Ch 4 - The Self-Preservation Society

A/N - I actually live in Nottingham in the UK, and about twenty minutes south of here we have a small city called Gotham, like I kid you not :). Here it's pronounced 'Goat-ham' though, but literally everyone outside of Gotham pronounces it the Batman way. I've been there. Not nearly as good as the Batman Gotham City though :(

And I also want to give you all my humblest thanks for your reviews. You seriously don't understand how much they mean to me. Another long chapter here, 12k words!

"He han't moved," Tim said.

Damian peered over from the wooden rafter he was perched on.

Sure enough, Wayne was still asleep on a chair right next to the exit door. The way he was sat made it look like he was awake.

Jason blew hushed bubbles into the sky from the rafter he was on. "This is taking the piss."

It really was. As soon as the lads saw Wayne, the four brothers had scrambled up the walls and into the rafters above, only to realise the gigantic man was asleep – and that had pissed Damian right off. And now around twenty minutes later when Wayne was still in front of the door asleep, Damian was thoroughly pissed off. "Let's just kill him, lads."

All the brothers looked at him.

"What?" Damian said, "it's not like I got a problem murdering Wayne."

"Yeah you actually did," Tim said, "back when we was in the attic bedroom."

Damian tutted. "I had a problem with leaving a trail for the coppers. I'm not right keen with leaving a weasel dead in his house. But I got no problem murdering Wayne."

Jason slapped him on the back of his head. "My thoughts all along."

Damian tutted. "Touch me again and I'll rip your fingers off, Todd."

Jason bit his bottom lip, and slowly reached out shaky fingers towards Damian's cheek. Damian glared death at him as his fingers approached.

"We can't kill Wayne," Tim said and Jason and Damian looked at him on the opposite rafter. "No murder. We can't be like Pearce or Wayne."

"Why?" Jason asked.

Dick was sitting with his legs crossed on the rafter and he was studying Wayne carefully. "Because we have to stick by codes if we're gonna get out of this. We have to be good people."

Damian tutted. "Right bollocks, that is. I reckon anyone who hides a gigantic cave under their house deserves to die."

"That's not really saying much," Tim said, "you reckon everything deserves to die."

"Well, everything should die then."

Jason chuckled quietly and then scooped Damian's neck into his arm and planted a sloppy kiss on Damian's cheek. Immediately, Damian swatted at Jason's face and then rubbed his wet cheek. "Urh gross, you - piss off!"

"Steady lads," Dick said quietly and his eyes were thoughtful and concentrated on Wayne. "Revolver or no revolver - Wayne's still a threat."

Damian tutted and rubbed his still wet cheek. "Wayne don't even look like a threat asleep."

"I know," Tim said, "he looks more like a kitten. Albeit." Tim looked directly into Damian's eyes. "A seven foot kitten that's built like a carriage and makes me want to cry myself to sleep every time I look at him."

Damian's eyes went back to Wayne.

"Soo," Jason said, "let's just take him and march right on through."

"No," Tim said again, "no murdering -"

"I don't mean murder fucking hell," Jason said with an eye roll, "we'll just beat him down Jesus."

"Beat him down?" Dick looked to Jason from his cross-legged position. "You can't even stand properly, you muppet. Look at your hands … when was the last time you ate?"

Jason shoved trembling hands behind his back. "What does that matter?"

"Jason, we're all feeling the same way," Dick said, "hungry and tired. And if – for any reason - he takes that revolver from us, then we're dead."

Jason rolled some of the tack from the rafter into a ball and flicked it at Dick's head. "He won't take the revolver."

The tack bounced off Dick's head and his eyes stayed on Wayne. "He might."

Damian smirked and then did the same, rolling some tack between his fingers and flicking it at Dick's head.

Again, it flicked off Dick's head. "Knock it off, I'm trying to think."

Jason rolled some more tack and lobbed it into Dick's head. "You're thinking is taking too long."

Dick carried on rubbing his lips, his eyes focused on Wayne. "I reckon if we go through the front door, he'll kill us." Dick scratched his hair. "So not through the front door … maybe from a window?"

"I got an idea." Jason sat up properly and all the brothers looked at him. "So we go back into that mad cave he got down there, alright? We go down and we go to that carriage and take his wheels because fuck him, y'know? Then we do an eagle dive down the waterfall into the hay carriage at the bottom …"

"It wouldn't work," Dick said quickly, "I don't reckon there's anyway out from there."

Jason huffed. "Yeah I was just joking, I were just trying to lighten the mood."

Damian tutted. "Well stop. You suck at it."

Jason shook his head. "What happened to you, Dick? You always used to be so lively."

That seemed to snap Dick out of his trance and he looked at Jason thoughtfully. "Huh?"

Tim was peeling off bits of tack from the rafter he was on. "Someone's gotta be the responsible one, Jason."

Dick smiled slightly and then he carried on watching Wayne. "Believe me when I say I don't want to be. I don't want to be no bloody responsible one … or no bloody leader – honest. But you lads …" Dick smiled that charming smile. "You've made me the bloody leader, innit? And, I need to keep you lot safe. And sometimes that means making them hard decisions."

"Well you're good at it," Damian said, "the leader thing."

Tim nodded too. "We're alive so far."

Dick's cheeks went slightly red and he smiled again. "What? D'ya reckon?"

Jason nodded too. "I basically trust your choice over mine."

Dick smiled that charming smile and turned away from them. "Whatever lads, I'm alright I guess …" His face suddenly became deathly serious and his body straightened. "Wayne's moving."

A bolt of adrenaline ripped through Damian and he instinctively launched up onto the rafter he was on to be able to make a quick escape. His eyes burned into Dick and studied his face. "What?"

Dick's shoulder blades were tensed and he was watching the stairs. Tim had bolted up properly too and Jason's revolver was clutched in his fingers with a vice-like grip.

Damian's heart was now beating steady and hard, and he watched the stairs with slow, deep, closed-mouth breaths.

Wayne marched up the steps two at a time, each step purposeful and paced. He was wearing a patterned waistcoat and black bottoms.

Damian's clutch on the rafter tightened. He looked even bigger than Damian remembered him. And the rawness of his physique were a sharp contrast to the wealthy clothes he wore.

He yawned into the back of his hand and walked to a portrait on the wall – oblivious of the four boys above him. It was of two parents and a child painted together.

Damian licked at dried lips. Wayne was right underneath them now.

The man studied the portrait for a few seconds, and then the door on the other side of the corridor creaked opened. Damian watched the door now as the butler sauntered out of the open door with a yawn and an illuminated lantern in his hand. He didn't even walk a few steps before he saw Wayne's figure in the dark. "Oh goodness!"

Damian jolted on the rafter and gritted his teeth.

The butler clutched the lantern next to Wayne's cheek. "Master Wayne?"

"Alfred," Wayne smiled a tired smile. "Did I scare you?"

Well if 'Alfred' weren't scared by that, it definitely scared the seven shades of shit out of Damian.

"Oh not unlike normal Master Wayne," the butler said, "you do appear to have a penchant for lurking within dark spaces and predatorily scaring unsuspecting people."

Wayne chuckled and Damian crouched lower. His voice was so different to the butler's. It was deep and American, and it contrastly sharply with Alfred's own accent. "Old habits die hard, I suppose," Wayne said.

"Indeed they do." Alfred held his lantern up to the portrait that Wayne was looking at. "Is this a favourite of yours, Master Wayne?"

Wayne studied the portrait. "It reminded me of the boys."

"Oh? Why so, sir?"

Wayne shrugged and didn't take his eyes off the portrait. "They're cut from the same cloth, Alfred."

Damian narrowed his eyes. What? Same cloth?

Alfred held his lantern up to the picture. "Yes quite right, quite right. This was also a favourite of your father's too. If I recall, he paid a fair shilling to have you and your parents painted in this style."

Was that Wayne in the picture – the lad? Damian cocked his head. He was so small then ... so human. And the whole picture was surrounded by the fanciest golden, floral patterned frame that Damian had ever seen. Damian weren't right good at reading people, but he reckoned Wayne must treasure this picture.

"What do you think he would say if he saw me now?" Wayne asked, his eyes not leaving the picture.

"I'm sure he would see the best of you, Master Wayne," Alfred said, "in fact of this I have no doubt."

Wayne shook his head slowly. "I'm - not being fast enough. I need to double back, I need to re-evaluate my progress. Changing London is taking too long."

Damian furrowed his brows. Changing London?

"Gotham took long too," Alfred said, "and just like Gotham, you can change London."

