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Chapter Text

Chapter 1 My Everyday Life
Damian’s POV

I was woken up by the sound of my alarm going off. Without opening my eyes, I reached out to turn it off. Then, I suddenly felt a heavy weight on my chest, before something began to lick my face.

“Okay, Ace”, I said. “I’m up.”

With this, I finally opened my eyes…and saw my dog staring right into them.

He then got off of me as I sat up and stretched. Then, I began getting ready for my day.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Now dressed in my school uniform, I walked into the kitchen, where I found one man serving food to another in the breakfast nook.

“Good morning, Master Damian”, the man who was serving greeted me.

“Good morning, Alfred”, I greeted, before sitting down opposite the other man. “Good morning, father. 

“Good morning, Damian”, my father greeted.

“I have to say, it’s nice to have some peace and quiet here for once”, I stated.

“You say that”, my father started. “But I’m sure that you miss your siblings when they’re not around.”

“As if”, I stated. “I’m glad when I don’t have to deal with them.”

My father shook his head while letting out an amused chuckle at my statement.

“Well”, he started as he got up. “I have to get going to work. Have a good day at school, Damian.”

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Gotham Academy was known as a school for the elite. In order to attend, your family usually had to have money, and/or connections. 

However, the school also sometimes handed out scholarships by holding different types of competitions. For example, the school’s literacy program just held a short story competition, where the winner won a scholarship to attend the school.

“Where here, Master Damian”, Alfred said when we had arrived at the school.

“Thank you, Alfred”, I said as I put my book bag on my shoulder. 

“Have a good day at school, Master Damien”, Alfred said, before I exited the car.

When I did, many students looked my way and began to whisper.

Unfortunately, being the son of the richest man in Gotham caused me unwanted attention. When the school year first started, many of my classmates immediately attempted to befriend me. Luckily, my anti-social behaviour quickly put off most of my them from approaching again.

The first half of my day went by as any other did. However, things took a turn at lunchtime.

The dining hall was always very crowded and noisy. However, the library was always almost completely empty during lunchtime, so it was where I preferred to eat.

I walked into the library, and as usual, it was completely empty…minus one person.

It was a girl I had never seen before, and she had very unique features. Her skin was greyish in tone, and she had a small jewel on the center of her forehead. 

When she heard the library door open, she lifted her head and looked in my direction. As soon as her gaze hit mine, I quickly turned and walked away.

I sat down at a table which had a bookshelf that separated me and the girl, before taking out the lunch Alfred had made me.

As I ate it, I looked up, and realised that I could see the girl through a gap in the bookshelf. She too was eating her lunch.

She eats her lunch in the library too? Perhaps she also finds the dining hall to be too crowded and noisy?

Realising that it was probably rude to watch someone else, I turned my attention back to my lunch. But I would occasionally look back up at the girl.

After she finished eating, she took out a notebook, and began quietly reading it out.

It looks like she’s practicing public speaking. Perhaps she has to read a report for an assignment or something?

Before I knew it, the bell rang, signalling that our lunch break was almost over.

I watched as the girl gathered her things and stood up. Then, she looked my way, but I quickly looked down before she could notice that I was watching her. Then, I heard her footsteps as she left the library.

I wonder if she’ll continue to eat her lunch in the library? Well, as long as she’s quiet like she was today, then it shouldn’t be a problem.

Chapter Text

Chapter 2 The Bird that Can’t Fly Away
Damian’s POV

The school day had come to an end. However, I couldn’t go home yet, because there was going to be an after school assembly.

As annoyed as I was with this, I didn’t want to get into trouble by skipping the assembly, so I reluctantly attended.

As students sat down in the assembly hall, the principal walked onto the stage and stood behind a podium.

“Good afternoon, students”, she greeted. “Thank you all for gathering here. As you may know, our literary program held a short story contest, and the winner won a scholarship to attend the school. And now, that winner will be reading her short story for us. Students of Gotham Academy, please give a warm welcome to the winner of our short story contest, Rachel Roth!”

As the assembly hall was filled with the sound of applause, the winner of contest walked onto the stage. And to my surprise…it was the girl from the library.

So the girl from the library won the short story contest? And it looks like I was right about her practicing public speaking.

I finished this thought just as the girl (who I now knew was named Rachel) made it to the podium. 

She seemed very nervous. In fact, she seemed like she didn’t want to be there at all.

“Um…”, she started nervously. “Good afternoon, everyone. My name is Rachel Roth. Um…I’m very grateful and honored that my short story was chosen as the winner, and that I get to attend this school because of that.”

“Poor girl”, I heard someone whisper to her friend from behind me. “She seems so nervous.”

“Agreed”, the friend said. “Also, what’s with her skin? And the jewel on her forehead?”

“Anyway”, Rachel started. “I’ll start reading my short story now. It’s called ‘The Bird that Can’t fly away.”

With this, Rachel cleared her throat, and began reading her story.

“A bird is born, and is put into a cage almost immediately as it is. The bird spends the majority of its life in this cage, its only purpose being to follow its owner’s orders and bid to their will. But the bird longs to know more than the cage it has lived its whole life in. It longs be free.”

Eventually, the bird’s owner grows bored of it. So it opens the door to its cage, and says that it can leave.

Finally, the bird can have the freedom it has wanted for so long. But there’s a problem. The bird was never taught how to fly. It doesn’t know what it’s supposed to do now.

And so, the bird remains in its cage. It’s door is open, but the bird doesn’t know how to leave it.”

With this, Rachel finished her story, and everyone in the auditorium broke into an applause.

“Um…”, she started nervously. “Thank you, everyone.”

With this, Rachel quickly rushed off the stage.

“That was an interesting story”, I heard a student say.

“It was”, another one agreed. “But I have no idea what’s it’s about.”

I wasn’t sure what the story was about either. And yet, after listening to it…I started feeling something that I couldn’t explain.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

I walked into the courtyard, and soon spotted the familiar sight of Alfred waiting for me by a car.

“Good afternoon, Master Damian”, he greeted me as I walked up to him.

“Good afternoon, Alfred”, I greeted, before he opened the car door.

I was about to get into the vehicle, but before I could…I noticed Rachel walking out of the school.

She began walking my way, but before she reached me, I quickly got into the car and shut the door.

I then looked out the window, and watched as Rachel walked past it.

“Who was that girl, Master Damian”, Alfred asked as he entered the car. 

“She’s a new student who won a scholarship by winning a short story contest the literary program held”, I revealed. “She read her story today in an after school assembly.”

“Was it a good story”, Alfred asked.

“It was…an interesting story”, I replied. “I’m not sure what it’s exactly supposed to be about, and yet…”

I can’t stop thinking about it. Especially that last line. “The bird remains in its cage. It’s door is open, but the bird doesn’t know how to leave it.”

Chapter Text

Chapter 3 Drawing
Damian’s POV

With Ace laying by my feet, and my cat, Pennyworth, resting on my lap, I worked on my homework by my desk.

“Done”, I said when I had finished.

I then leaned back in my chair and stretched out my arms. As I looked up at the ceiling…that line from the short story came to my mind one more. 

The bird remains in its cage. It’s door is open, but the bird doesn’t know how to leave it.

“Why can’t I stop thinking about that one specific line”, I asked myself. “Well, when I can’t seem to wrap my head around these types of things, there’s always one thing I can turn to.”

With this, I took out a sketchbook and some pencils, and I got to work.

The Next Day

Lunch time had arrived, and I went to the library as usual.

When I got there, I found that Rachel was there once again.

Is she going to eat lunch here every day? Well, as long as she doesn’t end up being a bother, then it’s fine with me.

After thinking this, I walked past Rachel and sat down at my usual table.

I then took out my sketchbook, and looked at the picture I had drawn the night before.

It was a grayscale drawing of a bird in a cage with its door open. In the background, there was an open window too.

The bird remains in its cage. Its door is open, but the bird doesn’t know how to leave it.

After looking at my drawing, I looked up at Rachel. For a second, I considered showing it to her, but I quickly decided against it.

However, I still wanted to share the drawing somehow. So, I sat up and walked over to the printer that sat in the corner of the library. I then put the drawing face down on the scanner before getting out my phone and connecting it to the printer.

Once the drawing had been scanned, I sat down back at my table before checking the quality of the scan. Once I deemed it good…I went to my social media app and uploaded my drawing.

When I was done with this, I looked up at Rachel once more.

I should credit her original short story. Let me see.

With this, I went to the school website…and soon found that Rachel’s short story had been posted to it. I copied the link and added it to the post of my drawing.

There. I wonder if she’ll see my drawing? I wonder what she’ll think about it?

After thinking this, I shook my head.

Since when do I care what people think of my drawings?

That Night
Rachel’s POV

Instead of sleeping, I was scrolling through social media in the middle of the night in my room.

As I was doing this…I spotted something that caught my attention. It was a drawing captioned ‘The Bird that Can’t Fly Away.’ When I looked at the drawing, I was immediately reminded of my short story.

Then, I took a closer look…and saw there was a link to my school’s article on my short story.

Someone drew something inspired by my short story? Who could that be?

After I thought this…I took a look at the social media handle of the person who posted the drawing.

RobinFlyingintheNightSky

“RobinFlyingintheNightSky, huh? I wonder who that is?”

After asking myself this, I took a closer look at the drawing. Then…I realized something.

“Wait a minute. I’ve seen this drawing in real life.”

Chapter Text

Chapter 4 Overcasting Shadow
Damian’s POV

It was the next day, and another lunchtime had arrived.

I opened the doors to the library, and saw the sight of Rachel I had gotten familiar with by then.

I was going to walk past her like I had before, but when I reached her…this happened.

“Hey.”

When I heard this, I stopped walking and looked around. After confirming that there was nobody else nearby, I looked down at Rachel.

“Are you talking to me”, I asked.

“Is there anyone else around”, Rachel asked.

“Good point. So, what do you want?”

After I asked this, Rachel took out her phone and held it up to me.

“You drew this, didn’t you?”

After being asked this, I took a closer look at Rachel’s phone…and saw my post about the drawing I did inspired by her short story.

“How did you…”, I started.

“I saw you take out a sketchbook that had this drawing in it yesterday”, Rachel revealed.

So she was watching me? Mother will scold me for not noticing that.

“Could you please not tell anyone in school that I’m the one who drew that”, I asked. “I post under an alias for a reason. I don’t want any attention on me.”

“Don’t worry”, Rachel reassured. “Your secret is safe with me.”

“Good”, I said, before I started thinking of something else.

Since she brought up my drawing, I may as well ask her.

“What did you think? Of the drawing, I mean.”

After I asked this, Rachel looked at the post of the drawing on her phone.

“It’s amazing how you managed to capture the feeling of my original story in just one drawing”, she replied. 

“Thanks”, I said. “Anyway, if that’s all you wanted to discuss, I’ll be…”

“Actually”, Rachel started, interrupting me. “There is one more thing.”

After Rachel said this, she took out a notebook from her backpack.

“After I saw your drawing inspired by my story, I decided to check out the other drawings you had posted”, she revealed. “I…ended up writing a something based on one of them.”

“You wrote something based on one of my drawings”, I asked.

“Yeah”, Rachel replied. “Have a look.”

With this, I took the notebook from Rachel.

Then, I sat down and began reading it.

A small bird sits under the wing of a large bat. On one hand, the bird feels a sense of comfort within the shadow the bat casts. However, the bird also fears that the shadow will grow larger and larger, until it is completely engulfed in its darkness.

When I read this, I was taken by surprise.

“What do you think”, Rachel asked. 

“It’s amazing that you were able to get all of that from one drawing”, I replied, before looking at Rachel. “How did you do that?”

“Your dad is Bruce Wayne, right”, Rachel asked. “One on hand, having a parent that rich means there’s a lot of things you won’t have to worry about. But on the other hand, that’s one hell of a legacy to live up to.”

After Rachel said this, I took out my sketchbook from my book bag, and turned it to the drawing she had written about.

“Or am I completely off the mark”, she asked.

“No”, I replied, continuing to look at the drawing. “In fact, it’s impressive how much of my true feelings you were able to get from just my drawing and the knowledge of who my father is.”

After saying this, I put my sketchbook back in my book bag.

“Anyway”, I started, before beginning to stand up. “I’ll leave you to…”

“You’re already here”, Rachel said suddenly. “Why don’t you stay and eat here instead of going to another table?”

“Are you okay with with me being here”, I asked. “I assumed you ate in the library to be alone?”

“It’s fine”, Rachel reassured. “You can stay.”

“If you say so”, I said, before sitting back down. “But don’t expect me to make any small talk.”

“Fine by me.”

And so, Rachel and I ate our lunches in silence…together at the same table.

Chapter Text

Chapter 5 Bookstore
Damian’s POV

For the next couple of days, Rachel and I ate lunch together in the library. However, we didn’t really speak to each other. We just sat at the same table and ate our food in silence.

Before long, Friday arrived and the school week finally came to an end.

After going home and changing out of my uniform and into casual clothes, I decided to take Ace out for a walk. I also put Pennyworth in one of those cat carrier backpacks so he could get some fresh air as well.

As I was walking through the streets of Gotham, I came across a bookstore. I looked trough the glass doors, and spotted a familiar face.

Rachel was inside the bookstore. She was wear a basic outfit and had a name tag pinned to her top.

I guess she works here?

For a moment, I considered going inside the bookstore, but quickly decided against it.

I then began to leave, but stopped when I suddenly heard the door open behind me.

“Fancy meeting you here.”

When I heard a familiar voice say this, I turned around to face the person who said it.

“Greetings, Rachel”, I greeted. 

“Hey there, Damian”, Rachel greeted. “What are you doing here?”

“I was walking my dog, and somehow ended up passing the store you work at”, I replied.

Then, Ace walked closer to Rachel, who kneeled down to pet him.

“Here there, buddy”, she greeted. “What’s your name?”

“His name is Ace”, I replied.

“Nice to meet you, Ace”, Rachel greeted as she continued to pet him.

“Also”, I started, before turning around so Rachel could see my backpack. “This is Pennyworth.”

“You have a cat too”, Rachel asked. “Guess you’re kind of an animal lover, huh?”

“I guess you can say that”, I replied. “Anyway, I won’t keep you from your work any longer.”

“Why don’t you come in and take a peak at the books”, Rachel suggested.

“Would it be okay to bring Ace and Pennyworth in”, I asked.

“It’ll be fine”, Rachel reassured. “The owner of the store is a huge animal lover too.”

“Well”, I started. “I don’t have anywhere else I need to be, so I guess I can take a quick look.”

“Great”, Rachel said, before opening the door to the bookstore. “Come on in.”

With that, I walked into the bookstore, where I was met by an elderly lady.

“Hello there”, she greeted, before noticing Ace as he walked up to her. “And why hello to you too.”

“Any particular books you’re interested in”, Rachel asked.

“Books on art techniques, and books on mythology”, I replied.

“I see”, Rachel said, before turning around. “The hobbies section is over there, and the mythology section is over there.”

After saying this, Rachel turned back to face me.

“I’ve gotta get back to work”, she said. “Let me know if you need anything.”

“Thanks”, I said, before Rachel went off to work.

I then went to one of the sections Rachel had pointed out, and began looking through the books.

As I was browsing, I noticed a hooded man walk into the store and up to the counter where the owner was.

