Ok, so here's how the game works. I'm going to post a chapter and you can try and work out what film/show the scene is originally from! Put your guesses in the reviews and the first person to get the right answer for each chapter will win a virtual cookie in the following chapter! Sound fun? Ready, set go!
It had been nearly six months since Bruce had died. The whole Bat family was trying its hardest to hold down the fort, but the strain was starting to show. Mostly between the youngest and eldest of the Bat children. Damian was acting out, disobeying orders and skipping school. Dick was at his wit's end. After a few incidents with the school, someone had called social services and he was currently trying to avoid a situation that could result in either the discovery of the Batcave or ultimately the disbanding of their makeshift family.
Dick had spent the last hour searching the streets for Damian. He had gone to pick him up from the school but the eleven-year-old was nowhere in sight. Finally returning home to enlist the help of the others, he walked in to see Damien at the bottom of the stairs.
Dick saw red and Damian could see the anger in his brothers face. As Dick lurched forward, he ran towards the back of the house. Dick's arms encircled around him, but Damian licked his tongue out across the older man's arm (a move he would deny to anyone in the future). Dick released him in disgust allowing Dami the chance to escape.
Knowing he couldn't catch the kid, Dick sat and waited, listening to the sounds of the house. He knew the manor and it sounds like the back of his hand. There was nowhere the kid could hide that he couldn't find him. After a moment he heard the tell-tale sound of the dryer door opening and closing. Walking into the kitchen he lay down a sheet onto the floor before opening and closing the back door, hiding behind the cupboard.
Damian waited a moment and then poked his head out, listening. Dick stayed quiet. Damien may have been trained by the League of Shadows but he was trained by the Batman, he knew how to stay silent.
When Dami was fully out of his hiding place, Dick struck. Wrapping the kid in the sheet he dragged him to the living room. After dumping the bundle on the floor he quickly grabbed Damian's wrist before the boy could escape again.
'Why didn't you wait at the school?' Asked Dick, thumping his fist down on the floor in frustration. 'You were supposed to wait there!'
Dami tried to pull away but Dick was strong, especially when he was angry.
'Damien! Do you not understand? Do you want to be taken away?'
Damien looked away from him.
'Answer me!'
'No!'
'No, you don't understand?'
'No!'
'No what?'
'NO!'
Damian threw himself to the ground and began mumbling into the floorboards. Dick released him, listening to the mumbles for a moment but when he realised he could understand him he sat back against the couch, hands gripping his hair. 'You are such a pain!'
It was Damian's turn to crack. Dick had never man handled or spoken to him like this before.
'So why don't you sell me and get a rabbit instead!'
Dick glared. If Damian wanted to be immature, fine!
'At least a rabbit would behave better than you!'
Damian scrambled (again something he would deny at a later date) to his feet and began storming out of the room.
'Go ahead! Then you'll be happy because it will be smarter than me too!' He knew he was acting like a brat, but he couldn't help himself. This outburst had been building for weeks and he had to admit it felt good to take it out on Grayson.
'And quiter!' Dick fought back, following Damian to the staircase.
'You'll like it because it will stink, just like you!' Damian shouted, finally reaching his bedroom and slamming the door. Despite this Dick screamed up the stairs.
'Go to your room!'
Damian opened the door and screamed back, determined to have the last word.
'I'm already in my room!'
Throughout this outburst, Jason and Tim had been stood awkwardly in the doorway to the study. They watched as Dick strode back into the lounge, grabbed a pillow from the couch and screamed into it.
oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo
It was a few hours later, Damian was led on his bed looking at a picture that he kept under his pillow. It was a picture of them all on a rare occasion that they had all taken time off and gone on a real family holiday. Bruce was in the middle with all his boys around him. They looked happy. They had been happy.
His door opened and Dick popped his head round, his hands raised in surrender.
'I brought you some pizza. Thought you might be hungry.'
Dami nodded and Dick walked in, plate in his hands with a few slices of pizza. There was a moments silence, Damian didn't look up.
'We're a broken family. Aren't we?' He said quietly, showing more vulnerability than Dick had ever seen him show.
'No.' Said Dick, putting the plate down on the bedside table and coming to sit beside his brother on the bed. 'Well, maybe a little.' He looked down at the picture in Dami's hands. So much had changed since that day. 'Ok, maybe a lot.'
He sighed and his shoulders slumped. 'I shouldn't have yelled at you.'
'We're brothers,' said Damian. 'That's our job.'
'Well from now on...'
'I like you better as a brother than a dad.' Said Damian, his gaze not leaving his hands.
'Yeh?'
'And you like me better as a brother than a rabbit right?' The damn broke and a tear fell from Damian's eyes. Dick pulled him into a tight hug.
'Yes, of course.' They held each other for a moment until Damian sniffed and pulled away.
'I hit Craig Davies today.'
'You hit him?'
'Before I bit him.'
'You bit him? Damian...' Dick sounded exasperated again.
'People treat me different.' Dami whispered and finally, Dick understood the outbursts and the disobedience. He felt the shift too. People wouldn't meet his gaze, avoided him in order to avoid the conversation. What do you say to someone who just lost their father?
'They just don't know what to say.' He pushed Damian's shoulder. 'Tell you what, if you promise not to fight anymore, I promise not to yell at you. Except on special occasions.'
Damian nodded and leaned into his brother's shoulder. He seemed to collect himself after a few more moments because he said, 'If you reveal any of this to Drake I will kill you.'
There is the first scene? Do you know what it's from? Let me know in the review! I'll tell you the answer in the next chapter, so make sure you are following the story so you get the update! Karin xx
