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Chapter Text

A small boy about five years old was guided through the cold corridors, passing by the killers who bowed their heads in the form of respect. Ra’s Al Ghul bent down on his grandson’s hight.

“Damian...” he said with his deep voice. “Make way, make way.” They guided him to a wide door, opening and revealing a crowd of armed hose killers looking down on them. That was the first time Talia’s son was presented to his people. “Damian it’s time you knee, the League of Assassins is all you need”. The older man explained.

They go down a side staircase and pass in front of a training camp where some men were training. “the ninjas are practicing...” It continued. “they dance to na ancient song.” Some of the men stopped and looked at the newcomers. “Who needs a new song? This old one is all we need.” They said it in harmony.

The woman pulled Damian’s hand, continuing her tour through the immense construction. “This tradition is ur mission, and Damian there’s so much to do.” She said in a calm, comforting voice, lightly shaking the child’s hand

“Make way!” said the maidservants getting out of their way.

“Dont trip on the taro root that’s all you need.” Talia said, rolling her eyes as the boy stumbled over a root that was hiding on the ground. Damian blushed with shame.

"We share everything we make.” Said Ra’s. “We make!” repeated the guards. “We train aand sharper our sword.” It continued. “Aha!” repeated the ninjas. Walking calmly they reached the other side of the island, where some members of the league were disembarking from their boats. “The killers come back to the cities.” Explained the woman. “I wanna see...” Damian staggers forward trying to reach the boats. It wasn’t his fault, he could be young but something pulled him off the island, something said there was something out there calling him.

Before he could walk away, his mother picked him up in her lap, pushing him away from the embarcations, under her grandfather’s disapproving look. “Don’t walk away, Damian stay on the ground now.” He said. “Our people will need a leader and there you are.”

Talia pulled him slightly to the side as Ra’s moved on to the next stop, bending down and holding the boy’s face. “there comes a day when you’re gonna look around and realize happiness is where you are.” she whispered softly for only him to hear. It was the same thing she repeated to herself when she was little and wanted her son to understand that he could be happy, right there. She got up and went down the hall as if nothing had happened.

Further on, now in a wide space, Damian was participating in her first official training. Ra’s and Talia watched from afar. “Consider your fists.” Said the muscular man on the boy’s side. “The What?” he questioned confused as he raised his little fists in the air. “Consider your body.” He said it positioning the right way. “We use every muscle, that’s all we need.” Ra’s shaking his head agreeing from afar.

As the months go by, he begins to get used to and improve in his training, getting in harmony with the other warriors. “We exercise our body!” they said, and damian repeated after them, absorbing all the knowledge he could. “We strengthen our mind!”, “We use everything around us to make weapons!”, “We adapt!”

“Consider your body, mind and soul!"

“the island gives us what we need.” Said his family. “And no one leaves...” completed damian looking apatically at the horizon, where the only way off the island was moored.

“That’s right, we stay” agreed the current leader of the assassin league. “We’re safe and we’re well provided, and when we look to the future there you are.” He said walking with his hands on his back and standing upright without deigning to look at him. “You’ll be okay, in time you’ll learn just as i did.” He calmed his mother by following in the footsteps of the older man away from the child and back into the mansion. “You must find happiness right where you are.” she whispered the last part, as if it were a secret only the boy should know.

Damian looked at the coast once again, and there he saw someone lurking among the rocks that surrounded the island. With one last look back he saw that his mother and grandfather were already far away so he ran in the direction he saw the person. When he got there he found na almost invisible trail that took him to the other side of the island, through pointed rocks and with the violent waves of the sea crashing against him, the moonlight was shining in the sky. At the end of the island he found a boy not much more than fifteen years old, wearing a brown leather jacket, discovering a stolen boat. That was Jason Todd, a boy his mother saved from death some time ago, damian never talked much with him but listened to the whispers of people in the league. He heard what they said about him and the place he came from.

When Jason noticed his approach he walked away from the boat, with a half-access cigarette between his teeth, threw a half-smile. “I like to dance with the water” he said leaning against the hard rock on his back, looking to the ocean ahead.

“The undertow and the waves” he murmured. “The water is mischievous, Ha! I like how it misbehaves.” He approached slowly, focusing his blue-green eyes on the child’s emerald. “The league may think i’m crazy, or say that i drift too far, but once you know what you like, well there you are.” He said with a brief laugh, throwing the cigarette outside.

“You are your mother’s son, stubbornness and pride” he pushed his index finger on his forehead, making damian back a little. “Mind what she says but remember, you may hear a voice inside.” He now touched his chest, where his heart was, and whispered “And if the voice starts to whisper, to follow the farthest star...” he stood up, pointed to a bright star in the sky, and walked back towards the boat, holding tightly a beaten bag.

“Damian that voice inside is who you are.”

Damian only went to know years later that night he was the last one to talk to Jason Todd, he ran away as soon as damian turned his back to him. Na escape that was planned a long time ago. The things Jason said that day did not come out of his head for the years that came.

Damian now with ten years old already seems to understand his destiny, pushing the words of the teenager he met when he was younger. Singing with his people in harmony, training hard so that his grandfather trusts him and knows he’s ready to take over the League of Assassins when he is gone.

“We exercise our body!” said the warriors. “We become faster!” answered Damian, running around the island. “We strengthen our mind!” said the ninjas. “We become stronger!” said as he climbed the trees in the woods. “We use everything around us to make weapons!” sang the maids. “And we never unprotected.” He completed Talia, extending a shining sword to Damian. His first sword.

“We adapt.” They said together.

The boy was now in a situation almost identical to when he was five, being led by his grandfather and mother down the cold corridor of the mansion to the large double door that was opened to reveal all the league members looking at them. “The league believes in us. Said Ra’s. “tha's right!” shouted the crowd. “The league believes, the island gives us what we need, and no one leaves!”

“So here i’ll stay.” Damian said, turning to his only family, one hand holding talia’s hand and the other holding his grandfather’s. “My home, my people beside me, and when i think of tomorrow there we are!” he smiled a brief smile at his mother before turning to his people, this time shouting for everyone to hear him.

“I’ll lead the way, i’ll have my people to guide me. We’ll build our future together where we are!” He raised his fist to the heavens. “Cause every path leads you back to where you are. You can find happiness right..."

“Where you are! Where you are! Where you are!” they all repeated, the words reverberated through the mountains.

