Hello everyone! I'm not dead and haven't given up on this fic at all. I had my reasons for being on hiatus (mostly due to work since I barely had time to rest) but I hope to continue with this story that has a lot of comments and kudos and favorites now that sooner I will get more free time. Do not despair!

I would also like to take a moment to express my gratitude to all of you who even after so many months of hiatus still read this. It warms my heart and I hope every single one of you are safe during this difficult times due to the pandemic or whatever is happening at your city, country, etc. As always remember that english is not my prime language so if there are some grammar mistakes let me know and I will try to edit it as soon as I can.

Have a nice reading!

Chapter 9: Tutorship

The current semester was near the end of its term and that meant only one thing to the teachers and students of the prestigious Gotham Academy: The first week of exams were about to begin. Many of the students showed on their faces a clear sign of nervousness at the idea of failing, while a few others were confident that they would pass without problems. In the case of the members of the so-called "Detective Club" they were already preparing for an event like this for days. At the second floor of the library, on some desks there was Olive Silverlock reviewing her biology notes with the suggestions of Professor Langstrom, Kyle Mizoguchi doing geometry exercises over and over again and then verifying if he had given the true result or else he would return to do it from scratch, Colton was reading his old chemistry results in detail despite wearing his classic sunglasses, and Pomeline was trying to memorize her lines for the play that they were going to present in a couple of days. Only one member of the group was missing, a girl with short black hair, a few freckles on her face and a smile that almost always radiated happiness, that girl was called Mia Mizoguchi or as her closest friends called her: Maps.

In the case of the youngest of the Mizoguchi, she was sitting right in her chair, finishing her history class led by Professor Isla MacPherson, but her mind was focused on other things and not on the causes of the fall of the Roman Empire. Her gaze was directed to a sheet of paper with multiple scribbles made by herself where the following could be seen: Different types of games of three in a row, superhero names for her with costume designs included, Robin, a few funny expressions from her friend Damian and ideas for her new campaign of the role-play game "Serpents & Spells". The bell suddenly rang indicating that the class was over and all the students got up to get their things and quickly leave, leaving the adventure lover as the last, while MacPherson began to erase the blackboard everything she had written in those two hours.

"Mia. Can I talk with you for a minute?" Asked the teacher suddenly.

"Oh. Sure professor MacPherson! What's going on?"

"I wanted to know something: Are you alright?"

"What do you mean by alright?" Asked Maps somewhat confused.

"I noticed you've been very distracted in my class. You were here physically yes, but mentally you seemed to be somewhere else. You never asked or participated as you usually do."

"Oh, you know, sometimes you gotta give your teammates opportunities." Said the girl with a nervous laugh.

"Right... is just that I also realized you were giving many of those "opportunities" to your classmates lately and not only in my class. I have received many comments from other teachers that your attitude has changed and you could even say that your grades are going down." Commented the teacher directly while she took a cigarette out of her pocket. "I mean; I can even see in your eyes that you haven't been sleeping very well for the last few days.

"Wait really? For real?" Asked Maps as she touched her face.

Isla was correct, there was indeed some predominant dark circles around Mizoguchi's eyes that reflected fatigue or a lack of sleep, but there was an explanation that only the detective girl and her friends at the club knew: The nights she had going out with her billionaire friend, Damian Wayne and a few adventures at the academy. Maps couldn't tell her teacher what was really happening since, if she did, it was most likely that MacPherson would be watching her and preventing her from going out again; she needed an excuse to get out of this situation now.

"I have a lot going through my mind honestly, professor. But it's nothing to worry about! For real!"

"Is it about a boy?" Asked MacPherson directly.

"What? N-No of course not!" Quickly replied the girl clearly confused by the question.

"You sure? Cause looks like it. Listen, it's normal that at your age you start to develop certain likes to some guys a little more than usual and...".

"Please don't start this topic of conversation with me. I had enough with my older brother last time." Said Maps with a little blush on her face.

"I'm just kidding, calm down." Laughed Isla. "But it's not a joke that you have to pass this exam, Mia. If you fail, I'll have to call your parents and let them know what's happening to you. Understood?"

"Loud and clear, teacher!" Said Mia with a smile and giving a salute as a soldier to then running away.

A few hours had passed after that conversation and the night began to manifest itself, the students were already in their bedrooms either resting or still reviewing what they needed to prepare for the exams that were to come. Silverlock, the white-haired girl and Maps best friend, hadn't seen Mizoguchi all day and got worried, she went to Maps bedroom and knocked the door. No response. She knocked again with a little more force and yet nothing; Olive then opened it and saw Maps sitting in her chair and glued to her desk staring at her open history book.

