Chapter Text
The thing is, Damian expected to be taken to buy a film camera, not that he really knew where they were sold. He had done some research but found that film cameras, the ones where you had to develop the film yourself and not an instant camera that was sold at Walmart, were relatively difficult to find. And then there was the matter of the size of film, quick research told him 35mm was the most common and was similar to 4k which was digital resolution. But did that mean anything higher was a better definition, or was it the lower it was the better resolution? Damian wasn’t sure, but he wanted the best resolution for his photos! His drawings were of high quality and he wanted nothing less for his photos. And when you did find what camera you wanted they were expensive, not that it was really an issue for Damian Wayne but four hundred dollars for a camera used for one assignment was probably not worth it. Despite having the money, father often tried not to spend frivolously unless it was for a special occasion, someone was injured or as a reward. That being said he usually did anyway and he could probably just buy it and father wouldn’t even notice.
What he was not expecting was Drake to hand over his own camera to Damian. Well he didn’t really hand it over, Drake didn’t seem all too keen on letting it go. Despite the fact that he was less passionate about his photography than he used to be, he still wasn’t willing to let fully go of his camera. Which Damian more than understood and took no offense to because Damian honestly had no idea how to use it.
“This is my camera, I’ve had it for years now so we’re gonna start here, okay?” Drake asked, presenting his camera to him, the strap securely around his neck even as he held it towards Damian.
“Your camera? Won’t I need my own?” Damian asked, Drake chewed on the inside of his mouth for a moment.
“Potentially, eventually, yes. But right now we’re gonna learn on this first. If you like it, great, we'll get you your own, but for one assignment there’s no reason to buy a new one when I have a perfectly good one just collecting dust right now.” Drake said, seemingly unhappy about it? Or well it wasn’t the preferred method for Drake to teach him it seemed. Damian frowns.
“If it’s too much I can use a digital camera, I just- I like control with my art projects and you said film gives you more control without editing software but digital cameras are more easily accessible and we can just get one of those.” Drake’s expression tightened and then softened after a moment.
“No, no it’s fine really. Besides I know this camera best, I’ve used it for years, I know it inside and out. I’ve taken it apart and put it back together more times than I can count, I can adjust the settings for a shot with my eyes closed… and I basically have. The point is I know it well and I can teach you best this way.” Drake hesitated for a moment before sitting down next to Damian and pulling the strap over his head so Damian could see better.
“So the main things are aperture, shutter speed and ISO, you have those three things down and you’ll be able to take whatever picture you want, okay?” Drake said as he pointed to different parts of the camera, Damian nodded he followed so far. “So the aperture ring is right here on the lens, it’s basically how you focus the camera- more or less, I’m going to give you a very basic overview alright? What I’m telling you is a simplified version so as to not overwhelm or confuse you and help you understand so if something isn’t 100% right it’s just what you need to know.” Damian opened his mouth to protest, to insist that he was more than capable of learning exactly what everything did but Drake continued on without giving him a chance.
“The larger the lens the more light gets let in and the less it can distinguish the background and instead it allows for the image to be brighter but less clear and blurs the background. The smaller the lens is the less light is let in, the darker the image will be and the more depth you’ll get out of the picture, but remember where you want depth you sacrifice light and enhance shadows, so make sure you have significant lighting and adjust when you need to.” Drake explains, Damian nodded, understanding there was a trade off.
“Now if you don’t have enough lighting, like say it’s a picture outside at night but you really want to capture the depth of the image, that there is a specific difference between the foreground and background you want to capture, then you can use shutter speed to try and get that shot right without as bright lights.” Drake pointed to the shutter dial. “The longer the shutter speed the more time it is exposed to the light so it has time to basically gather the light that you have. However, with shutter speed there are other things at play, you need to hold very still for a longer shutter speed as it can cause blur with movement as it takes longer to capture the image. The shorter the exposure the crispier image, as there is less time for movement or error. If you want something in motion without blur you’ll want a shorter exposure, now if it’s really fast or there’s too much motion it’s going to end up blurry. That's just a fact, but you can minimize it with shutter speed.” Drake shows him the dial and which way to do it for a faster speed or a slower speed. There was a lot that went into a film camera apparently and it all had to be done within enough time to get the shot and like the one with the cat it would’ve had to be really fast but the amount of lighting was good. So maybe he had a low aperture but fast shutter speed? Damian wasn’t sure but he must know the camera well to be able to get shots of animals like that.
