It turned out that their next stop was the zoo. Damian had always wanted to visit here, but he had never had the chance before. They went from cage to cage, appreciating each animal.
Damian took the opportunity to read about each animal and analyze its behavior. He didn't like the animals being trapped in cages, but Grayson explained that many of these animals have difficulties that prevent them from surviving in the wild.
It still meant that many of them could survive and were kept in cages. Damian really wanted to do something about it, but he didn't know what to do, and he didn't have the power to do anything.
It was sad, and it was ruining Damian's mood. Grayson took notice and dragged him along to another part of the zoo. There was a giant sign saying "Petting Zoo." Damian was a bit confused about what it was, but he allowed Grayson to drag him along.
Damian spent the next hour petting all the animals he could. He knew it would look childish to outsiders, but wasn't this what he was supposed to do? To have a public persona just like his siblings?
Deep down, he knew that it was more than that. He was finally learning to be open and not hide. He was learning the rules of life outside the league and how he did not need to hide anymore.
He was free to express himself without getting punished for showing emotions. In fact, it was encouraged to be expressive in public. Damian still had to kill the instincts born from years in the league, to not hide, but he was learning.
Damian knew it was almost time for them to go. It was way past lunchtime, and he didn't want to make Grayson wait hungry. So, with a last goodbye, he left the playing area and walked up to Grayson, who was sitting on the side watching him.
"Are you enjoying yourself?" He asked with an easy smile.
'Yes. Done now. Lunchtime?' Damian signed. Grayson nodded and got up. He offered Damian his hand, which by now Damian knew meant that he wanted to hold hands with him.
Damian grabbed the hand, and Grayson beamed. They left the zoo for a fast food place nearby. Damian ordered a veggie burger, and Grayson ordered a cheeseburger with fries.
"So, did you like our little adventure?" Grayson asked as he dipped his fries into some ketchup.
'Yes. Thank you.' Damian signed and offered a small smile.
"You're welcome. You know, we never actually got the chance to do things like this before. I know I live away in Bludhaven and don't visit Gotham a lot unless there is a situation, but to a degree, it's my fault."
"Like, as your older brother, I should have made more effort to get to know you. I just always thought that you didn't want to hang out with me or others, not that we never gave you the chance to."
"I think it's mostly because I never thought about it. Jason, Tim, and Steph were all the types of people who could easily talk and find their place among others. With Cass, she could read us better than anyone else, so it was easy for her, too. I think we all failed to realize that you may not be the same." Grayson said.
It was all true. Damian had trouble socializing ever since he came to Gotham. In the league, every interaction had a purpose, and you would only approach people when you needed something.
Damian didn't know how to approach others without a reason, so the only time he spent with them was patrols and training. But now, he was learning that just wanting to spend time with someone was enough reason to be with them.
Granted, he mostly spent time With Drake since he was the only other person who actually lived in the manor, but he was coming to appreciate small transactions with others.
Damian broke himself out of his thoughts and did something he would never do in the past. He reached a hand and grabbed Grayson's hand, which was lying on the table.
Damian gently rubbed the back of the hand and did his best to convey the emotions of comfort. Grayson had a sad look on his face and he got up and came to Damian's side of the table.
He pulled Damian into a hug, and Damian leaned into it. They stayed like that for a few minutes before separating and finishing their meal.
They returned to the manor after their meal. Spending the afternoon together watching movies. Bastet was lying on Damian's lap, who was rubbing her back. Damian himself was leaning on Grayson, who was sitting next to him. It was all so calming.
They had a light dinner, and it was time for patrol. Damian had invited everyone tonight to gather in the cave after patrol so he could tell them something important.
He was a bit nervous about the whole announcement but hopefully things would go well. He had all night punching bad guys to calm himself anyway.
The patrol was just another busy night in Gotham. Damian was teamed up with Drake, Brown with Cain, and Jason and Grayson were doing their own things.
Damian and Drake stopped some muggers, an attempted robbery, and some drug dealers. It wasn't the focus of their usual teamwork, but there was no immediate case that needed their attention.
Each team was focused on a sure thing. Jason took care of matters concerning his territory. Grayson, who was filling the role of Batman, took care of villains and big threats such as drug rings and illegal weapons.
Brown would usually patrol around and take care of lower-level threats, but when Cain was around, they would focus on bigger groups. Overall, they were concentrated on crimes with immediate violence.
Drake and Damian were more subtle. They were the investigators. While they took care of small crimes in their patrol area, most of the time, their work was to find criminals who were in hiding and apprehending them.
Drake would usually find them, and then Damian would sneak in and report so they could proceed. Damian was the best in stealth among them besides Cain, so it was to their benefit. The area Damian was better at was breaking into places. He knew how to get past most locks without triggering them and how to disable all traps.
Cain was more silent and hard to notice, but she wasn't as tech-savvy. So, most of the time, the responsibility fell on Damian. Damian took pride in it, and he always trained to get better at it.
He also secretly exchanged techniques with Kyle so they could both improve their craft.
Most of the time, each team had an area in which they needed to do their usual patrol and take care of the threats in the area. But when the threat was beyond them, they could always rely on calling the others.
Before Damian and Drake were allowed to patrol together, Damian had to stick by Father or Grayson's side, not being given much freedom. But once they started to get along enough to show their prowess together, it became a habit for them.
They still switched teams for nights when needed, but they stuck together most of the time.
Oracle was amazing at organizing them all and always finding the best way for all of them to reach their objectives.
Damian noticed Drake giving him the signal to follow; it seemed that there was another case that needed their attention.