Damian's heart spiked and he knew the other brothers would have caught that too. Gotham. Wayne had spent some time in Gotham. Back in America, Damian and the lads lived in Gotham until a few years back. That meant Wayne … was Wayne like them? A street urchin? Is that what he meant by 'cut from the same cloth'?

And suddenly Tim's eyes lit up and he bit down hard on his fist. The boy went very pale. He mouthed something with blank eyes.

The hairs raised on Damian's wrists. What the hell were eating him? And what were he mouthing? Was that bad? Or was he saying bat? In all honesty though, he could have said anything. Dick didn't seem to understand neither - his brows furrowed in confusion at Tim. Well at least Damian weren't alone.

"No, it's okay," Wayne said, "I'll go back downstairs. You get some rest Alfred, I have no doubt these boys will be a handful tomorrow and I need you to be alert and ready for them." Wayne smiled. "Have you ever heard anything like it? Street children that talk like they're from here but with an American accent. I actually recognise the oldest one - Dick."

Dick's brows furrowed at this, and Damian bit his lip and watched Wayne again whilst Tim's mouth was agape from next to them - his eyes darting left and right as if his brain was in motion.

What the hell was Tim's problem? Why was Damian's stomach churning at Tim's reaction?

"Do you, Master Wayne?" The butler continued, "all the better to bond with him."

Wayne smiled. "You should have seen him back in the circus, Alfred. He could do double - even triple - soumersalts." Wayne chuckled at this. "The Flying Grayson's really do live on with his - " Wayne stopped mid-sentence and his face went deathly straight. He looked emotionlessly at the wall next to Alfred.

Damian stilled his entire body. Alright, that weren't good.

Wayne paced towards Alfred and then straight past him.

Damian's pulse pounded against his temple and he clutched onto the rafter until his knuckles were pale white and he studied Wayne hard. The man had broken off, did he … could he know they were up here? The thought made Damian bite his bottom lip until it went white. Naa, there were no way.

"Master Bruce?" Alfred said.

Wayne raised a hand to indicate everything was okay and rasped his fingertips over the wallpaper that Damian had climbed up. "Where are the boys?"

Damian's breath caught in his throat and he clenched the rafter underneath him. No there was no way Wayne could know that they were here. There was no way he was only human … he had to be only human …

"Err in their room sir, from what I am aware," Alfred said.

Wayne's eyes didn't leave the wallpaper and he smoothed his fingertips over it. Jason was stiff as a board and Tim was visibly shaking from whatever revelation he had made earlier.

Damian's heart beat hard against his ribs and he swallowed. Tim's reaction were really unnerving Damian now …

"Sir?" the butler said.

"You look tired, Alfred. You should rest."

"Tired, sir?"

Wayne smiled at his butler. "I'm sure these boys will be a real handful for us in the morning."

"Oh err … very well sir," Alfred said, "I plead you rest well too."

Wayne nodded as Alfred walked past him. "Oh, and Alfred?"

"Yes sir?"

"Whatever happens now, stay in your room. This could get dangerous."

Damian's heart leapt to his throat and his breathing suddenly burned out of his lungs. No there was no way. His eyes darted between his brothers, who all had equally pale looking faces. Jason had the revolver gripped into white knuckles and his eyes were glued to Wayne.

Alfred didn't need anymore prompting – he nodded and immediately went to his room and closed the door behind him.

Damian watched Wayne with all the focus of an eagle.

Wayne unbuttoned his cufflinks and rolled up his sleeves.

Damian's muscles were trembling and he held his breaths in his lungs so hard it hurt. Alright, maybe … maybe Wayne din't know they were there. Maybe Damian and the lads could just wait it out … wait until the morn-

In one motion, Wayne's heavy body bounded between the walls and caught on directly next to Jason in the rafters, pounding his huge body onto the rafter.

A pang of pure fear surged through Damian and he instinctively threw himself off the rafters and crashed onto the floor. No no no no, shit! He scrambled onto his feet and snapped his hands up. How?! How on earth - what the fuck was he?!

Wayne snatched at Jason's revolver and Jason barrelled himself off the side and just out of Wayne's grip – keeping the revolver clutched to his chest.

Damian scrambled to his feet and whipped his hands up. There was no way … there was no way Wayne could catch them there.

Dick and Tim bashed down to the floor and scrambled towards Jason and Damian. The four boys clambered up next to each other with Jason out in front. His revolver was held out at Wayne. Damian was trembling and his fists shot up into a fighting stance.

"What the fuck are you, Wayne?" Jason asked.

Wayne put his hands up. "I know how that just looked."

Damian could hear the heavy breaths that shook Dick and Tim's bodies and he clenched his fists tighter. He needed to think. He needed to come up with something.

"I don't want to hurt any of you," Wayne said in that monotonous voice, "I promise. But I need you to give me the revolver before you hurt someone."

Tim's breaths were coming out in rags and there was a sheen of sweat on his face. "You …" His face was deathly pale. "You're the Batman."

Wayne's eyes went to Tim. His expression was unreadable.

Damian's pulse seized in his throat and his fingers squeezed into tight fists. No there were no way. The Batman was a myth, there was no way that Wayne was the Batman no. That was just a story the orphans told each other. He dug his nails into his palms until they went white. "No ..."

Dick's eyes were wide. "Wha – nah ... nah …"

Jason's revolver was aiming dead between Wayne's eyes and his fingers trembled violently. "Alright I don't know what the fuck you are, but you need to stay back. Right now."

Wayne began walking towards them. "Look I know …"

"No you stay right there!" Jason said and almost fell backwards into his brothers, his hand frantically shaking. "Don't move, Wayne don't … just don't fucking move, alright!" Jason was close to tears. "Stay there."

Damian could feel the sweat seep down from his hairline and he was crouched as low as he possibly could be, as if being tiny next to his brothers would somehow help. It all made sense now … Wayne knowing about the revolver, the gigantic cave, the weapons, how he knew they were on the rafters … he was the Batman he was the fucking Batman. Damian was trying really hard to hold back tears now too.

Dick swallowed and stood slowly. His hands were up as if he were trying to calm a lion. "Look we didn't mean no trouble, please … we're gonna walk out of the door, just don't ... don't stop us, please."

Wayne's eyes were genuinely distraught. "I'm sorry. Really boys I am. But I can't let you leave with that gun."

Damian's heart spiked again and he could feel his weight on the balls of his feet, as if the rest of his body was weightless.

"No," Dick said, also close to tears and clutching Damian behind his back, "no no please just let us go, we're sorry, okay? We didn't … we didn't know sorry."

Wayne frowned. "You can leave. But not with that gun. It's too dangerous and you'll hurt someone. Give me the gun and you can leave."

"What - let you have it?" Jason asked with an incredulous look. "No fucking chance."

Damian's heart pounded in his chest and his eyes frantically scanned the exit door at the bottom of the stairs. It wasn't that far – around twelve or thirteen paces away from the lads. They had to be able to make that if Wayne took another step.

Wayne eyes were fixed on Jason. "Okay okay … look at me, boys. You're scared – I understand. I'm sorry. You can leave." Wayne nodded slowly and smiled. "Look at my eyes - it's okay, alright? It's okay. Everything's okay - you can all leave and I won't come after you. Here let me …" Wayne took two slow steps back. "Just put the revolver down and you can leave. I'll stay here, I promise."

Damian was shaking and he clasped onto Dick until his nails dug into Dick's arms.

Jason nodded frantically and swallowed. "Alright … stay there …" He started creeping backwards and Dick and Tim took sharp steps backwards with him – as if any sudden movements might set off the gigantic man.

Damian's eyes shifted to the exit and he carefully paced. His eyes darted between Wayne's gigantic figure and scanning the exit door up and down.

"No, you boys haven't dropped …" Wayne dropped his hands and stepped towards Jason with an outstretched hand. "The revo -"

Jason yelped in panic and squeezed the trigger – firing off a shot.

The sound boomed in Damian's ears and a bolt of adrenaline burst through him. It was an explosive scream in his skull that vibrated down his whole body and he instinctively barrelled down into a crouch. What the fuck?

Wayne had somehow stepped around the bullet and grasped at Jason's hand to snatch the revolver from him.

Damian's eyes were wide. Nah, Jason hadn't killed Wayne. Wayne just dodged a bullet.

Dick athletically smashed Wayne off the revolver with his foot and then began chasing him backwards into the corridor on a panicked attack. Wayne was effortlessly blocking all of Dick's circus-like flips and then Tim barrelled off the wall and into Wayne as well. It pushed Wayne back and suddenly both Tim and Dick were barraging Wayne from both sides - Dick with aerobic precision and Tim with balanced jabs and kicks.

