Damian slowly opened his eyes and blinked at the unfamiliar ceiling before he remembered. 'That's right, I'm at Forger's.' He turned to his side and gaped at what he saw. Eric was still sleeping, but what caught his attention was how the black cat draped her long body over the upper half of his face like a sleeping mask.

Damian bit his lip to keep himself from laughing. Damian normally views Eric as this emotionless overachieving know-it-all with a penchant for getting into accidents. So, seeing him like this really threw him off.

"AAHHHH!"

That scream made the boys shoot up in bed, but with Eric, he scrambled to get out of the covers he was tangled in and fell onto the floor. He quickly got up and dashed out of his room with Damian behind him as Loid opened the door to Anya's room.

"Freeze, hol' it, hands where I ca' see 'em!" Eric slurred in his half-awake state as he pointed his weapon at the perpetrator.

"Uh, Forger," Damian tapped his shoulder as he grinned, "that's the cat."

"Huh?" Eric blinked twice and looked down at an unamused Honey Ninja in his arms.

The boys looked inside Anya's room to see her crying over a giant stuffed penguin who has just been torn up, its stuffing pouring out of fabric.

"Oh no." Eric frowned as Loid went inside. Eric and Damian took a step inside but didn't go any further as they stood by the door.

"My penguin's dead!" Anya wailed as she fell beside her stuffed toy, "Agent Penguin who did this to you? They're gonna pay!" She blubbered as Loid knelt beside his daughter inspect the damage.

"Am I crazy? Or do those look like scratches and bite marks?" Loid's question made all three children turn to the only culprit that fits that description.

Bond turned his face away as Yor stood outside and watched the scene with a worried expression.

Anya glared as she read Bond's mind, 'Penguin bad. Stole Anya.'

'So it was you Bond!'

Damian blinked, "Wait, was the dog jealous of the penguin?"

Eric nodded, "Mmhm."

Honey Ninja gave Bond a disapproving stare, "Mwoar."

With vengeance on her mind, she charged at the dog, ready to throw hands. "How dare you?!"

"Calm down!" Loid quickly caught her and picked her up by the armpits.

"I can't believe you Bond, I hate you!" Anya yelled through tears and snot as she glared at the dog.

The words struck Bond in the heart, making him cry as his tail dropped onto the floor.

Damian was surprised by how the dog understood human language as he glanced between Anya and Bond. Honestly, he had a hard time trying to figure out who he should feel sorry for.

Bond made pitiful sounds as Yor entered to console her daughter. "Oh Anya, don't worry. I'll sew him right up and make him all better."

"My penguin will be alive again?" Anya sniffled as her mother gave her a comforting smile.

Damian whispered to Eric, "It won't be the same though."

Eric whispered back, "Anya loves that penguin to death. We got it at the aquarium."

Damian had a feeling that's where they got that large toy. He glanced down at the cat in Eric's arms, "Were you really going to use the cat as a weapon?" His shoulders shook as he suppressed his laughter.

Eric looked down at his furry companion, "She was the first thing I grabbed. I was not fully awake."

Damian chuckled, "What were you going to do, shoot hairballs at them?"

Eric hummed, "You're right, what was I thinking?" He turned the cat around and pointed her tail towards Damian, "This should work perfectly. Locked and loaded." He made clicking sounds and motions with the tail as though reloading a shot gun.

Damian took a step back and panicked, "Don't fire at me!"

"Eric, do not weaponize the cat." Loid scolded his son as his wife went to work on fixing the penguin.

"I was joking." Eric said as he lowered Honey Ninja's tail.

Damian sighed in relief but still glared distrustfully at Eric. It's hard to tell if he's joking.

The boys turned back to Yor fixing the penguin. The results...

"What? Why's his head detached; it wasn't like that earlier!" Yor panicked at the worsened state of her daughter's toy.

"Now he's even deader!" Anya cried at the state of her precious penguin.

Eric frowned, he should've seen that coming given his mother's strength. He nodded to himself before he left the room, dragging Damian behind him.

"Hey, what're we doing?" Damian asked, confused as Eric pulled him out of Anya's room.

Loid kept his face straight as he stared at the two boys, "Are you wearing one of my shirts?"

"They were already clean and sterile for us to wear for this operation." Eric stated, behind his medical mask.

Eric and Damian wore Loid's white dress shirts with the long sleeves folded at the wrists, goggles over their eyes and shower caps on their heads.

Damian's eye twitched as he stood beside Eric in the living room in front of the coffee table with the mangled penguin resting on top. "Hey, what are we doing?" He slowly asked, his voice muffled behind the medical mask.

