Don't really like updating on sundays, so expect a chapter on saturday nights at the latest. =) Glad I'm getting the demon's personality right so far. I'll be taking apart his psychology here as best I can too. =P


Fixing Damian

Ch. 2 – Odd Discoveries

No one could say the reaction from the Dynamic Duo when they received the call wasn't predictable. Both were caught off guard at hearing of an intruder at the mountain. Batman was particularly upset the zeta-tube was destroyed. It seemed to floor them both though when they showed them an image of the kid who barged into their lives.

Needless to say, it was less than an hour later when they arrived, neither in the best of moods.

Thankfully the kid did exactly what he said he would. He stood stock still in that one spot as if being a stone statue was his life's goal. His glare didn't lessen much with time, but M'gann seemed to inform them every ten minutes or so that he was feeling more and more agitated. Since their decision to let the boy stand still and not speak, at least two people were near by to take him down should he break his word.

As soon as the two protectors of Gotham entered the room though, the kid's whole demeanor changed. His face lost all emotion then borderlined on apprehension as he stared at the dark knight. His arms fell to their sides and the rest of him seemed to go limp for a moment as he just looked on them. M'gann could feel waves of strong emotions emanating from the kid, everything from relief to joy to sorrow. There was even a touch of fear. What could have made this 'Robin' feel such things at seeing the two?

The limpness in the boy's body only lasted a moment or two before he started walking over to the duo. Batman first turned to Canary, demanding a report. Robin though had his eyes fixed on the little visitor. And it looked like he wasn't even sure of his feelings about the kid.

"While we were cleaning up, the zeta-tube activated and this kid came spewing out," the woman explained quickly. "Trashed the thing somehow while coming in. He refuses to talk to anyone but you."

"The zeta-tubes are offline," Robin protested, glaring confusion at the kid. "How'd you get in here?"

"I don't know," the boy answered instantly, looking only to Robin. "My partner sent me here against my will saying it was a matter of life or death. Maybe you should ask him."

There was some bite in his voice, but a note of something else telling the boy wonder his tone was aimed at someone else.

"And who is your partner?"

At Batman's voice, the kid froze. Robin could see the boy was struggling internally with something, thinking his response over before answering. Slowly the kid shook his head. "I can't tell you his identity," he muttered lowly, not really looking at Batman. "Just know that he gave me the role of Robin with my best interests in mind. And he had every right to.

"I'm here to retrieve something," the boy insisted, looking more to Robin than Batman. He seemed nervous about the giant bat before him. "Something vitally important. I have to attain it then return to my time immediately. I anticipate everything you need to know is on this flash drive and piece of paper."

Quickly the boy shoved both said items into the dark knight's hands, still not really looking at him. Robin wanted to know why the kid had an easier time talking at him than at Batman. 'At' being a very apt word for this because he wasn't meeting either of their eyes, at all.

Batman seemed to pick up the boy's nervousness easily enough and took both items without question. The kid continued. "I already studied the picture in detail, but I was literally shoved into that blinding contraption moments after he gave me those things, so I have no idea what's on the stick. And this place looks ill-equipped to analyze whatever data is on it."

"Understood," Batman stated, then added, "Is there a particular reason you can't look at me young man?"

Again the boy seemed to freeze, his eyes widening a fraction and still looking away because of this man's words. The team could only gape in wonder at the sight. Just a few minutes ago this boy looked ready to take on everyone in the room. But just a few words from Batman's mouth and he couldn't do a thing.

Slowly, as if willing himself to rebel against his instincts, the kid looked up to face the man's cowled head. He just looked up at the man's face in silence for a moment, seemingly expressionless except for the slight tremble of his lip, as if he was about to cry. The kid jerked his gaze back to the ground a moment later, glaring at it in self contempt. "I have my reasons."

"Who are you?" Robin insisted, trying to get the kid's attention again as a curious Batman attached the drive to his glove computer.

His counterpart shyly turned back to him to answer. "I can't give my name out. You know it could ruin the future if I did."

"Well I already met my future self and my successor," Robin insisted, folding his arms stubbornly. "Now I'm finding out I've got two of them. I think my future's pretty much clear here."

At mentioning meeting time travelers before, the kid jerked in alarm. "Who did you-?" He stopped mid sentence, realizing something, then scowled bitterly, looking to the side. "Never mind. Probably him anyway."

"Him?" He couldn't miss the jealously when he said 'him'. Robin was getting quite curious about his successors now. "Does 'him' have a name?"

This remark rewarded him with a mild annoyed glare. "Tt. You know better than to ask."

"Dude," Wally approached both of them, weirded out by their conversation. "What's going on here?"

