A Spark of Light
Years before he met his mother and long before he heard of his father, Damian Wayne was under the watch and care of the League of Assassins. From table etiquettes to assassinations, his days were filled with one lesson or another. Rarely did he have a time that he could claim as his own to do what he pleased. Even in sleep there was training to be done.
Those in the league treated him with utmost respect, even in the midst of beating him into the ground during combat training. No one dared to disrespect him even if he was a child. He barely recalled a time he ever laughed in their care… at least from what he could remember.
"What is wrong with these people?" Damian grumbled, glowering at the festive lights outside his windows.
How could anyone stand such dreadful weather? For a whole week, if it didn't snow, it hailed. He couldn't understand why he needed to leave the desert base for this icy hellhole. What significance does this have in his training?
… It did look nice down there with everyone smiling and looking like they're having fun though... The seven-year-old scoffed, scowling at his own thoughts.
"I'd give anything to leave." He mumbled miserably under his breath.
As if someone hearing his pled, his door rattled violently. The quiet boy quickly turned, just as his door crashed open and a tall, lanky stranger stumbled into the room. The man tripped, landing face first to the ground before scrambling onto his feet to slam the door shut. His face flushed and his breathing, heavy, he had a crazed grin as he pinned his back against the door.
"Why hello!" He said in breathless glee with a heavy English accent. "Is this your room—? Of course, it's your room! Why else would you be here? That was silly of me to ask, sorry to crash in like this!" He wheezed before he pressed his ear against the door. "You see, I'm playing a game of hide-n-seek and I really need a place to hide—do you mind?"
Damian raised a brow as he gave the strange man a glance over. Ridiculously tall, extraordinarily lanky and he had an odd wardrobe choice. Tweed jacket and bow tie? Who wears that? He hardly seemed like a threat to Damian, with his disheveled look and soot-covered face, but looks could be deceiving.
"How is hiding a game?" frowned Damian. "It's only an act for survival isn't it? And from the looks of you right now, you're not hiding, you're being hunted."
The man turned from the door for a moment with a puzzled look on his face. "What makes you say that?"
"Unless game is defined differently, it hardly sounds fun to be hunted and possibly killed," replied Damian. "It sounds like a stupid game."
The man looked thoughtful as he broke away from the door and strolled towards Damian. The young boy stood firm, unwilling to back away. "Hmm…" hummed the man as he rest his hand on his chin. "Have you never played before?"
"Games are for children," muttered Damian.
The man lowered himself to his eye-level with his hands folded in front of him. "How old are you?"
"I'm not a child," grumbled Damian.
"Never said you were." The grin never left the man's face. "What's your name?"
"…Damian al Ghul," answered the boy despite his uncertainty to whether or not he could trust the man.
"Damian al Ghul," said the man as he rolled his name off his tongue. "The demon tamer. I quite like that. I am in need of a demon tamer myself. Think you can be brave for me Damian al Ghul?"
A frown touched the boy's face. "What are you talking about? Who—" A roar interrupted. Damian sharply turned to his door with caution. "What is that?"
The man clenched his teeth with a comical hissing grimace. "That would be the demon."
"You're joking," frowned Damian, but the man was already fumbling through his jacket for something.
"Nope, I'm always one for a good joke, but now is hardly the time for one." The man pulled out a strange bulky looking pen—no, screwdriver.
Before he managed to do anything, a two-horned creature crashed in through the door; its body cloaked in a darkness no light could penetrate and its eyes glowed an eerie red.
"Now Damian, you don't have to be scared, just do what I tell you," said the man slowly, his eyes never leaving the creature's form.
"I'm not scared! And just what am I supposed to do?" snapped the irate boy.
The creature roared. The strange man thrust his screwdriver at the beast and a wailing sound threw it into a fit of screams.
"Run!" The man grabbed his hand and dragged him around the creature just as it flailed its wispy tail.
Damian found himself struggling to keep up with the man's long strides. He was quite sure his feet left the ground at some point, with how the man dragged him along. Across the hall and down the stairs, he was surprised that they haven't run into any of the league's men. He only dared a glimpse back once as they ran.
The creature melded with the shadows, clawing at them at each turn. It nearly snapped Damian quite a few times had it not been for the strange man pulling him along.