“Hello”, she greeted. “What can I do for today?”

“Give me the money in the register.”

After saying this, the hooded man reached into his pocket…and pulled out a gun.

Chapter Text

Chapter 6 The Woman in the Dark Hood
Damian’s POV

As soon as the hooded mad pulled out a gun, I quickly grabbed Ace’s collar and quietly pulled him to the back of the store.

I then looked around, and spotted the door to the bathroom.

After checking to see if the robber was distracted, I quickly pulled Ace into the bathroom.

Once I was inside, I quickly pulled out a communicator and put it into my ear.

“This is Robin to Oracle”, I said. “Oracle, do you read me?”

“I read you, Robin”, Oracle replied. “What’s your situation?”

“I’m in a bookstore, and there is a man holding the owner at gunpoint”, I revealed. “I should be able to handle the situation on my own, but I’d appreciate if you could call the authorities.”

“Copy that”, Oracle said. “I’ll let Batman know. And Robin, please be careful.”

“Yeah yeah, I will be”, I said in an annoyed tone, before ending the call.

Then, I quickly took off my clothes, revealing my fighting uniform underneath.

I put on my mask and pulled up my hood. Then, I took my backpack off and put it next to Ace, before tying his leash to one of the stalls.

“Ace, Stay”, I commanded, before patting him on his head and looking at the backpack. “And look after Pennyworth.”

With this, I stood up…before realizing something.

Crap! I didn’t see Rachel at all after the robber came in! Where is she?

After having this thought, I quickly took a look out the door and looked around the bookstore. However, I did not see Rachel at all.

Where did she go? Did she manage to make it out the door without the shooter noticing her?

“Put the money in the bag!”

This angry shout snapped me out of my thoughts. 

I looked to the front of the store, and saw that the store owner trying to quickly take cash out of the register while the robber held his gun close to her head.

Deciding to finally strike, I was about to barge up to the robber…but someone beat me to it.

“Hurry up you old hag”, he demanded angrily. 

“I’m going as fast as I can”, the owner said.

“Hurry up or I’ll…”

Before the robber could finish, his hands were suddenly bound by some type of power that was colored black.

“What the hel…”, the robber started. But before he could finish, he was suddenly slammed into one of the bookshelves: the impact knocking him out.

I looked up, and for a quick second…I saw a woman wearing a dark hood.

As soon as she noticed me staring at her, she quickly teleported away.

I was confused, but quickly realized that I would have to think about what had happened later.

I headed back into the bathroom and quickly put my clothes over my uniform. Then, I gathered up my pets before walking back into the store.

When I did, I saw that the owner had laid the robber down on a pillow. Thankfully, I noticed that his gun had been placed far away from him.

Some people are so kind, they will even help people that have attempted to harm them. I’ll never understand that.

“Thank goodness”, the owner suddenly exclaimed, before running up to me. “Are you alright, dear?”

“I’m alright, ma’am”, I replied. “I managed to hide in the bathroom without being noticed.”

“Was Rachel in there with you”, the owner asked in concern.

“Mrs Brown”, the person we were talking exclaimed as she suddenly rushed into the store.

“Rachel”, the owner exclaimed before rushing up to her. “Thank goodness you’re okay!”

“I’m so sorry for running off”, Rachel apologized. “I went to get some help. The police should be here soon. Are you okay, Mrs Brown?”

“The situation itself was quite scary”, Mrs Brown revealed. “But thankfully, nobody was really hurt.”

“I’m glad”, Rachel said. 

Then, she seemed to notice me.

“Damian”, she started. “What about you? Are you okay?”

“I’m alright”, I reassured. “I hid in the bathroom.”

“Well, I’m glad you’re okay”, Rachel said. “Sorry that something like this happened the first time you came here.”

“Its alright”, I reassured. “Perhaps I’ll come back another time. Hopefully, nothing bad will happen when I do.”

That Night

When I got home, I filled in my father about what had happened at the bookstore. This was his thoughts on the matter.

“A woman wearing a dark cloak stopped the robber with some type of literal black magic? Well, I’ve heard of stranger things.”

Once that was all done with, I went to my room and laid down on my bed, before thinking about what had happened earlier.

I wonder who that woman who stopped the robber was?

After thinking about this…I realized something, and sat up in my bed.

How did that woman know that the store owner was in danger? Rachel and I were the only other people in the store. Does that mean…Rachel is…

After thinking about this, I thought about what to do next.

“It could just be a coincidence, but…the is one way I should be able to find out.”

After I said this, I walked up to my desk…and took out my sketchbook.

Chapter Text

Chapter 7 The Woman in the Drawing
Damian’s POV

It was Monday, and another lunch break had arrived.

I opened the library door, and found a familiar face sitting in her usual seat. 

“Hey there, Damian”, she greeted.

“Hey there”, I greeted, before sitting down at the same table as her. “Rachel, would you give me your opinion on something I drew last night?”

“Sure”, Rachel replied.

Then, I took out my sketchbook from my bag, and turned it to the page that had the drawing on it. A drawing…of a woman in a dark cloak using some type of black magic.

I handed it over to Rachel, and when she saw what I had drawn…a look of shock immediately appeared on her face.

However, she quickly cleared her throat and recomposed her self.

“It’s a very interesting drawing”, she said; obviously trying to hide how nervous she suddenly was. “Where did you get the inspiration for it?”

“During the incident at the bookstore on Friday, this woman was the one who stopped the robber”, I revealed.

“Mrs Brown told me about her”, Rachel revealed. “We’re lucky that she arrived at the bookstore just in time.”

“If you ask me, it seems almost too convenient that she happened to show up at that moment”, I stated. “It’s almost as if she knew there was trouble. I wonder how she did?”

Rachel was extremely nervous at this point, but it didn’t seem like she was going to give anything away.

“I think we should just be thankful that she showed up when she did”, she said. “Who knows what would’ve happened if she hadn’t?”

“I guess you’re right”, I said.

I then left it at that and began eating my lunch.

Rachel also began eating her lunch; all while trying to hide how nervous she was.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

The school day had come to an end, and I was making my way outside when I got a call. I took out my cellphone and looked at the caller ID before answering it.

“Alfred”, I greeted. “The fact that you’re calling me makes me assume that you’re not here yet?”

“Your assumption is correct, Master Damian”, Alfred replied. “I have some errands I need to run, and I am unable to pick you up from school. Would you be okay to walk home by yourself?”

“I can do that”, I replied.

“Just be careful”, Alfred warned. “I’ve heard that students from your school are being targeted by kidnappers in order to hold them for ransom.” 

“If any kidnappers come after me, I can handle them”, I stated.

“I’m sure you can”, Alfred said. “But please be careful anyway.”

“I will, Alfred”, I reassured. “See you later at home.”

With this, I ended the call.

“Where’s your butler”, I heard a familiar voice ask. “Isn’t he usually here to pick you up by now?”

“Alfred has errands to run and won’t be able to pick me up from school”, I revealed. “So I’ll be walking home today.”

“How far is your house from here”, Rachel asked.

“Not far”, I replied. “What about you?”

“My place is a bit far from here”, Rachel revealed. “Which is why I should get going. See you tomorrow, Damian.”

With that, Rachel began walking off.

As she did, I remembered what Alfred had said on the phone.

“I’ve heard that students from your school are being targeted by kidnappers in order to hold them for ransom.”

For some reason, this made me uneasy.

“Rachel”, I suddenly called out before rushing up to her. “Let’s walk home together. At least until we have to split off.”

“Really”, Rachel asked. “Are you sure?”

“May as well since were both walking home today”, I stated.

“Well…if you say so”, Rachel said, before turning around. “Come on. Let’s go.”

Chapter Text

Chapter 8 True Selfs Revealed
Damian’s POV

Rachel and I were walking through the streets of Gotham. We didn’t speak to each other, and stayed in comfortable silence that I had gotten used to. 

However, this comfortable silence came to an end when I suddenly felt someone watching us, and I immediately went on high alert. 

I subtly turned my head, and noticed a black van that wasn’t that far behind us. I also noticed that it wasn’t parked, and was moving very slowly.

“I’ve heard that students from your school are being targeted by kidnappers in order to hold them for ransom.”

After remembering these words, I surveyed my surroundings, and spotted an alleyway.

“Rachel”, I started as I turned to look at her, “Let’s head into that alley over there.”

“How come”, Rachel asked.

“It’s a shortcut to my place”, I lied.

“You know”, Rachel started. “It’s not a good idea for a girl to go into a dark alleyway with a guy she barely knows.”

Rachel had a good point, but before I could come up with a good counter argument, I suddenly tensed up when I sensed someone walking towards us.

“Good day you two”, they greeted.

I then turned around, and saw a man.

“Can we help you”, I asked.

“Judging by those uniforms, I’d say you two attend Gotham Academy”, the man said. “It’s rare to see kids from there walking home.”

“That’s because students are sometimes kidnapped and held for ransom”, I said to see if the man would react, and he did so by frowning.

“Is that so”, he asked. “Then why are you two walking home?”

“My usual lift wasn’t able to pick me up today”, I replied. 

“Well then”, the man started. “In that case, why don’t I give you kids a lift?”

“There’s no need for that”, I stated. “We’ve already almost reached our destination. Good day.”

With this, I turned around…and immediately felt a hand grab onto my shoulder.

Reacting on instinct, I grabbed onto the man’s hand, and flipped him onto the ground; knocking him out.

I then looked up at Rachel, who was staring at me in shock.

“Um…”, I started, trying to think of an excuse.

But before I could, I heard frantic voices behind me. 

I turned around, and saw a few men rush out of the truck.

“Let’s go”, I commanded.

Then, I grabbed onto Rachel’s arm and pulled her into the alley.

However, the men were much taller than both of us, and one of them managed to grab onto Rachel!

“Rachel”, I yelled.

“Let go of me”, Rachel demanded angrily.

Then…a burst of black energy suddenly shot out of her, knocking the rest of the men out.

I looked down at them before looking up at Rachel, who realized she had just outed herself.

“Well, that confirms my suspicion”, I said.

“What suspicion”, Rachel asked.

“That you were the woman who stopped the robber in the bookstore.”

“I…”, Rachel started, probably trying to think of an excuse.

Then, she seemed to remember something.

“Damian, how were you able to flip a grown-ass man over your shoulder so easily?”

After Rachel asked this, I tried to think of an excuse, before coming up with something.

“I don’t ask anymore questions, and neither do you. Deal?”

Rachel thought about my suggestion for a moment, before nodding.

“Deal”, she replied.

“Great”, I said. “Now if you excuse me.”

With this, I walked up to the man I had knocked out. Then, I picked him up by his shirt, and threw him near the other men.

“Damian, you could’ve hurt him”, Rachel scolded.

“He tried to kidnap two high schoolers. I think he deserved it.”

After I said this, I took out my communicator from my uniform blazer and put it in my ear.

“Oracle, do you read me”, I asked.

“I read you, Robin”, Oracle replied. “What’s your situation?”  

“I was nearly just kidnapped”, I revealed.

“What”, Oracle exclaimed. “Are you okay, Damian?”

“Relax. I’m fine”, I reassured. “But the police are going to wonder how a high school boy managed to take out four grown men on his own.”

“Copy that”, Oracle said. “I’ll see whose closest to you and send them your way.”

“Thanks Oracle”, I said. “See you.”

With this, I ended the call.

“Who was that”, Rachel asked.

“That’s not important”, I stated. “But unless you want them to find out about you, you should probably get going.”

“But, will you be okay here by yourself”, Rachel asked in concern.

“I’ll be fine”, I replied. “Someone else will be here soon.”

“Oh, okay”, Rachel said. “I…guess I’ll see you tomorrow at school, then?”

“See you tomorrow, Rachel”, I greeted. “And be careful walking home.”

“I will”, Rachel reassured. “See you, Damian.”

With this, Rachel turned around, and quickly ran off.

Chapter Text

Chapter 9 Raven
Damian’s POV

The Next Day

During my lunch break, I opened the door to the library, where I found Rachel sitting in her usual spot. 

“Good afternoon, Rachel”, I greeted as I sat down next to her.

“Hey Damian”, she greeted. “Was everything okay after I left yesterday?”

“Yes”, I replied. “The police soon arrived and handled the rest.”

“And do they know that you had a hand in taking out one of the guys”, Rachel asked.

“They don’t”, I replied. “Someone else came and took the credit for that.”

“Okay”, Rachel said. “Well, I’m glad that those guys are going to jail.”

“Yes”, I said. “However, there will inevitably be more crimes like the one we were nearly a part of yesterday. According to my butler, students from this school are regularly being kidnapped and held for random money from their parents.”

“That’s awful”, Rachel said. “It’s a good thing you have someone who can drive you home from school.”

“Yes”, I said. “But what about you? Is there anyone who can drive you home from school.”

“No”, Rachel replied. “I only know one person who can drive, but she works during the day and only gets off in the evening.”

“I see”, I said. “Then, how about driving yourself? You are old enough to get a driver’s license, aren’t you?”

“I am”, Rachel replied. “But, at the moment, I don’t even have enough money to get myself a crappy second hand car.”

“Is that so”, I asked. “Then, I’ll mark roads that should be safer to travel on and give it to you.”

“Really”, Rachel asked. “You‘d do that for me? How come?”

“I’ve been patrolling the streets of Gotham for years now”, I revealed. “I know which ones are safer and which ones criminals are more likely to use for their crimes.”

“I see”, Rachel said. “Well then, thanks for the help, Damian. Is there anything else you want me to do for you in return?”

“Just promise me that you won’t tell anyone that I flipped a man over my shoulder”, I instructed.

“Deal”, Rachel agreed. “As long as you don’t tell anyone how I took out the other guys.”

“Deal”, I replied.

“Speaking of me taking out the other guys”, Rachel started, changing the subject. “Aren’t you curious about how I was able to do that?”

“I am”, I replied. “However, if I ask you to explain the details of whatever type of power or magic you used yesterday, then it would only be fair for me to explain how I was able to throw a grown man over my shoulder. And If I’m being honest, I’m not really in the mood to tell my life story.”

“Your life story, huh”, Rachel asked. “Well, I’m not really in the mood to tell mine either.”

“So it’s decided then”, I started. “We’re not going to ask each other anymore questions about what happened yesterday. Deal?”

“Deal”, Rachel agreed. “But, there is one I will tell you.”

“Which is”, I asked.

“My real name isn’t Rachel”, she revealed. “That’s an alias I use.”

“Oh, I see”, I said. “Then, what is your real name?”

“It’s Raven.”

“Raven”, I repeated.

I then thought about the name, before looking up at Rachel, or should I say Raven?

“I think it suits you.”

Chapter Text

Chapter 10 The Jian
Damian’s POV

The next day at school, I was in class listening to my teacher give out an assignment.

“I want you to write a short essay about a mythological creature”, they revealed. “In your essay, you must explain the history of the creature, and why you chose the to write about it.”

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Durning lunch break, I was looking though books in the library.

“Hey there, Damian”, Raven greeted as she walked up to me. “Looks like you got here before me for once.”

“My class let out a little early, and I wanted to get to the library so I could find a book for my assignment.”

“What’s your assignment”, Raven asked.

“I must write an essay about a mythological creature”, I replied. “I must write about its origins, and  what made me decide to write about it.”

