Damian was always observant. The league didn't believe in spoon-feeding knowledge and information. You would get punished for not following the rules even if you were never told the rules. It was even discouraged to directly talk about the rules.

So, he learned to observe. He learned to pay attention to details. To be a silent observer who can see the most minor details. The details were always paramount. Nothing was an accident. It took him an embarrassingly long time, but he was finally certain.

Something was wrong with Father. In the beginning, he believed it to be a childish hypothesis. But now he was certain. Father never treated him the same as his siblings. From the first day, the man was more rough with him. More strict and demanding.

But he believed it to be due to him being a stranger or his training in the league. But Father's aggression towards him only grew with time. He would constantly be angry with him. Yelling at him and punishing him.

It was only growing worse. He was now sure that it wasn't his fault. His behavior was constantly changing for the better. He was learning right and wrong and the correct way to behave in situations. His relationships with his siblings were also improving.

Yet Father was having a shorter and shorter fuse with him to the point that his siblings have also picked up on it. Grayson was constantly having arguments with Father about how he was too hard on Damian and how he should change his behavior.

But it was constantly getting worse. It was at a slow pace, but it was happening. He also noticed how others were trying to subtly keep the two separate or be there for interactions as a way to redirect the focus.

He was spending less and less time with the man, and still, each interaction was getting worse. He only ever saw the same interaction in a few cases, and he had an idea of what might be happening, but he needed to figure out how.

Also, there were factors that affected his behavior towards Damian, and he needed to analyze all the instances to make sure of what was happening.

It's been 3 weeks. Damian hadn't seen Father anywhere, and whenever he asked anyone, he was just told to not bother about it. He could see the way their expressions darkened when saying that, and he was anxious about where the man was.

He needed to know that the man was safe and well. So he was going to get the answers tonight. Alfred told him that Grayson and Todd were coming over for dinner. Drake was also going to be there, but he had been practically glued to Damian's side since the incident.

Their relationship was a lot better. For the first time, they were actually talking with each other and listening. There was still some bickering, but Damian was so happy. The other night, they had a movie marathon together.

Damian had never had one before, and he enjoyed it so much. They fell asleep on the couch, and Damian woke up curled beside Drake with Drake's arm behind his back. It made him feel so warm. Unfortunately, he had to get out of that position before Drake woke up, fearing rejection.

Then there was the day Drake was teaching him some tricks for hacking computers. They had different styles, and Damian benefitted greatly from a new perspective and new knowledge. He considered himself decent when it came to computers, but Drake was truly beyond him.

It was not just him he spent time with. Todd was also making sure to visit him more and bring him new books to read. Grayson was busy going back and forth between the cities, but he visited whenever he had time.

Brown was busy with a few cases, but she visited every few days to bring him weird snacks to try and spend an hour or two there. Cain had to leave halfway across the world due to a mission, but she texted him often.

She was actually the one who noticed Damian didn't have a phone. It was a shocker to everyone, but Damian was either in the manor or in the field. In the manor, he had his laptop to take care of necessary tasks, and in the field, he had comms.

There was no need for a phone. He had no one to text or call, and even if he did, he could use manor's phone. Others had none of it and got him a new phone. They added their numbers and a few apps so they could have group chats.

Damian enjoyed reading their texts, but he was still hesitant to message them. he made sure to always reply when he was asked something, but for the most part, he enjoyed reading them bicker.

Damian was freshly out of the shower, now putting on his clothes to go downstairs. Others would be there soon. He was doing a lot better. He wasn't able to speak yet due to doctor's recommendations, but from his last checkup, they expected him to have some ability to speak soon.

His voice therapy would start in a week. His other injuries were also healing nicely. He was mostly back to health and was cleared for short and light exercises. He was to keep a low heart rate so he wouldn't put stress on his body.

He mostly did stretches to gain back his flexibility and practiced kata. It felt good to be back to training. He was tired of being injured and benched. While he still helped in the cave with cases, he was forbidden to be there when Father was there.

It was all getting ridiculous, and he needed some answers.