It was clear that at some point Damian would grow up, not be eleven years old forever. Perhaps this fact was forgotten by most people due to the blunt and mature personality that he used to present, but he was a child and had to go through those unpleasant stages that no human being could get rid of, not even the harsh upbringing of the league could control puberty.
He started out with mild but noticeable mood swings. A little less willing to follow orders, a little more to request permission to go out. Then a pimple somewhere on the forehead and abrupt voice changes. The first to notice it was Dick, perhaps because he did not see it every day and the change is evident. He of course took the opportunity to embarrass him a couple of times when he discovered that the boy was starting to date people his age.
And those changes were especially fun when you were a close person who had already been through that time. It was funny to anyone in the mansion how Damian would organize himself for a longer time than necessary before leaving or how he would roll his eyes at whatever minimum order was letting a more rebellious and affable personality advance.
He was funny, until he broke the 17th mark and his actions were directly thought out by hormones and not by the brain. 17 was the terrible time of relationships.
The first date he brought to the mansion was a surprise to everyone, an event that was believed to be impossible. She was a young woman, awkward-voiced and shy. She had waist-length black hair and the most piercing blue eyes anyone had ever seen. Likewise, she didn't talk much, she always looked at the ground with uncertainty and never left Damian's arm. It was not a surprise when two months later the boy announced the breakup.
The second date came a few months later, before her 18th birthday. Unlike the previous girl, she looked strong and fearless. She had a wild soul, she could be seen in her postures and in the firm tone that she took in each sentence. They lasted five months in total, the girl cheated on him with a typical jock and Damian didn't care enough to fight for her.
The third date came unexpectedly one afternoon in April. She loved gymnastics and art, her personality was as sober as her movements when walking. She presented herself to everyone with a firm and cheerful demeanor, in a way that inspired assurance. They ended 1 year later, when she decided to go off to college and was unwilling to have a long-distance relationship. It was the first break that she hurt Damian.
The fourth date came when Damian was in his second semester of college. She had blue eyes, kind and understanding. Her hair was black and reached the middle of her shapely back. She laughed easily and walked as if she were doing it in the clouds, later they would find out that she was also a gymnast. They hadn't broken up even when Tim realized the obvious pattern.
That day everyone was in the Batcave talking about an easy case, but one that required the attention of all members of the family. Bruce, who was older, does not have the physique that he used to have, and although he wanted to jump off the roofs as before, he could not do it anymore, and instead he relied more frequently on the family. From one moment to another the topic of the conversation drifted to where she wanted it Tim and casually asked about Damian's girlfriend.
"Why do you ask?" Damian said a little stiffer than reasonable.
"Well, she reminds me of someone." Tim responded while still maintaining his casual demeanor, drawing the attention of everyone in the cave.
"To whom?" Cassandra spoke confused, not quite understanding Tim's implications.
"I think you already know, black hair, gymnast, blue eyes ... Still?"
"Are you implying that my girlfriend looks like Grayson?" Damian spoke showing her bewilderment. The others in the room seemed to think about it for a bit.
"Hey, her ex-girlfriend was alike too." Jason contributed only in order to further annoy Damian.
"Which of the three? I think they were all very similar" Stephanie complimented Jason, enjoying Dick's newly acquired face of horror.
"They are diverting the information at their convenience. It is coincidence." Damian interrupted the chatter in the room as the ramblings began to run a little deeper.
"Exactly, it's just a coincidence." Dick affirmed, but not as convinced as he seemed.
"Wow, weird sibling fetishes are called coincidence now." Jason spoke again when he saw that the matter was calming down.
"Jason!" Bruce roared, as if that might prevent Dick's new look of horror.
"They all have their fetishes, like you with the villains, or Dickhead with the redheads or the replacement with ... in fact I have no idea does he even have a romantic life?" Jason shrugged.
"We could also drop the subject ..." Dick interrupted, wishing they would follow his suggestion without a fight for once. Damian looked disturbed, but agreed with Dick.
And they did, if only because the crime alarm went off earlier that day.
Barbara, who had overheard the conversation from the monitor in the clock tower, could only slap her forehead in disappointment. For a group of people who had studied the necessary psychology, they could be very dense when dealing with people, and it is that she was not alien to the patterns in couple relationships and their similarity with mothers, for something there was the complex of Oedipus.
She would later make sure to explain to Dick that yes, Damian saw him as his mother and no, Damian was not in love with him. But for now, Barbara had fun listening to their heated discussions about puberty, hormones, and incestuous fetishes.