Damian knew his family. He had been with all of his siblings long enough to have taken note of all their small habits or antics. But it wasn't only his siblings. He had also learned about his father and Pennyworth. Thus he knew that his father, after learning about Danyal's existence, would attempt to find a way to contact his mother and find out as much as he could about Danyal's live before them.
Damian also knew his mother. Father had contacted her, that alone would have been enough reason for his mother to appear herself sooner or later. Especially since it had been about Danyal. His twin had become a non-existing topic in the league after his death. His mother had never mentioned his twin ever again, it was like Danyal had never existed in the first place. Back then it had irked him but blinded by the way he had been raised then he had followed that unspoken rule. Never talked about and never thought about him during training or missions, never mentioned him to anyone. But in the privacy of his own chambers he would remember and whisper stories to small and hidden animals he had saved about his twin.
That was why he wasn't surprised, unlike Richard who he was supposed to patrol with, when his mother stepped out of the shadows of a building. Now they were free to talk about Danyal again after so many years.
Still he tensed, there were so many things he wanted to tell her after Danyal appeared. So many questions to which he had no answers to. Yet he didn't make a single sound as he became aware of her presence, stopping and merely looking over his shoulder as she stepped into clear view.
Richard was a different matter. He instantly took a protective stance. Placing himself between Damian and her, an arm outstretched as if to prevent Damian from getting closer in case he felt 'stabby' as his brothers liked to put it or perhaps more so to keep her from approaching him. Richiard did tend to become protective at times. Something that Damian hadn't known how to appreciate at first but still understood in a way.
"Habibi."
"Mother."
"Talia."
They were all curt with each other it seemed and Damian simply nodded in her direction. He knew why she was here, for a split second he wondered how far his father was from their location and if Richard had already contacted them. Their coms were on and active, he could hear Drake having an argument with Brown over something trivial. He had muted his own and it did seem like they were unaware of his mothers presence. He side eyed his brother, wondering if he had used a private channel, so as not to alarm everyone of his mothers presence. Even if Nightwing hadn't, Damian was sure that Oracle had already noticed and most likely had notified his father.
"Your father has contacted me."
"We had questions."
Nightwing's head moved minisculely as he looked between Damian and his mother, silently asking if Damian was fine with this. He gave a small nod, inclining his head slightly to indicate that he wanted to take the lead. It was strange, something was off. His mother smiled but it wasn't that knowing smile she would have if she had done something that would make them want to contact her. Rather he caught the small signs of her slight confusion. A change in her voice, the small lift of her eyebrow and the hints of a frown.
She was worried.
"Habibi, what questions do you still have?"
"Why did you never tell me he was still alive?"
In a way Damian was glad that Richard was leaving the talking to him and only kept his protective stance. It was also unusual for his mother to seek him out when he was with someone. He could see a weariness to the way her stance changed slightly and turned to look into the distance.
"Danyal was weak and a weakness to you. He would have never survived. If anyone had known he was still alive he would have just died a second time."
Damian clenched his fists under his cape. That was not enough reason for him, yet he understood the reasoning. He had been raised by the league for the bigger part of his childhood, he knew their views best and had only later learned how wrong some of them were. If he hadn't been sent to his father and grown with his brothers, would he have accepted that reasoning better?
"Why didn't you say anything after I left?"
His eyes widened slightly under his mask as he saw the smile his mother was giving him as she turned to face him again. Fondness clearly showed in her eyes, a smile he hadn't seen since his twin and him had been small children. It was a smile that had disappeared with time when their grandfather had instructed them to start with the twins training. "Danyal was weak but smart."
Silence followed her statement and he mused over her words, glaring at the ground as he did so. Of course his twin was smart, the only fault Danyal ever openly displayed was his inability to kill.
"My baby bird." He looked up at his mother as she broke the silence. "Danyal changed after his revival but even then, I had faith. Besides I knew from the moment I lowered him into the Pits that you would one day find him again. Nothing truly stays a secret forever."
"So why didn't you bring him to Bruce then?" His head snapped to Nightwing, for a moment he had forgotten about his elder brother's presence and it appeared that his brother's question would not get answered. Damian watched as she shook her head and stepped back. They would not receive an answer to this question.
"What about Danyal's scars, the ones he hadn't possessed before?" The question slipped out before he could stop it. It was irrational to ask his mother of this yet he hoped to get an answer. In accordance with what his father had told them before. It hadn't been league experimentation that gave his twin new scares. Yet his father had mentioned that his mother had also kept an eye on Danyal from time to time.
Surely she must at least know something about them. Her facial expression hardened and Damians eyes winded minisculely when he saw the meaning behind it. His mother's gaze grew distant as she took another step back from them, slowly merging into the shadows behind her.
"Danyal has gained his own share of enemies in the years away, despite living a mostly normal life. Your brother has even gained a special kind of enemies in the past two years. Do keep an eye out for those suited in white, Habibi. But teal and orange are the ones responsible."
Eyes widening Damian stepped forward, a hand slightly raised to reach out. But Richard's arm prevented him from getting any further as his mother disappeared into the shadows. Distantly he registered how Richard was talking over the coms, relaying what his mother came to personally inform them about. His brother's stance had gone rigid at his mothers last words. His brother must have known what his mother was implying.
It took him a moment but once he composed himself again he attempted to reflect on their conversation.
As he regrouped with the rest of his family, belatedly Damian realized that his mother had not once asked how his twin was fairing or in what state he was in. Instead she had given him a warning. A warning he was going to take seriously. Those suited in white, teal and orange. There must be some information his father had yet to share with the rest of them that Damian would need to dig into. As he eyed his elder brother Damian wondered if he should dig into the information himself or see how much he could get out of Richard before he attempted to question his father. There was something about Danyal's life that his mother, father and eldest brother knew but refrained from directly sharing with him.
