Chapter Text
Damian never thought he would have a brother.
At first, the teen was catatonic, mother had brought him in, fed him, trained him, but the boy would not utter a single word, blue eyes, vacant with a morbid lack of life.
Mother had to undress him, to bathe him, to dress him again, to brush his teeth, feed him, mother became a caretaker for the boy, Damian didn’t understand why she was so attached to him, he even felt a little jealous, for she allowed herself to show a weakness, the weakness of showing she cared.
“He is your brother, habibi, he is family, treat him well” Was mother’s words.
Family, mother had talked about father, not too much. He knew he was Batman, he knew she had once loved him and now he knew that the teen under her care was his adopted brother.
He felt like he needed to prove himself worthy, so one day he attacked the boy, who didn’t even retaliate, if anything the teen just stared at him, eyes still empty, a husk of a person, waiting for Damian to put an end to him.
It felt…wrong, to kill someone who wouldn’t even fight back, someone who just stared at him with something akin to acceptance of his own death, someone who is supposed to be his family.
Mother is furious when she finds her son, blood on his blade staring at the boy who was standing despite the huge wound on his leg and torso.
She is on her knees shaking him back and forward, eyes wide. “Damian! What were you thinking!?”
“He is useless, he won’t even defend himself” He grits out, trying to sound as if he was in the right. “I needed to prove I’m the better son”
Her eyes darken and he flinched, he had disappointed mother, was it because he wasn’t able to finish the job?
“Abni…you don't need to prove yourself to me, I’m not your grandfather, you never have to prove anything to me, you are my beloved son, my heart, my little prince, I will always love you” She presses a kiss on his forehead, bringing him close into a tight hug.
“Oh…” He whispers, lost and confused, Ra’s always wanted him to prove himself that he was worthy of being the man’s heir, he has killed to prove he was someone his grandfather could be proud of, but mother…mother doesn’t want that? He is…at loss.
Talia leans away, to look her son in the eye. “Habibi, do never believe your grandfather’s words, he is a viper, a monster, he will do anything to break you, anything to take you away from me, do never doubt my love for you”
Damian sees the unshed tears in his umm’s eyes and feels awful. “I’m sorry mother…”
“I’m not the one who needs to hear that” She says softly, glancing at the bleeding older boy.
He flinches when he turns to be met with those dead eyes staring at him, a person who could kill at any command, but could not defend himself at will, he attacked someone defenseless, he attacked his brother.
“I’m sorry akhi” He bows slightly.
He doesn’t expect to hear a response, and he doesn’t get one.
“Your brother, he has been through something very traumatic, my son, he is not well at the moment, he needs us” Talias says softly. “He needs you, do you think you can be good to him?”
Damian turns to her with determination in his eyes. “Of course mother”
“Thank you habibi” She smiles, a genuine smile that makes his eyes shine. “Let Jason know how it is to be cared for”
She tells him his brother’s name and bit more about him that night.
Jason Todd.
The son of his father.
The son that his father failed.
The Robin who died.
The brother his mother has tasked him to care for.
They train together, Damian admits that when the boy is ordered to defend himself he is good at it, very skilled, very powerful with his attacks.
Their sparring is fun, Todd always is careful to not go too hard on him but not making it easy for him either.
It’s…odd, whenever Damian trains alone, he always gets hurt, he is ashamed of himself, his trainer isn’t as careful as his brother, the woman hits him hard enough to break his bones if he doesn’t dodge.
Damian may have abused Todd’s lack of will and his forced obedience to ask for a hug whenever he is sent to his room after training, the older boy is surprisingly a good hugger.
Talias has found him multiple times being held by his brother, who obediently comforted him, she doesn’t mention it, he is thankful.
Mother brings books to their now shared room one day, she says his brother used to read a lot before and that he could read some of them to spend some time together with his akh, to get to know him through his hobby.
He likes some of the books, they are interesting, he has an idea as he is about to start another book, what if he reads out loud of his akh? This way they both would be sharing something together.
So he does that, reading out loud in his room to his big brother, who day after day seems to actually pay attention to what he is saying.
Today after another painful day of training, Damian starts reading again, mother said this book used to be Todd’s favorite, ‘Pride and Prejudice’, he has read many books for his akh lately, the older boy always look interested when he reads it out loud, which always makes him feel that maybe, just maybe, his brother is actually here with him in body and soul.
“—-there is a stubbornness about me that never can bear to be frightened at the will of others” Damian feels Jason shifting, the teen actually sits in front of him without being asked to, that surprises him enough for him to stop reading, he looks at him brother, who looks more interested than usual on his reading.
Damian holds akhi’s gaze for a few minutes before he goes back to reading. “My courage always—” Then he is cut off.
“Ha…” Todd mumbles, making him startle.