Chapter Text

Damian looked at the sky constantly, keeping his eyes on the billiard star that Jason showed him once. It was a strange star, to say the least. It didn’t seem to weave with any known constellation (believe me, he searched all the astronomy books in Ra’s Al Ghul’s immense library). Besides, the star seemed to disappear during the beginning of the night, appearing only when the moon is a little higher, and there are days when it doesn’t even appear or days when its light is very dim. Damian was no longer very sure if that star was really a star, but that didn’t matter now because...

“Damian, are you ready?” Talia opened the door of his room, making him take a small jump.

“Yes, I’m ready, Mom” got up, putting her sword attached to her waist and pulling the black mask higher. “I promise not to disappoint you.”

“I expect no less than perfection Damian, this mission will define whether Ra’s trusts you to take care of the league when he’s gone. She approached slowly like a snake ready to give the boat, making clear the difference in height between the two.

“Don’t forget that you can easily be replaced if we want to.”

Damian wouldn’t forget, he would never forget. After all, he was nothing more than a test-tube baby made to lead the league of killers, and today would be his first mission where he would be the captain. A simple mission of loading on the coast of a city falling to pieces near New Jersey. What was the name again? Something like Othan? Maybe a G...

“Don’t be late Damian. Go!”

And with that the boy went. In the boat, together with his specialized team of murderers, piled up in a small boat, traveling along with the waves of the sea. In the sky the moon was shining, but Damian realized that the star he was looking at so much decided not to shine today.

When they reached their destination the moon was already at its highest peak, the trip was the one that took the longest, in only one hour after their mission was already complete. Damian was resting in his guard post at the top of na abandoned building. With his eyes closed, he enjoyed the breeze on his face. That’s when, suddenly, a strong light shines in the sky.

In the clouds, one could see the sign of a great bat. A light that shone almost like the moon itself. Like a star.

What was that? And why a bat? These are questions that were left unanswered because he was informed by his communicator that everyone on his team was ready to leave, just waiting for him. Running through the buildings he returned to his boat, quickly moving away from the city.

When they were a little further away the boy looked at the sign that shone in the sky. The further away they got, the more the sign diminished until it became a small bright spot in the sky. With his eyes wide open, Damian persevered a small movement on the pier, half covered by mist. He seemed to be a man, a man he would recognize anywhere, with his brown leather jacket and cigarette in his left hand. Damian couldn’t see his face hidden behind a screaming red helmet, but could swear he was smiling.

When they arrived at the Island he stopped only to give his grandfather his report on his success and soon ran to his room.

“I’ve been staring at the sky ‘long as i can remember, never really knowing why...” he stared out his bedroom window one more time, but this time knowing that what he faced was not a really strange star, it was a sign. But to who? And why?

“I wish i could be the perfect son” he sighed down looking at his lap. “But i keep falling, no matter how hard i try.” He got up and left the room, walking down the corridors trying to avoid any window that would allow him to see the sign that shone in the sky.

“Every turn i take, every trail i track” he passes his hands through his hair, making curves through the corridors. “Every path i make, every road leads back to the place i know, where i cannot go”. Standing in front of the large glass window. “Where i long to be...” he whispered to himself.

It was late at night, but that didn’t mean anyone was roped in the palace. Hidden behind a column was Mara, his cousin. She followed him closely, running after the tem-year-old child when he jumped through one of the windows on the third floor, sneaking to the whole floor and safe.

“See the sign that shines in the sky? It calls me!” damian jumped his roots on the ground, doing his best not to get caught by the guards around him. “And no ones knows, how far it goes." The beach arrived, the icy water wetting his bare feet. “If the wind on my face and this island stays behind me...” a risky idea crossed Damian’s mind but was quickly discarded. “One day i’ll know, if i go there’s just no telling how far i’ll go”

He turned, with his back to the sea and his head held high, returning along the trail to the palace. The maids who were still awake lowered their heads as a sign of respect to their prince. Mara was still watching him, behind a coconut tree.

“I know everybody on this League seems so happy in the League.” He greeted one of the guards quickly, rushing the step. “Everything is by desing. I know, everybody on this League has a role on this League...” he stopped to look up, in the palace, where the throne of Ra’s Al Ghul was in plain sight, so that everyone outside the island could see it. “So maybe i can roll with mine.” Damian looked down, then marched harder. His little nose stuck to the sky.

“I can lead with pride, i can make us strong, i’ll be satisfied if i play along” repeated like a mantra. “But the voice inside sings a different song” that wasn’t really what he wanted. He didn’t want to spend the rest of his life on this island, obeying the League of assassins.

“WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME?” shouted to the wind, scaring a few birds. Ignoring the confusion he was causing, he ran to the beach again. Leaving behind the mansion and scared servants. Mara let out a nasal laugh.

“Do you see the light as it shines in the sky? It’s blinding!” the idea she had discarded before came back stronger and this time Damian developed it. “But no ones know, how deep it goes, and seems like it’s calling out to me, so come find me, and let me know, what’s beyond that line, will i cross that line?"

In a hurry he headed to one of the smaller boats, pushing to the sea, the plan in his mind was not necessary but he didn’t care. As long as he was far from that island and closer to the bright sign in the sky he would be fine.

“See the sign that shines in the sky? It calls me! And no ones know, how far it goes. If the wind on my face and this island stays behind me, one day i’ll know, how far i’ll go!”

Before he could get into the boat a small body bumped into his side, knocking him to the ground. On top of him was Mara, panting, her messy hair made her red lock mix with her natural hair, falling over her scar.

“Cousin, stop!” she screamed. “No! You don’t understand Mara, I need to do this!” the boy struggled to get the girl off his back.

“No Damian, you don’t understand. I want to help you, you can’t just take a boat and throw yourself into the sea! Do you even know the name of the town you plan to go to?” it seemed to reach the kid. pouting with a grumpy face, he let out a short ‘no’.

Mara left the prince. “The name is Gothan. Ra’s and Talia talk a lot about this place.” She says. “I’ve never heard of this city until today.” Mumbled Damian quietly. Her fingers were playing with the sand below her.

“The servants always know more than royalty itself, apparently.” Laughs the girl. “I heard she’s home to many vigilantes, she’s protected by a man, they call him Batman...”

“Batman?” interrupts. “Is that why the sign from heaven has the design of a giant bat?” Damian asks, nervously biting his lower lip.

“I don’t know, but I know where you can get more information.” She reached out her hand, reaching for a torn piece of leaf with a written password. “Go to your mother’s personal computers and enter that password, you’ll know everything you need about Gothan and his guardians.

And without further questions Damian thanked her and headed to her mother’s room. Towards the answers.

