a/n: I'm back! Sorry I've been gone for so long; my life just got super busy all of a sudden. I literally just finished writing this piece, so it isn't quite up to par with my other stories, and there is a possibility that I will just delete the whole thing and rewrite it later, but I really wanted to post something tonight/this morning. I hope you guys enjoy it!

When Bruce Wayne entered his study, he was unsurprised to see a small box placed neatly on his desk calendar. He was, however, surprised to find that it was not some official looking package, but merely a dark blue shoebox. Ignoring the papers that he had entered the room intent on collecting, Bruce placed his half eaten bagel on the edge of the mahogany desk and approached the box warily; he doubted that anything harmful would have slipped passed Alfred, but Bruce had had enough close calls in the past to encourage caution in situations such as these.

Bruce relaxed when he spotted a cheery yellow post-it note with Alfred's loopy handwriting on it. If the butler had left it for him, it was definitely safe. Bruce picked up his bagel once more, chewing slowly and he rounded his office and collected the forms he would need for his surprise visit to Wayne Enterprises. Once he had polished off his bagels, Bruce seated himself at his desk to inspect his package, quickly knotting the tie that had been draped over his neck for the last half hour as he did so.

Master Bruce,

I have discovered some objects of interest while tiding Master Damian's room. This was hidden beneath his bed. I suggest you take a look.

-A

Frowning, Bruce regarded the box with renewed submission. It was rare that Alfred turned any hidden items over to Bruce, though the detective knew that the butler had disposed of unsavory items in each of the boy's rooms at least once during their respective times here. Damian always was the wild card; if Alfred had found something he felt that he needed to alert Bruce of, it had to be something a little more risqué than the average teenager's porn collection. Sighing, Bruce braced himself for anything from lethal weapons to contraband animals, then flipped open the box.

Then stared.

The contents were not quiet what he expected.

A clock to his right told him that it would only be a few more hours before Damian was released from school. Loosening his tie again, Bruce decided that he would cancel his trip to the office for today.

Bruce was well aware when Damian entered the manor, because there was an immediate cacophony of barks and meows to mark his arrival. The clamor died down within minutes, due to the strict training that Damian put his pets through, and Bruce could already hear Alfred guiding the smallest Wayne toward Bruce's study. The man took a deep, fortifying breath, then folded his arms over his desk resolutely.

Damian entered the study with an expression of slight suspicion, and Alfred was quick to make himself scarce. The butler had already made it clear that this particular topic was something that Bruce needed to address on his own, and while Bruce resented that decision a bit, he knew there was no persuading the butler otherwise.

It only took Bruce's son a few moments to spot the box in question. Bruce had expected as much, since he had purposefully left the box in plain view. What he did not expect, however, was the blotchy red blush that immediately appeared on his son's face, nor the defensive attitude his son immediately adopted at the very appearance of the box.

"I'm not giving up the mantle."

Bruce Wayne, a man of few words, sputtered stupidly in response.

"I—you—what?" he finally settled on, a rare look of incredulity on his face.

"I'm not giving up the mantle of Robin," Damian repeated imperiously. False bravado, Dick often told him, was Damian's most powerful weapon. Bruce could see it now. "Nor am I denouncing my claim to Batman."

Sometimes Bruce forgot just how naïve his son could be.

"Damian, sit."

Damian resolutely remained standing.

"You're not in trouble. No one's taking Robin away from you."

Damian slowly sank into a chair, his expression still guarded. Bruce sighed, then flipped open the lid of the box and withdrew its contents. Damian refused to meet his eyes.

"I didn't know you were interested in going to college."

"I am not." Bruce gave his son a look. "It's just a dumb idea. If I decide to pursue a university level education, I will not be far from Gotham, ensuring that I still be available for nightly patrols. My studies would also focus on skills that would benefit Wayne Enterprises, so that I will be perfectly qualified to accept my inheritance. There is no need to worry, Father. My priorities are just as they should be."

Not for the first time, Bruce felt his heart break a little at his son's words. He resisted the urge to keep his expression neutral, letting it contort into an expression of genuine concern as Alfred and Dick so often told him to do.

"Son, I'm not angry with you. I'm actually a little surprised. You've never expressed any interest in colleges, so I assumed that you wouldn't want to go."

Damian was too well trained to fidget under his father's gaze, but his uncomfortable expression revealed his desire to. Instead, the fourteen year old raised his chin a little higher, attempting to look haughty rather than worried. Bruce frowned, then thought back to Damian's original statement.

"You don't have to choose your major with the company in mind, Damian. You don't even have to attend college nearby." Bruce held up a hand as his son began to sputter. "With the zeta tubes, it'll be an easy commute, and Robin doesn't have to be seen with Batman every night. You can keep the mantle and pursue your studies at the same time."

Bruce felt like this was incredibly obvious, but the minute change in Damian's expression told him that it wasn't as obvious as he would like. Still, Damian's protests had died down at the moment, and he was staring at his father with a little more interest and a little less suspicion. Bruce dropped his gaze to the multiple books in front of him, then felt a smile tug at his lips.

"Please don't tell me you're thinking about Harvard." Damian picked up on the teasing lilt in his father's tone, and he gave a small smirk in response.

"Actually, I've been considering Princeton."

end notes: Okay, so there are probably hundreds of problems with these piece, but I really like the idea of Damian thinking about college and convincing himself that it's not something his father would support, considering his life's purpose has already been assigned to him by his mother. I think Bruce is really hard on Damian as Robin because he has Dick/Tim/Jason to compare him with, but I think Bruce would be one proud daddy if Dami started showing interest in literally anything other than crime fighting. I might delete this and rewrite it, or I might add on little snippets of Bruce and Dami bonding over the topic of college. Also, I'll try to get some more stuff up in the next few weeks.