Notes: So, I've been in love with the game Ever Oasis. It's got everything I love in an RPG (except pixel graphics) and I find myself pondering the seedlings after reading too many soulmate AUs. I noticed a kind of pattern. In the game, Seedlings are about to create bloom booths from a seed in their heart. They create stores but not always of things they like. Some Seedlings seem to create stalls based off what the person they love or admire likes. Combine this with the soulmate AU and you have a world where people have seeds in their hearts which reflect something their soulmate loves. It doesn't really play a big part but it's why this story exists so go with it.

Plants and Art Supplies

It was Grayson who first told Damian about it. The seeds in their hearts. He lightly tapped Damian in the chest when he explained that there was a seed there. Damian gave him a flat stare. He had heard about the 'soulmate booths' but didn't understand what they were or what they meant.

"Should you plant your seed, it will become a booth for the fairies. The things your booth sells will be something your soulmate loves."

Damian thought this sounded stupid but was smart enough to not say this out loud. It was the kind of thing he knew Grayson took seriously. Instead, he phrased his comment as a question.

"Why would anyone do that?"

"Some believe the fairies bring good luck. Some think that having an active booth brings your soulmate to you quicker." Grayson got a stupid smile on his face. "Some people, like myself, find them pretty."

In a deadpan, Damian repeated, "pretty?"

There was a glint in Grayson's eye. He motioned to an empty pot on the windowsill. It had been sitting there since they moved into the penthouse.

"We could plant your seed and you'll see."

Damian crossed his hands over his chest, over his heart. "Why can't you just plant yours?" he snapped.

For a moment, Grayson's smile flickered. He stared at the pot rather than Damian. "Can't. My seed is broken."

"They can break?" Damian questioned. For a moment, he hated the world which had taken Grayson's seed away. He knew that, out of everyone, Grayson deserved this.

"A great trauma can cause the seed to crack. For example, your father's broke the night his parents died. I too, had my seed break the moment my parents hit the ground. Jason used to plant his seed when he was young but some of the comments he's made... I'm certain his didn't come back whole."

Damian swallowed. This was supposed to be a good thing, right? So why did it seem to dodge so many in his father's work?

"What about Drake?" he asked.

Grayson still wouldn't look at him. "I don't know. Whether his is whole is not is something he has not shared with me." There was broken trust there and Damian felt a pang in his chest he didn't understand. "Damian, some people never plant their seed. They don't believe in it or they're afraid of what it'll reveal; there are many reasons. I have to believe Tim falls into a category like that."

"And me? Is mine whole?" Damian asked.

Grayson finally looked at him, a smile coming to his face. "I believe so, kid, I believe so. Do you want to find out together?" Damian glanced over at the pot. "You can remove and replant your seed as many times as you wish. We'll make certain nothing damages it."

Damian felt the conviction in Grayson's words. He wondered how far the older man would go to protect this piece of Damian. Damian was a little afraid of what it could reveal. What if his was broken too? What if it did work and revealed something Damian couldn't comprehend?

Grayson already thought Drake was afraid so Damian was determined to be better than Drake. A little part of Damian wanted to see Grayson's face if it worked. He could give Grayson back a little something for everything the man was doing for him.

He bit his lip and nodded. Grayson brought the pot down to the table and placed it in front of him.

"It takes great trust to do something like this," Grayson said in wonder. Damian looked at the expression on his face, the small smile and sparkling eyes and he wanted this.

Damian took a breath, summoned that part of him which was heavy in his chest. He felt something come to life in his clasped hands which he placed down over the pot. Something dropped down into it. The next moment, Damian's hands were pushed away as a little booth came to life. It was a soft green and looked a little like a half-buried onion. Except, there were colourful flowers sprouting up from the top and a little purple flower blooming on the side.

Grayson sucked in a breath. "Wow Damian. Let's put it up and see if any fairies come."

Damian thought that sounded stupid. But he let Grayson do it anyway.

"What kind of booth is it?" he asked.

Grayson smiled at him and told him to watch. Damian did, waiting a few minutes while nothing happened.

Finally, a small light seemed to appear and float down. It went in and then came out. For a moment, Damian was certain he saw a little figure carrying a flowerpot with a little flower in it.

