Happy belated Mother's Day! I had intended to post this yesterday, but I just didn't have the time. So here it is a day late.
Disclaimer: I don't own these characters. I just like to play with them sometimes.
Robin's First Mother's Day
Something wasn't right with Grayson. He seemed sadder than usual. He wasn't his usual cheerful self and that ever-present smile had faded from his face. His eyes lacked the spark that Damian had grown so accustomed to seeing in them. At first Damian had suspected that the man was merely sick, but he knew that Pennyworth would be fussing over him if that were the case. No, this was something else.
"Morning, Dami," Dick said with a forced smile when Damian emerged from his bedroom. There it was again, that fake smile. Instead of calling him out on it, Damian merely scoffed. Dick ignored it and continued putting his shoes on.
"Where are you going, Grayson?" Damian asked.
"Shopping. Do you want to come?" Dick asked. Before Damian got the chance to answer, Dick continued. "Actually, don't answer that. You're coming. Although I don't like Talia very much, she is still your mother and it might be nice for you to get her a card."
"Why does my mother need a card?" Damian challenged.
"Because Mother's Day is tomorrow, of course," Dick said, mildly surprised that Damian had no idea what he was talking about. Damian merely stared at him with a blank expression. "Well now you have to come if you and your mom have never celebrated Mother's Day before. That's just unacceptable, Damian, and I know it's not your fault, but-"
"Grayson. Stop talking. I do not want to come."
"Well, too bad. I've already made up your mind for you and you're coming."
Damian insisted that this wasn't necessary, but Dick dragged him along anyways. They were currently standing in a store called Hallmark. This particular store seemed to specialize in greeting cards. Everywhere Damian looked, he saw them: cards wishing the recipient a happy birthday, cards with well wishes and 'thank you's, cards that sang, cards that are supposed to make you laugh, and many more. Grayson was currently standing in front of a rack consisting of cards that were light in color and too "girly" for Damian's taste.
"They're not for you, they're for your mother," Grayson said when Damian had pointed out the pastel colors and sneered at the flowers that were present on most of the cards.
Dick then immersed himself in the cards, methodically picking up each one and reading its contents before moving on to the next. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Damian merely standing by his side, his arms crossed over his chest and a scowl on his face. With a sigh, Dick pulled out a card from the nearest slot and handed it to Damian. "Just read some and pick out the one that you think your mom will like the best."
Damian reluctantly took the card and looked it over. He silently read it to himself before putting it back in the slot and taking out the next one. Again, this card was not to his liking and he returned it to its slot. He continued this pattern, growing increasingly frustrated as he read each new card. Dick, meanwhile, had found a card that he liked and returned to Damian.
"Grayson, every single one of these cards is full of utter nonsense," Damian said, as he angrily shoved the card he had just skimmed back into its place. "Mother would not approve of any of these."
"Why not? They're cute," Dick said.
"Exactly."
"Hmm." Dick looked at the cards thoughtfully. "I guess they don't have any that say, 'thanks for teaching me everything you know about how to be an assassin,' huh?" Dick chuckled, but Damian's expression remained stoic. "Well, hey, it's the thought that counts. I'm sure she'll appreciate the gesture."
"I don't like any of them."
"You're just too picky," Dick insisted, turning back to the shelf. Finally, he pointed to a card with some cartoony cats on the front. "How about this one? I know how much you like cats."
Damian made a sound of disgust before turning and walking away, deciding to occupy himself with something other than those sickening cards. Dick frowned, but started after Damian. He paused, however, and turned back to the wall of cards thoughtfully. He reached out and took the card with the cats on it as well as an envelope. Maybe Damian would change his mind later.
"I have to check out, Damian, and then we'll go," Dick announced to the boy who was waiting impatiently.
Damian narrowed his eyes in confusion. "Why are you getting a card, Grayson? Isn't your mother-" Damian suddenly trailed off, realizing that what he was about to say could be considered hurtful.
