I do not own anything DC related.
I hope you enjoy :)
Fire on Fire
It surprised Damian that the alarm system to the front doors of Wayne Manor had not been changed since the time he had visited, and that had been a year ago. But when he quickly typed in the code and the sound of the lock sliding open sang against the quiet, early spring morning, he knew that it had been neglected. It was fortunate for him as he was far too tired from the long journey he had just partaken, to even think about breaking in.
How pathetic, all those years lounging in the Titans Tower must have made the skilled assassin rusty.
As quietly as he could, Damian pushed the door open and stepped inside, shutting it behind him once again. The house was quiet; only the loud tick of the grandfather clock that sat across from the entrance, right beside the large split staircase that lead to the second floor balcony could be hear. Everyone must have been asleep.
The brunette stood there for a moment in anticipation of someone walking down the stairs or coming through another door of the house to great him, but no one did. His eyes fixated on the clock's pendulum from the other side of the room, its slow but rhythmatic movements lulling his tired eyes into a hypnotic state.
The house smelled familiar, like fresh linens and faint cologne; very different from the tower which had plagued his nostrils with testosterone, body odor, cheap wine stained vomit and dander. It killed him a little bit inside to say that he could no longer smell the scent of mold. Whoever thought giving the Teen Titans their own, unsupervised party sized living space didn't take into account that despite them being superheroes, they were indeed still as their title revealed, teenagers. And Damian had come to the conclusion that teenagers were pigs.
Finally tearing his eyes away from the clock, he hoisted his backpack on one shoulder, adjusting it, before heading off towards the kitchen, making sure that his footsteps were as silent as they could be. Once he reached the fridge he allowed his bag to slide down his arm onto the floor and opened it. Scaling the inside with his gaze, he was also grateful that Alfred was persistent in keeping the food supply supple.
Often when he would look for food at the tower, anything good would have been picked over, and it would be back to eating day old pizza slices or microwave meals. Honestly, if they hadn't insisted on spending their entire budget on trivial things like alcohol, going on local excursions or clothing, then life would have been a hell of a lot easier for them.
With all that being said, Damian's exhaustion drove him to grab the peanut butter from the side of the fridge and turn towards the cupboard where the breadbox sat. A peanut butter sandwich had to suffice, at least for now.
Quickly turning on the light that hung above the sink so that he could see what he was actually doing, he took two slices of bread from the box and pulled a small butter knife from the cutlery drawer. Blasted adolescence, he was always hungry.
"It wouldn't have killed you to send a text, you know."
The voice stopped him from spreading the butter onto the bread and had he not been so tired, his thin lips might have pulled into a slight smile. He didn't need to turn around to know who had spoke, but what he didn't understand was how he had not heard the newcomer enter the room. He would blame it on his sleep deprived brain.
"It was a spur of the moment thing." He responded, finishing up his sandwich and turning back around. At the door, leaning on the frame, was none other than Dick Grayson, Damian's adoptive older brother, the first Robin, the current Nightwing and one of Damian's most trusted companions. He took a large bite out of the sandwich and Dick smiled. In only a few steps, thanks to his long legs, he was before Damian, arms outstretched. He pulled the munching teen into a bear hug, squeezing him tightly. Damian groaned and wiggled out of the older man's grip, his thick eyebrows narrowing at him.
"God, you've gotten big." Dick pointed out, shaking his head at the younger teen. "The last time I saw you, you were like-" he brought his hand, palm flat to the floor just below his chest, indicating Damian's previous height. The boy was still not as tall as his senior, but the top of his head finally poked just above his shoulders. A big leap for only one year.
Damian stuffed the rest of the sandwich into his mouth. "If you had come to visit more often, the growth wouldn't have seemed so drastic." He snapped, pushing the food momentarily into one of his cheeks so that he could speak clearly. Dick nodded his head and scratched the back of his neck.
"Yeah…things have been pretty busy lately."
"You always say that."
There was a slight pause.