Chapter Text

Damian mentally thanked all the gods known for his mother not being in the room. She used to prowl around the countless corridors of the palace, making sure everything was according to plan before returning to her quarters. The young prince was very lucky to arrive at Talia's room without having bumped into her at any time.

Perhaps his ancestors were working to help him.

Mixing with the shadows, doing everything possible to blend in with the darkness, Damian snuck into the room. On top of the desk was an advanced computer. One of the only ones on the whole island.

Without wasting time he ran to it, sitting on the red leather chair and pressing the on/off button. His hands were shaking a bit when the screen shone, asking for the password, and they shivered even more while typing the numbers Mara wrote on the little piece of paper.

"Please don't be lying about this press." He murmured softly pressing Enter. His shoulders fell off, all the previous tension disappearing for seconds before returning five times larger when the password worked.

He was in.

Navigating fast (As fast as he could with his hands shaking and his head looking at the door every second), Damian found the file he was looking for.

"Gothan's little birds." In this file there was video of about two hours, taken from dozens if not hundreds of security cameras all over Gothan city. There were even footage from private drones sent specially to watch them. There were also countless folders, each with specific information about each of the security guards who had already passed through the city. The largest folders were named Robin and Bat.

Damian still didn't understand what the bird names had to do with the rest, but he was willing to find out.

He decided to start with the video, putting it to shoot while he took a quick look at the biography of each of Gothan's birds.

The video starts on an empty roof, the timetable at the bottom showed that the night was just beginning. Suddenly a man wearing a black colan with a big symbol of a blue bird on his chest landed gracefully, taking care of almost all the filming.

Nightwing landed on top of an abandoned building in Gothan, looking at the horizon. "We, watchers, are called." With a big smile he looks at the sign that shines in the sky. "The god of rhe big city is coming." A voice catches his attention, behind him appears a teenager in black and red clothes, Robin. "Accept the challenge, that is good." He laughs softly. "Let's go!" The two throw their hooks into the next building, jumping and flying through the buildings.

"Aue, aue, go ahead! The bat guides us all!" in the buildings around him more people appear. A woman with red hair and black uniform with a red bat on her chest was running ahead, that was Batwoman. To the right, on the floor, a teenager with her whole body hidden behind a black armor with yellow details and a black teenager in yellow armor were running through the streets, checking out the alleys, those were Orphan and Signal. On the left side, jumping and laughing softly was a redheaded girl in a purple and yellow uniform, having fun, she was Batgirl.

"Aue, aue, the buldings, the fun. The place we love so much, our home!"

Batwoman and Batgirl enter an alley, frightening a purse snatcher who runs away before he even attacks. On the other side Orphan and Robin help a young couple who got lost and ended up stopping in a dangerous part of the neighborhood. Signal flies slowly through the skies, looking for someone who needs help. Nightwing was concerned with keeping everyone well.

"We patrol th entire city, when the moon is high." Red and blue lights catch everyone's attention.

"We protect everyone, following the police sirens." No need for warnings, everyone quickly moves together, like in a beautiful dance, following the sirens that crossed the city.

"At night we name every alley, we know were we are." A black shadow passes above everyone, the small group looks up in time to see Batman following the police cars. "We know who we are, who we are!"

"Aue, aue, we set a course to find, one way of keep everyone safe." Robin, Batman and Nightwing pousan on top of the Arkham wall, a lightning bolt illuminates the night, covers in the wind.

"Aeu, aue, we keep those we love in our mind..." Batwoman and Batgirl look up, another thunder shakes the ground, the waves hit Gothan's pier. "...And when it's time to face the danger..." Orphann and Signal prepare for an attack, the raindrops begin to fall weakly on their bodies, wetting the heroes and the group of traffickers that surrounded them.

"...We know our motivation."

Gothan is a rainy city, almost always the ground is soaked with small puddles, and almost always the air is humid, so they don't care about the deluge that falls, focusing on their struggles. Gothan is never calm, there are always things to do, people to defend, gangs to destroy...

"Aue, aue, we are vigilantes, while protecting our city we folloe in the footsteps of our heroes in the never ending chain. When the fight is very hard or they don't know what to do afterwards, there is only one person they can call, the hero of all of them, whom they so much want to copy, the one they all follow without penalizing twice. Batman.

"Aue, aue, the buildings, the fun, the place we love so much!" But even after everything, after all the fights, after all the bad nights and all the nightmares, they do it for only one reason. For Gothan. Their city and everyone who lives in it.

"We know the way!"

Damian jumped on his chair, drawing his sword in battle mode, when he heard the bedroom door being opened. Through it his mother entered with a very angry face.

"What are you doing in my room Damian?" she asked, with a calm falça that made the child's hair shiver, he knew he was in big trouble.

"Mom, I can explain..." she kept her sword and raised her hands in front of her body in a pathetic attempt to try to reach Talia's anger. With the raising of an eyebrow the woman urged him to continue.

"I was curious about the place where I made my mission, that's all. I heard many whispers and rumors about vigilantes in that area and I wondered why you and grandfather didn't tell me anything about it, so I decided".

"Then you decided to break into my quarters and wink at my computer to find your answers." She interrupted, approaching with a threatening eyes, making the child move away a little, banging against the table, raising her head to face the eyes. "You know that your actions will have consequences, right? Wait until Ra's knows about it, I wonder what kind of punishment he-"

"Lady Talia!" a servant to offend in front of the open door. "What? I hope it's important because if you interrupted me for nothing I swear..."

"It's your father, Lady Talia, something is happening to him!"

Something in the urgency and terror in the poor woman's voice made Damian's blood freeze. His mother had an inexpressive face, but it was possible to see the terror and fear that shone in his eyes. In seconds the three of them ran through the corridors, Talia and the servant entered one of the private rooms of the castle, it was possible to see a mystical greenish light slipping through the folds and cracks of the door. Damian was prevented from entering, having to wait for news standing in the middle of the corridor.

After what seemed like hours of walking back and forth, his mother finally came out, his face tired and his clothes crumpled.

"Ra's live. She said, the prince lets out the air she didn't even know she was holding. "But he's not in his best condition" she continued. "Lazarus' well no longer has the same effect as it had before, so he won't be able to heal anymore".

Damian clenched his fists, biting the part inside his cheek. "That means you need to start preparing yourself to rule". Said his mother.

"But I haven't finished my training yet, Mom! There are many things I need to learn, I can't govern... not yet!" he protested, his eyes widening, silently praying that there was another way.

"I know, my son. That is why I am sending you to the continent to continue your training." The woman knelt down, holding Damian's face in her hands. "Damian, dear, there's something I need to tell you about your father."

