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Richard John Grayson was a liar, he lied on his smiles, his voice, his expressions, his body, all of him was a lie, Damian could assure it, after all, he did the same.
He moved with ease, he charmed everyone around him, no matter who he talked to, he always made it seem easy, despite the tension on his shoulders, the way he sometimes flinched when someone slipped their hands around his waist, or when people get too close at his neck.
Richard Grayson always smiled, he wasn’t rude when people ogled or touched him, he was calm, brushed them off gently, laughed when someone held him and pulled away carefully, but he flinched, he never embraced the touch, he acted as if the hands meant nothing, but he always tensed, waiting for something bad to happen if people get too close.
Not everyone got the same treatment, Damian noticed, when Drake appeared in the penthouse and caught all of Richard’s attention, how he tried to talk and have a good relation with Jason, the people Richard liked and cared about didn’t get the stiffness and wariness.
Batman had soft hands for the people he saved, he held people tightly, and let them clung to him, when he took Robin to the Watchtower he let all the heroes held him, Flash looped his hand around Richard’s waist, Troia hugged him from behind or sat over him, interlocking hands and holding the other close, Starfire was always holding him, all smiles when they were on their little world, Arsenal held him by the waist, Superman patted him at the back, and Richard always was happier with the touch.
It was strange for Damian, it made Richard hard to understand when he saw him melt at the touches, how he took off his mask to be around his allies, and he suspired when Arsenal cupped his face, caressed his hair, or trapped him around his arms, Arsenal did the same things that made Richard flinch, he pulled him closer with an arm around his waist, he stared with a smile, but he never flinched or stiffed when Arsenal was close, he just melted on his embrace, looking calm and rested.
“Why?” Damian asked once, “why you let them touch you?”
“The Titans are my family.”
Damian was very observant, he needed to be, Mother was always testing him about the world around him, to remember and understand what happened around him, the awareness had saved him multiple lies, and the hyper-vigilance was hard to turn off, Damian had the habit of looking and hearing everything around him, writing it down every night, and Richard Grayson always was highlighted on his day.
Richard had said their allies in Gotham were family, Pennyworth, Drake, Brown, Gordon, Cain, even Todd, but he never touched them the same way he touched the Titans, he ruffled Drake’s hair and touched Gordon’s arms and shoulders, he gave fist bumps to Todd and Brown, but he never melted on their embrace, hugged them from behind, left his chin on their shoulders, he never showed that level of affection with them.
He never was like that with Damian.
Richard was especially soft with kids, he played with them when he tried to drag Damian outside, his voice and body language were always soft and calm around kids, if a kid was in danger he carried them in his arms, he let them hide under Batman’s cape, he gave them popsicles and held their hands until they felt safe.
Damian didn’t need Richard to be like that with him, he didn’t need to be held, he was far mature than his age suggested, independent from a young age, he didn’t need a parent, he barely needed a teacher, but he had always been petty, he had always wanted Mother’s love and attention, and now, he wanted Richard’s.
He was tired, deeply tired, after a week of grueling work, all of Gotham’s vigilantes were running on their will and caffeine, Batman had even called for some allies in the Justice League, despite the surprise and qualms the others had, he had called his friend, and had smiled for the first time in the long weak.
Drake had told him Robin have to help Batman, have to make things easier for him, and he hadn’t been the best child in the last week, his work as Robin was getting sloppier, and he had the bad habit of going for others’ throats when he didn’t get enough sleep, he was causing more problems to Batman, and didn’t bring the smile to his face as the little girl Arsenal brought did.
“Am I a good Robin?” he asked, cleaning the wound on his arm, enjoying the calmness of the night, after everything ended.
“Why you ask?” Damian just shrugged, putting on the shirt Pennyworth left for him, soft and slightly warm, he looked at Richard, taking off his clothes, leaving the cowl and shirt on the basket the butler left for their suits, he rolled his shoulders, shaking his sweaty bangs, still wet after all the work they did. “You are good, Dami, and I’m proud of you, Okey?”
