QueenSaphireRose360 wanted some Damian and Bruce content and when I tell you it took everything in me not to include Dick in this you better believe me 

I named myself after him what can i say? 

*yes i know these end on the 24th - Christmas day is going to be mad so i probably would forget to post due to being busy or being drunk*

Things didn't really go back to normal once Bruce returned to the mantle of Batman and Damian was once again his Robin mostly because there wasn't a normal to go back to. They didn't really spend time together before this fiasco and although Damian understood why he'd been sent to boarding school, he couldn't help but feel like he was walking on eggshells around the older. Like one bad move and he'd be sent to that school. Of course, that never stopped him from doing those things that could get him shipped off. He was just more aware of what the consequences would be. Bruce felt the same and always felt awkward around his son. Sure they shared blood but it never really felt entirely right to be around the younger. He could see aspects of himself within the boy but then there was this other side belonging to Talia that he couldn't ignore. It felt weird. He didn't doubt that he played some part in things being weird and that maybe he should take the first step in making them less weird but he was Bruce. Bruce didn't do emotions but neither did Damian. Plus they had so little in common. Well, they thought they did. They never really talked about that stuff. It would take one night when they were both running on little sleep before they actually bonded. 

It'd been the week running up to the holidays and that meant a sharp rise in criminals for them to deal with. They were working around the clock to put these people behind bars and due to that their sleep schedules were ruined completely. They were lucky to get two hours of sleep. Coffee was the only thing they asked for, despite Alfred's insistence that they couldn't keep going like this, and any spare time they had was devoted to training. Training was one of the rare times either of them felt comfortable around the other along with patrol. It was odd they had to have a greater goal to feel like they could spend a few hours together. Even then they were pretty much doing their own thing. Bruce was lifting weights when his eyes drifted to his protege. He supposed now that he was slowing down and able to take the time, he could see that Damian wasn't doing so well. He was sweating and looked sickly as though he could chuck his guts up right then and there. He was swallowing thickly and his punches barely shook the punching bag. Bruce furrowed his eyebrows at this. Damian was only a child and he was pushing himself past his limits. It made him think if the boy even knew his limits. He grew up with assassins and was told to keep going. For heaven's sake, he was forced to climb a mountain when he was five. There was no way he could know how far he could go without hurting himself. That's where Bruce had to laugh. He couldn't tell if that trait was Talia's or his own. He never took breaks and he never planned to. Years ago he had but then he got too far in with his job that leaving the city alone for one night was absurd. It was asking for trouble. 

What if it wasn't? 

No, it definitely would. As soon as people heard there was no Batman running around, they'd go out of their way to commit crime. He was the only one keeping this city from falling apart.

What if you weren't?

That's simply insane. He was the one to save this city every night despite it being a thankless task. People would be lost without him.

But they weren't. Someone replaced you and you came back to a city that was still going on. The only criminal who cares about getting your attention is Joker and do you really want to feed into his fantasy?

Bruce shook his head, hoping to shake the thought out too, and through doing so he caught sight of himself in the glass. His reflection was almost unrecognisable and he looked just as bad as his protege. Whilst in the moment, he thought he'd been doing well but his arm was shaking as it lifted the weight and it was then he noticed the number on the weight. It was significantly lower than the one he usually used but he'd been sure he picked the right one up. 

Take a break. Your body needs the rest and maybe you'll get brownie points from Damian.

Damian won't take a break. He's never asked for one and he never will.

Maybe he just doesn't know how to ask you? Even if he doesn't want to take a break, he needs it. You're his dad. You need to look out for him. 

The voice was annoying him but only because it was right. They both needed a break and maybe he could use this to make being around him less weird. People were always more open when they were tired and he didn't doubt that Damian was exhausted. Maybe Gotham could deal with a night relying just on the police. Even if it couldn't, someone could probably cover the city. He put his weight down and took another look at the younger. He'd somehow worsened in the time it took to come to the realisation they needed a break. Why was parenting so hard? How was he supposed to just know when his kids needed breaks? Did they need to go to therapy? They all liked being heroes enough to continue the job so they mustn't really need it. Then again, being a hero was slightly addictive. Well very addictive. Yea he should've put them through therapy. "Father, I don't see the point in your training if you're just going to sit there," Damian stated. Bruce snapped his head up to look at him and hummed.

"I was thinking."

"Evidently. Well if you're quite done thinking, I suggest we get ready for patrol."

"Actually Damian, I think it's best that we skip tonight. We've been working hard recently and I think it would do both of us some good," he replied. The younger raised an eyebrow at him, surprised by the proposal. 

"If this is some sort of insult to my ability to work-"

"It isn't. It's exactly what I said it was," he interrupted. 

"Oh." Damian shifted on his feet a little, arms folded and closed off. He thought over his words before speaking again. "Well, I suppose a break is something that can be done. Though I'd advise against having the whole night off. People will begin to get the wrong idea." Bruce hummed but he wanted to stay strong on this stance. They needed a real break or it would defeat the purpose. 

