As sugested by Eleavir, here's a list with the girl's names::
Dick Grayson - Jane "Janey" Grayson
Jason Todd - Diana Todd
Tim Drake - Samantha "Sam"/"Sammy" Drake
Throughout his life, Damian had been called a lot of different names.
Chosen.
Beloved.
Monster.
Son of the Bat.
Murderer.
Heir.
Evil.
All of those true in some way or the other, but if Damian were to define himself in one word it would be 'aggravating'.
It wasn't his intention, but he simply never learned to adjust completely, the Al Ghul upbringing still shone through in some moments, for instance when it came to people trying to earn his respect. Damian had learned from an early age that people should prove themselves in combat and if their skills were commendable, they'd be respected.
It didn't work like that in father's world. In Gotham, Damian was supposed to respect everyone based singularly on their seniority over him. Which didn't make any sense whatsoever, so Damian's unconscious solution to that was to be aggravating all of the time until he could judge if someone was truly worthy of his respect and trust.
He came to realize pretty soon that this tactic gave women ill feelings towards him. They would call him new names. Sexist pig. Womanizer jerk. And his personal favorite, misogynistic asshole. It wasn't really his fault if they took offense so easily, but the idea that he could be sexist was laughable on so many levels.
His mother was what he considered the picture of power, father might be what he longed to be, but mother was who he admired since birth, since before he even imagined Batman existed, he grew up watching her control a worldwide net of crime.
His 'dead' aunt Nyssa – because the Al Ghul family was so good at staying dead. Right… – had successfully taken over his grandfather's organization and became the Demon Head (On his thirteenth birthday she sent him the set of knives he used on Drake earlier – which only reinforced the not-dead theory – complimenting him on being such a good enemy to the house Al Ghul. Damian thought she was funny).
In other words, women were strong, he knew that.
So saying he was underestimating this Diana Todd's abilities was completely untrue, if she was here, she was trained by the best to be the best, Damian didn't expect any less.
And sparring was just the kind of thing he understood, this was about respect.
Finally, something that made sense.
They danced around each other on quick feet, analyzing the others stance, waiting for the first opening. It took Todd just one well-placed kick behind his legs to send him airborne and to make him realize that respect was the last thing in Todd's mind, to her this was a test.
He landed on his back, the air leaving his lungs in a loud huff, he opened his eyes to find Todd there adjusting the gauze and tape around her knuckles "I can't figure out if you're holding back or just afraid to hit a girl. Maybe you just suck." she tapped his foot with hers "Come on up, Robin boy."
Oh and he did.
He sprung up in a backflip trying to get as much distance from her as he could, and Todd followed suit. Damian landed on his feet, already turning his body in a swirl to get behind her and tap the back of her neck.
"Did you let me get that hit in? Or do you just suck?" he whispered mostly into her hair, barely managing to dodge the elbow that came flying towards his nose.
Todd's attacks became increasingly violent, the barest graze blossomed instant bruises and broke skin, it made Damian smirk through a bloody lip as he kept answering blows with light taps where he would usually throw punches.
See? Aggravating.
At first she was giving him this odd suspicious look, like she was on the verge of an epiphany, but with each stroke of his finger her eyes grew alight and angry.
She's fast, faster than Jason, more competent, just better, Damian realizes as she jabs her fingers in his throat, and he has to throw his head back to avoid them. Todd leans in with the motion and hooks a leg behind Damian's ankle, it would only take a shove to his shoulder to send him flat on his back. Damian grabs her wrist and pulls her forward, when he falls, he drags her down.
They land in a mess of limbs – she's still kicking – only to sparing a breath when Todd's pressed against his back, her right arm curled around Damian's throat and pressing, while he cradles her left arm to his chest and twists.
She could strangle him. He could dislocate her shoulder. Neither of them is quite stopping.
"I think this is pretty much the definition of a stalemate." Grayson informs them leaning on the threshold, trying to sound casual even if she looked baffled.
