"Come on, Dami, at least try to act excited. You look like I'm escorting you to your execution."
Dick was met with a quiet "tt" as he dragged his youngest brother to the best ice cream store in Gotham. And by best, he means the only one that isn't either infested with cockroaches or controlled by the mafia. The flickering neon sign said "LULU'S ICE CREAM", the last few letters not even lighting up anymore.
"You realize I am only doing this for your benefit, right?" Damian growled, a scowl on his face.
"Whatever helps you sleep at night, kid." Dick ruffled his hair and pulled him over to the shop.
They approached the glass door, the bell tinkling happily as Dick opened it. The store was deserted, save for the single employee standing behind the counter looking quite bored. That was understandable for a teenager stuck standing behind a counter at two o'clock at night, despite the fact that no one ever bought ice cream that late.
The look of shock that flashed on her face could almost be considered comical, but that too was understandable, as it's not every day one gets to see Batman and Robin stroll into her ice cream shop.
Indeed, both Dick and Damian were still clad in their vigilante uniforms. Dick had first gotten the idea to buy ice cream right after they finished up patrol. He had been covering for Bruce as Batman all week while their father was busy on a Wayne company retreat he couldn't get out of. Dick had just finished tying up a couple of muggers before he had a sudden craving for a nice cold ice cream cone. And once the thought was in his head, there was no getting it out.
Knowing this, Damian grudgingly agreed to accompany him despite his distaste for the stuff.
He now felt even less amused than before, now that he has a chance to see the disgustingly pink interior of the already knowsilly-looking ice cream shop.
"B-batman?", the scared girl stuttered out, completely taken off guard by Gotham's vigilante.
"And Robin", Dick pointed out. He knew Damian hated to be overlooked. The boy in question gave a stiff nod in greeting.
"What are you two doing here?" She looked around, wondering if maybe she should call her manager for some backup.
Batman laughed. "We want to buy some ice cream", he replied, as if it's totally normal for the most feared superhero on the east coast to be inside a tiny ice cream parlor that looked like a rainbow threw up all over it. He looked over the options for a few seconds before pointing his finger at one in front. "I'll have one scoop of Superman ice cream in a waffle cone, please".
By then the employee had regained her composure for the most part and shakily began scooping his ice cream. Dick tapped his fingers on the glass counter and smiled, completely at ease as his sidekick continued to stand by like a grumpy soldier.
The girl handed the hero his cone, which he started licking happily. "Thanks… uh, Sheila", he noted the name on her name tag." He turned to his partner "And what about you, Robin?"
"N-", he began, but Dick harshly elbowed him in the side.
"He'll have one too", he told Sheila.
"No, Batman, I will not. I have no interest in a frozen ball of sugar and fat, thank you", he snapped.
"Nope, we agreed that in addition to coming here with me you also have to order an ice cream cone", Dick said, still licking his rainbow colored ice cream.
"Wha-? That was not part of the deal!"
Dick shrugged. "It is now".
Muttering a few curses, Damian gave in and walked up to the glass case. He was too short to look into it properly, so he had to stand on his toes in order to view the many flavors.
He was taken aback by the numerous amount of options concealed in the case. There was a flavor of every color, every flavor he could think of. For a second he put his faked disinterest aside and gaped at the woman.
"How- how many kinds are there?", he asked, the bewilderment obvious in his voice. Dick snickered behind him.
Sheila thought for a moment. "Uh, twenty-five, I think. Which one do you want?"
Damien gazed back at the many flavors, unsure of which one to pick. "I don't know which ones I like."
Sheila smiled for the first time since the two heroes walked into the shop. "If you want you can try a few, see which ones you prefer."
Forty minutes later and twenty-five different ice creams tested, Damian had finally managed to narrow his choices down to four. He was still trying to decide between them, to no avail. Meanwhile, Dick was already on his third cone of Superman ice cream, this one with rainbow sprinkles.
Both Dick and poor Sheila were beyond tired. "Oh my God, Robin, just get them all. I want to leeeaaave", Dick moaned from where he sat cross-legged, leaning against the wall on the far side of the parlor.
"Tt, fine", Damian huffed. He turned back to Sheila where she had her arms folded beneath her head on top of the warm counter. She looked up startled when he tapped her shoulder.
"I will have one scoop of pistachio, one scoop of raspberry, one scoop of mint chocolate chip, and one scoop of Batman ice cream in a waffle cone."
The other two gave long sighs of relief. Sheila prepared the ice cream, handing it to Damian who had an excited sparkle in his eyes as he gazed upon his dessert.
Dick stood up and pulled a hundred dollar bill out of his belt, handing it to Sheila. "Keep the change", he said, grinning with joy at being able to finally leave. He nudged his sidekick. "Say thank you", he ordered.
Damian rolled his eyes and muttered something under his breath that sounded partly like a thank you and partly like an insult. Dick seemed satisfied with that, and he waved to Sheila as they turned to exit.
After the pair of vigilantes left the parlor, Sheila eagerly grabbed her phone to tell everyone she knew about what just transpired.
…
The dynamic duo sat on the edge of a roof, licking away at their respective ice cream cones. Damian's mood was practically the polar opposite of what it had been no more than an hour earlier. He even went so far as to swing his legs back and forth over the edge.
"So Dami, want to go back there again the next time I fill in?", Dick inquired, his bright eyes scanning the city and his cowl down.
"It was quaint, I suppose. They could really use the money you throw at them", Damian answered.
"Please, you're the one who bought every kind of ice cream they had. I have to say, though, it's nice to finally have someone else in the family who doesn't buy the same flavor every time."
Damian tilted his head in curiosity, still focused on enjoying his treat. "What do the others get?"
Dick chuckled at the drop of melted ice cream on his little brother's nose. He wiped it off with his finger. "Tim and Cass always get chocolate, Bruce is a boring old man who only picks vanilla, Stephanie insists on strawberry, and Babs only buys that gross orange sorbet stuff for some reason. Jay is better; he likes Neapolitan. At least that one has a little diversity in it."
Damian finished off the last bite of his cone and stood up, pulling his hood back on and crossing his arms over his chest. "You will never speak of this to anyone, agreed?"
Dick stood up as well and pulled up his cowl, preparing his grappling gun to shoot off a line. "Whatever you say, Robin." And they swung off into the night, telling no one of their newfound tradition.