"What brings you back to Gotham so suddenly? Everything okay?"
Damian shrugged. "Everything's fine. I just need a break from all of the…" he rolled his neck in a circle while he thought for the right word. Dick just chuckled.
"The tension?" he questioned. Damian pondered for a moment before nodding.
"I suppose you could call it that."
"Been there. Living in a house with no rules, a bunch of drama, bunch of girls; it can get to you after a while." Damian said nothing in response but the look he gave was enough of an answer for Dick. "So you back for good?"
"Not for good. Just enough time to unwind. Catch my breath. Then I'll be out of your hair again."
"Well, Bruce will be happy to see you at least." Dick said with a smile. Damian walked past him towards his bag, only to slug it over his shoulder once again.
"I'm sure he will. What are you doing here, anyway?" he asked, turning back around to face him.
Dick's pale complexion turned a slightly pink; even Damian could see that underneath the dim kitchen light. "That…"he began awkwardly, running one hand through his shaggy locks. Damian felt his interest drop, perhaps if there was more life in him he would have been able to produce a fitting sarcastic comeback to the childlike awkwardness, but for now, he merely waited for him to continue. "Is a long story that I will happily tell you tomorrow. You look pretty tired right now."
"I just drove for 24 hours straight. Sleep would be much appreciated."
"I don't need to show you to your room."
"Indeed, you do not. Goodnight, Grayson." Damian moaned almost incoherently, he wasn't sure if he was even going to be able to make it to his room. Dick walked after him, stopping at the doorframe to the kitchen.
"Night, kid. Sleep well."
Damian trudged through the darkened house with ease; he had remembered every corner and step like he had never left. When he reached his room, he didn't even bother to strip himself from his clothing and fell on the bed, lying with his arms outstretched. It had been a long journey to get back to Gotham and his mind was shutting down. Another thing about adolescence, you always felt tired. He hated this stage of life with a burning passion. Luckily it took no time at all for his consciousness to drift away.
Damian only slept for a few hours before waking up to a stream of sunlight leaking through the drapes of his bedroom. Muffled voices could be heard from outside of his room in the hallway, and although he could not hear word for word what they were saying, he could identify one of the voices as Dick. He continued to lie for a moment, allowing himself the time to wake his mind; he was used to getting only a few hours of sleep each night, it was all his body needed. Years of training under the League of Assassins had made sure of that.
His breathing became shallow as he tried harder to listen to Dick and the mystery man who were speaking in the hallway.
"What do you mean a dog?" Dick's sudden question made his eyes widen. He had forgotten about his loyal companion that had traveled with him from Jump City; Titus, his Great Dane. Damian had always been an animal person, even when his mother, Talia, had tried to train him out of it. When he was only five years old she had given him a baby bird to raise on his own; which he happily did. He loved the bird, but by the time it had fully grown, he was ordered to stomp on it to end its small life. Talia had given him the ultimatum of either killing the bird or losing meal privileges for a week. He had worked up all of the courage his five year old self could form, but when the time came he instead broke down. His hunger that week was a constant reminder of the shame he had brought upon himself, and from that day on he swore himself off of animals.
After the Titans ordeal with Brother Blood, Raven had presented with the puppy, his first interaction with an animal since the ordeal. He, of course, now had the freedom to own a pet, and he truly loved Titus more than anything else, which was why he did not question for a moment if he should bring him along to Gotham or not. What he had questioned was if it would be wise to bring a one hundred and seventy pound dog into the Wayne Manor. So, he had left him in the courtyard, just for the time being.
As quickly as he could, Damian got up from his mattress and went straight to his bag, fishing out the one change of clothes he had brought. None of the clothes that were in his wardrobe were going to fit him anymore; he had grown both in height and in bulk, especially around his shoulders and biceps. He would need to insist Alfred to get him more.
