Bringing My Children Home
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Disclaimer: I am only borrowing the Bat family to practice my art.
Chapter Fourteen
Stephanie
Against all Jason's loud protests, which completely overwhelmed Cass's more placating suggestions, Damian was permitted to emerge from his room every afternoon under Dick's supervision. The first afternoon fell on Stephanie's birthday, which was celebrated in a quieter version of Tim's. Jason took Stephanie to the rehab center in the morning to visit with her mother. The afternoon was spent playing less competitive games.
This was also Damian's first family meal since being confined to his room.
And, it was the first face to face meeting between the youngest boys since the altercation. It took place quietly and rather stiffly.
With Dick watchfully at his side, Damian approached Tim, who watched him with blank eyes. Stephanie hated that look, because she had seen it most when he talked about his parents. It was his default mode when uncertain or afraid. Everyone was tense and ready to fight at the least provocation, but neither Damian nor Tim wanted that.
"Drake, Grayson has told me I should apologize, even though I don't feel completely regretful that I caused you harm. I was mistaken in my belief of what my father wanted me to do. I should not have attacked you."
It cost the proud child a good deal to say that terrible apology, and they all held their breath to see what Tim would say.
"I accept your apology," was the calm answer.
Damian looked confused, glancing nervously at Dick, who gave a strained smile.
"Is that all that happens?" He asked Dick in a low tone.
"It's a start. Tim is giving you a chance to be better. Many times, an apology can be a place to start over."
"Come and sit down, everyone! Alfred made chicken!" Stephanie called into the tense silence. She elbowed Jason out of the way so that she got to sit next to Tim. This was not the best move, since it placed Jason opposite Damian, but it was her birthday and Tim was her first best friend.
Damian sat quietly, although not quite meekly, next to Dick. Stephanie had hope she might be able to break the boy's walls too. Everyone had remarked how similar her personality was to Dick. Dick was great as a big brother, but there were somethings that called for a big sister, too.
After dinner, Damian was sent back to his room. This allowed a good deal more freedom of thought, voice, and sheer fun. It was a brilliant birthday. Tim was nearly recovered, Damian was learning, and Alfred had made the best. Birthday. Cake. Ever.
Damian
With the new level of freedom, Damian spent his mornings studying schoolwork, and the afternoons with Grayson. He was kept far from the cave, from his Father's life work. His chest ached when he thought about this, but he had to think every word and action through, to be sure he did not anger Father. Father always looked brighter in Grayson's presence, so it would make sense to take him as his model.
"What are you guys doing?" Soon after Todd's birthday, less than a week after Brown's, Dick invited Damian to go outside and get some fresh air. As they headed for a back door, they passed Father's study, where Brown leapt up from her seat, tossing the book of criminal law onto the ragged futon. "Can I come? I need a break from this."
"Bruce has you reading that now?" Grayson laughed. "I had to read it three times after botching several arrests. Working outside the law to find the bit the Law can use, can be frustrating. It's nice to have more freedom since the VPA passed. Come along, Spoilsport."
He slung an arm over her shoulder, and reached to rest a hand on Damian's shoulder, guiding them both outside into the vast side yard. As soon as they were free of the house, he let both go, and leapt away in three light handsprings. "Let's run!"
August was hardly the best month to run in, but Grayson and Brown took off in a race. Damian stalked after them. With longer legs, Grayson ran faster, but Brown gave up on the race, leaping onto his back when they looped around one of the paths. Grayson barely slowed as he raced, Brown's arms and legs wrapped around his torso.
It was a powerful display of his strength, but Grayson did not seem to revel in his clear superiority. When they reached Damian, he tumbled over, trying to get the girl to let go. It was a near thing, but Brown hung on tenaciously, moving through the tumble with him. Grayson failed to regain his feet and fell onto his butt, laughing his head off.
"You don't ever give up, Spoilsport," he laughed, falling backwards so that she cushioned him against the ground. Damian stood stiffly, watching.
"Of course not. The moment you tell me I can't do something, I set out to prove I can. Maybe I won't be the best, but I will do it." She unwrapped from around him and leapt to her feet. She began to stretch.
Grayson watched her with a knowing smirk. He leapt to his feet and began to warm up as well. Damian could tell the man was testing the girl. He wanted to see how she had improved in something.
From a nearby tree, Grayson broke off two similar sized branches, stripped them of twigs, and broke each in half. He tossed a pair to Brown, who caught them. Both began to swing them experimentally. This was Nightwing's signature, and he was teaching it to Brown. By his mere presence, Damian was going to learn as well.
"Ready?" Grayson asked, taking a stance.
"Spoilers," she replied, taking her own stance.
Damian watched as they both stood as still as statues. Five deep breaths, their eyes never leaving the other's face. Brown shifted a little, growing impatient, but refusing to give in to the tension and move first. After five more breaths, Grayson grinned. Then he moved.