Chapter Text

It took only a few minutes for Damian to pack all the things he considered important. All squeezed into a backpack that was too big for the small body of the ten-year-old child.

His mother had told him about his paternal origin. The great Batman. His father.

His grandfather's health is getting worse and Damian will need to take his place on the throne soon, but his training is not over yet, he is still very young and innocent, that's why Talia is sending him to Gothan, to his father's arms where he could be trained by the Dark Knight. His blood connection was nothing more than a bonus.

"There is a sign that shines in the sky and it calls me, but no one knows, how far it goes" He whispered, his mother leaning on the doorpost of his room looking at him with bright eyes. Love and hope shone in his iris. She accompanied her offspring to the great gates of the palace.

"All the time wondering where i need to be is behind me."

Before Damian boarded his discreet boat (provided by Talia who did not accept her son traveling in anything less than perfect) he looked back. One last glimpse of the island that spent his entire childhood. His home. "I'm on my own, to worlds unknow."

Mara appears as she pushes the barge into the sea. She doesn't say anything, she doesn't need to, she just hugs him tight. Mara, his cousin, his first friend, the one who for many years was seen only as an obstacle to the throne... his family. After the farewell, she was ready to move on.

"Every turn i take, every trail i track, is a choice i make, now i can't turn back." His heart beat lively, the salty smell of the sea filled his lungs. The waves crashing against the wooden hull and slowly the island's lights moved away. "From the great unknow where i go alone, where i long to be."

As the hours passed, Damian rested on the edge of the boat, he loved how the reflection of Gothan's star seemed to increase every second. "See her ligth up the nigth in the sea, she calls me!"

A strange brown and black spot began to make itself present on the horizon, in the thick fog. "And yes i know that i can go. There's a moon in the sky and the wind is behind me..."

Closing his eyes the child sees something that makes his whole body shiver with excitement.

"Soon I'll know how far I'll go"

The port of Gothan shines in all its glory just a few meters ahead. Damian squeezes his belongings against his chest. In the sky, a great bat shines among the clouds. Soon the prince of the infinite island, heir to the throne and future leader of the League of assassins will find the Dark Knight, the Vigilante, Batman... his father.

Chapter Text

The moon was high, its brightness competed with the Bat Signal, sirens were heard in the distance. Perched on top of a building, Batman and Nightwing heard a small commotion, following the sound they found a small group of bandits surrounding a child in some dirty alley. Nothing they hadn't done thousands of times before, nothing really special. The child, however, didn't seem even close to the fear that children would normally feel in a situation like that. He seemed calm.

In a few seconds a small pile of thieves were lying in a fast corner while the others who were left ran away from the dynamic duo. Nightwing advanced a little towards the victim, reaching out to greet him and being promptly ignored. The child walked right past the vigilante in blue and faced Batman without fear.

"I thought you were bigger." He said with a cheeky little smile.

"What?" Night stuttered and the bat man closed his eyes inquisitively, the child didn't even back down, instead he continued. "You're shorter than I imagined you'd be."

Predicting that nothing good would come of it, the youngest of the pair posed between the little boy and the dark knight. "I think what you should say is 'thank you'". He says smiling.

"Thank you?" says the boy with a raised eyebrow. "You're welcome!" Nightwing laughs lightly in his hoarse voice, holding the boy's arm lightly pulled him away from Batman.

"Okay, okay!" speaks loudly, drawing the attention of the other two (conscious) occupants of the alley. "I see what's happening here" said calmly, receiving a suspicious look from the smaller one and a hard look from the man in the black cape lurking in the shadows,

"You're face-to-face with greatness and it's strange. You don't even know how you feel, It's adorable!" the boy seemed to want to complain but continued before he could talk. "Well it's nice to see that children never change.

"Open you eyes, let's begin, yes it's really him, it's Batman! Breathe it in" he joked, thought he had seen the little one's eyes shine a bit. That would be interesting. Now with a big smile of pride spread across his face he continued with the monologue.

"i know it's a lot, the cape, the body!" he said, passing behind the hero, dramatically lifting his cape and repositioning his arms so that his muscles would be more apparent in a classic show of force pose. "When you're staring at a Superhero!"

"What can I say except you're welcome. For the peace, the calm, the security" he said, telling his fingers animatedly "Hey it's okay, it's okay, you're welcome, he's just an ordinary rich-guy!" on the other side of the alley there's an angry snitch from the bat and the boy trying to hold his laugh.

Nightwing pulled the two of them out of the alley, now walking calmly through the empty streets of the city, being lit up by the moon and orange lamp posts. The one in blue jumped animated with the child on his trail and the adult following from afar.

"Hey, what has two thumbs and defeated the apocalypse when you were waddling this high?" he asked happily if he stood at the boy's height, with his right hand marking a height in the air. "This guy!" answered his own question, pointing with both hands full of emotion to the adult behind them. "When the nights got cold who defeat Dr. Freeze?" whispers with confusion, a small lift in the corner of the lip reveals his fun with the situation. "You're looking at him, yo!"

"Oh, he also prevented the end of the world" casually says as if talking about the weather and not about the possible destruction of all earthly life. "You're welcome" blinked. "Now you can live your life and playng with fun."

Now jumping animated the vigilante in blue does some somersaults around the child in the empty street, a smile went from ear to ear, increasing his voice every second calling the attention of civilians in their homes who opened their windows to see the reason for so much noise.

"Also, he cleaned the streets. You're welcome, so you can walk around without fear!" Batman approaches them both, pointing his hook high towards one of the buildings, Nightwing does the same but at the last moment grabs the boy, taking him along. As he lands calmly on the roof he reaches the hook for the boy to hold while he turns to enjoy the view.

"So what can I say except you're welcome?" his eyes shone, reflecting the lights of Gothan. "For the villais he pulled in jail." In the distance it was possible to see the big and imposing building of Arkham Asylum, cold and scary hidden in the darkness, almost provoking the two heroes. "There's no need to pray, it's okay, you're welcome!" he sweeps the air with his hand, as if he were taking away the thanks. The heavy air of seconds ago is already forgotten. "I guess it's just his way of being he." He shrugged.

"You're welcome, you're welcome... well, come to think of it" hit a finger under the chin as if thinking of something, moving away from the edge of the building and approaching the bat man.

"Kid, honestly i can go on and on, i can explain all the villains that were defeated" surrounded a little and stopped leaning on the wall of the building next door. "the Riddler, the two-faces, the Joker..." listed slowly. "Oh, that was Batman just messing around" he laughed, raising his shoulders unpretentiously. "He defeated the Scarecrow, studied his toxins found a cure, now you have vaccines" opened his cheerful arms as if telling the most incredible thing in the world, and maybe it was.

