Quips and Flips Excite Me

Because that's Damian. That's his Damian.

Damian, who creates OCs and writes comics about his adventures with his dad, about him as Robin, likes anime but prefers manga, is someone who's a quiet romantic and reads romance manga till 4 in the morning.

Damian, who goes to the park just to feed the local birds, will help an old lady with her groceries and listen to her talk about her grandkids, will draw you if you ask, likes listening to old people talk about their lives; works at the local shelter and volunteers at the hospital.

Damian, who gets lost in an afternoon answering any and all questions from the local elementary school kids, and Damian, who also gets into a serious debate with a second grader about whether it's a tortoise or a turtle.

That's Damian.

Someone who will give and bleed as much as he loves. Undying loyalty, love and care that runs so deeply.

Someone who craves closeness but is afraid of being left behind, who holds himself to such high standards that he thinks he'll never be good enough, no matter what. Someone who grieves and will hold guilt until the day he dies.

Someone who abandoned everything he knew to move to a place so foreign where he has to relearn everything, where everyone is already so untrustworthy of him, just to live with a father he has only ever heard of.

Damian, who is the very definition of love and loyalty and proof that change is possible.

How could anyone think of Damian otherwise? Jon doesn't get it, and he doesn't want to. Damian may let the names and whispers slide because they're not wrong; he was those things at one point. And so what if he was? Jon doesn't care; it doesn't matter. Jon will fight anyone who dares to say anything horrible about Damian. He doesn't like you, he doesn't trust you, and God, he will make sure you know.

Damian: Grayson, why does Pennyworth leave food on the counter every night?

Dick, on his phone, not even paying attention: Oh, that's for Jason.

Damian: For 'Jason'?

Dick: Yeah. Sometimes he sneaks into the kitchen at night, so Alfred started leaving food out for him.

Damian, confused: I've never seen anyone here.

Dick: Well he doesn't always come. And last time, Bruce caught him crawling through the window and scared him away so, who knows when he'll show up again.

Damian, definitely thinking of a raccoon: So then Pennyworth is feeding a random stray that crawled out of God knows where?

Dick, annoyed: He's not a 'random stray', Damian, he's family, and he has been living in this house for way longer than you have.

Damian, trying to remember how long do raccoons live for:

Damian: I hope he doesn't die soon.

Dick: ????!!

*Later that night in the Bat-cave*

Tim, typing away in the computer:

Damian: Drake. Have you ever met Jason?

Tim: Uh. Stupid, annoying and looks like a skunk? Yes, why?

Damian, picturing a mix between a racoon and a skunk:

Damian: Is he friendly?

Tim: Well, the first time I met him, he attacked me, so...

Damian: Hmm... What did you do to provoke him?

Tim: What did I do to– Bitch–

Tim: Nothing! He just didn't like me taking 'what was his', or something.

Damian, nodding: You invaded his territory.

*The next day*

Damian: Father, when do you think Jason will visit again? I want to meet him.

Bruce: Um. I don't know, Damian. He doesn't come here often.

Damian: Why?

Bruce: Because he lives somewhere else.

Damian: Why doesn't he just live here with us instead? He would be safer.

Bruce, wincing: I don't think he would like that, Damian. He's not confortable here.

Damian: But, maybe if I befriend him I could convince him to stay.

Bruce, sighing: I don't think so, Damian. You have to respect his space.

Damian: Oh...

Damian: I hope he doesn't get rabies

The first time Jon called Damian “babe,” that was fine; it wasn't that big of a deal. He thought it was cute but shrugged it off overall.

But the first time Jon called him “Baby,” it was during a very hot and heavy make-out session on Jon's bed, where he said the word against the skin of Damian's neck. Almost instantly, he sat up and went nonverbal for a good minute. Jon thought he had offended him somehow, but after three days of Damian needing to process what he had just heard, he found out that it just made Damian incredibly flushed... but he liked it.

“Sweetheart” is used as a term of endearment and comfort. After a long or bad day, it’s a pull into Jon's arms, a kiss to Damian's forehead, and a “I'm sorry, sweetheart.” It's also used in a way of praise that makes Damian preen when Jon says, “You're doing so good right now, sweetheart” (also one of my personal favorites).

“Sugar” is used in a way that's more flirtatious. It's a word that Jon knows gets Damian riled up if he says it in a certain way and causes him to be just as flirtatious back.

“Angel” is another term that Jon likes to use when it comes to praising Damian in that intimate sort of way.

Damian's rather simple. He likes using “my love,” “my dear,” “my heart,” and “Habibi,” which is another classic that we all know.

It just feels so lived-in, so much more intimate. It makes it feel more real to Damian that this is their place, this is their home. A bigger, more expensive apartment would feel empty to him if he had to be more than 2 feet away from Jon in a cramped kitchen as they try to cook dinner without elbowing each other in the face.