"I'm not deviating from my plan. If we still go on patrol it's not a break." Damian rolled his eyes and huffed. Considering this was the boy who threw a temper tantrum whenever he could, this was a success. He wasn't yelling or trying to deck him. Perhaps this was the right decision after all.

After telling Damian to hit the shower and get changed into comfortable clothes, Bruce did the same himself whilst he tried to think up a way to get them to bond. He doubted Damian enjoyed video games which was good because those things brought out the worst in the billionaire. He remembered confiscating Tim's, Jason's and Dick's consoles back when they were his Robins as punishment for fairly minor things then playing them at night to see if he could get any better. Not his proudest moments and nor did they go on without him being found out. He swore there were still jokes going on about it. So no video games. He couldn't put on anything too stimulating either because he wanted Damian to sleep at some point tonight. That ruled out anything that wasn't mind-numbing to some degree. Reading to Damian felt weird if not boring. A movie would be the most fitting but what movie? He couldn't watch one that was action-packed nor something that could be possibly triggering. It was the holidays so he could put on a Christmas movie? Damian probably never watched one so it'd be nice to introduce him to one or two. Though he wasn't sure if that was giving false hope since they didn't really celebrate Christmas. Bruce had in the years previous but only when one of his boys were there. It was mostly when they were young too. Over the years, the tradition stopped as they all drifted away from one another and did their own things. Maybe that wasn't fair on his youngest. He wasn't getting that experience the others had and perhaps that's why they weren't getting any closer. Then again, Damian would've never celebrated Christmas or any other holiday for that matter so he wouldn't know anything he was missing out on. Maybe he was overthinking this. Once he was in more comfortable clothes, he noticed Alfred cleaning down the hall and thought it best to ask him what to do. "Perhaps a children's movie? I know that Master Dick had tried to get him to watch Corpse Bride once. A Nightmare Before Christmas would be fitting for the festive season," the older offered.

"Will he be okay with that?"

"I don't see why not. Just because he may not celebrate Christmas doesn't mean he can't enjoy the movies. Even if he doesn't, you two can watch something else. You're thinking too deeply into this Master Bruce and you're aware of that." Bruce nodded. A Nightmare Before Christmas it was.

"A children's movie? How derogatory," Damian complained as he trudged into the cinema room. He saw the menu for the movie and knew it anywhere. He walked to where Bruce was sat and left a seat between them before sitting down. He stifled a yawn, already feeling his body slow down. He noticed that the older looked ready to drop off too. He never thought he'd see Bruce so tired. The man seemed to never stop and never sleep whilst looking like he didn't need to. He always looked slightly dishevelled, with dark bags under his eyes and growing wrinkles around his features, so the thought that he ever needed something so human was odd. Unheard of almost. People simply accepted that Bruce was somehow existing without what everyone else needed because why not? They couldn't convince him to go to bed and they certainly could never convince him to take a break. It was upon remembering that Damian felt even more confused as to why they were doing this. 

"We can watch something else?"

"It's fine. You'll only find something more insufferable," he responded. The older nodded and pressed play on the movie. It was tense between them but that wasn't anything unusual. The space of one seat between them didn't help either. They were far apart but even if they were close together, that feeling of distance will still be there. 

"Maybe you can choose the movie next time?" Bruce suggested.

"I have no real liking towards cinema. I find it pointless to sit and watch a fictional story unfold," he retorted. That was harsh. He sighed to himself and thought it best to extend an olive branch. At the end of the day, they had to work together and live together. Bruce was showing some attempt to get to know him and as much as he sucked for sending his own blood away to some school, the effort had to be acknowledged and rewarded somewhat. That and whilst he was getting ready Alfred popped in and suggested he give the billionaire a chance. Alfred wasn't always right but he usually was and he couldn't just ignore the advice given. "Though if I was forced to do a civilian activity, I'd enjoy looking at antique weapons. Perhaps going to see animals too. They're real and are worth my time."

"Oh. Cool. What uh what type of weapons?"

"Swords." There was some quiet between them. Normally this was awkward but now it felt better. Lighter. 

"We could go out and find something you like? For Christmas?" Bruce suggested. 

"Yes, I think that would be...fun."

As the movie progressed, the pair had short conversations and with each piece of information revealed the atmosphere in the room lightened. It got to the point where Damian felt comfortable sitting in the previously unoccupied seat beside his dad. He eventually felt his eyelids droop and tentatively leaned against Bruce, ready to be told to get off. He wasn't told that, however. Bruce let him lean there and didn't really acknowledge the change. It felt nice. "Damian, I know that things are difficult between us sometimes but I hope you know I'm trying," the older told him.

"I'm trying too," he mumbled. 

"Then I suppose things will feel normal soon if we both keep trying?" Damian hummed as he let his eyes slip closed. He drifted off to sleep as Bruce chuckled lowly. Maybe things weren't the best now but he could imagine things being better in the future. They had to be.