He rubbed his eyes while Grayson chuckled. It was a warm sound that had Damian look to him in confusion.

"A flower shop," Grayson commented. "Your soulmate must like flowers a lot."

Damian rolled his eyes.

Over the next few days, Damian realised that Grayson wasn't exactly right. Little lights of various colours seemed to frequent his booth, more and more with each passing day. Eventually, they weren't just leaving with flowers but also something which looked like a large venus fly trap.

Not a flower shop, a plant shop.

His soulmate would be into plants. It was a strange thought. Damian hadn't made the booth for this unknown person. He had done it for Grayson. He saw the way Grayson look at it, face lighting up at the sight of the fairies. Even Alfred softened around the booth.

But it wasn't to last. Damian's father returned and Damian returned the booth to his heart before leaving the penthouse. The little lights scattered, fluttering around his head for a moment before fading in a silent goodbye.

Damian didn't bring his booth out around his father or any other members of the family. For years, he kept it close to his heart. He hoped it wouldn't break and somehow, it never did.

His twenty-first birthday came and went. Damian worked for his father in Wayne Enterprises. Officially, he was head of the accounting department. Unofficially, he did that and more. As did any of the Wayne heirs. Drake headed Research and Development. Todd was sometimes pulled in to test security. Grayson was the only one to wash his hands of the family company. However, he was still used to attract interest in the company, going to parties and gatherings and being sociable in a way none of them were able to be.

It was an odd thing to Grayson to be at the Wayne offices on a Monday morning. However, one day, that was exactly what Damian come in to find. Grayson was at his desk with a coffee in hand.

"Here."

Damian took the offered coffee with some confusion. "Grayson, what are you doing here?"

"I need a favour," Grayson said in response. "There's someone starting at Gotham University. She insists on coming here, apparently Gotham has a reputation for having the best biological sciences department in the country."

"Makes sense," Damian commented, thinking of all the villains who had backgrounds in science. Most of them were or overlapped with the biological sciences, like Poison Ivy and her plants or Scarecrow and his fear toxin.

Grayson nodded. "Yeah. Which is why I gave in. I just hope she goes for a normal job in science rather than... anyway, I want you to watch over her."

"Me?"

"Her name is Mary. Let's just say, I told her mother she would be safe."

Damian sighed and sipped his coffee. Grayson was the kind of bleeding heart who would offer to protect the random child of some woman. He probably had a personal connection to the woman though.

"An ex-lover?" he mused out loud.

Grayson winced. "Yeah."

Damian's eyebrows raised. That wasn't unexpected and yet, was still surprising. He took another sip of the coffee. Maybe he wasn't completely awake and maybe he would regret this in the future but he agreed.

Mary was very purple, was the first thing Damian thought. The tanned woman had purple glasses on her face and was wearing a purple button jacket and jeans. Her dark hair was long but pulled up in a sensible ponytail and even seemed to have a purple tint to it.

Damian shadowed her as she left her class and walked across campus. Grayson didn't know where Mary lived yet which left Damian trailing her home.

Mary walked over to the tables where people could sit and eat. She sat down and Damian made himself comfortable in the branches of a nearby tree. He played games on his phone while she ate a sandwich.

She stood up and stretched. Damian realised she was quite tall as she grabbed a branch of the tree above her. Within moments, she had swung herself up into the tree.

"What?" Damian questioned, still processing what had happened as a glowy-eyed and angry woman dropped down onto the branch before him. She stood with her hands on her hips and Damian realised she was floating. He had a theory. "You're a Tamaranian?"

Her hand started glowing with a purple plasma-like ball, revealing her heritage. She was frowning.

"Who are you?" she questioned. "And why are you following me?"

Damian had a choice. He could answer her questions. Or he could run. He slipped down sideways and off the branch, rolling onto the grass below. He bolted.

Despite being taller than her, giving him a longer stride, she caught up to him quickly and shoved him to the ground.

"Um-" Damian started, feeling a flush come to his face as she straddled him.

"Silence," she ordered. The starbolt had gone out, since they were in public view right now. Some people whistled and cheered as they walked past. Both Damian and Mary shot glares in the direction of those people. Mary pulled his wallet out of his pocket. "Damian Wayne?" she questioned, reading the name on his licence. She sighed and placed it on his chest. "My father asked you to watch me, didn't he?"

