The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man who lives fully is prepared to die at any time. ~ Mark Twain
Birthday Wishes
"La mulți ani pentru tine… La mulți ani pentru tine…"
Damian Wayne opened his eyes slowly. The boy was greeted with the sight of two vivid blue eyes that sparkled at him from under bangs of dark hair. "Fratele Happy birthday mic … La mulți ani pentru tine"
Ah. Yes…
He was seven.
Dick sat up from his position next to the child and grinned down at the tousled head of hair poking out from under a mound of blankets. "C'mon Dami, rise and shine birthday boy."
"…time is it?"
"Six Thirty. Come on, school's almost-"
"Do I have to attend today?"
The young Romani blinked then grinned. "Um, yeah, Dami. You have to go."
"You don't."
"Teacher's work day. Come on, up and at 'em."
And despite himself, Damian had a hard time saying no to his brother. As the boy levered himself out of bed, the teen smiled at him again and practically skipped to the door.
"Alfred made pancakes so hurry. I'll drive you to school. Come on!"
Jason sighed as the sounds of Dick and Damian arguing drifted through the manor's halls. "I thought you said they were getting along."
Bruce shrugged from where he was seated, reading the morning paper. "At least he talks now."
"You two are pathetic." Blue-green eyes skimming over his laptop at an alarming speed, Tim sipped at his cocoa and snorted derisively. "Damian is still in serious need of emotional help and just because he's talking now, you both dump him on Dick and tell yourself he can do it for you."
"I don't see you trying to help, twerp."
"Jay, last time I tried to talk to the kid he threatened to, and I quote, 'take my abnormally large cranium and smash it against the wall until he could use it for a bowl'. There is no way I am getting anywhere near him."
Jason and Bruce sat staring at the boy in silence for a long moment before the teen went back to his comic with a smirk. "Yep, he's Bruce's kid all right."
"Jason, shut up."
When the birthday boy in question finally entered he was followed by Dick and scowling slightly. Dick frowned at the silence and flopped in his chair while looking around the table before sighing. "Family breakfasts…when will you learn Dick? Your plans, although brilliant, never work."
"What?" Three heads rose from their reading in unison and almost made Dick smile before he shifted to face a little away from them and muttered under his breath.
"Nothing, nothing, as you were… Nu este ca și cum am lua doar pentru a vedea toată lumea de fiecare dată într-un timp. De ce ar trebui să facem de fapt, Doamne ferește, vorbesc unul cu altul și să încerce să acționeze ca o familie pentru o dată…"
Bruce bit back a comment. He hated when Dick slipped into Romanian. The boy only seemed to do it when he was deep in thought or troubled. Bruce had a feeling that Dick often vented in this way to avoid conflict, and in turn avoided closure.
"Poate că ar trebui să fie doar recunoscători că Todd este de lectură la toate. S-ar putea să crească un creier. "
There was stunned silence, followed by delighted laughter from Dick.
"Dami! Ai limba română?"
"Da." The boy shrugged. "Mama ma învățat mai multe limbi."
"Heyheyhey, I heard my name somewhere in there." Jason folded up his comic and glared at the kid. "What are you saying?"
Damian covered smoothly. "Merely that, since it's the day of my birth, I would like to hear about birthdays in America. I've never had a birthday party, what are they like?"
"You've…never…" The look on Dick's face clearly showed his horror and made Jason smirk into his cup. "Well…they differ…"
"Yeah, like with me? Until Bruce took me in, I didn't get anything. My deadbeat dad barely knew I was alive." Jason snorted. "But I guess they're pretty cool now. Free stuff and crap…"
"Huh." Tim grinned. "You know, I never thought I'd say this but Jason and I are kind of alike there. I mean, my nana tried to celebrate with me, but mom and dad were never home so…But I love 'em now. Kinda cool, knowing that people remembered."
"So I am not the only one to not celebrate my day of birth?" Damian asked. "What changed?"