“ISO, light sensitivity, when you have a lot of light, day time, inside, fluorescent lights, direct light etcetera, low ISO. Dim light, no light, night time, high ISO. As you can tell light is extremely important for these cameras and the way you let light into the camera will affect how the photo comes out.” Drake showed him the ISO dial. “This camera has an ISO dial. Some cameras have buttons but this has a dial so you’ll learn with a dial. But with ISO comes noise- like static in the photo. Low ISO is usually higher quality and low noise while high ISO is usually lower quality and higher noise, it all depends but that’s generally what you need to know. It’s always a trade off when it comes to low lighting and you have to adjust the settings accordingly, it’s good to start with good lighting before working towards areas with low lighting.”
“Didn’t you used to take photos at night?” Damian asked, the majority of Drake’s photos were urban nightlife, probably because he was out looking for Batman anyway and just found good options for photos, but even still taking photos at night in Gotham would be difficult. Half the street lights didn’t work, and while it was a city it wasn’t a city with great lighting at night. The whole Batman of the shadows thing didn’t come from nowhere. Drake paused but nodded.
“Yeah, I did.” He said fiddling with the camera. “It all depends on the settings, what you can do with the lighting you have. I guess my specialty would be with low lighting? So I know the settings I need to get the right shot, but it really does depend. And developing your photos as well gives you more power with how the photos come out. Manipulating the developing process is just as important as the settings you use on the camera itself. It’s practice as everything is. You didn’t become a master at your katanas overnight right? It took practice, drilling but it became muscle memory. My first night time photos were shit, took awhile but I practiced in my backyard until I knew what to do and how photos came out. It’s trial and error but you polish it like any skill.” Damian nodded.
“Like drawing.” He said trying to relate it back to art. He didn’t start being able to draw and paint the way he can now, it took a long time of practice and repetition until he was satisfied with his work. Drawing for him was like mediating, he took to it well but he wasn’t always as skilled as he is now. He always took to drawing, in the sense that he always enjoyed it even from the beginning, but his skill took time and studying references, techniques and learning from other artists. This was no different.
“Exactly like drawing.” Drake said, a bit more eager now. “You learned contrast and shadows and highlights and negative space and lighting and color, you already learned all of those things, you know how to make a piece of art, you have the eye for it you know what goes into it all. Now you just have to adjust those skills to a different medium and it’s not going to be easy at first, it is a lot of trial and error and I’m not going to tell you what to do, you’re gonna fail at a few photos here and there and when you’re developing them you’re going to overexpose them or soak them for too long and that’s okay. Because you’re learning but that’s what matters. Your successes don’t mean anything without your mistakes because otherwise you didn’t learn anything.” Damian blinked, huh. He had never heard that before. In the league you were expected to succeed without failure, failure, mistakes and losses were not tolerated and severely punished, even to Damian himself. But there was no learning without mistakes, if there weren’t mistakes it wasn’t learning it was something he already knew how to do just didn’t have a name for it or didn’t have the reasoning behind it. Everything learned was something lost, a battle, a fight, a drawing, a photo.
Drake looked sheepish, a bit embarrassed when Damian realized he hadn’t said anything in reply.
“Or something less lame. I dunno, my parents were always perfectionists and it was disheartening when I took pictures and they came out shitty. I buckled down and studied everything I could find but it doesn’t compare to actually getting out there and doing it.” Drake told him as he looked down at his camera with a fondness that was familiar on Drake’s face but not something he was able to place. Something intimate, loving but melancholy at the same time. “I don’t want you getting discouraged at first but I also don’t want to give you the answers. I- I mean if that’s what you want I guess but it’s- I can’t teach you photography like that.”
“No I don’t- I do not want you to give me the answers I want to learn. It is not a- I do not earn the grade nor the achievement if I don’t learn myself.” Damian said and was a little surprised about how true it was. Photography didn’t interest him very much, he respected the art form but it wasn’t his preferred method, but he did enjoy learning. He saw Drake’s passion, he saw what was possible and he wanted to learn from him and he wanted to earn his grade on this assignment as he did every other assignment. As much as this was about learning more about Drake, he found himself really wanting to learn more about photography.
Drake smiled at him and Damian felt good. It wasn’t that Drake didn’t smile often, he did actually but this just felt warmer.
___
Damian had spent a long time on the grounds of the manor for a variety of different reasons, to play with Titus, to spend time with Batcow, to look for new animal additions to the family and one memorable time of chasing a crow who stole a bracelet from him while trying to make sure the crow didn’t hate him afterwards because crows had excellent memories and he’d rather not be hated by the neighbor murder of crows. But crouched in the grass trying to take a picture of a flower just before it bloomed in Pennyworth’s garden was a new one. Drake was crouched with him and Damian found he appreciated that more than he thought. The position wasn’t demeaning but it was strange and he was on the ground all but rolling in the dirt, it wasn’t exactly a preferred position but Damian knew the angle would be better this way, Drake didn’t say a word he just mirrored Damian’s position and waited for him to set up the shot.