Thanks to Batman, at last not only Gothan hospitals but hospitals all over America had vaccines capable of totally blocking the scarecrow's fear toxin. It took years but finally the Gothamites could sleep peacefully without fear of being affected by the frightening green gas.

"What's the lesson? What is the takeaway?" he asked straight away answering "Don't mess with Batman when he's on the breakway!"

Walking further up the roofs he guided the children to a large fully painted brick wall, with dozens of scenes immortalized with paint. "And the graffiti in pairs is a map of the victories he win" pointed to a specific drawing in black and red that showed one of his fights against the Joker in which he won. "Look where he's been he make everything happen" a green and yellow shadow runs across the rooftops of buildings in front of them, Robin, The wonder Boy, ran free chasing a man in a black ski mask holding an open bag from which he slipped some money bills. Batman smiles proudly as he watches. "Look at that mean mini Robin just tippity tappin'" laughed the young vigilante as he clapped animatedly at the boy's green and yellow running pace. "Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, hey!"

"Well anyway, let me say you're welcome! For the wonderful world you know," he says recovering, they walk a little more and now the boy realizes he is standing on the roof of GCPD, the Gothan Police Department. "Hey, it's okay, it's okay, you're welcome!" says Nightwinga drawing his attention one last time. Behind you Batman prepares the hook again, getting ready to fly away.

"Well, come to think of it, i gotta go. Hey, it's your day to say you're welcome, 'cause i'm gonna need that hook." Before he can blink the hook you used to hold was now in the hands of the bluish. "I'm sailing away, away, you're welcome. 'cause Nightwing can do anything but fly!" he laughs at his own joke.

The two heroes throw themselves into the cold night "You're welcome, you're welcome... And thank you!" were the last things Damian could hear before the two vigilantes disappeared into the darkness between the high buildings.

"Interesting." The prince says before he starts following them.

Chapter Text

He had already felt this knot on his chest before, and the three times he blindly followed him ended up with a child running through the halls of his mansion and a new name to add in the Wayne family at the end of the day. That's why he censored the little voice screaming that something was wrong.

He already had three children, he didn't know if he could stand a four. Especially after what happened to Jason.

So he and nightwing went back to the Batcave, without really caring about the child who followed him. That was his number one mistake. Never underestimate your opponent, no matter if he seems to be an innocent eight-year-old child.

His number two mistake happened when they were already inside the secret base. It all happened a little fast. In a second his eldest son was beside him taking his equipment and getting ready to give the report of the night, and in the other one he was on the ground with a small figure on top of him and a silver sword in his throat.

"Get off him." He spoke with a batarang in his hands and his teeth clenched. The child didn't even blink. He looked him in the eye and without moving a sword or a centimeter said "Train me."

Underneath his little body Dick Grayson took turns looking confused at the boy, afraid for the sword a centimeter from his jugular and accusingly for the older man. "If I may" he begins. "I think we could have this conversation in a more civilized way, with all of us standing and without swords involved". And to the surprise of all the younger man agreed. His sword being skillfully kept at his waist.

"Now, explain yourself, boy." Wayne's thick voice cuts through the heavy air like a razor, the acrobat rises banging with his hands to remove the traces of dust on his clothes.

The intruder looks around, examining every corner of the cave, before walking calmly to one of the swivel chairs in front of the big computer. "Well, you deserve an explanation." He finally said.

"My name is Damian, I'm a member of the League of Assassins." Batman clenches his fists. "But I'm not here to fight." He explains, trying to calm his animosities.

"I'm here at Talia's command, she sent me to be trained by you. I overthrew Nightwing, I showed myself worthy of your training, so I demand you to be my master and teach me everything Batman knows". She dictated.

"And why would I do that? You told me yourself that you're a member of the Assassins League, why should I trust you?"

For a moment the silence reigned and the vigilant in blue thought that this would be the end of the strange discussion, but then the child did the unthinkable. Kneeling on the ground the prince raised his hands holding up his sword like an offering, with his head down in the form of submission. "I know you have no reason to train me, I know that the League of Assassins is not the most trustworthy group, but I will do whatever it takes to show you that I am worthy of your training. I will follow your orders and I promise to follow your rules in, if at any time I break your trust you can send me back to Talia". The boy with emerald eyes said it all in one breath, fearing that pride would prevent him from speaking.

Damian decided the moment he saw Batman that he wouldn't tell about his blood relation, at least for now. And he decided to lie, hiding the fact that Talia is his mother, the fact that he is a prince and the future head of the demon, stooping to the simple fact that he is only a member of the League of Assassins. In time, when his father trusted him, he would tell the truth.

This, however, was easier than he had thought it would be. After their brief humiliation Nightwing and Batman moved away to have a quick chat, and upon returning they established that, until he was totally trustworthy, Damian would live in the mansion, together with Bruce's other children (His brothers?). He would help the old butler, Alfred Pennyworth, in his daily tasks.

The days passed considerably calm. He would wake up early, help prepare breakfast, sometimes Dick Grayson would join them but usually it was only Damian, his father and Timothy Drake, whom he discovered to be the current Robin and the third son of Batman. After breakfast he would take care of the garden or help cleaning the house, then he would be free until lunchtime, this free time he would take advantage of to practice his drawings. After lunch, very common considering that it was done in a vigilante mansion, he trained. When the sun started to hide Damian would run to the Batcave, trying to be as discreet as possible, watching his father and his brothers running from one side to the other. Fantasies put on and weapons in hand.All just waiting for a sign so they can leave on the cold night of Gothan. The other vigilantes also kept in line (Sometimes Orphan, who Damian discovered to be Cassandra Cain, would spend some nights at the mansion. She, like the other vigilantes, even had her own room, just waiting for her).

Everything always went the same way, for weeks, until one day everything changed.

It was already late at night when it happened. Batman and the others were already on patrol for some time and Damian was training at the secret base when a loud snore caught his attention. On the other side he saw the Batmobile skidding by the entrance of the cave. Batman rushes out of the car, in the back seat Damian manages to see his brother's little body.

Drake was injured.

From the top of the stairs you can hear Alfred's footsteps, running to the medical area preparing medicines and sutures. His father carries Robin to the nearest stretcher and moves away to let the butler work.

"What happened? Drake has always been very oblivious, but I doubt he would be so distracted as to let anyone hurt him." He tried to break the tense atmosphere with a joke but was greeted with a look made of the eldest.