"Isn't it obvious? We're about to perform a full body surgery on Agent Penguin." Eric stated then pointed at Damian, "You'll be my assistant Nurse Desi."

A tick mark appeared on Damian's forehead, "'Nurse?'"

Eric nodded, "Yep."

Damian grumbled as he glared at his classmate.

Loid sighed at the two before calling their attention, "Alright you two, let's set aside your spat and focus on the patient." He said as he played along with his son who seems to have fallen in his role as a doctor already. "Damian, you got the stuffing?"

Damian looked over at the pile of stuffing that spilled out of the penguin earlier resting by the flipper. "Yes sir."

Eric held items up for them to see, "Paper clips and clamps ready to hold in place while we stitch him up."

Loid nodded, "Then let us begin."

The two Forgers plus Damian worked together to 'operate' on Agent Penguin. Loid sewed up the larger holes while Eric took care of the smaller gashes. Every now and then, Damian would hand over the requested stuffing or clamps.

'This is my first time playing doctor.' Damian thought to himself as he glanced at Eric who is hyper focused on his work as he stitched up the penguin with his father. 'I can't tell if he's playing or not.'

Yor was in Anya's room comforting her daughter who still wept over her precious penguin.

A knock on the door made mother and daughter turn to see Loid at the entrance.

"He's all better Anya." Loid announced, bringing a hopeful smile upon her face.

Loid stepped aside as Eric and Damian carried him into Anya's room. Both of them out of their 'surgeon' clothes.

"The surgery was a success." Eric informed her as Agent Penguin was deposited onto the desk chair.

"Sadly, he's...different." Damian said, wincing as he glanced at the obvious stitches.

Anya stared at the penguin then stated, "He looks all Frankenstein-y."

"Yeah, couldn't avoid that." Loid said from beside Anya.

"But he still looks alive." Yor added as she got a better look at the toy.

"Frankenstein was the scientist, not the monster." Eric said to his sister.

"You read about Frankenstein?" Damian asked Eric since the little blonde doesn't look like the type to read comics about that particular monster.

"Yeah, I find it quite interesting making new life with just a few body parts." Eric answered with a fascinated spark in his eyes despite his blank expression.

Damian frowned, "Somehow, that actually makes sense."

"You know, scars are like medals of valor. Sure, Agent Penguin got hurt, but they're honorable injuries he received in the line of duty." He added, hoping this would make his daughter feel better.

Anya's face brightened, "Wow, medals?"

"Yep, his scars are nothing to be ashamed of." Loid glanced over at the boys, "Eric and Damian also helped with the operation."

Eric nodded, "It was hard work, but I know Agent Penguin is well on his way to recovery."

Damian shrugged, "I just handled his fluffy guts."

Anya stared at them with bright green eyes, "Thank you so much for saving him. Big brother and Sy-on boy work really well together." She praised, giving the boys an angelic glow.

Damian blushed and turned away, "It was nothing." He said, trying to play it cool despite the thundering heart beating in his chest.

The sound of padded feet scraping across the wood floor towards Anya's room made everyone look towards the door to see Bond.

Anya stood protectively in front of her penguin, "Evil Bond, what do you want from us?"

Damian blinked when he saw what the dog was carrying in his mouth, "Wait, are those-"

"-peanuts." Eric finished as Bond let out a sorrowful groan as he presented Anya's favorite snack to her.

Anya read Bond's mind with a confused look, 'Are you saying 'sorry' to me?'

Loid turned to Bond who laid the peanuts on the ground before Anya. "I think he wants you to forgive him. How about it? Remember what Bondman said, 'yesterday's enemy is today's ally.' Right?"

"That's from episode 18."

Damian turned Eric and whispered, "Your dad actually watches that show too?"

Eric whispered back, "Yep, surprisingly. He uses references from that cartoon to better engage Anya on certain subjects."

"Clever."

Anya picked her penguin back up and spoke in a deepened voice, "I was really hurt pretty bad, but I am willing to call a ceasefire on behalf of your generous gift of these truce peanuts. Also," Anya lowered the penguin, her voice returning to normal as her eyes held guilt, "I'm sorry I said, 'I hate you.' I didn't mean it."

Bond's eyes shined at how Anya forgave him for his mistake before he pounced on her and gave her slobbering kisses as she giggled.

A moment later, Anya had Agent Penguin and Bond shake hands, "With this the peace treaty is officially signed." She declared before grabbing her toy as Bond followed after her to play.

Loid watched his daughter with a smile, 'If only things were this easy between the East and West.'

Yor looked relieved as Anya returned to her ever-lively self.

Eric sighed, "Well, that's one crisis resolved." Eric turned to Loid, "Hey Dad, can we make pancakes today? Customize our own to be exact?"