See the way things worked was Damian would find something he wanted to take a picture of, adjust the settings (asking for clarification where needed though Drake never handed him the answer) and angled it and took it. Then Drake would take the same subject and do it himself to show Damian how he would’ve done it. Sometimes it was just the settings he adjusted and other times it was the whole thing. Drake never implied his pictures would come out better but just wanted to give something for Damian to compare to.
But right now they were just practicing in the afternoon light, but the sun was starting to set and while evening and dusk were approaching, making for beautiful colors and lighting, the loss of light meant Damian would have to adjust the settings more, finding himself being corrected by Drake more and more due to fading light.
“That’s a bit too small aperture, kiddo.” Drake said, reaching over and adjusting the lens. “I know you want a clear and defined background but the light is too low over here, the tree puts us in the shade and with how low the sun is getting that picture will be too dark.” Damian resisted the urge to scrunch up his face, he knew Drake was right, he was just hoping he didn’t have to open it so wide. The flower wasn’t quite blooming yet but it was right before and the more golden color of the light right now would be perfect against its colors. But only if it didn’t blend into the other foliage behind it. But, with Drake’s adjustments he trusted it would come out alright. His finger pressed down on the shutter button with a click. Drake smiled before taking the camera from Damian, lifting the neck strap over his head (despite the constant switching he insisted they have the neck strap on at all times) and putting it on himself. He shuffled around until he was crouched inside the garden, dirt seeping into the fabric of his jeans and shirt on his knees and elbows as he leaned down for the shot. He closed the aperture ring, as the camera was facing the sun now, lengthened the shutter speed and lowered the ISO, at least that’s what Damian could tell he was doing and then snapped the picture. Despite all the adjustments he made he was much quicker than Damian, knowing exactly where to stop for each setting, knowing exactly what the lighting called for and how to get the shot.
“I think that’s enough for today. The sun is setting and the shift from afternoon to evening lighting is hard, let alone evening to night.” Drake said, standing up and carefully removing himself from the garden bed. He dusted off his knees, the stains remained but he didn’t seem to care.
“Your focus was at night, though.” Damian pointed out. “Certainly you would prefer to teach me then, no?” Drake considered it for a moment and then shrugged.
“I prefer night time photography, sure. I’m just more used to it but it presents its own unique set of challenges. I think you should get used to day time first. The lighting is better and it’s easier to get the results you want. See how these turned out first and if you’re happy with them we can try evening and dusk lighting, yeah?” Damian wasn’t exactly happy about stopping early but he supposed they had been at if for awhile. “Besides, I think Alfred will be ready with dinner soon. Don’t wanna miss that.”
That too.
“So you will show me how to develop the photos?” Damian asked as they made their way back into the manor. Drake made a face.
“Ah, I’ll develop them first. I wanna brush up on it before I teach it to you and make sure after they’re developed you still want to continue. It’s a process anyway and there’s no dark rooms around here for that. I have a space in the nest that I can convert into a dark room, it’s a closet but I don’t trust rooms with windows as dark rooms.” Drake shrugs. “I have the supplies somewhere and if not I know where to get them.” He winks at Damian but Damian doesn’t feel good about it. He… Well, to be honest he was looking forward to that part of the process as well and having Drake around was… relaxing. It was strange, because he hadn’t felt any different when it was happening but now that he knew Drake wasn’t going to be around for too much longer he felt different. Drake, while teaching him a new skill, made him feel relaxed, he wasn’t tense or looking for something or striving towards perfection he was just… learning. He wasn’t being graded on his skill, he wasn’t being watched for mistakes, he was just learning in a way he really hadn’t before.
Drawing and painting were skills he learned on his own, it helped calm him down, let him organize his thoughts and kept his body busy while his mind was loud. His training as Robin wasn’t met with heavy blows and heavier fists but it was training for life or death. Training itself wasn’t bad but the weight it carried, the fact that his life would be relying on this training, that the lives of Gotham and sometimes the world would be counting on his actions fueled by training it wasn’t relaxing. But learning photography with Drake was relaxing. There was no pressure, no expectation and now that wasn’t going to be there anymore. Well not until he came back to take more photos.
He wondered if Drake made everyone feel relaxed.
Dinner was a small affair consisting just of Drake and Damian himself. Grayson had returned to his own city for the week. Todd rarely showed up unless the majority of the family was there. Brown and Cain were together on some mission, or maybe it was a vacation? Thomas was with his aunt and uncle. And Father was working on something but said he would join them later.
They still sat at the large dinner table, meant for their large family in full but it didn’t feel so empty with Drake sitting across from him, listing out his achievements from the day. Drake, like Damian himself, wasn’t the most talkative person, sure he could go on for hours once you got him started on something but he wasn’t like Grayson who had to fill every silence, or Brown who would speak to you about everything and anything, or even like Todd who found himself uncomfortable in long weighted silences. Instead he was quiet unless he had something to say, which wasn’t often but it wasn’t a rare occasion like Cain, who didn’t often enjoy speaking without reason. Still, he filled the dining room with praises and comments on Damian’s work today and didn’t make them sit in silence nor did he make awkward conversation.