"Just what is that? You can't be serious about that thing a demon. Demons aren't real!" argued Damian.
"Quite right!" The man chirped as they rush down another flight of stairs. "It's actually an alien called Diablos. It has another name, but it doesn't translate well."
Damian stared at him in disbelief.
"What? I'm not lying," retorted the man. "Anyway, we really should keep moving before it catches up. He's interested in you, you know."
"Me?" Damian frowned. "Why me? And who are you? How do I know it's not a ruse to kidnap me? Where are my guards?"
"Not a clue! Me? I'm the Doctor. Hello!" His grin grew only wider. "Three, it's not a ruse because what would I do with a little boy?"
"I'm not—"
"Right! You're not little, my mistake. And lastly, I think it ate your guards." The man huffed as he glanced around frantically.
"What do you mean ate them?" asked Damian.
A retching noise came from above before a wet slop crashed to the ground behind them. Damian turned and saw a pile of weapons and shoes. The creature clung to the side of walls making its way towards them.
The man grimaced as he glanced up. "Ate them."
Damian stared at the pile with widen eyes while the creature snarled. "…Does it want to eat me?"
"No…" The Doctor dragged out his answer. "No, no, no. I don't think it wants to eat you at all. Or else it would've done it much earlier!"
"Earlier?" Damian asked in confusion.
"Oh! I forgot to mention, I've been following it and you all day already…" He paused with another comical grimace. "That sounded less creepy in my head." He trailed off.
"You don't say?" said Damian in a deadpan.
"Oh come off it, I'm sure you'll get over that bit with a little therapy," waved off the man with a casual flap of his hand. "Now! What should we do with this little beasty?"
"How should I know?" Damian demanded loudly when the creature jumped.
"Never mind that! Run!" shouted the Doctor as he dragged him along.
"Isn't there a way to fight that thing?" Damian asked breathlessly. "I am quite peeved we are choosing to flee like cowards."
"We are running, not fleeing. Fleeing would imply we have no plan to remedy this," retorted the Doctor haughtily
"What is the plan then?" growled Damian.
The Doctor raised a finger to make a point, but quickly found himself clamming his mouth shut a second later. "Still cooking on that. I'll get back to you on that later. More running, less chatty!"
Damian wasn't sure if he should be annoyed or exasperated by this stranger. A man who calls himself a doctor, but for the life of him, Damian could not phantom what type of doctor could he be. Eccentric, wordy and overall annoying, never has he met anyone close to being like the Doctor.
Yet, he can't bring himself to hate the situation. Despite not knowing why this creature was after him or why this man was here, there was a twinge of something he never felt before. A hitch in his breath, a flutter in his chest and a slight twitch at the corner of his lips. Damian found himself laughing for the first time in his life.
"You are mad! Utterly mad!" shouted Damian in between laughing.
"Now that's the spirit! Laugh in the face of danger! We're going to be just fine," cheered the Doctor before whipping out his screwdriver. "Now let's see if we could find something and make a decent plan to get out of this alive."
With each hall they passed, the Doctor scanned the wall with a wave of his screwdriver. Damian, ever so mindful of the growls and roars that neared them with each step, wished the man would stop lollygagging.
"What are we looking for?" asked Damian, trying to keep the anxiety from his voice. True, he was insane to follow this man without knowing what was going on, but he still had some sense to try to find out what was going on.
"Why is this Diablos is sticking around here? Unless it's absolutely necessary, they generally avoid populated areas. So why here?" hummed the Doctor until his screwdriver whined loudly. "Hello!" drawled the man as he motioned for Damian to stop and pinned his face to the wall.
Damian crossed his arms. "There's nothing there, my guards searched the place thoroughly before we occupy any building."
"They won't notice at all, there's a perception filter on it," chirped the doctor as he scanned the screen on his handy little tool.
"Fine." Damian didn't want to bother arguing. "So what did you find?"
"No clue… Want to find out?" grinned the Doctor as he waved his glowing screwdriver once more. The wall snapped open, revealing a pitch-black staircase leading downwards.
"…It's dark." Damian muttered.
"Don't worry! We have a sonic screwdriver!" chirped the Doctor as he twirled his multi-use screwdriver.
"…Why is it sonic? What use is there for a sonic screwdriver? It's not a weapon." Damian said dryly as they descended.