After he had changed, he went to the door of the room, opening it. Just slightly down the hall, in front of another bedroom door stood Dick and a man who was only a few years older than Damian, though his height was around the same. He was lanky, with only a thin trail of muscle. His black hair was cut messily in the back and sides, and a shaggy fringe covered his forehead. To Damian's surprise he was wearing a Robin's suit, much different from his own and from Dick's, but it was indeed a Robin suit, the golden "R" on his chest proved that. Damian felt taken aback by his appearance alone, and was suddenly filled with irritation.
"I saw it out in the garden, I tried to get close to it but it growled at me and ran away. Should I tell Alfred?" the man asked, and his voice was just as Damian had expected it to be. Annoying.
Clearing his throat once, Damian puffed his chest and walked over to the men who had both turned to look at him. Dick's eyebrows furrowed.
"Damian, you're up early. I thought you'd sleep for at least a few more hours."
"You should know me by now, Grayson. I don't need sleep." His green eyes shifted to the "Robin", his expression emotionless. "What the hell are you supposed to be?"
The man's mouth fell open slightly in confusion and he began to wordlessly gape for a few moments like a fish out of water, before finally being able to form words. "Uh," he mumbled, dumbfounded. His eyes were blue, but unlike Dick's the lacked brightness giving them a more gray appearance. "I'm Tim Drake, the…the new Robin."
Those words alone spiked Damian's heart rate. He had been gone four years and Bruce had decided to replace him like he had died? He hadn't even been consulted. Not to mention that this "new Robin" seemed to lack every single quality of a crime fighter; slim build, quivering voice and a personality that screamed marshmallow, where did Bruce even find him? He could do much better.
Damian stuck his nose in the air, snorting out some sort of snide chuckle. "Great, just what Gotham needs… another clown."
Tim's face went pale and his lips pulled into a frown. Dick snickered quietly and placed a hand on Damian's shoulder, giving it a light squeeze. "Damian," he said in a half warning, half playful tone. "Be nice." His attention went to Tim. "Tim, this is Damian, Bruce's son."
Tim stayed still for a split second before smiling slightly, his fringe flouncing a bit as he nodded his head. "Ah, I've heard a lot about you Damian." He said, suddenly much more cheerful and confident. He was going to try and be friendly, Damian just knew it. Unfortunately he wanted none of an imposter who was attempting to steal his position. Nevertheless, Damian decided to play along.
"Hopefully all good things. How skilled of a fighter I am? The fact that I can speak seventeen languages fluently? How I was and still am the best and most reliable Robin my father has had?" He was fully aware of how catty he was being but it didn't matter. He had known this, Tim, for less than five minutes and he already knew that he despised him. His father had him, he had Dick, he had Kate and Luke and Barbara. The bat family didn't need anyone else, let alone another Robin.
Both Dick and Tim chuckled at this and looked at each other. Damian raised an eyebrow.
"All of that," Tim said, nodding again. What was he? A decorative dashboard ornament? "And… more."
Damian ignored the comment with a scoff. "I heard you talking about a dog. He's mine. I wasn't sure if I could bring him in here, so I left him outside for the night."
"I'm sure Bruce wouldn't mind. It's Alfred you'll have to run it by." Dick assured him, and he knew he was right. If any mess would be made by the dog, it was going to be Alfred who would have to clean it up, and he wasn't positive if he would enjoy that or not. "And Damian, the thing I wanted to tell you about last night, well…it's Tim. We were going to wait to introduce you until after I told you, but you woke up earlier than we thought you would. Bruce just thought it would be best if he had someone to help him out, and since you were busy with the Titans…"
"It makes no difference to me." Damian hushed, grinding his teeth slightly. He truly wanted to believe his own words, but the slight jealousy he felt in his chest was making that hard.
Dick pursed his lips. "Right…but just so you know he's not replacing you. We're just going to try this whole…duel thing out for a little bit. Since you'll be in Jump City most of the time, we need a Robin here."
"Like I said, it makes no difference."
Damian pushed himself past Tim, bumping a little bit more roughly into his shoulder than necessary. Without stopping his stride, he threw Dick a look over his shoulder.
