[ a message dings early in the morning: stop by when you get the chance. not a rare greeting, although typically bruce goes to damian's door so they can walk down together to have breakfast. he insisted on mealtimes together, though the rest of their schedules differ. bruce tries not to hover. oska isn't the labyrinth, and he trusts damian. so long as damian is responsible and his schoolwork is completed on time, bruce gives him leave to explore alone during the day.
this morning is different. his new uniform came in along with a few things he did not request. it was one of those things that woke him up earlier than usual. the source of the light clicking of nails on the floor and quiet whimpers. a ball of red fur peered at him with large golden eyes. strangely cute in its mix of disparate traits. large bat ears and wings. a long tail. tame. though it shrunk away from him at first, it had approached after a few seconds to sniff at bruce's fingers. when bruce sent the message, the animal sat curled on his lap, dozing gently. the tag on its collar identified it as goliath.
bruce would have thought it accidentally escaped from someone except that a basket of toys had been near it. searching through it had not unearthed any more clues as to goliath's owner, though he found something else.
a yellow ball. smooth and cool to the touch. at first glance, he thought it another toy. when he lifted it, bruce saw his own reflection on its surface warped as it was by the spherical shape. the symbol on it convinced him more perfectly than anything else that the orb, the toys, the basket, goliath had come from gotham. more than that — they came from batman. the first one. the real one if half the arguments in gotham had their way.
the only thing everyone agreed on is that had been the one that died.
he is lost in thought when the sound of the knob turning draws him back to the present. bruce and goliath both look over. this morning's strangeness: a baby animal, a basket of toys, and a yellow ball, the most innocent looking of all, the black bat branded on it hidden against his palm. ]
[Damian enters, opens his mouth to ask what Father had wanted to see him about, and then freezes, catching sight of not one but two sets of eyes tracking his movement. He stands paused for another few seconds before his focus immediately shifts only towards the red ball of fur and he comes to kneel next to his father, bringing himself eye level with the—winged dog? No, definitely not—on Bruce's lap.
He doesn't even register that Bruce is holding anything else.]
[With only the barest hint of awe.] What is it?
[Goliath on the other hand has no such hesitancy, instantly springing from Bruce lap and launching himself at Damian with an excited yip. Damian catches him in his arms instinctively only to be immediately confronted with the beast's tongue doing its level best to wash Damian's entire face.
A Goliath, [ dryly, ] according to its tag. [ he is smiling, though. it's hard not to. between damian's obvious fascination and the animal's — whatever it is — glee upon seeing bruce's youngest, bruce would be hard-pressed to keep a smile from cracking even if he didn't already lean to them.
the reaction, at least, answers one question. bruce does not know goliath's species, but he knows dogs. that's the same glee a dog expresses upon seeing its owner. how damian got a dog-bat bruce isn't sure he wants to know. ( he suspects the animal to have passed through his hands. an exotic, fantastic creature to make up for an absentee parent. funny how much sense it makes. ) ]
It showed up in my room this morning, [ bruce chooses to refocus on the present, and answer a yet unasked question. ] I was going to have you help me look for his owner.
[ owner found, but he can't pass up the opportunity to tease. he too forgets the ball. ]
[Damian, now covered in slobber and trying to look annoyed about it, pulls Goliath close, fixing Bruce with an offended expression. It took Damian three seconds to decide this winged not!dog thing is his but dammit, if he isn't going to fight for it.]
If he had an owner, why would he be here? [The 'he' is assumed based on the name. Meanwhile Goliath busies himself continuing to lick away at any part of Damian he can reach, yipping playfully every couple of seconds.]
[ bruce gives a shrug. if it were possible to be more endeared, this is it. he does not have the heart to take goliath from damian.
but — ]
Animals are curious. They wander away.
[ he reaches for goliath only to elicit a response. before he did, he set the ball on the table beside the basket of toys. the basket stops its roll. ]
[Damian frowns prompting Goliath to moue in concern, though he's content enough to be passed to Bruce's arms.]
I'm sure if he had an owner, they would have noticed him missing by now. [His eyes flicker to Goliath as if to say, 'how could they not notice his absence immediately?' Then the other object—and more importantly, the symbol—catches Damian's eye and all thoughts of the dog-bat fall to the wayside.]