Dick merely offered him a sad smile. "I still buy her one. Every Mother's Day I take flowers to her grave and read her the card I bought for her." Damian remained silent as Dick approached the counter and paid for his card. When he finished, Dick thanked the cashier and wished her a wonderful day before exiting the store with Damian trailing along behind him.
Damian wanted to return home, but Dick insisted on dragging him along to his next destination: the flower shop. Damian suggested staying in the car and waiting for Dick to return, but Dick vetoed that suggestion immediately. And so Damian found himself standing amongst rows and rows of flowers.
"Good morning," the florist greeted as they entered, "here for your Mother's Day shopping?"
"Yes," Dick responded with a smile. "Do you deliver internationally?"
"We do," the florist said.
"Awesome! We'll need two bouquets, then."
"Two?" Damian asked. "Grayson, I'm sure my mother does not want flowers. What would be the purpose? They will simply wither and die in a few days."
"Nonsense, Dami. We're sending your mom a bouquet," Dick protested. Dick turned back to the florist.
"Do you know what types of flowers you want to include?" the florist asked.
"Ah, yes," Dick said, "we'll need some tulips, some lilacs, some irises…." Dick was thoughtful for a moment. "Oh! And maybe some lilies too." The florist offered him a bright smile before getting to work on the bouquet.
While she worked, Dick approached Damian, who was looking around the shop, his eyes narrowed. "So you and your mom never celebrated Mother's Day before?" Dick asked.
"Of course not," Damian responded, turning his head up towards Dick, giving him a look as if to ask if Dick was serious. "Why would we?" Dick frowns, trying not to look like he pities Damian. Unfortunately, he can't hide it from Damian. "Why are you looking at me like that, Grayson? It is certainly not as big a deal as you're making it out to be. Mother and I did not have time for such foolish traditions." Dick's expression changed, but Damian couldn't quite place it so he settled for glaring at the older man. Finally, Dick turned and walked away, going back to the florist.
Dick paid for the bouquets and had the one for Talia overnighted to her. Before leaving, he turned to Damian and asked if there was anything he would like to write for his mother on the tag to which Damian responded negatively.
The next morning Damian watched as Dick solemnly ate his breakfast before gathering the card and bouquet and heading for the door. Against his better judgment, Damian approached him on his way out. "I wish to accompany you," Damian said. Dick was certainly taken aback by this.
"You do? Why?"
"I want to see what all of the fuss is about." Damian wouldn't admit that he was worried about his brother. The only other time Damian had seen the man this somber was after the death of their father.
"I'm going to my mother's grave, Dami. I'll probably be there a while because we have a lot to catch up on. It won't be all that exciting, I'm just warning you now." Damian merely shrugged. Dick smiled. He was used to doing this alone, in private, but he didn't mind having Damian tag along. "I can finally introduce you to her."
They arrived at the cemetery not long after that. They exited the car and Damian followed as Dick made his way through the cemetery towards his parents' graves. Dick led Damian through the graveyard, finally stopping in front of two graves marked with the names John and Mary Grayson.
"Well," he said, "here we are." Dick knelt down and gently laid the bouquet of flowers in the ground in front of the headstone. "Good morning, Mom. Happy Mother's Day." He stood back up and turned around to Damian. "I brought a guest today, I hope you don't mind." Damian had been hanging back, simply watching Dick, but he reluctantly stepped forward when Grayson waved him closer. "This is Damian, my little brother," Dick said, placing his hand on Damian's shoulder. "You've heard me talk about him before." Dick turned to Damian with a smile. "Only good things, of course."
"Tt."
"He's cute when he's scowly, isn't he?"
"Argh, Grayson!" Damian growled, shoving Dick's hand off of his shoulder and stepping away, out of his reach. "I already regret coming along with you and it's hardly been ten minutes."