Was the other trying to laugh? Damian puts the book down, his attention fully on his brother now, eyes attentive, watching carefully and patiently.
“Akh?” He asks hesitantly.
“Ha—” Todd tries again “Ha—habi–bi?”
Damian perks up, eyes wide and heart suddenly racing inside his chest, his brother spoke! “Yes, Todd?”
Jason points at him, usually vacant eyes, now lost and trying to focus. “Li…li–ttle…bro—ther?”
The child can’t help it, he is so happy, akh is speaking! He…he called him brother, or in this case he is asking if he is his brother.
“Yes, Todd, I’m your brother, though I’m not little”
The older boy tilts his head to the side, a frown on his face, as if trying to process the words, then he stares, searching Damian’s expression for something, before letting out a small weak laugh.
“Li–ttle” The teen says, a tone full of mirth.
And Damian feels his cheeks warm up, heart beating faster from both embarrassment and sudden joy, because this is the first time his brother spoke, the first time he smiled, the first time he laughed, he never thought he would be so happy with such things.
“Am not!” He exclaims with a pout, playing along.
“Little” The other repeated more clearly, voice still warm and playful.
Damian shoves him slightly, earning him another beautiful laugh, he never thought he would be this happy to hear someone laugh at his expense
“Do you wish for me to keep reading?” He asks, eager to keep reading for his akh
Todd looks at him, the words sinking in, then his lips curve up slightly into a small fond smile. “Y–Yes”
“Alright” Damian quickly picks up the book again. “My courage always rises at every attempt to intimidate me—”
His brother’s consciousness coming back, even if it slowly, is a miracle, and a blessing…but it also is something that Damian hates on some occasions.
For whenever he did a mistake, the punishment, the scars he would earn, were painful, but not as painful as it is when his akh stares into Ra’s eyes and asks to take his punishment for him, not as painful as having to watch his brother being cut open and beaten up in front of him and he is powerless to do anything as his big brother almost dies before him.
Sometimes Damian wished his brother had stayed a vegetable, for this way he would never get hurt in his place.
“I hate you” He bluntly says one day, after Todd had his back whipped at least forty times as punishment for when Damian failed to dodge a surprise attack from one of his trainers.
Jason turns to him, eyes full of warmth, directed at him.“Habi—bi…”
He didn’t deserve such a look from his brother, not after what Damian put him through.
“Why do you keep doing this? Why do you offer to suffer in my place?” His voice doesn’t crack, but it's a close thing, why does he feel like this? He was never this emotional.
Jason crouches to his level, a hand going to Damians cheek. “Pro—tect, little, prin—ce”
He slaps his brother’s hand away. “I don’t need protection, the mistake was mine, I shall bear with whatever punishment grandfather comes up with”
“My hear–t”
“You shouldn’t…you should never take my place akh, you don–”
“My so—ul”
“Please…” Damian finds himself pleading. “Please stop taking my punishments”
“My, little, bro–ther”
“Please”
“I lo–ve, you”
Damian looks down, trying to hold down the tears that threaten to fall any moment. He fails at it, miserably, he hates him, hates how much the boy loves him, hates him for taking the pain that was supposed to be his. He hates him so much.
Big arms wrap themselves around him, bringing him in closer until Damian is resting his wet face on the other’s chest.
“I hate you” He whispers, arms limp, refusing to return the embrace.
Jason hums, rocking them back and forward, humming a lullaby that makes Damian’s feels safe, he has no right to bring him that much comfort.
He finally returns the hug, small hands clutching desperately to his akh’s shirt.
“...I love you too” He whispers, voice cracking as more tears fall down.
Grandfather was so angry, he wanted to get rid of his brother, wanted to kill him and Damian can’t let that happen.
Damian loves his brother, he loves him more than anything, sometimes he feels like his love for his akh is stronger than his love for his own mother.
His mother doesn’t seem to mind when she realizes that fact.
She is desperate, asking his brother to follow her to where the Lazarus’ pit waters are located, Damian feels himself panic inside, she is really going to do it.
Mother submerges his akh in the green water, he waits anxiously, would his brother remember him? Would he be mad at him for making him comfort him all these times against his will? Would he even see him as a brother now that he will have his full will back? Would Jason still love him?
Damian watches as his brother emerges from the pit screaming from the top of his lungs.
Mother is quick to drag him out of it, Todd is still panicking, screaming and waving his arms and clawing at the air as if he was trying to dig something.
He is at the older boy’s side in a moment, hugging his other side while Talia hugs his left side, she whispers reassurance into his ear, and Jason eventually stops trying to dig himself out of whatever nightmare he was stuck in.
His brother has yet to wake up after that day.
