robin would have never existed. )
I have put in an almost insurmountable amount of effort to become who I am. The past cannot be changed, but my future is mine to decide. Father taught me that.
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( Gently, he places a hand atop Damian's head β gloved fingers just barely squeezing through those dark strands of hair β before he drops it back down to Robin's shoulder there and he offers to him a squeeze of support. )
No matter what that may be, I'll always be here for you, Damian.
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( it's said as if he is certain, but damian - isn't. he's lost his father before, lost his brothers, lost his mother, lost his father again - as he said, loss is something he's overly familiar with. but he raises a hand, presses gloved fingers over the top of bruce's own and squeezes tight for a moment.
lets go after. )
I apologize for frightening you.
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( He may not be as old as his older self trekking along with his cane just yet, but the things he felt in his heart at the thought of something having happened to Damian when seeing that alarm⦠it had taken him a bit to regulate it, needless to say.
That being said though, )
Was there something you wanted out here? Or should we head back?
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'Superman' and 'Batman' are staying there. I was able to confirm that this Superman is Kryptonian. He shares the same weaknesses as Kent.
( weaknesses that he and the rest of the robins previously refused to tell bruce. )
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( Clark, to him, was Superman. )
And how did you manage to confirm that?
( He has a pretty good idea, but. Figures he'll ask anyways. )
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( a blade, to be specific. damian doesn't pull out the blade, but unlatches the sheath itself from his utility belt, and tosses it over towards bruce. )
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You threatened him?
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( of course he threatened him, who do you think damian is? )
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( Tossing it back to him, he makes his way past Damian, heading for the ledge of the roof. )
Come on. We're going home.
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( and he was in a mood, only worsened by connor's disappearance. bruce tosses the knife, and damian catches it easily.
takes a moment to reattach it to his belt, before he's following after. )
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Did you bring the bike here?
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( but he does pull out his grapple gun, aligning it with the skyscraper across from them before firing it off and - leaping from the rooftop. )
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the grapple's line quickly goes taut, catching damian in his descent to start yanking him back up - but before it can pull him very far towards the next rooftop, he's cutting the line so he's dropping down rather than getting yanked from one rooftop another.
it's intentional. the grapple was meant more to lower him a little further safely. once cut, damian shoves the grapple gun back into it's holster and grabs onto the edges of his cloak, pulling it out until it helps him glide slowly towards the ground below. )
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Still, he follows down, gliding through the sky in his descent towards the ground, hand on the grapple gun as he swings down. Even as he does, he keeps an eye on their surroundings β an eye on Damian β then focuses a little on his dropping down to the ground there. )
You like to showoff.
( It's said gently as he touches the ground, reeling in the line before he's making his way for the car nearby. )
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