Damian gritted his teeth against the pain in his rib and closed his eyes and tried to keep his breathing steady.
He wonders if his brothers would care if they found him. Found him lying in a puddle of his own blood, bones broken and looking like death had come.
He wonders if any of them would show up at his funeral. He wonders if they would cry. Would they even care to show up? Probably not. They would probably celebrate him going away.
Maybe his father would care. It was after all his idea. His idea for Damian not to fight those bullies. To just let them be. And look where that had landed him.
Broken and bleeding to death in some back alleyway. This really wasn't how he had thought he would die. A second time anyway. He had thought he would die by some huge foe. Or maybe of age. Or another natural cause.
Not because some bully had overpowered him and his friends had taken turns beating the shit out of him. He had wanted to fight back so badly but he hadn't wanted his father to shoot him a disappointed look. He hadn't wanted his brothers or sister to look at him in disgust for hurting the 'innocent'.
Tt. Says so much about them.
While Damian was bleeding out from a knife wound the bully had given using a rusty pocket knife, he began thinking. About his 'family', his 'friends' and his 'team'.
To be fair he didn't even think his family was his… family. They barely even functioned together on a good day. Hell, half of them if not all, hated him. Drake barely gives him the time of day and he continues to think of him as an assassin even after he changed. Even after he proved himself time and time again that he wasn't an assassin.
Todd. Well Todd barely speaks to him as it is. Only to insult him or to ask where the others are. Had he even apologised for shooting him? Probably. Or probably not. Damian couldn't remember with how much blood he was losing. He let out a small humourless laugh.
His father barely even gave him the time of day as it was. He hadn't even remembered his 13th birthday. He hadn't even bothered to ask him normal questions a father asks his son. But Damian couldn't blame his father. He had been the unexpected one. The unplanned one. The unwanted one.
Grayson was another story. He would probably actually care. If he wasn't focusing on someone else. Maybe he was still comforting Wallace after Damian had almost killed him. He couldn't blame Grayson, though. Grayson was very well liked and he attracted people to him like how the planets were attracted to the sun. But Damian was selfish. He just wanted someone to love him. Was that so bad? Probably coming from an assassin like him.
Pennyworth. Now this man Damian knew loved him, no matter his flaws. He would miss their talks and those times they had tea together. Those were the most pleasant moments ever. He would definitely miss those over anything.
Kyle. He would miss her. She had been nice, even though her and his mother hadn't gotten along and he was his father's bastard child. Those two had shared some secrets that they would never tell the others and he had thought that maybe they could get close enough for him to call her mother. Guess it was too late for that.
He then thought of his actual mother. She would think him weak just like grandfather will think. She would probably be disappointed that she hadn't had the honour of killing him again.
He let out a sharp gasp as he tried to shift his body to a more comfortable position but that just agitated the wound worse and Damian couldn't help but feel like crying.
He thought back longer and couldn't help but think about Jonathan. The boy-man- whatever the hell he was now, hated his guts. Well that's what he assumed. People who like you don't normally call you baby Hitler, but who knows? Maybe that's just another thing that's different here and Damian is just a freak for not knowing it.
He thought about the first time they met and the last time they saw each other. Neither had been good. It went, like how Todd would normally say, shit.
He wasn't even surprised though. He couldn't blame anyone for not wanting anything to do with him. If anything Jon was lucky that he got away as quick as he had. He saved himself a shit ton of time being wasted on an assassin.
He thought of his other friends. Colin had been adopted earlier and even though those two had been keeping contact Damian could tell that Colin was happier in his new, normal life away from his. So he cut him off. That's probably the nicest thing he had ever done to someone. Colin's probably grateful for Damian doing this.
Maps parents have banned her from hanging out with him, not wanting their daughter to be associated with Damian Wayne. He couldn't blame them, really. He honestly thought it was the best decision they made for her and he keeps telling himself that when he sees Maps in the hallways of Gotham Academy and sees her talking to those who make his life a living hell.
Surren was focusing on the magical world and he had barely been giving Damian the time of day. At least when Damian dies then he wouldn't feel hurt. He would probably not even remember him.
Maya had travelled to Africa over a year ago and her and Damian hadn't spoken since after they had had a nasty argument before she had left. Damian felt guilt, knowing for a fact that even though he was a monster, Maya would still feel so bad. Why couldn't he do anything right?
Damian's train of thought quickly turned to his team and by that time his vision had begun to become glazed and wobbly and he could barely even concentrate on anything without a huge headache. He let out a humourless chuckle and ignored the intense pain the vibrations had sent.
His team was a joke. Him being their leader was a joke. They barely even tolerate him as it was. They hate his guts and Damian could understand that. He would hate him too. They would probably be glad that they could have someone else be their leader instead of him being their leader. Probably be overjoyed at the fact that he had died in the most undignified way possible. Old and New would probably make it an anniversary party.
He thought of Wallace and couldn't help the tears. He had thought what he was doing was the right thing but instead it had done the complete opposite. He wished he could go back in time like the speedster could and apologies for being a nuisance. For being a pain. For being the worst person alive.
His old team had abandoned him the first moment they got, happier with his older brothers, far away away from him. And no matter how badly he wanted to blame them he knew they had every right to want to leave him. He just wished it didn't hurt so much.
Black spots began invading his vision every time he tried to focus on something and it truly was starting to grate on Damian's nerves.
Suddenly he felt a rush of air next to him and heard a couple of thuds and horrified gasps.
"What the fuck happened!!?!" that voice sounded oddly like Todd and it sounded… worried.
"Todd?"
"And us baby bat." said Grayson somewhere near him but Damian was too out of it to notice where.
"Don't forget us." that sounded oddly like Wallace.
"What-what are you doing here?" he asked between gritted teeth as he tried his hardest not to scream in pain.
"Rescuing you, of course! What else!" that sounded like…Jonathan.
"I thought a baby Hitler wasn't worth saving." he snarled as much as he could considering his circumstances. Shit why the fuck did he suddenly feel cold.
"I'll deal with you later Kent! For now Damian is my priority." snapped someone but he couldn't pinpoint who they were.
"Shouldn't all of you be glad?" He was genuinely confused. Why weren't they congratulating Jon.
"Why would we be glad?"
"Cause I'll be dead soon. You all hate me and now that I'm finally gone you won't have to deal with me anymore. It'll be like how all of you wanted." he didn't know if it was the blood loss making him out of it that he would say that but he knew he didn't have much blood left to blush.
"We don't hate you!"
"Could have fooled me." another sharp pain shot through him. "Oh shit, that's not good."
"West, take him to the med bay at the watchtower."
"Ye sir. How did this even happen?"
"Cause you all told me to let it happen." when he heard his brothers confused noises he elaborated. "You all told me I should let the bullies do whatever. That I shouldn't use my strength against the 'innocent'."
"Fuck we-"
"Not now. Wally watchtower now. Oracle, find the footage. We have brats to hurt."
And suddenly he was being woodshed away.
Damian couldn't help but think that maybe they did care. Maybe they do love him. Maybe they don't hate him. Maybe Jon still wants to be his best friend. Maybe his teammates don't hate him.
But probably not.
