Robin one shot part 3!

DDD

Follow up to Double D soon to be Triple D

David walked into the bedroom but stopped in the doorway. There was a child on the bed next to Dick watching TV. There hadn't been a child there before he left. In fact, he distinctly remembered that no kids were allowed in the base unless there were offspring of a member who couldn't find a babysitter or one of Dick's brothers. Given how close he was to Dick, David took the educated guess that this was one of the latter. "What's going on?" he asked slowly. 

"Oh, David! You remember Damian, right?" Dick greeted. The ginger nodded slowly and closed the door behind him but didn't make any moves to get closer to the pair. He didn't quite trust the boy after the reunion. Going behind Dick's back like that and even considering that it was right when it had been Bruce who conjured up the plan had put a sour taste in the hitman's mouth. He couldn't be sure this wasn't a continuation of that plan or some new one that would no doubt hurt his lover. 

"Why's he here?" he asked.

"Father and I have been going through some disagreements. Grayson has offered me a place to stay," Damian answered.

"You didn't speak with me about this."

"Last time I checked, I'm the boss. He's family," Dick replied, giving a glare to punctuate his point. The ginger sighed since he knew he wouldn't get anywhere on this. Plus he wasn't about to force Damian out if he'd argued with that brute of a billionaire. "You're not gonna cause any fuss over this, are you?" He shook his head and went over to sit beside his boyfriend. He wasn't really sure what to do with himself once he'd sat down though. He had wanted to have a quiet night spent cuddling with his boyfriend but that was out of the question with a kid in the room. A kid that wasn't too happy with his occupation too. Though they had shared brief interactions, few had been completely positive. It was an awkward few minutes before Dick's radio beeped. He frowned and got up. "What's the issue, over?"

"We've got a major incident at your East Base. They got in a shoot out and now the infirmary is full, over."

"These the same guys who got in a shoot out over poker, over?"

"That's them, over." Dick groaned.

"I'll be there soon. Over." He pocketed his radio and put his combat boots back on. Sure he was a rule breaker but shoes on the bed would never be right in his mind.

"What's happening?" David asked.

"A little dispute needs my attention," he answered calmly. "You two can entertain yourselves for a bit, right?" The pair glanced at one another then back at him with unsure looks. "I'll be back before you know it plus you two have plenty in common." He kissed David quickly before grabbing his gun from the nightstand. "I'll be back soon. Don't kill each other!" 

The door closed and they stayed silent for a good minute. The only noise was coming from the TV which somewhat helped with the awkwardness of sitting next to a person you hardly knew but not by much. David was tempted to just leave the room but he knew what Dick wanted. He wanted him to talk with his little brother and make him feel more comfortable staying here. That man put too much faith in him to carry a conversation. They had plenty of things in common apparently. He tried to think back to the reunion before his boyfriend got drunk and threw a glass and found that he hadn't actually talked to the kid then. "How long are you staying here?" he asked.

"Indefinitely. I'm unsure of when I want to go back," Damian replied quietly. "I'm aware that your loyalty to Grayson may be making you tolerant of my presence but I'd like to know if you actually are okay with me being here. I'd rather not attempt to converse with someone who doesn't want me to stay here."

"I'm okay with it, I'm just wary. You've hurt him before."

"He's hurt me before," Damian reminded him. That was unfortunately true. As much as Dick's decision had benefited the hitman, he knew the consequences of it well enough. The acrobat had sent shock waves through a community that it would almost be impossible to not affect anyone else. This kid here was living proof of that. "Can you imagine how difficult it was for me to witness this change?" 

"I can." They both go quiet, not knowing how much further they should go with this line of conversation. This is why they needed Dick here. He always knew how to connect conversations, weaving them together in an artful way that made them feel so natural despite their coercion. He had a knack for it they supposed. A knack they just didn't have. 

Despite their awkwardness, Damian was sure he wanted to keep some sort of topic going longer than a minute. If he was going to be staying here, he'd rather have a better basis with the hitman. One where they wouldn't feel quite as nervous around one another. Plus Dick obviously wanted them to get along. He respected his older brother and it would be rude to not at least try to engage with his host's lover. "Are there always such issues within the gang?" Damian asked quietly. The hitman sighed with relief. Now, this was a topic he could handle.

"Not with the whole gang. This branch is new and we're going through some issues. We're currently considering sending senior members there for permanent positions," he explained. "Dick has to get involved when things get rough and as the boss, he needs to stomp out any behaviour that could undermine our image."

"He likes doing this, right? Having a gang and everything?"

"As far as I can tell. He's been better since the whole situation a year ago. I think the shit just hit the fan when that happened and he didn't quite understand things. I've kept an eye on him." Damian nodded. He remembered the incident. The broken look on his brother's face. He'd not been around to see that sparkle he had in his eyes when he was a child but that day it felt like the sparkle had finally died. It returned, not half as bright as before but it was better than nothing. It was more than he'd seen. "He speaks well of you," David mentioned.

"As he should. I'm a formidable force and had we not had the relationship we do, I would've reprimanded him quite easily." The ginger wore a ghost of a smile as he listened to the kid rattle off. He was quite funny even if he didn't mean to be. "What're you smiling at?"

"Nothing. I can see why Dick likes you." Damian hummed sceptically. "You like weapons?"

"I'm a fan of the blade, yes."

"I have a few. Not very good for hitman work." 

"I can imagine." The older nodded. He needed to say something and it was going to take all his social skills to do but he needed to. He would've wanted that when he was Damian's age and going through everything he did. Dick had given him that space and he was giving Damian the same safe place but he wouldn't always be there. Sure he was the older brother but he had issues of his own. Sometimes he wouldn't be able to be there for the good of his own health. David took in a deep breath and turned to the younger, looking him in the eye for the first time that evening. 

"Listen, um I don't do this whole talking thing. I'm sure you're aware that your brother is much better at it than me. But I had a shitty time with my dad. A really really shitty time. I understand your situation so if...if you need someone and Dick isn't there, I'm here," he offered.

"Thank you. I appreciate the offer. I'm sorry to hear about your father."

"It's alright. It's been a while so know that this shit now doesn't mean anything in the future. You're you. Your parents don't get to have a say in that unless you want them to." The younger smiled and nodded.

"I'll be sure to remember that."

"You wanna switch channels? I always tune out when Dick puts this on."

"I do the same."

After a long argument and some lessons that got a little bloody, Dick returned to find his boyfriend and his brother fast asleep. He smiled warmly at the scene and decided he wouldn't wake them. He decided to sleep in the other room for tonight so he quietly closed the door and walked down the hall to the other room. Thank God those two liked each other. He certainly wasn't in the mood to pick between the two. He kicked off his boots and fell onto the bed with a content feeling. This might just work out for the best.