Damian crouched low in the brush, keeping a careful eye on the skyline. A dark smudge hung over the horizon and he was determined to not get rained on. Not tonight. No, there was far more important things happening now.
A stick broke somewhere before him, and all of Damian’s senses were instantly on high alert. It couldn’t be any of his family or their warriors--they were all trained too well to make such a simple misstep. Which meant it was either a commoner--unlikely, seeing as how his parents, the High Rulers, didn’t particularly tolerate random people trespassing--or a signal.
He could barely contain his excitement, though his body language didn’t display anything. He had been trained better than that.
Still, there was a slight eagerness to his step when he set off, flitting through the tall bushes and weeds without making a sound. There was a strip of open grassy area, less than ten feet in width, and then true woods. Far past his parents’ domain.
And there, in the shadow of a pine, was a familiar figure. Damian no longer worried about concealing his emotions--he tore across the grass, launching himself at the silhouette.
Tim caught him easily, spinning him around a few times before setting him down gently. He didn’t let go of him, though.
“I’m so glad to see you.” Damian whispered.
Tim smiled back at him--they were the same height now, Damian noticed. It wouldn’t take long for Damian to surpass him.
“Likewise. Listen, though, Dami--there’s a reason we needed to meet tonight.”
There was a tense note to his voice that stood out to Damian like the brightest of red flags. “Why? What’s happening?”
“I believe Jason suspects I’m still around. You know how firm he is about following Bruce and Talia’s rules, too--he’s probably one of the only ones I wouldn’t be able to persuade to ignore my existence.”
Damian’s face fell, his grip firming on the back of Tim’s tunic. “No. I can pay him off--or we can… we can…”
“There’s nothing we can do, Dami. Ever since the Joker incident, Jason’s been different. And now that Bruce banished me, he won’t have anything to do with me.”
“Still. Cass always liked you--we could get her to talk to him, persuade him not to do anything--”
“No, Damian. We can’t risk it.” Tim’s tone brooked no argument. “I need to leave.”
“Beloved, no. There’s always another way! You said we wouldn’t let anything drive us apart, why should this be any different?”
“Damian, you had to know this time was going to come. You are nobility. Someday, you will be expected to wed, to have heirs. I am nothing, now, and either way our wedding would never be recognised. We simply aren’t meant to be, dear, and… and maybe that’s for the better.”
Damian’s entire world was tearing apart now, but it had been teetering on the precipe for a while now, if he was being honest. Ever since the first night he had kissed Tim, and the older teen had told him that they shouldn’t. Now his… partner… was banished, reduced to living on the outskirts of Gotham like a common peasant; regardless of the fact that the Drakes were a bloodline just as old as the Waynes.
“Let me go with you, Tim. There’s nothing for me here and you know it. Let me go with you, and we can be happy. Somewhere far, far away from Gotham. Metropolis--let’s go to Metropolis! Father and Mother won’t think to look for us there and we can live without having to constantly watch over our shoulders.”
“But… the throne, Damian, you can’t! It’s like we’ve planned. You can’t let Gotham continue to live under your parents’ thumb. Remember what Jason used to tell us, how bad the streets were? Now he’s just as bad as the evil he’s told us about--and heaven help us all should Richard inherit the crown…”
They both shuddered, well aware of their older brother’s blinding ambition.
“He wouldn’t stop until he ruled the world. But, Tim…”
Tim leaned down and kissed him gently, an unsaid promise in and of itself. “I’ll come back. When it’s safe.”
Damian clutched him tightly, desperately wishing absolutely anything could be different. “Do you promise?”
“Yes. Yes, Damian, I promise.”
