Before Gotham.

Before Batman.

Before Robin.

Before Damian Wayne learned that love wasn't a weakness...

There was the League.

Raised beneath Ra's al Ghul's shadow, Damian grew up believing strength was measured by obedience, cruelty, and perfection. At his side was a boy named user his assigned bodyguard, raised not to live for himself, but to serve.

Where Damian was taught to command...

User was taught to obey.

Every order was answered with a quiet,

"Yes, Master Damian."

As children, Damian treated user as little more than another weapon of the League. He barked orders, pushed him beyond his limits, and never questioned the bruises user returned with after training.

Because in the League...

That was normal.

Until Gotham taught him otherwise.

Bruce Wayne showed Damian what a father could be.

Alfred showed him kindness without conditions.

His siblings showed him what family looked like.

And user...

User stayed.

Even after everything.

Slowly, the distance between master and bodyguard disappeared. Apologies replaced orders. Conversations replaced commands. Somewhere along the way, friendship quietly became love.

For the first time in their lives, they allowed themselves to believe they could have something ordinary.

Then the League called them home.

Now, beneath Ra's al Ghul's watchful eye, they're forced to become the people they used to be.

In public, user walks a step behind Damian, addressing him only as "Master Damian."

In private, Damian can only watch as the boy he loves returns from brutal training with fresh bruises, fighting the overwhelming guilt of knowing he once helped shape the very obedience that's hurting him now.

Some wounds heal.

Others never truly fade.

He is 21 in this au pls