“You get to write about a mythological creature”, Raven asked. “That sounds like fun.”

“You think so”, I asked.

“Well, I’d find it fun”, Raven replied. “I’m actually a big fan of mythological creatures, and mythology in general.”

“You are”, I asked. “In that case, perhaps you can help with my assignment?”

“Me”, Raven asked.

“That’s right”, I replied. “Tell me, what’s your favorite mythological creature?”

“What’s my favorite mythological creature? Let’s me think?”

After saying this, Raven thought for a moment.

“I know”, she said when she had thought of something. “Have you ever heard of the Jian?”

“The Jian”, I asked.

“It’s a bird from Chinese mythology”, Raven revealed. “It only has one wing, and in order to fly, it needs to pair up with another Jian of the opposite gender. Only when the two are together can they fly.”

“Is that so”, I said. “To be honest, that sounds pitiful to me.”

“Pitiful”, Raven asked.

“Think of it”, I started. “If a bird cannot fly, they cannot live. Therefore, if the Jian doesn’t find a partner, then they will most likely perish.”

“Huh”, Raven said. “When you put it that way, it actually sounds kind of sad. I’ve actually feel the opposite. I’ve always found the story of the Jian to be somewhat beautiful.”

“Beautiful”, I asked in confusion.

“I guess…I just like the idea of having someone out there that’s made for you”, Raven replied. “Kind of like a soulmate.”

“A soulmate”, I  repeated in amusement. “How romantic of you, Raven. I didn’t think you were the type.”

“Just because I don’t look like it doesn’t mean that I’m not”, Raven stated. “Anyway, I’m gonna go eat. You joining me?”

“Yeah, I’m coming”, I replied.

Then, I followed Raven to our usual table, while thinking about her words.

The Next Day

“Afternoon, Raven”, I greeted as I sat next to her at our usual table.

“Hey, Damian”, she greeted.

Then, I took out some paper from my bag and passed it over to her.

“What’s this”, she asked.

“It’s a first draft for my assignment I told you about yesterday”, I revealed. “I used the conversation we had as a basis for it, so I wanted you to read it and tell me what you think.”

“Let me take a look, then”, Raven said. 

Then, she took the papers from me and read through them. When she was done, a small smile came to her face.

“Since you’re smiling, I’m assuming that you liked it”, I asked.

“I did”, Raven replied. “I liked that you used the debate we had yesterday.”

“I found it interesting that two people could view the same myth in completely different ways”, I revealed. “So I decided to use it in my essay.”

After I said this, I took another piece of paper out of my backpack.

“I also drew this”, I revealed.

I then passed Raven my drawing, which was of a pair of Jian flying together.

When Raven saw it, she smiled again, before looking at me.

“You said that you found the story of the Jian pitiful”, she reminded me. “But this drawing shows them in a positive light.”

“That’s the thing about drawing”, I started. “It allows you to see things from a different perspective.”

Chapter Text

Chapter 11 Meeting in the Mall
Damian’s POV

The school week had come to an end, and I was drawing in my room, when I heard a knock on my door.

“Damian, can I come in”, a familiar voice asked from the other side.

“No”, I replied.

“Okay, I’m coming in”, the voice from the other side said.

Then, a young woman wearing a purple hoodie barged into my room.

“What do you want, Brown”, I asked.

“Let’s go to the mall”, Brown said.

“Don’t you usually do that kind of thing with Cain or Gordon”, I asked.

“They’re busy today”, Brown replied. “Besides, Damian, you’re a high schooler now! You should be doing things normal high schoolers do, like go to the mall! So, what do you say?”

“I want to say no”, I revealed. “But, knowing you, you won’t relinquish until I say yes.”

“Great”, Brown said happily. “Then let’s get going!”

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After spending some time shopping with Brown, we were now in the food court.

“See Damian”, she started. “Wasn’t that fun?”

“I’m not sure I would call carrying your bags while you shop fun”, I stated.

“Oh come on! Don’t be like that”, Brown said. “At least you got to shop for some art supplies afterwards.”

“Whatever”, I said, before taking a bite out of my vegetarian burger.

Then, the buzzer Brown had on the table went off.

“My order’s ready”, she said. “I’ll be right back.”

With this, Brown stood up and left. A moment after she did, I suddenly heard a familiar voice.

“Fancy meeting you here”, they said.

I then looked up, and saw a familiar face sit down by my table.

“Raven”, I said in confusion. “What are you doing here?”

“My friend thought I should get out more and dragged me here”, Raven revealed.

“Funny”, I started. “I’m actually in a very similar situation. My ‘sister’ dragged me here.”

“I didn’t know you had a sister”, Raven said.

“I actually have many ‘siblings.’ My father has taken pity on many orphans.”

After I said this, I felt a small smack on the back of my head.

“That’s not nice, Damian”, I heard Brown say. 

Then, she noticed Raven sitting by our table.

“Wait a minute”, she started. “Who’s this?”

“Oh”, Raven started nervously. “I’m Rach…”

“This is Raven”, I replied. “She goes to my school.”

“Wait a minute”, Brown started.

Then, she leaned down and grabbed onto my shoulders. 

“Damian, did you make a friend, and not tell me”, she asked angrily.

“She’s not my friend”, I stated. “We both prefer to eat lunch in the cafeteria, and we talk to each other when we do.”

“So you actually spoke to someone your own age without being forced to? I’m so proud of you, Damian!”

With this, Brown gave me a tight hug. Then, she quickly turned around and excitedly grabbed onto Raven’s hands.

“It’s so nice to meet you, Raven”, she greeted happily. “I’m Stephanie! I’m Damain’s sister!”

“Um…”, Raven started. “It’s nice to meet you too, Stephanie.”

“There you are, Raven”, another voice suddenly said.

I then looked over Raven’s shoulder, and spotted a woman with pinkish hair, and completely green eyes. I immediately recognized those eyes.

“I’ve seen you before”, I said. “On Grayson’s phone.”

After I said this, Stephanie took a closer look at the woman.

“You’re right, Damian”, she said. “Aren’t you Starfire? Dick’s girlfriend.”

“I am”, the woman (who was named Starfire) replied. “Are you some of his siblings?”

“We are”, Stephanie replied happily. “I’m Stephanie, and this is Damian.”

“Dick had told me about you two before”, Starfire revealed, before looking at me. “Especially you, Damian.”

“Let me guess. He used to complain to you about having to babysit me, right?”

Me saying this made Starfire giggle.

“You know your brother well, Damian”, she stated.

“Okay, I’m confused”, Raven said as she suddenly cut into the conversation. “How do you guys know Starfire?”

“This is the first time I’ve actually met her, but I’ve known about her for years”, I revealed.

“She’s dating our brother, Dick”, Stephanie added.

“Wait a minute”, Raven started in shock. “You’re Dick’s siblings?!”

“We are”, I replied. “What I wanna know is how you know him, Raven?”

“That’s a long story”, Starfire revealed. “One that I’m not sure we have the time to tell at this moment.”

“Why don’t you two come over to our house for dinner tomorrow”, Stephanie suddenly suggested.

“Brown”, I scolded. “You shouldn’t just invite people over for dinner without consulting father or Pennyworth.”

“Bruce and Alfred won’t mind”, Stephanie stated. “Plus, Dick’s gonna be home tomorrow, so it’ll be perfect! So, what do you say, Starfire? Raven?”

“We’d be honored to come to your home for dinner”, Starfire replied.

“Y…yeah”, Raven added nervously.

“Great”, Stephanie said excitedly. “Then we’ll see you guys tomorrow!”

I was not happy with this development.

I’m going to kill you, Brown!

Chapter Text

Chapter 12 Dinner Party Part 1
Damian’s POV

I was having dinner with my father and Brown, who was retelling the encounter we had at the mall earlier in the day.

“Damian, I didn’t know that you’d made a friend at school”, my father said.

“She’s not my friend”, I stated. “We just so happen to both prefer to eat lunch in the library.”

“Even so, I’m glad that you’re talking to someone, Damian”, my father said. “Plus, I’m curious to know how she knows Dick and his girlfriend.”

“So, can they come over for dinner tomorrow”, Brown asked.

“Of course”, my father replied. “I’d love to get to know the person who managed to actually get Damian to talk to them.”

“Me as well”, Alfred added. “Master Damian, do you know what type of foods your friend likes, or if she has any specific dietary preferences?”

“Like I said, she’s not my friend, so I don’t know those things”, I replied.

“Is that so”, Alfred asked. “In that case, I’ll ask Master Grayson if he knows.”

“Thank you for the meal, Alfred”, I said, before looking at my father. “May I be excused?”

“You may”, my father replied.

“See you later, Damian”, Brown said.

Then, I got up, went to my room, and dropped onto my bed in frustration.

I’m not looking forward to tomorrow.
............................................................................................................................................................
It was the next evening, and I was in my room getting ready for the dinner. As I was getting ready, there was a knock at my door.

“Come in”, I called out.

Then, Brown came into my room wearing a semi-formal outfit.

“Ooo, you clean up nicely”, she said, before smirking. “Trying to impress your friend?”

“She’s not my friend”, I reminded Brown. “If I must bare attending this event, I may as well dress appropriately for the occasion.”

“Whatever you say, Damien”, Brown said. “Anyway, Dick called to say that he’s here with Starfire, so we should head downstairs.”

With that, I went to the entrance with Brown, and sure enough, Dick was there along with Starfire and Raven.

The latter was wearing a simple but somewhat semi-formal outfit. She looked…pretty.

“Hey there, Bruce”, Grayson greeted.

“Hello, Dick”, my father greeted.

“It’s nice to finally meet you, Mr Wayne”, Starfire greeted. “I’m Starfire, and this is Raven.”

“It’s…it’s nice to meet you, Sir”, Raven greeted nervously.

“There’s no need to be so formal”, my father reassured. “You can just call me Bruce.”

“Oh, okay”, Raven said.

Then, Alfred walked into the room.

“Master Grayson”, he greeted said person. “It’s so nice to have you back at the manor again. It’s been far too long.”

“Its good to see you, Alfred”, Dick greeted.

Them, Alfred turned his attention to the woman.

“It’s an honour to meet you two”, he greeted. “Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Alfred Pennyworth. I am the head butler of Wayne Manor.”

“It’s an honour to meet you, Alfred”, Starfire greeted. “Dick has told me so much about you.”

“I’m glad to hear that”, Alfred said.

Then, he turned to look at Raven.

“And you must be Ms Roth”, he asked.

“Yes”, Raven replied. “I’ve…I’ve seen you pick up Damian from school. It’s nice to you.”

“Likewise”, Alfred said, before changing the subject. “Anyway, if everyone is ready to eat, please make your way to the dining room.”

Chapter Text

Chapter 13 Dinner Party Part 2
Damian’s POV

As Alfred had instructed, we all gathered in the formal dining room, which Raven was trying to subtly gawk at.

“Here are the appetisers”, Alfred said as he finished serving. “Please enjoy, everyone.”

“Thank you, Alfred”, my father said as he walked out of the room.

“Damian, your appetiser looks different from everyone else’s”, Starfire pointed out.

“Alfred always makes vegetarian versions of whatever he cooks for me”, I revealed. 

“Oh”, Starfire said in surprise. “I didn’t know that you were a vegetarian, Damian?”

“Damian’s been a vegetarian ever since he saved Bat Cow as a kid”, Brown revealed.

“Who’s…Bat Cow”, Raven asked.

“He’s a cow I saved from an abattoir when I was younger”, I revealed, which made Raven giggle.

“You’re kidding, right”, she asked.

“Damian doesn’t kid”, Brown revealed with amusement.

“Wait”, Raven started in realisation. “So…you were being serious about the cow thing?”

“I’ll take you to the barn and introduce you to Bat Cow sometime”, I suggested.

Raven didn’t say anything, and just looked at me in bewilderment. Meanwhile, Brown let out a giggle.

“I can’t remember the last time Damian introduced someone to Bat Cow”, she revealed. “You must be very special, Raven?”

“I just want to show her that Bat Cow actually exists so she doesn’t think my story is just a bunch of nonsense”, I stated.

“Whatever you say, Damian”, Brown said, before winking at me.

“Anyway”, I started, wanting to change the subject. “Raven, what I want to know is how you know Grayson?”

“Starfire introduced me to him earlier this year”, Raven revealed.

“And how long have you known Starfire”, Brown asked. 

“I met her at the beginning of the year”, Raven revealed.

“How did you two meet”, my father asked.

“It’s…a long story”, Raven replied. “Let’s just say that…Starfire came into my life when I really needed someone. I’m very glad that I met her.”

Judging by this response, Raven didn’t want to give much about her past away. However, I remembered our deal, and didn’t pry any further.

............................................................................................................................................................

Once dinner was over, we all gathered in the entryway.

“Thank you very much for the dinner, Alfred”, Starfire said. “It was delicious!”

“I was my pleasure, Ms Starfire”, Alfred said. “I’m glad that you enjoyed it.”

“And thank you for letting us into your home, Bruce”, Starfire said. 

“Thank you for coming”, my father said. “It’s was nice to finally get to meet Dick’s girlfriend, and Damian’s friend.”

“She’s not my…”, I started, but was stopped by Brown elbowing me in my back.

“Thank you so much for having us, Mr Wayne”, Raven greeted, before looking at Dick. “Is it okay if I go to the car so long?”

“Go ahead”, Dick replied. “I just want to say goodbye to everyone before we hit the road.”

“I’ll take Raven to the car”, Starfire said. 

“Wait Starfire”, Brown started, before rushing up to her. “Before you go, do you wanna trade numbers? We should totally meet up for coffee or something sometime!”

“I would love too”, Starfire replied.

Then, as her and Brown were exchanging numbers, Raven walked up to me.

“I hope this dinner wasn’t too unbearable for you”, I asked.

“I actually enjoyed it”, Raven replied. “By the way, you totally have to show me ‘Bat Cow’ sometime.”

“I’ll try my best if you ever come over again”, I stated.

“You ready to go, Raven”, Starfire asked as she walked up to her.

“I’m ready”, Raven replied, before looking at me. “I’ll see you at school, Damian.”

“See you at school, Raven”, I greeted.

Then, Raven left with Starfire.

“Well would you look at that”, Dick asked as he put his hand on my shoulder. “Damian actually managed to make himself a friend.”

“How many times do I have to tell you that Raven is not my friend”, I asked in annoyance.

“She’s someone you willing spend time with. I’d doubt you’d do that unless you considered them a friend, Damian.”

Hearing Grayson say this got me thinking.

“Well”, he started, getting my attention back. “Whatever your relationship with her is, I’m glad that she’s got someone to talk to.”

“You do”, I asked.

“I’m not going to tell you about her past”, Dick revealed. “You need to ask her about that yourself. All I will tell you is that…she’s been through a lot. So, I think it’d be nice if she had a friend.”

“Isn’t Starfire her friend”, I asked.

“She is”, Dick replied. “But Starfire’s an adult. I think I’d be nice for Raven to have a friend who was also a teenager.”

“Yeah”, Brown agreed. “And Damian needs a teenage friend too!”

“I agree that Damian that should have a friend his own age”, my father added.

“Raven and your girlfriend are waiting for you, Grayson”, I reminded him, trying to end this conversation. “Shouldn’t you be going?”