"Where can I find Pennyworth?"
"I think he's in the kitchen." Tim answered uncomfortably. Damian looked away without another word and took a left down the hallway, disappearing out of sight. Silence filled the air around the two older boys.
"I think that went well." Dick mumbled after a few minutes, breaking the silence. Tim merely looked at him, defeat already swimming behind his blue-gray eyes.
"He hates me."
"He doesn't hate you, he's just…a complicated creature. You'll get used to him."
"Can't wait…" The sarcasm that came with Tim's words was definite. He had heard much about Damian Wayne, son of the bat, but he chose to be optimistic. Unfortunately the rumors of the young heir's arrogance seemed to be true.
With every step Damian took towards the kitchen of the manor, the angrier he became. He had left the Titans to feel more at home, only to find out that a stranger now lived in that home with him. And not only a stranger, but a stranger who was trying to pose as someone he was meant to be. If his father had wanted someone to assist him so badly all he had to do was call him and he would have gladly left the tower to fight by his side once again. If a crime were to happen would Bruce even ask for him to help, or would that responsibility now fall on Tim? What was the point of having duel Robin's? It was Batman and Robin, not Batman and the two Robins. Giving another person the title took away from who Damian was, he may as well just drop the cape and mask all together and become his own hero, it worked out for Dick and Jason.
As he neared the kitchen he could hear rummaging through the cupboards. Alfred must have been readying breakfast for him, he missed having a butler.
"Pennyworth, might I have a quick-"
He turned into the room and immediately dead in his tracks. Instead of seeing Alfred as he had expected, there, pouring a bowl of cereal was a girl, back turned to him. Her hair was long, blond and messy and she was wearing a tattered oversized t-shirt and loose stained sweatpants. Upon hearing Damian's dropped off question, she turned around, her hazel eyes looked just as surprised as he felt. His gaze fell to her stomach which had a very large bump protruding from under her shirt. She was pregnant.
"Hi." She greeted him, her expression softening. Damian's eyes flicked back up, and out of his peripheral vision, he could see Alfred tending to the garden outside of the window behind her. Without a word in response to her greeting, Damian turned and headed towards the front door of the house. What the hell had the house become while he was gone? Was he stuck in some sort of nightmare?
He had too many emotions and thoughts running through his mind when he reached Alfred, who was busy watering the hydrangeas. Perhaps it would have been better to stay with the Titans after all, they were a mess but at least he could make sense of everything when he was with them. Hearing the incoming footsteps, Alfred stopped what he was doing and turned. His face had aged in the past year, he looked much older and frailer now than ever, and yet he was still working hard.
"Master Damian," he announced calmly. "Master Dick told me that you'd retu-"
"He replaced me!" the young Wayne spat, cutting him off entirely. Alfred's eyebrows furrowed, resting above his warn, brown eyes.
"It's very good to see you as well."
"How could he replace me like that? I'm his son!"
"I assume you speak of Master Tim?"
"Who else would I be speaking of? Oh, and were you aware that there is some parturient gutter whore in our kitchen?"
Alfred's expression turned even sourer against the teen and he sighed. "Miss Brown is Master Tim's girlfriend…I would choose your words wisely when speaking of her."
Ah. It made sense now. Well, to an extent. Damian wasn't sure if anything was ever going to make full sense again. A hiss escaped his lips.
"Of course she is…"
"She will be staying with us only for a short while. Master Bruce is assisting with the fine details for her adoption."
Damian had to stop himself from laughing. His father was helping some washed up street hag file for adoption just because she was the girlfriend of his new sidekick. Now he knew he was trapped in a nightmare. "Perhaps they could have avoided the complication of the "fine details" had they invested in contraceptives."
Alfred stared at him for a moment before turning back to the flowers. "Spoken by a true example of the matter." He muttered quietly, though loud enough for Damian to hear, which he knew was intentional. His eyes narrowed and he crossed his arms over his chest.