His mother did indeed care about him and his brother, her way of showing it was just not the most ideal, at least not in his siblings eyes.
You’re not going to lie—the gala is absolutely beautiful.
And incredibly boring.
You had begged Selina to come, citing opportunities—networking for the upcoming Gotham Theatre charity shows, rubbing elbows with donors, planting seeds for March. She had agreed, reluctantly, with a knowing look that said you owe me later.
Somewhere between exiting the car, oohing at the fairy lights strung like constellations across the terrace, and batting your eyelashes at men twice your age with wallets twice their egos, you’d gotten separated from both Selina and your brother, James.
Which is how you end up stuck.
Stuck smiling politely while Mr. Whatshisface drones on about his private vacation home in the Maldives—again—after you had so nicely asked him to consider supporting the new slate of community charity shows happening in March. You’re barely paying attention anymore, tuning out the sound of your own practiced charm, when you see him.
A flash of black hair.
A familiar back you know far too well.
Finally—the first interesting part of the night.
“Mr. Johnson, the home in the Maldives sounds lovely,” you say smoothly, already stepping back. “And I hope to plan a trip in the summer. But right now, I’ll have to excuse myself—I just saw my mother waiting for me in the foyer.”
“Aw, Miss Kyle, you’re always a delight,” he beams. “You really must come to more galas.”
You smile, hike up your skirt just enough to move faster, and disappear before he can trap you again.
The dress tonight had been chosen with intent: black, long, a full skirt that swayed when you walked. Simple lines meant to project innocence and kindness. A large white bow sat at the small of your back—almost excessive. And of course, for irony’s sake, a cat mask. Handmade. Lace and pearls scavenged from whatever scraps you’d picked up during your last costume project for Alice.
The door you reach is heavy oak, cool beneath your palm as you push it open.
You find him in the small home library of Mrs. Havenbee’s estate, tucked away from the noise and glitter. Low light. Dusty books. Quiet.
You make sure your footsteps are noticeable.
Then you slide your arms around his waist, the silk of his button-down cool against your hands, and tuck yourself into him like you belong there.
“You’re late,” Damian says, though there’s a noticeable smirk on his face. His hands come down, tracing your fingers as you curl closer into his jacket.
“The old fuck would not stop talking about his vacation home in the Maldives,” you mutter, sighing into his chest. “Like I didn’t just give him a ten-minute speech about the importance of funding Gotham Theatre community programs. I was this close to being reduced to nodding and pretending I cared.”
Damian hums, amused. “You escaped.”
“Obviously,” you say, smiling. “I had somewhere better to be.”
______________________________________________
You unwrap yourself from him slowly, reluctantly, until you’re standing in front of him. Your fingers hook beneath his chin, guiding his gaze to yours. For a moment, he resists—out of habit more than anything—then he lets you tilt his face up.
You kiss him.
It’s unhurried. Warm. Familiar in the way that says this isn’t stolen, just chosen. His hand finds your waist instinctively, thumb brushing over fabric as if grounding himself there. When you pull back, his forehead rests against yours, breath uneven.
“Happy late Valentine’s Day, birdbrain,” you murmur, smiling.
That earns you a soft scoff—and then he leans in, stealing another kiss like it’s owed.
“Late only because the Riddler decided it was time for another one of his ridiculous master plans,” Damian says. “One that somehow required not just Batman and Robin, but you as well.” His mouth quirks. “Apparently, he’s convinced Catwoman is still madly in love with my father and plotting to steal him back.”
You groan. “Of course he does.”
Damian reaches into the inside pocket of his jacket, expression suddenly more careful. He opens his palm.
A simple gold necklace rests there. Delicate. Unassuming. The pendant is small—a robin in mid-flight.
“For you,” he says quietly. “I saw it and thought… it suited you. Loyal. Sharp. Harder to catch than people expect.”
You lift it, eyes soft. “That won’t tip anyone off,” you tease, smiling up at him.
“That is the point,” he replies, dry. “Subtlety is an art.”
Your relationship isn’t exactly a secret. Selina knows. James knows. Lucy knows. Hell—Jason definitely knows. But most of the Bats are still blissfully unaware.
“You said yourself we weren’t hiding,” Damian adds, watching you fasten the clasp.
“Just not yelling,” you finish, glancing up at him. “There’s a difference.”
He huffs a quiet laugh, leaning in close again. “You are exhausting.”
“And yet,” you say, fingers curling into his lapels, “you keep me around.”
His eyes soften, just for you. “Well you are one of the more tolerable people.”
You gigle at that stealing time to exchange more kisses
Because Bruce’s exact words had been: “Look after Damian. Don’t lose him.”
And sure, Damian wasn’t ten anymore. He wasn’t threatening to stab diplomats with dinner forks. But for some reason, Dick was still operating in full overprotective older sibling mode.
Which is why this is bad.
Very bad.
Because during a conversation with several high-powered WayneTech executives—men who had been talking nonstop about quarterly projections and sustainable infrastructure—Damian had walked away.
Just… walked away.
Dick assumes Damian went to get a drink. Or air. Or to escape the soul-crushing boredom of adults who thought graphs were a personality. Reasonable. Logical.
Except
Thirty minutes have passed.
Thirty.
Dick is now circling the ballroom like a shark in a tuxedo, smiling at donors while silently screaming. He’s replaying the moment over and over in his head turning the corner near the side doors, positive he’d seen Damian slip through.
And a young woman right after him.
Masked. Dressed in black.
He hadn’t recognized her.
Which is the problem.
When Dick finally finds Damian again—reappearing from a hallway like nothing happened, hair barely out of place—Dick practically grabs him by the shoulder.
“There you are,” Dick hisses. “Where did you go?”
Damian looks at him, unimpressed. “I was here.”
“You were not here,” Dick says, gesturing wildly. “You disappeared. For half an hour. You walked out that door—” he points “—with someone.”