"Joker." He growled. "He hid bombs all over Gothan, Nightwing and the others split all over town to disarm them, Tim and I were going after the Joker but we fell into a trap." His eyes sparkled slightly in a mixture of guilt and anger. "I should have protected him better." He sighs with one hand on his head.

Damian didn't know what to do. Should he comfort his father? What should he say? Thanks to any deity there was no need to say anything, Batcomputer shone, showing a video call from Batgirl.

"Batman." His voice resounded in cavernous silence. "We found out where joker is hiding. Unfortunately we're a little busy right now... I don't know if we can help you in this battle". Sounds of fists banging against faces and falling bodies were heard in the background along with some groans of pain.

"All right, Batgirl, I'll defeat him alone." And with that he turned off the communication.

"What are you saying? Batman needs a Robin, you can't fight that maniac alone!" The child shouted, following him into the batmobile "If you haven't noticed, Damian, my Robin is not at his best now." He murmured pointing to the sleeping teenager on the stretcher a little further away.

An idea went through his mind.

"Then I'll be your Robin."

Chapter Text

Damian still couldn't believe that his father had really agreed with his crazy idea. He couldn't believe it was Robin, for the first time in his short life everything seemed right. Everything seemed to be as it always should have been.

Fighting beside his father to protect his city, in a black, red and yellow fantasy, with his sword on his waist and the green mask on his face.

Everything was so perfect. But of course he needed to destroy everything in some way.

His mission was simple, Batgirl had sent him the location of the Joker, an abandoned shed near the docks.

Why do villains always choose abandoned sheds near the docks?

Anyway, the way there was considerably easy, there wasn't much paving, almost as if they wanted them to get there. Batman took the lead, knocking down almost all the goons he saw ahead, leaving almost no action for the child. And Damian would have loved this demonstration of affection and concern if it wasn't outrageous.

He is the son of Talia Al Ghul, grandson of the demon head Ra's Al Ghul, born and trained to be a deadly weapon, member of the League of Assassins.

He knows how to defend himself.

Things were going well, but when they arrived at the shed everything fell apart. There, in the middle of the room, standing as if in his own theater performance where he is the main character, was Joker in his purple suit and with his excessive makeup. With his eternal smile planted on his face white as snow.

"Well, well, well. Don't be shy!" He shouted. His scandalous and desperate voice seemed to infiltrate all over his skin. Looking at his side Damian saw that Bruce didn't even move. He should be used to it by now.

With decisive steps and with his head up Batman came out of the shadows and following closely was the boy of ten masters.

"Oh!" the maniac sighed dramatically when he saw the child. "A new Robin, I see! Oh my, oh my, you're really quick to replace your helpers hein Baty" he laughed.

Damian growled one step ahead. How dare he? Your father isn't replacing Timothy, he wasn't even dead to begin with! He was stopped from advancing, receiving a serious look, if he could hear the eldest man's voice saying 'Don't do anything stupid, follow my lead and don't let him manipulate you.

"Joker, why spread bombs all over the city? What's in it for you?" Batman asked, slowly approaching, his cloak swaying slowly giving an air of danger.

"The right question, Little bat, is 'Why not?' in a quick act the hoop throws a small iron ball at the floor, with the beat it explodes in an explosion of smoke. "TO THE HIGH ROBIN" Batman shouted, throwing his hook on the roof and flying out of the smoke. Damian does the same.

"Do you really want to know why you did all this?" He asked laughing happily, his voice seemed to be coming from everywhere and nowhere at once.

"I did it for our little Robin!" Damian's blood froze for a second, the smoke below him began to clear, and you could see a crowd of men and women armed to the teeth, as well as some other Gotham villains too.

"Look my friend, when a little bird told me that a kid from the League of Assassins docked in my humble town, small and orphaned, I knew it would only be a matter of time before he was adopted for the generous Batman, savior of the unfortunate HAHAHA! SERIOUSLY YOU HAVE SERIOUS ADOPTION PROBLEMS HAHAHAHA!"!

Batman threw his batarange against some killers on the floor before jumping in the middle of the mess, ready to end it all, without really caring about the clown talk. Just giving a brief look at his helper. Damian prepared to take out his sword and start the slaughter but stopped in the middle of the way. The speech his father told him as soon as he put the fantasy was still frenzied in his memory.

"Justice not avenge'

"The bombs, in case anyone still wants to know, are my welcome gifts to Gothan's new child watchman. The voice resounded. "Welcome New Boy Wonder, I hope you like the fireworks!"

Explosions were set off all over the shed, not big enough to put the building down but powerful enough to throw some people sideways. Batman fought fiercely, taking down bandit after bandit, with punches and kicks, and Robin didn't stay behind, using all possible weapons except his sword. His father told him not to kill so he would not kill.

"Well, Joker hasn't always been this glam." The clown spoke again, still far from the fight, hidden from the vigilantes' eyes. "I was a drab little clown once" A laugh calls Damian's attention just in time to see Harlequin running to his left, a stupidly big sledgehammer resting on his shoulder, ready to hit him.

"Now i know i can be happy as a asset. Because i beautiful, baby!"

He barely manages to deviate. On the other side it's possible to see Batman fighting Poison Ivy and his heras, he seemed very busy, so Robin needed to turn himself against the crime cupid.

"Come on, cutie, use that shiny spit of yours and fight!" Says Harle, pointing his sword with his head. ">tt< I don't need it, I can defeat you using only my fists." You mocked me. That got the Joker's attention.

"Did Red Hood say listen to your heart, be who you are on the inside?" He asked. The confusion took hold of Damian. He may not know who Red Hood was, but he certainly knew whose phrase it was. But how was it possible that this clown knew about Jason? Unless...

Suddenly flashbacks from his mother telling him about a shed, the Crowbar and a big explosion invaded his mind along with the mystical green glow of Lazarus Well and screams of agony that filled the air that night so many years ago

"I need thre words to tear his argument apart" says "Your brother lied!"

Batman trembled almost imperceptibly, cutting Poison Ivy's herbs and throwing his unconscious body to the side, in an ominous pile of disagreed bodies. A brief look to the side makes it clear that Robin is doing well, in a fierce fight with the servant of the clown. The numbers were dropping and for the first time it seemed that the game was turning in his favor.

"I rather be Shiny!" said the villain, throwing light grenades at his feet, temporarily blinding him by giving a breach to the goons who were only waiting for a sign of weakness to attack him.

"Like a treasure from a sunken pirate wreck" Joker murmured to himself. "Scrub the deck and make it look Shiny!

Something moves in the Gothan Sea, dragging itself to the docks.