"Watch yourself, Pennyworth." He warned before pausing. "I hadn't realized this house became a charity space. Anyone else staying with us that I don't know about? The Joker, perhaps? A family of orphans? A Syrian refugee? Please, stop me if I'm getting warm."
"Master Damian, may I remind you that you too, are currently an unexpected house guest."
"It's my house!" Damian was shouting now, his voice echoing around them. A few birds that had been hidden in the shrubbery flew off. "I can't be an unexpected house guest in my own house, I-"
The sound of his booming voice must have alerted Titus of his presence, because before he could even finish his sentence, the large hound came bounding from behind a tree and jumped on him, knocking him roughly to the ground. Alfred turned around again, his face expressionless as he watched the large canine lick his fallen master's face, his long tail flicking back and forth.
"T-Titus…down!" the young assassin barked while he tried to push the gleeful dog away. He managed to keep him at bay by using his forearm to push him slightly. "This is my dog, Titus," he told Alfred while he continued to struggle. "Are you alright with him coming inside the manor? He's tame."
"I can tell…" Alfred paused before walking away. "If the house has survived numerous teenage boys…I don't see why not. But remember, he's your responsibility."
The day went by slowly for Damian; he tried his best to avoid anyone else in the house by slinking around every corner as quietly as he could. He had run into Alfred a few times of course, who merely shook his head at him every time, and Dick once. The two newcomers were nowhere to be seen so he assumed they were together.
In the evening, Bruce returned home from Wayne Enterprise and was shocked to see his son sitting at the kitchen island, book in hand, though his way of acting surprised was very subtle. Damian could still tell.
"You're back." he questioned calmly as he walked over to the island, placing his hands down on the marble. "When did you get here?"
"This morning, early. I brought my dog; I hope that is tolerable for you."
"It's tolerable." Bruce smiled slightly and rubbed his chin, his eyes beaming down at his only son. "You've grown, Damian. You look good."
"So I've been told." Damian stopped himself from saying the same thing he had said to Dick early. He was slightly disappointed that no one had come to visit him at the tower in the past year. His first two years, at least Kori had lived with them in the tower, so Dick would often stop by on weekends to see her. It gave them the chance to catch up, and exchange stories, both good and bad, about the bat and the titans. But once she had moved out, his visits became less frequent, at best all he would get was a text once in a while.
And then there was Bruce, who had barely contacted him at all, despite being his own father. Damian was well aware that he had about just as much of a clue of how to be dad as Damian himself had of how to be a proficient son. But he could have at least tried.
The teen shifted in his seat and placed his book down on the table. "So," he began bitterly. "You've got a new Robin." It wasn't a question; it was a harsh, venomous statement. Bruce frowned.
"I needed some help in the past year; there have been some new villains popping up as well as some old ones resurfacing. Dick's been busy with his own things, you were in San Francisco. What else was I supposed to do?"
"You could have told me you needed me, I would have come. I haven't gone on a real mission in almost a year. The Titans prefer to stick to petty crimes; break and entries, gas station robberies."
"Those are real crimes."
Of course he would say that. The old man didn't understand, Damian wanted to feel the rush, the excitement of danger. He was tired of chasing down some shaky wannabe gangster who had pulled a fake gun on someone just for a pop. He wanted to go hand to hand with Bane, or break a heist between Falcone and Maroni; even solving some of Riddler's sick jokes would be more amusing than breaking up a drunken alley way fight. He missed the risk that Gotham had to offer, he missed the challenge.
The two had no time to say anything else before Tim and his girlfriend entered the room, and in hand. Damian scowled at them and picked his book back up, pretending to read.
"Damian," Bruce announced with a smile, straightening his back. "I assume you've already met Tim and Stephanie?"
"Dick introduced us earlier." Tim said, nodding his head and helping his wench onto one of the barstools of the island. Damian could see both of the young adults looking at him through his peripherals.
