Alright guys hold your fire and pitchforks. I was on vacation for the past 5 days and didn't get a chance to update anything. I promise that I will be updating my stories sometime in the next two weeks. Now stop listening to me and read.
I don't own SOB.
Batman drove the boys back to the cave with Damian sitting in the passenger seat with a smug expression the entire ride with his arms crossed. When they finally arrived at the cave, Alfred was standing to the side with his hands behind his back.
"Welcome home sirs. I trust your time was rather enjoyable. I presume this is the young man you spoke of?" Alfred said greeting them.
"Hello Pennyworth. I've heard of you," Damian said after he jumped out of the car.
"At your service Master Damian," Alfred said bowing while Batman unbuckled Dick's seatbelt from the back trying to wake him up.
"Let's go Dick, you can go right back to sleep when you get upstairs," Batman said and Dick moaned. "Come on now," he urged lifting Dick out of his seat and put his legs on the floor making him stand up. Dick now standing on his own opened his eyes and rubbed the sleep out of it.
"Hi Alfred," Dick said groggy.
"Good evening sir; or I suppose it's good morning by now," Alfred said looking at his watch.
"Where are the rest of the servants?" Damian asked looking around the cave.
"I am the sum total." Alfred said.
"You have only one servant?" he asked Batman flabbergasted.
"Alfred's not a servant," Dick insisted while yawning.
"I appreciate that sir," Alfred said flashing a grin.
"Then who is he?" Damian asked.
"He's a friend," Batman said. Damian gave a grunt and then started to walk towards the Bat-computer.
"So this is the fabled Batcave. Grandfather told me all about it," Damian said and sat in Batman's chair. "Smaller then I imagined but it's very efficient," he said and got back up now walking up a small set of stairs to some tubes displaying different costumes.
"He's the spitting image of you at that age. It's quite chilling," Alfred commented.
"Tell me about it. Look, you're gonna have to get him settled. I don't know how long he'll be here but for the time being, this will be his home," Batman explained.
"What is this?" Damian asked. In front of Damian was a small red shirt with green short sleeves, green tights, a black cape with the inside being yellow, and a small yellow utility belt at the waist. Dick's eyes snapped up and ran up to where Damian was.
"That's my costume. I'm gonna wear it when I get older!" Dick stated.
"Costume? You're not training with Father ," Damian snapped.
"Not yet. Batman won't let me come with him 'cause I'm too young. But he said he would start training with me when I turn eight. Then I can go out to fight crime with him!" He said smiling proudly.
"Interesting; though I doubt that will ever happen," Damian said wiping the smile off of Dick's face.
"That's enough Damian," Batman warned.
"Would you like me to show you where you will be sleeping sir? And Master Dick, its way past your bedtime," Alfred asked trying to break the subject.
"Very well," Damian said. Dick then ran over to Batman and gave him a hug.
"Goodnight Daddy," Dick said.
"Night Dickie," Batman said hugging him back. He then put Dick down who ran back to Alfred escorting them to their rooms.
"I hope this room won't be too cramped for you." Alfred said opening the door. It was a very huge room with a king sized bed as well as a large dresser with a T.V hung up on the wall underneath a hefty fireplace. "That room leads to your bath, and the other to a game room." Alfred said motioning towards two doors on opposite sides of where the bed was. "And you also have this for your amusement," He said grabbing the remote that sat on the dresser and turned on the T.V. "Naturally you have the run of the mansion, and if you are interested, Master Dick's room is right across from your own."
"Of course, I know that. Shouldn't you be in bed?" He said now turning to Dick.
"Yeah, but I wanted to say goodnight real quick," Dick said.
"Well then say it and get out of my sight," Damian said rudely. Dick's eyes turned glassy and his bottom lip quivered.
"Night Damian," he said. Then he tilted his head down sulking his way to his room whispering a quick goodnight to Alfred who slowly watched him leave. "Prepare some tea Pennyworth, brown sugar instead of white, fresh cut lemon, a china cup." Damian said and took a seat in a chair.
"Perhaps Master would like some warm mixed nuts and a moist hand towel," Alfred suggested looking back at Damian.
"Watch it Pennyworth. I'm not so young that I don't understand sarcasm."
"While I am much too old to care," Alfred said turning the T.V off and went out of the room. He went over to Dick's door and heard some sniffs and shaky breathing.
