They went to the arcade quickly and went in line to get change. Damian looked at it quizzically and all the games.
"You've never been to an arcade, have you?" Tim asked quietly as he observed his reaction.
"I have read of them." He simply said but his eyes were wide with curiosity.
"Well we have to change the cash for change, quarters." Tim explained easily "Every game has a sticker that says how much it is to play, how many credits and you pop the coins into the slot. Some arcades you win tickets then get prizes but not this one. This is just for fun."
"And get money for themselves." Jason added.
Damian nodded but was mostly focused on Tim. "And to win?"
"Yeah and win." Tim answered.
"Some give you prizes." Dick added. "Like stuffed toys or candy."
He nodded again.
It was their turn. Dick got ten dollars of change for each of them. They got small plastic bags which he named and even drew a doodle. Dick's had a small bird next to the D Jason's had a skull next to the J. Tim had a different doodle of a bird next to his T and Damian had a cute cat next to his D. Dick grinned proudly as he filled them with the quarters and Jason rolled his eyes.
Tim handed Damian his bag. "Don't lose it." He said with a small smile.
Damian grabbed it and looked at it curiously but nodded.
"Air hockey is open! I call red!" Jason yelled and took off running, pushing some people aside.
"Hey, no fair Littlewing you always get red!" Dick whined as he followed.
Tim face palmed then sighed as he followed.
Damian for awhile simply walked around gazing with wide eyes at all the games. He had never seen so many cheap lights for cheesy games! He tried to find one then saw a shooting game. He grinned and quickly ran to it inspecting the gun confused. He placed said amount of quarters and waited for the screen. He was even able to choose his person, color and setting. He grinned.
The game started and he began to pull the trigger. He blinked at the sound then tried again. He stared confused at the gun then looked at the screen. He could not believe it; it didn't actually shoot bullets or lasers!
But he did find it entertaining shooting all the thugs from the opposite gang. After his time ran out he decided to investigate another game.
He found the candy game mentioned and played not once or twice but thrice! He couldn't help but grin and his eyes glowed with glee at all the delicious sweets. He immediately opened a chocolate and stuck it in his mouth then another and another. Once he managed to swallow the chocolate he popped a sweet fruity candy in his mouth that was very chewy.
He walked around for another while.
"It's our turn to play." He heard an obnoxious voice whine. He glanced and saw a ten year old pig tailed blond with her nose in the air and a mad frown by the air hockey table.
"Quiet twerp, can't you see we're in a heated game?!" Jason snapped at her while his eyes followed the puck. Dick was so concentrated that he didn't bother to scold Jason. His tongue was poking from the edge of his mouth in intense focus.
Damian rolled his eyes and looked for Drake. He saw him playing a Tetris sort of game.
Damian went to the skeet ball lanes and tried. He wasn't very good so he left it to wander again. He passed closer by the air hockey table.
"I totally won!" Jason crowed.
"You totally cheated!" Dick yelled. "I wasn't looking!"
"Well you should have!"
Damian made his "Tt."
Jason grinned at him then stage whispered. "I totally won."
"Did not!" Dick through his puck thing but Jason easily caught it.
"Hey wanna try?" Jason asked Damian.
"Yeah, Damian play with me!" Dick smiled.
Jason handed him the puck thingy then tossed the other one to Dick. "Imma see if I can win Tim a doll." He winked then left.
Damian stood opposite of Dick as he read the instructions written on the side, it was fairly basic.
Dick was amused by the younger's seriousness and concentration. "Ready?!"
Damian nodded firmly. "Yes."
Dick started with a soft pass. Damian countered it then Dick hit harder. After he was certain Damian was getting it he hit it at the right spot and it went in. He grinned.
Damian blinked then hissed. He hastily took it out then hit it. It went for awhile and soon Dick was three to none. He laughed at the younger's boy frustration. "What's wrong, can't handle the Master! Don't worry little D it, you need to be pretty skilled to-"
He broke off as Damian made a clean goal.