Damian's heart slammed in his ears and his eyes darted to Jason. There weren't no choice, they couldn't follow Dick's orders no more. Jason had to shoot Wayne if he were gonna stop anything from happening to the lads. Jason were a crack-shot with that thing if ever there was one. It weren't ideal – but … Dick would understand that they had to shoot Wayne, right? "Jason! Do it!"

Jason's hand was shaking and his revolver was pointed at Wayne as the beast of a man fluidly dodged backwards away from Dick and Tim. "I'm trying, lad – I need a clear shot!"

Wayne was successfully blocking both Dick and Tim off with ease and then he used an open-palm first to shove Dick in the side of his kneecap, then his stomach, then his shoulder causing Dick to yelp aloud and fall into Wayne.

A pang of fear stabbed through Damian. "JASON DO IT."

Jason acknowledged this in split-seconds and panickingly took off a shot.

The sound boomed in Damian's ears again and he instinctively leapt away from the revolver and bashed into the wall.

Wayne crashed himself and Dick and Tim into the wall – pushing them out of the way of the bullet.

Jason grit his teeth and his eyes were wide. His fingers gripped into his own hair with his free hand. "Shit Damian I nearly hit Dick!"

A bolt of adrenaline flood through Damian and he tutted. He'd have to do something himself. Oh fuck! What the fuck was he looking to do right now he didn't even know … he immediately began sprinting towards Wayne - fluid and determined.

Wayne held Dick's limp body. A thin glean of sweat covered Dick's face and his breathing was slow and heavy – his face contorted.

A bolt of fear rushed through Damian and he instinctively sprinted towards Dick.

Tim grabbed Wayne from behind and wrestled him off Dick. Wayne's face was still straight and then Tim rammed his knee into Wayne's spine. It was the first time in the entire confrontation Wayne's face contorted in pain and he grunted.

Damian dextrously slid past Wayne and Tim's fighting bodies and scrambled over to Dick. He clutched Dick's face and slapped it a couple of times. "Stay with me, Dick!"

Wayne threw Tim over himself and Tim scrambled to his feet whilst Wayne clutched his back.

Now Tim was face to face with the gigantic man. "Oh … h-hello …" Tim smiled crookedly even as his muscles trembled and his face was pale. "P-parley?"

Wayne pinched two fingers and a thumb between Tim's shoulder and Tim's eyes went wide. "I'm doing this so you don't get hurt," Wayne said.

Tim's eyes were wide. "N-no wait …" Wayne dug his fingers into the flesh above Tim's shoulder blade. Tim yelped and then crashed into Wayne, trying to move but fumbling, as if his body wasn't doing it what it was telling it to. Wayne lowered his body to the floor carefully.

Damian watched Wayne with wide eyes and then his eyes snapped first to Tim's body and then to Jason. Jason was still clutching the revolver and his brows were furrowed and his face was pale. What was that retard doing? Why wasn't he shooting Wayne? He clutched Dick again and slapped his face. "Dick, what do I do?"

Tim tried scrambling to his feet, only to crash to the floor again with a whine.

Damian's hands were trembling as if an earthquake had wracked his body and his forehead seeped sweat. Whatever Wayne had just done had drained all the energy out of Tim and Dick. Dick's eyes were groggy and fazed. Damian tried heaving Dick up, but he was at least twice as big as Damian. "STAND UP!"

Wayne grabbed the revolver from Jason's hand and Jason also tumbled backwards onto the floor. Wayne then grasped the barrel, sliding it off and then emptying all the bullets onto the floor. Then he dropped the revolver to the floor.

Jason's eyes darted between Wayne's own from the floor. "What are you?"

Wayne didn't move. "Your brothers aren't hurt. I just hit their pressure points. They'll be drained until they rest."

Damian heaved Dick to his feet with a grunt, using the wall to support him. "I'm okay, Damian. 'm ... Jason … watch out …"

Damian's eyes snapped to Jason.

Jason's eyes darted between Wayne's own. "So, this … this how it is, yeah? You just take 'em down and expect me to trust you now?"

Wayne crouched down in front of him, watching him on the floor. "I promise you – if you want – you can take your brothers and go right now. But I'd really like you to stay with me at least until I explain all of this to you."

Jason's eyes went to Wayne and his hands trembled. "I c- I call bullshit."

Wayne said nothing, motionless and emotionless.

Jason licked at dry lips and shuffled back whilst still facing Wayne – scooting over the bullets and standing up with clenched fists. "How do I know you're not – not lying, Bruce?"

Damian's fists clenched hard. "Jason, don't do this."

From behind them, Tim had tried standing to his feet again and crashed down onto the floor. "Jason … careful …"

Jason stepped slightly towards Wayne and calmed Damian and Dick with one open hand - the other still clenched into a fist. "You got – you have two minutes to explain yourself, Bruce. I'm list – please I'm listening."

Wayne's eyes didn't leave Jason. "Jason I need you to drop the bullet before we -"

Jason's shaky fingers pelted the bullet he had picked up when he stood at Wayne's eyes with deathly precision.

Damian's eyes widened again. Wait, Jason might get the upper hand whilst Dick recovered.

Wayne blocked it effortlessly and his eyes snapped to Jason emotionlessly. But it was too late, Jason was already on him with speed – crashing his forehead into Wayne's own in the most brutal head butt Damian had ever seen and then pummelling Wayne with heavy, violent fists to his face. Wayne was on the defence, scrambling to block but being disorientated by the sheer force behind every punch. Jason grabbed at Wayne and rammed the gigantic man's head into the wall and then rammed his knee into the man's head. It disorientated Wayne, and Jason roared and crashed his fist into Wayne again – un-coordinated and violent - scared.

Wayne blocked it quickly and then shoved Jason twice in the shoulder. Jason crashed into Wayne's body with a gasp and Wayne held him, taking a moment to both recover himself and let Jason recover too.

Damian's heart hammered in his chest and his eyes darted between Wayne and Jason. He'd taken out all three brothers … shit … shit! What was he supposed to do? "Dick, please, stand up!"

Wayne carefully placed Jason to the floor. Then he wiped at a bloodied lip and then his gaze came to Damian.

Something snapped in Damian. Something primal and urgent. Suddenly, he was focused – both the sight of Wayne's gigantic form and his brother's tired bodies bursting him forwards – springing him into action. He let go of Dick on the wall and then sprang with all the circus grace of Dick towards Wayne, which Wayne quickly blocked with wide eyes.

Damian needed to counter quickly – adapt to Wayne's tactics even though his pulse pounded in his temple. He immediately changed his style with a balanced roundhouse kick that he'd seen Tim do.

His heel bashed into Wayne's jaw, and Wayne was thrown off momentarily by this and his eyes widened for another second

He immediately capitalised on the disorientated palm Wayne threw at his shoulder to break downwards with his hands and then clasp onto the back of Wayne's neck with both hands, ramming Wayne's chest and face with violent knees courtesy of Jason's style. Yes, Damian had the upper hand yes! Wayne had a shocked look and he grunted and blocked Damian's scrambled knees, then he shoved Damian's shoulder quickly.

Damian pounced back in anticipation, but it was too late.

Wayne's palm collided with his shoulder, and a numbness exploded all through him and he collapsed into Wayne with a yelp. And all of a sudden, he was back to all the fear rushing back into his bloodstream. What the fuck?! What the fuck had Wayne done to him?! And how the hell did Damian just do that?! His body wasn't responding in the way he wanted it to. It weren't even pain, just numbness.

Wayne slowly placed him to the floor. "That was incredible, Damian."

Damian's panicked mind ignored this and tried scrambling away from Wayne and he crashed down onto the floor with a whine. What the fuck?!

"P - park it, you jammy bastard."

Wayne's eyes turned to Jason, as did Damian's.

Jason was holding the same revolver from earlier and pointing it at Wayne.

A feeling of elation rose in Damian's chest. He must have somehow managed to reload the revolver whilst the brothers were fighting. Yes!

"Try that snatch thing again," Jason said, "'m … I'm ready this time."

Wayne's hands went up again for another time. "Yes you are." His eyes darted to the remaining bullets on the floor. "You reloaded fast."

Damian staggered up on boneless legs. He used the wall as a support to stumble towards Jason and try to recollect himself. That shove that Wayne had done had reverberated all round him.

Jason walked towards the rest of their brothers as he panted. "We're gonna walk out," he said weakly, "don't step forward and don't … don't stop us." Jason's eyes were bleary. "I'd kill you buh Dick … buh Dick he told me not to. Luck … lucky you."

Nah that weren't it, Damian knew. It's cause he nearly hit Dick earlier and he couldn't bring himself to do that again.

Wayne said nothing.