“The point is, you took my advice and you worked with it, which is incredible. I think the picture you took will come out really well. You have skill, with more time and practice and nurturing I think you could be the next Michael Nichols.” Drake said.
“Who?” Drake looked sheepish for a moment.
“He’s a wildlife photographer.” He explained. “He’s done some incredible work, notably for national geographic. I figured if you had a choice you would prefer more animal based photography.” Damian nodded.
“I would.” He replied simply and Drake smiled, his plate was almost empty, despite them not sitting for long.
“Good. Because I was thinking, after we get you used to the camera more I would take you to the zoo and we can try getting some shots of animals. That might get you used to action shots and using the shutter speed more, right now it wasn’t as necessary beyond shaded areas for lighting purposes because landscapes and plants life aren’t exactly moving. But when it comes to people and animals you really have to pay attention to that to make sure it’s properly blurred or as clear as you want it. Animals are more unpredictable than people, in my opinion anyway, so it’ll be a challenge but I know you can do it.”
“I would like that.” Damian said a bit too fast, but he didn’t regret it. Drake gave him a real but knowing smile. “But you are wrong, people are much more unpredictable than animals.” Drake smirked a bit.
“Yeah? Well I suppose I got my practice with the behavior of people and trying to figure out where they would be, you connect much better with animals than I ever had, so maybe we’ll focus on that for you.” Drake said and Damian couldn’t help but feel excited about the idea of it. He (his father) sponsored quite a few animals at the zoo and he would love to do his project on them being able to take pictures of them, good ones that showed how much he had learned about the medium, perhaps at different times of the day, would be really cool to him.
But he was snapped out of that idea by the scrapping of Drake’s chair as he stood up. Damian blinked as Drake picked up his plate.
“I hate to dine and dash but I’m on patrol tonight.” Oh. “And if I hurry I can get the room set up and maybe get a couple of these hanging out to dry before patrol starts.” He pats the camera bag he’s slung over his shoulder. He’s leaving. It feels weird. He’s always seen Drake’s absence, he’s noticed he wasn’t there, noticed the extra tension in other’s shoulders, he’s known Drake was missing, but he’s never felt it before. Like now he was the one with the tension in his shoulder, he was the one missing something. He doesn’t like it.
Drake walks past him and ruffles his hair, he squawks indignantly as Drake smirks and dodges Damian’s hand outstretched to hit him (lightly!) in retaliation.
“I’ll see you later, Gremlin!” He calls as he brings his plate into the kitchen and presumably leaves the manor as a whole. Damian sits, poking at his food, confused and conflicted. What about Drake made him feel so… relaxed? The lack of judgment? The knowledge he was there? What was it? Damian tried to go back and analyze through their interactions from today, what was it that made Damian feel so good? What was different from everyone else in their family? Was it just engaging with someone who understood art? Was it learning a new hobby based on something he already enjoyed? Or was it something else entirely? Was it really just Drake? Was Drake just fundamentally someone you relaxed around?
And then Father walked in.
“Did Tim leave already?” Damian frowned, the timing was… suspicious. But Drake couldn’t have known that Father was done with his work and was heading here, right? His timing was just a coincidence, though a rather convenient one for someone who didn’t often like to interact with the family as a whole. This left Damian with a bad taste in his mouth.
“Yes. He said he had things to do and was on patrol for tonight so he left.” Damian said, despite himself, thought he wasn’t sure how Drake would’ve known father was finished and coming to join them, he knew he hurried through dinner and left quickly on purpose. Father hummed in lieu of a reply and sat down at the head of the table.
The table felt emptier than it had when Drake was sitting across from him.
“How was your lesson with him?” Father asked.
“Informative.” Damian said. “I think I’m taking a liking to it. It’s… different from drawing and painting, I always thought there was a lack of control to photography.”
“How so?”
“I just- In drawing you can draw whatever you like. As long as you can imagine it- or even if you can’t, as long as you have the will for it, you can make anything you’d like. But with photography I thought you were always bound to what is in front of you.” Damian said, father was quiet for a moment.
“And that’s not the case?” He tried. Damian resisted the urge to sigh.
“No. It’s not. You create the scene just as much as you do in drawing. It’s just using a different brush or pencil.” Damian tried to explain. “It’s about turning what you’re seeing into what you want to see. You aren’t hindered by a blank canvas in drawing or painting, just as you’re not hindered by the finality of reality in photography.”
Father nodded, but Damian knew he didn’t understand.