"I tried to say hey a few hours ago, but I don't think he heard me." The girl name Stephanie chuckled. Damian ground his teeth together. He could recognise the sharp jab in her voice. She was well aware that he had heard her and chose to ignore, she was just being spiteful. But being spiteful was his job.
His eyes flicked up when her hand reached across the table, fingers outstretched, waiting for a handshake.
"I'm Stephanie, Tim's girlfriend."
Damian didn't move for a moment, irritation welling within him before he reached out and firmly but quickly shook her hand. She smiled victoriously which only made him madder.
"Damian." Was all he said.
Bruce nodded with a small smile. "Now that we all know each other, Tim, a word?" he asked motioning to the door. Tim nodded and the two began to leave the room. Despite wanting to call his father out on not allowing him to hear whatever he had to say, Damian was all ready too fired up and knew that he might explode if he gave into his emotions. He chose to be quiet and focused on the words of Orwell. At least he tried to, but not a moment later Stephanie began to tap her foot on the wood of the island, making every blood vessel in Damian's head pulse. He tried for a few moments to ignore the constant ticking of the motion, but the more he did the louder it seemed to become.
"Must you do that?" he demanded sharply. She continued and he looked up at her only to see that she was looking at him seriously, giving him the first real look he had gotten of her. Her face was angled but had a bit of weight to it, clearly indicating the baby weight she had gained throughout her pregnancy. Or perhaps she was chubby before she got knocked up, who knew. Despite her weight, she had a very average appearance, not amazingly beautiful, but he wouldn't say she was unattractive. Nothing compared to girls like Kori or Donna, but she wasn't horrible to look at. It was unfortunate that her wardrobe and lack of trying for her material appearance ruined her natural charm.
"Why did you ignore me earlier? It would have taken you two second to say "hi", back to me."
"That would have been two seconds of my life I would never be able to get back. Much like right now." Damian scoffed, his lips twisting into a sneer. Stephanie's pale brows furrowed and her full lips pressed into a pout.
"Are you always this approachable, or am I just a lucky exception?"
"Nice to see you two getting along." Dick came into the room with a large smile, breaking their conversation. Damian felt relieved to see him, hopefully he would give him an excuse to put an end to this painful interaction that he had absolutely no interest in.
"Oh yeah," Stephanie began, resting on hand on her round belly and rubbing it gently. She looked as though she were about to pop anytime now. "He's probably one of the most interesting kids I've ever met. I'm shocked there isn't a line of ladies waiting to throw themselves at him. Steller personality."
If she wasn't a woman, and if she wasn't pregnant, Damian would have reached across the table and punched her. He had thought that it was Tim that he hated, but this woman was on a completely different level, and he was tiring of it. Perhaps it was because he wasn't necessarily used to another challenging him in some sort of snarky pissing contest. He was normally the one with the quick wit responses but she was rivaling him and it irked him. Perhaps she thought that it was some sort of way to connect to him, but she would be wrong. He didn't want to connect to anyone, he had the Titans, he had Dick, Bruce and Alfred, and quite frankly, that was all he wanted.
Pushing himself away from the table he decided that he would rather be anywhere else than with people. He would take Titus for a walk perhaps, or go to the gym to train. He would happily beat the crap out of a punching bag right about now, in fact, it was probably exactly what he needed.
Dick cast him a look as they brushed past one another and Stephanie scoffed, resting her elbow on the table and fitting her chin in the palm of her hand.
"Aw, I fink I hurt his feewings."she mocked with a slight giggle to her voice. Damian could feel fire emitting from him as he left the room. What a disgusting excuse for a human, absolutely no class whatsoever. Alfred had said that she was staying with them until she gave birth to her bastard fetus and he couldn't wait until that day came, he desperately wished it was soon.
Dick crossed his arms tightly across his chest at the blonde who merely looked back at him, one eyebrow raised.
"Not the best way to gain his affection." He told her, taking a seat where Damian had been. She rolled her eyes.