Damian smirked. "Tt, Grayson. Do not get cocky."
Dick's eyes narrowed as he grinned. "I see then. Well time to get serious!" he hitched his sleeves to his elbows and they started. They ended up playing three games and somewhere in there Damian won a gamer and he was smiling.
As Damian grabbed the puck he noticed Jason and Tim.
"Aaww c'mon! I got it for you." Jason smirked. He was holding up a stuffed pink sparkly poodle with curly polyester fur.
Tim rolled his eyes. "I'm not a girl Jaybird!"
"I know but it was all I could win!" he yelled getting annoyed.
Tim merely turned to a game effectively ignoring him.
Jason groaned now finding himself with an obnoxious pink poodle. He glanced around and saw a teen girl with her younger brother. He tapped her shoulder and ever the smooth talker he held it up to her face when she turned around. "Hey, I won this, ya want it?"
The brunette girl blinked then gave a preppy smile. "Aaww for me?! Thank you." She batted her eyelashes and smiled flirtatiously. "I guess I should give you my number for this."
Jason merely smiled even though in his eyes you could see he was reeling; this had not been his intention.
Tim had turned and saw the whole thing. He snorted and walked away with a huff.
Jason saw him and groaned. "Aaww c'mon! Tim. Tim!" Jason walked after Tim.
The girl smiled and waved at his retreating figure. "Call me!"
Damian snorted at the event and Dick was laughing. Damian took advantage of his opportunity and shot the puck earning himself a point.
"Hey!" Dick cried. "You're a cheater just like Jason!"
"Tt, I am merely taking advantage of a distraction and please do not compare me to Todd."
"You guys are a lot the same." Dick was pouting.
After that game Damian continued to wander around. He found Tim seating himself on a Mario Kart racing game. Tim saw Damian and smiled. "Do you want to play with me?"
"Do you actually drive?"
Tim chuckled. "Virtually yes."
Damian nodded and seated himself next to Tim.
Tim explained to him what to use and what to choose and let him choose the race course. To his surprise Damian didn't snap at him or give nasty comments. He took in every word and nodded confidently.
Tim was Luigi and Damian was mini Browser. They raced Tim won the game.
Now Damian frowned. "Again but this time on the ice course."
Tim sighed and nodded. "Okay, but don't think you'll win so fast."
"We will see."
It took two more races but Damian did win. They were laughing hard.
When Damian won he jumped on the seat "Ha, I have won Drake!" he grinned gleefully.
"Yeah only because you totally knocked me off the bridge!"
"Tt, not my fault." He hopped off the chair.
Tim shook his head smiling and went to find a game to play. He ended up playing basketball with Dick.
Damian once again was wandering about. He saw an interesting touch screen game and waited behind some boys that looked older than him for his turn. He waited as the boys played a round of the game. Then another. Then another.
Damian's patience was being tried. He finally tapped on one of the boys. "Excuse me but I believe it is my turn."
The boy had disheveled brown hair and piggy brown eyes. The boy playing had thin blond hair and the other short brown hair. They were all a great bit taller than him and probly some great weight more and dressed rather nicely but had a posture as if they tried to look that they came from the Narrows.
"What did you say to me?" the first one said.
"That I believe it is my turn to play." Damian said evenly. That was what most people did, right? Even if he and his brothers bent that rule a little.
One of the kids snorted and the first one barked a laugh. "Did you hear that Greg and Jared. Pint size here things he gets a turn."
"Yeah what a dweeb." Jared (the blond) cackled.
"Get lost kid." The short brown haired, Greg, said. "Kyle hasn't even played yet."
Damian blinked then had a big frown on his face. Jason called him 'kid' but that was just his way and was slightly endearing but when this kid said it, it was a vicious jape. His hands were in angry fist. He was well aware of his father's rule of not getting into fights with "other" people but he was not happy with this. "Give me my turn to play. Please." He said through clenched teeth.