The Doctor looked flustered as he tried to grasp for an answer. "What? You've never been bored and wonder if you can turn something sonic?"
"You turned it sonic out of juvenile whim?" Damian raised a brow.
"Juvenile?" huffed the Doctor. "And how old are you Mr. Maturity?"
The boy smirked. "Old enough to find having a sonic anything is silly."
"Well, if I didn't have this we would be in the dark, so there," retorted the Doctor childishly.
Damian found himself shaking with laughter as they continued on. The man was truly amusing. "So, this monster, what do you think it's after? You said it's weird for it to be here. What could possibly lure it here?"
"Not sure." The Doctor waved the light about, studying the walls as they ventured down. However, when they've reach the bottom the man quickly placed a hand on Damian's chest and pushed him behind him. "But I think I know now…"
"What?" Damian pushed back wanting to see what the man shielded him from, but what he saw made him pale. "What are those things?"
From what little he could see with the sonic screwdriver's light, the floor and the walls pulsated. Black ooze dripped to the ground with each thrum."
"… It's a breeding ground," whispered the man.
"Breeding?" Damian's eyes widened. "You mean there are going to be more of those things?"
"Yes, but why is it breeding here? In a city filled with people. Food?" The man frowned. "No, can't be. It was following you specifically. So it must have something to do with you. I'm missing something here." He tapped his chin. "What is it? What is it?"
Damian shuffled uncomfortably as he watched the walls continue to pulse. "Can we not stand here while you're thinking? What if those things come out now and kill us?"
"I wouldn't worry. The hatchlings can't come out when there's still a light source; it takes ages before they could build up the strength to leave complete darkness on their own."
"Then why don't we just kill them now?" asked Damian.
"What?" The Doctor turned to him sharply. "No! Why would you even think that? They're just babies!"
"That big one ate my guards!" Damian snapped back. "How are they any different from that monster?"
"I could tell it to move its nest somewhere else. We don't have to kill them!" argued the Doctor.
"And where is it going to move to? Another city and eat them instead?" Damian crossed his arms.
"Everything doesn't have to end in violence," reasoned the Doctor.
"Everything ends in violence. Don't lie to me," snapped Damian. "If you're weak, the strong will destroy you. If you're strong, you destroy anyone that dares take what's yours."
The Doctor looked at him with saddened eyes.
"What?" Damian growled in annoyance.
"I will prove to you that violence is not the only way." The man said firmly before climbing the stairs to the upper floor.
Confusion touched Damian's face as he followed him up. "Wait, what are you doing?"
"I'm going to talk to the Diablos," declared the man as he raced up.
"What?" shouted Damian as he chased after him. It was hard when the man's strides were much longer than his. "You can't be serious! It'll eat you!"
"And I'll prove you wrong that I won't be eaten," said the man with utmost confidence as he stepped out of the hidden staircase and into the hallway.
"You're crazy!" hissed Damin
"Diablos! Come out! We're right here and I want to talk!" The Doctor declared with open arms.
Damian shrunk back when the roars grew louder and the creature dropped heavily in front of them. Its glowing red eyes narrowed in caution. It snapped its jaws violently and growled incoherently.
"We are not going to harm your babies," said the Doctor soothingly. "We just want to talk. Why are you here?"
The creature growled as it paced back and forth to study them.
"I promise you, we have done no harm to your children. We just want to know why you're here." The Doctor repeated. "I could help."
"Don't tell me you can't actually understand this thing," whispered Damian harshly.
The creature paused and snarled. The Doctor paid Damian no heed as he replied. "What do you mean you need the boy?"
"Need me?" Damian's scowl turned to confusion.
The creature hissed and slapped the ground furiously.
"You want to what?" The Doctor's confused frown turned into horror. "No, you can't use him as a host! He's a child!"
The creature snorted and made a noise that sounded almost like a laugh.
"No." The Doctor paled even further. "No, no, no! You can't do that!"
"What did it say? And what is this about using me as a host? What's going on? Tell me!" demanded Damian.
Unfortunately, before the Doctor could answer, the creature slapped the ground and the shadow beneath Damian latched onto his small body, bounding his legs together and his arms to his sides.
"Doctor!" shouted Damian as he felt his feet sink into the floors.