They all turned to look at Dick, who blushed. "…What?! I like celebrating. It's not my fault I'm the only one who thinks that it's a big deal…"
Bruce smiled slightly. "You are the only one here who had people to celebrate with."
The blush worsened. Before Bruce could say anything Dick was up and dashing for the door. "Come on Dami, Tim, school."
As the three left, Bruce stood and looked at Jason. "Stay out of trouble."
"Yessir."
"And I shall lead them on a merry chase."
Jason shook his head in disbelief. "Inception. Arthur. Joseph Gordon Levitt. Lame attempt Dick. Um…An ant has no quarrel with a boot."
"Avengers. Loki. Tom Hiddleson. Like that's any better. How about…That does put a damper on our relationship."
Jason looked at him blankly and the older teen chuckled to himself.
"Shut up, golden boy, I'll figure it out. I think we have more than enough balloons."
Tying off a shiny red one, Dick nodded his agreement. "Let's start hanging them."
The two boys were situated in the study, decorating the large room with multi colored balloons and a gross amount of streamers. Dick started drawing artistic capital Ds on the balloons as Jason rooted around the desk for tape. A soft cough from the doorway made them look up as Alfred set a plate of cheese and crackers on a table.
"I'll leave you to your devices while I prepare dinner for tonight. I ask that you do not come in while I am working and please, keep the mess to a minimum."
"Yessir!"
As the elderly man walked away, Jason looked at Dick. "Hey, when are your minions getting here to help?"
"They're my friends, not my min-"
"DICK!"
A blur slammed into the older boy and both figures toppled backwards as Jason sprang back with surprise.
Wally West, a freckle faced teen with green eyes and auburn hair hugged Dick tightly as the darker haired boy returned the crushing hug.
"Hey twinkle toes, how you been?"
"FineIguessImeanI'vemissedyouandIthinkit'slamethatyoucan'tWellnotthatit'syourfaultbutI-"
"West!" Jason clapped hands over his ears. "You're giving me a headache!"
"Oh, sorry Jay-bird-"
"Don't call me that!"
"-sometimes I get so excited…anyway, I'm good. I've missed you Dick…"
"I know, I wanted to come visit…" Dick helped his best friend up. "But I had a killer cold and Bruce asked that I not do any traveling."
"And I suppose 'cavorting' with your team is considered traveling…"
"Wally…" Dick's eyes were laughing. "Who taught you that word?"
"That's what Diana said when Donna was pestering her at Watchtower about-"
"Wally, I do not pester!" Donna Troy stood with hands on hips as she grinned at her friends. Behind her, Garth smiled shyly and stepped forward to hug Dick, his pale skin a little flushed.
"Dick…I'm sorry about this, but if it's not too much to ask…"
The teen immediately nodded and led him towards another door. "Yeah, come on, I'll show you where it is." He paused and grinned at Jason. "Oh, Jay? Princess Bride. Wesley. Cary Elwes."
"Screw you."
As the two left, Donna turned to Jason. "Hello Jace."
The teen tried to salvage his ability to speak but all he could manage was a weak wave. He'd had a crush on the young amazon ever since he'd met her; in fact, she had been the source of his first fight with Dick. He'd been sure that Dick was in love with her and had become insanely jealous. It wasn't until he overheard Dick giving her dating advice over the phone that he realized that Dick saw her as a sister. Of course she'd started dating Roy Harper at that point but that lasted all of two months and Jason wondered if he'd get a chance now…
Wally was zipping around the room, hanging the balloons and munching on the snack Alfred had left. Jason cleared his throat nervously and stooped to help Donna with the streamers. "Thanks for coming to help."
"Any excuse to get together." Donna assured him. "We haven't seen Dick in a while and it's nice to all be here. Oh, and see you of course."
Jason blushed.
Damian sat at his table and stared out the window. He hated school. His father had been very firm about him not showing off in class and he had a hard time going along with the lessons when he was able to do high school level math and read perfectly well. It was infuriating. As he tried to concentrate, he happened to look out the window and frowned. For a moment, he'd been sure there was a man in black, standing by the large oak tree on the lawns. Odd… He was pulled back to his surroundings as the shy boy to his left smiled slightly.
