Damian did not remember how long he had been in the freezer; he just kept pacing around while his body got numb. Suddenly, the door opened, and Todd rushed in. He grabbed him just in time as Damian lost his balance.

He was taken out of the freezer and saw Drake there as well. Why was he there? Damian was not fully conscious as Todd carried him to the motorcycle and sped through the streets like a maniac.

Suddenly, the motorcycle stopped, and he was once again being carried. He did not have the energy to struggle, so Todd ran up endless stairs and stopped in front of a door.

Drake suddenly appeared and opened the door with a set of keys. Todd sped to the bedroom while yelling something at Drake. Todd put him on a chair, kneeling down to take off his boots.

Damian mustered up enough energy to take off his earplugs. He was gaining some clarity, but he still felt disoriented. Todd finished taking off his boots and got to his suit's top.

Damian started to struggle. He did not want to be naked in front of anyone. Todd quickly adjusted his hold into an iron grip so Damian couldn't get away.

"Stop it. Your clothes are wet, and you are in a freezer. You have hypothermia." Damian didn't stop struggling. "Damian, stop. I gave you plenty of baths when you were in league. There is nothing I haven't seen." This shocked Damian out of struggling.

Jason remembered. All this time, Damian believed he had forgotten. They only met for a short time in the league, but Damian had become too attached to him. He hated him for leaving without a word.

He hated him for how his soft and warm eyes had become cold toward him. He hated how the boy who wouldn't leave his side and spent every second with him would ignore his existence. He hated how the boy who sang a lullaby for him, cuddled with him at every chance and showed him so much love and affection wouldn't even look at him.

He hated Todd; he wasn't like his brother Jason. Damian convinced himself that he had forgotten, that he was insignificant and not worth remembering. But he knew he remembered.

It hurt so much more. Why did he pretend not to? Was it something he did? Why would his loving brother turn into a cold stranger? Damian came to himself when he was lifted off the chair and put to bed. He was wearing one of Todd's shirts, which reached his mid-thighs.

Todd put some blankets on him when Drake came in with heating pads. They started maneuvering Damian around and setting everything up. Damian didn't put up any fight and let himself be manhandled into position.

He was too tired. He just needed to sleep.

Jason was a project his mother had picked up and was too unstable for them to risk Damian meeting him. But Damian was a curious child, so one night, he sneaked in and found the cell that held the boy. He was like a zombie. Damian approached him carefully. He didn't seem to register Damian's presence.

Damian didn't want to talk because it might alert the guards, so he just got closer while being alert. Still, nothing. The boy looked haggard and skinny. Maybe he was hungry. Deep bags were under his eyes, and he looked ready to fall over.

Damian also felt tired when he hadn't eaten in a while. He searched his robes for a little while and found something—an apple he had saved from dinner to snack on later. It looked like the boy may need it more.

Damian didn't want to startle him, so he slowly took out the apple and brought it to where he was sure the boy could see. He tried to hold it for the boy to take, but it seemed like he wasn't clear enough.

He slowly reached for the boy's hand with his own free one and grabbed his hand. The boy jerked slightly but didn't pull away. Damian put the apple in his hand and ensured he had a secure grip on it before letting go.

The boy looked at the apple for a few seconds before biting into it. He ate the whole apple, including the core, which fascinated and scared Damian at the same time. He must have been hungry. Damian should sneak more food for him soon, but he had to leave for now before he was caught.

He sneaked out, and luckily, he wasn't caught.

It became a routine for him. Every night, he would sneak in with whatever food he could grab without looking suspicious. Sometimes, it was some bread. Sometimes, it was some cheese on a piece of meat. Most of the time, he could include some fruits as well.

Day by day, the boy had become more responsive. Neither of them talked, but they enjoyed each other's presence. Damian would wait for him to eat, then sit beside him for a while, and the boy would fall asleep. He would then sneak back to his room.

The boy even patted Damian's head a few times. He seemed to have taken a liking to touching Damian, holding his hand, patting his head or back, and being physically close to him. Damian liked it. It made him feel warm and safe, which was not a feeling he often experienced.

One night, the boy pulled Damian into his lap and snuggled onto his head. When it was time to go, Damian tried to get away, but the boy wouldn't let go. Damian tried and tried, but he finally wore himself down and fell asleep.

He woke up to the sound of keys clinking and opening the door. He saw his mother. She was as expressionless as always. Damian didn't know if he was about to get punished or not.

Damian freed himself from the boy, which woke him up. His eyes were glued to Damian, who stood in front of him, and he didn't even look at his mother. Mother took a step forward towards Damian.

Faster than Damian could see, the boy was suddenly in front of him, hiding him behind his back. His mother looked shocked.

This was the start of their story. Damian got punished for sneaking into places he shouldn't be, but he could now freely see the boy, whom he was told was called Jason.

Damian spent a lot of time with him. His mother wanted him to test different things to see his reaction. Damian read books to him or talked about his day. He would have Jason follow him around.

Jason didn't react much, but he listened. Every time Damian asked him something, he would always listen. The only exception was when he perceived Damian to be in danger. He would stop at nothing until the threat was eliminated.

He became Damian's shadow, spending every second of the day with him. At nights, he would hum Damian to sleep. He wouldn't even leave Damian alone in the showers, which was embarrassing at first but soon became normal. The showers in the league were a communal area, after all, so taking showers with others was not strange.

The only place where he luckily had some peace was the bathroom. After Damian set his foot down and refused to be followed inside. Jason would just stay guard at the door.

Soon, Jason started talking, using simple words. He called Damian's brother, and Damian felt warm from having a sibling.

There were episodes of violence, what his mother called pit madness, where Jason would go on a rampage and attack everyone. But he never attacked Damian. Even though Damian couldn't calm him in those episodes, he never felt in danger.

One day, he woke up, and Jason was gone. He searched everywhere, but he wasn't there. His mother told him that he had left, and Damian felt hurt.