Todd lets him go instantly, frees her arm and lifts her empty hands as a peace offering, making no effort whatsoever to hide her seething anger. Damian stays as he was, on his knees and watches her legs as she saunters passed Grayson. His skin curls when he realizes what he was doing.
"Keep the little shit away from me." Todd tells Grayson before getting out of sight.
Damian looks at Grayson then, really looks at her and regrets it instantly.
She is definitely not Richard with a wig. And when she smiles and cocks an eyebrow, Damian groans internally.
"We should stop meeting like this. You're always bleeding, it's unsanitary."
"I see Todd's anger issues have not been dealt with here either." Damian comments lightly, wiping blood from the corner of his mouth with a fingertip and staring at it "It's oddly comforting."
"And you're an odd little bird…" she sighed and shook her head slightly "Come on, we need to try to get you to look like you weren't run over by a train." she extended a helpful hand and Damian stared at it "Some clothes too. You're giving off a street walker vibe. Sorry."
"I feel the need to inform you that I am not your doll, Grayson. Doesn't matter how shiny you think I am."
She leaned forward "I don't think you realize just how shiny you are." and the helpful hand was shoved in his face.
Ignoring it, Damian got up fluidly, without the use of any hands, hers or his, and Grayson followed his motion up. He did his best attempt to smile sweetly "Do we have to play house too?"
"Only if you want to, but you'll have to dance."
"What?"
"Well, it is a ball."
Grayson said that as if it should make all the sense in the world. The words are simple enough, it should make sense. "Does your ADHD have a dictionary? Or an interpreter, I might need it."
"We're having a ball, a masquerade now, to accommodate you" she explained with excited movements "It's kinda like the Sweet Sixteen Diana's never had, being dead and all, and also the way Bruce chose to tell the press that she's back." her eyes glittered wistfully "They're gonna eat it up."
"Where will I be relocated to?" because certainly father wouldn't let a virtual stranger be a part of this circus-
"The dance floor, doll. You're Sammy's date."
"Whose?" Drake. God no "Ya ibn asharmoota!"
"Did you just curse in Arabic?"
"Grayson, no. Listen to me: no. That's cruel and unusual and I will not stand by it."
She rolls her eyes "You say that now, but wait 'till you see her all dressed up and adorable. So beautiful."
No. No, no. Damian was not going there. He's already having an existential crisis enough as it is – with Todd's eyes and Grayson's lips and Todd's legs and Grayson's… – and surely didn't need to notice that Drake of all people wasn't completely despicable. There was only so much he could take.
"Why am I even involved in this? Contain me somewhere in the cave."
"You'd rather be locked up somewhere than go to a Wayne party?" he'd rather be dead than go anywhere with any shape or form of Drake "Sweet Jesus, your world must really suck."
"Be reasonable."
"I am being reasonable, I need to keep a close eye on you. Who knows what you devious little mind will come up with if we leave you alone."
"Well, then it's simple, I'll stay with you."
"I'm flattered, doll, but my cradle robbing days are over."
Mother of God.
"Oh good, that's not completely disturbing at all."
A smile. Because Grayson's the kind of person who likes to screw with people's heads and no gender bend in the universe will change that.
Social gatherings were not Damian's cup of tea, as far as he was concerned, throwing a crowd in a closed room lined with alcohol was a huge security risk, but then again he was raised a ninja assassin and the League was not exactly prone to party.
His first Wayne function was full of women crooning about how adorable he was, how much he looked like father and "Is your big brother Dickie single?"; he was mostly pleased with all the attention, though it wasn't something he'd want on a regular basis, it wasn't awful.
Then father was back, soon it would be time for the both of them to make an appearance at a charity ball and Damian actually felt anxious. Father had his playboy persona and it made Damian wonder how he should act, even came up with a few different possibilities of personalities to test out until father told him his presence was not required.
His presence was never required.