Mother had taught Damian about every weapon in existence. He had briefly worked with eskrima sticks, but his knack had always been in blades. Not even the weapons master, who briefly touched on stave fighting, could move as both Grayson and Brown could. The boy watched in surprise as Brown parried and blocked with her sticks, catching onto the little moves Grayson made. He grudgingly had to admit she could learn. He had seen all their fighting styles, but had dismissed most of them, believing Drake to be his greatest threat.
Both Grayson and Brown were flamboyant, putting something extra in, as they battled.
And they talked.
"-could beat Jason at this- "
"-take Cass shopping- "
"-new Star Wars movie- "
"-my Padawan is growing up- "
It was extremely irritating to try and follow the conversation, which seemed to bounce from their fight, to their siblings, to what they wanted for supper. Mixed in with the chatter were fond taunts. After five minutes, Damian realized the chatter was as much a weapon as the sticks. They were trying to distract each other.
"Where's the popcorn when you need it?" Todd laughed behind Damian. The boy nearly leapt out of his skin, turning to find Todd, Cain, and Drake had come to watch as well. "She is going to be as irritating as Dick someday soon."
After another five minutes, now with the other three cheering both on, Grayson stopped playing. Within a few seconds, he had Brown's sticks in his hand and had tripped her. That should have ended the match, but when Dick reached down to help her up, she pulled hard on his arm, used the momentum to leap into the air, and snag one stick back.
"Well done, blondie!" Todd roared.
"Well done," Grayson echoed, snatching it back. "Who's next?'
"Yeah, right," Todd snorted. "Let's get Timmy's staff, first."
"But Drake always carries his bo," Damian spoke up. Surprise lit up Todd and Brown's faces, but Cain looked smug and Dick looked amused. Drake glanced at Damian with his blank face, and the boy feared his reminder of how he watched the other, was going to be a mark against him. He wanted to cringe, to show his discomfort, but anyone of them could see that weakness and use it against him.
"Well, Timmy, that always be prepared attitude means you get to challenge Dick," Todd announced, in a tone of voice that was both amused and meaningful.
"Ok." Drake said lightly, springing the collapsible staff from its secret pocket. He was given a few minutes to warm up. The others watched him closely for signs of weakness from the wound Damian had given him. There was a slight stiffness to his body, but it lessened as he warmed up.
Grayson took the few minutes breather to practice against the tree. Brown, having had a minor victory of sorts, climbed onto Todd's back and clung to him like she had Grayson earlier. It was presented as a prank, but Damian suddenly realized she was using it to hug them. Apparently, she was not completely confident in her place here.
"Ready, baby bird?" Dick said, swinging the sticks from side to side.
"Yes," Drake said, stepping forward. He let the bo lean on the ground, while Nightwing stepped into a serious stance. After seeing him play with Brown, and quickly end it, the fact that Grayson was taking this spar more seriously, startled Damian.
Drake never gave off an iota of impatience, standing implacable until the older brother moved. He blocked the first attack awkwardly, stepping away with a little grimace. It went like that for the first minute or two. Grayson was testing how ready Drake was to fight.
There was an air of concern on Grayson, as they moved a little closer and a little faster. Drake was hampered by his recovery.
Grayson decided this was not fun and went in a full strike, meaning to disarm Drake and end the match. Instead of dodging out of the way, Drake threw the staff out, catching the sticks. He was knocked back a step. Grayson stepped back.
"Are you sure about this, Tim?" He asked.
"Why doesn't anyone ever believe me when I say I am fine?" Drake muttered. "You know I go slower when getting back on my feet. Just give me another couple minutes to warm up."
They went back to the testing each other phase. Drake made a few offensive moves that Grayson easily avoided. Then they stepped back, rolling their shoulders, throwing their heads back. Grayson smirked and lunged.
Drake whirled out of the way, striking out at Grayson's leg. The acrobat was too fast however, and got out of the way.
"A little looser, Timmy?" He asked.
"Yes, it's feeling much easier to move," Drake said, dumbly, in the face of Grayson's taunting smirk.
Grayson lunged again, this time managing to get a touch on Drake's shoulder. Only Drake had accepted the blow, stepping forward so that he knocked his staff against Grayson's side. He winced a little, and backed up. Grayson sighed and went for the ending strike.
Drake's entire demeanor changed. As the older brother moved to trip him, he straightened, grabbed the arms swinging at him, and tugged. Dick was too skilled an acrobat to fall over, but he stumbled a few steps. Drake leapt over his bent body, grinning.
"I told you I was fine," he said. "I wasn't lying."
The others all laughed, tension bleeding out of them. It had all been a trick. Drake had made them believe he was tired and stiff.
As the older boy began to spar in earnest, Damian had another gut-wrenching moment of realization. He had no more skill than the others. At best, he was better than Brown. He had never believed he could take on the adult Todd and Grayson, and not even Mother would have insisted he could beat Cain. Yet, he had believed he was superior to Drake, failing to see it was a trick.