"Um, I heard it's your birthday today."
"…yes."
"Well, happy birthday."
"…thank you."
"But if you don't want to go there, why not tell Bruce?"
Dick snorted as he floated on his back, watching Garth swim and dive and-his lip twitched-cavort through the cool waters.
"It's not that simple Gar, Bruce wants me to work at Wayne Industries and get some high level job."
"And you don't want to."
"No. But, see, I don't know what I want so I can't really argue with him. At least this is a plan, right?"
"You must have some idea of what you want to do with your life."
"Well…" Dick swam over to where his friend was clinging to the side of the pool and leaned over to whisper in his ear. Garth's eyes widened.
"Really?!"
Dick half shrugged, looking embarrassed. "It's a possibility."
"You'd be great!"
"You think s-"
They both blinked at a cough from behind them and looked up to see Roy looking down at them with a slight smirk.
"The others wanna know why you're skipping out on the work…"
"Hey Roy, when'd you get here?" Dick hauled himself out of the pool as Garth slid out gracefully and reached for a towel.
"Couple minutes ago. What're you and Gills talking about?"
"Nothing." Garth said smoothly. "Come on Bow Boy, let's go."
The three boys entered the study, Dick and Garth still damp, and grinned at the slightly messy decorations. Jason was talking to Donna as Wally finished with a last balloon.
"Great job, guys…"
"Lot of help you were." Donna laughed and looked around. "Think he'll like it?"
"As much as Damian can like anything…"
"Harsh…" Garth winced.
"Um, have you met the demon child?"
"Jay…" Dick glared at his brother before walking over to Donna and grinning at her. "Hey, so…Terry?"
Donna blushed as the other boys all stared at her. "Ah, yeah…he's…a teacher…at a community college…I take photography classes there sometimes and…um…"
"Wait, how old is this guy?"
"…Thirty…"
"Geez!" Roy looked horrified. "Don, you're eighteen!"
"We're not dating! Besides…he's a father…although his wife left him…" She tucked hair behind her ear and made a face. "She's…kind of a witch."
"Donna and I have talked about it." Dick shot Roy a look. "She's not going to pursue him…they're friends."
"Exactly." Donna agreed. "We're just-"
"Master Dick…" Alfred came into the room, looking nervous. "You may wish to turn on the tele…"
Wally was closest to the TV and flipped it on. The picture came into focus to reveal a young woman who was stationed in front of a looming building. The structure was gothic and decrepit, surrounded by a high cast-iron fence and barbed wire. Boarded and barred windows peered from the brick walls and eerie trees dotted a large and ill-treated lawn. The woman was saying:
"And although Dr. Arkham has refused to make a statement, it has been confirmed that the inmate known as The Joker has, in fact, escaped custody; killing three guards in the progress and-"
Everyone jumped at an unexpected curse from Dick as the teen whipped out a phone and began pacing the room. Wally looked at him cautiously.
"Dick…anything we can do?"
"No Walls, I just…no just wait for a sec… Haide Bruce, ridica telefonul…"
.:Dick?:.
"I take it you've heard."
.:Dick, you need to have your friends go home. I'll be home soon as my meetings are done for the day.:.
"Bruce, look, I can start searching right now and-"
.:Absolutely not-:.
"Bruce, how long have I been doing this?"
.:…nine years. But-:.
"But nothing Bruce, I promise I won't confront him if I find him, I'll call you right away. But we have to get a jump on this because you are not spending the evening looking for him."
.:You cannot seriously be-:.
"Thinking that you are going to be here for your son's birthday? O-oh, trust me, I am deadly serious here."
Donna, Garth and Alfred all hid smiles at the commanding tone the young man had adopted. Roy, Wally and Jason didn't even try.
Dick was adamant. "You're going to pick him up from school and take him with you. You are going to spend time with him."