Damian blinks. Once.
“I did not.”
“Yes, you did.”
“No, I didn’t.”
Dick stares at him. “Damian.”
“Richard.”
“Who was she?”
Damian sips his drink calmly. “What ‘she’?”
Dick’s eye twitches. “The girl. Mask. Black dress. Slipped out with you.”
Damian shrugs, entirely too composed. “You are imagining things.”
“I am not imagining things.”
“You have been known to dramatize.”
Dick throws his hands up. “You vanished for thirty minutes!”
“I was getting air.”
“For thirty minutes??”
“Yes.”
“With a mystery woman??”
Damian’s mouth twitches—just barely. “Your fixation is strange.”
Dick stares at him, absolutely losing his marbles. “I swear to God, you are gaslighting me.”
Damian takes another sip, eyes sliding briefly toward a darkened hallway before returning to Dick, perfectly calm.
“You are doing that to yourself.”
Author’s note: A short piece today because work wiped me out. This is the same OC from my Death to Life series on AO3—I just wanted to give this couple something sweet while I keep working through their backstory.
Summary: Even though they blatantly deny it to everyone, deep down they do love and care for one another. This is often expressed more through their actions rather than their words, especially when it comes to looking out for one another without being asked too.
Enjoy! :D
Like the rest of his siblings, Damian’s grown to really despise galas and any sort of event his father would host or be a guest at. They had warned him early on about them and how awful they are but at first Damian didn’t believe them, after all if his father attends them then it must be important, his father wouldn’t do anything without a reason behind it. Now however, years later, he gets it. And he hates it.
As the last few years have gone by, Damian’s come to realise how fake it all was. How everyone who attended father’s parties were all suck ups as Todd calls them, they didn’t mean the words they say, they donated to charities because it makes them look good and not because they actually care. Once Damian clicked onto all of this, he learnt to hate them as the rest of the family did.
That brings him to now, where he's stood off to the side of the hall, somewhat hiding behind a pillar trying to not be seen. He watches the socialites of Gotham mingle with one another, as they share exaggerated stories and laugh rather obnoxiously.
His attention often drifts from the socialites to his family members amongst the crowd. His father pretending to be that weaker persona of his which grates on everybody’s nerves, Richard is also amongst the crowd wearing a wide smile as he talks. He doesn’t see Todd or Drake but he knows they’re around somewhere. Cain, Brown and Thomas were lucky to be patrolling that night.
Damian watches Richard for a moment, something had caught his attention and that particular something doesn’t feel right. He doesn’t know what it is exactly but there’s something off about how close one of the women surrounding Richard is getting to him.
Damian watches with an eagle eye as she lays a hand on his arm, her fingers curl around his forearm and stays there. In response Richard places one of his hands on top of hers and politely removes it from his body as he keeps up the conversation they’re having.
Even from this distance Damian could make out how uncomfortable Richard is currently feeling. His brother takes a step back away from the woman to create space between them and continues with the conversation, however the woman doesn’t seem to get the hint as she steps with him closing that gap. This time she lets out a loud obnoxious laugh and places a hand on Richard’s shoulder before sliding it down his arm.
Now, Damian doesn’t understand why people want to touch others, he doesn’t fully understand the look the woman is sending Richard’s way, but what he does know is that he doesn’t like it. His brother is uncomfortable and because of either the setting they’re currently in or because Richard is just too polite, he won’t apparently tell her to leave him alone.
Not having such courtesy, Damian decides to take the matters into his own hands. Pushing away from the wall, he moves towards Richard with a purpose and doesn’t stop until he’s standing by the man. Using his small height to advantage he pushes himself between the woman and Richard, tucking himself in close to his brother and gripping onto his blazer to get his attention.
Richard looks startled at his sudden appearance. “Damian! Is everything okay bud?”
Damian tilts his head up and gives the man the most innocent look he could muster up. Never let it said that Damian Wayne isn’t a good actor. “I need you.”
Looking concerned Richard asks, “Need me? What’s going on Little D?”
If it was any other circumstance he would snap at the man for the nickname, however right now it’s kind of working in his favour. Instead of responding Damian presses closer to Richard’s leg and buries his face into the man’s hip, making sure to appear like he’s a needy and clingy child.
It works because Richard soon bends down and scoops him up into his arms. Over his shoulder Damian hears him say, “Sorry ladies, but I’m needed somewhere else right now. It was lovely talking to you all, have a nice night.”
Then they’re walking away. Behind him Damian hears several huffs and scoffs at the interruption and Damian just about keeps his grin from showing.
Richard finds a rather secluded part of the hall and places him down onto the floor, his brother stays crouched down at his height and glances over his body, looking concerned. “Damian is everything okay. That behaviour really isn’t like you.”
Finally dropping the act, Damian falls back into his usual self. He sends Richard a pleased smile. “You looked rather uncomfortable talking to those women Grayson, I thought I would come and help relieve you from them.”
It takes a few seconds for Richard to realise what’s happened. At first confusion crosses his face followed by understanding, amusement and then a disapproval. Damian’s not bothered by the look, he knows he’s helped Richard that night and refuses to feel ashamed about it.
“Damian,” Richard starts slowly, “I appreciate you looking out for me, and yes Mrs. Case was getting uncomfortably close, but unfortunately that sort of thing happens at these kind of events. We simply have to deal with it in the most civilised manner we can without making a scene.”
Damian scowls. “We shouldn’t have too! They should understand their touches are not wanted. That woman wouldn’t have left you alone despite how uncomfortable you clearly were.”
Richard sends him a sad smile and the look adults tend to give children when they “don’t understand the situation”. “I’ve learnt to handle it Little D, you don’t need to get worked up over it, especially not because of me.”