Damian had been trained to be at his best all the time, under gruesome circumstances Mother and Grandfather had expected nothing but excellence from him, but Richard had made him soft, made him used to be fed five times a day, enjoy healthy hours of sleep in a proper mattress, train his body until he was tired but not overly exhausted, and enjoy from useless activities just for the pleasure of it. Richard taught him he could be open, vulnerable, around him, and, in normal situations, he would had doubted it, but now, painfully tired, hungry and thirsty, mind foggy from the pain killers Pennyworth gave him, Damian’s mouth ran loose.
“You had said we are family, and the rest of Gotham’s vigilantes are part of it,” he started, fidgeting on the locker room, eyes locked on the back of his locker, tracing the cracks of the paint on it, “but you never treat them the way you treat the Titans, you are open with them, you let them touch you and hold you, but we don’t get that treatment, I don’t get that treatment.” Damian felt the hand looming over his shoulder, and, gulping, he turned to face Richard, blinking at him, worry and sadness painted all over his eyes, obscured by the dark circles under his eyes. “Drake had said Father would never bring the Justice League to solve Gotham’s problems, metas and aliens are forbidden from entering the city, Batman and Robin were always enough, but you had called them, and you had look happier with them around.”
“Bruce cared about the people on the League, he considered some of them his closest friends, but he was prideful and believed he could solve everything by himself, but I’m not like that, they are my friends and I trust them with the people I love, as I trust you to be Robin.”
Richard’s hand fell heavy over his shoulder, warm, like a lifeline, he shivered under the man’s loving and caring gaze, hands in fists, he kicked the lockers, hard, bending one of the doors below, Richard didn’t move his hand, just squeezed slightly.
“They laugh with you! And you hug them! And they hug you! Their kids are normal and don’t cause as much trouble as I do!”
“Have you seen the twins?” asked Richard, crouching to be at his height, the arm still on his shoulder, pulling him closer, “they are a nightmare, I don’t know how Wally can keep up with them and still be sane.” After Damian smirked Richard circled his neck with his arms, in a loose hug. “I’m happy with you, Damian, and I don’t hug you because you don’t like it, I don’t hug Tim, Barbara, or Alfred like I hug the Titans because they don’t like it.”
Damian tightened the hold, smiling at the hands toying with his hair, he hugged Richard tightly and sighed calmer.
“You flinch when other people touch you,” Damian added with a whisper, still trapped in Richard’s arms.
“I don’t like when people touch you without my permission, nothing else,” Richard said with a shrug.
The Titans appearance became more common after that, Donna Troy would drag Richard and Damian around, Wally West would appear to drink and play video games with him, sometimes asking Damian to hang out with them, even Superman became a common visitant, in and out of costume, but the usual gest they had was Roy Harper, and, sometimes, Lian Harper.
Richard had also changed, freer on his touches, he ruffled Damian’s hair, held his shoulder, tickle him after they sparred, patted his head before going to bed, and gave him a light hug every morning, Damian was surprised to find it warm and familiar, like Mother holding his hand and kissing his forehead.
He liked it.
One day, Harper brought a puppy, as a gift to Damian, like some of Mother’s lovers did when trying to appease him, he had named the dog Titus and enjoyed the afternoon with Lian Harper, the girl making the puppy play fetch and run behind her, acting too childish for Damian liking, despite just being a few years younger.
“You know Daddy loves uncle Dick,” he said when Titus fell asleep on Damian’s lap. “Daddy wants you to like him, to marry uncle Dick.”
Damian stared at her, bewildered, toying with the puppy’s ear, caressing the soft fur, he looked at Richard and Harper, cuddled on the couch, Harper was hugging Richard from behind, whispering things on his ear while Richard smiled, caressing the hands around his waist, they looked at each other, lost on their little bubble.
“I’m Richard’s brother, who he dates is not my business.”
“Uncle Dick wants to adopt you, he told Daddy.”
Richard caught his gaze, smiling at him, he pointed at the puppy, thumbs up, Damian patted Titus’ flank and raised his thumbs, rolling his eyes at how Lian Harper giggled at his side, feeling warm pooling on his guts when Richard smiled, bright and happy, whispering back at Harper, both of them shinning in happiness.