[ goliath goes with a lot less enthusiasm. he does not fight bruce, however, golden eyes swiveling to look up at him. sweet-tempered, it seems. when goliath stretches its delicate wings — still too small to carry him — bruce lets it climbs back toward damian. ]
Don't know.
[ bruce picks up the ball again. he looks at the strange reflection it casts. his belly makes a weird, uncomfortable little flip. ]
I found it in the basket with Goliath's toys. I've never seen it before. I asked ALASTAIR for armor for you, not for…any of this.
[ he signals to the ball, the basket, the creature. ]
I'm not sure what this is expected to show me —
[ the ball glows with the command. bruce gasps in surprise. the glow brightens.
[And he takes Goliath back in his arms but his focus remains on the innocuous yellow ball. This creature and that ball are from Gotham, and while he's intrigued where the tiny winged beast came from and how it might be related to their city, it's still not his immediate concern.
Neither is the knowledge that Father asked for armor for him, though it's something he stores away to think about later. Instead he watches as the ball brightens, fear gripping his heart as he considers the multitude of purposes it might serve. A flash grenade, an EMP pulse, something a little more devious, something completely innocent. There isn't time to react properly though, to pull his Father out of harm's way.
So he let's out a breath of relief when all that happens is a set of images begins to display. It's a recording device then. Unusual given the size and shape, but that is what it appears to be.
His relief lasts until the first flickering sight of Batman makes itself known and Damian watches in shock and horror, eyes glued to the makeshift screen as a story begins to play out.]
[ voice precedes figure, a voice he did not know and could not remember. though surprise registers on his face, bruce is not surprised to find it to be batman. deep and guttural, emerging from an object branded with his symbol.
he might wonder if this is the technology he made for batman. he might be curious as to how the ball, a recorder, works. ( voice activated, it has to be. ) he might work out why its specific shape, size.
yet bruce too is captivated by the scene unfolding before them.
they remain in his room, but the image is so clear, so crisp it does not feel two-dimensional. they stand in the middle of a cave watching batman approach. the light in his hand further illuminates details including purple boxes emblazoned with a smile, connected by green wires. and he knows what this is. this is the batman's and joker's last encounter. this, he realizes with a leaden feeling in his stomach, is their death.
even knowing what happens isn't enough to break the horrified awe. there's a pit — the source of the virus's cure? — and batman is speaking to a penny-two — who…? —
and the bombs go off.
so perfect is the immersion, bruce grabs damian by the shoulder when the walls cracks and tremble. only an image — the floor beneath them is steady — and the hold tightens while batman argues with someone on the other end —
he sees the skeleteal shadow that charges batman before the man can. the joker plunges a dagger through batman's back with enough force for the point to come out of his chest. bruce jerks damian back. ]
[Goliath lets out an unhappy yelp as Damian's arms, like his father's, tighten a bit too much, and he eases up immediately though his focus is still entirely set on what they're watching. What they'd watched. He knows exactly what this is. Knows just as well as Bruce what they're watching. That it was recorded isn't nearly as surprising as it maybe it should be. That the recording has found its way here is a different story.
The scene flickers to an end and he almost lets out an instinctive no, only just holding it back. He has to know how it ends.
He has to know how it happens and if they had both really perished. But.
Not in front of Father. It's with that heavy knowledge in mind that he silences his protests before they have begun. Without having any concrete plan, Damian knows instinctively that he'll be returning for the recording device, another time when Bruce is absent. He's going to watch it through to the end but he will not do it at the cost of shattering his father's peaceful ignorance.
His hands, fingers white with how tightly they close, surrender Goliath to the floor and he remains still, afraid to turn and see his father's face. Afraid that he already knows. (He doesn't know why that should be a thing to fear, but the fear curls tight in his lungs, constricting his air and making the room feel smaller than it is.)
Damian does not know what to say and so he says nothing, standing there shaking with his father at his back.]
Jesus. [ bruce glares at the ball as if it would grow teeth and claws. it feels flimsy in his hand. like dropping it will shatter it.
he does not drop it. unable to fathom reason why not as he walks toward the bedside table. jerks a drawer open and drops the ball inside. the drawer shutting makes a sharp final noise.
it can gather dust in there. bruce has no intention of touching it again.
only when he turns does he notice damian hasn't moved. goliath whines on the floor, one paw on damian's foot. damian looks at a point ahead of him. where batman had been. when bruce lays a hand on the boy's shoulder, he feels damian's shaking. ]
Damian. Son, look at me.