They sit in silence for a while before Damian speaks up again.
“I like photography.” He says, and Father looks at him and nods again. “I think we should construct a dark room in the manor.” Father blinks.
“You like it that much?” He asks, and it’s taken a while but Damian recognizes now that his questions weren’t accusatory, nor were they judgmental but rather genuine. His words are often misinterpreted but really he was just surprised. Damian nodded.
“Yes. I will use it, and even if I do not I know Drake would appreciate it rather than using a closet in his own apartment.” It was a bit underhanded to mention that Drake would use it, not knowing if he even would. But the idea that Drake might be around more often would be appealing to father. He seemed to consider this and nodded.
“I’ll look into it. I’m sure we have the room for it.” He said. Damian nodded sure of himself.
“An interior room, one without windows! Drake says it’s best that way.” Father nodded.
“And Tim is just as invested in photography as you are?” Damian felt his chest sink, like someone had removed the lower half of his torso and everything fell out. How did father not know? Drake had galleries surely Father would’ve been made aware of them? His school had emailed him with Damian’s acceptance into it, surely wouldn’t Father have gotten those emails too? It didn’t make any sense.
He excused himself soon after.
___
Damian made flashcards. It was how he learned in general, being able to read the information, write it down and then have a portable and organized way of studying was useful for him. So, like with all things, Damian made flashcards for photography. It was more practice scenarios or specific settings in question instead of word and definition, but it worked all the same. It got Damian more familiar with the terminology and how the camera worked and what to use when and why and all that sort of thing. Regardless, he was more or less spending his time working through the flashcards.
He still hadn’t seen the pictures from that day, he wasn’t sure if Drake had developed them yet or not, they hadn’t spoken too much beyond Drake promising to swing by with them sometime this week. Things had picked up at WE and there was a raid Red Robin and Red Hood were planning, so Drake’s time was mostly being booked up, their Photography lessons taking a back seat. As much as Damian didn’t mind, he was also eager to see how the photos came out, and found himself wanting to take more. He considered just going out and buying his own camera, but he didn’t really want to learn a whole new camera just yet. Drake’s was… vintage? It wasn’t like the camera’s made now, which were more modern and finding one like Drake’s would be difficult and expensive. He messed around with his phone and the camera there but it wasn’t the same, and it felt a bit empty without Drake commenting on what he chose or what settings to use and the lighting itself. He wondered if he truly liked photography or if he just found himself liking spending time with Drake.
Richard was in town this weekend which meant Todd was more likely to come around the manor as well and Father was happier in general with more of his children around. Richard knocked on his door, despite the fact that it was open. The family was good about that, privacy and all. Despite all things, overbearing, overprotective, always prying and never letting anything go, they were good about physical privacy. There was not privacy with family but rooms were generally off limits, you respected when someone told you to get out, everyone was allowed their safe space, Richard liked certain elevated spots throughout the cave and manor, Todd preferred both the manor library and the Gotham one that Gordon worked at. Drake… Drake perhaps liked his room? Damian couldn’t say for sure. Cain liked small spaces in the training room and Father liked his study. Damian liked his room, it was his and no one could come in without permission and he liked that. At the league nothing truly belonged to him, just as everything belonged to him, nothing did. His room was his but it wasn’t respected as such, he was the heir (though no longer) and thus the league was his but it was still Grandfather’s first and foremost.
“Whatcha doing?” Richard asked, leaning in the doorway as Damian hadn’t given him permission to come in yet. Damian waved him in.
“Studying.” He replied, trying his best to remember what Drake had said about evening lighting and ISO, he hadn’t dwelled on it long, it was a passing comment but Damian had written it down. He loved the colors of sunset and dusk, golden hour, as it was generally called, was exactly that and he wanted his photos to really capture the light. But from a camera’s perspective, the light was low and fading, which made it more difficult to capture.
“Studying?” Richard asked, coming into the room and sitting on the corner of Damian’s bed, leaning forward to look at what he was doing. Damian was sat at his desk in his chair, the flashcards on the table in front of him. “For a test or something?”
“No. Photography.” Damian answered, flipping the card and scowling that he got it wrong.
“Photography?” Richard asked, a bit surprised. “Since when were you into that?” Damian resisted the urge to switch his scowl from the cards to Richard.
“My latest art project, it’s going to be photography. Drake has been teaching me.” Damian said.
“You- You have been spending time with Tim?” Richard asked, blinking. “Like willingly? Outside of suits, and doing a hobby you both share? You’ve been taking advice from him?” Damian did scowl at Richard this time.