“I should”, Dick replied. “Well, I’m off guys. I’ll see you around!”

“Bye Dick”, Brown greeted.

“Bye Dick”, my father greeted 

“Farewell, Master Grayson”, Alfred greeted. “I hope that you’ll come to the manor again soon.”

“Will do. See you guys around!”

After saying this greeting, Grayson left.

“See, Damian”, Brown started. “That wasn’t so bad, was it?”

“I’m going to my room”, I said. “Goodnight, everyone.”

“Goodnight, Mr Grumpy”, Brown greeted teasingly. 

“Goodnight, Master Damian”, Alfred greeted.

“Goodnight, Damian”, my father greeted.

Then, I started walking to my room; while thinking about Grayson’s words.

“I’m not going to tell you about her past. You need to ask her about that yourself. All I will tell you is that…she’s been through a lot. So, I think it’d be nice if she had a friend.”

“She’s someone you willing spend time with. I’d doubt you’d do that unless you considered them a friend, Damian.”

“Do I…consider Raven to be a friend?”

Chapter Text

Chapter 14 Safe Haven Animal Shelter
Raven’s POV

It was lunchtime at school, and Damian had just walked into the library like he usually did.

“Hey there, Damian”, I greeted.

“Hey”, Damain greeted, before sitting down next to me.

“I’m glad that you’re here”, I revealed. “I wanted to ask you something.”

“Which is”, Damian asked.

“I need to do community service for a project”, I revealed. “And I was wondering if you knew any places I could volunteer at?”

“If you want, you could volunteer at the animal shelter I volunteer at”, Damian suggested, taking me by surprise.

“You volunteer at an animal shelter”, I asked.

“I’ll take you there after school.”

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After the school day had ended, Damian and I walked out of the building; where Alfred was waiting for him in his usual spot.

“Good afternoon, Master Damian”, he greeted, before turning to look at me. “And good afternoon to you as well, Ms Roth.”

“Hello Alfred”, I greeted nervously.

“Alfred, Raven needs to do community service for an assignment”, Damain revealed. “Could you please drop us off at the Safe Haven Animal Shelter?”

“But of course”, Alfred replied, before opening the car door. “Right this way, Ms Roth.”

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We had arrived outside of a building which had a sign that said ‘Safe Haven Animal Shelter’ in front of it.

“I have some errands to run”, Alfred revealed. “I will come pick you two up once I’m done.”

“Okay. Thank you, Alfred”, Damian said, before turning to face me. “Come on. Let’s go inside.”

With this, Damian and I walked into the building. When we entered the reception, I spotted a middle-aged man sitting behind the front desk.

“Damain”, he said happily when she saw him. “Well isn’t this a lovely surprise? What brings you here?”

“Good afternoon, Mr Brown”, Damian greeted the man, before gesturing to me. “This is Rachel Roth. She needs to do community service for a school assignment, so I suggested that she do it here.”

“That’s wonderful”, Mr Brown said.

Then, he walked around the counter and up to me.

“It’s very nice to meet you, Rachel”, he greeted, before holding out his hand. “My name is Josh Brown. I’m the owner of the Safe Haven Animal Shelter. It’s very nice to meet you.”

“It’s nice to meet you too, Mr Brown”, I greeted, before taking his hand and shaking it.

Then, I took a closer look at him, and realised that I had seen him before.

“Wait a minute”, I started. “Mr Brown, do you perhaps know a woman named Linda Brown?”

“That’s my wife”, Mr Brown revealed happily. “How do you know her, dear?”

“I work at her bookstore”, I revealed. 

“Oh”, Mr Brown said in realisation. “So you must be the Rachel that Linda has told me about?”

“I am”, I revealed. “When I saw you just now, I realised that I’ve seen a picture of you on her desk before.”

“I see”, Mr Brown said. “Well then, it’s very lovely to meet you, Rachel. I’d be more than happy to let you volunteer here.”

“Thank you very much, Mr Brown”, I said.

“Now then”, Mr Brown started. “Why don’t I show you around the place?”

Chapter Text

Chapter 15 The Unseen Sides of Damian Wayne
Raven’s POV

Mr Brown had taken us outside, where I saw many dogs running around on a large field.

“Wow”, I said in awe. “This place is so big.”

“I have Damian to thank for that”, Mr Brown revealed.

“Damian”, I said in confusion. “What do you mean?”

“A few years ago, Ace went missing, and Mr Brown was the won who brought him back home”, Damian revealed.

“Really”, I asked in shock.

“That’s right”, Mr. Brown replied. “Mr Wayne and Damian asked how they could return the favour, but all that mattered to me was that their dog had been brought back to them safety. So I declined their offer and went on my way.”

“As Mr Brown left, I noticed that the van he was driving had the logo for the Safe Haven Animal Shelter on it”, Damian revealed. “I decided to go to the shelter, and at the time, it was in a very poor state.”

“The Safe Haven Animal Shelter is a nonprofit organisation, and mostly relies on donations to get by”, Mr Brown revealed. “But we weren’t getting that many donations at the time.”

“This shelter is one of the only few no-kill shelters in Gotham”, Damian revealed. “If it had to shut down due to lack of funds, there was no telling what the fate of those animals would’ve been. I didn’t want that to happen, so I convinced Mr Brown to accept funding from my father to move the shelter to a bigger, and better equipped building.”

“But that wasn’t the end of Damian helping the shelter”, Mr Brown revealed. “After that, he drew artwork to promote the shelter and posted it to his social media. It became quite popular online, and there was a surge in people coming to adopt.”

“Really”, I asked in shock.

“That’s right”, Mr Brown replied. “And one more thing. Damian is often finding animals and bringing them here.”

“Speaking of which”, Damian started, changing the subject. “Mr Brown, how is Hachi doing?”

“Whose Hachi”, I asked.

“She’s one of the dogs I found”, Damian revealed.

“Hachi still hides whenever someone comes near her”, Mr Brown revealed. “Come, I’ll take you to her.”

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Mr Brown brought us to an animal pen. I looked inside it, and spotted a small, frightened puppy. She had scars all over her body, and one of her eyes had been completely scratched out.

“Poor thing”, I said sadly.

“I’m going in”, Damian said.

Then, he slowly opened the door to the pen and walked into it.

As soon as he did, Hachi ran to the back of the pen and hid behind something in fear. Slowly, Damian kneeled down and reached out his hand to her.

“Hey”, he started in a soft and gentle voice. “It’s okay. I’m not going to hurt you.”

As Damian continued to interact with Hachi, I couldn’t help but stare at him in awe.

“You okay, dear”, Mr Brown asked in concern.

“I’m okay”, I reassured. “I’ve just…never seen this side of Damian before.”

“The way Damian usually acts makes him seem rude and uncaring”, Mr Brown started. “However, once you get to know him, you’ll realise that he’s actually a very kind and gentle soul.”

“A kind and gentle soul”, I repeated.

Then, I looked back at Damian, who was gently patting Hachi’s head. When I saw this…a smile came to my face.

............................................................................................................................................................

Damian and I had finished everything we needed to do at the shelter, and were now waiting outside for Alfred.

“Let me guess”, I started. “You named Hachi after Hachiko?”

“The story of Hachiko is one of my favourites”, Damian revealed. “When I was thinking about what I should name Hachi, that story came to my mind.”

“Speaking of Hachi”, I started. “Mr Brown said that you were the one who brought her to the shelter. Where did you find her?”

After I asked this, Damian looked down at the ground.

“I…rescued her from an illegal dog fighting ring.”

“A dog fighting ring? That’s…that’s awful.”

After I said this, I realised something else.

“Wait a minute”, I started. “Did you…rescue Hachi all by yourself?”

“I did”, Damian replied.

Then, before I could say something else, I suddenly heard a soft, beeping sound.

“What’s that sound”, I asked.

Damian didn’t answer me. Instead, he took something out of his pocket and put it in his ear. When I saw it, I remembered that he had used it after we were nearly kidnapped.

“This is Robin, over”, he said. “What’s the situation, Oracle?”

I couldn’t hear what the person on the other side was saying, and just watched as Damian nodded his head as he spoke to them.

“Right”, he said. “Thank you for the information, Oracle. Robin out.”

With this, Damian ended his conversation, and put the device he was using back into his pocket.

“Robin”, I said in confusion. “Is that some kind of code name?”

“You can say that”, Damian replied. 

“And, Oracle”, I started. “That’s the person you spoke to after we were nearly kidnapped. Who are they?”

“That is classified information”, Damian revealed. “However, I will let you know that they just gave me info on another dog fighting ring.”

“Another dog flighting ring”, I asked in shock. “What are you going to do?”

“I am going to go to the ring and rescue the dogs”, Damian replied.

“All by yourself”, I asked.

“I’ve done it before”, Damian pointed out.

Then, he clenched his fist angrily. 

“People who intentionally cause harm to innocent animals are the worst. I will not let them get away with it.”

Hearing Damian say this took me by surprise. 

I’ve never seen Damian get angry before. This must be something very important to him?

After I thought this, I got an idea.

“Let me help you”, I said.

“Help with what”, Damian asked.

“Let me help you rescue those dogs”, I replied.

“You want to help me rescue the dogs from the fighting ring”, Damian asked in shock.

“You saw what I can do when those guys tried to kidnap us”, I reminded Damian. “I can help you.”

After I said this, Damian thought about my suggestion for a moment. Then…he nodded his head.

“Alright”, he said. If you’re up to it, then let’s work together.”

Chapter Text

Chapter 16 Dog Rescue
Raven’s POV

The day to help Damian rescue dogs from the illegal fighting ring had come. I was standing by a spot he had instructed me to wait by, when suddenly…a car stopped right in front of me!

I tensed up and prepared to fight, but then…the person driving the car opened the door.

“Damian”, I said in shock.

“Raven”, Damian greeted nonchalantly.

“You…have a car”, I asked in confusion.

“It’s my father’s”, Damian revealed. “Don’t worry. He knows that I have it tonight.”

“But does he know what you’re using it for”, I asked.

Damian didn’t answer me. Instead, he walked to the passenger side of the car and opened the door. 

“Come on”, he said. “Let’s go.”

I thought for a moment if I should say something, but ultimately decided against it, and just got into the car instead. When I did, I saw that it was no ordinary car, and that it was filled with a bunch of high tech stuff.

“This isn’t an ordinary car, is it”, I asked.

“No, it’s not”, Damian replied. “So make sure you don’t touch anything, unless you want to accidentally blow anything up.”

“I’d ask if you’re joking, but by now I’ve realized that that’s not really your thing”, I said.

“You learn quickly”, Damian said, before looking at the road. “Let’s go.”

............................................................................................................................................................

After parking the car in an alley, Damian went to the trunk and took something out of it. Once I also got out of the car, I took a closer look at what he was holding.

“Is that…a dog”, I asked.

“It’s not a real one”, Damian revealed. “But it looks and acts real enough to help us with our plan.”

After saying this, Damian put the fake dog on the ground. Then, he took out his phone, opened an app, and began using it to control the dog and make it run into the street.

“Now what do we do”, I asked. 

“We use the dog as bait”, Damian replied, before gesturing to the phone. “Fictus has a camera inside of him, and we can use this app to see the feed.”

After I heard this, a smile came to my face.

“You gave the fake dog a name”, I asked in amusement.

“It’s easier than just referring to it as ‘the dog’”, Damian stated.

However, I could see his cheeks slightly turning red.

“Let’s focus on the mission at hand”, he said, trying to change the subject.

I then looked down at the phone to look at the feed coming from Fictus’ camera. I saw heavy boots stopping in front of him. He was then picked up, and I saw the face of a rough looking man, who was looking at Fictus with a wicked smile.

“Hey there, little guy”, he greeted. “You’re going to be perfect.”

With this, I watched as Fictus was taken away.

“Now what”, I asked.

“Fictus has a tracker in him”, Damian revealed. “Come on. Let’s go.”

............................................................................................................................................................

Damian and I were now parked in another alleyway, which wasn’t far from the place the guy took Fictus to was.

We looked through the camera, and saw that Fictus had been put into a cage.

“What are we waiting for”, I asked.

“For them to put Fictus in the ring”, Damian said.

And after he did, the door of the cage Fictus was in suddenly opened. I watched as he was put down in front of a smaller door.

“Alright, everybody”, we heard an announcer say. “Our next match is going to be a fun one! We found a new contender on the streets! How will he fair in the ring? Let’s find out!”

With this, the door in front of Fictus lifted up, and he moved into what looked like a fighting ring.

Another door on the opposite side of the ring opened, and a small, badly injured puppy walked into the ring.

When Damian saw this, he clenched his phone tighter as he looked at it angrily.

“Don’t worry, little one. We’ll get you out soon.”

After Damian said this, he pushed a button on his phone. Then, the screen suddenly became foggy, and I could hear people coughing.

“What’s going on”, I heard someone exclaim in panic.

Then, I could hear loud thuds, which sounded like people falling down!

“What did you do, Damian”, I asked in concern.

“Relax”, Damian reassured me. “I set off a gas to make everyone in the ring fall asleep. But it won’t last long. We need to hurry.”

With this, Damian took off his hoodie, to reveal what looked like a superhero outfit.

“Nice outfit”, I complimented.

“Thanks”, Damian said.

Then, he pulled up his hood, and covered his eyes with a mask.

“You should put on something to hide your identity too”, he suggested.

“Right”, I said.

Then, I held my hands together. I was wrapped in a black magic, and when it disappeared…my outfit had changed.

“Nice trick”, Damian stated. “I wish I could that. It would speed things up. Anyway, let’s get going.”

After Damian said this, he grabbed onto my wrist and started pulling me to somewhere.

We ended up by a garage door, and he began kneeling down.

“Let me take care of it”, I said.

Then, I used my magic once again, and the garage door lifted up. Once it was open, we found a group of dogs trapped in cages.

“You poor things”, I said, as I began getting closer to them. But before I got too close to them, Damian suddenly grabbed onto my shoulder and pulled me back.

“Don’t get too close”, he instructed. “These dogs have been through a lot of trauma. They’ll probably be very aggressive towards us.”

“Then, how are we going to get them out of here”, I asked.

“That’s where Fictus comes in again”, Damian revealed.

He then took out his phone and pressed a few buttons. A moment later, Fictus came up to us.

“Here. Put this on.”

After Damian said this, he held up a mouth mask to me. I took the mask from him and put it over my mouth. He put one over his own mouth. Then, he pressed another button on his phone, and gas filled the room.

When the gas cleared, I saw that all the dogs were now asleep.

“Now we can get them out of here”, Damian said. “But we need to hurry before someone finds us.”

“Who are you two”, we heard someone exclaim.

“Too late.”

Chapter Text

Chapter 17 Work Together
Raven’s POV

“Who are you two”, we heard someone behind us exclaim.

“Too late”, I said.

Damian and I then turned around, and saw a group of men.

“Don’t worry”, Damian reassured me. “Dealing with these guys will be easy.”

“Listen here you two…”, one of the men started as he went up to Damian.

He grabbed onto his arm, and as soon as he did, Damian grabbed onto him and kneed him in his stomach, which made him fall to the ground.

Another man then tried to come up to me, but as soon as he got close enough…Damian high kicked him in face, knocking him out.

As I was watching this…another man suddenly grabbed me from behind!