Anya quickly turned upon hearing that word. "Pancakes?" She hopefully repeated while clutching her penguin.

"You just want an excuse to have chocolate in the morning." Loid stated to his son, no sternness in his tone as he watched Eric knowingly.

Eric looked away guiltlessly, "Well I wanted to use those chocolate chips for something other than cookies."

"It actually sounds like a great idea. We also have strawberry syrup and whip cream to put on top." Yor said with a delighted smile.

"I want peanut butter on my pancake!" Anya exclaimed as she threw her hand up in the air.

Eric glanced at Damian, "What would you like on yours?"

Damian was surprised at the question as he thought of what he likes added to his breakfast. It's been a long time since he had a pancake, but one he remembered having that make his taste bud explode in joy had blueberries mixed in. "Um, if possible, I like blueberries with mine." He said, feeling shy with his request.

Loid smiled, despite being overruled, this is a good opportunity for Damian to enjoy his time with them. "You're in luck, I have all the fixings for all of us to make our own personal pancakes."

"Yay, pancake party!" Anya cheered as she grabbed Eric's and Damian's hands and pulled them out of the room. Eric followed with ease while Damian stumbled, surprised by the small girl's strength. He also took note of how soft her tiny hands are in his. A small blush stained his cheeks when he realized he's holding hands with a girl.

Eric glanced at Damian's blushing face and willed himself not to seethe at their guest. He profusely had to remind himself that there was only another day left before the wager is over.

Adorned in aprons and hair held down by bandanas, the Forgers plus Damian made their own customized their pancakes which Loid made from the stove. Three plates were stacked with different pancakes: plain, chocolate chips, and blueberries. Beside them were spreads and flavored syrups along with colorful sprinkles and whip cream.

Damian fixed his own plate with two stacks of blueberry pancakes as he topped it off with whip cream and maple syrup. He glanced at Eric who sat to his right and had to do a double take at the four stacked chocolate chip pancakes with whip cream in between and on top with chocolate syrup drizzled. His blank face had a slight blush and sparkles around his face as he squeezed the bottle tightly, watching it flow like rivers down a mountain.

"Eric, I hope you're not planning on drinking the whole chocolate syrup bottle." Loid warned his son before he gently took the near half-empty bottle from him.

"Not yet, but I will make that my life goal." Eric calmly said with certainty as he picked up his fork.

'What with this kid?' Damian thought to himself in disconcertion as he watched his rival marvel at the four-layer choco-galore.

"Big brother really loves chocolate." Anya stated as she finished a bite of her peanut buttered pancakes.

"Really, I couldn't tell." Damian responded as he watched Eric take a bite from his stack and shivered in delight.

'I guess even this guy can act like a little kid sometimes.' Damian thought to himself before he began to eat his pancakes. His hazel eyes widened, 'Wow, this is good!'

"Papa is amazing, what did you put in it?" Anya asked her father after she swallowed her peanut slathered pancake.

"A teaspoon of vanilla extract. Worked out better than I thought." Loid answered as he calmly ate his food.

"You're not kidding, this tastes incredible." Yor exclaimed as she ate her strawberry pancakes. She glanced down at her creation, noting how the strawberry syrup flowed around the pancakes. In a certain light, it reminded her of how blood pooled around her clients.

"Hey Anya, why do you look green all of a sudden?" Eric asked when he noticed the discomforted look on her face as she sat beside her mother.

Four hours later, Damian found himself in the Center with the Forgers as he was outfitted with the fencing gear. The sound of clashing steel and kids moving and leaping across the mats echoed throughout the massive room.

"Luckily you and Eric are about the same size." Loid stated as he adjusted the outfit Eric loaned him. "Can you breathe?"

"Yes, sir." Damian responded as he tested the movements in his arms and legs.

Loid nodded, "Alright." He stood up and guided him over to Gustav who was adjusting Eric's stance. "Mr. Wellers, we have a new student for you."

Gustav turned to Loid and greeted with his jovial smile, "Ah, Dr. Forger, good to see you as always." He glanced down at Damian, "Is this your other son?"

Damian blushed and looked away slightly. For some reason, being mistaken for Dr. Forger's son made him feel happy.

Loid laid a hand on the boy's shoulder, "No, he's my son's classmate. His name's Damian. He's spending the weekend with us, and we thought it would do him some good to try out this sport while we're here." He patted Damian's shoulder and stepped off the mat.

"I see, my mistake." Gustav knelt before the boy, "First time holding a sword lad?"

"Um, yes sir." Damian responded with politeness as he stood straight.