"Perhaps," Damian responded as she climbed off and helped him to his feet. "I'm guessing Grayson? And with Starfire?"

Mary nodded. "And if you know what's good for you, you'll back off. Just tell Dad I'm fine. You don't need to follow me." And she stormed off.

Damian followed. It was interesting how she didn't want to hang around and question him. Especially since he had questions. Why hadn't he known that Grayson had a daughter? How did she come to exist? And why did Grayson ask him to watch over her?

She knew he was still following him. She frowned over her shoulder.

"Go away!"

Damian chuckled at that. Did she really think that would work. They kept walking. Finally, Mary stopped and turned back to beckon him over.

"Why are you still following me?"

"Why didn't Grayson tell me you were his daughter?" Damian countered.

"I'm not Dad so I have no idea," Mary responded. "But you can answer my question. Why are you still following me?"

Damian shrugged and his mouth twitched into a small smile as Mary's eyes glowed in frustration. They stared at each other for a few more moments before Damian gave in.

"I'm supposed to find out where you live."

Mary groaned and rolled her eyes. She stormed off but she didn't put much effort into losing him. Damian followed her back to her apartment and let himself in through the window.

"You should lock that," he suggested, knowing that his own windows were always locked. This was Gotham after all.

"I knew you were following me," Mary explained. She held up a mug. "Tea?"

"Sure." Damian took a seat at the table. He looked around. The place was nice and clean. Damian thought that maybe Mary should put a painting on the wall or something but he could live here.

Wait. What? Damian shook his head. He was only thinking that to make sure that this place was good for Grayson's kid! There was no way he was going to live with her - that certainly hadn't been in the job description.

"Tea." Mary placed the mug before him and slipped into the seat across from him.

It happened often enough. Damian would drop by after patrol or during the day, Grayson asking him to check in until it became a habit. Mary would make tea and tell him about her day. In the beginning it was filled with dull information to make Damian yawn and want to go home. Soon enough though, they were sharing what happened during those days with interest. Damian would tell Mary about patrol, something which excited her to hear. She had been told stories and shown pictures as she grew up and knew of everyone Damian spoke about. It certainly made complaining about Drake wanting more money for R&D or Todd's latest stunt on patrol much simpler. Damian would complain about Grayson but Mary had that area covered. She has some issues with her father, after both her parents put her to the side in order to continue their heroic lives.

"Which wouldn't be a problem, except those hypocrites don't want me out there being a vigilante with them!" Mary grumbled one day, explaining that she wanted to help too but her dad had told her no. She also said the reason Damian had been sent to watch over her was to make sure she didn't disobey.

Damian took a sip of his tea. He probably should have thought through the consequences of his response but it was a character flaw he had no intention of addressing.

"Better to beg forgiveness than ask permission," he said. It was almost instantly worth it for the wide and wicked grin which lit up her face and eyes.

Mary dashed off to her room to look for something to wear. She came out wearing a mask her father had left behind and one of her old purple leotards. Damian dragged his eyes up her long, bare legs.

"You can't fight crime in that!" he declared, face heating up with second-hand embarrassment just thinking about it. He pinched his forehead. "What if I just left the code for one of Father's safehouses or something?"

"One of the Batman's?" Mary questioned with a frown. "Why not one of Nightwing's?"

Damian huffed a sigh and threw his hands into the air. "Fine! One of Nightwing's!" Nightwing was going to know he gave her the code.

Damian slept on Mary's couch after patrol. He had carefully stayed out of her way, except when habit saw him arriving at her place after patrol.

Grayson did find out. Damian spent the next few days avoiding his wrath. Thankfully, since no one else knew about Mary, Damian could just hang around Drake, Todd or any number of people to keep Grayson's lecture at bay.

Sadly, that strategy only lasted a day. Grayson knew just where to catch him; his daughter's apartment. Both Mary and Damian sat through a lecture on how dangerous patrolling in Gotham was and all the other reasons Mary shouldn't be out there. Damian thought that Mary was perfectly capable. She smiled at him when he said so. Stupid Graysons and their stupid smiles which he liked seeing for some stupid reason.