.:Dick, I don't think he'll be heartbroken over missing a few crummy meetings…:.
"Bruce, those meetings bored me as a child but you know what? Just being near you made it more than worth it and I want Dami to get to be with his father and feel the same feelings of comfort that I felt. You grossly underestimate the power you have over other people's emotions. You're a fantastic father, try showing it to your kid!"
Jason shook his head in amazement. Thank God for his older brother; very few people could say things like that with absolutely no embarrassment.
There was silence from the other side of the phone and Dick held his breath, really hoping he hadn't pushed too far.
.:Be Careful.:.
Dick grinned over the sound of the phone being hung up and turned to his friends. He blinked at their expressions. "What?"
"I know we only heard half of that conversation…" Roy grinned. "But you are the only person in the world who can talk to Him like that."
Dick rolled his eyes. Then the teen grinned wickedly. "So…who's up for some legwork?"
Damian blinked in surprise at the sight of his father standing in the parking lot. He'd grown fairly used to being picked up by Alfred, or occasionally Dick, and he couldn't remember ever seeing his father within fifty feet of the elementary school. He walked up to where Bruce was leaning against a Lamborghini, smiling nervously at him.
"Ready to go?"
"…Yes."
They drove in silence for a while before Bruce coughed slightly. "How's school?"
"Adequate."
Bruce smiled slightly. "No, please, tell me how you really feel."
"That's that sarcasm thing Todd enjoys so much, correct?"
"Damian…" Bruce looked at his son and shook his head. "That was one of the longest sentences I've ever heard from you." When the boy stayed silent Bruce continued. "What about school do you not enjoy?"
Damian looked surprised for a moment, before frowning slightly in thought. "I am smarter than everyone…they're all slow…"
"Well, maybe we can see about putting you in a more advanced class." Bruce shrugged. "I had to do that for Dick and Tim, so I know the process pretty well…you'll have to make more of a jump than they did though…skip a couple grades maybe…"
Never, in his dreams, had Damian ever thought that the solution could be so simple. Bruce wasn't even thinking about it, just agreeing. The boy shifted in his seat. "About tonight…I do not have to do anything stupid do I? Grayson's not going overboard?"
"I gave him some guidelines." Bruce soothed. "It'll just be a nice family dinner, I promise."
"…Very well."
"What kind of dessert are you going to want? Alfred's making that chocolate cake you liked but we need ice cream too."
"…What kinds are there?"
Apparently a lot, Bruce thought as he and his son stood and stared at the isle full of ice cream. Damian shook his head. "Why do people need so many flavors?"
"…I'm not really sure…" Bruce squinted at a box. "Why would people put birthday cake in ice cream? Isn't that why we have cake with ice-cream?"
"This one's pink." Damian said in disgust. "Pink."
"C'mon, Damian, sometimes pink ice cream is good, like the strawberry in Neapolitan." Bruce looked at the box and frowned. "Although…I've never seen any in that particular hue…is it glowing?"
"This one is coffee flavored…you like this kind, do you not?"
"Yep!" Bruce said happily as he pulled the box out. He blinked and pulled out another box. It was blue and had a cartoonish picture of the Man of Steel on it. Bruce rolled his eyes but put it in the basket anyway. "Dick'll get a kick out of this."
"Father, I want this one."
Bruce eyed the mint chocolate chip ice cream. "You sure?"
"Yes."
The millionaire grinned. "Good, that's one of my favorites. Come on, let's get sundae toppings."
Damian watched his father thoughtfully. The simple task of choosing dessert had led to the longest conversation the boy had ever had with his father. And there had been no insults or reprimands from either party. Damian wasn't used to such a calm aura from his father and it actually made him feel more comfortable. As the child began to follow Bruce to the check out line he quickly doubled back and stared down the isle hosting chips, bread and salsa.
He could have sworn he saw a man in black…
"Any luck?" Red Hood asked as he, Wonder Girl and Speedy stood on the roof of a large department store, looking out at the skyline.
.:Not yet. You looked into Quinn?:.