Gustav smiled at his nervousness, "A lot of us started out as beginners holding a wooden stick. I should know." He rose to his height, "First, we'll work on stance and posture. It is the most important thing to learn when you learn the art of fencing. Now, let's see your stance." He instructed as Eric returned with a fencing sword similar to his own and handed it to Damian.

Damian tried to copy Eric's position from earlier. He remembered Eric's prior instruction before coming to the Center today on how the fencer has to stand on the en-garde line with his dominant foot forward and pointing towards the opponent. Additionally, both feet should be in a 'L' position and shoulder-width apart, and the fencer should have his mask in one hand and his weapon in the dominant hand.

Gustav nodded in approval, "Not bad." He came forward and placed a hand on his shoulder to adjust his position, "Straighten your back, raise your arm. There we go." He took a step back.

Damian felt a glow of pride for not looking like a fool as he stayed in the corrected position.

His eyes glanced at Eric and saw him nod in approval.

"The en garde position is the starting stance in fencing, and it's used to prepare for an attack or defense. But for now, we'll practice advance and retreat."

Damian and Eric paired up where Gustav taught Damian the advance and retreat movements. During one of his retreats, Damian nearly tripped and fell, but Eric was quick to grab him by the front of the shirt before he could fall on his back.

"Fencing is like dancing, once you get the footwork right, it'll stay with you." Eric stated as he pulled his rival back into a correct position.

Damian blushed at how he almost embarrassed himself before he shook it off and resumed his footwork. One moment he's advancing towards a retreating Eric, then vice versa. They kept a small distance between them while holding their rapier in position. This does feel like a dance. This continued for roughly ten minutes.

"Now, let's show you the lunge. Eric, if you could give a demonstration?" Gustav requested his pupil.

Eric nodded as he took an en garde position and waited for his instructor's signal.

"Lunge!"

Eric kicks the front foot forward, pushes the body forward with the back leg, deeply bends the knee, slide the back leg along the ground, point the toe of the front leg towards the sky, unlock the back knee and pull back using the rear leg, brings the left arm back to the torso then recover to a proper on guard position.

Damian watched as Eric repeated the maneuver once again for equal measure before relaxing his stance and bowed to his teacher.

Gustav nodded then turned to Damian, "As you can see, this attack requires balance and precision. Minimum effort and maximum grace. It may look easy, but it's much more difficult without proper technique." He explained to Damian who listened to every word he said. "Now, we'll start off by slowly practicing your lunge."

Damian took the en garde position before he followed Gustav's slow movements, being careful as he tried to copy what he just saw Eric gracefully executed. He repeated this move several times under Gustav's instructions, his muscles screamed in protest, but he refused to cry as he persisted in learning the art of fencing.

After another fifteen minutes of that exercise, Damian was left sweating as he sat on the bench trying to catch his breath.

A water bottle appeared in his vision. Damian looked up and saw Eric standing there with his offering. "Here."

Not one to deny hydration, Damian took the bottle and chugged the water for three gulps.

Released a long sigh as he wiped his mouth with his sleeve, "This is harder than it looks."

"It's not just fancy steps and swinging the sword around." Eric sat down beside his rival to massage his wrist, "First timers are often left aching afterwards."

"Oh God, I'm gonna be in pain." Damian rubbed his thighs, hoping it would alleviate any future aches Eric warned him about.

Eric glanced at Damian, "That's good, 'cause if you're not feeling sore come morning, then you're not doing it right."

Damian narrowed his eyes at Eric, "How long did it take for you to stop feeling sore?"

Eric shrugged, "Two to three weeks, and that's from practicing drills before and after school."

"Show off." Damian grumbled then looked away, facing the gymnastics area where Anya was currently practicing on. He watched as the small girl in her red and gold leotard did shaky poses on the balance beam under her coach's instructions and Yor's watchful gaze. A look of deep concentration on her face.

"Are you ogling my sister?" Eric asked, his voice carried a light warning tone.

Damian whipped his head to Eric's glare which looked tame compared to the second son's previous encounters with it.

"What? No-no-no I wasn't. I'm just surprised that someone like your sister would be in gymnastics with how small she is." Damian defensively responded with a blush staining his cheeks.

Eric hummed as he calmed down enough to observe his sister's movements. "Anya more graceful than people give her credit for. She just has more energy than most kids her age. Gymnastics is actually a good outlet for her to expel all that energy." He said as Anya backflipped off the beam and onto the ground. Though she stumbled in her dismount, she never lost her focus as her mom and instructor clapped and praised her. "She's been able to do that all week now."