Dick merely chuckled as Damian sat down cross-legged a few feet away and proceeded to glare at him, producing his iPod from his jean pocket and shoving the earbuds in his ears. "Yeah, that's Damian for you." Deciding that Damian would be okay listening to his music for a bit, Dick continued, taking the card that he bought out of its envelope as he, too, sat down in front of the grave.
"Even though we're apart, I'm still thinking about you on this day when we celebrate the amazing women in our lives. The women who have taken us in and straightened us out, who have whisked away our excuses and given us hope and self-respect in their place. Thank you for hugging me through hard times, nudging me through stubborn times and loving me through all times. I love you, Mom." Dick closed the card and looked up at the grave. "I wish you could have been here to watch me grow up." He smiled. "And then you could read this card yourself." Dick snuck a brief glance at Damian who was pretending that he hadn't been watching the whole time.
"He doesn't realize how much I envy him," Dick said. "He doesn't realize how lucky he is to still have his mother, but he takes that for granted. I mean, I guess he doesn't really have quite the same relationship with Talia as I did with you, but I know that she loves him."
Dick talked to his mother for about an hour, catching her up on whatever happened to come to his mind about the past few weeks. Damian sat in silence behind him, listening to his music. Finally, when Dick was finished, he stood up, kissed the tips of his fingers and gently placed them on the gravestone before doing the same to his father's.
When they returned to the penthouse, the first thing Dick did was run to Alfred, throw his arms around him, and wish him a happy Mother's Day. Alfred chuckled and returned the hug. Damian was immensely confused. "Grayson, you do realize that Pennyworth is not your mother, nor is he capable of being a mother."
"Well of course Alfred isn't my mom, but sometimes motherly affection can come from the most unexpected sources. Alfred certainly cares about me just as much as a mother would." Dick laughed. "When I was younger I used to joke about how he was always on my case about cleaning my room more often than my real mom was."
"When you were younger, Sir? If I recall your room is just as untidy today as it was then."
Dick gave him a sheepish look, rubbing the back of his head guiltily. "Heh. Sorry, Alfred!" Dick then turned to Damian. "See what I mean?"
"Tt."
Damian went to the living room to watch TV after that. He wasn't there long before Alfred entered the room, looking for him. "Master Damian, you have a phone call," he announced. Damian was surprised, to say the least. Who would be calling him? Curious, Damian got up and followed Alfred to the kitchen and held the phone to his ear.
"Hello?" he asked.
"Hello, Damian." It was his mother.
"Mother. What are you-"
"I received a lovely bouquet from you this morning. I was calling to say thank you," Talia said, genuinely grateful for Damian's gift.
"Oh, well it was Grayson's idea…," Damian said, sheepishly.
"I appreciate it just the same, my love," she said. Damian smiled. Somehow, Grayson had been right.
"Happy Mother's Day," Damian said.
She hung up shortly after that, claiming that she had important business to tend to. Damian had to admit that he wasn't expecting that and it was a pleasant surprise. Damian sought out Dick afterwards and found him in the kitchen making cookies with Alfred.
"Grayson!" Damian demanded.
Dick, in the process of shoving a chunk of cookie dough into his mouth, turned around. "Yeah, Damian?"
"Happy Mother's Day," Damian said rather stoically.
Dick tilted his head in confusion. "What? But-"
"From what I gather, this holiday is about showing appreciation for the people who care for us and protect us and mentor us." A slight pinkish color had begun to overtake Damian's cheeks. "And so, that is what I am doing."
Gradually, the realization hit Dick and a huge smile appeared on his lips and he crossed the length of the room, knelt down, and wrapped his arms around Damian. "Thank you, Dami."
"You don't need to hug me, Grayson," Damian protested, standing stiff as a board.
"Yes I do," Dick retorted, not loosening his grip in the slightest. Damian sighed and resigned himself to enduring the hug. It really wasn't so bad.
AN: In case anyone is wondering, I prefer the versions of Talia where she is a relatively caring mother.