"Let's get out of here, lads," Jason said slowly and tiredly, "he isn't gonna try anything now."

Dick and Tim struggled to their feet as if only on adrenaline and scrambled to the stairs, using the wall as a support to try not to fall down the stairs. They practically crashed down the stairs anyway in their rush to get away.

Damian didn't feel quite as numb anymore - and stumbled towards the stairs. He was gonna be so bloody happy when they left Wayne's house.

But Jason didn't move.

Damian's eyes shot back. "Jason, let's go."

Jason's eyes were fixed on Wayne.

Damian tutted. "Jason."

Wayne's hands were still up and his face betrayed no expression. "I thought Dick told you not to shoot me."

Dick had told him that. Damian tugged on his brother. "Come on, let's fucking go!"

Jason still kept his gun aimed at Wayne. "You let me reload the gun."

Wayne said nothing.

"Why?" Jason's eyes were focused. "Why did you let me?"

Wayne didn't move. "Just promise me you won't use it on anyone."

Jason cocked the revolver. "Only on you."

Damian's heart spiked. Oh my God what was this retard doing? "Jason …"

Wayne didn't move. "You'd be disobeying Dick."

Jason's eyes were focused. "Dick ain't here. Plus he's gonna give me the shit for trying to shoot you earlier anyway. What's one more bullet gonna do?"

A pang of fear rushed through Damian and he snatched at the revolver and pushed it down. Jason weren't gonna fucking kill Wayne and get the rope right now. "We need to go now, THINK this through, you retard."

Wayne said nothing and his hands were still raised.

Jason clenched the revolver and bared his teeth.

Damian shoved Jason's revolver down. "I won't let you get the rope for this, you retard! This isn't you!"

Jason thought for a few seconds. "Damian, the … his punishment has to fit his crime."

"His crime of what - letting us go?"

Jason's eyes darted between Wayne's own and then he lowered the revolver with a defeated look – as if he had just been knocked out of a trance. "Right … yeah … let's errm … let's beat it, Damian. Don't follow us, yeah Wayne?"

"This is why I didn't want you to take it," Wayne said, "because you will use it, Jason."

Jason said nothing and Damian's eyes were glued to him.

Then he nodded to Damian and they rushed down the stairs with Damian sprinting down besides him. They pounced over the last few stairs and then scrambled through the front door, bashing out into the piercing night air.

The other brothers were at the other side of the street underneath a pitiful street lamp and Damian sprinted towards them - only slightly falling over on his way there.

The thick smog that shrouded the empty street would make for good cover; the only source of light the singular street lamp. They didn't look back for even a second. They blazed through the empty rich streets with a speed that would never have let anyone know just how tired they really were, barrelling and rocketing over cobbled roads and through the alleyways then springing between the walls to get as far away from Wayne as humanly possible. And when they were at a safe distance away, Dick suddenly started clambering up – and then all four of the boys followed and were clambering to the top of the building in front of them. They moved swiftly, even through the hunger and mind-numbing tiredness.

Damian just about reached the top, struggling with every step against what was the piercing cold of the London night air. He threw himself over the top and onto the hard concrete of the rooftop, then he boosted onto his feet and scanned the streets below. His eyes darted around for Wayne like a machine.

Dick and the others were standing in a line next to him, watching over the side where Damian was looking. Each of the brothers were breathing heavily, their chests expanding and falling slowly.

"You reckon he's gone?" Dick said between heavy pants.

Damian said nothing and continued scanning the street - narrowing his eyes to see through the smog and the dark of the night. His breaths were coming out controlled - even though they were still much faster than normal.

"He's gone," Tim said, "he let Jason reload that revolver, he's not gonna follow us."

"Huh?" Damian said, "how do you reckon that?"

Dick looked at Tim too, and Tim shrugged. "I knew Jason were going for the revolver while you were rough-housing with Wayne, Damian. If I saw that - then I know for definite Wayne saw that too. He let us go."

Damian's eyes scanned the street one last time.

"I'm tired," Dick said with a huff and then promptly crashed into the concrete of the rooftop.

At these words, Damian's eyes flickered and then he couldn't stop himself any longer and he fell down like a ton of bricks onto the concrete of the rooftop. His breathing was coming out in deep, hitched breaths. He slumped on his side with his hand under his cheek - his eyes closed. He couldn't even bring himself to care anymore - whatever Wayne had done with that shove had taken it right out of him.

Dick was on his side face-to-face with Damian. His breath was coming out in gasps and his eyes were closed. There was a layer of sweat entirely covering olive skin. "He's the Batman."

Tim's breathing was deep and he crashed on the other side of Damian on his back. His chest heaving up and down from the floor. He was also covered in a thin layer of sweat. "Well, this were a productive night."

The need to sleep festered behind Damian's eyes, and a warmth covered his cheek from his hand and Dick's body in front of him even though the cold night air hovered through the hairs on their skin.

Dick looked like he was asleep. "Back on the streets again, eh lads?"

Tim chuckled with a cough and breathed deep. "Can't say I missed them, I'll be honest."

Damian was drifting out against the sounds of the heavy breathing of all four of them.

Jason was on his side next to Tim so their hair was touching and he chuckled too. "It's not - not so bad out here."

Damian shook his head and tutted even in his tiredness. Lie.

Dick chuckled with closed eyes, lighting up his charming smile and then bit his lip. "I thought - I really thought Wayne were our ticket out, y'know lads?" He chuckled tiredly again. "Figured I'd be able to practice my flips in the bedroom without worrying about having to freeze to death … or going hungry for long … or …" He couldn't finish, his face flushing into a deep frown.

None of the boys said anything to that for a long while. Damian didn't either - the words burning into his brain with a frown. Maybe this were how they were destined to live their lives. Struggling for fucking specks of bread and finding new ways to not freeze to death every night. He heaved a breath. "We'll get through this. Just like we did before."

Dick nodded and smiled that charming smile. "We'll just … we'll just have to pick some more pockets tomorrow."

"Gonna be hard when we're running so long without food," Tim said.

"And sleep," Jason said, "Tim anyone ever told you you're a really good pillow?"

Tim shook his head. "Nah never been called a good pillow. I have been called an asshole though - if that counts for anything."

Damian chuckled weakly as did Dick and Jason and then he closed his eyes. There was another long silence between the boys. An emptiness that filled the air. Damian clutched the cold concrete underneath him that felt like jagged daggers against his side and frowned. It were funny because earlier he'd felt so adamant to get out of Wayne's house, and now he was out he felt even worse than when he were in it.

"We'll manage," Dick said with a deep breath as if he could sense the change in atmosphere. "We always do." His teeth were chattering now in the cold. "We should …" Dick swallowed. "We should have a quick nap or something. Get our energy back. We'll go - err … - we'll go scout out some stooges tomorrow."

"It's not gonna be easy as that," Jason said, "we all know that."

Damian knew that too. They hadn't ate in at least two and a bit days. And now he were so hungry his fingers were trembling. He breathed slow as Dick's warm breath heated his forehead.

Dick licked his lips and kept his eyes closed. "Let's just sleep for now, yeah Jason?"

Damian nodded and let his body sink into the cold concrete as if he weighed nothing. The tiredness festering behind his eyes was slowly claiming his entire body.

"Oi oi lads!"

The voice came from nowhere and Damian's eyes opened. Reggie? Was that Reggie?

Reggie popped his head up over the building and smiled that freckled smile. "Fancy meeting you lads here!"

Dick sat up from his place - momentarily forgetting his tiredness. "Reggie!"

Damian felt a wave of elation and rolled onto his back and kind of sat up. "You made it."

Reggie's freckled cheeks stretched into a smile. "Couldn't miss you lads blazing through these bloody streets like you own 'em. Oi I dunno if I told you this before but on the Queen's life your American accents are bloody dapper."

Damian tensed in happiness and regarded him through tired eyes. "What you doing here?"

"Arh, it's a long story lads."

"Not as long as ours, I bet," Tim said.

Reggie shrugged. "I were following Pearce. Been following him since he sentenced you to death. I figured I'd do some snooping like our Tim.

Damian's eyes shot to Tim and he was watching Reggie intently.

Reggie pointed at Damian. "So when you - errr …"

Damian tutted. "Damian."

"Right, Damian! When you got nicked I went down and pleaded with the man - proper pleaded with Pearce - but he don't listen right good and he just slapped me upside the head." Reggie sat on his haunches next to Tim. "Eh you alright, Tim?" he said and poked Tim in the chest.

"Oi leave it out Reggie," Tim said and clutched his chest with a smile, "I bloody ache everywhere."

Damian tutted. "Finish the story, Reggie."