Damian witnessed with wide eyes, "Wow, that was actually really cool." He turned to Eric who had a look of pride on his normally calm face, "I gotta say, I thought you and your sister would be in fencing and gymnastics together considering how you follow each other around all the time." He stated, having observed his rival and Anya, how they were stuck like glue.

Eric held a faint smile on his face, "I thought so too. But I get vertigo on the beams." He said, remembering how he tried it out one day, looked down and felt dizzy at the height from where he was standing. He would have fallen had Yor not caught him in time. "Anya and I agreed to stay out of each other's sports. Doing things together is fun, but it's also good to branch out and find your hobbies."

Damian nodded in understanding, yet he felt another string of envy fall over him. He can't remember the last time he and his brother Demetrius did anything fun together. Or spent quality time together as siblings. Whenever he tries to approach his older brother, there is always his father standing over him, instructing him in his studies with a stern and collective look.

Eric caught the way Damian was lost in his thoughts. He knew something was bothering the boy, but he knew even if he did voice his question, Damian would not answer. So, he settled with nudging his shoulder with his own to catch his attention, making the dark-haired boy turn to Eric who bounded off the bench and offered his hand.

"Fancy a spar?"

Damian looked surprised, "What?"

"If you're not feeling up for it, I can find a different, more ready opponent." Eric said, baiting his rival to spar with him, hoping it would help him out of whatever depressive funk he's in.

Damian grinned at the challenge then gripped his rival's hand, "You're so on. Prepare to lose."

Eric mirrored Damian's smile with his small subtle grin as they picked up their rapiers and moved towards the sparring areas.

Loid watched their interaction with approval, though it's not a golden friendship, it is still something.

"How...is this...supposed to help...with the pain?" Damian struggled to speak through the aches in his body as Eric gripped his hands.

The two classmates were currently sitting on the living room floor with their feet touching each other, legs in a wide V as they held hands, pulling one forward every few minutes. At this moment, Damian was the one being pulled as he felt his inner thighs scream in pain.

"It's important to stretch your muscles before and after you do a rigorous activity. In your case, you've never used your leg muscles like that before." Eric grunted as he allowed Damian to pull him forward. "Remember, pain is weakness leaving your body."

Damian grunted, "Well, not everyone is a masochist like you."

Eric pulled Damian forward suddenly, causing his joints to crack and wince.

"I'm not a masochist, I just have a very-" Eric pulled harder, "-high pain tolerance."

Damian squeaked in pain, "I take it back."

"Eric, release Damian, it's time for lasagna." Loid told his son who immediately let go of Damian who flopped onto his back with a groan.

Damian sat down at the table, biting his lips in pain when his inner thigh gave a cry of protest.

"So, Damian, how did you like your first lesson?" Yor asked from her usual spot beside Anya who sat beside Damian.

"It was actually fun. Minus the pain." Damian muttered while glancing at Eric.

"It'll get easier the more you practice. That is, if you still want to continue the sport." Eric said to Damian as he sprinkled red pepper onto his lasagna. "It's also a good way to earn Stella Stars in the future."

"He's right, Eden has a class for fencing, however, it is unfortunately for third years. So, entering their competitions is a long way from now." Loid reminded the boys as he cut into his food he prepared for his family.

Damian tore off a piece of his garlic bread and stared at the crust, "Even if I'm not a third year yet, I still want to do fencing. When I get back to the dorms, I'll ask my father if it's alright for me to join the center. Though he might say 'no' because it's outside of Eden." He said with a doubtful expression as he pictured his father's disapproving face.

"What if you go with us?" Anya offered, "You and brother know each other, and you know us. We'll be like your bodyguards when we go out to play."

Loid likes the way his daughter thinks right now, another opportunity for Plan B. "Not a bad idea. But only if it's okay with your father." Loid said to Damian, not wanting to be pushy or put pressure on the boy.

Damian felt strangely hopeful at the idea of being allowed to come here with the Forgers. In the day and a half he's been here, in spite of the chaos of this morning, being with the Forgers was actually fun.

"I do like the sport, mainly because it gives me an excuse to poke you in the chest." Damian added with a grin towards his rival.

Eric raised his spoon, "En garde."

Damian picked up his spoon and clashed utensils with Eric. Both serious as they parried each other.

"Boys, not at the dinner table." Loid chided them before things could escalate into a battle.

The rest of the evening was spent in familial comfort and companionship.

Sorry it took so long. Had a lot of things going on. But thankfully I have finished part 2 of Weekend at Forgers and I had fun with this, especially the part with the cat. Had that brewing in my head for months. Damian got to witness different sides to his rival and how fun being with the Forgers is. The next chapter will determine who will wear the dress. ;)

As usual, your reviews are most appreciated. 'Til next time.