Grayson didn't ban Damian from seeing his daughter, although he did threaten it. Instead, Damian now had to watch over Mary while she went out to fight crime. They both found that frustrating and started a couple of verbal fights while taking down criminals. They didn't exchance blows, outside of training, which Damian thought was an improvement in his ability to work with others.

After a night on patrol, Damian usually crashed at Mary's place as was his habit. It was on one of these mornings, he spotted her booth.

The booth was sitting in the middle of the table. The moment Damian spotted it, he couldn't take his eyes off it. It was a distracting thing. It was shaped kind of a bulb with paint brushes coming out the tip. He wondered if those brushes could really paint.

When he saw the fairies momentarily, carrying their purchases happily, he frowned. Books, brushes, all kinds of art supplies which made him slightly jealous. If only he could visit it. That would be convenient.

"Did I leave that out again?" Mary questioned with a yawn as she walked into the room.

"Huh?" Damian cursed his lack of eloquence. Hopefully she would be distracted by that and not realise that he hadn't realised she had come out. He certainly wasn't going to tell her that he had been immersed in staring at her booth.

"Dad likes seeing it. He was around yesterday so I put it out."

Damian nodded. "The only time I bought mine out was for him. He was the one to explain to me about the seeds."

"He told me as well. Dad was overjoyed when I was born with one. Mum too. Even though Tamaranians don't have the soulmate system, they love with their whole being. The evidence that I could have someone like that on Earth calmed her."

"My parents never mentioned it," Damian said with a shrug.

"Makes sense," Mary said. She probably knew that most of his family had broken seeds.

"Grayson talks too much."

Mary laughed and he smiled in response. It was one of the things they both secretly enjoyed about Dick Grayson.

Then she was thoughtful and silent, looking from him to her booth and back again.

"I know it's rude to ask," she shrugged. While Damian could be rude without trying, Mary at least realised when she was being rude. She still did it anyways, something which infuriated her father at times. "But what about you? Dad never mentioned your booth."

"Never?" It had been a private thing when Damian shared that with Grayson however, he always assumed Grayson shared that with his daugther. He told her almost everything else. Again, before Damian could think it through, he asked her if she had another pot.

"You have a seed?" Mary questioned as she placed another pot on the table.

"Yeah." Damian concentrated. It had been a while but the weight in his heart was still there. Despite everything. His little booth of plants popped to life in the pot and he swore he could glimpse the fairies bounce and cheer before fading back into lights.

"That was strange," Mary commented before looking at his booth. She tilted her head and walked around, completely absorbed in examining it. "It's a plant booth!" she said in excitement. "That one bought some dionaea muscipula! And-" she stopped. "That's a Tamaranian plant."

"What?" Damian questioned, looking over at the pot. He was too late to see whatever it was though.

"It was a Tamaranian plant. But why...?" she trailed off, swallowing hard. "Um... what did you think of my booth? You were staring at it hard when I walked in."

Heat rose in Damian's cheeks. He thought she hadn't noticed! "I was not!" However, after a moment, he answered, "I would shop there. You know, if it was possible."

Mary nodded, the air around them suddenly heavy. Damian was starting to understand what was going on here. He remember the other reason for the booths. The soulmate part. The part he ignored because he didn't need a 'soulmate'. Yet, he had spent a lot of time with Mary. She was as close to him as Grayson was and not because she was his daughter.

Mary was into plants, looking to make that her job. Damian's favourite hobby was drawing and visual arts.

"Does that mean we're..." he couldn't finish. Did he want it to be true? Part of him felt this explained how he enjoyed hanging around her and how they hadn't pushed each other out of their lives yet. It was a content part of himself he rarely felt around anyone aside from family. Another part of him was freaking out. He wanted it to be true! When he that thought appeared, he cursed in as many different ways he knew possible.

Mary laughed at his languages. Being Tamaranian and having spent a lot of time around her dad and Damian, she had picked up most of them. Besides, even if she hadn't, cursing had a certain tone to it.

Damian gave in to cuddling on the couch. If anyone asked, he was tired and sleeping and Mary refused to move so he was attempting to squish her in revenge. He fell asleep there, Mary dropping off next to him sometime during the movie.

