Damian felt him around midday, when the sun was directly above the dreary Gotham, doing nothing to drive the biting, bone deep cold away. Damian had been sitting in his bedroom, at his desk. His maroon hoodie was both large and fleece-lined, keeping some of the cold away. Damian had borrowed one of Pennyworth's blue coasters and on his desk it sat, a steaming mug of chai tea atop it. The boy had been sketching the Gotham skyline with his window firmly shut to keep the cold air out when he felt it.
The tightening of his throat, the pulling in his chest. His tattoo, stretched across his back and shoulder blades, began moving with a fervor that had not occurred before. Energy seemed to flow through every nerve, every vein, until Damian's entire body was thrumming with power. He could feel his wing tattoo begin to glow, his eyes following suit. Damian stood up abruptly, his chair scraping against the floor as he walked, steps fast and long to the closed window. He flung the curtains aside, sketch book lying forgotten on the desk. Desperate fingers worked at the lock on the window, nearly ripping it from it's frame as he struggled to open his one and only way straight outside. Damian hadn't felt this sort of desperation in a long, long time. During his time at Gotham, he hadn't been happy, only melancholic. Only sad. But this was a burning fire, seeded deep between his shoulder blades. He could feel the mark, the physical proof of his Bond burning on his right palm. His hand felt aflame, glowing red as it pulsed with an energy long since forgotten. Winged never did well alone. Insanity, insomnia, paranoia, and eventually schizophrenia were all consequences of Winged loneliness. Talia had known this, yet had pushed her son to his last breaking point. Goliath had done so much for Damian, that the boy could only pray he could repay it some day. The boy flung the window open, breath caught in his throat. The Manor was old, with no screens to prevent anyone from flinging themselves from the window. Outside his door, he heard movement, a scaring noise of shuffling feet before there was a patterned knock on his heavy door. Damian's eyes flickered briefly towards the sound before deciding to ignore it.
"Hey, Dami, time to come eat. Alfie made lunch." it was Grayson. The man was being stubborn, and refusing to leave even when Damian had a foot on the window ledge, ready to hoist himself up. He heard Grayson sigh, murmur a quiet "Guess you'll meet my new brother" before opening the door himself. He felt, rather than saw, Grayson's eyes widen as he took in the scene of what must have looked like Damian trying to jump.
"Damian!" Grayson screeched, and if the rest of the household wasn't alerted, they would be now. Footsteps thundered up the stairs, but Damian had never felt freer. The boy leapt off the ledge just as Grayson surged forward, Damian's hoodie barely scraping the edge of Grayson's fingers. Damian's window was high up, enough that this was terminal velocity.
He didn't care, his mind was freed from the musk that once destroyed it, and all that was left was himself. He was free-falling, knowing that any second now he'd be caught and not by human hands. He could hear, through the whistling, dancing wind, that his new guardian and brother were panicking, but he couldn't care to hear them when the bond reconnected.
Their bond wasn't like fire. It was created out of sweat and blood and tears, so it felt like a wave pulsing along his veins. Something powerful, something so strong, with a depth that none could venture or even begin to imagine. Damian laughed, for the first time in weeks, as he stretched his arms out, grin stretching across his face playfully. There was a roar in the distance, and fur underneath his hands. He smiled, his eyes locking with the bright yellow orbs of his love-friend-light. Goliath licked his face, and Damian only groaned playfully in response. The beast's wings kept them upright, stroking through the air with strong wingbeats. The wind had sped him here, Damian could feel her presence on his fur. The boy's joy had never been this evident as he tangled his fingers over and over again in Goliath's fur, smelling of pine trees and a certain scent that seemed to stick with the red, furry beast everywhere he went. Damian didn't even realize he was crying until Goliath's wet nose nudged at his cheeks, large paws coming up to press Damian's body into Goliath's furry chest as he rumbled soothingly. Damian choked a happy sob, burying his face in Goliath's fur as the beast lowered them to the ground. When Damian's feet finally touched ground, they still didn't let go, even though they were both aware of all of Damian's new relatives standing right outside the doors.
"Master Damian?" Pennyworth's voice cut through their moment as Goliath looked up and hugged the boy closer, protectively.
"Pwnnworff." Damian mumbled, face smothered by Goliath's soft fur. As the boy pulled away, they smiled at each other, the wind flowing around them, but never between them. They could feel their bond reconnecting, Damian's dark blue soul strand reaching out to hesitantly twirl with Goliath's deep red one, who sent waves of comfort in response, making sure Damian knew he really was here. The bonds danced, twirled, and glowed together. They were not visible to the human eye, but the Winged eye could pick up these colours that were nearly indescribable, as they were not on the human colour spectrum. Their bond sang, and their souls sang with it, placed together and very broken but mending and if they were together… they were okay.
"...Dami." Grayson stepped forwards, eyes pleading, and Damian pulled away from Goliath, and twisted in his furry friend's grip. The claws merely shifted to accommodate him, but refused to let go. "What… what is that?"
"He is not a that, Grayson." Damian's voice was gentle, gentler than it had ever been all the time that Damian had known them. "His name is Goliath. He was a… gift. From mother. When I was younger. He has been my companion since. We have travelled long and hard together." Damian reached a hand up, and instead of meeting with soft fur, he was met with the wet squishiness of Goliath's tongue.
"Ewwwwwwww…." Damian complained, loudly, as Goliath turned the boy in his arms and swiped his tongue all the way up him. Damian looked less than impressed, slobber dripping from his chin and his hair slicked up messily. The boy facepalmed, and Goliath rumbled playfully, making Grayson jump as Damian was let go. The boy grinned, knowing this game and sent a wink towards Grayson. If his brother hadn't fainted yet, he assumed the man was going to soon. With a great whoop, Damian took off running. Running was sort of like flying, but with your legs. He and Goliath used to play this game all the time when he was younger. Damian would run and Goliath would chase. They would go back and forth, going into the air and hiding among trees and looming mountains that made up Saudi Arabia, just past the League's main villages. When Goliath caught him, they always sparred for a while before returning home. He heard Goliath's heavy footsteps behind him, thundering on the ground. He heard his father make a very undignified yelp, but Goliath was upon him in moments.
Goliath lunged and Damian barrel-rolled out of the way, their combined amusement making this more fun for both parties. The beast lunged again and Damian jumped, landing on Goliath's head with perfect grace, the beast tipping his head in response. Damian tumbled down Goliath's back in a somersault, with perfect form, coming to a stop between Goliath's shoulder blades. The beast shook, and flicked his head, gesturing for Damian to hurry up. The boy did so, laughing gleefully, and clambered around, hooking his legs around Goliath's shoulders as far as he could go. Suddenly, the beast stopped and Damian looked over, seeing Grayson determinedly hoisting himself up. At Damian's half-glare, Grayson shrugged noncommittally.
"What?" he asked, guiltless. "I saw the wings on this guy, and I've watched more movies than you can count, Dami. And in every movie, the kid always flies off with the beast, leaving his poor big brother behind." Grayson settled behind Damian, grinning in that idiotic way of his. "If you're going, I'm going too!"
"Alright." Damian shrugged, before placing a tiny hand against Goliath's back. He could both see and feel his own hand there, as well as feel from Goliath's perspective.
"Goliath. Fly."
The beast obeyed, and Damian felt Goliath's muscles tense underneath him as the beast lifted into the air.