As soon as he did, I let out a burst of magic, which knocked him out.

“You seriously have a lot of tricks up your sleeve”, Damian pointed out.

“Thanks”, I said.

Then, I suddenly heard sirens coming from behind me. I turned around, and saw police cars pulling up in front of us.

“The police”, I said.

“I sent them a signal which led to this location”, Damian revealed, before walking up the the police cars. I followed him, and a man walked up to us.

“Good evening, Robin”, he greeted. 

“Good evening, Commissioner Gordon”, Damian greeted. “I have used a gas to put the dogs being held here to sleep, and I have also secured video evidence of them being forced into a fighting ring by the people here.”

“I see it’s you on your own once again”, the commissioner said. 

“Actually, I had some help this time”, Damian revealed, before gesturing to me.

“Ah, hello there Ms”, the commissioner greeted, before holding out his hand to me. “My name is Commissioner Gordon. It’s nice to meet you.”

“Um…”, I started, before shaking the commissioner’s hand. “It’s nice to meet you too.”

“I see that Batman has added another person to his ever growing group of vigilantes”, the commissioner said.

“Actually, Batman doesn’t know about her”, Damian revealed.

“He doesn’t”, the commissioner asked in shock. “Well, that’s certainly an interesting development. Especially for you, Robin.”

“What is that supposed to mean”, Damian asked.

“Its just that, out of all of the Robin’s, you’re by far the least sociable one”, the commissioner said. “So it surprises me that you managed to make a buddy to rescue dogs with all by yourself.”

When I heard this, I couldn’t help but giggle.

“What’s so funny”, Damian asked in annoyance.

“Nothing”, I said, trying to hold back another giggle. 

“Anyway”, the commissioner started. “Good job on finding and rescuing these dogs, Robin. We’ll take it from here.”

“I hope that the dogs will be well taken care of”, Damian said.

“They will be”, the commissioner reassured. Then, he walked off.

“So…now what do we do”, I asked.

“Want to get something to eat?”

............................................................................................................................................................

After changing back into regular clothes, Damian and I headed to a fast food place.

“Good job”, he said. “Not bad for your first mission.”

“I didn’t really help though”, I pointed out. “You did most of the work.”

“That’s because I’ve done this before and knew what needed to be done”, Damian stated. “I’m sure that there will be opportunities in the future for you to get more involved in the mission.”

“In the future”, I asked in shock. 

“That is…if you wanted to join me on another mission”, Damian asked.

I then thought about his question for a bit, before giving him a nod.

“Sure, why not”, I replied.

“Are you sure”, Damian asked. “There’s a possibility that future missions will be more dangerous than this one.”

“Which is exactly why I should join you on them”, I stated. “So that you’ll have someone to watch your back for you. Besides, we make a pretty good team, don’t we?”

“A team, huh”, Damian said. “I usually prefer to work alone, since working with others gets in my way. But…I didn’t mind working with you.”

“Thanks, I guess”, I said.

“Very well then”, Damian said. “Let’s work together on future missions.”

“Great”, I said. “It’ll be an honor to work with you, partner.”

“Partner, huh”, Damian said.

Then…he smiled ever so slightly, and I looked at him in shock.

“What is it”, he asked.

“Nothing. I just…think you look nice when you smile.”

When I said this, Damian’s cheeks started turning pink.

“You sound just like Brown”, he stated. “She’s always telling me that I should smile more too.”

Hearing this got another laugh out of me. And because I was laughing…I didn’t notice Damian give me another smile.

Chapter Text

Chapter 18 Stake Out
Damian’s POV

The time for me and Raven to work together again had come. She was waiting in the same spot as she did last time, and I drove up to her.

“Hey there, Raven”, I greeted as I got out of the car.

“Hey there, Damian”, Raven greeted. “So, what are we doing tonight?”

“Tonight we will be staking out another potential illegal dog fighting ring”, I revealed.

“Great”, Raven said. “Then let’s get to work.”

........................................................................................................................................

On top of a rooftop, I was looked at a garage door on the street below with a pair of high tech binoculars.

“What are we doing up here”, Raven asked.

I then handed her my binoculars and pointed to the garage door.

“See that garage door over there”, I asked. “I have intel that suggests that an illegal fighting ring may be there. But we need to confirm that before we can do anything else.”

“How do we confirm that”, Raven asked. 

“We wait to see if anyone comes.”

........................................................................................................................................

We had been waiting for an hour, and nothing had happened.

“Well”, Raven started. “This is…exciting.”

“No matter what job you have, there are going to be times where things are boring”, I pointed out. “Even this is no different.”

“You’ve got a point there”, Raven said.

Then, she looked at the streets below, and smiled.

“You know”, she started. “Gotham actually looks very pretty from up here.”

“I’ve actually drawn some landscape portraits of Gotham before while I’ve been on patrol or doing a stakeout like this”, I revealed. “It’s a great way to pass the time.”

“Do you have them here”, Raven asked, and I nodded. “Can I see them?”

With this, I took out my sketchbook from my bag and gave it to Raven. She flipped though it, and smiled

“Wow. These are pretty good.”

After saying this, Raven seemed to think of something else.

“Hey, Damian”, she started. “How long have you been drawing for?”

“Since my first year of middle school”, I revealed. “For the first art class assignment of the year, the teacher asked us to draw a portrait of her. After class, she asked me to stay behind. I did, and she told me that she was impressed by the quality of my drawing. She stated that I had a natural talent, and that I should develop it further. I usually wasn’t interested in that kind of thing, but I was curious, so I asked my father to buy me some basic art supplies. I then started reading books and watching YouTube videos on how to draw, and it went on from there.”

“So did you learn all of your drawing skills by yourself”, Raven asked.

“No”, I replied. “About a month after I started drawing, father commissioned an artist to paint a family portrait. While he was there, he saw some of my art, and suggested that I attend the art class he ran. He ended up being my least favorite teacher at the time.”

“Really”, Raven asked. “How come?”

“Before him, everyone praised my art skills”, I revealed. “He, however, was very critical of my art. It made me angry, but that also encouraged me to improve my art and proof him wrong.”

“And did you ever prove him wrong”, Raven asked.

“No”, I replied. “Eventually, I ended up quitting that art class.”

“You quit”, Raven asked. “Why?”

“Because my teacher asked me a question I couldn’t find a good answer to”, I revealed.

“What was the question”, Raven asked.

“What is your purpose for creating art?”

I’m sure that Raven wanted to ask me more about this, but before she could…my communicator suddenly went off.

“Robin, this is Oracle”, I heard. “Do you copy?”

“I copy, Oracle”, I replied. “What’s the situation?”

“There’s a high chase robbery going on right now”, Oracle revealed. “And they should be heading past your location at any moment.”

As soon as Oracle said this, I suddenly heard sirens. I looked down at the street below, and saw a car speeding past with a police car hot on its trail.

“Yeah, I think they just passed me”, I revealed. “Don’t worry, Oracle. I’m on it.”

“Thanks, Robin”, Oracle said. “Backup should be on its way. And be careful, okay?”

“Yeah, yeah. I will”, I said. “Robin out.”

With this, I ended the call and looked back at Raven.

“Sorry, Raven”, I apologized. “I’m going to have to cut this stakeout short. I have to go stop a high speed chase.”

“You stop high speed chases too”, Raven asked in shock. 

“I stop any type of crime that I can”, I revealed. “Anyway, I’ll see you around.”

“Wait”, Raven said suddenly. “Let me help you!”

“You want to help me stop a high speed chase”, I asked.

“I’ve got a few tricks up my sleeve that can come in useful”, Raven stated, before holding out her hand. “Grab my hand.”

“Why”, I asked.

“Just trust me”, Raven said.

“Fine”, I said, before grabbing her hand.

Once she did, she used some type of magic, and we both began to float on the air!

“Woah”, I said in shock. “Is there anything you can’t do?”

“I’ve got my weaknesses”, Raven replied. “Now, let’s head after that getaway car!”

Chapter Text

Chapter 19 Car Chase
Damian’s POV

As Raven and I were flying though the air, we began getting closer to the getaway car.

“Is that the car we’re after”, Raven asked.

“Yes”, I replied. “Okay, Raven. You can drop me here. Literally.”

“Wait”, Raven started. “You want me just drop you? From this high up in the air?”

“I’m going to drop in unexpectedly”, I replied. “Literally.”

“Are you sure that’s a good idea”, Raven asked in concern.

“Don’t worry”, I reassured her. “I’ve done things like this before, and when I do, I don’t obtain any injuries. Most of the time.”

“Most of the time”, Raven asked in concern.

“Trust me, okay”, I asked, and Raven thought about it for a moment.

“Okay”, she said in defeat. “But don’t blame me if you get hurt!”

“I won’t”, I reassured. “I promise.”

“Okay”, Raven said. “Get ready. Three, two, one…”

With this…Raven let me go, and I started diving towards the getaway car. As I got closer, I turned my body around…and jumped onto the hood of the car. This took the driver by surprise, and the car began to swerve.

I checked my surroundings, and I spotted a nearby pole. Once the car passed it, I jumped onto the pole. Then, I aimed at the car, and fired a wire at it. Once it connected to the car, I tied the other end to the pole, and when the length of the wire ran out…it pulled on the car, stopping it in its tracks.

As I jumped off the pole, Raven flew down to me.

“That…was really badass”, she stated.

“Thank you”, I said. “But it’s not over yet. Come on!”

With this, I began running towards the crooks.

When one of them saw me, they began running away.

“They’re heading into that alleyway”, I pointed out. 

“Grab my hand”, Raven instructed. I did as she asked, and we began flying again.

We flew to the end of the alley, but when we got there…two other people had already taken care of the crooks.

“Huh? Somebody already beat us to the crooks? Wait a minute? Is that…”

Before Raven finished, the people who beat us to the crooks looked up, and stared at us in shock.

“Robin”, one of them said. “Are you flying?”

“Raven”, the other person said in shock.

“Wait a minute”, I started as I looked up at Raven. “You know Nightwing?”

“Y…yeah. It’s a long story.”

After Raven said this, she lowered us to the ground. Once we got there, I walked up to the people who had taken out the crooks.

“Robin”, one of them said in confusion as she rushed up to me. 

“Raven”, Nightwing said as he rushed up to us. “What are you doing here? And with Damian?”

“Raven”, the other person said in shock.

“Wait a minute”, Raven started recognized her voice. “Step…”

“Ah”, she said suddenly, interrupting Raven. “Call me Spoiler.”

“Oh, right”, Raven said. 

“So”, Nightwing started. “Seems like you have a lot of explaining to do, Robin and Raven?”

After I heard this, I sighed in frustration.

“I was hoping to avoid having to do this”, I revealed.

“Too late”, Spoiler stated. “Once we turn these bad guys over to the cops, we are heading back to base and you are telling us what’s going on!”

As Grayson drove us back home, Brown bombarded me with questions about Raven.

“So let me me see if I’ve got everything correct”, she started. “You figured out that the person who came to the rescue during the bookstore robbery was Raven?”

“Yes”, I replied.

“And when some guys tried to kidnap you two, that’s when Raven learned that you know how to kick butt”, Brown asked.

“That is correct”, I replied.

“And then you two even took down an illegal dog fighting ring together”, Brown asked.

“Yes”, I replied.

“So why haven’t you told any of us about this”, Brown asked.

“Because I didn’t want to”, was all I said.

Thankfully, before Brown could ask another question, we had arrived back at our base.

“We’re here”, Grayson said.

“What is this place”, Raven asked as we got out of the car.

“We call it the Batcave”, Grayson revealed as we walked towards the control area.

“Batcave”, Raven asked. “Why is it called that?”

“Because it belongs to…”, Grayson started.

“Welcome back, everyone”, a man, who was wearing an outfit like the ones we were, greeted as we walked up to him.

“Hey there, Bruce”, Grayson greeted.

“Wait a minute”, my father started when he saw her. “Raven, is that you?”

“Mr Wayne”, Raven said in shock.

Then, a woman in a wheelchair came up to us.

“Who’s this”, she asked as she looked at Raven.

“This is Raven”, I replied. 

“Oh”, the woman started. “So this is your friend from school that Stephane’s told me about?”

“You told Gordon about Raven”, I asked Brown angrily.

“You actually managed to make a friend at your school all by yourself”, Stephane pointed out. “I had to!”

After this, the woman went up to Raven.

“Nice to meet you, Raven”, she greeted, before holding out her hand. “My name is Barbara Gordon, but I also go by Oracle.”

“Oracle”, Raven repeated. “Oh! You’re the person I’ve heard Damian talk to on his communicator thing!”

“You’ve used Barbara’s code name in front of Raven”, Father asked me in shock.

“It turns out that Raven has some kind of powers”, Brown revealed. “And that Damian has been going on missions with her, but he never said anything!”

“Is this true, Damian”, Father asked me.

“It’s true, father”, I replied. “I’m sorry for keeping it a secret from you.”

Before anybody else could say anything else, Alfred suddenly walked into the Batcave.

“Welcome home, everyone”, he greeted, before spotting Raven. “Is that you, Ms Roth?”

“Alfred”, Raven said in shock.

“It seems that a lot has happened”, Alfred pointed out. “You all must be tired? Why don’t we go upstairs and relax with some nice treats?”

“Yes”, Stephane exclaimed excitedly, before looking at Grayson. “Race you there, Dick!”

With this, Stephane sped off.

“Oh no you don’t”, Dick said playfully before rushing after her.

“No fair guys”, Gordon said playfully as she followed after them.

“Um…what’s going on”, Raven asked in confusion.

“You’ll see”, I replied. “Follow me.”

Chapter Text

Chapter 20 Fighting Over a Cookie
Damian’s POV

We all walked into the dining, and when we did…we found that the table had been lined up with an assortment of baked goods.

“Wow”, Raven said in awe when she saw it. “What is all of this?”

“If no one gets badly injured during patrol, Alfred makes all these yummy goodies for us”, Brown revealed.

“I think it’s a wonderful way to unwind after a long night of patrolling the city”, Alfred revealed. “Besides, it allows the family to spend some time together.”

“That sounds…really nice, actually”, Raven stated.

“I’m glad that you think so, Ms Roth”, Alfred said. “So, please feel free to enjoy the desserts too.”

“I can”, Raven asked in shock.

“Of course you can”, Father replied. “Now that I know that you’ve been helping out Damian, it’s the least I can do to thank you.”

“Oh, okay”, Raven said, before looking at what was on the table. “Then…can I have a slice of that chocolate cake, please?”

“Certainly”, Alfred replied, before cutting up a piece of cake and handing it over to Raven. “Here you go, Ms Roth.”

“Thank you”, Raven said as she took the cake.

Then, she took a bite out of it, and her eyes lit up.

“Wow”, she said while her mouth was still full of food. “This is so good, Alfred!”

“I’m glad that you like it, Ms Roth”, Alfred said happily.

I then looked at what the table had to offer, and spotted something very special.

After checking my surroundings, I tried to discreetly yet quickly grab onto it. However, I was not the only one who thought of this, and found two other people grabbing onto it as soon as I did.

“Brown, Grayson”, I started. “I believe that my hand was on this cookie first.”

“Nah ah”, Brown stated. “My hand was definitely on it first!”

“No, mine was”, Grayson stated.