"Or what Pinty? Gonna go cry to mommy."
That hit a nerve. "No!"
"You mad, go get mommy."
"No." he snapped again but he could feel the pain of his mother even being mentioned. He wanted to tell them that no his mother wasn't there or even within a hundred mile radius at the moment. That she had all but dumped him at the door of his father.
"Aaww mommies little boy has tears!" Jared cackled.
"I do not!" but he rubbed his eyes to make sure.
"Wahoo, what's this?"Kyle said as he saw the plastic bag sticking out of his pocket. He wretched it out and crowed. "Look, Pinty here is giving us his coins."
"No." Damian attempted to snatch them away but they were tossed to Greg who held them up and Jared stood in front, blocking him. "Those are mine!"
"To late squirt!" Jared sneered and he pushed Damian away, hard.
"Yeah, beat it Pinty! Go get your mommy!" Kyle snickered and they left him laughing as he sat up. Damian was fuming. He wanted to take care of them with three easy flicks of his wrist but Father had specifically said no killing or hurting other normal people. And he didn't want to disappoint his Father or get him angry. He was all he had left.
Damian sighed as he stood remembering what the boys had said. "Well, I don't have a mother." He muttered to no one as he blinked away the accursed unwanted tears and stalked off.
After a moment he saw Tim by a dance game. Apparently Dick was in a huge competition against a teen Asian girl. Yeah, like he would win that one. Jason was closet to Dick who was on the dance game stage, cheering him on. "C'mon Twinkle Toes, you can't beat her! Just get the combo! Get the combo!"
Dick shot Jason a venomous look. "Then you do it!" he practically snarled, forehead glistening with sweat.
Jason held his hands up with mock surrender. "Na, I'm good."
Tim was a little more off than Jason but was laughing at the antics. Damian marched up to Tim.
"Hey Damian." Tim smiled easily but noted Damian's face. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing is of the matter I simply need more money Drake."
Tim blinked. "You already spent it all?!"
Damian scowled. "Does it matter? I would like some more money! Please."
Tim gave him a strange look and nodded as he handed him a bill. "Here then."
And Damian stalked off.
Jason came up to Tim laughing as Dick finally admitted defeat. "That was hilarious!" he smiled as he put an elbow on Tim's shoulder then saw his expression. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing" Tim said as he absently pushed his elbow off. "Just Damian."
Jason looked curiously as they began to walk. "Well, what happen?"
Tim quickly told what had occurred. "So I don't exactly know what's wrong but I'm going to get him something. I'm sure a toy will cheer him up" And he walked to the claw machine.
Jason pondered as he went to the candy game and he had a strange feeling, a hunch.
Damian was still vexed as he went to the change machine and got another bag and put the bill in and received his coins. He sighed and began to wander again. Gradually he became a bit less down and a smile played at the edge of his lips. He was playing a rocket game then caught sight of another racing game.
But then he saw who was racing and they saw him too.
"Well well if it isn't Pinty." Greg sneered.
"Yeah and look, his mamma got him some more coins!" Kyle feigned surprise.
Damian turned to leave but then came face to chest with Jared. "Where ya going mommy's boy? We were just going to play."
"I suggest you let me be." Damian growled as he took a step back.
"Or what?!"
"Man listen how he talks, like he's some prince. Who's your mom, Queen of Bialiya or something?"
Damian knew the Queen and did not like her the least bit. "You are merely peasants." He tried to sniff but his voice quavered slightly.
"Listen here mommies princess." Jared sneered as he pushed him very roughly and slightly puffed his chest. "I don't like your tone."
Greg made a show of cracking his knuckles and Kyle towered over him. "Yeah, so I'll tell you what kid? As payment you have to give us your coins again and we'll let you go without any bruises. Well not too many"
"Mind repeating that again, twerp." A voice leered.
The boys whipped their heads to the side then up to see who was talking. And there in combat boots a leather jacket and a lollipop stick sticking out of his mouth was a very dangerous looking Jason Todd.