Damian’s unsure on how to respond to that so he stays silent, of course he wants to curse out every single woman who’s dared look at Richard like that but even he knows there currently isn’t anything he can do in that moment to make things right.
Seeming to understand his thoughts his brother laughs lightly and stands up to his full height, he ruffles Damian’s hair, which he protests too, and looks down at him. “Can you handle another hour, I think that would be more than enough. Once we’re out of here you and I can go to that 24hr diner we’ve been meaning to try.”
“Very well Grayson,” Damian relents in the end, “An hour and then we shall leave.”
Richard beams at him. “Great, I’ll come find you soon okay.”
Damian watches his brother wander off into the crowd and debates on what he could do for an hour. Could there be a way for Damian to keep the attention off Richard until they leave? It’s not like he can just stay by his side for the rest of the night to get the job done, that would also mean Damian himself would have to mix with those people and he would like to avoid that if he can.
Looking around the hall Damian spots something that could help him achieve his goal. An old Bosendorfer Imperial grand piano sits tucked away in the far corner. Heading for the instrument Damian forms a plan in his mind, he knows this will draw attention to himself, he isn’t shy or conscious so that isn’t a problem, it would at least help take away some attention from Richard.
Damian gets the to piano and settles down at it, using his vast knowledge of the instrument he makes sure it’s set up right and tuned properly before settling down to start playing something classical. His time before moving in with his father hadn’t always been assassin training, he had been forced to learn other skills and qualities too. Playing a wide range of musical instruments had been one of them.
Damian plays easily, ignoring all of the eyes and attention he's gained. He plays expertly through several songs without missing a beat, dare he say he enjoys playing music, of course he’d prefer it to be in a more private setting but this will do for now.
Once he’s finished some unknown time later, he gets up and steps away from the instrument. Upon hearing an applause for his talent, Damian bows before darting off to the side. He avoids those who attempt to speak to him and immediately searches for Richard.
He finds him near the back of the hall standing next to a bored looking Todd and a mollified Drake. Damian walks over to them with his chin held up and sends them a challenging look, daring them to comment. Only Richard says something, which Damian had predicted he would, the man pulls him in for a hug and rests his head on top of his.
“That was amazing Little D! I didn’t know you could play like that, incredible!” The man gives him a squeeze before loosening the hold on him, he sends Damian a warm smile though there was now a knowing look in his eyes. “Also don’t think I didn’t know what you were attempting to do. As much as I would like to say it worked, it almost backfired because I had many people come up to me and gush about how talented you are.”
“Of course they did Grayson.” Damian says wittingly. “I was raised to be perfect, being able to play music instruments was expected.”
He receives a hum from Richard and a snort from both Todd and Drake. Not paying either of the other two any attention, Damian keeps his focus on Richard. “Can we leave now?”
Richard laughs and smiles. “Yeah lets get going. We can leave Bruce to the vultures, we’ve been here long enough.” He turns to the others, “are you both coming with?”
Both Todd and Drake send him a ‘of course, what kind of question is that?’ look before nodding.
“Alright then, lets get going.” Richard pushes Damian in front of him, guiding the way with a hand on his back while the other two trail behind them without a word.
---- Tim and Damian ----
He doesn’t bother trying to hide how annoyed he is. Tim doesn’t care how childish he sounds whining about the unfairness of the situation he’s being forced into.
“Why can’t someone else do it?”
“Everyone else is busy and you happen to be the closest.” Came the no nonsense reply.
Tim glares at his phone from where it’s in the holder on his dashboard. “I’m busy too y’know. I have more important things to do other than picking up the demon spawn from school.”
A heavy sigh could be heard from the other side of the line. “Don’t call him that. And you’re not busy. Don’t tell me you are when we both you don’t have any plans today Tim.”
Tim throws his head back dramatically and hits the headrest with a thump. “Bruce!”
“It won’t kill you to pick Damian up from school one time Tim. Now I have to go, I’ll you see tonight.”
With a petty act of defiance Tim hangs up without another word. His day was going perfectly fine until Bruce called asking – demanding – him to pick Damian up from school. While Bruce has a point in saying he doesn’t have any plans that day and that he is currently the closet to Damian’s school, he’s actually only a few blocks away right now, that doesn’t mean Tim should do it. Damian isn’t his kid, he shouldn’t be expected to run around after the brat.
Tim sulks in his car for several moments finding the situation unfair and uncalled for. Eventually, after around ten minutes, he starts the engine up and makes his way towards Damian’s school.
When Tim finally finds a parking space among the masses of vehicles everywhere, students were flooding the street. Tim glares out of the window, eyes scanning the for the demon brat amongst the crowd. The sooner he drops Damian home, the better.
After about 10 minutes of looking and waiting Tim finally spots the kid walking out of the gate. At first he didn’t even realise it was Damian because the kid was walking and talking to someone else at the same time, it’s like they were good buddies having a genuine chat and it threw Tim off for a moment. Not to sound harsh but Tim didn’t know Damian even had any friends (other than Jon but he doesn’t count). This is a surprise.
Now he's spotted him, Tim opens the door up and climbs out of the car, leaning against the door he waves with one hand in attempts to get the kid’s attention. After a moment it works and Tim sees the various of expressions Damian wears upon spotting him. Damian firstly looks confused and then surprised which is followed quickly by an annoyed scowl showing his displeasure of having Tim pick him up today.
Tim impatiently waits for Damian to make his way over to him, the kid seeming to take his time about it all as he goes back to conversing with his friend. They share words for a few minutes before the two of them finally reach Tim and not wanting to waste any more time Tim is pretty blunt during the greeting. “C’mon Damian let’s go. I have places to be and I need to drop you off at the Manor first.”
While scowling, Damian doesn’t miss a beat in responding to him. “No need Timothy, for as today I am going with Williams here, we’ll spend the afternoon catching up with work.”