"Damian!" shouted the Doctor as he turned to run towards him, but he stopped short, seeing the blackness enveloping him. "Okay, okay! Just calm down, we can fix this."
"What is this stuff?" grunted Damian as he struggled, but that only made him sink faster.
"Calm down," said the Doctor when Damian found himself nearly hyperventilating.
"You try calming down!" snapped Damian.
"Damian, listen to me," said the Doctor sternly, gone was the childish glee and replacing it was the sternness of someone with great experience. "I need you to remember this. It is important you remember this!"
"Stop telling me to remember and just tell me what it is already!" shouted Damian as he did his best not to scream in a panicked frenzy.
"Keep that spark alive."
"What spark? You're not making any sense!" Damian bit his lower lip to keep from hyperventilating; he sank even faster than before.
"Just trust me and remember. It'll all make sense when the time comes," said the Doctor with a soft grin. "I promise."
Damian took a shaking breath. "When that time comes... will you be there?"
The man's grin grew wider. "You bet. Once all this is over, we'll go on an adventure! I'll show you the stars and things beyond your wildest imaginations! Just remember!"
A chuckle escaped the boy's lips as the floor went past his waist and made its way to his neck. "As if it would be easy to forget someone as strange as you. I'm holding you to your word!"
"Of course." The Doctor replied. "I'll see you again, Damian al Ghul."
The shadows engulfed Damian whole and swallowed him into the floors.
"…mian? Da…mian?" called out a faint voice.
Doctor? Was it the Doctor calling him?
"Damian!" The voice called louder.
It wasn't the Doctor, so who?
"DAMIAN!" shouted the voice.
The boy snapped his eyes open as he took in a violent gasp. His body jolted up in a panic, instinctively trying to flee, but a pair of firm arms clasped around his waist and held him down. He flailed violently, trying to free himself.
"Damian calm down, it's me! It's me!" The calming voice called out, but he couldn't tell who it was.
He could see nothing but the glare of the light, but beyond that was darkness. Damian thrashed with his hands reaching out to grab onto anything, but only to be restrained and held tightly in someone's arms.
"Damian, it's me, Dick. Everything's okay now. Calm down, we're back at the cave. We're home," said the voice soothingly as he rocked them back and forth.
Who's Dick? What cave? Damian's breathing rasped as he tried to look around. Where was he?
"Master Dick, I believe Master Damian needs a moment to collect himself, he might still be confused," spoke an olden voice.
"Damian?" The first voice whispered softly. "Do you recognize us?"
So familiar... The boy blinked again, then a couple times more before his vision cleared. In front of him stood an elderly man in a neatly pressed suit, a butler. Calming his breathing, he tilted his head up to meet the worried face of the first voice. Slowly, the faces clicked in his memory and returned with the names to match.
"I'm fine Grayson." Damian said breathlessly, but he made no move to leave; he was exhausted. "What happened? I don't…" His brow furrowed as he tried his best to recall what happened. "I can't remember a thing…"
"We're not clear ourselves. Tim is still trying figure what happened from the footage." Dick murmured. "We were all on patrol, everything seemed fine at first, but all of the sudden, you started running across the rooftops. We chased you down and tried to get you to stop. Heck—we tried restraining you, but it was as if you were possessed. You were growling and spitting."
Damian covered his eyes with his hand. "I don't remember any of that… What was I chasing?"
"Tim's going through the video log on your mask. We practically had to knock you out and drag you home."
"Was I drugged?" Damian questioned. None of this made sense.
"Not by us at least. It'll be a while before your blood tests are complete. Why don't you go back to sleep? We'll wake you when we find something." Dick said soothingly.
"No, I'm fine, I could—" Damian protested.
"No, you're resting. Doctor's orders." Dick retorted.
"Doctor?" Damian murmured quietly as his eyes drifted. He was forgetting something, but what?
"Now rest." Dick whispered gently as he lowered him back onto a pillow.
With his eyes closed, a green spark flickered in the darkness of his mind and he dreamed of stars, along with that strange man in a tweed jacket and a bowtie.
CM Aeris: I really have no clue where I'm going with this. It just seemed like a fun plot bunny to indulge in, but then again trying to cross these two fandoms is quite weird in itself. It's just a drabble, so I might not continue, but do tell me what you think. Thanks for reading!