"Remember those time traveling visitors from a few months back?" Robin started, looking over to his best friend. "The time you met your future cousin?"

"You met him too?" the boy growled.

"Yeah I remember," the speedster said bitterly, casting the brat a tentative look.

The boy shook his head and glanced over to Conner. "And I take it the three of you didn't start wreaking havoc on the world in general either."

"What are you talking about?" Conner jibbed in, very annoyed by this kid.

"I see everything is in generally one piece," the kid continued. "Unless this room is merely a sample. You three haven't laid complete ruin to the world, yet."

"Enough."

Batman's one word ended all arguments in the room. His hand landing on the kid's head for a moment silenced him in general. The boy was back to his near frozen state that came with associating with Batman. The man himself cast his eyes around the room to silence all complaints before looking over to Robin. "Take him somewhere quiet. I need to review this with the League. Some should be here momentarily."

"Copy that," the original replied, saluting slightly. He then tugged on the kid's cape to encourage him to move. "Come on kiddo, we've got some talking to do."

The kid turned slightly at the tug but didn't seem to want to move from Batman's grasp. Strangely, the dark knight looked back to the child's face and noted he seemed torn between staying and following Robin out to the hallway. It looked like he would gladly do both. So the detective removed his hand from the kid's head and nudged him to follow his partner. Nodding, the 'Robin' obeyed, meekly tailing after the boy wonder.

"Robin," Wally started, worried, "I don't think that's such a good idea." None of the team members were actually pleased and most tried to follow them out to the hallway when Batman spoke again.

"Aqualad, Miss Martian, accompany them. Everyone else, back to work."

With Batman ordering them into action, no one could really object. After all, he was Batman and no one was quite sure what happened to those who disobeyed him. Well maybe Robin knew, but they were all pretty sure he got away with quite a bit considering how many pranks he did and that he was still alive and still liked the man.

Wally hesitated leaving his best friend with this unknown (that last 'Robin' they met was a far more civil and perfectly content to stay with the group on the couch), but zoomed off when Kaldur gave him a small pat on the back and firm nod. He had their friend's back. And between the Atlantian and the Martian, not to mention Robin the original, this brat would be kept in line.

Robin led the boy to the temporary quarters each team member had designated for them when they came to the mountain. This used to be Batman's room, but both of them hardly used it. It was more a symbol than a room really. The kid followed without complaint and peacefully entered to await Batman's all powerful decision. He only seemed to register M'gann and Kaldur's presence on a peripheral level, his gaze never really leaving Robin.

"And this is my room," the teen explained with a grin. "We'll just have you wait here until Mr. High and Mighty decides you're not a cupcake."

"Somehow I doubt he'd confuse me with a pastry Gr—" The boy stopped as Robin threw him a glare, instantly silencing him. Both his friends exchanged glances before the boy continued. "Robin." There was a note of distaste at saying this name instead. "He is not an imbecile like others."

"It's called a joke," Robin countered, folding his arms in his own defense. That last 'Robin' he met at least had a sense of humor. This kid could teach Batman a thing or two about being grumpy. "I make them."

"Tt. Your jokes still suck." The boy found the bed and sat on its edge before anyone could tell him otherwise. Their audience took another look at each other.

"You know Robin?" M'gann asked before either boy wonder could derail her thoughts.

Both of them gave them are-you-kidding-me looks, one kinder than the other, before the new one spoke. "I'd think that'd be obvious." The boy shook his head before looking away from her and Kaldur.

"Do you know who we all are then?" Kaldur continued her thoughts. Robin gave them an inquiring look, wondering what happened before he arrived there.

"Naturally." He glanced over to Robin who was still looking at his friends before saying more. "He speaks of his friends often. Never of missions as these are covert operations, but there are things he does share. And there's nothing he likes to do more than talk. It's annoying."

Robin rolled his eyes before responding. "You sound just like Batman."

At this declaration, the boy shifted a little, even looked a slight bit pleased. As if being compared to Batman was a complement. M'gann's expression changed to wonder as she sensed the kid's gratitude for it even. Such an odd child.

"Someone around here has to," the boy started, not looking at his counterpart. "You certainly don't."

This brought a small smirk to their Robin's lips before he settled down in a chair in front of the kid.

He looked over the boy's features again and again, trying to figure out why he looked familiar. The kid wasn't the last 'Robin' he met: skin tone, speech pattern and hostile personality ruled that out. But the boy said someone who had the right to give him the identity made him 'Robin'. That meant either his successor did it or he had. Batman certainly didn't have the right to. Robin was his name to give away, if he ever did.