For a moment Damian felt an odd sensation of relief and almost pride at the look of fear in the boys.
The boys' faces dropped and shattered revealing confusion and fear. "Uh-nothing uh sir. We're just- uh- y-you know, messing with our friend." Kyle mumbled quickly as he took some steps back from Damian.
"Yeah, we're just playing." Jared put in as he inched away and to the side.
"Really?" Jason's lip twitching up to a slight sneer. With two fingers he pushed Jared back who was trying to run off and stepped closer to the others. "'Cuz from what I heard you were about to take his coins."
"Wh-what, no. No! It was a joke we were playing!" Kyle was shivering.
"And you were about to hurt him. You were threatening him." Jason's stormy green eyes glared from under stray hairs of black and white. He grabbed the front of Kyle's shirt and held him up and against the video screen as his face loomed closer and in a harsh and intimidating whisper said. "And I don't like people messing with my little brother."
All three boys paled and their eyes widened realizing the mistake of their actions. "L-l-little br-brother?" Greg managed to stammer out.
Jason nodded, eyes hitting each one that they even flinched. "If you mess with one of my brothers you mess with me. And I'm pretty sure you don't want to mess with me."
"N-n-no sir. I'm- we- it was a joke." Kyle wailed eyes wide realizing there was more.
Jason's eyed them and then they settle on Greg, well more correctly his pocket. Anybody else would have missed it but Jason had been a Robin, a trained detective. His eyes narrowed. "What's this?"
His other hand quickly shot out and he pulled the plastic bag that was sticking out of Greg's pocket. Greg gave a small cry and was shivering like a leaf. Jason looked at the bag and if anything he looked angrier.
"Do any of you have a D in their name?"
The boys looked confused by the question and simply glanced helplessly.
Jason grabbed Jared and Greg by the collar with his other hand. "Are you going to make me repeat myself?!" he snapped.
"No!" Jared quickly said then looked at his feet that were dangling when Jason's eyes landed on him. "And-uh-no we don't have a D." he mumbled.
"Then why do you guys have a bag with a D on it, not to mention a kitty face?" he growled. Only he could say such a sentence and still make it sound threatening. "Unless you already took his first bag of coins from him!" he glared at them and with that they were practically sobbing.
"Yes! We did!"
"I'm sorry please please."
"I'm sorry."
"We won't ever do it again!"
"Please please!"
"We're sorry!"
Jason eyed them with a disgusted expression and he wanted more than anything to punch these kids into pulps but they weren't worth the restraining order and charges. Legal stuff was so boring and caused too much work.
Plus he knew that what Damian was watching right now was the Red Hood and he didn't need him but he needed Jason. Jason sighed then growled. "You will apologize to him; give him the rest of your coins and candy then leave. And whenever you see us come back here you will high tail it outta here. Got it!?"
"Yes, yes, yes!"
He dropped them and they landed on the ground in audible thump's. They hastily got up and faced Damian who had watched the whole thing with a somewhat impassive face which was now smug.
"We're sorry." They said and handed him their bags of coins.
Damian nodded and gave them a glare. "You may go now."
They stood their uncertain.
"You heard the kid. Move!" Jason barked.
The boys immediately took off running and left.
Damian smirked as they ran and suddenly shifted a bit uncertain. He eyed the ground then faced Jason as much as possible, which was basically staring at his boots. "I-uh-I"
Suddenly Jason squatted in front of him. "You okay kid. They didn't really hit you right?"
Damian blinked and sighed in relief. That was the kind of 'kid' he liked to hear. But he still felt slightly off. "Yeah, just a little push."
Jason snorted then ruffled his hair. "You know its fine but I'm sure they must have said something you didn't like."
Damian gave a grimace. "They talked of my mother."
Jason blinked and knew he didn't need to be told more. "Yeah, bullies have a way of knowing what bugs you and then picking at it. You just have to not let them know it hurts you and counter it."