"I will sparkle like a wealthy woman's neck..." The image of a pearl necklace being blown up, with its precious stones bouncing off the dirty floor of an alley near a theater haunts Bruce's mind. His punches increase in strength, fainting villain after villain, his vision red as the blood that stains the floor.

Joker tilts his head in his hiding place, a glow passes through his eyes. "Just a sec!"

"Don't you know, Gothamites are dumb, dumb. They chase anything that glitters." Cantarola. Damian manages to get rid of Harlequin and runs to his father's side.

"BEGINNERS! The scream shook the shed interrupting the youngest's run. At the entrance of the pier a big shadow stands up and you have to force your eyes a little to see.

"Oh, and here they eat, eat, eat. To the brightest thing that glitters!" said Joker excitedly as the shadow came closer. Robin closes his fists and prepares to attack.

"Mmm, Shark dinners!" Mock the clown.

King Shark moves in superhuman speed toward the child. Batman sees and doesn't seem a bit happy about it. Ignoring the armed men he fights with, he runs in the protection of his Robin, throwing his hook high and flying to his rescue. Landing on Shark's shoulders he planted two low power bombs on his chest. King shark is not even affected, raising his arms he reaches the vigilante and throws him to the ground. Damian tries to stop him from stepping on his father, but he is thrown to the other side, beating a metal beam.

Even with his vision blurred and the immense pain in his back Robin can hear the noise of broken bones and the silent groan of Batman's pain.

"Well, well, little Batman's having trouble with his look." Joker emerges from his hiding place, mocking the dark knight trapped beneath the great shark.

"You little semi-demi-mini-god!" Laughter. "Ouch! What a terrible performance. Get the hook!" The others that are left approach as well, his joining the defeated batman's round. hears the laughter of someone in the background. "Get it?" he asked excitedly holding Batman's lost hook.

sincerely' thought the child, 'he's not even funny'.

"You don't swing it like you used to, man." Complain. Joker bows down and faces his enemy eye to eye.

"Yet I have to give you credit for my start, and the graffiti on the outside" Aims at a broken window that overlooks a large graffiti parted with the image of Batman punching Joker in the face. "For just like you i have made myself a work of art. He gets up with a dramatic sigh. "I'll never hide; I can't, i'm too..."

"...Shiny!" He kicked him hard in the face, causing him to use blood.

"Watch me dazzle like a diamond in the rough, strut my stuff; my stuff is so..."

"Shiny!" Another kick following a punch in your stomach and probably two more broken ribs.

"Send your armies but they'll never be enough. My shell's too tough!" hit his fist lightly next to his head with a big unnatural smile on his face. At that moment Damian's vision begins to return to normal and he begins to prepare a plan.

"Batman, man, you cold try, try but you can't expect a simple human to beat a lunatic!" they all laugh. "Give it up!" someone screams.

Joker draws a gun and points it at the hero's head. Damian slowly stands up, thanking all the gods that nobody was paying attention to him.

"You will die, die, die. Now it's time for me to take apart your aching heart."

Damian holds his sword tight. "Justice no revenge" his father would say, but he tried. He followed the rules and look what happened. He didn't kill anybody and now his father is under the sight of a gun in the hands of a crazy man.

"Far from the ones who abandoned you, chasing the love of these people who made you fell wanted." He continued and Robin silently thanked him that he was too dramatic to end soon all this. "You tried to be tough but your armour's just not hard enough!"

Silently bursting into the shadows, camouflaging himself, Damian is practicing everything he learned in the League about silent death. With a dagger he kills those more far away in the circle around his father, taking care not to be discovered before the time.

"Batman, now it's time to kick your hiney! Ever seen someone so Shiny?"

Damian moves further forward, a trail of dead goons at his back, his sword raised and ready to attack when a static noise explodes in his ear and Grayson's voice is heard speaking something he doesn't understand.

His communicator.

"Soak it in 'cause it's the last you'll ever see. C'est la vie mon ami!"

His gaze briefly meets his father's gaze. Batman looks at him firmly as if he said 'trust me! And Damian trusted.

"I'm so shiny, now i'll beat you, so prepare your final plea. Just for me you'll never be quite as Shiny. You wish you were nice and Shiny!"

The shed is unimpeachable by Vigilantes. Nightwing, Signal and Batwoman run towards Batman and Joker, while Orphan and Batgirl deal with the last remaining goons. It all ended in just a few minutes, and meanwhile Damian shrank into shame looking at his bloodstained hands and sword. What would your father say? Would he be sent back to his mother? He would...

"Robin, we'll talk about what happened when we're in the batcave."

Batman said, turning his back on him and leaving him behind with the GCPD and the knocked out villains.

Damian screwed up again

Chapter Text

The Batcave was silent when Damian arrived. The others had already disappeared, in their rooms sleeping or above, in the mansion, doing whatever they were doing.

With his back to him was his father... no, that was Batman, set in front of the batcomputer, his hands typing quickly, the mask of his fantasy hanging from his neck.

"You wanted to talk to me?" He asked without lowering his head. He would be punished but he would do it with his head held high like a warrior and not like a coward.

"Yes, yes, I would." He'd sigh deeply before he'd stand up at all his height and slowly approach. Damian looked at his face and couldn't see anger just... tiredness.

"Damian I don't know what happened back there but you need to understand, this is not the Legue of Assassins, this is Gothan, and we don't kill in Gothan." He'd explain it like he was talking to a baby, like it was too hard to understand.

"I had no other choice, you were inoperative at the time and your non-lethal fighting techniques proved ineffective."

"You're Robin, Damian, and like Robin you need to trust me. When you were attacked by King Shark Nightwing spoke to me through the communicators informing me that they had managed to disarm all the Joker bombs, I just needed to keep everyone inside the shed busy until they arrived. I took everything under control Damian". Batman shouted, his face turning into a frown. "You need to trust us, just like we chose to trust you." He tightened his shoulder slightly before he sighed again.<

"Until then..." his hand went down to the 'R' symbol on his chest ripping it out at once. "...You will no longer be Robin."

_____________---_________________---_________________---_

Damian ran across the rooftops of Gothan, no matter how much rain drenched him, stopping only when the distance between him and the Batcave became acceptable. He shrank, sitting on one of the throats that watched the city, with his arms around his own body and his breathing difficult. He barely heard when heavy packets appeared on his back.

A tall man sat beside him. The well-known brown leather jacket and red helmet, dripping water from the sky.