Grayson managed to drag him every once in a while – so Damian wouldn't feel left out. He never did really –, but for the most part these kind of celebrations remained quite a distant notion.
So when he joins the girls in the search for clothing, he isn't quite expecting that level of excitement. Which is one more thing about this god-awful place that's scarring him for life.
He showered and as soon as he stepped out of the bathroom, four different suits were thrown at him – "Bruce's old stuff, Alfred keeps everything" – and after quickly dressing in the first one that fit, Damian did his best to concentrate on his bare feet as he sat on the red plush couch in the unbelievably huge walk in closet, dressed only in black slacks and a white undershirt as Grayson, Drake and Todd flaunted around clad in undergarments.
They were obviously taking this keeping-a-close-eye-on-Robin incredibly serious, but at the same time, seemed completely distracted by their preparations, giggling constantly and complementing the dress the other chose. Even Todd cracked a smile every now and then.
When Grayson started doing handless cartwheels in a ghastly pink tutu dress to allegedly test her mobility in it, Damian decided he'd had quite enough.
Throwing on his shirt and jacket, Damian left without a word.
Todd found him sitting on the third floor hallway, knees propped up and elbows leaning on them, his head thrown back against the wall. She dropped a black mask onto his lap and dress shoes on the floor next to him.
"Has Alfred taught you nothing?" she asked in an obnoxious, stuck up voice, like an old rich dowager, tapping the toes of her high heels impatiently "It is rude to keep your date waiting."
He looked up, making sure to bypass her legs – 'cause really, that knee length dress and this angle… – and found her eyes covered by a black lace mask "Weren't you the one who didn't want me around?"
She shrugged and adjusted the sash that came out of her bodice and went over her left shoulder "Yeah, well… I'm not known for my mental stability." true enough "Why did you run off?"
"I wasn't planning any nefarious act if that's your concern."
"I know." she smiled knowingly "It was the cartwheels that did it, right? The moment Janey's ruffled panties made an appearance, you totally snapped."
"Is that jealousy I sense? Would you rather have me stare at your knickers, Hood?"
She honest to god laughed and Damian watched as her styled curls bounced with the motion before she turned on her heel and called over her shoulder "Up and at 'em, you little shit. I don't wanna be late for my Sweet Sixteen. I'm already three years behind."
Damian took a moment to slip in the socks and shoes and change into his new mask before he got up and followed.
When he caught up to Todd, she peered at him through the black lace of her mask, but they kept walking side by side in silence.
Father was giving a speech when they arrived at the ballroom, twirling his hand-held mask between his fingers and eliciting soft laughter from the guests with whatever he was saying.
His eyes landed on Todd and he motioned towards her "So I'd like to ask for a round of applause to my beautiful daughter, Diana."
All faces and cameras turned and Damian didn't think he imagined the way Todd balked, so when the flashes blinded them, he hooked his arm through hers and then they were cutting their way through the crowd.
"What are you doing?" she hissed against the shell of his ear.
"Do me a favor and pretend that you have any resemblance to a ladylike behavior and let your date escort you."
"Try anything funny and I'll punch you in the throat."
"Now that would be a lovely headline."
The clapping and blinding camera flashes seemed to quadruple when father took Todd's hand in his, but only Damian notice how the man's eyes were on him instead of her.
He wondered if father could see the uncanny resemblance they both carried now that Damian was wearing one of his old suits, or even if he saw something in his eyes, exposed by the lack of the white lenses.
His thoughts were cut short when Grayson grabbed him by the wrist and pulled him away from the mass of reporters trying to get a statement out of Todd and closer to an empty table where she crowded him.
"When you said you wanted to play house" she whispered, hands on his chest "I had no idea that this was what you meant." looking down, Damian saw her swift fingers buttoning his shirt up and not… you know. "You just had to come in all debauched, with that open shirt and sex hair and-"
"Sex what?"