"Maps! About time I see you! We were wondering about you and we thought you had gotten lost in some secret passage… Have you been here all day? Maps? Hello?"

No response. It was unusual for Mia to remain silent and at the situation, Olive was very confused. She got closer and could see to her amazement that Maps was actually sleeping on the history book as if it were a pillow and of course, leaving a slight trail of slime on the road.

"Maps!" Yelled Olive as she shook her friend. "Wake up!"

"W-What? What happened? Is it you, Batman?" Asked Maps disoriented.

"No. I'm Olive."

"Oh hey Olive! What a surprise to have you in my room."

"How long have you been sleeping?"

"I went to take a little nap after professor MacPherson's class, but I'm ready to meet you guys at the library!"

"Maps..." Interrupted Olive seriously. "We are all in our rooms ready to sleep, it's gonna be midnight soon."

Mia was stunned, she rubbed her eyes and then checked the time with her cell phone and confirmed the information of her best friend. She had slept all afternoon and therefore missed a whole day of study for her history exam. The very idea of receiving a wake-up call from her parents made her nervous and she began to move around the room, while Olive looked at her more confused.

"What's up with you?"

"It's horrible, Olive! MacPherson warned me that if I fail her exam she will notify to my parents!"

"That's what happens for staying awake several nights with your "friend" Damian and not actually studying."

"That's it!" Shouted Maps as she clapped her hands with joy. "You're great, Olive!"

"I am?"

"Yes, now I need you to go!" Indicated Mia as she pushed Olive to the exit and then closed the door.

Mizoguchi ran into her phone and quickly dialed the billionaire boy's number, put it to her ear and waited. There was a small ringing sound that took a few minutes, until finally someone answered with a slight voice of annoyance that only she clearly recognized, it was Damian.

"It's not a good time for a call, Maps." Said Damian.

"What? Was the billionaire boy busy hitting his punching bags?"

"Let's say I'm… hitting something, yeah." Answered Bruce Wayne's son followed by a small scream in the background.

"What was that?"

"Nothing."

"I swear I heard someone screaming."

"I said it was nothing. Speak now before I cut the call."

"You have plans early tomorrow?" Asked Maps.

"Well, no."

"Well now you're going to! I need to study history and you are one of the smartest guys I know! So from very early I will go to your house and you will give me personal classes all day until I learn everything I need!"

"Wait. What?" Asked Damian completely confused.

"See you tomorrow! Also: Can I have breakfast at your house too? I don't think that's a problem for you anyway. Bye!"

Instantly hanging up the call and ignoring the boy's claims, Maps quickly put her sleeping clothes on, stuffed her necessary history books and notebooks into her backpack, turned off the light in her bedroom and finally jumped into her bed, ready to continue her dream that had been interrupted a few minutes ago. There was a feeling of excitement running at her mind at what could happen tomorrow, due to the very idea of spending a whole day at Damian's house learning, but above all, having a good time with him was what gave her the most joy.

The next morning and in a great hurry to get to Wayne Manor; Maps woke up suddenly very early to get dressed and with her backpack on, she ran quickly from the girls' dormitory to the trailer Colton used to do his experiments. In that same place, there was a bicycle that belonged to the young Rivera and that she used on occasions. Maps took out her notebook and wrote a short message in a piece of paper, indicating that she was going to borrow the bike but later return it with promise included. Mizoguchi stepped on the pedals and quickly left the academy heading to Damian's house, remembering the route that she already knew very well. With a couple of hours of pedaling and admiring the scenery that lined the road, Mia finally arrived at the Wayne family mansion. Every time she arrived at the place, she felt impressed by the entire landscape that bordered the place, even if she had already visited this site several times; the feeling was always the same. She finally reached the door of the mansion and instantly pressed the doorbell deeply for a long time and then released it, assuming that someone must have at least heard all that and indeed, the door was opened and she could see none other than the faithful and reliable butler of the family, Alfred Pennyworth.

"Good morning, Miss Mizoguchi." Greeted the butler cordially with a warm smile.

"Hey Alfred! I came here so Damian could help me study!"

"Certainly. Master Damian told me that you needed help for your history test and somehow you managed to convince him. But I imagine you must be hungry after coming here this early in the morning, so I took the liberty of preparing a special breakfast for our guest of honor."

"Alfred you always surprise me!" Answered her with a tone similar to the butler. "Damian already had breakfast?"

