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The winter holiday season was always an interesting affair, around Wayne Manor. Several cultures blended and clashed, turning the Manor into a bright, cheerful amalgamation of various Christmas and Hanukkah decorations. It seemed as though each new addition to the household had brought with them a change to the celebrations and decorations, much to Alfred's delight. And Bruce's, though he never outright admitted how much he enjoyed the warmth all of the festivities brought to the old manor. The halls were filled with little trees, and the bannisters were all wrapped in beautiful fake Holly and Ivy, a recent change after Damian explained the importance of keeping pet-friendly decorations up. (Tim hadn't even realized Holly was so toxic to cats and dogs, but the change was an easy one to make for their newest family member.) Tim wasn't entirely sure, but it seemed as though Alfred went just a little more extravagant this year, as it was Damian's first Christmas with the family.
Finding out that the League had taught Damian about both Christmas and Hanukkah, but never let him celebrate either, was apparently the highest offense according to Dick. Tim was pretty sure forcing a child to become an assassin was the bigger crime, but even JJ seemed more offended by the lack of Christmas, so Tim decided not to argue. Having JJ and Dick actually agree whole-heartedly about something usually meant that Tim would loose, one way or another, and the holidays were crazy enough without having to deal with his insane brother...or his even more insane headmate. He distinctly remembered when the two of them decided that Tim wasn't getting enough free time, and conspired against him. They'd cleared his schedule for a whole week. A whole WEEK! And when Tim had tried to slip away as Red Robin, JJ took control and drove them all the way to Dick's apartment in Bludhaven, just to keep him from going out! It was the first time Dick and JJ had interacted willingly, and it still made Tim's eye twitch.
So, for his own sanity...or whatever was left of it, Tim decided to just roll with helping make Damian's first Christmas a good one. And, of course, his first Hanukkah, which would happen soon. The problem was, it seemed as though Damian was entirely against the whole thing from the start. Any time he was dragged into helping to decorate or participate in holiday celebrations, the young assassin would find some excuse to get out of it. He'd complained about the pointlessness of making gingerbread houses, and how decorating both the large, traditional tree and the smaller family tree were wastes of time that could be spent training. The attempts to wrangle him into a Santa hat had ended with Dick sporting a new bite to his hand, and Tim snickering behind a camera. (That picture was quickly developed and added to the new scrapbook he'd started for Damian.)
Even trying to get Damian to go out Christmas shopping for Bruce was like pulling teeth! Dick had to promise to let him stop by the animal shelter to get him to agree to the outing, and from what Tim had been told, Damian struggled to think of anything to get Bruce or Alfred. At least he seemed to take finding the right gift seriously, going so far as to ask Tim for advice on something to get Dick. Tim would consider it a win that they'd lasted a whole conversation without insults being thrown in either direction, and had come to a good agreement on what to get their older brother. (A set of personalized gymnastics apparel, with the Flying Graysons written across it).
All of this built up to Christmas day, and the somewhat chaotic affair of opening gifts. Tim had planned ahead for today by going to bed early and stocking up on energy drinks to survive the chaos, but even with his experience it was always a bit much. Jason had come by, quite literally throwing gifts at both him and Dick, while claiming he was only there for Alfred's special Christmas feast. Dick had cried over Damian's gift, giving the poor kid a hug so tight that Tim was almost positive he'd heard something crack, and even Bruce had gotten emotional over the thoughtful gift Damian had selected for him. There was no gift for him from Damian, but he really hadn't been expecting one, so he wasn't upset. His own gift for Damian wasn't under the tree either, as he figured it'd be easier to give it to him separately and away from disapproving eyes. At some point, Jason and Dick had gotten into a light-hearted argument, one that quickly devolved into a series of small competitions overseen by Bruce himself, and during the chaos Damian had vanished.
Tim didn't blame him, it was likely a lot for him, and he'd initially decided to simply leave him be. Unfortunately for them both, JJ was insistent that he needed their gift, and Tim knew that ignoring him would likely lead to the other taking over at the first chance, and bursting into Damian's room. After their first meeting, Damian had made it rather clear he found JJ unnerving, and Tim really didn't want to find out if JJ could convince Damian to 'play'. He still wasn't sure JJ fully understood that getting them stabbed was, in fact, NOT an appropriate way to have fun. And that their blood belonged INSIDE their body, no matter how pretty he thought it was.
And so, with a heavy sigh, Tim made his way to Damian's room with a carefully decorated box in hand. Before his hand could even touch the wood, the door swung open, and a grumpy looking Damian glared up at him. The effects were slightly diminished thanks to the comically oversized Christmas sweater Damian was still wearing, and Tim quickly coughed to cover up a laugh. "Hey. I came to give you your Christmas gift. I uh, figured it was better to give this to you alone." He said, holding out the box.
"Tch." Damian scoffed, eyes narrowed as he examined Tim's face, and then the box. Without a word he turned, keeping the door open as he retreated back into his room. Confused, Tim took it as a sign to follow, and made his way inside, looking around curiously. He'd never actually been in Damian's room, but it was more or less what he expected. Lamps were used in place of the overhead light, and the room was filled with a mixture of old weapons carefully displayed, and art supplies. There was a half-finished painting set up in the corner, and piles of drawings littering one corner, though his desk was kept spotless and perfectly organized. Titus was curled up in the massive dog bed in the corner, and Alfred the Cat was stretched out on the bed.