“It’s not like we don’t get along anymore.” He says through gritted teeth. He knows their start was rocky, he knows he messed up but the two of them are long since passed that and Damian apologized! While that wouldn’t have been enough for Damian if it happened to him it was enough for Drake and that’s what mattered. Richard wasn’t the wrong Damian had wronged, Damian wasn’t the one wronged but Drake was and only he could decide if Damian was forgiven or not and he already had. “Drake is a skilled photographer and I am learning from a professional.” Damian almost pouts like a child.
But Richard doesn’t look surprised or upset anymore, he looks soft. His eyes look almost misty and Damian is now the one who is surprised.
“I’m just glad you guys are getting along!” Richard says, his excitement evident. “I know you guys aren’t enemies anymore, but you guys haven’t ever been close or bonded. You both mean so much to me and I know it hasn’t always been easy for you guys! I love that you’re finally bonding and spending time with each other.” He almost wails and he grabs Damian and hugs him tightly.
“It’s such a big step for both of you and I’m so proud of you!” Damian can’t help but flush at his praise. The league didn’t do praise like that, they didn’t tell you they were proud unless you did something truly fantastic but Richard gave it out like it was candy. Despite that, he couldn’t help but get embarrassed at it every time.
“It’s nothing that impressive.” He murmurs as Richard lets go. “Besides, I needed a mentor, I know next to nothing about photography and my assignment calls for it. I needed someone who was skilled enough to not only take good photos but teach me how to do the same.”
“And that person was Tim?” Richard asked, once again it wasn’t accusing but Damian was getting tired of people asking if Drake was skilled in photography, he had a gift and not only a gift but a well earned talent and to have people be so unsure, his own family being unsure about it made him more upset than he cared to admit.
“Yes. Drake is a skilled photographer and after learning how a film camera works I am only more impressed by his ability to take pictures as he does- did. I have certainly made the right choice in a teacher.” Damian sniffed.
“Alright then.” Richard smiled. “I’m glad you’re getting along and have a shared interest. I know Tim used to take photos but I didn’t know it was more than a hobby for him. I’m glad you have a teacher.”
He’s glad Damian has a teacher? He’s glad he has a teacher?! He’s not going to ask about Drake’s photos? He isn’t going to ask about his skills that Damian is praising? He’s not going to ask about Drake learning on a film camera and teaching Damian on one? Surely he knows about the pictures he took when following Batman and Robin when Richard had been Robin? Does he not know the skill that would take? Why doesn’t he ask? It’s like he doesn’t care that Drake has a real talent, that Drake could be winning awards and be a professional photographer if he so chose to! Damian was indignant on his behalf! This wasn’t fair. It wasn’t fair that Drake didn’t get the same attention Damian did. It wasn’t fair.
“This is going to be good for you both! I hope you continue with this, I’d love to see the pictures that you take.”
“What about Drake’s?” Damian asked, his tone much more short than before, it takes Richard off guard but Damian can’t bring himself to care.
“O-of course I want to see his too but I- well I’m talking to you right now, I want to see yours. You’re new at this and learning, I want to see how this project comes out.” He seemed taken aback, like he doesn’t know why Damian is upset with him. It only makes him more upset. Why can’t he see it? Why doesn’t he see it? Why is it so obvious for Damian but no one else can?
He turns his back to Richard, facing his desk now and back to his flashcards.
“I have to learn how to use the camera first. The first pictures I’ve taken haven’t been developed yet and Drake was correcting me almost every time. I’ll show you when they are ready.” At the end of the day, Damian does want to show off his photos to Richard and father and anyone else who will see them. No matter how they come out, he will be proud of them because he did that himself, and Drake helped him. It was a shared experience but one that he is looking forward to. He just can’t help but feel dread as well, knowing they will praise him while Drake just fades into the background again. That Damian’s amature photos will get attention while Drake’s, surely beautiful ones, will be ignored, never asked about and Drake won’t show them. There is guilt settling in his stomach. How long has it been like this?
“Well, don’t let me interrupt anymore of your studying.” Richard says standing up. He ruffles Damian’s hair but it just makes him think about how Drake left right before father showed up. He doesn’t understand how he did it, but he’s starting to understand why.
___
Damian is excited, he practically vibrates through breakfast (meaning he fidgets a bit at the table but for Damian that is the equivalent of vibrating). Todd gives him a weird look throughout it, having stayed over the night before due to an injury that wasn’t severe enough to be lethal but severe enough to have Pennyworth fussing over him and insisting he stay the night. It didn’t take too much convincing these days.
“Alright, I’ll bite. What’s got the ants in your pants this morning, brat?” He asked, Damian had long since understood that Todd insulting you was his way of giving nicknames or even pets names. He didn’t like to show affection the way one saw it often and to be fair most of the family didn’t either. He knew not to take the insult literally.
He scowled anyway.
“Drake is coming by and he has developed my photos from last week.” Damian replied, his arms crossed. “I am looking forward to it.”