"Huh? Oh right right! So anyways, I were following Pearce and then he turned into a corner and something happened." Reggie's sooted finger went onto his lip. "Something … happened …"

"What happened?" Dick said.

Reggie's freckled cheeks were reddening as he furiously tried to think. "I can't remember but it were something bad I remember that much. He were here, I lost him in these streets but he were here. I reckon he might live around here but .." His eyes lit up. "Oh yeah I remember now! Pearce isn't what he says he …"

Tim's stomach rumbled and he clutched it, in effect cutting Reggie off.

The thought made Damian clutch his stretching own stomach and he frowned from the stabbing pangs of hunger that tore into his stomach and made his lips dry.

"You lads hungry?" Reggie asked with a frown, "I got some bread if you want it …"

What … no!. "Finish the story, Reggie," Damian said.

Reggie looked at him in confusion. "What story?"

Damian grit his teeth. "The story you were just say-"

"We must be stretching close to three days now, lad," Jason interrupted, "what, have you got anything for us?"

Jason didn't need to explain, but Reggie's face immediately lit up with understanding. "Three days?! You lads are stretching close to three bloody days with no food?"

"It's alright Reggie," Dick said, "we're alright … we'll just nab some more wallets tomorrow."

Reggie shook his head and unstrapped the button on the pouch around his neck and pulled out a tiny portion of bread. "Here lads, it's not much but it's all I really got right now."

At the sight of the bread, the pangs of hunger tearing into Damian's stomach stabbed even harder and his mouth began to water. He couldn't tear his eyes off it now and his brows were furrowed.

Dick's trembling body regarded it. His mouth was watering and his brows were furrowed. He frowned deep and licked his lips. "It's not enough for all of us."

Reggie shook his head. "Nah, I'm dead sorry lads s'not much, I know. But I didn't really know you were all that hungry." He twitched his lips. "One of you can eat it atleast, eh Dick?"

Damian tutted. No one was gonna eat it now. He slumped back onto the floor.

Dick turned to Tim. "What d'ya reckon, Tim? You want it?"

Tim bit his lip and shook his head. "I can't Dick. We all eat or none of us do. We agreed."

Damian frowned and his head turned to Jason.

Jason's brows were furrowed and he looked to Tim with his tongue in his cheek. "We all eat or none of us do I stand by that."

Then Dick turned to Damian. "Damian, if you want it, honest you can -"

"All of us or none of us." Damian tutted and turned away from the bread - as if not looking at it would allow him to forget about it. "Whatever I din't even want it anyway."

Dick turned to Reggie with a tired smile. "Sorry Reggie."

"Lads," Reggie said with a frown, "I'm so sorry it's not more. I'll go … I'll go get you some more now."

"Nah Reggie," Dick said, "it's alright, innit? You done enough."

Reggie shook his head. "I ain't gonna accept that. You lads are gonna get more than that. I'll get you some grub now sit tight."

Dick nodded with a smile. "Cheers, Reggie."

Reggie nodded and smiled a freckled smile, then he descended the building carefully, not as good at climbing as the lads just yet.

Dick collapsed his back onto the roof edge, and Tim slumped next to him. Damian slumped into Dick's other arm, and they hugged into each other. "It's alright. Tomorrow'll be better, innit lads? We'll go to Mr. Fox's house tomorrow. See if he can't give us no more potato soup."

Damian leaned in closer to Dick and chuckled. "We already asked him so many times though."

"Naa, it's our accent," Jason said. He wasn't huddled with the other brothers but instead overlooking the rooftop. "Lucius loves it, says he loves talking to lads from his home country or something, so he'll keep giving us soup so long as we ask, I reckon."

"Lads," Tim said from the other side of Dick, "I'll say whatever he wants us to say in our accents if we just get one more taste of that soup. I promise you I'll never complain about anything again for just one more taste."

"It's that leek in it," Damian said with a smile, "that's the best part."

None of the boys said anything after that for a long while.

"Tomorrow'll be better, lads," Dick said.

"Yeah," Tim said solemnly, "tomorrow."

There was a long silence after that between all the lads.

-oOo-

For as tired as Damian's mind was, he was finding it bloody difficult to actually get to sleep. Damian did try hard, but there was nothing to stop the thoughts that kept creeping into his head. Thoughts of Wayne and Pearce and the weasels. It weren't bloody fair. They had everything … everything … and Damian and the lads got bloody scraps. Not even scraps … less than scraps. He shivered and clutched closer towards Dick. And the weasels ate in their huge mansions and found warmth in their bastard fireplaces and they didn't once - they didn't once - think that lads like Dick and Jason and Tim were starving all the time.

He tutted in Dick's shoulder and then sat up with a frown, rubbing at tired eyes. And then there were his fight with Wayne. He couldn't even believe how he were actually matching Wayne. Now that he looked back, he noticed he were actually like-for-like matching Wayne until Wayne shoved him in the shoulder. He tutted. He needed to be faster next time, stronger.

Dick and Tim were still soundly asleep next to each other hunched up next to the ledge. No Jason though. Where was Jason? Damian's eyes scanned around for him.

Jason was perched on the ledge and looking out over the skyline.

Damian staggered up and walked over to him and rubbed the back of his neck. "You been awake all this time?"

Jason acknowledged him with his black-circled eyes, and then looked back out into the street. "Couldn't sleep."

Damian rubbed his eyes and then rubbed his hair in frustration. His muscles cried for sleep. "Why?"

Jason shrugged and carried on watching the skyline. "Wayne's still out there. And somebody has to watch you idiots while you sleep."

"You need sleep too, Todd."

Jason shrugged and yawned into the back of his hand, stretching his whole mouth out. "I'll sleep when I can." Jason thought for a few seconds. "I got a lot of thinking to do anyways."

Damian nodded. "Me too."

Jason chuckled. "What thinking you got to do, lass?"

"I were beating Wayne innit."

Jason looked back out. "That you were."

"You saw it?"

"Saw it? I couldn't even bloody believe it. And whatever you did sure as shit confused the bloody hell out of Wayne."

Damian tutted. "It were nothing, don't be a retard. What thinking you got to do, anyway?"

Jason smirked. "You were never right good at taking praise, Damian."

Damian said nothing.

"Maybe I am y'know." Jason shrugged. "Retarded I mean. I keep thinking back." Jason's eyes flickered whilst he watched the skyline. "I were actually gonna kill Wayne, y'know? I were - I were seriously gonna wreck him."

Damian said nothing again.

Jason frowned and furrowed his brows. "Maybe Dick was right, y'know?" He sniffed and rubbed the back of his hand across his nose. "Back on the boat, when them arseholes were tryina' wreck me and Dick came to save me with that charm - disarmed them all - and met me for the first time with you and Tim."

Damian remembered. "Were they beating on you for giving them lip?"

Jason nodded. "Yeah, they were. And Dick told me he was gonna help me 're-claim my dark heart'." Jason thought for a few more seconds. "I didn't know what he were on about at the time Damian, but now I think about it … maybe he were right. Maybe I do have a dark-heart."

Damian looked back at Dick, remembering how Dick had found him when he was younger back in Gotham. That all seemed so long ago now. "You don't have a dark-heart, Todd. You're a better man than most. The ones with the dark hearts are the ones at the top … who can sit by and let me and you and Tim and Dick starve while they get fat and drive around in their bastard carriages."

Neither of the brothers said anything for a short while.

"How comes you keep calling me by my second name, lass?" Jason asked honestly.

Damian shrugged. He kind of knew - it's because sometimes … only in mere moments … Damian actually thought he were better than Dick, Jason and Tim. He buried it as deep as he could because he knew that weren't true, but he couldn't understand where it came from.

Jason looked out into the street. "Well, it suits you - calling us by our second names."

"What? D'ya reckon?"

Jason nodded.

Damian looked at Dick again. "What we gonna do now? Dick's getting way too jolly for his own good if he reckons we can actually pick some more pockets when we're this bloody hungry."

"I'm thinking fight club," Jason said.

Damian tensed. "You bring that up again in front of Dick, and Dick and you'll have a scrap I can already see it."

"I know, lass. Why don't he realise we can use our skills for more than just bloody pickpocketing? And I can take a punch like a champ."

Damian tutted. "Scratch it off."

Jason breathed out. "Fine. What about peon work? We're fast at sending messages, innit?"

Damian shrugged. "It's unpredictable though, and not like we can definitely find people who always need messages sent. And we're still too fucking hungry to really run fast."

Jason said nothing for a while. "There's always the workhouses."

