Work Text:
“You’ve reached Damian Wayne’s voicemail. He’s too stubborn to set his own, so his favorite big brother has done it for him. Leave him a message and he’ll get back to you.”
BEEP
“Damian, you have really got to change that message, I’m not always going to be here to do those things for you. Anyway, I’m sorry about earlier. We’ll talk about the whole Bruce wants you to go back to Talia thing later, I promise if there’s a way to help you stay, I’ll find it. Batman and Robin will never die, right?”
BEEP
“Damian. You won’t get this, but Bruce has left your phone connected, I guess because he’s still telling the world that you’re overseas in school. I wish that was true. I wish so many things were true. I wish you’d never come with us that night. I wish I’d been stronger. I wish it had been me and not you. I wish-I-I wish you were still here.”
BEEP
“Damian. They say it helps to talk about it when you’ve lost someone, but the only person I want to talk to is you, and you’re gone, so I guess you’re voicemail is the next best thing. I’ve been trying to follow your advice, from after the whole Joker thing. It’s been hard, but I can still hear you telling me how I’m the best when I’m really me, trusting and good, and I’m trying.”
BEEP
“Hey, little D. Guess what came in the mail today? Swordwalkers. I know, too little too late right? I wish you were here to play it with me, but since you’re not I left it by your grave. ‘Foolish’ you’d call it, I know, but maybe somehow you’ll get it that way.”
BEEP
“Dami, it’s me again, Grayson. I never knew why you insisted on my last name, but I’ve always liked hearing you say it. Just today, someone called me that. An old friend from high school. It reminded me of you, I thought you should know that.”
BEEP
“Your father is the most stubborn, hard headed man I’ve ever known. I caught him running a simulator today, trying to prove that he could have saved you. I tried it too, because I had to know. You understand that right? I had to know, Dami. It turns out, that together we might have done it. Not that it does us any good now….hey Damian, you know I’m sorry right? I’m so sorry.”
BEEP
“I didn’t think I’d call again after that last message, but I got your gift. You’re incredible you know that? Thanks, Little D.”
BEEP
“You’ll never guess where I am. Chicago! I’m calling you from my very own apartment. I’ve moved and have this crazy roommate who forgot to tell his roommate I was moving in, and well it’s a long story. But anyway, you’d like it here. The sky’s clear and they hate superheroes. I bet you’re-BEEP”
BEEP
“Sorry about that, the tape ran out. Where was I? Oh yeah, I bet you’re wondering why I moved, right? It’s because of Tony Zucco, he’s here, Dami and I’m going to find him.”
BEEP
“I found him, Damian. I found Tony, and he’s-he’s changed. I’m still processing it all, but he helped me save the city, how do I react to that? How am I supposed to just accept that he’s different now? How could a killer like him ever really change?”
BEEP
“Sorry Dami, that last message- I wasn’t thinking straight. I’ve thought about it a lot these past few days, it took me a while. If you were here you would have told me right away that I was being stupid. You changed, and why couldn’t he? Sure it’s ok to be cautious, but maybe, just maybe... Anyway, thanks Damian.”
BEEP
“Hey baby bro. Things have gotten bad, and I mean really bad. There’s this group called the Crime Syndicate and they’re worse than anything we’ve faced before. I-I don’t know if I’m going to be able to call you again. Just know, I love you Damian. You were the best little brother a guy could ask for, and if I could change anything I’d save you, but I’ll settle for saving the world you’d come to love. See you on the other side, Little D.”
BEEP
“You’ve reached Richard Grayson’s phone, he’s unavailable. Obviously. He’s also completely oblivious to the fact that I changed his recording after he changed mine, it would be in your best interest to keep things that way. Leave him a message and he’ll get back to you, tell him I changed his message and you won’t be in any shape to receive his return call.”
BEEP
“Grayson, Father told me that you’d died and I called your phone because I didn’t believe it. I couldn’t believe it, so pick up... If you can hear me, Grayson pick up the phone.... Pennyworth said that on some phones you can hear the message as its being recorded, and I’m hoping you can hear mine… Please pic-BEEP”
“Grayson, don’t be dead. I can’t have come back just to lose you. You told me Batman and Robin will never die, and I came back, so that means you have to too. Do you hear me Grayson? Come back or....or…Just come back.”
BEEP
“Grayson, I can’t believe you never figured out I changed your message. Tt, you should be more perceptive. I listened to your messages. I can’t believe you left so many, you should have been seeing a therapist instead of talking to a dead person. Even so, I’m grateful. Thank you, Grayson.”
BEEP
“If you think I’m copying you, I’m not. I just find it easier to talk than to write things down. It’s the best way to keep my secrets safe. After all, dead men tell no tales. Sorry, I guess that was a bad joke, maybe I’m spending too much time with Todd. He offered to talk to me about being dead. I told him if anyone needed to talk about it, it was him.”
BEEP
“Somehow I forgot to mention that I have superpowers now. They are much like those of Superman, flight, invulnerability, and super strength. They were the result of the chaos shard Father used to bring me back to life. Father thinks they are temporary, I hope they are permanent. I can do so much more now, Grayson. I can be so much more, wish me luck.”
BEEP
“I found my brothers today. That might be confusing, let me explain. Mother and Grandfather created an army of clones out of my DNA. None of the clones were as perfect as I am, but they are still my family. I took them somewhere they will be happy. I wish you had been there to meet them, I believe they would like you.”
BEEP
“I regret to inform you that my ‘super powers’ have faded. They served me well, however. Just before they deserted me I used them to help save the Justice League. Father allowed me to come with him on a mission and I proved to be a valuable asset to the team. It was amazing Grayson, I even got laser vision. But now I go back to being Robin.”
BEEP
“Drake came by today. He’s changed his costume, again. If he’s not happy being Red Robin he should have worked harder to stay Robin. His costume is not the reason I called. He confused me, Grayson. He said he came to see me, and not just that, he wanted to talk. Then he never talked. He just looked at me, like he was waiting for me to speak. Finally he offered to play some new video game that had come out, I beat him of course. I don’t think I’ll ever understand him.”
BEEP
“Today I fell down a pit in the Bat Cave and came across a bat skeleton. It is funny how things come back to haunt us, isn’t it? I believe it to be the same bat I killed in a fit of anger some time ago. It made me realize that while I have come far, I still have much to do if I want to be truly worthy of being called Robin.”
BEEP
“Grayson. I should explain my last message better. I did terrible things when I was in the League. In order to prove myself to Mother I embarked on what was called the Year of Blood. It is like it sounds, but now I am ready to do what I can to change that and I’m putting myself through the Year of Atonement. I hope I come out someone worthy of being called your brother. I didn’t tell you this when you were alive, but I love you too, Grayson. I thought you should know that.”
“This is Damian please-no, Grayson I will not have you ruin this message for me! Tt, Yes I am recording over your stupid one, no I don’t feel bad about that. It was stupid, and childish, I can record my own messages without your help-”
BEEP
“Little D, you still haven’t gotten the hang of setting a message have you? Its fine, I like this one better, it’s more you. So, Bruce has a Justice League thing and I was thinking we could do patrol together for the next week. It’ll be fun, just you and me, out on the town like old times. Batman and Robin will never die, right?”