"Technically this is from...us." Tim said, trying to get Damian's attention as he focused back on his little brother, wincing slightly at the admission. The others had gotten better at not reacting badly to mentions of JJ, but Bruce and Dick still tensed whenever he was brought up. As expected, Damian paused, but didn't comment as he made his way to his bedside drawers.
"Hopefully it is a more suitable gift than Grayson's poor attempt at selecting pet treats. If I were to give the brand he selected to Titus, he would no doubt be in gastric distress." Damian tutted, pulling out a box of his own. The comment made Tim snort, moving towards the bed to put the gift down, and give Alfred the Cat some well deserved attention.
"He means well, but Dick gets excited about brand gimmicks over quality sometimes. Have you seen the stuff he picks out for food?" Tim pointed out, glancing back over to Damian. What he saw made him frown lightly, as he watched Damian fiddle with the box in his hands, looking almost unsure of himself. That wasn't an expression Damian usually had, and it made Tim focus in a little more. "Hopefully you like our gift. JJ came up with the idea, and I searched for someone to make them."
Damian didn't reply, still looking down at the box in his hands, a light frown across his face. It was the same frown Bruce had sometimes, when he was thinking about how to approach a social situation he clearly hadn't planned for, or when the situation had moved outside of his pre-planned scripts. Several seconds passed in silence, enough to make Tim shift uncomfortably, before Damian suddenly stormed over and shoved the box into Tim's hand so firmly that the teen nearly dropped it.
"Woh! Careful!" Tim protested, bewildered, holding the box as if it might explode any second. When nothing happened, he pulled it closer to examine it, surprised to find a small tag with writing on it. 'To: Drake and JJ'.
"You...got us a gift?" Tim asked, staring at the box with wide eyes. In the back of his mind, he could hear JJ's excited squealing and excited chanting of 'open it open it open it!'. As far as Tim could remember, the only person who had ever given JJ a gift of his own was Harley, excluding the 'gifts' that Joker sometimes gave them as an excuse to torment them. But here it was, a gift for them both.
"Obviously. Do not tell me your deductive skills have already diminished." Damian scoffed, moving to pick up his own gift, attempting to appear busy.
Tim huffed, rolling his eyes, before giving into JJ's excited demands. The box was held together with a simple ribbon, and all it took was a tug to unravel the bow. Opening the lid, Tim could only stare in confusion for a moment, as he looked at what appeared to be a black, pink and blue...mop? Stuffed animal? Actual animal? Frowning in confusion, Tim set the box on the bed to pull out the item inside, holding it up to get a better look at it.
"Is this...a wig?" Tim asked, surprised. It certainly looked like a wig, a very realistic lace wig. Black, medium length hair held streaks of vibrant pink and blue on either side, split down the center. It only took a second to realize why those colors looked familiar. They were the exact shades of pink and blue that Harley had started to dye her hair, after she'd split up with the Joker for good!
Laughter bubbled up in Tim's chest, spilling over in delighted, manic glee as JJ took hold. "Mama's hair! You got me Mama's hair!" JJ squealed, shoving the wig onto his head. It looked a mess, his natural hair still poking through in places, and the lace at the front sticking slightly upwards, but JJ's delight wasn't dimmed. He rushed towards Damian's bathroom to look in the mirror, laughing in pure delight.
The sound still made Damian shiver slightly, especially after having come face to face with the man who had inspired the laugh, but there was also a great satisfaction in knowing he'd clearly made the right choice. There had been a worry that he had overstepped, as social norms were still confusing at times, but he had been determined to prove his superior gift giving abilities. And one thing he had noticed from the start, was the wariness the others held around Drake's alternative self. The lack of personhood granted to the other being inside his mind. And it was clearly another person, as his micro expressions and body language were entirely different from Drake himself, down to Drake's usual tells.
"Quinzel aided me in the creation of your gift." Damian called out, as he finally opened up his own gift. The set of knives that greeted him were an unexpected joy, and he carefully picked one up to examine it. The blades were small but detailed throwing blades, perfectly balanced to Damian's delight. On each of them was a delicate carving of an actual robin bird, and their sheath held the same depiction. A nod to his title, while being vague enough to be used as a civilian. Twirling the blade in his hand, he tossed it in the air a few times, before letting it fly. It landed on the dart board across the room with a satisfying sound, digging deep into the cork board with minimal force. "An acceptable gift." Damian said loudly, downplaying how pleased he was.
"I knew you'd like it! Timtim said Boring Brother wouldn't approve, but I knew you'd like them! Baby brother is so good with knives!" JJ cooed as he strolled back into the room, his smile stretching so wide it seemed to split his face in half. The wig was much better fitted to his head now, though the lace still needed to be cut and styled properly. It looked almost natural on him, fitting him as well as green hair and red lipstick would, perhaps better.
Damian looked up, appraising JJ's appearance, nodding in approval. "It appears you are far superior in gift giving than Grayson." He complimented, earning him a thrilled giggle from JJ, who suddenly rushed forward. Damian tensed, already reaching for one of the other knives in the box when he was picked up and spun around, much to his mortification. "Put me down this instant!" He demanded, attempting to kick any part of his brother he could. His protests only seemed to spur JJ on, as the teen laughed and continued to twirl them for a few more seconds, before placing him down and pulling back just enough to grin down at him, oblivious to the murderous look on Damian's face.
"Wanna test out our new gifts, baby brother?" He asked, that manic glee in his eyes now laced with mischief. "Everyone's gonna be busy for hours. And Timtim knows the codes to the Batmobile."
Damian's eyes widened a fraction, before a vicious grin of his own appeared. Perhaps this Christmas would end up being some fun after all.