"Master Dick? Are you alright sir?" He said coming in. Dick was lying in his own California king size bed with some tears running down his face.
"Damian doesn't like me very much does he?" Dick asked.
"Give him time sir. We may not think too much of it but he has lost his grandfather and mother in the same day. Remember just how upset you were when you came to live with us?" Alfred asked turning on Dick's nightlight before walking over to Dick's bed.
"Uh huh, but why doesn't he like me? I've tried to be nice to him but he hates me," Dick insisted.
"Hate is a very powerful word sir. You are just a stranger to him right now. I'm sure he'll grow to love you in due time just as we did. In the meantime you can try to think of something you have in common with Master Damian," Alfred said tucking in Dick.
"You think it will work?"
"Indeed I do sir. Now you must try to get some sleep before the sun rises in about five hours," Alfred said.
"Okay, goodnight Alfred," Dick said snuggling into his pillow closing his eyes once more.
"Pleasant dreams sir," Alfred said turning off the lights and left the bedroom leaving the door almost closed. After giving Damian his requested tea, he went back downstairs to give Bruce his coffee.
"I have been released by Master Damian; I miss him already," Alfred said.
"How is he?"
"Facing the shock of downsizing sir," Alfred said and then looked up at the screen that Bruce was watching. It was a video of Ra's rising out from the Lazarus Pit screaming in agony. "Nothing on cable?"
"An old video of Ra's being revived by the pit. He's cheated death so many times it's hard to accept that he failed to escape it this time," Bruce said rewinding the video and watching it over again. "My son's role model," Bruce said shaking his head.
Break*Break*Break
The Next Morning
"I've gotta get down to the office. How's Damian?" Bruce asked taking a bite of his toast.
"See for yourself." Alfred said. Bruce walked over to see Damian was practicing his sword skills and acrobatics cutting down most of the trees and shrubbery in the garden.
"He's been at it since five o'clock this morning. I hope you don't mind sir but the sword is your grandfathers'; the one on the wall plaque," Alfred said as Bruce continued to watch as Damian jumped on an elephant shrub's back before cutting of its head.
"He is quite talented." Bruce admitted.
"I personally am routing for the shrubbery." Alfred said and walked back to the kitchen. Damian then finished off pointing his sword at the headless elephant. Suddenly he heard a twig snap behind him. Quickly he spun around among the sword at the intruder who happened to be Dick. Dick's eyes were wide as saucers and held up his hand in surrender. Damian sighed in annoyance and put his sword away.
"What are you doing?" Damian asked.
"Watching you, you're really good," Dick confessed.
"I learned how to use a sword at four," he explained.
"Wow! I've been doing acrobatics since I could walk. Look what I can do!" Dick said and then climbed on top of the headless elephant, balanced on one hand for a minute before doing a triple summersault down back towards Damian.
"Not bad yourself; do it again," Damian said. Dick climbed on top of the elephant again but Damian threw sticks and rocks from the ground at him. Dick gasped when a rock flew right across his vision. He then ignored his little hand trick and jumped off doing a single flip.
"You seemed nervous during that and you didn't even do it all the way," Damian said.
"I didn't know you were going to throw things at me," Dick said.
"You need to expect the unexpected when fighting; something I mastered when I was five; and to think, you wanted to be Batman's partner," Damian sneered.
"You think you can teach me some of that stuff?" Dick asked.
"Hmm, I suppose I could show you a thing or two but don't expect much out of it," Damian said.
"Great! I can even show you how to do some acrobatic moves!" Dick said excitedly. Damian turned around and started to walk away when Dick called out to him. "Damian…so with you living here and all…does this mean we're brothers?" Damian stopped where he was
"No. Just because Father took you in, that doesn't automatically make you his son. I think you need to remember that I'm his real son. "
"But Bruce said that I was…"
"I don't care what he told you!" Damian shouted facing him again. "He may tell you that but I'm blood. Some of Father's blood runs in my veins making me his true son and heir. You're just some circus orphan he felt sorry for," Damian said.
"But…"
"Think whatever you want to believe Grayson," he said turning away from Dick. "But real love only happens in blood families. Now leave me to my work," Damian said getting his sword back out from the holster.
"Oh, alright," Dick said and walked back to the back door before turning back to look at Damian.
Damian your mind is going to change by the end of this story. Again, real sorry about the wait and remember to review.
Thanks,
LaurenHardy13