"She's not involved, still at that rehab place. Where should we head next?"
.:Try those places on the list Al's sending you, he's been known to hide out there.:.
"Rodger that. What about you guys?"
.:Aqualad and KF are going with Red Robin to check out the factories and I'm gonna look into some of his underworld contacts.:.
"Alone?"
.:Contrary to popular belief, I do know what I'm doing.:. Hood had to smile slightly at Robin's irritated tone. The older teen continued. .:Remember, do not engage. I'm going to be out of range for a while but stick together and contact Bruce if you find him, got it?:.
"I got it." Hood rolled his eyes as his brother hung up. "Dork…"
"Why's Dick so…nervous?" Wonder Girl sat next to the teen and Hood really had to thank the fates that he had a full face mask on because his face was most likely as red as his hood. "I know he's always a little on the serious side, but he's being cautious even for him."
"You have to call him Robin when we're in uniform." Hood grinned at how easily that had come out. Jeez, he sounded like Bruce. "Robin and Batman are a little sensitive when it comes to Joker. Obviously the man is insane and dangerous…but I've always kind of gotten the vibe that there's something else they're not telling us about. Sort of like something really, really bad happened…"
"Like the way Rob feels about Two-face?" Speedy asked absentmindedly as he looked over the edge of the roof.
Wonder Girl and Red Hood looked at each other in confusion. Hood cleared his throat. "Um, what about Robin and Two-Face..?"
Speedy froze and looked over his shoulder. "…Not my tell."
"Roy…"
"Not. My. Tell." The red head straightened his bow and avoided eye contact. "So these places Rob mentioned?"
"Yeah, let's go." He blinked as his comm went off and rolled his eyes. "I think I know who that is…"
"Are they alright?"
Bruce smiled at Damian as he snapped his phone and nodded, feeling a little guilty. Dick, Jason and Tim were all smart enough to deal with a bit of fact finding. There was absolutely no reason to be checking in on them so much. This was his time with Damian; he just had to keep telling himself that. "They're fine. Look, I'm really sorry about you having to come along…"
The boy shrugged and looked out the window of the car. They had left the store after making their purchases and the boy was debating about pulling out his ipod. "I don't mind." He stiffened and his voice sharpened, startling his father. "Did you see that?"
"See what?" Bruce asked, shooting his child a confused look from the corner of his eye.
"There is this man dressed in black that I have seen several times today."
"You think you're being stalked?"
Well, now that his father said it out loud, it sounded a little odd. "I do not know, all I know is-"
Whatever he'd been about to say was drowned out by the screeching of tires as a truck barreled out in front of them and Bruce had to swerve to avoid a messy collision. Bruce flung an arm out to steady Damian as the car skidded to a halt. Panting, the man looked at his son. "Are you alright?"
Damian nodded dumbly. The boy looked a little pale as Bruce climbed out of the car to yell at the other driver, who was babbling as he shook his head. Still calming himself, Damian looked up and blinked at the sight of the figure in black.
"I-I'm so sorry sir…I didn't see you coming and I-"
"How could you not see us? We had the right of way!—Damian!" The man darted after his son, who had slipped out of the car and was running off toward the crowds of people milling around and gaping at the almost crash site.
The boy pushed past people and looked around frantically as he made his way down the street. He was sick and tired of seeing this figure and was determined to figure out what was going on. Out of his peripheral he saw the familiar black clothes and turned the corner, starting out across the street. A large truck came barreling out of no-where and Damian barely managed to figure out what he was looking at as the headlights illuminated him before a pair of strong arms was hauling him backwards and off the street. He collapsed against his savior and lay on the sidewalk, panting heavily and shaking slightly.
Two near death experiences in the space of five minutes was extreme, even for Damian. Bruce hauled him up and grasped his shoulders, kneeling in front of him and running over his form with panicked eyes. "Are you alright?"
The boy nodded mutely and looked over his shoulder, but his savoir was gone. Bruce sighed and pulled the boy into an alley, looking around. Suddenly a lithe form landed next to Bruce.