"Unfortunately he will not be able to accompany you because he has already eaten his scrambled tofu with toasts and is preparing... the study hall according to him. But I'm going to reward you with some pancakes and fresh fruits from our own personal orchard.

"Great! With lots of maple syrup, please! Oh and if you can also some bacon." Shouted Maps.

The young Wayne was preparing the room to study in the meantime. From the library he took several volumes of world and national history as well as researches by experts in that area while a portable blackboard with a projector, in it there were real history documentaries, not like the ones that there were on TV shows about ancient alien theories. He was wearing a black turtleneck sweater and dark blue pants, as always looking elegant for any situation even if it wasn't necessary. His face showed few signs of fatigue, since his secret life as a superhero had made him get used to this lifestyle where resting was a concept little used by the Wayne family. He just wanted to get this started right away so he could get on with his life and maybe spend some more time with Maps. It was at that moment that the girl appeared accompanied by the butler who guided her through the corridors of the manor, looking satisfied by the excellent breakfast she had recently eaten.

"Miss Mizoguchi has arrived, Master Damian." Informed Alfred formally.

"Hey Damian!" Shouted the girl while waving with her hand.

"That'll be all for now, Pennyworth." Ordered Damian. "I'll take care of it from here on."

"As you say, sir. I will be attending your father who has some injuries from yesterday. Have fun and learn." Finished the butler before leaving.

"Did he just said your dad was hurt?" Asked Maps a bit worried about the latest.

"…Boat accident. But that's beside the point: Did you get a good breakfast?"

"My congratulations to Alfred! He's the best!"

"Did you get a good rest?"

"Of course!"

"And did you bring your materials?"

"Right here, Professor Wayne!" Answered Maps while taking her books and history notebooks out of her backpack.

The boy took the notebook and carefully opened it so that he could observe all the notes that his friend had made throughout the semester. He could see at times subjects such as Egyptian, Babylonian, Greek and Roman civilizations, although with very basic information for his taste, later there were other sheets with children's drawings of soldiers fighting and he could even found some scribbles of himself as some kind of grumpy monster. He closed the notebook and then opened the book that she had brought and it also contained information so basic that he was even ashamed to see. Damian took both materials and suddenly tossed them aside like garbage, taking the adventure girl by surprise.

"Hey! Watch it!" Exclaimed Maps as she picked up her notebook with a clear sign of annoyance. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

"-tt- If you think that with these simple materials I am going to teach you, you are very wrong."

"Simple? It's what they teach me at the academy!"

"One more reason to say that place is a waste of time." Replied Damian with his arrogant smile. "I took the liberty of taking a pop quiz to measure your knowledge and I hope you don't disappoint me with your results."

"Damian Wayne, you are the worst."

"I've heard worse. Now do it, you have an hour and starting… now."

Taking a stopwatch from his pocket, the boy marked the beginning of the so-called pop quiz, while Maps tried to compose herself and sit in a chair so that, with pencil in hand, she would begin to mark the answers that at least she thought she felt safe they were the real ones. Some varied, such as indicating the country where the Industrial Revolution began or the determining factors of the French Revolution; a little bit of everything in a way. Damian, on the other hand, watched sitting in his chair, silently in front while he could deduce different aspects such as the pressure she used to dial, the way she quickly looked at the questions, her brown eyes that seemed to shine with determination at the thought that she had found an answer and her lips. Just thinking about that last thing, he closed her eyes in denial and looked away while she kept waiting for the hour to pass.

As the hour passed, Damian stopped the timer while Maps continued to dial some answers, but now in a hastier way, with fear and even trying to prevent her tutor for the day from snatching her sheet. It was too late, since the boy without much effort took it away with ease.

"Time's up."

"I had five questions left!"

"And you want to have a good grade on your exam with such speed? I would have finished with half an hour to spare. I'm going to check." Said Damian as he took a red marker.

"I think I did well in the civilizations questions!"

"Wrong."

"What?!"

"I said wrong. How are you going to say that Neptune is the Greek God of the seas?

"He's not?"

"-tt- Uncultured girl. Poseidon is the Greek God of the seas while Neptune is the Roman adaptation. Did you say there were only three crusades? There were eight in total."

"Oh."

"And the name of the murderer of Archduke Franz Ferdinand was Gavrilo Princip… not just I don't know. This is more serious than I thought." Said Damian worried.

Damian didn't need to read any more of Maps answers. What he wanted now was to intensify the class and for that, he took one of the history books that he had and then selected a varied topic: The life and military campaigns of Alexander the Great. Perhaps a theme more dedicated to the action and conquests of the king would motivate the girl to do something more profound so he decided to bet on this option.