"I don't give a shit about his affection. I don't look for it with adults, and I sure as hell am not going to look for it with some head-up-his-ass teenager."
"He's Bruce's son, you know, the man who's helping you through all of this." His blue eyes glanced quickly down at her stomach before returning to her own eyes. She sighed as though she were being inconvenienced by his point.
"He's a dick, is what he is. I don't have time for people like that, nor do I want to make time for people like that. Once I get this thing out of me, I'll be out of here and I'll never have to see him again."
Dick chuckled to himself and leaned back on the stool. "That's optimistic. If you plan on staying with Tim I can almost guarantee you that won't be the case. Trust me, thing's will be a lot easier on all of us if you two just try and make some sort of effort with him. It took a while, but he warmed up to me after a few months, now he's fine."
"You're a saint, Dick Grayson. A very patient man."
The raven haired man smiled but said nothing. Stephanie clicked her finger nails along the marble table, her gaze trailing into space as she thought. After a moment she zoned back into the present moment.
"Have you told them yet?" she asked quietly. Dick looked at her.
"Not yet, I'm waiting for the right moment." His tone was also quiet, and calm but it held with it a certain hesitance, almost as though he felt guilty for something.
"Well, that's why you came here, wasn't it? To tell Bruce?"
"And to help you and Tim. Only three day's now until your section. You nervous?"
"Not really, I'm just ready to be a normal sized person again." She looked down at her belly and stroked it once again. It wasn't that she hated the thought of the child growing inside of her, but she wasn't fit to be a parent, not yet. Perhaps not ever. Someone else who was more deserving of small life to protect should have it. That was why she had decided from the moment she had found out she was carrying that she would put it up for adoption, and she had blessed her lucky stars that the bat family had been so willing to help her. She had no one else. "Thank you for telling me, by the way…it made me feel better to know that I had someone else I could talk to you this. Someone who understands."
Dick smiled and shrugged his shoulders. "Kori doesn't mind, she's always happy to help in any way she can. Thank you for not telling anyone."
"It's not my announcement to make."
Dick's smile grew. He had only known the girl for just shy of six months now, but he was fond of her. She had attitude of course, but he liked to think of it as spunk. He was happy that Tim had found someone like her and had looked past the fact that she was young and single, carrying a child, which he knew some men not to do. Instead of being uncomfortable by the fact that she was carrying or slut shaming her into believing that she had done wrong, Tim immediately jumped to help her by any means necessary. He was a good man and a skilled fighter, Bruce had done well choosing him as the new Robin. Dick only wished that Damian could see that, and he honestly believed that he soon would.
Damian perused through the large rack of clothing that Alfred had collected for him, choosing the items he deemed acceptable for himself to wear. It was his third day back at Wayne Manor and he was finally beginning to feel a bit more at ease. Beyond taking Titus for walks around the manor grounds, training himself in the gym, talking to Bruce, Alfred and Dick, he rarely had to put up with the other two. Only twice more had he run into Tim in the hallway, and both times they had civil, short exchanges. Nothing excessive, and nothing too friendly. If the new good was trying to give the old Robin his own space to adjust, he was doing a good job. Perhaps he was smarter than Damian had originally thought.
Stephanie however had seemed to disappear from the manor entirely. It was almost as if she had been a figment of Damian's imagination, which would have been a blessing in disguise for him. Unfortunately, however, her absence would soon be short lived.
Damian held a maroon turtle neck up to his frame, looking down at it. "What do you think, Titus?" he asked the large dog who was sleeping soundly on his bed. One of his giant ears flicked at the sound of his name but he did not stir. "Do you think maroon would suit me?"
A soft knock on his door made him hang the shirt back on the rack and turn to answer it. He immediately wished he had not however, as Stephanie was standing on the other side of the door. Her hair was pulled into a messy bun that sat like a birds nest on the top of her head, and she was dressed in a large male sized black hoody and fluffy white pajama shorts. Had she not smelled of fresh lavender shampoo, one might have mistaken her as a bum.