“You’re looking forward to seeing, replacement? Never thought I’d see the day. I guess after that weapons deal you two dealt with I shouldn’t be surprised but I am.” He huffed. Damian found that despite knowing he no longer meant it and Drake could speak for himself (though he definitely didn’t as Damian was learning) the nickname ‘replacement’ made him less comfortable with the whole, insults as affection thing. Damian was Drake’s replacement and done in the worst way possible honestly, and yet Drake didn’t call him anything of the sort. Todd himself was Richard’s replacement but he didn’t seem to see it that way either. And both Todd and Damian himself had used it to be insulting and hurt Drake in the past. He never gave it much thought but now? It felt wrong.
“Drake is civilized company, unlike the present.” Damian huffed.
“Ouch.” Todd smirked. “Nah, it’s good you two are hanging out, though I am a bit worried about the rest of the world. I feel like you two hanging out will lead to world domination but hey, as long as I’m spared I don’t care.”
“He’s just teaching me photography, Todd.” He spits out, though he does think himself capable, he also knows Drake has contingencies that rival father’s own. He does think it’s probable they could do it.
“Oh, keeping on the stalking tradition, eh?” Todd continued, biting into a piece of toast obnoxiously. Damian didn’t think you could do that but Todd defies expectations.
“He’s helping me with a school assignment. He is proficient and is teaching me well.” Damian replied, not wanting this conversation to go like it had with Richard. Todd nods.
“Well he was always good at that.” He says, surprising Damian. “He was pretty much done taking photos by the time I showed up but I’ve seen his stuff. I don’t know shit about photography but it all looked good.” Damian blinks.
“I don’t know much either, but Drake is a good teacher and I- I am looking forward to seeing how the photos I took with him last week turn out. I also look forward to seeing his comparison photos.”
“His comparison photos?” He took another bite of his toast, less obnoxious this time. Damian nodded.
“He let me find what I wanted to take a picture of and then let me do what I thought was right with the camera, he would adjust me sometimes but otherwise he just let me try it out. And then he would take a picture of the same thing to show how he saw it or how he would do the picture.” Damian explained. “I want to see how differently we saw things.”
Todd nodded.
“Sounds exciting.” He wasn’t enthusiastic but he seemed genuine with his words. “Show me some?” Damian nods.
“Yes.”
Todd nods back and they go back to eating in silence.
Damian is finished with his breakfast but still sat in the kitchen with Todd as he finished his own when Drake came in.
“Good morning people who tried to murder me, are you teaming up to plan my demise or are we friends today?” Drake asked as he walked in, a grin on his face. Damian felt some guilt stir in his gut but Todd replied faster, his mouth full.
“Fuck you, replacement, we’ve both been clean on murder attempts. Don’t make relapsing tempting.” Todd huffed and Drake just smiled.
“I dunno, Damian hasn’t killed anyone in a long time but your last murder attempt at all wasn’t too long ago. I trust him but you not so much.” Drake said before leaning on the kitchen island they were sitting at. Something fluttered as Drake said that he trusted Damian. As much as it was a joke there was still truth in it, he wasn’t sure why that made him feel so good.
“Yeah yeah, whatever. Damian says you come bearing gifts, that better be true.” Todd says and Drake raises an eyebrow.
“I dunno anything about gifts.” He says, genuinely.
“The photos.” Todd says and Drake seems to get it. “I wanna see them too.”
“Well Damian sees them first and then if he’s cool with it you can too.” Drake says with a shrug. Todd boos him but stands up and goes to wash his plate so the two of them can look at the photos without him. Drake rolls his eyes but it’s fond.
“Ready to see how they came out?” Drake asks and Damian nods. Drake pulls out an envelope from his bag and carefully opens it, before spreading the pictures out on the island.
There is a clear difference between Drake’s photos and Damian’s own, there is usually a slight blur, something is unfocused or the lighting is off, in one photo there is way too much noise in it, he probably messed with the ISO too much, but they aren’t bad. In fact he’s actually pretty proud of some of them. The one with the budding flower is too dark, he really hadn’t gotten the lighting right but there was something special about it, he liked it. Another one of ivy growing on the manor wall, it was well done, the lighting wasn’t bad, it wasn’t blurry, it wasn’t perfect, it lacked something but it was good. Drake smiled at him.
“Pretty good, huh? You got a real eye for shots.” He tossed an arm over his shoulders and squeezed briefly. Drake’s skill was clear, despite it all, his photos were perfect if you asked Damian, the angles, the amount of lighting, noise, the focus, it was all incredible. His own picture of the flower was a different focus entirely, where Damian was focused on the flower, Drake had focused on the sunlight. The flower was backlit but you could still catch the details, but it blocked out the sun so you could only see the rays shining from behind it, and the color of the sky as the flower looked almost outlined with light. It was incredible.