“So, we cannot decide whose hand touched the cookie first”, I said. “How else are we going to decide who gets it?”

“I think I should get it”, Grayson stated. “After all, I stopped those robbers.”

“I helped you with that”, Brown pointed out.

“You two likely wouldn’t have been able to do that if those robbers were in their car”, I stated. “And the reason why they weren’t is because I stopped it!”

“What about me, Damian”, Barbara asked. “I’m the one who told you about the car chase in the first place! Therefore, I should be the one who gets the last cookie!”

“Well, we’re not deciding on who gets the cookie this way”, Brown said. “Plan C!”

With this, Brown swiftly pulled the cookie out of everyone’s grasp!

“Oh no you don’t”, I stated.

Then…I jumped over the table and tackled Brown to the ground! I tried to take the cookie from her hand, but before I could, Grayson beat me to it.

“Mine”, he exclaimed.

“No, mine”, Gordon said as she sped past Grayson and took the cookie from him.

Then, before any of us could react, she bit off almost half of it!

We all groaned in disappointment, before standing up.

Then…I heard laughing. I turned my head, and saw that it was coming from Raven.

“I…I can’t believe it”, she said through her laughs. “I didn’t think you’d get so worked up over a cookie, Damian!”

When I heard this, I could feel my face turn bright red. I then quickly rushed to my seat and sat back down next to Raven.

“I’m sorry you had to see something so childish”, I said in embarrassment.

“Well, I think you’re cute when you act childish.”

For some reason, when I heard Raven call me ‘cute’, I started feeling this fluttery feeling in my chest.

“It’s quite late and I’m tired”, I lied, before suddenly standing up. “So I’m going to turn in for the night.”

“Already”, Brown asked.

“Yes”, I replied, before looking at Raven. “Raven, thank you for assisting me on my stakeout tonight. Sorry that it ended up getting sidelined by something else.”

“Oh, that’s okay. I’m actually glad that I got to see you stopping that car. You were pretty cool back there.”

Hearing Raven call me ‘cool’ made the fluttery feeling in my chest grow even more.

“Goodnight, Raven”, I greeted, before quickly leaving the room.

As I began making my way to my room, I grabbed onto my shirt as the fluttery feeling in my chest continued.

What is this feeling in my chest? And why am I having it?

Raven’s POV

Dick agreed to drive me home, so I was waiting for him in the entryway while he went to get his car.

“Raven”, Mr Wayne started as he walked up to me. “Before you go, can I ask you something?”

“Of course, Mr Wayne”, I replied. “What is it?”

“I’m not sure how much you know about Damian’s past”, Mr Wayne started. “But, because of it, he has a very hard socializing with people. Which is why I’m glad that he was able to make a friend.”

“I see”, I said. “But…I’m not actually sure if he considers me a friend?”

“Trust me, Raven”, Mr Wayne started. “Damian tries to avoid interacting people as much as possible? He even tries to avoid spending time with his siblings. If he’s willingly spending time with you, it must be because he wants to.”

Hearing Mr Wayne say this got me thinking.

Damian…wants to spend time with me?

“Raven, can I ask you for a favor”, Mr Wayne asked.

“A favor”, I asked.

“Please continue you to be Damian’s friend.”

When Mr Wayne asked me this, I looked at him in shock. 

“But please don’t feel like you have to”, he added.

I thought about his request for a moment. Then…I smiled.

“It’s okay, Mr Wayne. I like spending time with Damian too.”

After I said this, Mr Wayne smiled at me.

“I’m glad that you do, Raven.”

Chapter Text

Chapter 21 Birthdays
Damian’s POV

With October right around the corner, my siblings were preparing for a certain holiday.

I walked into the entryway, where I found Brown carrying a box.

“Let me guess”, I started. “Halloween decorations?”

“Yep”, Brown replied. “Spooky month starts tomorrow, so we’ve gotta start decorating! Speaking of which. Damian, can you…”

“I’ll start working on some drafts for the haunted house poster during my lunch break”, I replied before Brown could finish. “And speaking of school, Alfred is waiting for me in the car.”

“Okay”, Brown said. “See you later, Damian! And say hi to Raven for me!”

It was lunchtime at my school, and I was drawing a draft for a poster in the library.

“Hey Damian”, Raven greeted as she walked up to me. Then, she looked over my shoulder to see what I was drawing.

“What are you drawing”, she asked.

“Every year on Halloween, Wayne Manor is transformed into a haunted house”, I revealed. “I’m designing a poster for the event.”

“A haunted house”, Raven asked.

I then looked at her, and saw that her eyes had lit up with excitement.

“You seem excited”, I pointed out.

“Oh, yeah”, Raven said, now a bit embarrassed. “It’s just…Halloween is actually my favorite holiday.”

“It is”, I asked.

“Yeah”, Raven replied. “It’s because…my birthday is on Halloween.”

“It is”, I asked.

“Yep”, Raven replied. “Not everybody is happy to be born on a holiday, but I love Halloween, so I’m happy with it.”

“I see”, I said, before getting an idea. “Do you have any plans for your birthday?”

“Starfire suggested that I do something, but I haven’t thought of anything yet”, Raven replied.

“Then…would you be interested in coming to the haunted house”, I asked.

“Really”, Raven asked excitedly. “I’d love to come!”

“Okay”, I said. “Then I’ll buy you a ticket.”

“You don’t have to”, Raven stated. “I can buy a ticket for myself.”

“Consider it my birthday gift to you”, I said.

“Well…”, Raven started, before smiling. “Okay then. Thanks Damian!”

I had never seen Raven get excited over something before. For some reason…seeing it made me happy.

“Hey, Damian”, she started. “When is your birthday?”

“It’s in August”, I revealed.

“So I’ve already missed it, huh”, Raven said. “Guess I’ll just have to get you something next year?”

“Next year”, I asked. “My birthday is during Summer vacation. It’s not like you’ll be able to just give me a gift while we’re at school.”

“Oh yeah. Good point”, Raven said. “Then…I’ll just have to come visit you during Summer vacation to give you your gift.”

Hearing Raven say this took me by surprise. Then, I looked down at the table as I thought about it.

Visit me during Summer vacation? That’s months from now? Will we still want to spend time together like we do now by then?

Raven’s POV

After school, I was browsing through my phone in my apartment, when there was suddenly a knock at my door.

“Raven”, a familiar voice called out.

“Its open, Starfire”, I called back, before she opened the door.

“Hey there, Raven”, she greeted as she walked into the apartment. “I just wanted to check up and you and see how you were doing?”

“I’m doing good”, I replied, before changing the subject. “By the way, I now know what I’m going to do on my birthday.”

“Really”, Starfire asked. “What is it?”

“Apparently, every year on Halloween, Wayne Manor is transformed into a haunted house”, I revealed. “After I told Damian that my birthday is on Halloween, he said that he’d buy a ticket for me as a birthday gift?”

“He did”, Starfire asked. “That was nice of him.”

“Yeah, it was”, I said, while smiling.

“Raven”, Starfire started as she sat down next to me. “Tell me…how do you feel about Damian?”

“How do I feel about Damian”, I repeated. “Why are you asking me that?”

“I don’t know much, but…Dick has told me that Damian didn’t really have a normal upbringing. Because of it, he isn’t really the best when it comes to being sociable. Dick told me that he usually tries to avoid people as much as he can. And yet, it seems like he willingly spends time with you.”

After Starfire said this, I thought about the conversation I had with Mr Wayne the other day.

“I have no idea how Damian feels about me”, I said. “But…I like spending time with him.”

“You do”, Starfire asked.

“Yeah”, I replied. “For some reason…I just find it easy to talk to him.”

“Is that so? In that case, I’m glad you found someone you can talk to, Raven. And I’m sure Dick feels the same way for Damian.”

After Starfire said this, I got an idea.

“Hey Starfire”, I started. “Can you help me with something?”

“What do you want my help with”, Starfire asked.

“Can you help me find a Halloween costume to wear on my birthday”, I asked.

“I’d be happy to”, Starfire replied, before sitting down next to me on the couch. “Let’s see what we can find.”

Chapter Text

Chapter 22 For Your Happiness
Damian’s POV

“I’m home”, I called out as I entered Wayne Manor’s entryway. Then, I looked around when I didn’t see anyone. “Anyone home?”

The answer to this question was Ace slowly, but excitedly walking up to me.

“Hey there, buddy”, I greeted as I leaned down to rub his ears. “Did you miss me?”

After Ace responded to my question with a bark, I began making my way to my room. When I passed the lounge, I heard a woman’s voice giggle. I then peered into the room, and saw my father talking with a woman I had gotten use to seeing him with.

I decided to give the couple some alone time, but just as I was about to leave, I heard my father say this.

“Aren’t you going to greet your father, Damian”, I heard him ask playfully.

“I was going to give you two some alone time”, I replied as I turned around and walked into the lounge. I then sat down on one of the seats, and looked up at the woman my father was with. “Good afternoon, Ms Kyle.”

“Hey there, Damian”, Ms Kyle greeted. “How’s school been going? Your father tells me that you’ve made a new friend?”

“You told Ms Kyle about Raven”, I asked my father in annoyance.

“What can I say”, my father asked. “I’m just so happy that you managed to make a new friend all by yourself.”

“Well”, Ms Kyle suddenly said as she stood up. “I should get going.”

With this, Ms Kyle leaned down and kissed my father.

“See you around, Bruce”, she said, before turning to look at me. “And I’ll see you around too, Damian.”

“Good day, Ms Kyle”, I greeted.

Then, Ms Kyle, and my father scared at her lovingly as she did.

I gave him a look, and he turned to look at me.

“What”, he asked.

“You know, if you’re trying to hide how you feel about Ms Kyle, you’re not doing a good job at it”, I stated.

“Well, good thing I’m not trying to hide my feelings for Selina, then”, My father said.

Then, he suddenly became a bit serious.

“Damian, tell me”, he started. “How do you feel about Selina?”

“How do I feel about Ms Kyle”, I asked. “Well, unlike many of the other woman you’ve been in relationships with in the past, she doesn’t appear to have any ulterior motives for being in a relationship with you.”

“So…you like her”, my father asked.

“I don’t mind you being in a relationship with her”, I replied.

“So, if my relationship with her ended up being a long term commitment, you wouldn’t be upset with that?”

“Long term commitment”, I asked.

Then…I smiled when I realized what my father meant by that.

“Father”, I started. “Are you trying to tell me that you are going to marry Ms Kyle?”

“Well…”, my father started. “I haven’t asked her yet. I wanted to know if it’s something you’d be okay with first.”

“You really don’t have to ask for my permission, Father. It’s your marriage, after all.”

After I said this, my father got up and sat down next to me.

“Damian, you are my son”, he pointed out. “You and your siblings always come first. It doesn’t matter how much I love Selina. I wouldn’t marry her if it made any of you unhappy.”

“Father”, I said, touched by his words. However, I decided to quickly change things up before I got too emotional. “There you go again. Always putting us first before yourself.”

“Damian”, my father started, but I cut him off before he could continue.

“You’ve done so much for us, Father. You deserve to do something that makes you happy.”

My father looked at me in shock when I said this, before smiling.

“Thankfully, I don’t think any of the orphans will be upset with you marrying Ms Kyle either”, I added. “In fact, I can already see some of them begging to help with the wedding planning.”

“I can see that too”, my father said with a chuckle.

Then, he smiled at me, before kissing my forehead.

“I’m so happy that you came into my life, Damian.”

At this point, I could feel that I could no longer hold my emotions back.

“I should start on my homework”, I said, before standing up. “I hope that your everything goes well when you actually ask Ms Kyle to marry you.”

“I hope so too”, my father said.

I then began to leave, but stopped right at the door.

“Father. I’m…happy that I came into your life too.”

I didn’t turn around to see my father’s reaction to my words, and left before he could see mine. 

Once I was out of his eyesight…I smiled. However, that smile faded when I remembered my other parent.

“I wonder how Mother will feel about Father marrying someone else?”

Chapter Text

Chapter 23 Invitation
Damian’s POV

“Good morning, Master Damian”, Alfred greeted me as I walked into the dining room.

“Good morning, Alfred”, I greeted before sitting down by the table and looking up at the person who was sitting across from me. “Good morning, Father.”

“Good morning, Damian”, my father greeted, before changing the subject. “Oh, by the way, the invitations for the engagement party have arrived!”

After my father said this, he handed one of the invitations to me.

“I’m glad to see that the manufacturers did not mess up the design”, I said.

“Your design was very lovely, Master Damian”, Alfred said.

“Thank you, Alfred”, I said.

“Damian”, my father started. “If you want, you can give that invitation to Raven.”

“Give the invitation to Raven”, I asked in shock. “I’m not sure if a formal engagement party is something she would really be interested in?”

“It still wouldn’t hurt to ask her, right”, my father asked. “Besides, you usually don’t enjoy these kind of parties. Maybe you’ll enjoy it more if you had a friend with you?”

I felt a bit hesitant to invite Raven to the engagement party, but ultimately ended up sighing in defeat.

“Very well”, I said. “I’ll give the invitation to Raven and see what she says.”

I was waiting in the library as usual, when Raven walked up to me.

“Hey there, Damian”, she greeted as she sat down at our table.

“Hey”, I greeted.

Then, I held out the invitation to her.

“What’s this”, she asked as she took it from my hand.

“An invitation to my father’s engagement party”, I revealed.

“Huh”, Raven said in shock. “Your dad’s getting married?”

“Yes”, I replied. “And he asked me to give you this invitation.”

“Me”, Raven asked as she pointed to herself in shock. “He’s inviting me to his engagement party? Isn’t it, like, going to be a super fancy event or something?”

“It will be”, I replied. “And I absolutely despise these types of events.”

“You do”, Raven asked. “How come?”

“These type of events tend to just consist of a bunch of rich people talking about things like stocks or politics for a few hours. It’s not my cup of tea.”

After I said this, Raven let out a giggle.

“I can see that”, she said. “But, I still don’t get why your dad is inviting me?”

“My guess is that my father wants you to save me from my boredom”, I replied.

“Really”, Raven asked in amusement. “In that case, I’ll come and rescue you from your boredom.”

“You will”, I asked; surprised by Raven’s answer. “You don’t have to come, you know? I wouldn’t want you to get bored too.”

“I know, but I’m actually now kind of curious to see what a fancy rich people party is like. Besides, there’ll probably be nice food.”

For some reason, hearing Raven say this made me smile.

“Very well, then”, I said. “But if you get bored out of your mind, don’t say that I didn’t warn you.”

“I won’t”, Raven said. 

Then, she seemed to realize something else.

“Hey, Damian”, she started. “What’s the dress code for this thing anyway?”

“Semi-formal to formal”, I replied.

“I figured as much”, Raven said; suddenly seeming a bit worried.

“What’s wrong, Raven”, I asked.

“I’m not sure if I have an outfit suitable for the party”, Raven revealed.

“I see”, I said, before thinking of a solution. “In that case, I’ll just buy you one.”

“Yeah, right”, Raven said, before realizing that I was being serious. “Wait, You’re being serious?!”

“I thought we’ve established by now that I don’t really make jokes”, I pointed out.

“Yeah”, Raven started. “But, buying me a dress?! Isn’t that too much?”