"You would know, huh?"
Jason ran his hand through his hair and shrug. "Growing up in the Narrows yeah. Just had to grow up and toughen up a little faster. But it's good you had self control." He smiled.
Damian found himself twitching into a small smile. "They were unworthy."
Jason laughed as he stood.
"I'm surprise both of you didn't pound them." Tim said as he walked over and had a small smirk. "I was about to call Dick to help me break you guys apart."
"Like you guys would have been able to stop me and little D." Jason smirked as he clasped a hand on Damian's shoulder.
Damian gave a surprise grin and nodded with his own smirk.
Tim rolled his eyes then tossed Damian a toy. "Here, won that for you."
Damian looked at the toy. It was a stuffed kitty cat that looked cute as well as slightly scary. He grinned and gave it a slight hug. "Thank you Drake. It is appreciated."
He nodded then raised an eyebrow at all the bags of coins. "Well we might as well get you started on spending those."
Damian gave a twisted gleeful grin. "Yes!"
"Let's try the skeet ball?" Jason offered.
Damian frowned. "I do not like that game."
Jason snickered. "Don't like it or couldn't play it." He ruffled his hair. "C'mon I'll show you."
He led them to the game. "Now the thing is you can't simply roll it as hard as you can or as fast. You have to know how to roll it and where so it can get to the holes up there with the most points. It's better to have it roll against the wall then up." Jason demonstrated as the ball smoothly rolled against the wall the up and across to the high pointed hole. Damian's eyes widened and he immediately tried.
After awhile Damian got frustrated and tried to run up the ramp.
"No, no that's cheating!" Jason said as he tried to tug Damian back. He picked him up then sent him back down on the ground.
Damian huffed at being man handled so and had his arms crossed in frustration. "Going up there would be much easier."
"Yeah, but again, cheating."
He and Jason stayed there for awhile but soon Damian was playing like a pro.
"At least they're getting along." Dick smiled a bit watching from where he had been playing with Tim on the squirting gun game.
Tim nodded.
"Well, movies gonna start soon we should get going."
"K, let's get the rascals."
Damian noticed lights going off around his game. "What happened?"
Jason was looking in disbelief. "You beat my high score."
Damian blinked then bursted into laughing. "HAHA I have succeeded!" he pumped his fist in the air and left him vulnerable for Jason's tickling. "Ah stop!" he let out a giggle, something Jason didn't even know he was capable of.
"Whatever kid." Jason smirked as he merciless continued to tickle him. He noticed Dick come over and grinned. Dick soon began to tickle him as well.
"Ah, Richard stop!" Damian cried laughing.
Dick almost dropped Damian in bewilderment then smiled and continued.
Then Damian took it a bit further. "Dam it Richard and Jason" Damian caught sight of a laughing Tim. "Timothy help me!"
Tim raised an eyebrow. "Only because you used my name." and he quickly moved between the older two and was able to snatch Damian away in his arms.
"My little baby birdy cat!" Dick cried in a feigning heartbroken tone.
Damian made a face. "There is no logic in that what so ever."
Jason laughed and Tim was walking away. "Come back." He cried and they followed.
They exited the arcade laughing and messing with each other, Tim having set Damian down.
"What about all the coins?" Damian asked holding up all the coins he had transferred to his original bag.
"Next time." Dick smiled.
Damian couldn't help but smile realizing there would be a next time.
They gave the man the tickets and he told them the theatre room then they walked.
"You hungry guys?" Dick asked looking pointedly at the huge concession stand.
"Always." Jason smiled.
They got in line. "What do you want little D?" Dick asked.
"What may I have?" he asked curiously looking at the menu and display case.
"Anything you want."
Damian smiled. "That?" he pointed at the pretzel.
"Yes."
"That?" to the Icee machine.
"Yup."
"Those?" he pointed to some candy.
"Why not?" Dick shrugged
"That?" To the nachos.
"Absolutely."