The real spar did not last as long as the training spar with Brown had. Drake was good, but Grayson was taller, stronger, and faster. Grayson had to work harder than before, but he did eventually knock the staff out of Drake's hands, and knock him down.
"Well, I think you passed, Timmy," Todd laughed.
"Good, because I need to get into the dock's. Cobblepot's men are nosing around there again. I think they're smuggling again," Drake said stretching easily.
"You still have to convince Bruce," Brown pointed out.
"He's in the window of his study," Drake retorted. "He saw."
Even Cain looked back to double check. Sure enough, Father could be seen in the window. Everyone but Damian waved, and Father smiled, giving them, or at least Drake, a thumb up.
"Well, now, I'm still fresh. Jason?"
"No thanks. I'm going to be crawling around the docks with Tim later. He'll easily fit in the small areas, but I could do without bruises to bang on shipping crates."
"Cass?"
She shook her head, grinning.
"Fine then," Grayson huffed. "How about you, Damian? You may have some offensive skills, but you don't know how to defend yourself or others well."
"Dick," Todd growled. Stung by the criticism, and afraid that even a training spar would anger Father, Damian stood still. He glanced nervously around. He wanted to try. Watching the spars had brought up his blood. Against Dick he would not be stung to anger, and really want to attack.
"It's a spar, Jason, not a battle. I want him to learn the skills he has can be used to help people, rather than kill them."
"Jay," Drake said softly, putting his hand on the tense arm of the biggest of them. Brown climbed off his back, watching Damian closely.
"Father… might not like it," Damian choked out.
"That can be on me," Dick retorted. He picked up the rather battered pairs of sticks and tossed one at Damian.
The others stood by, tense and ready to fight if need be, but Grayson looked relaxed.
"Have you used eskrima before?"
"Of course," Damian said, trying to keep his excitement out of his voice, trying to appear as if this was no big deal.
"Alright, block me," and Grayson was moving, swinging one of his sticks downward. Damian brought the two sticks up in time to catch it. Had Grayson's full strength been behind the swing, it was unlikely the weakly crossed staves would have done more than slow the blow. Grayson looked displeased. "Did they teach you anything about defending yourself?"
"Mother said attacking first was advantageous. Keep your opponent knocked off balance."
"What do you do when you face a stronger opponent?"
"You fight until you get an opening."
"Humph," Grayson grabbed one of the sticks. "Stephanie, come take a swing at me."
She laughed and came forward. Since Grayson was taller than her, she swung in from the side. Grayson's sticks came up with a loud clatter, catching the other in a much tighter, firmer cross than Damian's was. It would take more strength than she had to break that block.
The next ten minutes informed Damian how little he really knew of this branch of martial arts. Using Brown as his assistant, Grayson walked Damian through several types of blocks with the sticks, but Damian kept wanting to keep his sticks loose, to give himself an opportunity to attack.
"You aren't strong enough to do that, Damian," Grayson said. "You need to use the sticks to block only. If you can lock the stick…" He swung down on Brown, who caught the strike with a firm block, "You have other options open to you. Stephanie, for instance, has a free knee. She is not going to demonstrate what that would do. I believe we can all imagine. You, on the other hand, can use my height against me."
He dropped to his knees, and nodded at Brown, who swung down on him this time. Grayson caught the strike solid, then dropped further to the ground, sending Brown stumbling over him.
Leaping to his feet, Dick tossed the sad pair of sticks into Damian's hands. "Now, you try," and he swung down.
Damian saw his Father approaching, and dropped the sticks, desperate to show he was not challenging Grayson. He tensed, expecting Grayson's blow to strike. It did not. Grayson stopped it just above Damian's upraised hands.
"Oh, hey Bruce," Dick said. "I figured out why it's so easy to beat Ra's' ninjas. They aren't taught a good defense."
"I trust you know what you are doing," Father said. "Damian, pick the sticks up and make that block. I will not be angry if you are defending yourself. You have the right to be safe."
Even Todd nodded in agreement.
A little confused on how he would have the right to fight, if one of his superiors chose to knock him down, Damian picked the sticks up again.
"We never said you couldn't defend yourself, baby bat. What we said is you cannot attack us," Dick said softly. "If anyone tries to attack you outside of training, you have the right to fight and get away."
"How am I to learn, if I don't stay to finish the fight?"
"Living to fight another day will allow you to learn much more than fighting through each error. Sometimes retreat is needed," Father replied. "No one has any right to harm any of you. Especially me."
Dick, Todd, and Brown all nodded vigorously, but Cain and Drake had the same bit of disbelief that Damian had. He was surprised Father would even say that. It hurt to be told that. If it was a lie, then Father and Mother were the same. If it was the truth, then Damian really was like Drake and Cain.
"Hey, breathe, Damian," Father said, kneeling and placing big, strong, gentle hands on Damian's shoulders. "Breathe."
"What did Talia do to him?" Todd muttered.
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