Damian has been training harder, grandfather wasn’t very happy to know mother has thrown his brother into the pit. But it’s okay, he can take the punishment, he needs to be strong, his brother can’t always be there for him and he wants to be stronger, for his brother, so he can protect him one day as well.
He goes to his room and reads to his unconscious brother every single night before he falls asleep at Jason’s side.
After a week of no sign of improvement, after a peaceful night he wakes up to arms wrapped around him. At first he goes still, wondering who was trying to kill him, but then he remembers.
“Akh?” He whispers hopeful
The person holding him rubs his nose on his hair. “Habibi”
“Akh!” Damian leans away to look at his brother with tearful eyes.
Jason chuckles, one hand ruffling his little brother’s hair who doesn’t even try to slap his hand away this time. “Hello there little prince” He whispers softly.
“You are not angry with me?” The kid asks as he furiously wipes away his tears.
The other frowns confusedly. “Why would I be angry at you, my heart?”
“You remember, correct? You remember whenever I forced you to–”
“Hug you? Kid… you speak as if you had asked me to kill kittens, it’s not really that bad, you’re child, a child who has been hurt every single day and wanted some sort of comfort, I’m not going to hold that against you”
Damian felt himself relax, all his guilt gone. “Do you still…” He looks away, not knowing how to say it now that his brother is fully back to consciousness.
Todd’s expression softens. “Love you?”
The child nods, not meeting his eyes.
“Of course I love you, little brother” He placed a kiss on his forehead, tightening his hold on the boy who whimpered at that startling Todd.
“Habibi?” Jason leans away to check on his brother, eyes wide in alarm.
“Forgive me, I am just sore” Damian apologizes ashamed.
Todd sits at hearing that, he asks him to take off his shirt which Damian doesn’t even try to disobey, when he sees the cuts and bruises, his eyes darken
“What happened?” Jason’s voice is cold and dark.
Damian is not scared, he knows the anger is not directed at him. “Grandfather was not very pleased that mother healed you…”
“I see…it’s okay habibi, everything will be alright, I promise” The older boy gently and carefully goes back to hugging him.
And Damian believed him, because he trusted akh with his life.
….
And then, when he next woke up, his brother was holding Ra’s severed head in his hands, the teen was on his knees, presenting the head as a gift.
“To you, my little prince, may he never hurt you again”
And Damian never felt more safe than at that moment.
“I understand you must wish to return to our father’s side now that you are fully whole…” Damian asks days later after his grandfather’s death.
There were a lot of assassins who wanted to get revenge, but mother and Jason have been keeping them at bay, today was one of the rare days they had some peace.
“Bruce is not my father” Jason blurts out.
Damian blinks in surprise at his brother. “What do you mean, akh?”
“He said so…we argued, he said I wasn’t his son, I ran away to find my mother, she sold me out to the Joker, the clown killed me, I woke up in my grave—I…came back to the living and what do I find? The Joker is still alive…Batman has another Robin, he has replaced me…I have nothing in Gotham to go back to”
Damian feels himself tremble with anger, his father rejected his brother? Why? He…he is the reason his brother got hurt, the reason he died. He doesn't think he can see his father in the same way.
And what makes him even angrier is that the bat didn’t even avenge his brother, if it were him, he would have killed the clown and presented his severed limbs to his akh as a present, just like he did for him.
Maybe one day, when he is more prepared, he shall avenge his brother.
Akh has been gone for five months…he hasn’t heard of Jason ever since he bid him goodbye saying mother had given him an important mission. He misses his brother, what was taking him so long?
“I’m sending you to your father” Talias says, looking down at the corpse of the tenth assassin that has dared to try to kill them today.
“I do not understand mother, grandfather is dead, why would you send me to father?” He asks confused.
“It’s dangerous to stay here, abni, my father may be dead, but there are still those loyal to him even in death, as you could tell, they will try to hurt you to get to me”
“Akhi will come back and become the rightful leader of the League then we will be safe!”
“Habibi…please, I need to send you to your father, he will keep you safe until I get things back in control, your brother is cleaning Gotham to make it safer for you”
His eyes wide, so Jason’s quest was that? To kill Gotham’s rogues to make it less dangerous for him? He should have told him! His brother shouldn’t go back to the place where the man who rejected him as his son was, to the place his murderer is located, to the place he died!
Seeing the anger on his face, Talia crouches, cupping his head between her hands.
“Habibi, your brother is stronger than you realize” She reassured him. “He will be watching you from the shadows, loving you and looking out of for you each step of the way”
If he goes to Gotham, to his father, then he will closer to his brother, this way there is chance that he can meet him again.
“...if akhi is there, then I suppose I could go to father…”
“Thank you abni” She said, relieved.
He is only going so he can see his brother again, he has no reason to play nice with his father though.