Damian tensed. No, the workhouses weren't even an option. That were as a last resort for anyone who didn't have much else, and the workhouses made sure you didn't use them unless you absolutely had no other choice. The government only gave a shit about saving their pennies. "Scratch that off, Jason. We're never staying in a workhouse."

"They got food though, lass," Jason said, "and right now we're pretty despe -"

"Scratch it off."

Jason huffed. "Well what do you wanna bloody do, lass? What's your flipping -" His eyes widened. "Pearce."

Damian smirked. "What? You wanna try and rob Pearce again?"

"No no he's there." Jason pointed with his revolver onto the street.

A bolt of adrenaline burst through Damian and he pivoted towards the street. His fists scrunched into heavy fists. "No fucking way."

Even through the smog and the daybreak, Damian could see the blonde bastard leaning against the wall under a lit street lamp. His palms clutched a newspaper, and he was puffing on a shiny bronze pipe clasped in between his lips.

Fury ripped through Damian's veins and he ground his teeth together with an audible sound. His hands clasped onto the rooftop and he blazed holes into Pearce with his eyes. "You are not FUCKING serious."

Jason grit his teeth. "What is he doing here? Why is he just standing there on his own?"

Damian's face was seething with anger. The bastard! "Look at him just bloody standing there reading the bastard paper. We're starving and he thinks I'm dead and he's just reading the bastard paper!"

Jason cocked the revolver. "Let me go deal with him. Bone to what Dick says."

He was just standing there. He weren't even a little bit sorry. Damian roared and smashed his fists down into the balcony. Then he sprang up on top and began ripping down the building.

Jason grabbed his collar and whipped him back.

Damian tutted and pushed at Jason's clutched hand. "Let go of me!"

"Alright, I get it, you're pissed," Jason said, "but Tim'll kill you if you do this."

Damian's eyes didn't leave Pearce's stupid fucking arsehole blond hair. "We're dead anyway once the coppers get their mitts on us for holding up Wayne."

"Dick'll definitely kill you if you do this."

Damian tutted. "Dick won't even know, do you want to do this or not?"

Jason watched Pearce for a couple of seconds. "Why do you want to do this?"

Jesus, what was with all these fucking questions? "He tried to have me fucking killed, you retard!"

Jason smiled. "You sure this what you want?"

Damian's veins roared at the sight of him and he tutted and shoved at Jason's hand again. "Let fucking go of me!"

"Alright, let's do it then lass."

Damian stopped struggling and his eyes shot to Jason. "You're gonna help me?" In a way, that were good about Jason. He didn't give a shit about principles like Tim did.

"Yeah lass," Jason said and looked to Dick, "what Dick don't know won't hurt him. Pearce's punishment will fit his crime. We just don't tell Dick or Tim about it."

Damian nodded. "His crime is ordering my murder."

"That he did." Jason cocked the revolver. "But I still think it's bizarre he's standing there on his - eh Damian where you going?!"

Damian leapt off the building, clambering down even through the hunger and the pain. His body was crushing into the wall and he blazed down with pounces and leaps to the bottom of the building. He crashed onto the floor and began marching towards Pearce.

Pearce looked up momentarily - and then he did a double take when he realised it were Damian.

Damian roared and paced towards Pearce with Jason hopping down next to him and following his lead. "Lad, you need to control yourself."

Damian tutted and his fists clenched so hard they hurt as he paced towards Pearce like some kind of death angel.

Pearce dropped the newspaper and lurched backwards. He snatched the pipe out of his mouth. "You."

Damian's heart raged in his chest and crimson clouded his vision.

Pearce almost crashed into a water pump and skidded past it. "How on earth did you survive?"

Damian's heart spiked and he roared and smashed his foot into Pearce's face.

Pearce sprayed blood out of his mouth and practically crashed into the wall on the side and skittered to the floor. He scrambled away from Damian.

Damian grasped at Pearce's face and smashed his fist into the weasel's jaw, throwing his whole shoulder into the blow. "You tried to have me killed, you bastard!"

Pearce keeled into the street and scrambled backwards. "Now listen to me lad -" He crawled back with an outstretched hand to calm Damian. "You're angry I understand ..."

Damian's nostrils flared and his fist rammed into Pearce's lip and then he roared from his lungs - deep and feral. "No-one to save you now, Pearce."

Pearce's eyes were wide and terrified.

Jason was scanning the streets with his revolver clutched hard. "Alright Damian, let's just do it."

But Damian was unrelenting. "You didn't even think about me! You didn't even bat a BASTARD eyelid!" Damian's hand rammed into Pearce's jaw again and his knee smashed into the man's temple. This bastard didn't scare him like Wayne did, all he saw was a pathetic waste of a man who needed to die. Maybe he weren't thinking this through properly.

Pearce dropped into a mess onto the floor.

Damian tutted and grabbed Pearce by his collar. "KNOW my face, Pearce. This is the face that you tried to kill … without asking me why WITHOUT ASKING ME WHY I tried to rob you." Damian was trembling and he roared. "I was hungry, you bastard!"

Pearce shook his head. "Alright listen! LISTEN! I understand, okay I understand. I'm like you. I'm from Lace Market too. I know what it feels like … to be hungry for days."

Damian's eyes went wide. No fuck him. "You lie."

"No no MARKET SQUARE," Pearce said, "it's where you're from, Market square. I know - I know. I'm from there too stop this."

Jason's eyes narrowed. "How'd you know about Market Square, weasel?"

Anger tore through Damian's veins and he grasped harder at Pearce's collars, clutching him up to Damian's eye level. "You're a liar!"

Pearce half-chuckled and half-sobbed. "I lost my mother and father, lad. In an accident. They're dead. They're dead."

"No!" Damian roared and bashed his fist into Pearce's lip. "Street lads look after each other! You're a liar!"

"You forget - sometimes you forget your roots, y'know?" Pearce dribbled blood from a broken lip and clutched Damian's hands. "Will you really kill me, boy?"

Damian's eyes flickered between Pearce's own. Were he really a street lad? How could he be … street lads looked after each other. "J-Jason?"

That was all the leeway needed for Pearce to reach for his cane and ram it into Damian's leg.

Pain tore into Damian's kneecap and he fell backwards and roared.

"Damian!" Jason shouted.

Pearce's cane rammed into Jason's jaw and Jason crashed to the ground and dropped the gun.

His leg was searing and Damian scrambled up and tried to focus on Pearce quickly. Pearce weren't like them. Damian would never be like Pearce.

The shouts of coppers began echoing from behind them.

Damian was blind in his rage and pounced past Pearce's cane and then gripped Pearce's cane and chucked it behind him. He marched towards Pearce.

Coppers swarmed into the alley and grabbed onto Damian. They rammed him down to the floor with shouts and whistles being blown.

A bolt of fury flooded through him and he raged against the coppers, shaking violently. No, shit! That bastard Pearce weren't gonna live through today.

There were at least three coppers trying to hold down Jason - who was angrily trying to straighten up against them.

Damian kicked out behind him and Pearce's cane smashed into his shoulder. Suddenly, pain and adrenaline blazed into his shoulder, completely throwing his shoulder from the joint. Damian cried out and tried clutching his shoulder as a copper had his knee roughly holding down Damian's cheek against the dirty water running through the alley.

Jason rammed his fist into the copper's wrist until he let go, then threw his heel into the copper's jaw and forced the others off himself. He rushed over to Damian. "Damian!"

The coppers all boosted up quickly and rammed their feet into the two boys hard and fast, knocking Jason down again.

Both boys yelled out as coppers smashed into their tired bodies over and over again. The coppers were unrelenting; barraging the boys with all of their force.

Damian couldn't even breathe and his hands tried to clutch everywhere at once - fresh cuts and bruises opening up all over his arms and legs and chest and face.

"Bring them here," Pearce said, "bring em here!"

The coppers grabbed the boys and dragged them to their feet then chucked them in front of Pearce.

Damian limply dropped in front of Pearce and his body crashed against the floor. His breathing was slow and laboured. Blood seeped from below his hairline and several cuts over his body.

Jason got onto his elbows, labouring and spitting blood. "Let Damian go, now."

Pearce rammed his fist into Jason's face, knocking Jason into the concrete again. "Quiet, lad."

Damian shivered and tried to take a breath. "Kill you …"

Pearce sniffed and wiped at a bloodied nose. "You really did a number on me there, lad. You really are one athletic … American … little bloody shit." Pearce chuckled. Then he sat on his haunches next to Damian and cocked his head. "Did you honestly think I was just standing in the bastard cold and reading the paper to kill time?"

Damian whimpered in the pain resonating from his shoulder and he coughed violently and swallowed. He were probably paying them off for something … but fuck knew what. You didn't call that many coppers to meet you unless it were something big though.

