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The glow of the Nintendo 3DS screen was the only light in the pitch-black of Damian’s bedroom. He had asked his father to get him one so that he could 'Blend in with the other kids' but that really wasn't the case, No. It was much more then that.
It was well past midnight, the hour when even Batman’s watchful eyes were turned toward the streets of Gotham, leaving the manor in a rare, heavy silence.
It was during those rare moments where Damian was benched for something he did and everyone else had patrol so he was alone in the manor beside Alfred who was probably reading a book with a cup of tea
Damian sat cross-legged on his bed, the covers pulled up over his shoulders like a fortress. He stared at the screen, his thumb hovering over the stylus. On the screen, two Mii characters were hanging out in a brightly colored virtual apartment.
One was a tiny, pixelated version of himself scowling, dressed in a tiny green hoodie. The other was.. his akhi.. Jason
Damian had spent hours in the Mii Maker, meticulously trying to get Jason’s features exactly right. The sharp jawline, the messy hair, the exact shade of blue for his eyes. It was the only version of Jason he had left. Because truth be told.. he was forgetting what his akhi looked like and that scared him more than he'd like to admit willingly.
Ever since Jason had left the League of Assassins, the older boy had vanished completely. Damian hadn't seen him in years. In the real world, bringing up Jason’s name was forbidden, a ghost story whispered in the shadows of his grandfather's fortress.. and yet he was mentioned all the time without even saying his name, When they talked about joker, When they discuss a particular topic Damian sees how his father would gaze towards Jason's suit, The way Grayson would often trail off mid sentence when talking about something that was partially related to Jason. Or Drake who had a suspiciously large amount of pictures of Jason during his robin days.
But here, in this virtual pixilated game, in Tomodachi Life, Jason was here, he was alive and it swelled Damian's heart because he missed his akhi terribly
On the screen, the Jason-Mii suddenly jumped up, a little speech bubble popping up over his head: "Let's go to the amusement park! Habibi" The Damian-Mii nodded enthusiastically, a cheerful little chiptune melody playing through Damian's headphones.
Damian clenched the console harder, Akhi had always mentioned wanting to take him to an amusement park..
A hot tear slipped down Damian’s cheek, splashing onto the touch screen. He quickly wiped it away with the sleeve of his shirt, swallowing the lump in his throat. He played in absolute secret, locking his door and hiding the console under his mattress the second he heard a footstep in the hallway. If anyone.. if Father, or Richard, or Timothy caught him crying over a video game, the humiliation would be unbearable, they'd never let him live it down.
But watching their digital selves bicker, eat burgers, and play games together was the only thing that kept the memories alive. It was exactly how they used to be back in the League, before the world tore them apart. Damian sniffled, hugging his knees tightly as he watched the digital Jason give his digital self a virtual hug.. Damian hated being vulnerable he really did but what he hated most then that was being vulnerable
Alone.
"I miss you, Akhi.." he sobbed quietly, the screen blurring behind a fresh wave of tears. His head shot up when he heard his door knob turning. He had forgotten to lock the door. A terrible slip up on his end
Timothy walked in "Hey Da-" He paused when he saw his younger brothers tear streaked face. He closed the door and quickly ran to Damian's side "Dami? What happened?"
Damian want to tell him off and that he didn't need comfort but he saw how happy his Mii was with the Mii Jason and felt so.. so jealous. Why couldn't he be with his akhi.. why did he have to sit here and watch someone else live his dream and hopes, even if it was a stupid video game.
"Dames?" Tim tried again and eventually Damian crumbled, He had allowed himself to cry in Timothys presence back in the league as a gullible toddler when Tim served his time there. He didn't see why he should hide something Tim's already seen so he leaned onto tims side
"I miss Akhi.." Damian admitted he knew Drake learnt a little bit of Arabic so he hoped he understood because he really didn't feel being a translator right now
"Akhi.. you mean brother..? You have a brother?" Tim asked
Damian nodded slowly and pointed to his console that was abandoned on the bed in front of Damian
Tim slowly reached out and pulled it in, He saw the two Mii's in the world it was cute and highly detailed, But Tim notice how much Damian's other Mii looked like Jason
"What's his name?" Tim asked quietly as he pulled Damian close to his embrace
"Jason.." Damian mumbled looking at the screen
"...Todd..?" Tim hesitated but flinched when he felt Damian nod, He let out a shaky exhale "Y- you know... I have my own little Jason Todd in my own world too" Tim confessed hoping it'd lighten the mood
Damian looked at him interested "you know ahki..?" Damian asked
"Of course I do.. He was my favourite Robin. He saved me from a rusted fire escape and got me ice cream" Tim chuckled remembering the memory
"Why were you on a rusted fire escape..?" Damian asked
Tim choked on his breath "I- was uh.. I was.. stalking him..?" Tim chuckled awkwardly
Damian paused looking at Tim "Your tactics are concerning Drake.."
"Not the point! You want see my version of Jason ot not?" Tim asked and felt a sigh of relief when Damian nodded.