"I want you to read this." Said Damian while indicating the subject.

"Alexander the Great?"

"That's right. Once you read what you need, I want you to write me an essay of at least two pages where you explain why he is considered one of the greatest kings and conquerors in history. You have one hour to read and another to write."

"You're enjoying bothering me with all of this. Don't you?" Asked Mia with a clear annoyance.

He just smiled. There was no need to say anything so he just walked away and went back to his chair to read a few essays and stall. Maps began to read in detail a little about the origins of the king, like the events that occurred when he was born and who his parents were, and then began to imagine herself dressed as a Greek woman walking through the streets of Macedonia. Perhaps living in that time was not bad at all now that she imagined herself dressed as a warrior fighting alongside other soldiers and riding a horse. The very idea of being in a war like in the movies seemed great to her and it was at that moment that an idea popped out in her mind.

"Hey, Damian."

"What?"

"Can we see a movie later?"

"No."

"But I feel like it could help me learn history!"

"Movies only serve to entertain your mind, not to learn." Said Wayne seriously.

"Party pooper."

"Keep reading, Maps. I can do this all day."

Another hour had passed when Maps closed the book and then began to write what she could remember of the young conqueror. Why so obsessed with learning history if the important thing was to live in the present? Who knew if she would really need to use this area of knowledge in the future, but at least she had to recognize something: Damian was doing his part to help her and for her, that was a very noble gesture on his part. She struggled and tried to write what she could until finally finishing the two pages her temporary mentor had instructed her to do.

"Done!" Yelled Maps and throwing the sheet in his face.

"Are you sure?"

"Let's see what you think of it, prick!"

Damian resisted answering her, he simply took the sheet with one hand and with the other he began to mark the errors that he found. At times he could highlight some writing errors while at others write down important points that were well placed; meanwhile Maps looked not at the results but at her friend actually. It was peculiar to see him acting in this calm way, but without losing the arrogant attitude that characterized him and above all highlighting his dedication to her for helping, she liked to see that Damian.

"Your essay is generally decent, for a girl of your age."

"Great!"

"But you need to strengthen your knowledge further. We have a lot of work to do, Maps."

"As you say, professor Damian!" Said Maps as she winked at him.

More hours passed and after a short break including lunch prepared by Alfred, the two youngsters continued studying without stopping. Maps was gradually improving her answers as well as her essays and Damian felt more satisfied with seeing her happy with what she was doing, perhaps this idea of being her teacher was not so bad after all. It was during an essay on the Russian Revolution, the adventure-loving girl happened to break the silence in the study room.

"Hey, can I ask you something?"

"Go ahead."

"Do you think Robin knows some history?"

"And what does that have to do with the Russian revolution, Maps?" Asked Damian while reading a book.

"Nothing really. But… it's just… I wonder if Robin needs to know science or history. I mean, he's Batman's helper and I always see him beating up villains and criminals or wearing his utility belt."

"Maps, we all need to learn something. And I think he knows enough to do things on his own without Batman's help."

"Like that time he beat up those thieves in the mall on his own?"

"Probably."

"He is great."

"I guess so, yeah." Answered him while turning a page.

"You know, I'd like to see him again and hang out with him." Said the girl with a little sight.

"What?"

"What?"

They both fell silent and looked at each other for a few minutes. Maps seemed not to have thought about what she had just said and after processing it, she blushed slightly and ducked her head to focus her eyes on the essay she was writing about the fall of the Tsar. Meanwhile, Damian tried to think of other things until he heard some footsteps coming from afar, they weren't the ones Alfred made calmly but rather more hurried ones and he could deduce that the person approaching was someone younger, more familiar and above all more irritating.

"Oh, there you are!" Said a youthful male voice. "Alfred told me that you were being a private teacher and wanted to check by myself."

Maps raised her head and caught her gaze where the voice came from. At the door of the study room was a boy slightly taller than her and Damian, with short black hair, wearing a red short-sleeved shirt and jeans. Unlike her billionaire friend, this boy seemed to act more youthful and age appropriate, assuming he was probably eighteen years old from his looks. He walked over and confidently patted Damian on the head, much to the latter's displeasure.

"Everything good in here?" Asked the new boy with a smile.

"This is not a good time to interrupt us, Drake." Replied Damian coldly and trying to release his hand. "We are busy."

"Come on... were you going to be like this all day without introducing me to your guest?"

"Yes. Now get out. Now."

"Is it always like this with you?" Asked Drake to Maps.