Tim narrows his eyes at the kid, a suspicious feeling already building up inside his gut. Something feels wrong about that idea. His eyes flicker over to his friend who looks decent enough, little taller than Damian, blonde hair that’s combed back, a laptop bag hanging from one shoulder. Tim focuses his attention back on his brother.
“Does Bruce know about your plans?” If Bruce knows, which Tim has a strong feeling that he doesn’t, then he’ll let it slide.
Damian bristles at the question. “Father doesn’t need to know my every movement. I am old enough to look after myself and I don’t need someone constantly watching me.”
Well there’s his answer. “Damian you should tell Bruce what you’re planning on doing, he needs to know where you are.”
“Hey, he doesn’t need to do anything.” Damian’s friend speaks up for the first time, sounding rather aggressive towards Tim. “He doesn’t need to ask for daddy’s permission for every little thing he wants to do in his life.”
Tim glares at the kid, feeling somewhat affronted with his behaviour. “He’s eleven, and despite what he thinks, his dad should know where he’s at least going and whom with.” Tim turns back to Damian. “You either tell Bruce about this or I’ll drag you back to the Manor right now myself.”
“Don’t listen to him. He’s just trying to control you because he’s older.” His friend comments with a sneer.
Tim grits his teeth and refrains from punching the kid. It really wouldn’t look good if Tim punched a kid almost half his age.
Damian looks between them for a moment and Tim sees the briefest amount of hesitation in his expression before his ominous friend pipes up again.
“Damian we can go back to mine and be away from anyone else, without any orders being demanded from us. We can get started on that art project completely undisturbed as well.”
The more this kid talks the more Tim hates him. He's come to the conclusion that he doesn’t want Damian going anywhere with him.
Damian, however, seems to have different ideas. The kid straightens up and meets Tim’s glare head on, challenging him with his own. “Goodbye Timothy. Lead the way Williams.”
Tim stares gobsmacked as the two of them walk away from him. He’s too surprised to act immediately and grab Damian’s arm to stop him from going anywhere. Looking around Tim still finds the street crowded with kids and families, unless he wants to make a scene in front of all these people Tim’s going to have to be more discrete on how he’s going to get Damian away from his new friend.
As they walk away Tim hovers by his car making sure to keep his on his brother’s retreating back through the crowd and makes a note of where he's headed. He really ought to speak to Bruce about this but Tim wants to get more information about what’s happening first. He doesn’t want to unnecessarily worry Bruce for nothing.
It doesn’t escape Tim’s notice how the two of them walk further and further away from the school and how they head towards the less populated areas of the street. It wasn’t until they get near the end of the street when Tim spots two men walking not far behind them.
Normally Tim would have looked over them as their appearance doesn’t make them stand out for any reason. They’re each wearing jeans and jackets and look like they’re casually conversing with one another, however since Tim’s already on high alert he’s zeroed in and dubbed them as suspicious immediately.
The boys take a right and disappear off the street, the men follow not long afterwards. That’s when Tim finally moves. Abandoning his car Tim moves in the direction the others went, moving at a fast paced walk in order to not raise suspicion on his part.
He makes it to the end of the street in quick time and turns right without a second thought, from here he needs to work out in what direction they all went in. Slowing down his pace Tim observes the street as he walks along it, taking in the high standing buildings, the flurry of people along the sidewalks and the vehicles bustling down the road.
What worries Tim is that he couldn’t see any of them in his sight up ahead. The street is long but yet he couldn’t see them within his sights, that could mean they’ve already either entered a vehicle, gone into a building or have already taken another turn onto a different street.
Tim continues walking down the path keeping an eye on all of his surroundings. It wasn’t until he passes two women gossiping between themselves that he gets the biggest clue to their whereabouts.
“Do you not think that seemed suspicious? The two boys and men?”
“Sharon you’re being to paranoid! Not everything is like all of those kidnapping documentaries you watch you know.”
“It doesn’t feel right with the way the men followed those boys into the alley next to the bakery.”
That’s all Tim heard of their conversation before they got too far away to hear the rest, and honestly that’s all Tim needed to hear. Once he heard the location – thank you random lady – he’s sprinting down the street no longer caring about what he looks like.
Tim rushes to the nearest bakery and sure enough a small narrow alley could be found next to it. He almost passes it with how fast he's running but he’s able to stop himself by grabbing hold of the edge of the building and forcing his body to stop. He instantly turns around and takes off down the alleyway. It’s grubby and grimy as one would expect but not seeing the boys he runs until he reaches the other end.
Tim only slows down when he exits the alleyway and into another back alley that’s hidden away between various of buildings. Just as he’s debating on what direction to go in a yell from his left gets his attention and Tim doesn’t hesitate to run in that direction.
He comes around a corner and finds a scuffle happening. His heart drops when he finds it to be Damian struggling between the two men that had been following behind him and his friend.
A quick survey of the area shows Tim a car parked to the side with the trunk door wide open, Damian’s school friend is leaning against the car watching the scuffle with boredom and Damian himself is struggling and curses as he tries to break out of the men’s grip before they could shove him into the boot.
Tim doesn’t think about what he's doing. He launches himself at the closet man, taking him by surprise. The man lets go of Damian in order to deal with Tim but before he could so much as to raise a fist Tim is knocking him out cold with a couple quickfire punches to the stomach and head.
He drops like a sack of potatoes to the ground and Tim instantly turns to the other guy who still had Damian in his grasp. Wrenching Damian out of his grip, Tim pushes the kid behind him and quickly disposes of the man like he had done with his friend.
Once they were down Tim turns his attention to the school kid who is now staring at him like he’s a deer caught in headlights. Tim glares at him. “Get in that car and do not move.”
The kid scrambles to obey the order and once he’s inside the vehicle Tim quickly searches for the keys to the car. Finding them in the ignition Tim takes them out, shuts the doors and locks the car with the kid still inside it.
