Damian stared at the computer as it processed the data he'd inputted and cross referenced it with every known intelligence database in the world. Even though the cave had the fastest quantum computer known to man, it would still take hours to process the information.
He steepled his fingers and leaned back, resigned to waiting. Nothing was going to stop the worry eating away at his soul until he knew for certain.
"A cup of tea, perhaps?"
Alfred elegantly descended the stairs, balancing a tray in his good hand. Damian quickly stood and took it from him, setting it down and preparing two cups.
"You're getting too old to still be running around playing servant, Pennyworth."
Alfred sat, and accepted his tea with a dignified sigh. "You know that idleness was never an option for me. I like being kept busy, Master Damian."
Maybe it was exhaustion. Damian hadn't slept in 75 hours. Maybe it was the stress of this new intelligence, of being so close to an answer. Maybe it was the way Alfred looked: like he was old, and tired, and sad, that made Damian so angry. Damian would just blame it on the fact that he had never really been a good person to begin with.
Which is why he snapped, "I am not my father, and you will cease calling me Master immediately, or be gone."
A heavy silence descended upon them both. Damian stood by the tea tray, with closed eyes. His own cup of tea was left untouched. His own words had caused bile to rise in the back of his throat, and he no longer deserved the comfort that the tea would provide.
Damian took a deep breath and turned to face Alfred. "I'm sorry."
Alfred smiled at him, and set his tea cup down, rising to face Damian. The old man's eyes were too wise, too knowing, too compassionate. Damian stared down at him, seeing the weariness in his face, the sadness, the pain. He saw how worn down this man was, how much he had sacrificed by devoting himself to this family, and he hated himself for it. He hated his father even more.
Alfred reached up and rested his hand on Damian's cheek. He'd long since outgrown the butler, and towered over him. He towered over everybody at this point, but the stark change was amplified because Damian remembered how it felt to be held by this man, to be carried by him. And now, at 24, and nearly a foot taller and significantly heavier he knew how easy it would be to break this man. The man who was always invincible, no matter how old he got.
Damian closed his eyes and leaned into Alfred's hand, allowing himself some small form of comfort. "It's all right, Damian. It's all right. I understand. Mas-Bruce was… difficult. He barely had time to know you, to raise you before–"
"Before he abandoned me with his other children."
"He didn't abandon you, Damian. He had to go. It was for the mission."
"It doesn't matter now," Damian said, taking a step back. "My father is dead. Tim is dead. I'm fairly sure my mother is dead, but I haven't been able to get away from this godforsaken city to verify that information. But I can't do this, Alfred. I can't take care of them. They need a father. They need a family."
"They have you."
"Yes, because that worked out so well for Tim."
"Ah, so this is about young Timothy."
"It's about all of them, Alfred! I don't want them to have to do this. I can't do this again."
Damian was shaking now. It was a combination of exhaustion, adrenaline, and agony. Usually he had better control than this, but even he was finally too worn down. Alfred took a step forward, then another. He opened his arms. Damian allowed himself to be pulled into an embrace, to fold in on himself so he could fit into this man's arms, to be held for once.
"You are doing a marvelous job, Damian. You've had more tenacity than anyone I've ever known, including Bruce. You've raised these boys. You care for them. Even Timothy knew that."
"I was a child when he came," Damian muttered.
Alfred laughed, "In my books, sir, you still are a child."
Damian gave Alfred a gentle squeeze to let him know he appreciated the physical contact, and stepped back. "I haven't been a child in a long time."
"Yes," Alfred mused. "Even when I first laid eyes on you, at the advanced age of ten, you did exude and air of over-importance beyond your years that you have somehow still managed to retain."
"That was fourteen years ago."
"And you are still every inch the capable young man you were. Now, drink your tea."
Damian laughed, and the croaky rumble that came from his throat genuinely surprised him. He couldn't remember the last time he'd laughed. But he listened to Alfred's orders, and allowed the old man to take care of him, and picked up his cup to sip at the tea.
He had finally allowed himself to relax, had finished his cup of tea and had even downed another, had finally gotten lost in the pleasant rumble of conversation with Alfred when the telltale hiss of the Batcave doors alerted him that someone was here, and the loud rumble of a motorcycle told him that it was Jason.
Immediately, Damian had completely tensed up, and only Alfred's keen eye was sharp enough to notice the difference. "Don't worry. I called him."
"Hola, amigos," Jason said in a cheerful voice that grated on Damian's nerves. "What's up?"
Jason walked in, red helmet tucked under his arm, and shook out his hair. He was in his Red Hood getup. Damian arched a brow at him when Jason shot him a toothy grin.
"I missed you, Alfie! I know you taught me pretty much everything I know in the kitchen, but life's not the same without you." Jason swooped down to give Alfred a hug, which Alfred returned with no hesitation.
"Well, if you still lived in the Manor…" Damian trailed off pointedly.
"There is the whole, y'know legally dead thing," Jason said, approaching Damian with practiced swagger, but Damian could still see the hesitation in each step.
Jason reached out a hand, and Damian shook it firmly, trying to convey what he felt–that he was glad to see Jason–through their touch. He was never really good with words.
"You look like shit," Jason said, but up grinned at him, and so Damian knew he'd understood.
"You're still seventeen, Jason. Visiting home every once in a while would… do Alfred some good."
"Indeed it would," Alfred said, charitably agreeing, and gladly becoming an excuse. If it helped Damian express his feelings, then he'd do anything.
"Jason!"
It really was a testament to how exhausted Damian was that he didn't even notice Dick had wandered into the Batcave. He was still in his pajamas and was rubbing his eyes sleepily, but at the sight of Jason, his eyes lit up.