"Red Hood?" He asked quietly, after a few seconds of silence he thought he hadn't been heard in the rain, but then, in slow movements, the man took off his hands and removed his helmet, revealing black hair, with only a small white lock, and blue-green eyes that Damian knew very well.

"Hello Todd, good to see you again." He allowed himself to smile slightly.

"Hello little prince, it's good to see you followed my tip," Jason says, looking at the view ahead and bursting a little to sit closer to the child.

"Trouble in paradise?"

The question sounds like a provocation but Damian is so sung that he just lets tears roll hot on his face.

"My father dismissed me as Robin, he said I'm still acting like a member of the League of Assassins. My mother drew me out, forbidding me to go home because, from accosting me with him, I strayed from my path," he cried pathetically. "I have nowhere to go Todd, I don't belong anywhere. I don't know what to do now."

The elder hugs him, burying his head against the curve of his neck, protecting him from rain and sharing body heat. When the crying seemed to diminish Jason moved away.

"I know a boy from an island," he says, drawing the minor's attention.

"He stands apart from the crowd. He loves his animals and his people..." he looks at him with the corner of his eye causing Al Ghul to let out a snitch with his nose. That was good enough for the boy relived.

"He makes his whole family proud..." Damian seemed to want to argue but kept quiet.

"Sometimes the world seems against you, the journey may leave a scar" Red Hood's hand skirted over his 'T' shaped scar that covered the top of his chest to the bottom of his belly.

"But scars can heal and reveal just where you are."

"The people you love will change you, the things you have learned will guide you, and nothing on earth can silence the quite voice still inside you." In a movement almost mirror of years ago Jason touches Damian's chest with his finger, smiling mischievously.

"And when the voice starts to whisper" He whisper. "Damian, you've come so far."

Jason sighs, holding Damian's face in his hands, speaking almost desperately. "Damian, listen! Do you know who you are?"

Damian's mind silenced for a moment. Take a moment. Who is he? He knows very well who he is! He is Damian Al Ghul, son of Talia Al Ghul and grandson of Ra's Al Ghul, prince and future head of the demon, leader of the League of Assassins, except that he is not. Not anymore. He is Damian Wayne, son of Bruce Wayne, the famous superhero Batman, Gothan's vigilante and the world's greatest detective, a billionaire philanthropist. He is Robin but also a murderer.

Who is he?

"Who am I?"

"I am a boy who loves Gothan" he stands, standing on the gargoyle, The Batsinal shining in the sky blinds him slightly. "It calls me"

"I am the son of the League of Assassins leader. We are descended from warriors, who found their way across the world" The glow of his sword dripping in the rain catches his attention. "They call me"

"I've delivered us to where we are, I have jorneyed farther, I am everything i've learned and more!" He looks at Todd, still sitting, waving his legs against the great fall, a smile hidden by the shadows haunted his face. "Still it calls me!"

"And the call isn't out there at all, it's inside me, it's like the tide, always falling and rising. I Will carry you here in my heart you'll remind me..."

Damian raises his head, the rain wipes his face from tears.

"That come what may"

He smiles widely.

"I know the way"

He whispers only to himself.

"I AM DAMIAN!"

He scream out to the world.

All the anger, fear and distrust comes out of his young shoulders, freeing his body, soul and mind from the invisible weight of the fear of failure. He is Talia's son but also Bruce's son. He is an Al Ghul but also a Wayne. He doesn't need to be just one thing, he can be a bridge, he can be Robin, he doesn't need to fight alone, not anymore. He is Damian and it's time to tell Batman that he is his son.

Chapter Text

Damian runs. The sound of the wind in his ear was almost as loud as the voices in his head that, for the first time, were shouting in excitement.

He didn't see it, but watching from afar was Red Hood, with a big smile across his face. The biggest smile he had ever had since he came back to life.

When Damian entered the Batcave he was ready for any situation, but no situation his mind invented prepared him for the muscular arms that wrapped around him the moment his feet hit the ground.

His muscles instantly became stiff and ready to defend himself against his attacker, but when his mind cleared he realized that the arms around him didn't hurt him, they were actually gentle and loving.

A hug

He was being hugged. Not only that but the one hugging him was none other than Nightwing.

"Damian" a deep voice called out to him, looking over the blue vigilante's shoulder was Batmans tired eyes watching him, his shoulders slumping slightly with relief.

"We were so worried Damian, you ran away and we decided to let you go because it looked like you needed a break but you didn't come back! We were so worried...all of us."

Grayson pulled away just enough to probe with his eyes looking for any injuries, an almost visible weight coming off his shoulders when he found none.

Still not looking away from his father, Damian wondered if what Grayson had said was true. "It was unnecessary to worry, I'm a warrior, I was trained to defend myself no matter what, I-" he hesitated. "No one has ever cared about me before..."

His face was held gently, forcing him to look away from the dark knight, Nightwing looked at him, soft eyes full of sadness and love stared at him and for some reason the back of his eye burned with tears forming, threatening to fall. What's going on? Why this need to cry? How does this man kneeling in front of him manage to make him so... vulnerable, so sentimental.

"Dami, of course we care, you are my little brother, I don't know what I would do if something happened to you"

"Damian" his father called again. Dick stood up, hovering beside him, a hand on his shoulder as a silent reminder that he was there for him and that everything would be okay. Batman took the place that the vigilante once occupied, no, that was not Batman, that was Bruce Wayne, that was his father. The black hood slipping back, revelling the face of an old and tired man. Damian's eyes widened, of course he already knew his father's identity but it was different, he was deliberately revealing him his identity.

He trusted him.

"I'm sorry Damian." He said, startling everyone in the room, "I was too hard on you, I shouldn't have... I should have talked to you and not... I'm sorry Damian."

The younger boy heard the attempted apology with a little smile.

"It wasn't all your fault, I made a mistake. I was confused about...well, about everything actually. You were right about taking Robin away from me, the teachings of the league are still implanted within me and you made me go against everything I grew up learning. I don't know who I am without it, without the league."

His chest rise and fell rapidly, hyperventilating, the tears stinging in his eyes blurring his vision.

"I lied to you this whole time. Talia didn't send me here just so you could train me. I am your son." he confessed, "I have crossed the horizon to find you. I know your name. "

To his surprise there was no great surprise, it was as if he already knew.... Oh, of course, he mentally beat himself up, that was the world's greatest detective! Of course he already knew.

"They have stolen your childhood from you. But this does not define you. This is not who you are." His father hugged him, awkward and a little too tight, but still a hug.

"You know who you are."

And for the first time in a long time, he knew.

"You're my son." His father whisper and he cried like the child he was, being comforted by his brothers and father.

He was finally home