[ bruce sinks easily to one knee so he can be eye level. he turns damian so the boy will face him. his hands grasp damian's arms. god. how the hell does he even begin to explain — ]
What you saw is something that already happened. [ so many of the kids had personal tales of the batman. damian, by virtue of his relationship with bruce, likely met the man at some point. bruce rubs the boy's arms in comforting gesture. ]
I'm sorry that you had to see it. That wasn't something you should have seen. But it's over. It's done. Try to put it out of mind.
[Damian turns to him, expression oddly blank, and as he continues to speak his senses seem to return, eyes refocusing as he nods. Perhaps not for the reasons Father expects, the words do the job. This has already happened. Whatever went down, whatever the outcome, Father is here and he is alive. There is nothing in that recording that can change that.]
Alright, Father. [And as much as he may have intentions to do the opposite, his voice doesn't ring insincere, because in this moment he means it. He can put it out of mind for now, safe in the knowledge that Bruce Wayne lives and breathes no matter what remains hidden in that recording.
Then, turning his attention back to Goliath.] May I keep him?
[ bruce smiles at damian in encouragement. there is nothing about this situation to smile about, but he can pretend for as long as it takes for the wicked slash of the joker's grin to vanish from the air and their present.
he's dead. they are. let them stay buried. ]
I think he's yours.
[ maybe a pet is what damian needs. someone to keep him company; someone he can look after. ]
Why don't you take him back to your room? Let him explore his new home. I'll come get you both once I'm dressed. We'll walk down to get a bite to eat, then go to the library. See if we can't find out what kind of animal he is.
[It doesn't take long for Damian to figure out where Jason is staying and even less time to pick the lock to the room after he's used the map to make sure he isn't inside of it. When the door is open, he slips in with his cargo and moves straight to the bed. He doesn't even bother to snoop around the area, instead leaving the small spherical object in the middle of the bed with the bat symbol facing forwards. It'll be the first thing he sees when he walks into the room, Damian is sure.
Next to the object, Damian leaves an unsigned handwritten note, but he knows Todd will know exactly who wrote it.
It reads, simply:
Congratulations, I hope it was worth it.
Once he activates the recording function, he will understand]
[ a feeling wakes him. a sensation that prickles at the edge of his awareness. his room is empty, corroborated by the lamp he turns on. nothing visibly out of place. but the feeling endures, slowly gelling into a suspicion as he reaches for the drawer.
the orb is no longer there, but some part of him knew it would not be.
knocking on damian's door gets him no answer. a check with the tracker gives him the location he wants. bruce makes his way to the roof, crafting as he goes the scolding damian will get for stealing something that does not belong to him in defiance of his father's, implied, order. he'll get another for stealing out his room to the roof where it's unsafe. another, probably, for making bruce get up and deal with this behavior.
the anger lasts until he finds damian.
goliath whines quietly. damian makes no noise. quiet and curled into himself, looking smaller than he is. his eyes are on the floor. even when bruce stands in front of him, damian does not look up. wordlessly, bruce pulls damian into his arms.
goliath follows loyally behind them. damian slumps bonelessly against him. bruce hikes him up a little higher and passes a hand over the boy's back. silent is the trip and silent bruce easing his way into damian's room. silent as he lays damian back in his bed, removes the boy's shoes for him, pulls the covers up to damian's chin. silent when he picks up an equally quiet goliath who seems to sense something is wrong. he curls up immediately on the pillow next to damian. bruce brushes damian's hair away from his face.
there's a time to punish. it isn't now. whatever damian saw is punishment enough. ]
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epidemiology2017-09-09 09:31 am
DAMIAN.
this morning is different. his new uniform came in along with a few things he did not request. it was one of those things that woke him up earlier than usual. the source of the light clicking of nails on the floor and quiet whimpers. a ball of red fur peered at him with large golden eyes. strangely cute in its mix of disparate traits. large bat ears and wings. a long tail. tame. though it shrunk away from him at first, it had approached after a few seconds to sniff at bruce's fingers. when bruce sent the message, the animal sat curled on his lap, dozing gently. the tag on its collar identified it as goliath.
