Angst Damian Wayne One Shots

Shadows in His Eyes

The silence in the Batcave was a rare thing, but ever since Damian Wayne had returned, it had settled over Wayne Manor like a heavy fog. The Bat Family had gone to hell and back to rescue him, tearing through the League of Assassins and braving Talia al Ghul's traps. Yet, even after they'd gotten Damian back, something inside him had been left behind—something dark.

It was subtle at first. Damian had always been a bit... difficult, but this was different. He was sharper now, quieter, and so calculating that it sent a chill through the family. His words were precise, like blades honed to perfection, and his gaze carried the weight of someone who had learned too much about the worst parts of the world. And worst of all, Damian didn't let anyone see it. He wore a mask, pretending to be the same smug, exasperating kid they knew before—but the Bat Family saw cracks in the performance.

And those cracks only deepened the more they tried to reach him.

When Bruce Wayne stormed the League's base, he thought the worst part would be the mission itself—navigating labyrinths of stone corridors, neutralizing assassins whose precision rivaled his own. He expected every step to be a fight, every turn to carry the risk of death. But as he tore through wave after wave of loyalists and plunged deeper into the stronghold, he realized the true challenge wasn't in the battle—it was in what he would find at the end of it.

He had imagined this moment countless times since Damian left: finding his son, breaking him free from the League's grasp, bringing him back to Gotham where he belonged. He had prepared himself for a fight, for Damian to resist. But nothing could have prepared him for the reality waiting inside the grand hall.

The enormous stone doors groaned as Bruce forced them open, his heart pounding in his chest. What he saw made the world tilt beneath his feet.

Damian was kneeling at the center of the hall, his hands bound in heavy iron chains, head bowed in eerie silence. Talia al Ghul stood over him like a queen surveying her prize, her dark robes cascading around her. Torches flickered on the walls, casting jagged shadows across her face—a face that radiated both triumph and cruelty. She ran a hand almost tenderly through Damian's hair, as if he were a trophy on display.

"He's where he belongs, Beloved," Talia whispered, her voice like a dagger wrapped in silk. "With me. With the League. He's his true self now—finally unshackled from the weakness you tried to instill in him."

Bruce's fists clenched at his sides, fury and guilt colliding within him. "Let him go, Talia."

Talia smiled, a slow, venomous thing. "Why would he want to leave? Look at him. This is who Damian is—a warrior, a leader. Not the frightened boy you tried to mold into something he could never be."

Bruce's gaze shifted to his son, hoping for a flicker of recognition, a spark of the boy he once knew. But Damian didn't meet his eyes. His shoulders were rigid, his expression blank. The vibrant arrogance that had once defined him was gone, replaced by a chilling emptiness. It was as if the Damian Wayne Bruce had fought so hard to save had been hollowed out, leaving only a shell behind.

"Damian." Bruce's voice was low, almost pleading. "Look at me."

For a moment, it seemed like Damian might lift his head, might offer some sign—any sign—that his father's presence meant something. But the boy remained still, eyes downcast, as if the very act of acknowledging Bruce would be an admission of defeat.

Bruce felt his throat tighten. He had always known this rescue would be difficult. He just hadn't expected to feel like a stranger standing in front of his own son.

Talia's smile deepened, her eyes glinting with victory. "You see now, don't you? He belongs to me. He belongs to the League. He is mine."

Bruce surged forward before she could react, grappling with the chains binding Damian's wrists. His heart thundered in his chest as he pulled the boy to his feet. "You're coming with me," he said, more a command than a plea.