Once that was all done he finally turns his attention to Damian. The kid’s now moved and is slumped against the wall, his freighted expression making him appear the age he actually is. The look makes Tim’s heart ache. It’s so unusual to see that expression on Damian, what occurred and what almost happened has clearly shaken the kid.
Tim drops down into a crouch before his brother and makes eye contact with him. “Hey,” he says it gently but firmly to make sure he’s got his attention, “I’m going to call this in, then I’m going to call Bruce tell him what happened and then we’re going to head home alright.”
Damian doesn’t answer him but he nods. Clearly, for once, he’s happy to let Tim take the lead without any protests. Tim stands up and puts a grounding hand on Damian’s shoulder, reminding the kid he's there.
Just as Tim lifts the phone up to dial Damian mutters quietly, “thank you Timothy.”
Tim smiles tightly and squeezes his shoulder. He then sends a hard glare at the car. “I knew there was a reason why I didn’t like that kid.”
---- Jason and Tim ----
Whistling to himself as he walks, Jason exits the vehicle bay and enters the control room of the Batcave.
He’s just come back from a short patrol, one of which consisted of errands more than anything else, such as things like checking on contacts, checking on his warehouses and restocking his armoury. Now that’s all completed his plan is to call it an early night and do absolutely nothing until the morning.
At least that had been his planned until yelling could be heard coming from across the cave. With his curiosity getting the better of him, Jason allows the noise to be his guide through the cave until he comes across those behind said yelling.
It surprises him yet doesn’t when he finds it to be Tim and Bruce. Stopping where he's stood, across from the bat computer with his helmet hanging from one hand and the other now resting in his jacket pocket, Jason watches the screaming match unfold. Getting involved now would do no one any good and Jason doesn’t want to be pulled into the mix if he can help it.
Jason had picked up on a tension between Bruce and Tim over the last week, he doesn’t know what’s going on between them or what triggered it all off but he guesses this must finally be the explosion that’s been brewing the whole time. None of the others have said anything about it so Jason figures whatever it is it’s just between the two of them, it may be a personal thing or it could be a work related thing, he’s not sure.
“I’m going!” Tim screams the sentence at Bruce like it’s a final statement. The kid then turns and begins to storm off in the direction of the vehicle bay, coincidentally right towards where Jason is standing.
Bruce’s voices bellows out after him. “Don’t you dare. If you leave the cave I’ll-”
Tim abruptly turns on the spot and glares at Bruce challengingly. “You’ll what? Ground me? Bench me for a month? You don’t control me anymore Bruce, you don’t get to say shit about what I do.”
Tim doesn’t wait for Bruce to respond as he spins on his heel and continues to head towards the vehicle bay. When he passes Jason the kid doesn’t even spare him a glance as he marches past and Jason doesn’t feel inclined to stop him.
As Tim disappears Jason turns and looks at Bruce, like Tim the man doesn’t spare him a glance, and he waits in silence for the man to comment about what just happened. The atmosphere around them is now thick and full of a tense silence and even though the anger isn’t aimed at Jason (for once) he feels suffocated by it. The silence is only broken when the echo of a motorbike engine revving happens followed by it speeding off and out of the cave.
Once the noise has faded Jason takes matters into his own hands and approaches Bruce, who is now sat at the computer, with a questioning look. “What was all that about? Why were you and Tim screaming at one another?”
There’s a long pause after he’s asked his question and it goes on long enough for Jason to think that Bruce is ignoring him. Several more beats pass by before Jason accepts he’s not getting an answer anytime soon.
Sighing he turns around and as he walks away he pointedly says over his shoulder, “I guess I’ll go and make sure the kid doesn’t do something stupid.”
When that comment still doesn’t get him a response Jason rolls his eyes. Typical Bruce. Leaving his birds all alone after an argument and allowing them to run off to do who knows what. That’s what could end up getting them killed, not that Jason would know, of course not.
Climbing on his bike Jason puts on his helmet and starts the engine up before zooming out of the cave with the plan to go after his current wayward brother.
---------
Running and jumping over rooftops Jason follows Tim from a distance. He doesn’t try to hide the fact he’s following Tim but he doesn’t make it obvious either. At the moment all it seems to be is Tim running across the city doing a normal patrol, just with a little more frustration than normal.
After an hour or so of Jason following Tim, it seems like the kid’s had enough of his shadow. Jason observes as Tim comes to a stop on a high rooftop with a clear intention of not continuing on. Not knowing what he’s doing, Jason finds a perch on a building adjacent to Tim and watches his brother carefully. It isn’t long until his comm is crackling in his ear and Tim’s voice filters through.
“Knock it off.” Tim demands venomously.
“Knock what off?” Jason questions innocently.
On the rooftop in front of him he watches as Tim slowly pivots on the spot, clearly observing his surroundings. His brother comes to a stop when he finally spots Jason on top of the nearby building.
“I don’t need a babysitter. I don’t give a shit what B has asked you to do or what he’s bribed you with to do it. Now fuck off and leave me alone.”
“No can do baby bird. You’re not at your best right now so I’m going to keep an eye on you.”
“Absolutely not. I’m not a child, I don’t need to be treated like one.”
“Your current behaviour says otherwise.”
A sarcastic laugh comes across the line. “Oh that’s rich coming from you. Fuck off Hood. Unlike you, not all of us lose our heads when angry.”
Jason narrows his eyes but lets the jab go over his head.
“Or perhaps I should lose my head? I could go on a killing a spree, that would really rile B up wouldn’t it? Or, or, I could go and find an exploding warehouse! Go get myself killed because that’s what you did didn’t you Hood? So pissed at daddy you ran off and died because of it? I’m not you, I don’t need to be looked after.”