bruce would have thought it accidentally escaped from someone except that a basket of toys had been near it. searching through it had not unearthed any more clues as to goliath's owner, though he found something else.
a yellow ball. smooth and cool to the touch. at first glance, he thought it another toy. when he lifted it, bruce saw his own reflection on its surface warped as it was by the spherical shape. the symbol on it convinced him more perfectly than anything else that the orb, the toys, the basket, goliath had come from gotham. more than that — they came from batman. the first one. the real one if half the arguments in gotham had their way.
the only thing everyone agreed on is that had been the one that died.
he is lost in thought when the sound of the knob turning draws him back to the present. bruce and goliath both look over. this morning's strangeness: a baby animal, a basket of toys, and a yellow ball, the most innocent looking of all, the black bat branded on it hidden against his palm. ]
no subject
He doesn't even register that Bruce is holding anything else.]
[With only the barest hint of awe.] What is it?
[Goliath on the other hand has no such hesitancy, instantly springing from Bruce lap and launching himself at Damian with an excited yip. Damian catches him in his arms instinctively only to be immediately confronted with the beast's tongue doing its level best to wash Damian's entire face.
Goliath is very pleased to see Damian.]
no subject
the reaction, at least, answers one question. bruce does not know goliath's species, but he knows dogs. that's the same glee a dog expresses upon seeing its owner. how damian got a dog-bat bruce isn't sure he wants to know. ( he suspects the animal to have passed through his hands. an exotic, fantastic creature to make up for an absentee parent. funny how much sense it makes. ) ]
It showed up in my room this morning, [ bruce chooses to refocus on the present, and answer a yet unasked question. ] I was going to have you help me look for his owner.
[ owner found, but he can't pass up the opportunity to tease. he too forgets the ball. ]
no subject
If he had an owner, why would he be here? [The 'he' is assumed based on the name. Meanwhile Goliath busies himself continuing to lick away at any part of Damian he can reach, yipping playfully every couple of seconds.]
no subject
but — ]
Animals are curious. They wander away.
[ he reaches for goliath only to elicit a response. before he did, he set the ball on the table beside the basket of toys. the basket stops its roll. ]
no subject
I'm sure if he had an owner, they would have noticed him missing by now. [His eyes flicker to Goliath as if to say, 'how could they not notice his absence immediately?' Then the other object—and more importantly, the symbol—catches Damian's eye and all thoughts of the dog-bat fall to the wayside.]
...what is that?
no subject
Don't know.
[ bruce picks up the ball again. he looks at the strange reflection it casts. his belly makes a weird, uncomfortable little flip. ]
I found it in the basket with Goliath's toys. I've never seen it before. I asked ALASTAIR for armor for you, not for…any of this.
[ he signals to the ball, the basket, the creature. ]
I'm not sure what this is expected to show me —
[ the ball glows with the command. bruce gasps in surprise. the glow brightens.
his room becomes a cave. ]
no subject
Neither is the knowledge that Father asked for armor for him, though it's something he stores away to think about later. Instead he watches as the ball brightens, fear gripping his heart as he considers the multitude of purposes it might serve. A flash grenade, an EMP pulse, something a little more devious, something completely innocent. There isn't time to react properly though, to pull his Father out of harm's way.
So he let's out a breath of relief when all that happens is a set of images begins to display. It's a recording device then. Unusual given the size and shape, but that is what it appears to be.
His relief lasts until the first flickering sight of Batman makes itself known and Damian watches in shock and horror, eyes glued to the makeshift screen as a story begins to play out.]
no subject
he might wonder if this is the technology he made for batman. he might be curious as to how the ball, a recorder, works. ( voice activated, it has to be. ) he might work out why its specific shape, size.
yet bruce too is captivated by the scene unfolding before them.
they remain in his room, but the image is so clear, so crisp it does not feel two-dimensional. they stand in the middle of a cave watching batman approach. the light in his hand further illuminates details including purple boxes emblazoned with a smile, connected by green wires. and he knows what this is. this is the batman's and joker's last encounter. this, he realizes with a leaden feeling in his stomach, is their death.
even knowing what happens isn't enough to break the horrified awe. there's a pit — the source of the virus's cure? — and batman is speaking to a penny-two — who…? —
and the bombs go off.
so perfect is the immersion, bruce grabs damian by the shoulder when the walls cracks and tremble. only an image — the floor beneath them is steady — and the hold tightens while batman argues with someone on the other end —
he sees the skeleteal shadow that charges batman before the man can. the joker plunges a dagger through batman's back with enough force for the point to come out of his chest. bruce jerks damian back. ]
Stop! Stop, end!
