A/N: This is my second fic I have ever written so feel free to leave a review and roast me! :)
Like Father Like Sons
Growing up, Bruce got a lot of comments from random socialites while at elegant galas about how he, 'was the spitting image' of his father or how he was 'his father's son.' At the time, he wasn't entirely sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing, he just kind of went along with whatever the socialites were saying by giving them bright smiles as they would pinch his cheeks or ruffle his hair. Then his parents died, and he longed to be back to the times everyone would tell him he reminded them of his father.
When he first took in Dick as his ward and pushed him into the billionaire lifestyle, he wasn't expecting Dick to like galas very much, but Dick managed to play along and was probably even more charming than 'Brucie' himself. Another thing he was not expecting was when the socialites and other billionaires would tell Bruce that Dick reminded them of him. It was definitely a coincidence that Dick had black hair and blue eyes just like him, but in all honesty, Dick was probably the polar opposite of him.
Dick was naturally a good person with his intentions and heart always in the right place. From the time Bruce took him in to now Dick had always been Bruce's sense of justice personified. Even after everything Dick has gone through from seeing his parents die right in front of him to every wrong Bruce has done to him, Dick always sought to resolve conflict through justice and not revenge. Even when difficult times would test him, Dick was always the one to seek peace and not disharmony.
The whole reason Bruce took Dick in and trained him to be Robin was so that Dick wouldn't become Bruce. He couldn't help but smile because in a lot of ways Dick was the exact opposite of Bruce, Dick was much more genuine with his interactions with people, had a bit more flare with his acrobatic skills when fighting, and he seemed to be the glue to the family.
When Bruce took in Jason, he was definitely not expecting him to immerse himself into the billionaire lifestyle. After a few failed attempts of pushing Jason into the crowds of large galas Bruce took to a more refined approach and explained to Jason the charity aspect of the galas.
Considering Jason's background, Bruce thought it would persuade him to at least be present at galas and when it worked, Bruce couldn't help but bask in the win. Jason was much more reserved than Dick had been, but none the less made appearances at the galas and would even allow a few attendees to pinch his cheeks or ruffle his hair despite them being, 'rich assholes.'
Bruce was definitely taken aback when the same attendees would tell him that Jason had reminded them of him. Truthfully, Jason was more like Bruce than Dick was, personality wise, but Jason was the complete opposite of the 'Brucie' persona he portrayed in public. It was also a coincidence that Jason had black hair and striking blue eyes (that were now green thanks to the Lazarus pit). But Jason was much more reserved with people and was not a fan of the public attention he received due to being Bruce's newest adopted son.
Jason is Bruce's anger and strength personified. Jason has always had a certain fire and hatred against the world that has done him so wrong, which is where Bruce saw the similarities between them. After Bruce's parents were killed, he sought to rid the entire city of Gotham of criminals. Jason was in a similar position but had a tendency to be a little bit more extreme. Bruce had to admit Jason was getting a lot better with the whole 'no killing' ordeal and he was proud, but there truly was a certain darkness to the former Robin.
Jason's physical strength now rivals Bruce's own strength and he was gradually approaching his own height. Any opponent Jason went against, Jason would disable in record time due to his sheer strength and the fear he struck throughout Gotham. Whereas Bruce would be a little bit more meticulous in taking down his opponents.
Bruce would actually say he was most similar to Jason in a lot of ways. They had a tendency to have difficulty with expressing how they felt, they both had a tendency to brood a lot, and they both preferred to do things on their own. Maybe that was why they argued more frequently because of how similar they truly are. Bruce isn't too sure.
Tim is a completely different story. Tim grew up in the same lifestyle that Bruce had. With the large elegant galas filled with ridiculously rich people, so Tim had also learned to create a façade of his own while in front of the public eye. Tim was also different then Dick and Jason with the fact that he still had Jack Drake when Tim became Robin. Which probably why Bruce was completely taken away when gala attendees told him that Tim reminded them of him.
Bruce swore on everything it was a coincidence that Tim also had black hair and blue eyes. In fact, Tim was the one who asked Bruce if he could become Robin, so it wasn't like Bruce was simply adopting every raven haired and blue-eyed boy out there.
Tim is Bruce's intelligence personified. From birth Tim seemed to have a natural affinity to solving problems with ease. Tim was truly much more intelligent than Bruce himself and even surpassed his own detective skills. When Tim fought, he fought using logic, taking down his opponents three steps less than the others usually would. Tim was also similar to Bruce in the fact that they both seemed to bury themselves in work. From Wayne Enterprises, school, and being Red Robin, the kid really had a lot going on.
The way they differed was that Tim knew how to ask for help. He had several allies at his disposal and wasn't afraid to ask them for help when he needed it. Meanwhile, Bruce was still getting used to the fact that he had his sons, the Birds of Prey, and the Justice League he could turn to when he needed it.
Bruce 100% expected people to tell him that Damian was the spitting image of him because physically, Damian did resemble him a lot. So, for the first time when a rich elderly lady told him that Damian reminded her of him, he wasn't taken aback. Except Damian was probably the complete opposite of his 'Brucie', persona.
In public and even at galas Damian was well, still Damian. Aggressive and just as blunt while even in the public eye. Damian was still learning how to trust other people and how to be in a functioning society. They were working on it.
Damian was Bruce's independency personified. Damian had always informed the other members of the family that he could do things on his own, but none of them would allow that. Similar to Bruce, Damian had a lot of allies he could rely on, he just chose to try to do things on his own. Damian didn't have a whole lot of experience with working on a team, but he was starting to learn. Bruce chuckled because Damian was quite the handful, but Alfred would always joke about how Bruce was just as arrogant and stubborn as Damian.
Bruce never believed that blood was what made family because after his parents had died, Alfred was his family. Slowly but surely his family expanded with every addition of his adopted sons and his surprise blood son. So, when he looked into the swarm of people attending a gala at the manor and he spotted every single one of his sons socializing with a certain charisma that reminded him of well, him. He couldn't help but grin from ear to ear because as they say, like father like sons.