They woke, their booths still out on the table. Neither Damian nor Mary felt like taking theirs back. Damian would stare at Mary's booth, unaware of the softening of his features and unguarded relaxing of his body. Mary would sneak glances at Damian's booth, grinning widely at it.

Damian knew this was a big thing. However, the only thing which felt like a big thing was their worry over Mary's father finding out. Damian wanted to believe that Grayson would be happy for them. But, he also knew that Grayson was fiercely protective of his daughter. Mary expressed the same concern. She also wondered how Damian was going to tell his family since they didn't know Dick had a child. Her parentage wouldn't stay a secret for long if people knew she was dating Bruce Wayne's son.

After talking about it, they decided to tell her father. Damian brought Dick back after a patrol and sat him down. Dick noticed the booth sitting out on the table and played ignorant for a bit, asking why Damian left his out here. As they explained that they were soulmates, Dick's expression went flat. He forced a smile.

"Starshine, can you give me a moment with Damian?"

Damian swallowed. He had never faced Grayson like this. It made his stomach curl with something like guilt. Grayson had been his Batman and he didn't want to disappoint him, even after all these years.

"Are you sure?" Dick asked in a cool voice.

"We're sure."

"You love her?"

"It's a little early to say. Soulmates or not, we're not going to rush this," Damian responded. "I want to do this right. I want to love her."

"If she's anything like her mother, she'll love you fiercely. Can you handle that?"

"Her father also knows how to love fiercely, just a different kind of love," Damian pointed out. "And I was raised with my mother and grandfather. There was no other woman for my grandfather than my grandmother, even though he doesn't talk about her. And there's probably no other man for my mother than my father, in a twisted kind of way. I know that a partner I choose, I choose for life." Damian paused for a moment. He looked at his hands as he admitted, "I just never thought I would choose someone."

"Yet you chose my daughter," Grayson grumbled. He crossed his arms. "You're not to see her."

Damian felt his jaw drop.

"Dad!" Mary scolded.

Dick held up a hand to silence his eavesdropping daughter. "There's a Wayne party this weekend. Mar'i, we're getting you a dress. Damian, wear proper shoes. If you're going to do this, you're not hiding away in some apartment where anything can happen. You'll dance at the party, have fun and I'll be watching you both."

Mary glared but Damian nodded his agreement. "I'll drop an invitation to you," he promised Mary.

She nodded, smiling momentarily at him. Damian glanced to his booth, deciding to leave it to his soulmate. She would take good care of it.

With the upcoming party, Mary explained over the phone that her name was spelt Mar'i and could be pronounced the way her dad said it or the way Damian and most of her friends had been saying it. She had been named after her grandmother, Mary Grayson, after all.

The night of the party arrived and Damian was nervous. He wasn't wearing the coloured sneakers which usually calmed him. Instead, he was wearing dress shoes. His father had already asked if he was feeling alright. Even Alfred seemed perplexed.

Damian looked out across the hall. He had no idea what Mar'i would be wearing but he was certain he would find her. People danced in the middle of the room or milled around the tables. He could hear his father laughing, playing the part of tipsy host.

There. Purple.

Mar'i stepped through the entrance to the hall and looked around quickly. Her hair was tied up in a single ponytail, cascading down her shoulders and upper back. Her dress went to her feet, flowing like a shimmering light purple river. Damian barely noticed the smile on his face as he walked over to her.

He held out his hand.

"Care to dance?" he asked, the words foreign and embarrassing on his tongue. Thankfully, Mar'i's immediate response was to smile and take the offered hand.

"Dad's still mad," she said as he pulled her onto the dance floor. They moved through the waltz together, easily staying in step. It was easier than fighting together, which they still did together and in step.

"Where is he?" Damian asked. They spun, studying the room.

"With your dad," Mar'i responded. "Your dad looks pleased, I could even say smug."

"Father? Really?" They spun again and Damian spotted Grayson and his father in the crowd. Mar'i was right. "Does he approve?"

"I have no idea. He doesn't usually like aliens and I'm part alien," Mar'i said. It was the reason they hadn't revealed their relationship to Bruce yet.

"Maybe he doesn't realise," Damian suggested.

"I'm sure Dad would tell him." She wondered, "maybe he's happy one of his kids has a partner."