Pearce grabbed Damian's hair and pulled his face off the floor.

Damian clutched his eyes closed. His hands couldn't move from their places and his breaths were coming out in rasps from his burning throat, but he weren't gonna give Pearce the satisfaction of seeing his eyes.

"How did you get out of being hanged, boy?"

Damian spat blood at Pearce's face.

Pearce dropped the boy's head and he cried aloud. Then Pearce sniffed again and pulled out a handkerchief from his breast pocket - wiping the blood off from underneath his cheek and then dabbing his own bloodied nose with the clean side. "Pick him up."

A bolt of adrenaline burst through Damian and his body began to shake again. A small tear erupted from his eye at the pain erupting from his fresh cuts. "I'll kill you, you weasel."

"So you keep telling me," Pearce said, "but you didn't answer my question."

Jason roared from the floor and jolted Pearce. Then he struggled against the coppers, momentarily throwing them off and lunging at Pearce. "Let him go you bastard!"

Pearce stepped back out of the way and his hands came up. "Urgh."

The coppers immediately smashed his body to the floor again and held him again.

"Please - just please … sir …" Jason pleaded, "just leave our Damian alone and do what you want to me."

Pearce's foot smashed directly into Jason's face and Jason yelped out.

Pain was flooding Damian's senses and he closed his eyes. His breath ripped out in rags.

"Get him up." Pearce said and the coppers lifted Damian off the floor.

Pearce stretched his hand and then closed it into a fist. Then he sniffed and threw the fist into Damian's jaw.

The shock impounded into Damian's cheek and reverberated all through his head. He cried out loud and he crashed into the copper's chest. His vision fuzzied for a moment and he tried to regain composure.

Pearce rolled up his sleeve. "Stand him up, STAND HIM UP FLASS."

Damian whimpered and tried retreating into the copper's chest.

Jason was still struggling against the coppers holding him down. "You bastard I'LL KILL YOU!"

Pearce threw two more sharp blows into Damian's face and then sniffed. "Give me your gun, Flass."

Pure fear surged into Damian's chest and he tried to squirm against the officer's grip again. It weren't so much the death that scared him - even though that terrified him - it was dying by Pearce's hand that made him shiver to his core.

"Wait Elliot wait," the fat man named Flass said, "why don't you let 'em hang?"

Pearce flickered his eyes towards Flass as if he had just broken from a trance. "Hang."

The man named Flass nodded. "I mean Gordon's been sniffing around a lot lately … and if he caught wind of this …"

"Yes," Elliot Pearce said, "quite right, Flass quite right. Always the wiser man." He rubbed his eyes in both frustration and pain. "Take them away from me."

Damian struggled against the coppers and Jason roared from the floor.

"Oh and Flass." Pearce placed a pouch of coins in Flass's hand and patted his shoulder. "See to it that this time that he does - in actual fact - hang."

Jason coughed. "You fucking piece of shit."

Pearce crashed his fist into Jason's throat. "What was that, lad?"

Jason keeled over, wheezing and clutching his throat. "Fucking - I'll fucking kill you …"

Pearce laughed. "Is that so? From where? The noose?"

"You just watch me," Jason said, "I'll kill you for this."

Damian had his eyes closed and was trying with everything to stay awake.

Pearce grabbed Damian's injured arm and pulled at the dislocated joint.

Pain ripped into Damian's shoulder and his eyes snapped open and he cried out, grabbing onto his arm with his other arm.

Pearce pulled even harder. "Will you really kill me, lad?!" He shouted over Damian's scream.

The nausea was making Damian weak in the knees. He grabbed onto Pearce's hand and limply smacked it with his own.

"Alright!" Jason said, "just please stop hurting him!"

Pearce cocked his head and pulled at Damian's arm harder.

Damian cried out and tears streamed down his face and his breath came out in rags.

"I'm sorry!" Jason cried, "please! I'm sorry, just stop!"

Pearce smirked and let go of Damian's arm.

Relief swept through Damian and the pain in his shoulder became numb as opposed to sharp. He took a few deep breaths all at once and clutched his shoulder with his breath hitching from the tears.

Pearce sat down in front of Damian.

Damian's lips were moving even though no words were coming out and he tried to focus his attention on Pearce.

Pearce grabbed his hair and Damian grunted in pain. He pushed his lips to Damian's ear. "Don't think I hate you, boy. I don't hate you."

Sweat and blood had mixed on Damian's forehead, and his eyes were half-lidded and dazed as his throat made sounds of pain that he couldn't control. Pearce clutched the boy's head through his tears and pushed their foreheads together, closing his eyes. "You and me," he said, "we aren't so different."

Damian didn't move - his body giving out from underneath him like jelly. "W-w-world's … apart …. me … an-an-and …"

Pearce shook his head and rubbed his forehead against Damian's own bloodied one. "No, you and me - we're the same boy."

Damian said nothing and kept his eyes tightly shut in the policeman's grip and clutched his own shoulder with tear-streaked cheeks resting into the copper's arm. His breathing was still deep and shallow.

Pearce came away from Damian's forehead and looked him in the eyes.

There was sadness in those eyes, Damian saw it. Or were it? If Dick were here, he'd be able to tell Damian.

Pearce dabbed some of the murk off Damian's forehead with his handkerchief. "I just - I can't go back to being like you, boy. I can't. I won't."

"What?" Flass said from behind Damian, "a boy, Elliot?"

Pearce shook his head. "No he reminds me too much of myself, Flass, I don't like it."

Flass chuckled. "Fair enough. What you want us to do with these two lads?"

Pearce looked at Damian's face, then waved his hand non-chalantly. "Take them away from me."

Damian mumbled something under his breath.

Pearce sat down next to him, placing his ear to the boy's mouth. "Come again, lad?"

Damian spoke quietly. "We're n-not alike." He swallowed and closed his eyes even as involuntary sounds kept coming out of his throat. "Nev-never."

Pearce smiled. "No we're both boys from Lace Market. I'm just … better."

"I'll make you pay."

Pearce put his ear closer to Damian's lips. "Come again, lad?"

Damian struggled against the cops with what little energy he had left. "I'll make you … I'll make you pay …"

Pearce rammed his fist into Damian's stomach, throwing Damian forwards as he coughed and choked.

A new pain had exploded into his stomach with that punch, followed by the gut-awful feeling that something had broken. Damian cried out loud and collapsed into the copper's arm again.

Pearce clutched Damian's cheeks with both hands. "Know I mean this when I say this, boy, I truly am sorry for …"

As if from no-where, a man in a full suit of armour dropped down between them.

And all the men scrambled backwards, startled.

Damian was dropped and he limply crashed to the floor, yelping as his body collapsed onto hard concrete.

The sounds of shouts and grunts filled the air, as well as the sounds of violence and tripping up and bones breaking from around Damian.

Damian gritted his teeth and cried quietly, clutching his shoulder. His whole body shivered in pain, and he wanted to open his eyes – to try to see what was happening. But the pain flooded his brain.

A hand came onto his shoulder. "Damian …" Jason said brokenly, "Damian stay with us, okay?"

Damian shivered and his breath was hitching quick and forcefully. "Stay ... um stay …" Damian mewled. "Jason … hurts …"

Jason placed his head on Damian's hair then he rubbed his hand through the blood and muck that had caked it. The sounds of violence still echoed from all around him. "Push through for me, Damian." A tear dropped onto Damian's cheek. "Please."

Damian nodded quickly, his breath hitching in his throat and his hand clutching his shoulder. He sobbed again, his teeth chattering and his body completely numb. "O … okay … mm … for you Jason …"

The sounds of violence stopped all at once.

Pain had ripped into Damian's shoulder, as well as his skull, a sharp pain in his chest and searing pain in his leg. Damian lay on his side with his brother's head next to his own. His breathing was in shallow breaths and he shook vehemently.

A hand rested on Damian's hair. "Damian."

A bolt of fear ran through Damian. It was the same deep voice of Wayne. He must have been the one who just knocked out all the guys that were beating on him and Jason.

"Get off him!" came another voice from the side.

Damian was still in a pain-filled haze. Was that Dick?

A tall, dark haired boy barrelled over Damian's own and pushed the armoured man back. "Stay the fuck back!"

Damian smiled. It was Dick. His hand clenched the floor as if he were clutching Dick himself.

The man with the armour's hands went up.

Damian slowly opened his eyes.

"Aww lads," Dick said and dropped to his knees in front of Damian and Jason, "no no please no."

Jason shivered and spit blood. "Damian … check on Damian."

Tim bounded over Jason's body and sat next to him, his eyes darting between Wayne and Jason and Damian.