[ the recording ends as abruptly as it began. ]
no subject
The scene flickers to an end and he almost lets out an instinctive no, only just holding it back. He has to know how it ends.
He has to know how it happens and if they had both really perished. But.
Not in front of Father. It's with that heavy knowledge in mind that he silences his protests before they have begun. Without having any concrete plan, Damian knows instinctively that he'll be returning for the recording device, another time when Bruce is absent. He's going to watch it through to the end but he will not do it at the cost of shattering his father's peaceful ignorance.
His hands, fingers white with how tightly they close, surrender Goliath to the floor and he remains still, afraid to turn and see his father's face. Afraid that he already knows. (He doesn't know why that should be a thing to fear, but the fear curls tight in his lungs, constricting his air and making the room feel smaller than it is.)
Damian does not know what to say and so he says nothing, standing there shaking with his father at his back.]
no subject
he does not drop it. unable to fathom reason why not as he walks toward the bedside table. jerks a drawer open and drops the ball inside. the drawer shutting makes a sharp final noise.
it can gather dust in there. bruce has no intention of touching it again.
only when he turns does he notice damian hasn't moved. goliath whines on the floor, one paw on damian's foot. damian looks at a point ahead of him. where batman had been. when bruce lays a hand on the boy's shoulder, he feels damian's shaking. ]
Damian. Son, look at me.
[ bruce sinks easily to one knee so he can be eye level. he turns damian so the boy will face him. his hands grasp damian's arms. god. how the hell does he even begin to explain — ]
What you saw is something that already happened. [ so many of the kids had personal tales of the batman. damian, by virtue of his relationship with bruce, likely met the man at some point. bruce rubs the boy's arms in comforting gesture. ]
I'm sorry that you had to see it. That wasn't something you should have seen. But it's over. It's done. Try to put it out of mind.
no subject
Alright, Father. [And as much as he may have intentions to do the opposite, his voice doesn't ring insincere, because in this moment he means it. He can put it out of mind for now, safe in the knowledge that Bruce Wayne lives and breathes no matter what remains hidden in that recording.
Then, turning his attention back to Goliath.] May I keep him?
no subject
he's dead. they are. let them stay buried. ]
I think he's yours.
[ maybe a pet is what damian needs. someone to keep him company; someone he can look after. ]
Why don't you take him back to your room? Let him explore his new home. I'll come get you both once I'm dressed. We'll walk down to get a bite to eat, then go to the library. See if we can't find out what kind of animal he is.
Jason
Next to the object, Damian leaves an unsigned handwritten note, but he knows Todd will know exactly who wrote it.
It reads, simply:
Congratulations, I hope it was worth it.
Once he activates the recording function, he will understand]
DAMIAN x2.
the orb is no longer there, but some part of him knew it would not be.
knocking on damian's door gets him no answer. a check with the tracker gives him the location he wants. bruce makes his way to the roof, crafting as he goes the scolding damian will get for stealing something that does not belong to him in defiance of his father's, implied, order. he'll get another for stealing out his room to the roof where it's unsafe. another, probably, for making bruce get up and deal with this behavior.
the anger lasts until he finds damian.
goliath whines quietly. damian makes no noise. quiet and curled into himself, looking smaller than he is. his eyes are on the floor. even when bruce stands in front of him, damian does not look up. wordlessly, bruce pulls damian into his arms.
goliath follows loyally behind them. damian slumps bonelessly against him. bruce hikes him up a little higher and passes a hand over the boy's back. silent is the trip and silent bruce easing his way into damian's room. silent as he lays damian back in his bed, removes the boy's shoes for him, pulls the covers up to damian's chin. silent when he picks up an equally quiet goliath who seems to sense something is wrong. he curls up immediately on the pillow next to damian. bruce brushes damian's hair away from his face.
there's a time to punish. it isn't now. whatever damian saw is punishment enough. ]