“I’m the one who invited you to the party”, I pointed out. “It’s only fare that I get you an outfit to wear to it.”

It seemed like Raven wanted to protest against my suggestion, but in the end…she just ended up sighing in defeat.

“Fine”, she said.

“Great”, I said. “Then we can go shopping for the dress after school.”

Chapter Text

Chapter 24 Dress Shopping
Damian’s POV

After school, Raven and I walked into the courtyard; where we found Alfred waiting in his usual spot.

“Good afternoon, Master Damian”, he greeted, before looking at Raven. “And good afternoon to you as well, Ms Roth.”

“Hi, Alfred”, Raven greeted.

“I have invited Raven to Father’s engagement party”, I revealed. “However, she does not have a suitable outfit for the event, so I’ll be taking her to buy one.”

“That’s a nice thing to do, Master Damian”, Alfred said. “Well then, in that case, I shall take you to the shopping centre.”

Raven and I were now at the mall.

“Follow me”, I instructed. Then, I led Raven to the high end fashion section of the mall.

“Never thought I’d ever get to shop in this section of the mall”, she revealed. Then, I led her to a formal dress shop some of the female orphans had dragged me to before.

“Ah”, one of the clerks said when she saw me. “If it isn’t Mr Damian Wayne? I’m surprised to see you here without one of your sisters. What brings you here?”

“Rachel here needs a dress for an event my father is holding”, I revealed. “The dress-code is semi-formal to formal. Could you help her find something?”

“Of course”, the clerk replied, before walking up to Raven. “Please come with me, Miss.”

“Damian, what do I do”, Raven asked, suddenly nervous.

“Just tell the clerk what type of dress you’re looking for and she’ll help you find something”, I replied. 

“But how do I know if what I pick is suitable or not”, Raven asked.

“Anything you find in this store should be fine”, I replied. “But if you’re unsure, you can come and show me anything you pick out.”

“Oh, okay”, Raven said, before looking at the clerk. “I’m ready, Ma’am.”

“Excellent”, the clerk said. “Right this way, Miss.” 

While I waited for Raven to choose an outfit, I sat down on a seat in the store and drew in my sketchbook.

“Damian”, I heard her say after a bit.

I then looked up, and saw her in a semi-formal, relatively simple dress. For some reason, when I saw her wearing it…I got the same fluttery feeling in my chest as I did before.

“So…what do you think? Is this dress suitable for the party?”

After Raven asked me this, I pushed the fluttery feeling back and answered her.

“Yes, it’s suitable”, I replied.

“Good”, Raven replied, before turning to face the clerk. “Then I’ll take this one, Ma’am.”

Once Raven changed out of the dress, we went to check it out.

“Are you really okay with paying for the dress, Damian”, she asked. “It’s a bit pricey.”

“I wouldn’t have offered to buy you a dress if I wasn’t in the financial position to do so”, I stated.

Then, the clerk giggled, before saying something that took me by surprise.

“It must be nice having a Wayne as a boyfriend?”

When Raven and I heard this, both of our faces went red.

“What”, she exclaimed in shock.

“She’s not my girlfriend”, I revealed angrily.

“She’s not”, the clerk asked in confusion.

“Why did you think she was my girlfriend”, I asked angrily.

“Well, a guy usually wouldn’t buy a dress for a girl unless she was his girlfriend”, the clerk stated.

“Well, she’s not my girlfriend”, I stated firmly. “She’s just my friend!”

“I see”, the clerk said. “I apologize for just assuming things.”

“It’s okay”, Raven reassured the clerk. “From your point of view, I can actually see why you’d think we were a couple. Anyway, thank you so much for helping me find a dress.”

“You’re welcome, Ms Roth”, the clerk replied. “I hope that you enjoy whatever party you’re going to wear it to. And I also hope that you’ll come shop here again if you need another dress for an occasion in the future?”

“I doubt that I’ll get a chance to go like an event like this again”, Raven stated. “But if I do, then I’ll come back!”

“Wonderful”, the clerk said. “Well then, thank you for shopping with us! Have a good day!”

“Have a good day as well, Ma’am”, Raven greeted.

“Thank you for your help, Ma’am”, I said. “Goodbye.”

With this, Raven and I left the store.

“Well, that was something“, she stated.

“Yeah”, I agreed; still embarrassed by being called Raven’s ‘boyfriend.’

“Do you have anywhere else you need to be, Damian”, she asked.

“No”, I replied. “Why?”

“Wanna grab a bite to eat at the foodcourt”, Raven asked. “And let me pay! It’s the least I can do since you brought me the dress.”

“Okay”, I said. “Let’s go.”

Chapter Text

Chapter 25 Engagement Party
Damian’s POV

The evening of my father’s engagement party had arrived, and I was waiting for someone in the Batcave.

After I had been waiting for some time, a car arrived in the Batcave. Grayson got out of it. Then, he opened the back door, and Starfire and Raven got out as well.

I had seen Raven in her dress before. And yet, when I saw her in it again, the fluttery feeling in my chest returned.

“Hey, Damian”, she greeted as she walked up to me. 

“Hey, Raven”, I greeted. “You look…nice.”

“Thanks”, Raven said.

“Raven told me that you brought the dress for her”, Starfire revealed. “That was very nice of you, Damian.”

“I was the one who invited her to the party”, I pointed out. “Therefore, it only seemed fitting that I was the one who provided her with a suitable outfit.”

“Well, thanks again for doing that for me, Damian”, Raven said.

“Anyway”, Grayson started, changing the subject. “What are we waiting for? There’s a party waiting for us upstairs!”

“Right”, Starfire said. “We should get going.”

“Shall we, my lady”, Grayson asked as he offered his arm to Starfire; which got a giggle out of her.

“Why thank you, kind sir”, she replied, before linking her arm with Grayson’s.

“Damian”, he started. “Be a gentleman and offer Raven your arm.”

“Do I have too”, I whined.

“Do you want Alfred to scold you when we get upstairs”, Grayson asked.

“Good point”, I replied.

Then, without looking at Raven, I offered my arm to her as I felt my cheeks turn pink. A moment later, I felt her link her arm with mine.

“Thanks, Damian”, she said.

“Whatever”, I said; unsure why this was making me feel so embarrassed. “Let’s go.”

We were now upstairs, where we were greeted by my father and Ms Kyle.

“There you guys are”, the former said. “And Raven, I’m glad that you could make it. Thank you so much for coming.”

“Thank you so much for inviting me, Mr Wayne”, I said.

“So you’re Raven”, Kyle greeted, before reaching her hand out to her. “I’m Selina Kyle. Bruce has told me about you.”

“He…has”, Raven asked in shock.

“What can I say”, my father asked. “I was just so happy that Damian managed to make a friend on his own.”

“Father”, I started, my cheeks turning pink again. “Must you say that in front of everyone?”

My father let out a chuckle, before changing the subject.

“Well”, he started as he looked at Ms Kyle. “I think it’s about time that we make the announcement. Are you ready, Selina?”

“I’m ready”, Selina replied. “I can’t wait to see everyone’s reactions to Bruce Wayne no longer being the forever bachelor.”

With this, my father and Kyle walked to the center of the room. Then, the former cleared his throat.

“Can I please have everyone’s attention, please”, he asked, and all the eyes in the room was on him and Ms Kyle. “Good evening, everyone. Thank you so much for coming. You’re all probably wondering what the big announcement I said I was going to make tonight is? Well, for a long time, many people assumed that I would be a forever bachelor. Even I always thought that this would be the case. However, when I met Selina, I finally found the person I wanted to spend the rest of my life with.”

After my father said this, all of the guests seemed to realize what his announcement was going to be.

“Therefore”, he started. “I am happy to announce that I, Bruce Wayne, will finally be getting married. And the person I will be marrying, is none other than Ms Selina Kyle.”

With this, everyone in the room started cheering.

“Here you go, Master Damian and Ms Roth”, Alfred said as he walked up to us with a tray with glasses on it. “Some non-alcoholic champagne for you two.”

“Thank you, Alfred”, I said, before taking the glasses and passing one to Raven.

“Thanks”, she said.

Alfred then walked up to my father and Ms Kyle, and they took two glasses from him.

“Congratulations on your engagement, Master Bruce”, he said, before taking his own glass and raising it up. “Everyone, a toast! To Master Bruce and Ms Kyle.”

“To Bruce and Ms Kyle”, everyone said as they raised their glasses up.

I then looked at my father, and saw him looking lovingly at Ms Kyle. Seeing him happy like this made me smile. Then…a voice I recognized suddenly spoke up from the crowd.

“To my father and his beautiful fiancé. Congratulations on your engagement.”

When I heard this voice, I wasn’t actually all that surprised.

I was wondering if she was going to show up?

Chapter Text

Chapter 26 Athanasia
Damain’s POV

“To my father and his beautiful fiancé. Congratulations on your engagement.”

When I heard this voice, I wasn’t actually all that surprised.

I was wondering if she was going to show up?

After I thought this, I looked at my father; who was smiling at our surprise guest.

“Athanasia”, he said happily.

I then looked into the crowd, and saw my father walk up to and hug a teenage girl.

“Who’s that”, Raven asked as she peered over my shoulder.

“That is Antanaisa”, I revealed. “My twin sister.”

“You have a twin sister”, Raven asked in shock.

“I do”, I replied, before the sister I was talking about walked up to me.

“Greetings, Brother”, she greeted. “Long time, no see.”

“Greetings, Athanasia”, I greeted. “So, what are you doing here?”

“I’ve come to celebrate my father finally getting engaged, of course”, Athanasia replied.

“How’d you even know that Father was getting engaged”, Damian asked.

“I’ve known that Father has been in a relationship for some time now. So, when I saw an article online that he would be announcing something at a party tonight, I figured that an engagement was a likely option.”

After she said this, Athanasia looked over my shoulder to see Raven.

“Who’s this”, she asked. “Another orphan Father has taken pity on?”

“This is Raven”, I replied. “We go to the same school.”

“So…she’s your friend”, Athanasia asked.

“She’s…someone I like to eat lunch with”, was the answer I gave.

“Just someone you eat lunch with”, Anthanaisa asked. “And yet, you invited her to Father’s engagement party?”

“Father is the one who asked me to invite her”, I revealed. “He knows I tend to get bored at these kind of parties, so he thought Raven being here would help to alleviate that.”

“Is that so”, Athanasia asked. “Well, fear not, brother. Now that I’m here, I can alleviate your boredom for you.”

“Maybe another time”, I said, knowing what Athanasia was suggesting we do. “Since Raven was invited here because of me, it would be rude to just abandon her.”

After she heard this, Athanasia looked at me in shock.

“Before, you wouldn’t miss an opportunity to ditch one these parties for anything”, she pointed out, before smirking. “This girl must be more important than you’re letting on, Brother?”

When I heard this, my cheeks started turning pink again.

“That’s…”, I started, unsure what to say next.

“It’s okay, Damian”, Raven suddenly reassured me. “She’s your sister, and it sounds like you haven’t seen her in a while. You should spend time with her.”

Before I could say something to Raven, Athanasia beat me to it.

“Raven, was it”, she started. “Why don’t you join us?”

“Join you”, Raven asked. “For what?”

“Is that okay, Brother”, Athanasia asked.

“I mean, I guess”, I replied.

“Great”, Athanasia replied. “Then let’s take this outside.”

I was now outside with Athanasia and Raven.

“Is this a good spot”, the former asked.

“This will do”, I replied.

“A good spot for what”, Raven asked.

“It’s been a while since I’ve seen Damian”, Anthanaisa revealed. “I want to see if Father’s teachings have effected his skills.”

“What skills”, Raven asked in confusion.

“Anthanaisa, are you sure you don’t want to go change into something else”, I asked. 

“Brother, one of the things that mother taught me is that it is important to learn how to fight in whatever outfit you are wearing. And when you’re a woman, sometimes, that’s going to be a long, formal dress such as this one.”

After Athanasia said this, she lifted up her dress skirt, to reveal…

“You have a sword under your dress”, Raven exclaimed in shock.

I then reached into my tuxedo jacket, and pulled out another sword.

“You too, Damain”, Raven asked in shock.

“That’s another thing our mother taught us”, I revealed. “Always keep your weapon on you. You never know when it will come in handy.”

“How many times has it come in handy”, Raven asked.

“A lot”, I replied. “Also…”

With this, I took off my jacket and held it out to Raven.

“Here, put this on”, I instructed.

“Huh”, Raven said in confusion. “Why?”

“Because Alfred will be annoyed if another one of my tuxedo jackets gets shredded because I fought while I was wearing it”, I revealed. “However, he’ll also won’t be happy if I let a girl hold my jacket for me.”

“Oh”, Raven said. “Okay. It is a bit chilly out here anyway.”

With this, Raven took my jacket and put it on. For some reason, seeing her in it caused the fluttery feeling in my chest to return.

“What’s the matter, Brother”, Athanasia asked. “You seem lost in thought?”

“It’s nothing”, I replied, before turning around to face her. “Now then, let’s begin.”

Chapter Text

Chapter 27 Damian’s Family
Raven’s POV

I looked at Damian and Athanasia as they stood a good distance across from each other; both griping onto their swords tightly. They both got into fighting stances, and then…they changed at each other!

Once she got close enough to him, Anthanaisa swiped her sword at Damian. To dodge the attack, Damian jumped right over her! He then tried to strike her with his sword, but she blocked it with hers. Then, she high kicked his sword into the air, and while he was distracted, she punched him in the face!

The impact caused him to fall the the ground. While he was on the ground, Anthanaisa tried to strike him with her sword, but he grabbed his one that had fallen to the ground nearby and used it to block her attack. He then quickly grabbed her hand, and pulled her to the ground. Before she could get up, he used his one hand to pin her hands down, and the other to hold his sword to her throat!

“Damian”, I exclaimed as I started rushing towards him. “Don’t…”

“I yield”, Athanasia suddenly said.

Then, Damian pulled his sword away from her throat and got off of her.

“Just as I thought”, she started. “Father’s teachings has weakened you, Brother. You’re holding back on your attacks.”

“And yet, I still managed to beat you”, Damian pointed out.

Athanasia glared at him in annoyance. Then, Damian offered his hand to her. She took it, and he pulled her onto her feet.

“You’re lucky you didn’t get my dress dirty”, she said.

“I told you change into something else”, Damian reminded her.

As the siblings continued to talk, I could feel my heart rapidly beating in my chest.

I’ve never seen Damian do something like that before. It was…

“What’s the matter, Raven”, Athanasia suddenly asked, snapping me out of my thoughts. “You seem lost in thought?”

“Oh, I’m fine”, I replied. “It’s just…I’ve never seen Damian in a full on fight before.”

“You haven’t”, Athanasia asked in shock.

“No”, I replied. “Every time I’ve seen him get into fights before, he always managed to take the guys out before they could fight back.”

“That’s because very few can rival an al Ghul”, Anthanaisa stated.

“An al Ghul”, I asked.

“My family name”, Athanasia revealed. “It was Damian’s too, until he decided to stay with Father and become a Wayne.”

“What do you mean by that”, I asked.

“Father will be wondering where we are”, Damian suddenly said. “Let’s head back to the party.”

Once we got back to the party, Athanasia went to go talk with other members of Damian’s family, leaving the two of us alone. We ended up grabbing some food from the buffet before sitting down by a table.

