Hey guys! I'm back!
I do not own Young Justice or DC Comics.
And Bat-Kitty also does not belong to me. The creator of that particular stuffed animal is Glimare, who has written some fantastic stuff, including her Daddy, not Bats collection which, in addition to being the source of Bat-Kitty, was one of the things that prompted me to turn this from a one-shot into an actual story. I sincerely recommend her to anyone who likes the Bat-Family and/or Young Justice and Teen Titans.
Damian wakes up when Drake kicks him in the face. His retaliation knocks the weakling from the bed with a squeak which, in turn, wakes Todd, who scrambles from the end of the bed to the edge. "Timmy, you okay?"
Drake mumbles something, Damian doesn't bother listening, too focused on the empty spot in the bed next to hm where Grayson had been the night before and should be right now.
Todd pulls Drake out of the room, saying something about getting ready for school, and Damian reaches for the tiny bit of gray showing from under the pillow.
Zitka smells like Grayson and Damian burrows under the sheets, Zitka and Bat-Kitty clutched tightly to his chest, trying to forget the rattling of Grayson's breathing, until Pennyworth comes to fetch him for breakfast. Damian refuses to allow Pennyworth to dress him in his Academy uniform. Maybe if he makes enough noise, Grayson will come see what is wrong. Instead, Pennyworth just nods and hands Damian day clothes instead. The hoodie is one of Grayson's old ones and hangs down past Damian's knees, almost to his ankles.
Damian pushes Bat-Kitty into the pocket, flips the hood up, and allows Pennyworth to carry him downstairs.
Grayson isn't in the kitchen either. Cain is there, her pigtails tied with black and yellow ribbons. Todd has his hideous, filthy old red hoodie on over his uniform and Drake is curled on his chair like the pathetic weakling he is, pretending to eat his oatmeal.
"Where is Grayson?" Damian demands. Pennyworth sits him in the Robin booster seat he is forced to utilize and sets a bowl of oatmeal in front of him. The butler continues to fuss over them, refilling Cain's glass with orange juice and fetching Damian's Batman cup. (The sippy lid is a temporary indignity.)
"Master Dick and Master Bruce left for Mt. Justice some time ago." He announces. "I have already notified the school that Master Dick has taken ill and will not be attending class today. Under the circumstances I believe Master Damian shall remain with me under the same excuse."
Todd argues of course, but arguing with Pennyworth is futile, even for Father and so Damian watches from the car as the other three disappear into the Academy, no doubt in a hurry to find Brown and Gordon. Babies.
"I have an errand to run, Master Damian." Pennyworth says as they pull back onto the road. "But it should not take long."
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Damian crinkles his nose as they enter the clinic. If Pennyworth must speak to Dr. Thompson could she not come to them rather than Damian be forced to descend into this filth. He sneers at a nun in the waiting room who is surrounded by a pile of mewling brats with teary faces and snotty noses. One of the children notices Damian and dares to smile and wave at him, his freckled face crinkling up.
Damian sniffs and moves on, clutching Bat-Kitty close to prevent theft. Grayson may see fit to adopt every red-headed waif (Damian isn't sure what a waif is but his mother had always said it in a way that makes him think it means brats like Drake) he comes across but Damian is the Son of Batman. He has standards.
Pennyworth leads him through into Thompson's office where he spends several minutes speaking with the woman in low tones. Damian can tell they are speaking of Grayson and his injuries, but no details. His training with the League of Shadows focused more on destroying people than healing them. Perhaps this needs to be rectified. He will mention the idea to Grayson and see what happens. Grayson likes it when he has ideas and asks questions. He doesn't turn him in to Father to be punished.
The nurse at the front desk, Brown's mother, gives Damian a sticker of some stupid star with sunglasses on their way out and says she hopes he feels better soon.
Damian only accepts the sticker because Grayson says that things like that help them blend in and seem normal which for some reason is important to Father.
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The rest of the day is boring. Pennyworth is busy about the manor and insists on keeping Damian with him, which means that Damian is not able to train or do anything else useful.
Even after they have picked Father's stray children up from Gotham Academy, including Brown, and come back to the manor Damian sits idly and watches Todd assist Cain with her homework, feeling like it has been a very long day. He is not tired. Being tired is for babies like Drake.
None of the others seem very concerned about Grayson, even though he is injured. It makes Damian angry.
He feels some satisfaction when he is not the only one who refuses to go to bed before Father and Grayson return. Even if it is annoying to agree with Drake.
Pennyworth sets them up with a movie and hot chocolate in the Cave and leaves them be. Pennyworth is not a fool. He knows this is not a fight he would win. Damian sips his drink victoriously. He shall stay alert until Batman and Robin have come back. Not like Drake and Brown, who are already falling asleep on top of Cain and Todd.
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Damian wakes up when Grayson lifts him and Bat-Kitty out of their nest of pillows and blankets. He decides to stay limp. Not because he wants Grayson to cuddle him but it is fitting for the Son of Batman to not have to walk at all times. Especially after a hard day like today. He deserves it.
"C'mon Lil' D." Grayson says in his ear, his voice still that weird, wrong, raspy sound. "Let's get you to bed. I'll tell you about the mission tomorrow. You'll like it, there were a lot of animals and Superboy made friends with a wolf."
Damian frowns. Grayson went on a mission? While injured? Father did not usually let him into the field when he was hurt. Mother would have, but Father said that was stupid.
"Robin." Father's voice makes Grayson freeze and tense. Damian doesn't like it. It isn't as comfortable. "You questioned me in front of the Team."
"I'm sorry." Grayson whispers. His breath tickles Damian's ear. A shadow falls over them and Damian squints his eyes tightly shut. Father sounds much closer now.
"I understand this is hard for all of you. Don't let it happen again."
Father moves away and Damian can feel Grayson's heart pounding against his ear.
For those interested, Chapter Nineteen of my Words that Mean Something collection is a chapter entirely made up of ficlets in the Crowded Enough 'verse, including Dick and Barbara's first meeting and Artemis' impressions of Stephanie. It can be found here in my Stories, check it out and let me know what you think!
Also, I am officially announcing my intentions to continue this 'verse through Invasion.
Review? It's the only benefit I get out of doing this and every review makes my day.