And there was something about this kid that screamed familiar but couldn't place it. It was a different kind of familiar than with that other 'Robin' too. The other one felt like an old friend all grown up. This new one just gave him a nagging feeling that he should know this guy but at the same time shouldn't. Like someone from an old photograph he hadn't seen in a while, or a relative of someone he knew.

Deducting this kid's identity was going to be fun.

It was a few more minutes before Robin felt like it'd be a good idea to gather real intel off this kid. "So, I take it you and me in your time are pretty close then?"

Only the boy wonder could tell the kid looked away when he spoke. "There are few people you aren't close to in the 'crime fighting community' as you call it. I imagine your inevitable funeral will cause the whole world to mourn."

"Wow," M'gann murmured. "Sounds like you're quite popular Robin."

"Nah," Robin tried to wave off, feeling a bit overwhelmed by that statement. "I really doubt it'll be like that Megs. I'm not that important in the world."

"Tt. Same as always," the kid muttered, shaking his head. "Never seeing your real worth. Constantly doubting yourself while putting up a confident front. A walking contradiction the whole world would follow to hell and back."

At this the original boy wonder stared at the kid in shock. There was no way he… "That's ridiculous. Why would anyone ever—"

"Believe what you will," the kid stated, "but in my time, you've accomplished more than most. How long is he going to take before he decides I'm not a threat and just want to finish my mission and go home?" The demand in his voice was not missed by anyone in the room.

"As long as it takes," Robin stated flatly, not wanting to think about what the kid just said. Maybe he really didn't want to know who this kid was after all. It was bringing his old doubts back to the front of his mind.

"What year are you from?" Kaldur asked, trying to make the two birds less uncomfortable.

"Irrelevant." He cocked his head to the side, almost challenging the Atlantian. "Unless you wish to unravel the time stream with whatever information you glean from me."

"You have no problem saying things about my life or death," Robin reminded him shrewdly.

The kid turned away slightly. "Old habits. Your presence forces others to drop their guards."

"Oh really?"

Before anyone could react, Robin reached over to the kid's mask and ripped it off. He earlier positioned himself so the other two couldn't see the boy's face when he did so, but his identity and personality nagged at him. He had to know who this kid was. And the boy had dropped his guard.

Surprised, the boy just looked up at Robin, his gray eyes staring at him. The original boy wonder returned the stare, his own masked eyes widening by the second. He knew that look. He knew those eyes. He knew who this kid was.

Just as quickly as the mask was torn off, Robin slapped the thing back on. Quickly the kid grabbed his mask and rubbed the glue that kept it on firmly to his face. There was a low growl coming from the kid's mouth, so low only Robin could hear it. "What was that for Grayson?"

"Robin?" M'gann stepped closer to the boy wonders, one standing just in front of the other. Neither she nor Kaldur understood what had happened, but it definitely affected their youngest team member. His mind was reeling from his discovery, a crazy smile trying to grow on his face. "What—"

"Stay here, don't kill anyone," Robin ordered his counterpart before turning and heading out the door. Kaldur jerked after him while M'gann looked around rapidly between the two birds.

"Robin, Batman said—"

"I need to talk to him," the original stated quickly, this smile growing. "Now. It'll affect everything."

To this the kid jerked around to him, snapping in alarm. "What are you—"

"Be good baby bird," Robin stated with a grin. "We'll be right back."

The boy jerked backwards at the nickname, becoming silent once again as the original left the room. Robin had to tell Batman what he just learned. And he had to know now, before he made any decisions about the kid.


The young man grinned at the elderly gentleman as he started tapping away on his phone. "Betcha he won't figure it out until he gets back."

"I wouldn't be so certain about that," the older man insisted. "He's quite a bright young fellow. It is likely it'll be when he has it that he'll know what you did."

He shrugged. "Well, can't say it'll be bad for him either way. He needs this. And I'm still betting we'll have to tell him the truth when he gets home."

"And what will you do if you are wrong?"

The young man thought about it for a moment as he waited for the other end to pick up.


A/N: heh, figured out what the italics at the bottom are now? Certainly hope so. They'll be a running theme through all of this.

As for a few running jokes, this is all pre-52. Already made reference to the original YJ comics (which first got me into DC comics to tell the truth, and american ones in general) and one to 'Double Take'. Extra points to those who've seen them. Also, though Dami will never say names of the future batclan, he does refer to them quite often. And then there's the obvious running joke about him being a killer. Dami's docileness seems to be restricted to Dick and Bruce here, and I think I'll keep it that way, for a while. Like I said, might make him OOC.

Hope you've liked this one. Catch ya next week!