"What is wrong with you? What kind of babysitting was that?!"
Damian started at the sight of Dick in dark jeans, thin black tank top and leather jacket. The teen's eyes were covered in brown contacts and his dark hair was gelled back. Bruce sighed heavily. "It's a long story."
"Hrnn…" Dick snorted and squatted in front of Damian, looking up into the boy's eyes. "You alright?"
Feeling a little amused by the similarity in tone as he was asked the question for the second time that day, Damian nodded again and frowned thoughtfully. "Why are you dressed like that?"
"I'm undercover."
Bruce growled. "Alone? Where are your brothers?"
"With the Titans. Figured I'd hit Joker's associates, see what they know. Turns out, they don't know anything. Also, there aren't many."
Battling between amusement and irritation, Bruce shook his head. "Go home. All of you. We'll deal with him later, when I can help. Get going and don't forget to stay in character until you're out of that get up."
"Sure thing, Pops."
"Goodbye, 'Richie'. Come on Damian, let's go home."
"Pops? Richie?" Damian looked up at his father in confusion. "Why do I feel like I've missed something?"
"Long story." Bruce sighed as he climbed back into his car. "Can you promise me no more running off?"
"Fine." Damian looked out the window and let himself become lost in his thoughts. "Father?"
"Yes?"
"Why…When that car almost hit me, Grayson could have been hurt. But he jumped in anyway…"
Bruce looked at the boy and felt a wave of understanding wash over him. "Well, you'd do the same for him, right?"
Damian blinked then nodded slowly as his father continued. "When you care about someone, you want to keep them safe. Their wellbeing takes precedence over your own. He's got your back and wants to make sure you're not hurt. It's part of being in a family."
The boy thought about that. He'd always been taught to accept that death was behind each corner and to trust no one. But ever since he'd come to live with his father, he'd had people looking out for him. And, even though the thought frightened him, he'd come to appreciate having them there. Perhaps he didn't really want to walk alongside death anymore. Perhaps life really was the more attractive notion. Perhaps…risks were unnecessary.
"Father…is it alright if I invite someone to dinner tonight?"
Bruce started, then smiled. "Yes, of course."
Damian thought about the shy boy in his class and nodded.
Standing by the road, the man in black watched the car drive off. He dusted off his black robe and shrugged his boney shoulders. "OH WELL. I GUESS I'LL LEAVE THE KID FOR NOW. REALLY WISH PEOPLE WOULD STOP GETTING INVOLVED. I SWEAR, NO ONE JUST DIES ON TIME ANYMORE."
I'm sorry that this was mostly fluff but I wanted to play with Damian some and suddenly the Titans popped up and I thought why not. Also includes a stupid cameo by a Terry Pratchett character. Yeah…
Next story is a remake of an old Batman story and will have a nice bit of action. I want to throw in a cameo at the beginning so if there's a hero you want me to add in, let me know through comments.
I think I'm going to try for a post every month, since school keeps me busy. So please let me know what you think and see you next month. Same bat-time, same bat-channel.
La mulți ani pentru tine… La mulți ani pentru tine…-Happy Birthday to you...happy birthday to you...
Fratele Happy birthday mic … La mulți ani pentru tine-Happy birthday little brother, happy birthday to you
Nu este ca și cum am lua doar pentru a vedea toată lumea de fiecare dată într-un timp. De ce ar trebui să facem de fapt, Doamne ferește, vorbesc unul cu altul și să încerce să acționeze ca o familie pentru o dată…-It's not like we only get to see everyone every once in a while. Why should we in fact, God forbid, talk to each other and try to act like a family for once ..
Poate că ar trebui să fie doar recunoscători că Todd este de lectură la toate. S-ar putea să crească un creier.-Maybe we should just be grateful that Todd is reading at all. Might grow a brain.
Dami! Ai limba română?-Dami! You speak Romanian?
Da...Mama ma învățat mai multe limbi.-Yes...My mother taught me several languages