Damian wasn't startle exactly by the newcomer, but Grayson splayed her hands on his stomach, living him no room to make a discrete run for it.
"Sex hair, Eric." she repeated turning her attention back to Damian's shirt.
"Could you stop playing with his fly and tell me who this is?"
"Bruce got me a doll."
"A six foot doll with a six pack and sex hair."
"Yeah, well, Bruce had to get me at least one good toy, am I right?"
"Oookay, you're creeping me out. Bye."
Damian stared at the retreating young man as Grayson adjusted his collar "Was that Gordon?"
Grayson leaned back to gawk at him through her light gold rhinestone mask "You're seriously asking me if the tall redheaded guy with glasses on the wheelchair is Eric Gordon? You see? It's stuff like that that make me doubt your Robin authenticity."
Ignoring the subsequent rant, Damian watched Gordon roll his chair towards Drake and decided that this must be what having a stroke felt like. "Eric Gordon." he said out loud, just because.
"Wait!" Grayson's voice snapped his attention back to her "He's a girl back there, isn't he? Holy shit!" she was grinning manically "Holy shit! Oooh, what's his name? Do tell."
"Barbara."
"Barbara! This is priceless." she clapped her hands over her cheeks, still smiling in amazement "Was he Bat-Chick or something? Please, tell me he was Bat-Chick."
"Batgirl, yes."
Grayson actually squeaked in excitement "Stay here, I'll be right back and you owe me a dance!"
"I owe you nothing!" he called to her back.
"Don't move!"
To avoid ogling – seriously, Grayson's backside was famous for a reason and that dress was made of green silk – Damian let his eyes drift across the room, not searching for someone in particular, but coming to a halt when he found Todd.
She was in a corner talking furiously with a hand clutched around her ear – a comm link, then – looking carefully around, like she was scared of being seen. As far as Damian knew, everybody she could possibly be talking to was right there at that party, and if it was important enough to interrupt the event, father would certainly be informed, and the man seemed oblivious.
Damian's feet were moving before he was even sure if he really wanted to do that.
It was easy enough to follow someone when they weren't expecting it, and Todd was so unaware she didn't look back once, giving Damian more than enough space to work with. It was strange though, she was good, better than her male counterpart, Damian realized that when they were sparring. He had a growing suspicion that they were all better, if father let three girls out on the streets, he probably trained them harder than all the armies in the world combined – being second only to the League. And even that's a maybe –, making sure that any possible female trait that might be considered a weakness was completely eliminated.
So why in hell was she being so careless?
She took a cab out of the manor for fuck sake. So yeah, pretty goddamn easy to follow.
The warehouse they ended up in was innocuous enough, but as soon as Todd stepped out of the cab, five armed men surrounded her, forcing Damian to step out of his hiding place to aid her. The stupid cow was mixed up in something and didn't even have the sense to change out of her heels.
Thinking back, maybe she just truly sucked.
The gunmen were slow, they didn't even notice Damian until he was close enough to realize that perhaps he got it all wrong.
A red domino mask had replaced the black lace one and a feral grin decorated her face, and they both told a different story.
No, Todd was not a stupid cow, she was a traitorous bitch.
A/N.: I thought this would either be too short and too boring or too long and almost cool, turns out it's just long and somewhat boring.
This took me way too long and I can't quite stare at it anymore so yeah, not much to add now, just hope everyone enjoys it and for the record, in my head, Damian looks insanely hot with the masquerade gear (that ilegal little shit).
On a different note, I'm kinda new to all that Tumblr shindig and have literally 4 followers, I'm totally not asking for more (I'm agonizingly boring) but if anyone wants me to write a prompt or something, that would be kinda neat! So yeah, have any ideas, don't know how to write them, hit me and I'll try, 'kay?
Oh, and thanks for all the feedback! I love the sugestions I get, but I'm so not telling which ones I'll use (mostly because I don't even know yet).
You guys rock!