Mizoguchi giggled a little bit and without saying anything, she shook her head hinting that sometimes yes, sometimes no. The young man approached her and shook her hand in a cordial greeting while Damian stood with his arms crossed with an annoyed expression, as if this moment went from something good to a disastrous one.

"My name is Tim Drake; I am one of Damian's sort of older brothers. Nice to meet you!"

"Oh, so you're Tim! Alfred told me a little bit about you the first time I came to Damian's house." Said the girl still shaking his hand. "I'm Mia Mizoguchi, but you can call me Maps."

"Here among us, Maps, with all confidence: How did you manage to be friends with this little demon?"

"What did you just call me?" Asked Damian clearly annoyed.

"It's a funny story actually..." Interrupted Mia. "He sent me a letter by hand saying that he wanted to know how I was and..."

With a stealthy speed, Damian quickly got into the middle of the conversation and shut her mouth with one of his hands. She couldn't see when the billionaire boy had appeared, but from what she could see on his face, he was clearly nervous and upset with the situation, blushing intensively. On the other hand, Drake noticed his little brother face and behavior, then smiled mischievously, as if he was waiting for a moment like this.

"A letter? Who would have thought." Said Tim. "Damian has a sentimental side after all!"

"Drake, I will not repeat this again: Leave us." Ordered Damian with a tone of disgust.

"Hey, but I was talking to him!" Replied Maps annoyed after taking his friend's hand at her mouth.

"No. What we were doing was studying for your history test."

"History? I love history!" Cheered Tim. "Need help, Maps?"

"Yes! Damian is helping me, although he has methods a little… exaggerated." Said the girl with a nervous laugh. "He says that with this I will learn better than in the academy."

"Exaggerated? -tt- They are efficient."

"How about you try my learning style? I think we can make it more fun." Proposed Tim while drawing what appeared to be an ancient colony explorer.

"Great!" Shouted Maps excitedly.

Damian felt that something bad was happening. Not in the sense that there was a supervillain attacking Wayne Manor or Gotham city, but it was the situation of the moment he was going through: Seeing that one of the people he least wanted to see, that is Tim Drake, his predecessor as the boy wonder, was now interfering with the custom class that he had worked so hard to make to help Maps. And worst of all, Mizoguchi seemed to be more excited by giving Tim more attention than Wayne himself, who show clear discomfort by sitting in the distance and standing idly while looking out one of the windows at the open field. He didn't want to be a part of this even though at times he continued to observe his "student" of the day. Meanwhile Maps, despite having fun, realized at times that Damian had moved away with displeasure and she honestly would have preferred that her friend was also by her side having a good time.

The day had finally arrived and Maps gave her history test. So many hours of study given by Damian and Tim managed to make the youngest of the Mizoguchi feel confident and above all, do her work at a fast speed: An essay on the conflict known as "The War of the Roses". As she finished writing the necessary writing, she stood up and left her exam to a surprised MacPherson as well as the other classmates before leaving the classroom.

The week was over and Mia finally received her results to see that, in general, every one of them had decent grades, but her priority was another: History. Rushing into her room finally, the girl saw that the last test about that subject had the highest grade in the class, an A minus along with a little note from MacPherson: "Good job, Mia! Keep it up!" She jumped of joy and fell onto her bed. This meant that Isla would not call her parents and everything would continue to go as usual. Quickly, Mia took her cell phone and dialed Damian's number, since she needed to tell him everything that had happened and that all the effort was worth it.

"What now, Maps?" Asked Damian.

"Oh you know, not much..." Answered her with a disinterested tone and then shouted with emotion. "Except I got the highest grade on my history test! Boom! How 'bout that?!"

"Well, congratulations."

"Why thank you! Let's say I had a… good teacher these last few days." Said Maps with a tender laugh.

Silence from Damian. She knew that deep down, despite the lack of words, he was equally satisfied with the result. Wayne for his part wanted to say something else to her, but the words did not come out of his mouth no matter how hard he tried, until Maps decided to take the reins of the matter.

"I suppose this means an award for our arduous study session."

"You suppose?"

"Of course!" Affirmed Maps with excitement.

"-tt- Okay, movie afternoon will be then."

"Great! Can Tim join us too?"

"Absolutely not." Damian answered curtly.

They both laughed at how quick his answer was. Maps thought it was because he didn't want to feel more embarrassment from Tim like that time; while Damian actually just wanted to spend time with Maps alone and not being bothered by someone else from his family.

And there we go! Another chapter with lot of situations and also more character development. I really wanna continue this and if you have any suggestions or ideas hit the comments and let me know!

Have a wonderful day/night everyone!