Well, this is awkward, isn't it?
I honestly totally meant to have these chapters up faster, but, you know how life goes. Anyway, I was really sick of seeing this thing just lurking and staring at me from my files, so I just went ahead and finished it. I know shorter chapters should equal shorter waits, but I'm apparently taking the Valve school of thought with this one. Sorry about that, Chief.
Anyway, standard disclaimer: I make no money off this so there's no copyright infringement.
Hope you enjoy!
One can never succeed without a plan.
If Damian was going to claim Grayson as his own, he had to do it immediately and efficiently. It was no different than outwitting the criminals he fought every night.
One can never succeed without a thorough plan.
He had to cover everything. Every possible way his plan could work, could fail, or be interrupted by some outside force needed to be painstakingly set. Every way Grayson could react needed to be analyzed and addressed. If he came on too strongly, he could chase Grayson away, maybe even further Grayson's dependence on Father.
And that would not be acceptable.
One can never succeed without a thorough secondary plan.
If he did begin to scare Grayson and make him close himself off from Damian, he had to make him come back. He practiced apologizing, begging to be forgiven. It was no different than playing a role: the shoulders had to droop, the back had to curl as the chest caved, the weight had to shift, his head had to roll forward, his eyes had to lower. He worked in the mirror, carefully scrutinizing his every position down to the last muscle. He briefly considered asking Pennyworth if he looked pitiful enough, claiming it as research for a case, but decided against it; the old man already knew too much for Damian's liking and he'd be damned if he gave him any more information.
One can never succeed without trying.
Damian was a Wayne, and let it never be said that Wayne's didn't try their damned hardest at everything they did. Father had taught him well. Grayson had taught him well. His plan was formed and practiced, his script rewritten a thousand times for any possible line Grayson could say. He was ready.
One will always succeed if one believes they will.
And by god, would Damian succeed.