Despite the distance currently between them the silence weighs a ton and the atmosphere feels like it’s suffocating him. Through his helmet Jason glares at Tim on the rooftop, he could feel his heart pounding inside his chest and he could feel rage building up inside of him at Tim’s words. Whether Tim meant them or not, the words stung. All of that is the past and in a completely different context to now, and also that’s not what happened, Tim knows this so Jason isn’t entirely sure why he said it.
It takes all of Jason’s willpower to not verbally lash out at Tim. He’s better than that, despite how much he wants too he doesn’t let his emotions get the better of him. Instead he takes a deep breath and continues watching Tim, not saying anything in response.
Tim must take his silence as some sort of answer because Jason watches as he turns around and runs off the roof onto the next. Giving it time Jason waits for a moment before following once again.
In the end it is a good thing he followed Tim because the kid gets himself into a situation he can’t handle alone. Jason almost jumps in immediately but he stops himself. Watching from the roof above the alleyway Tim is in, he holds back from interfering because he wants Tim to face it on his own for a moment, for Tim to face consequences of his actions of running out and patrolling while angry.
A couple minutes later Tim is almost swarmed by the thugs he’s fighting. Jason stands up getting ready to jump in when his comm comes to life.
“Hood, please.” Tim's voices filters through, he sounds out of breath and desperate. “I’m sorry, please help me.”
Jason doesn’t wait another second before jumping into the fray of things.
Within minutes the thugs are dealt with and are all left unconscious on the floor. Even after the fight, the silence from earlier lingers in the air between them, it’s awkward and uncomfortable and Jason isn’t entirely sure on how to break it. While he isn’t happy with Tim, he's not holding it against the kid. He just hopes Tim realises what he did and knows it’s wrong.
The sound of a hiss breaks Jason out of his thoughts. He turns around and finds Tim prodding at his forearm with a pained grimace on his face.
“They get you?” Jason questions with concern.
Tim looks up at him and Jason could tell he was thinking of lying about it, eventually though a defeated sigh passes through his lips and Tim hangs his head. “Yeah. A knife scratched my forearm, pretty sure I’ve pulled something in my leg too.”
Jason hums thoughtfully. After a moment of consideration he makes a decision. “Right this is what we’re going to do,” he starts and gets Tim’s attention, “we’re gonna clean this mess up and then we’re going to head to one of my safehouses nearby where I’m going to patch you up and call it a night. We’ll deal with everything else tomorrow.”
By now Tim knows better than to protest. The kid nods his head and it suddenly strikes Jason how young he looks. Jason shakes off those thoughts, not wanting to think about it. Tim’s words earlier are still floating around at the forefront of his mind and he really would rather forget all about it.
As if reading his mind Tim pipes up, his voice sounding the most timid it has been all night. “Hood I’m sorry. I was out of line for what I said earlier. I want to blame it on the anger but I did say those things with the intention of hurting you because I was angry, that still isn’t an excuse though.”
Jason stays silent, not knowing how to respond to Tim’s apology. He’s grateful he's wearing his helmet that covers his expression.
“I don’t expect forgiveness for that. I do, however, also want to say thank you for helping here when you didn’t have to, you could have quite easily left it all to me and I would have handled it but with a fair amount of struggle.”
Figuring that’s good enough for now, Jason strolls over to where Tim is standing and throws an arm around the kid’s shoulder and gives him a rough noogie. Tim squawks at the action and tries to push him away without any results. Jason laughs and after a minute finally lets him go. After that the two get down to business and finish the night off in a lighter mood than what they started it off with.
---- Dick and Jason ----
It’s a pure coincidence he even sees him. As he was heading back to his car, parked on a fairly busy street, Dick spots a familiar figure walking by on the other side of the road. Pausing in his tracks, Dick blinks and watches the figure as they continue on completely oblivious to his staring.
When the person turns their head to glance around at the surroundings, Dick gets conformation that it’s Jason of all people. He doesn’t seem to notice Dick in his observations and continues to walk to the end of the road, however instead of crossing the road like Dick had expected him too, he takes a left turn and heads into the bar that’s located on the corner there instead.
Dick curiously stares at the bar. There’s nothing special about the place that he can think of, it’s not anywhere significant and really he couldn’t think of why Jason would be visiting a place like that at this time of day. It’s late afternoon on a Tuesday, so why on earth is he going to a bar now? That's not mentioning it’s his night to patrol as well.
Then again, Dick quickly rectifies himself, it isn’t any of his business. He’s not Jason’s handler, he doesn’t have to know what he does with his time. Maybe Jason is meeting up with an old friend? For all he knows it could be Roy. Perhaps he’s on a date? Maybe he’s there on business, which is unlikely as he's currently a civilian and not Red Hood.
Whatever it is, it’s not Dick’s business, so really Dick should just go to his car like he had been doing and pretend he never saw Jason to begin with.
Dick doesn’t even make it five steps towards his car. Before he knows it he’s crossing the road and heading towards the bar because his curiosity has gotten the better of him and he needs – wants – to know what Jason is doing.
When Dick enters the bar he’s hit with the strong smell of smoke, booze and sweat. It makes him cringe but he deals with it as he walks in further. It’s a relatively big space, tables and chairs are scattered around, a few pool tables here and there and there’s plenty of customers milling about the place.
Surprisingly Dick finds his brother easily enough. Jason is sat at the bar currently being served by the middle aged bartender. Not wasting any more time Dick strolls over and casually sits down in the empty chair next to Jason.
At his sudden presence Jason jerks and turns to look at him. To begin with his expression is one of a mixture of surprise and interest but as soon as he recognises Dick a scowl paired with a glare is firmly put in place.
Dick flashes his brother a grin that is too big to be real and with fake cheerfulness he greets him, “Hey Jay, fancy seeing you here!”