“I also messed around with the negatives and developing some of the photos to show you what else you can do and how you can really control things in the dark room.” Drake pulled out different versions of some of the photos with apparently different things when he was in the dark room. “I honestly forgot how much fun it is to develop your own photos, and how much of a pain drying them is, and how much the room hurts your eyes.” He rubbed his eyes as if to prove that point.
“If you like them we can show Jason, if not he can fuck off.”
“Hey!”
“He can see them. I- I like them. Can I help you develop them next time?”
“Duh? That’s the next lesson anyway. That and lower lighting pictures, I think you’ve gotten the hang of regular and bright lights so we can try a bit of inside lighting and sunset pictures.” Drake said, pointing to specific photos he thought came out well.
“Lemme see.” Todd said coming back over and looking at the spread of photos. He whistled. “Damn, these are pretty good.”
“For the first time using a film camera I’d say it’s excellent. Damian really has a hang of this whole art thing.” Drake said.
“Yeah. I mean he’s been the family artist but you can add a new medium to your resume, eh, brat?” He pushed at Damian’s shoulder. “And Timbo, yours ain’t bad either I mean fuck, this one? Come on, that's like professional level.”
“Oh shut up.” Drake said, bumping his own shoulder against Todd’s. “It’s just a hobby.” He says collecting the photos.
Drake wasn’t ready for compliments apparently, Damian noted as he almost hastily put them all away once Todd turned his attention to Drake’s photos.
“Besides,” Drake started even as he was packing them away. “I’ve been doing it for years, I got the experience under my belt, Damian just started, he’s got skill.” Todd took note of it too, Damian could tell but he didn’t push.
No one ever pushes.
“Fair enough, considering you were stalking Dickhead and I when we were Robin, I guess you can say you’ve got some experience.” He huffed. “I’ve been in this place too long already, I’m out.” Todd said, grabbing his jacket from his hair. “Don’t take over the world you two and keep up with the photos, I wanna see more.” He flipped them off as he left the room. Drake rolled his eyes again, this time less fond.
“Can I see them?” Damian asked.
“The photos? I just put them away but they’re yours so feel free to take them all, I really don’t need anymore-”
“No, your old ones. Can I see those?” Drake blinked. “The ones of Todd and Richard and Father.” He clarified.
“Oh, are you sure?” He asked, a bit taken off guard. Damian nodded. “I guess? I think I had an album stashed here, wait here.” Drake seemed to move in a bit of a daze but he went to look for them anyway so Damian counted it as a win.
Drake came back a little while later holding a binder, not an album which sort of surprised him but a binder, plain and white, unsuspecting.
“It was under my bed!” He announced, apparently proud that he found it. He placed the binder down on the island and slid into the seat next to Damian before opening it.
Inside were photos of Batman and Robin, Richard’s version with the scaly leotard trying to pass as shorts. Damian cringed at the outfit but there was something beautiful about seeing the original.
“Have I ever thanked you for making the costume include pants?” Damian asked, looking at what could’ve been. Drake snorted.
“No you have not.”
“Well thank you.” He said and Drake just shook his head.
“It was a classic, and apparently Dick could move around better in them and I mean, he really did move.” Drake turned the page and showed some action shots, Richard in mid air, mid flip, mid kick. A lot of them focused on Robin as opposed to Batman, it was interesting. Damian was always more focused on Batman, the warrior, the knight, but Drake had always been focused on Robin, it didn't matter if it was Richard or Todd, he was always more concerned with Robin than Batman.
The photos themselves were impressive, the quality was amazing, and they were all incredible shots, action shots nonetheless, he must have been pretty close to get some of these and yet was never noticed. But now? Knowing all he did about the same camera that was used to capture these pictures, understanding how hard it was without natural lighting and even when you had it, how easy it was to mess up the photo? Knowing how important lighting was to photography? For Drake to get these photos, in such high quality, was astounding. The way he could capture the scene, knowing exactly what settings to set the camera to, and to do it on a whim too! Damian knew first hand how fast Batman and Robin moved, he was Robin after all. He knew the shift of movements, how fast things could change, how swift their movements had to be and for Drake to change the settings in a second so he could get these shots was incredible. He didn’t think it was possible! Obviously it was, as he had the pictures right here but it was hard to believe.
“These are… impressive.” Damian said, staring at them. “I don’t even know how you could do this.” Drake chuckled and flipped through the pages.
“A lot of practice, and when Robin changed hands it took some getting used to how Jason would move for the shutter speed. He wasn’t slower than Dick but he moved differently so I had to get used to it.” Drake looked at the photos with almost reverence.
Damian remembered the fondness from earlier, that devoted but mournful expression, he could place it now; it was how Drake looked at the family.