A little later
"Your version of Akhi is.. Acceptable" Damian commented as he looked over Tim's shoulder and down to his Mii's
"Thank you.. I only ever knew him as robin. So I tried my best to imagine what he'd look like if he was older" Tim chuckled before slowly turning to Damian "want to help me perfect it...?" Tim asked hopefully
Damian paused, Perhaps this would be good. He'd get to try to remember his Akhi's face and he'd be helping Timothy. Yes, this was acceptable "If you insist.." Damian said quietly though he was clearly pleased
Weeks had passed, Damian and Tim had settled on this small enjoyable bond they shared together, The both of them had made their own Mii's in each others Worlds. It was weird at first Damian thought. To be playing a game that felt so personal to him with someone who was supposed to hate. But he really didn't hate it because Tim understands what it's like to Miss Akhi, Miss Jason. And Tim felt the same.
It was nice.
Damian could get used to this
Months later, the world shifted. The reveal had been loud, chaotic, and dangerous, standard for Gotham. But amidst the shattered glass and smoke of the Batcave, there he was. Real. Solid.
Jason stood there, looking older, rougher, with a white streak in his hair and walls built so high they could rival Arkham’s. The rest of the family was talking, shouting, analyzing the situation. Damian and Tim didn't care about the proof. They didn't care about protocol. If this really was Jason they didn't want to miss the chance to hug him.
Before Jason could even finish making a sarcastic comment, he was tackled down by a baby bat and baby bird
Jason gasped, stumbling back a step as Damian and Tim wrapped his arms around their older brother’s waist, their faces burried directly into Jason’s leather jacket. Damian squeezed with all the lethal strength he possessed, his fingers gripping the leather so tightly his knuckles turned white.
"Whoa.. was no expecting an arm full of baby birds and bats today" Jason muttered, his voice cracking slightly. He froze, completely unsure of what to do with his hands. He looked up at Bruce, who was just watching with a softened expression. Slowly, hesitantly, Jason brought his arms down, wrapping them around the both of them. "Hey. I'm here. I'm not going anywhere."
They didn't reply. Jason just squeezed tighter, the both of them refusing to let go, silently vowing that the universe would have to tear him apart before he let Jason vanish into the dark again.
It took weeks for Jason to finally get comfortable with the family.
Jason had settled with a comfortable routine that allowed some family time. Jason was staying at the manor, mostly keeping to himself, but he didn't leave.
One afternoon, Damian marched into Jason’s temporary room, holding his worn 3DS out like an offering.
"What's this?" Jason asked, looking up from his book.
"Sit," Damian commanded, his usual blunt tone returning, though there was a slight flush on his cheeks. Jason blinked, but slid over on the bed. Damian sat next to him and flipped the screen open, booting up the game. "I... I made this. When you were gone."
Jason watched as the tiny island loaded. He saw the apartment buildings, the shops, and then, the Miis. He watched a tiny version of himself walk across the screen, wearing a ridiculous leather jacket Damian had custom-designed, waving at a tiny Damian.
"You made me?" Jason whispered, the snark completely melting from his voice. He looked from the screen to Damian, noticing for the first time the slight wear on the console, the buttons that had been pressed over and over in the dark. "Dami..."
"It was the only way to ensure your data wasn't.. forgotten by time," Damian muttered defensively, looking away. "We won the frisbee tournament yesterday."
"Hey! What are you guys looking at?" Tim said walking in. He walked up them and realised Damian was showing his world to Jason. Tim perked up "Wait! I wanna show you mine too!!" Tim said before he sprinted to his room to grab his own console.
He came back and practically jumped onto the couch to Jason's side, Jason looked down at Tim's and realised his and Damian's version of him looked the same
"Damn I look good in both" Jason said smugly trying to hide how freaking warm and loved he felt in his cheat
Dick practically bounced into the room, leaning over their shoulders to peek at the screen. He squinted at the tiny pixelated characters. "Wait. Is that a video game? Is that you two? Oh my gosh, you made an island!"
Dick scrambled to sit on the other side of Damian, scrolling through the island's town hall roster. His face instantly fell into a dramatic, exaggerated pout.
"Wait a minute," Dick gasped, clutching his chest in mock offense. "Where am I? Damian! Why aren't *I* on the island? I'm your oldest brother! I was your favourite!"
"You are loud and annoying, Richard, and.. Jason is my favourite," Damian snapped, pulling the 3DS closer to his chest.
Dick cried, throwing his hands in the air. "This is blatant favoritism! Jay, tell him he has to add me!"
Jason just laughed, a loud, genuine sound that echoed beautifully against the manor walls. He reached over, throwing an arm around Damian’s shoulders and pulling him close. "Sucks to be you, Dickhead. The island is full. Only cool brothers allowed."
"How about you Tim?? Am I in your world??" Dick turned to Tim like the last line of hope
Tim slowly shook his head "I couldn't get your features right so I gave up.." Tim confessed
"Lies, he merely spent a significantly more time on Jason's Mii" Damian ratted out, earning a gasp from Dick "Because Jason is also his favourite!" And Dick made a choke sound as if Slade had just stabbed him
"My two baby brothers.. hate.. me.." Dick cried out dramatically
"You don't even know what a console is you fucking ancient bitch" Jason insulted, Earning another hurt gasps before Jason laughed at him
Yea, Everything will be alright.