Jason glares at him for several long moments, his eyes narrow threateningly and his lips press into a thin line. Dick laughs to himself, he wonders how much Jason is cursing his existence right now? Eventually Jason turns away from him, facing forwards once again, and grabs his drink to bring it up to his lips. “Fuck off dickhead.” He swears before taking a sip.
“I dunno, you seem pretty lonely here, how ‘bout I keep you company?” Dick says, he is of course fishing for information just without saying it. He wants to know what his brother is up to.
Placing his drink back down on the bar Jason gives him the stink eye. “Well it’s a good thing I won’t be alone for much longer, I’m meeting someone in a minute so if you would ever be so kind and fuck off that would be great. Thanks.”
“Who you meeting?”
“Someone.”
“That’s not an answer.”
“Well that’s the one you’re getting. Now go away.”
“Is it a special someone?” Dick asks with a suggestive smirk.
Jason continues to glares at him. “No.”
Dick hums in acknowledgement. “Okay. How about I wait here until they arrive?”
“Absolutely not.” Jason snaps. He takes a deep breath and lets it out as he pinches the bridge of his nose. “They won’t speak to me if you’re here. Now piss off.”
At his brother’s dark look, Dick decides to finally relent. Despite his teasing and his want for answers, he knows when enough is enough. “Okay….” Dick drawls out standing up, “if you need any help with anything give me a call.”
“I won’t,” Jason retorts back instantly, though not as harsh as he previously has been, “if I see you around here I will shoot you.”
As he walks away from Jason he throws, “Love you too brother,” over his shoulder and exits the bar.
After that Dick heads back to his car and this time makes it inside the vehicle, however that’s as far as he gets. Once he’s there his mind starts reeling about Jason and the worry creeps in. Who is Jason meeting? Why is he meeting them?
Dick is well aware that Jason is a full grown man who can look after himself but he can’t help but worry about him. He didn’t do the greatest job of being a brother to him when they were younger, if he could go back in time he would change that but unfortunately he can’t, what he can do though is try and be there for him now.
Instead of starting the car up Dick decides to do a mini stake-out there in the street. He’ll wait to see Jason leave the bar safe and sound before going home. He’s parked on the street but there are plenty of other vehicles around to help hide him, also people in Gotham don’t ask questions to things that aren’t their business so Dick knows he’s not going to be bothered any time soon.
It’s a few hours later when Jason emerges from the bar again. Dick straightens up in his seat, places his phone down and watches from his car as Jason begins making his way down the street.
His brother seems to be in a foul mood. As well as the scowl he's wearing, Dick could tell by his body language, his shoulders were held back tightly, his hands were clenched into fists at his sides and his strides were long, quick and meaningful.
Movement behind Jason gets his attention. Following closely behind his brother was a man, maybe around his thirties, dressed in a V-neck t-shirt paired with a blazer and fitted trousers. Dick observes them as they make their way down the street, he could see their mouths moving but Dick was too far away to make out anything they were saying.
Jason is clearly done with the guy (Dick assumes this is who Jason met with) as he’s trying to get away from him and probably shouting profanities at him as he storms down the street. Dick is left wondering what to do, does he go after Jason to help him get away or does he allow Jason to handle it himself. He trusts Jason of course but there’s something about this other guy that’s putting him on edge and Dick doesn’t like it.
Jason soon disappears around a corner and into an alley between the buildings, Dick watches him disappear and then as the stranger follows behind his brother. Definitely not liking the fact he can’t see them anymore, Dick makes the decision to finally follow them, screw what Jason says, he needs to know his brother is fine.
As he approaches the alley, sounds coming from within grow in volume. There’s a mixture of grunts, bangs and cursing going on. Dick didn’t know what to expect when he reached the corner but when he peeks around the wall it’s too find Jason in the middle of a fist fight with three other guys.
Dick stares for a moment, captivated by the way his brother holds his ground. He notices how there’s a difference between the way Jason fights as the Red Hood and then as Jason Todd. As his vigilante persona Jason fights with precision (and guns) and well trained skills, however as Jason Todd his technique is scrappier and more street like.
Jason beats one of the guys down to the ground, where he then stays unmoving, before the other two descend upon him, they force him back into the wall of the alley way and start beating the daylights out of him.
Seeing Jason receive punch after punch and not throw any back in return, Dick finally decides to step in. He charges down the alley, using the element of surprise to tackle one of the men away from Jason. They crash to the ground, rolling a few times before it ends up with Dick on top. Not giving the man a chance to react he delivers a couple quick punches and a precise nerve strike to knock him out.
When he’s done he spins around just in time to witness Jason delivering one last blow to the other guy, he man stumbles for a moment before collapsing in a heap on the ground. Silence falls upon them and Dick takes a moment to survey the scene around them, three unconscious men on the floor, one of which being the guy who originally followed Jason and who was the first to be knocked out. Then there’s the two of them still in their civvies and Jason is leaning heavily against the wall breathing deeply.
Without a word Dick straightens up and makes his way over to his brother, ignoring the heated glare being sent his way Dick moves one of Jason’s arms around his shoulders and presses in close to him so he can take his weight. Once situated Dick leads them away from the wall and out of the alley.
“I didn’t need your help.” Jason mumbles a few steps later.
Dick snorts. “I knew there was something going on from the start.”
“So you stayed hovering around like a stalker? I thought that was Tim’s job.”
“I stayed because I wanted to make sure you were okay.”
Jason makes a grumbling noise but otherwise doesn’t say anything. Dick shoots him a surprised look because he was honestly expecting more of a backlash from his brother, perhaps he's too tired to fight against him right now.
When they get to the car, Dick helps him climb inside before getting into the vehicle himself. As much as he would like to question Jason further about what just occurred, he doesn’t, he stays silent and starts up the engine. As Dick drives them, he’s heading towards his own safehouse, Jason is on his phone bedside him clearly wrapping up whatever business that was all about.