Damian groaned, "ugh! He's likely to use that as an excuse to get me to come to more of these parties."

Damian dropped Mar'i at her apartment, but didn't go with her this time. He went back to the manor, where he found not only his father but also Drake and Todd.

"Who invited you two?" he questioned, narrowing his eyes. They had not been expected or forced to go to this party like he had.

"Dick," they responded in unison.

"He said, there was something we would have to see to believe," Drake said with a wide grin.

"That's for sure," Todd added. "Who was the girl? She was pretty."

"None of your business," Damian snapped at them. Grayson was outright sabotaging him now. How was he supposed to do anything with Mary if these two were nosing around his business?

"Has the Demon found his soulmate?" Todd said in a patronising tone.

"So what if I have?" Damian responded, crossing his arms.

"That's wonderful news, Master Damian," Alfred said from behind him. "Will you bring the lucky lady home to greet us?"

Bruce huffed. "She's the new vigilante."

"Nightstar?" Drake questioned, looking between Bruce and Damian. Damian nodded to confirm that. "Of course you would end up with a vigilante."

"What's that supposed to mean, Drake?"

"No fighting," Bruce said. "This is a happy occasion for Damian."

"Why do you think that? Are you really so eager for an alien to join the family?" Damian questioned. Nightstar didn't hide her alien features during patrol so his father had to know.

Bruce smiled and raised his cup. "I just approve of you finding your soulmate."

Damian raised an eyebrow. His father smiled back.

"Really?" Todd questioned in a 'I don't believe you' tone. "What's the real reason, B?"

"It frustrates Dick."

Tim and Jason were confused.

"Why? Is it because his little baby bat found a woman?" Jason demanded to know.

"Something like that."

"Okay, I'm back!" Dick called out, sliding into the room.

Damian frowned at him with his arms crossed. He was not impressed.

"I dropped Mar'i off with no delay and did not hang around in her apartment. There was no need to stalk us."

Tim's eyebrows went up at that. Dick laughed nervously.

"You noticed huh?"

"You weren't subtle. You wanted me to know you were there so I wouldn't spend the night." Damian added in a mutter, "even though I have many times before."

Dick pressed his hands to his ears. "La, la, la, I'm not hearing this!"

"Really, Dick?" Bruce questioned. Dick paused and gave him his attention. "You should be happier. Your Robin and your daughter-"

"His what?" Tim and Jason cried out in unison.

"-are soulmates. You should be happy for them."

Dick muttered that he wanted them to be friends, not soulmates.

Alfred opened the door and brought in Bruce's evening tea. With wisdom and an eerie knowledge of things he wasn't present for, he said, "Master Dick, I'm sure there will be no man good enough for your daughter. However, one could argue that Master Damian has been raised, at times by your own hand, into a fine young man."

Jason burst out laughing. "The baby bat and a baby Grayson?" he crowed. "That's amazing. I need to tell Roy about this!"

"The Commissioner would find this amusing as well," Tim mused. "After all, I'm sure Dick put him through the same thought process with Barbara."

Damian groaned and put his head in his hands. He and Mar'i had gone from keeping their relationship quiet to everyone knowing.

Damian sat next to Mar'i on the couch in her apartment. Sitting on the dinning room table, still visible, were their booths. The TV was turned to some random show Mar'i liked about fashion.

"How many bugs do you think are in here?" Mar'i asked him when the ad break started. Damian gave her a confused look and she laughed. "Come on. It's your family and my dad. There's no way they haven't tried to bug this place."

"There's one in the corner over there," Damian said, pointing at the ceiling. It had been camouflaged to match. "I saw one in the kitchen and one in that flower arrangement by the window. I could check your phone for you."

"There's a bug there," Mar'i confirmed. "Know anyone who can get rid of them?"

"I could," Damian pointed out. "But you know they'll just replace them."

"What about giving them a show?" Mar'i placed a hand on his chest and grinned.

"Not an exhibitionist. Also, I am... worried about your father's response."

Mar'i huffed but was still smiling as she pulled back. "I think the person who was his Robin should be good enough for me. He used to tell me stories about you two before bed."

"Seriously?" Now Damian was grinning. "Tell me."

"There was this one I really liked about Poison Ivy..."

End.