1233 more words of the Batfam dealing with feelings.
Prompt: Continuation requested by akira-daiyamondo-suta on tumblr.
Written for my 2019 Summer Prompt Challenge on Ao3.
Safety
Dick stared pointedly at Damian's wrist. It was wrapped up, in a sling. And Damian was wearing Tim's clothes.
"I had a training accident, Drake was merely the closest aid." Damian sniffed at the air and passed Dick to enter the car. Dick looked up at Tim.
"I heard nothing, I saw nothing, I know…nothing."
Tim turned around and walked back up the stairs towards his apartment. Dick groaned, whining to himself, "Why did I have to be the oldest?"
"Hurry up, Grayson!" Damian lowered his window, "I need to get home to feed Alfred and the dogs."
"Alright, Dami," Dick reached to ruffle his hair. Damian flinched back and Dick paused, head tilted. Damian looked straight ahead, slid his sunglasses on.
It was a long ride back to the manor. Alfred didn't buy the training story either, but no one pressed Damian. For one thing, he had a habit of biting when cornered. For another…well, he kept flinching.
Dick wasn't sure he wanted to know why.
-.-.-
Bruce heaved a sigh as he sat down at Kate's table, "Did you hear about how Batwoman attacked a night club last night?"
"I heard she beat the shit out of a few would-be rapists." Kate took a sip of her coffee, didn't blink. Bruce had hoped to have this conversation in private, but given Kate's quirking lip it was obviously better they were sitting in a very public coffee shop instead.
"I suppose that explains the Birds of Prey showing up too."
Kate took another sip of her coffee. Bruce kept eye contact. Were it anyone else, one of them would have folded, but Kate and Bruce were champion non-blinkers. Dick tried to time them once, but he got bored before either of them broke.
"Honestly, I think they were lucky Batwoman called in the Birds and not the Red Hood." And Bruce blinked. Rapidly.
Kate took another sip, "They did nearly break the wrist of the kid they attacked."
Bruce's left eye twitched. Damian had come home with his wrist bound, in a sling. He'd blamed it on a training exercise.
"Kate-"
"Have you seen Tim today?" Kate set her coffee down with a faux smile that made Bruce's skin crawl. "I ordered him to rest last night and you know how rebellious he can be."
Bruce inclined his head forwards, "I'll drop in on him on my way home. Check on him." And get the full story about Damian, if he was reading Kate right.
"Good." Kate picked her coffee up and stood. She gave a quick wave, "It was nice to see you, cousin." And then she walked out.
Bruce sighed again and rested his head in his hand. It was always difficult dealing with Kate. She was just like him, but better at it.
One day, he might even win the stare-off.
-.-.-
"Hey Little D!" Stephanie popped her head into Damian's room. She ducked to avoid the pillow thrown her way and then pushed open the door to enter fully.
Damian groused about her intruding on his privacy, but he didn't ask her to leave. Not even when she plopped onto the bed beside him. In fact, were in not for the impossibility of the occurrence, Steph would have sworn he leaned into her side.
"Heard you were laid up after a training accident, thought I'd come keep you company." Stephanie swung an arm behind Damian to wrap around his shoulders. He didn't immediately shrug it off.
"Pennyworth has deemed my injuries mild, but has relegated me to rest all the same." Damian sunk into his bed, and into Stephanie's arm by default.
Being far to shocked, and wary, to comment, Stephanie pulled out her phone, "Let's watch some trashy television then, always cheers me up."
When Bruce passed by the door an hour later it was to find Damian asleep and nearly curled into Stephanie's lap. Stephanie herself had wide-eyes as she moved a hand up and down Damian's back in a small circle.
-.-.-
"Hey Alfred, what's this I hear about Damian being tamed?" Jason checked in with Alfred once a month at the butler's request. He called early after running into Batgirl on patrol.
Alfred, of course, gave him no explanation. "He has been quieter, Master Jason, but your brother is not a feral animal and I would appreciate your effort in refering to him in a more respectful manner."
That was, for Alfred, down right cool. Jason blinked, "Sorry, Alf. Steph sounded concerned is all. Something happen?"
"He claims there was a training accident." Jason did not miss the specificity of Alfred's verb choice.
"Claims, huh? You want me to look into it?"
Alfred made a sniffing noise over the phone and Jason sat up straight in his chair, "I believe your brother will tell us should he wish us to know more."
Oh, wow. Jason hadn't heard Alfred this worried since…well, since someone had died last. Which, now that he was thinking about it, was also Damian.
"Yeah, I think I'm still gonna ask around, make sure the kid's not into any trouble." Jason's next call was to Dick, and then to Barbara.
Everyone was of the same opinion: Tim knew.
-.-.-
Cassandra waited in the kitchen until Tim woke up. She heard the rustling of the sheets and then a light thud when his feet hit the ground.
Tim stumbled into his kitchen with eyes still closed. He reached instinctively towards the fridge, finding his Red Bull without a hair of trouble. Cass shifted her feet to move out of his way. It was not until he had sat at the counter with his Red Bull and a banana that she made her presence known.
"Brother."
Tim's eyes shot open as his back straightened. When he saw the familiar mask of Black Bat he slumped back into his usual posture.
"I have come to ask you about our little brother."
Tim's posture tensed right back up, "Sorry, Cass, can't help."
"But you know."
Tim did not deny it. His body language was obviously conveying the truth anyway. "Look, I'm surprised he came to me too, but he did. I won't betray his trust."
Cassandra nodded. She moved forward, pressed her forehead against his for a moment. Tim appreciated the sense of calm that always followed Cass and her visits.
"You are a good brother, Tim."
Tim snorted. He'd put up with an inquisition from Bruce, Dick, and Jason. Tim was a fucking great brother. "Thanks, Cass."
-.-.-
Upon Pennyworth lifting his restrictions, Damian doubled his training regiment. He also cut his patrols down. He went out only once a week now, and never solo.
"You'd been requesting solo patrols, Damian," Bruce sighed at the defensive stance his youngest had taken, "I'm just concerned."
"My accident has shown me that I require further training before attempting such a thing." Damian stalked off before Bruce could form a reply, let alone speak it.
Bruce watched his son on the video feeds until he got to his room. Everyone had expressed concern for the changes in Damian as late, even his principal had called - though she was 'pleased with his newfound respect for authority.'
"How do we help him, Alfred?" Bruce asked as the butler appeared from the shadows. The man squeezed Bruce's shoulder.
"As always, sir, we be here for him. All of us."
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