Damian resisted the urge to close the door on her face, and stood there, waiting patiently for her to speak, but she wasn't. Their eyes clashed in a battle of stubborn silence and Stephanie's cheeks puffed out as she blew air through pursed lips. Damian's interest was suddenly peaked, this was obviously going to be an uncomfortable task for her, and he would enjoy every single second of it.
"I think," she began finally. "We got off on the wrong foot. I'm sorry for making fun of you, I was out of line."
Damian couldn't help but to smirk. Sweet victory, tasted lovely. He would have to thank Dick later, he knew that the older man probably had something to do with the sudden apology.
Stephanie sighed deeply and continued, though her tone dropped from being sincere and became a scripted sounding copout. Damian's smirk fell and his satisfaction was replace with agitation. "You are the young master of this house after all, and I am but a humdrum sponge, living off of you and your father's wealth to support my own needs. So from the bottom of my heart, accept this apology." She curtsied, making a fool out of herself. Damian scowled. Well, at least it had started out as a genuine atonement.
"Grayson put you up to this?" he spat. She looked up at him with a false innocence in her eyes.
"Not at all," she said, but nodded her head slowly. "I am going into surgery tomorrow, and in fear that I might not make it out, I hated the thought of dying with this raw act of opprobrium on my conscious. I hope that word is big enough for you, I couldn't be sure. I'm afraid my vocabulary is that of an ignorant hayseed." She curtsied once again, and her lips pulled into a humored smile. She was quite proud of herself, at least one of them had enjoyed that cringe worthy act. Damian crossed his arms and leaned his right shoulder against his door frame.
"I'll accept the apology but I'm going to ignore the rest of that ridiculous display." He said in a mumble. "How long did it take you to search for the use of the word opprobrium?"
"There's a funny thing called the internet that people use now a days, and usually if you know what you're looking for it only takes a few minutes to find the results."
"I was under the impression that I was the younger one, I should be the one schooling you on what people do now a days, hag." He chuckled bitterly. He was amused by her clear belief that she was clever. She wasn't. "You used the word incorrectly, by the way."
She shrugged. "Ignorant hayseed."
The air became thick with silence. Damian waited for her to continue, but she merely stood there awkwardly, her hazel eyes staring at him with intent, her arms curling around her stomach. He swallowed and took a step back into his room, grabbing the door handle.
"Well, best wishes for your surgery."
He began to pull the door shut but her hand quickly grabbed the door handle on the other side, tugging backwards. Damian was taken aback for a moment and his eyebrows furrowed.
"Wait! Aren't you going to apologize to me?"
"What for?"
"I don't know…for being an arrogant prick the other day?"
He frowned. Her apology was beginning to lose its significance.
"I'm not going to apologize because your sensitive, pregnancy induced hormones caused you to be offended that I didn't say hello to you." He said bluntly, causing her jaw to fall slack. But before she could say anything he quickly continued. "As I said before, good luck on your surgery, and should you die I will insist that your eulogy reads "although an ignorant hayseed, she often acted like an outspoken simpleton, but her actions were not considered an opprobrium to the life she lived. Rest in peace". That's how you use opprobrium correctly."
The last thing he saw before slamming the door shut, was her half flabbergasted, half angry expression, and it compensated for her ruined atonement. Damian stood with his back at the door listening. He snickered silently when she made a frustrated squeak and he could have sworn she stomped her foot like a five year old throwing a temper tantrum. What a woman.
He looked over at the bed where Titus lie, his head now perked up while he watched his master, tail wagging roughly. Damian straightened his back and walked back over, petting the dog on the top of his boxy head before turning back to the rack of clothing.
"Think it was a mistake coming here, Titus?" he asked his canine companion, waiting for a response like he had the ability to actually answer. Titus long tail thumped against the bed and his tongue rolled out of his mouth as he panted happily. Damian sighed, wondering about the answer himself. He supposed only time would tell.
