DOUBTS

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At Pennyworth's insistence, everyone was seated at the table with breakfast set. Damian gladly accepted the condition so that he could have his questions answered, which made the others accept without resistance as well.

— So... — The boy took the sheet of paper from the pocket of his striped pajamas — How old am I?

— Thirteen years old — Bruce replied, and shortly afterwards he started drinking his coffee.

— But he usually behaves like a spoiled four-year-old or at the other extreme: like an old grouchy eighty-seven —Dick added, eliciting a shy smile from the youngest.

— And... how old was I adopted?

Bruce choked on his coffee.

Dick cursed himself for not having read that list of questions before. He considered that handing a sheet of paper and a pencil to a child would have no problem, it would be a harmless activity — however, Damian would always be Damian.

— Son... — the eldest started and coughed to try to clear his throat before finishing — Where did you get that from?

— It's just that my brother doesn't call you father and in the album he only has pictures of us as children, I thought we were all adopted, especially because I'm not much like you... — the boy replied shyly, firing the words as fast as could — Excuse me? — He looked at his father with sadness on his face.

— No need to apologize, your line of reasoning is correct — Bruce touched his hair, messing it up carefully — Your brothers are adopted, but you are my biological son.

Shy, with red cheeks and feeling a little more out of place to talk about it, Damian dared to ask an even more complicated question:

— And who is my mother?

Bruce sighed and drank some more coffee, it would be a long morning. Dick cursed himself again, however, he preferred to run away: he got up with the fruit salad, making some excuse with his mouth full. Even Alfred, who was carrying a jar of juice, decided to go back to the kitchen when he heard the question.

At this point, Damian had tears in his eyes thinking that he had said something very, very wrong. He was already uncomfortable with everything that was said about him — mainly because he seemed to be "rude", a pest with no limits whatsoever — asking two bad questions could sound like something on purpose, even without being.

— Dad, sorry? — he asked almost without a voice — II didn't mean it badly, I swear!

— Okay, Damian — The father sighed and smiled to try to reassure him — It's just a delicate matter. His mother was never a good person and had a complicated life, with a complicated family... — There was no way to explain that he came from a clan of murderers, Bruce thought — ... Even though he was not an exemplary father before, it is better that you stay with me and away from what they think is right.

— I think I understand... — the boy spoke softly, without the courage to face his father — Excuse me?

— For what, son?

— Make trouble...

— Your mother being the way she is is not your fault. — He ruffled Damian's spiky hair again — It's a complicated issue, but I'm very proud that you're not like her. — The boy took advantage of the affection, he was already calmer and smiling again. One of his changes, the most drastic: the smile was almost constant.

— Dad... — he called when Bruce ended the affection to continue drinking coffee — What do I like to do?

— Reading — After thinking about it, the elder added: — Reading, playing with animals...

— And I have pets!? — The boy smiled, going from one end to the other and his eyes sparkled.

— A cat, two dogs, a cow... — Talking about Goliath was out of the question, he thought.

— Can I go and meet them? Please? Please!?

— Only after breakfast, son...

The boy confirmed, starting to eat as fast as he could. The questions would be left for later, apparently. Despite not remembering anything, Damian maintained a love for animals. Keeping at least some traits like before was already encouraging in that whole situation.

Bruce would take time to get used to his son's new ways. Before, Damian acted as he wished, without giving any satisfaction and much less asking for permission, but this new "version" asked for everything, something that at one time or another would be a problem due to the lack of autonomy.

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NOTES:

Damian's mother is called Talia al Gul, the daughter of Ra's al Gul. I don't really consider her a villain, at least not on the same level as many others in the DC universe. Usually it is more like a person who "thinks he is doing right, doing everything wrong".

Note: in the animation Son of the Demon, Talia asks Damian to stay with Batman and learn from him, because he is wise, then she leaves the scene in a submarine. In one of Damian's origin stories, this submarine ends up exploding.