"Jason! You're home!"
"C'mere squirt! Let me see you!" Jason laughed, and Dick practically threw himself down the stairs and launched himself into Jason's arms. Jason spun him around, and Dick's giggles filled the Cave and somehow soothed Damian's nerves.
"All right," Damian said, pulling his authoritative adult voice. "That's enough."
"Awwww… c'mon big D!"
"Yeah, c'mon big D!" Jason echoed, snuggling with the giggling child in his arms.
Damian tried to stand firm, but Dick was giving him his best doe eyes, and he was batting his eyelashes at him in a way that was just too… cute. A ghost of a smile passed his lips, but he put his hands on his hips.
"It's still bedtime, Dick. You can play with Jason in the morning."
Dick turned to Jason and looked him in the eye. "You're staying till morning?" he asked seriously.
Jason shot Damian a quick glare, and Damian just smirked, knowing he'd successfully roped Jason into staying the night.
"Yeah, squirt. I'll be here in the morning."
"Yay!" Dick cheered. But his joy was cut off by a huge yawn.
"Alright, back to bed," Damian said. Jason passed Dick to Damian, and the child instantly curled himself up in Damian's arms and made himself comfortable. Jason watched them with suspicion. This was all too familiar: Damian had done it before.
A big grin broke out on Jason's face. "You big softie."
"I'll go prepare your room, Ma–Jason," Alfred said, making his way to the stairs. "So glad you'll be staying the night."
"What was that you said, about me being soft?" Damian asked.
"Shut up," Jason muttered.
Dick yawned again and squirmed in Damian's arms. He climbed out of Damian's arms to sit up, and look over his shoulder at Jason. Jason had to bite his lip to keep from laughing at the sight. It was hard to fathom emotionally constipated Damian standing still and allowing an excitable gleeful Dick climb all over him without even batting an eye.
"Will you come tuck me in, Jay?"
Jason had to bite his lip again at the sound Damian made. He almost sounded hurt, but he covered it up completely.
"Of course," Jason said, watching Damian pretend to not be at the mercy of a ten year old was literally his new favorite pastime.
Dick turned to look at Damian, getting real close and looking him right in the eye. "I want you to tuck me in, too," Dick said seriously, and patted Damian on the cheek. "I want you both to tuck me in. I want two tuck ins."
Jason swore he saw Damian smile. Would swear it for months to come. And he would have had proof of it too, if that wasn't the moment they were goddamn interrupted.
A flashing light erupted in front of them, like a small, contained lighting storm. In one fluid movement, Damian had swept Jason behind him and placed Dick securely in his arms. He crouched, tense and ready to fight. A figure was emerging from the electricity.
"Take him upstairs, Jason. Now."
Damian's voice was strained, but Jason still hesitated. Damian was Batman, had earned the cowl and Jason trusted him with his life. But as he watched Damian stand there, protecting him and Dick with his body, he realized that Damian would die right there to keep them safe. And he didn't want to abandon him.
But the wide blue eyes staring at him from his arms made him decide. Get Dick to safety, then come back and help Damian. Damian was watching him out of the corner of his eye.
"Go."
Jason nodded and said, "I'll be right back." He turned and launched himself towards the staircase, now clutching the child in his arms.
"No!" Dick screamed. "No! I'm Robin! I have to go back and help him! We have to go help him, Jason! Go back!"
Jason huffed and shoved through the door and set Dick down, placing his hands on the kid's shoulders and shaking him a little, to get his attention.
"Dick, listen to me. I know you're Robin, and he's Batman and you want to help. But I need you to go get Alfred, to make sure that Alfred is safe. That is your job as Robin. That is what Batman needs you to do. I will go back and help him."
"But–"
"Dick, anything that can get in the Cave without alerting Batman is automatically a threat level 8. Damian and I can handle it. Batman needs you to be Robin. He needs you to be brave. He needs you to protect Alfred. Can you do that for me? For him?"
Dick nodded, blinking the tears from his eyes.
"Good. Now go. I'm counting on you, Robin."
Jason turned and ran back towards the cave, stopping to lock the door behind him. Leaving Dick alone was risky, but he knew that Alfred was most likely already there with the kid and would keep him safe. Just in case though, he activated the security measures that would completely lock down the Cave from the Manor. Dick wouldn't be getting in. And whatever was in would not be getting out.
Jason's heart was pounding as he sprinted back down the stairs, taking 3 at a time. The telltale sound of fighting was coming from near the computer. Jason's heart was in his stomach. Damian had looked terrible when he'd arrived. There were bags under his eyes, exhaustion lining his dark face. He had been unshaven, dark stubble lining his jaw, and his cropped hair was a mess. He had been hunched over, the first time Jason had ever seen him like that since Damian was such a stickler about posture. His eyes had been dull and slow, not quick and sharp and penetrating like they always were. Alfred had told him it was bad, but not how bad. Jason hadn't realized Damian could even get this bad. He always seemed so strong, so unaffected.
There was a grunt, and Jason rounded a corner in time to watch Damian get punched in the face and sent sprawling across the floor. He was up again in an instant, blood splurting from his nose and coating his teeth as he let out a growl. His eyes flashed to Jason and Jason felt sick when he saw the flash of fear in them. Damian Wayne was never afraid.
Jason had his gun ready in an instant. "Freeze, or I'll shoot."
The intruder froze, and turned around slowly, keeping his hands in the air. "Listen, this is all a big misunderstanding."
"Shut up or I'll shoot you out of spite, I swear to God."
The man looked Jason in the eye and Jason felt himself gasp. The face was a familiar one. Damian was moving again, Jason's eyes were wide, but it was too late.
"I'm Terry McGinnis."