"Tim." Dick's voice was panicked and breaking as he clutched Damian's cheeks. "Tim, what should I do - fuck what should I - ?"

Tim was normally so collected. But now he was breaking up. It was kind of funny to Damian to see him like that right now. Right now that was funny. "Err … we need to ah - stay with us, Jason, eh - stay with us!"

Damian sputtered and the jolt involuntarily caused his shoulder to suffer.

"Alright alright Damian alright please don't do this to me shshsh." Dick's eyes were wide and he gently shook Damian's head, which caused him great pain in his shoulder and rib.

"Don't do that his shoulder's been dislocated," Wayne's deep voice came from behind, "we need to jolt it back into place."

A burst of fear flood through Damian. He didn't want to move, much less have them touch the most painful part of his body. He shook again and his eyes closed heavily. "Nn -"

"Step back STEP BACK Wayne." Dick was clutching Jason's revolver with a tremble. "Don't …" Dick's hand went to his hair and his face was flushed. His eyes darted on the floor as he tried to think. "Fuck don't …" His eyes were welling with tears and were on the floor. "Ermm …"

"It's not safe here," Wayne said, "we need to move before someone sees us. I've incapacitated Pearce and these policemen but there are always witnesses that can crop up right now. I don't have time to explain but I can save Damian, you just need to let me."

Damian clenched up. No Dick … don't trust him …

"Dick, it's bad," Tim said from besides Damian. "It's … if he can help us …"

Damian trusted his brothers more than anything but now he feared they were gonna make a huge mistake.

There was a long silence whilst Dick eyes darted left and right and his revolver was on Wayne. His voice was a sob now. "You can't … if you fucking go near him …"

Tim shoved Dick's revolver down. "Dick, listen. He woke us up. When he ran past us on top of the building, he woke us up. Why would he do that if he were gonna hurt Damian? We don't have no choices."

Dick's eyes were wide and fearful as they shot between Damian and Jason. "Errm … you …"

"Dick," Tim said, "we need to make this choice quickly. If Wayne don't take them in, they're good as dead."

"You need to trust me, Dick." Wayne's voice came. "Your brother is right. I did purposefully wake you boys up when I ran past you on that rooftop. I did that because I needed you here. With Damian right now and he needs you. You need to trust me."

Dick shot his eyes around and then they went to Wayne's own, wide and pleading. "Please don't betray us, Mr Wayne." Dick's eyes were teary. "Please please don't betray us."

Wayne shook his head and clutched Dick's cheeks. "I'll never betray you. You can keep the gun trained on me."

Dick nodded frantically and sat next to Damian and swallowed. "Wayne is gonna take you now, yeah?"

"No," Damian whispered. "No …"

"Damian please," Dick said with a breaking voice, "I got no choice, please don't make this choice harder."

There must have been an affirmative from Wayne because then he came over and sat beside Damian. "Damian … I'm going to need to do one thing that will hurt …"

A bolt of fear burst through Damian and he gritted his teeth. He didn't want to move what did his brothers not get about that? He clutched the concrete underneath him. "Stay … away …"

Wayne grabbed two armoured hands onto Damian's shoulder.

The shock of the sudden cold of Wayne's armoured palm and the tender pain that accompanied it around his shoulder cause Damian to yelp out and frown. "Please stop …"

Wayne gently felt around the shoulder and prodded with the lightest of touches.

Every touch stabbed into Damian's shoulder with pain and he grunted at each one through gritted teeth. "Stop … please … just get away from me …"

Wayne held Damian's shoulder. "Brace yourself, Damian."

Damian's teeth clenched tightly together and he grabbed onto Wayne's hand with his free hand. "No …"

"Easy …" Tim said from beside Damian. "Easy Damian …"

Wayne nodded and jammed Damian's shoulder back into place.

A jolt of pain ripped into Damian's shoulder right into his jaw and he screamed out loud, deep and hard. A fresh wave of tears streamed from his eyes and his shoulder screamed in pain. He grit his teeth, trying not to show any more pain but shaking his head as he clutched onto his shoulder.

"Damian, Damian! We're here, okay?" Dick said, grabbing the boy's face and looking into it. "We're gonna get you through this, okay? It's over now, Damian the worst part's over. Please you need to come with Wayne now."

Damian nodded frantically and grunted through gritted teeth and swallowed.

Wayne immediately scooped Damian into his arms.

Damian's whole body jostled and he screamed aloud again as bruises on his sides and legs were horribly disturbed by Wayne's actions. He clutched into the cold metal of Wayne's armour and tried not to move.

"I'm sorry Damian," Wayne said, "but we need to get you off the streets."

Damian nodded again, his body jostling in Wayne's arms which caused reverberations of pain around him.

"Just bear with me, Damian," Wayne said, "soon you'll be in a warm bed where you can rest. Just keep thinking about that bed."

Damian nodded. Warm bed … warm bed … warm bed …

Wayne started moving fast.

Pain reverberated around Damian's body and he cried out again and all thoughts of the warm bed left his brain. His whole body went to clutch Wayne's armour, but it was just a cold mass that didn't let out any heat.

"Get the watch," Jason said, "Dick … grab Damian's watch …"

Wayne stopped to allow for Tim and Dick to catch up in tow with Jason, and he pushed forwards towards his house.

"Damian," Wayne said and snapped Damian's brain to him even in the pain. There was something different about his voice now. It was hushed and his brothers probably couldn't hear it but was still different somehow. It was throaty, and it had an edge to it. "Can you understand me?"

Damian nodded frantically, even though he couldn't understand why.

"It hurts, I know, but you must push through. The way of the tears is the way to comfort, Damian."

Damian was oddly soothed by these words.

"Sigh, my son, so you can rest."

He began sinking into Wayne's forearms.

"Broken and wounded hearts will recover."

He suddenly found himself falling into a deep, heavy and peaceful sleep.

"The universe will encompass your prayers."

A/N - Yeah ... so ... that ending, huh? :D

Also you guys know I'm a guy, right? Just thought I'd point this out because apparently some people get confused :L

Okay, I'm going to give you a HUGE A/n here which I'll delete as soon as I post the next chapter however I feel like I owe it to you guys to keep you updated. First this will eventually be split into two chapters to increase coverage, however when I split it, then the new chapter will be on it's way basically the next week after. On that note, I have actually no doubt that anyone who enjoys the interplay between the four brothers is going to LOVE the next chapter, it's basically just father/son fluff for 5,000 words as Wayne slowly wins the boys' trusts whilst Damian recovers - with Jason especially being hard to win over - and was my favourite to write so far :). In fact the plan for this story is around twenty chapters long, and it's going to get much huger, with these lads eventually becoming the four Robins we all know and love.

To all you guys who reviewed last chapter, I want to extend my warmest thanks. I'm not kidding, you guys are the only reason I write. Like the moment you stop leaving reviews is the moment I stop writing. So no pressure or anything :). Seriously though, just tell me anything; tell me who your favourite Robin is so far, or what you think is going to happen next, just anything to let me know you are actually reading and/or enjoying it. Could I also ask that any guest reviewers that leave a review also leave a name? It just lets me know who's posting more than one review and also let's me know what to call you in any shout-outs I write up.

Also, to all the questions in the reviews so far ... all will be answered in due time. To the particular guest reviewer who read this as a penny dreadful (and left an incredible review), I hope you do enjoy this chapter - even if it does somewhat subvert your expectations at least for this chapter - I hope it is still entertaining. There was also a guest reviewer who had some interesting theories about Reggie too, which I enjoyed reading - no spoilers on Reggie, but he is important. Finally, Noona! Your review was crazy good and brought a smile to my face! The only other review I wanted to answer specifically is the boy's ages so far. I didn't really have any in mind when I wrote this, I knew Dick was the oldest and Damian the youngest, but no specific ages. If I had to be specific though, I'd say Dick and Jason are both between 14 and 15, Tim is 13 and Damian is 11.

Also, I'm currently working two jobs - which basically means seven days working. That means not nearly as much time to write, so I can't guarantee updates will be fast, however I really love writing this story so do expect them on around maybe like a monthly basis. Right now I'm waking up at 6 to do some writing on this story before work which MY GOD is hard, but it's worth it :D the next chapter's pretty much written up so leave your reviews if you want to see it!

I also want to give a shout-out to Kaguya 2.0. She beta'd this chapter and therefore had an active contribution in writing it. If you want some really deep character studies that are also incredibly entertaining, you should try 'Falling Short' by her for the Megaman fandom. You won't regret it!

Let me know what you guys are writing also. I'm always open to leaving reviews on other's works if they request it. And if you just want to talk, PM me!