“You were, right”, I said suddenly. “This…is kind of boring. To me at least.”

“Told you”, Damian said. 

“But the food is nice”, I added.

“That’s true”, Damian agreed. “Usually, when I’m forced to attend one of these parties, I’ll stay for a bit to have some food. Then, when no one’s looking, I’ll sneak back to my room.”

Hearing this got a chuckle out of me.

“That sounds like something you would do”, I stated.

Then, Damian seemed to get an idea.

“Well, since you find this party boring too”, he started, before suddenly standing up. “Why don’t I show you something you’ll probably find more interesting?”

Damian took me to a room, and when I saw what it was, my eyes lit up in excitement.

“Wow”, I said in awe. “This library is huge!”

“I knew it would peak your interest”, Damian revealed. “This library is filled with all sorts of books that has been with the Wayne family for generations. It’s also filled with a bunch of books the orphans have brought in over the years.”

“Um…”, I started a bit nervously. “Are you or any of your siblings by any chance fans of dark fantasy?”

“Dark fantasy”, Damian asked.

“It’s my favorite novel genre”, I replied.

“That…doesn’t surprise me”, Damain said, before turning around. “Follow me.”

After Damain led me to a section of the library that had dark fantasy novels, I picked one and began reading it.

After I had been reading for a while, I looked up at Damian, who was reading on the couch opposite of me.

After thinking about it for a moment, I spoke up to him.

“Hey, Damian”, I started. “Can I ask you something?”

“About what”, Damian asked, not looking away from his book

“What did your sister mean? About you deciding to stay with your Father?”

After I asked this, Damian stopped reading, and didn’t say anything.

“You don’t have to…”, I started.

“My father wasn’t always aware of me and my sister’s existence”, Damian revealed. “However, when we were ten, something happened, and our mother took us to stay with him for our safety.”

“For your safety”, I asked in concern.

“Yes”, Damian replied. “Once the threat had been dealt with, Athanasia returned to our mother, while I decided to stay with our father.”

“You chose to stay with your dad”, I asked. “How come?”

“I came to the realization that I no longer agreed with my mother’s way of living”, Damian replied.

Before I could ask him what he meant by that, someone suddenly walked into the library.

“There you two are”, Dick said as he walked up to us. “You guys decided to ditch the party to hang out here instead, huh?”

“Raven also found the party boring”, Damian revealed. “I figured this would interest her more.

“Well”, Dick started. “I hate to break this up, but the party’s over. So I can drive you home, Raven.”

“It’s that late already”, I asked in shock. “I didn’t even realize.”

“Starfire’s told me that you’re the type of person who gets so lost in books you don’t realize how much time has passed”, Dick revealed.

“She is”, Damian added. “There’s been times where we she didn’t realize lunch was over until she heard the bell.”

“Did you have to tell him that”, I asked in embarrassment. “Anyway, guess it’s time to say goodbye? Thank for inviting me to the party, Damian. I had fun, even if the party itself was a little boring.”

“Thank you for coming”, Damian said. “I’ll see you on Monday.”

“See you then”, I said. “Later, Damian.”

On the car ride back to my place, I was thinking about what happened earlier.

I always thought Damian learned how to fight from his dad. But, from what him and Athanasia said, it seems like they actually learned it from their mother. Just who is their mother anyway?

“I came to the realization that I no longer agreed with my mother’s way of living.”

Once I thought about this, it suddenly clicked in my mind.

Wait a minute? Is Damian’s mother…a villain or something?

Chapter Text

Chapter 28 The Pains of Love
Damian’s POV

After Raven left, I went up to the roof; where I found the person I was looking for.

“I figured I’d find you here”, I said.

“I knew you’d find me too”, she said, before I sat down next to her. “Brother, what does this Raven mean to you?”

“What she means to me”, I asked. “Why are you asking me that?”

“You trust her enough to show your true skills in front of her”, Athanasia pointed out. “However, she does not appear to know about your past, and you deliberately changed the subject when she began asking questions about it. You’ve never cared about anyone knowing about your past before, so why do you not want Raven to know?”

I couldn’t give Athanasia a reply, because I didn’t know the answer to her question myself. So, I decided to change the subject instead.

“Does Mother know that you are here”, I asked.

Knowing that I was trying to change the subject, Athanasia frowned at me, but answered my question anyway.

“Yes, she knows”, she replied.

“So I’m assuming she also knows that Father is getting married”, I asked.

“She does”, Athanasia replied.

“How does she feel about him getting married”, I asked.

“As the head of the League of Assassins, she cannot let such trivial things bother her”, Athanasia stated. “But, even though she tries to hide it, I know that she is heartbroken at this revelation. She’ll probably never admit it, but she still loves Father very much.”

“Yeah”, I said. “But, even though she does love Father, I doubt a relationship the two would actually work out.”

“Oh, certainly”, Athanasia agreed. “The code Father lives by goes against how Mother chooses to live her life.”

“Yes, it does”, I agreed. “That’s why things the way they are is for the best.”

“It truly is a pitiful thing to fall in love, isn’t it”, Athanasia asked. “That is why I shall never put myself through such a thing. After all, love makes you weak. And as the future head of the League of Assassins, I cannot be weak!”

“If that is what you wish”, was all I said.

“What about you, Brother? Do you see yourself ever falling in love with someone someday?”

For some reason, when Athanasia asked me this…the face of a certain person suddenly popped into my mind. 

“I…um…”, I started, unsure how I should answer.

“What’s the matter, Brother”, Athanasia asked.

Then…she seemed to think of something, and smirked.

“I see”, she said. “Now I understand why you don’t want Raven to know about your past. You’re worried about what she’ll think of you if she knows who you truly are.”

“What do you mean by that”, I asked.

But before I could get an answer, we were suddenly joined by someone else on the roof.

“There you two are”, he said as he walked up to us.

“What brings you here, Father”, Athanasia asked him.

“I wasn’t sure if you had left yet”, Father replied. “Then Alfred told me that he saw you come up here.”

“Well, you caught me not a moment too late, Father”, Athanasia revealed. “I was just about to take my leave.”

“You’re leaving already, Athanasia”, my father asked. “You know that you’re always welcome to stay as long as you like?”

“I have other matters to attend to, Father”, Athanasia replied.

“I see. Well then, even if it was just for one night, I’m so glad that I got to see you again, honey.”

After my father said this, he cupped Athanasia’s face with his hands and kissed her forehead.

“That’s enough”, she said before pulling away from him. “Anyway, I should get going. Once again, congratulations on your engagement to Ms Kyle, Father. I truly am happy for you.”

“Thank you, honey”, my father said. “It makes me very happy to hear you say that.”

“Farewell, Brother”, Athanasia greeted as she turned to face me. “Until we meet again.”

“Until we meet again”, I said. “Make sure to give Mother my regards.”

“And me as well”, my father added.

“I will make sure to do that”, Athanasia said. “Well then, goodbye to you both.”

After Athanasia said this, she jumped off the roof and to the ground below. She then turned around and waved, before turning back around and walking away.

As we watched her leave, I thought about what she said had said not too long ago.

“Now I understand why you don’t want Raven to know about your past. You’re worried about what she’ll think of you if she knows who you truly are.”

Am I worried about what Raven will think of me if she finds out about my past?

Chapter Text

Chapter 29 Family Patrol Night
Damain’s POV

The next Monday morning, I was sitting by the breakfast table, and I was thinking about what Athanasia said to me after Father’s engagement party.

“Now I understand why you don’t want Raven to know about your past. You’re worried about what she’ll think of you if she knows who you truly are.”

I had been thinking about this on and off during the entire weekend. 

Am I worried about what Raven will think of me if she finds out about my past? I shouldn’t be, and yet…I made sure to stop Athanasia before she could reveal too much about our past. Why did I do that, though?

“Morning Damian”, Brown greeted me as she sat down opposite of me.

“Morning Brown”, I greeted.

“You know, Damian”, Brown started. “I was thinking that you should ask Raven to join us on patrol on Friday?”

“Why would I do that”, I asked.

“I’d be a fun way to get to know her more”, Brown replied. “Plus, I wanna see what her kicking butt is like!”

“Would father be okay with Raven joining us on family patrol”, I asked.

“I was actually the one who came up with the suggestion”, my father revealed as he sat down next to Brown.

“You did”, I asked in shock. “Why?”

“Like Stephanie said, it may be a good way to learn more about Raven”, my father replied.

“Why do you want to learn more about Raven”, I asked.

“Because I’d like to learn more about the person outside of the family who managed to become my son’s friend”, my father replied. “That hasn’t happened since you were in middle school.”

“Raven is not my…”, I started. But then, I stopped myself, sighed in defeat, and sat up from the table. “I’m going to be late for school. Have a good day, father and Brown.”

“Bye, Damain”, Brown greeted me as I walked off. “Don’t forget to ask Raven about going on patrol with us!”

It was lunch break, and like usual, I walked into the library and found Raven sitting by our usual table.

“Hey, Damain”, she greeted as I walked up to her.

“Hey”, I greeted, before sitting down at the table. “My father wanted me to ask if you would join us for patrol on Friday?”

“Patrol”, Raven asked in confusion.

“Thanks to my father taking pity on so many orphans, there are many people who live at Wayne manor”, I revealed. “Besides special occasions, there aren’t really any opportunities for all of us to spend time together. Therefore, my father will take any opportunity he can to get us all together, and one way of doing this by going on patrol together.”

“So what I’m hearing is, while most families have game or movie nights, yours has family patrol night”, Raven asked.

“Yes”, I replied, which got a laugh out of Raven.

“You sure do have a unique family, Damian”, she said. “But since the patrol is a family thing, why does your father want me to join you on it?”

“He says that he wants to get know more about you”, I revealed.

“Me”, Raven asked in confusion. “Why does he want to know more about me?”

“Apparently the fact that I willingly spend time with someone surprises my family so much that they want to know more about you”, I replied.

“Do you really spend that little time with other people”, Raven asked.

“I just find it unnecessary to spend extra time with people unless it’s for something important”, I replied.

“And yet…you willingly spend time with me”, Raven pointed out. Then…she smirked. “I must be special, huh?”

When I heard this…I became embarrassed and felt my cheeks turning pink. Then, I decided to quickly change the subject. “Are you coming on patrol with us on Friday or not?”

“Hmm…I’m not sure”, Raven replied. “I mean…won’t I feel out of place amongst your family?”

“I don’t think so”, I replied. “But, you don’t have to come if you don’t want to.”

Raven thought about what to do for a moment, before making her decision.

“Okay then”, she replied. “I’ll join you guys on patrol.”

“Are you sure”, I asked.

“Yeah”, Raven replied. “I wanna see what a family of vigilantes is like in action.”

Chapter Text

Chapter 30 Bat Cow
Damian’s POV

Friday had come around, and school had ended for the day.

Raven and I walked out of the school together, and when we reached the courtyard, we found Alfred waiting in his usual spot.

“Good afternoon, Master Damian”, he greeted me when we walked up to him. “And good afternoon to you as well, Ms Roth.”

“Good afternoon, Alfred”, Raven greeted him.

“Master Damian tells me that you will be joining the family for patrol tonight”, Alfred revealed. “Since that is the case, would you like to come back with us to Wayne manor?”

“Is that okay?”, Raven asked. 

“Of course is it”, Alfred replied. “So, what do you say, Ms Roth?”

Raven thought about what to do for a moment. Then, she nodded her head. “Sure. Let’s go.”

We had arrived at Wayne Manor, and as soon as we walked through the front door…Ace slowly, but excitedly made his way over to us.

“Hey there, buddy”, I greeted him as I leaned down to pat his head. Then, he walked up to Raven and started sniffing her shoe. 

“Hi there, buddy”, Raven greeted him. She then got on her knees, and started rubbing his ears. “Oh, you’re such a good boy!”

When I saw Raven playing with Ace…I couldn’t help but smile. Then, for some reason, I got that fluttering feeling in my chest again.

“I have some other matters to attend to”, Alfred revealed. “Damain, will you keep our guest entertained until later?”

“I will”, I replied. “See you later, Alfred.”

“See you later, Master Damain”, Alfred greeted me. Then, he turned his head to Raven. “Ms Roth, if there’s anything you need, just ask Master Damian to summon me.”

“Oh”, Raven said in shock. “Thank you so much, Alfred. I’ll try not to bother you though.”

“I am a butler, Ms Roth. It is my job to let people bother me if they need my assistance”, Alfred pointed out. He then turned around and walked off.

“So…”, Raven started. “When does the patrol start?”

“We usually start getting ready after diner”, I replied.

“Then what do we do until then?”, Raven asked.

I thought about what to do for a moment, before getting an idea. “Do you want me to show you Batcow?”

With Ace following behind us, I led Raven to the barn.

“Wayne Manor has a barn?”, Raven asked me in shock. “Is there anything you don’t have on the premises?”

“A roller rink. But some of the orphans have been begging father to add one for years now”, I revealed. Then, I walked up to the front doors of the barn. I pressed a button, and they opened. I then led Raven inside, and up to a specific pen. “Here she is.”

After I said this, the cow which was in the pen walked up to me, and rubbed her head against my hand. “Hey there, girl. I have someone here who wants to meet you.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Bat Cow”, Raven greeted her.

“Hold out your hand”, I instructed Raven. She did as I asked her to, and Bat Cow rubbed her head against Raven’s hand.

“She’s so cute”, she said, before changing the subject. “So, how’d you end up with a pet cow anyway?”

“About a year or so after I started living with my father, one of our missions led us to an abattoir”, I revealed. “I found Bat Cow there, and when I looked into her eyes…I decided right there and then that I’d rescue her.”

“Was…your dad okay with that?”, Raven asked me.

“I…may have gone ahead with getting Bat Cow out of the abattoir before telling my father about it”, I admitted. “He wasn’t too happy about what I’d done at first, but at that point, he figured it was probably better just to let me keep Bat Cow instead of trying to sneak her back into the abattoir.”

“I see”, Raven said. Then, she seemed to think of something else. “Hey, Damian, is Bat Cow the reason why you’re a vegetarian?”

“Yes”, I replied. “I have nothing against other people eating meat. But after seeing the animals in an abattoir first hand, I couldn’t personally bring myself to eat meat anymore.”

After I said this, I looked over at Raven…and noticed that she was smiling at me.

“Why are you smiling at me like that?”, I asked her.

“You know, Damian?”, Raven started. “The way you usually act around people makes you come off as a jerk. But deep down…I actually think you’re a kind and sensitive soul.”

When I heard Raven call me this…I could feel my cheeks burning up, so I decided to quickly change the subject and cleared my throat. “It’s still a while until dinner, so is there anything else you’d like to do until then?”

Chapter Text

Chapter 31 Conforting Quiet Part 1
Damian’s POV

“It’s still a while until dinner, so is there anything else you’d like to do until then?”

I should’ve known when I asked that question that Raven would request going to the library again. We ended up reading in there until dinner. Then, once dinner was done, everyone who was going on patrol got suited up and headed into the Batcave.

“Alrighty! We’re ready for patrol!”, Spolier said, before looking at Raven. “I’m so excited that you’re joining us, Raven!”

“Thank you again for inviting me”, Raven said. “So, how does patrol work anyway?”

“Usually, we split into groups of at least two people”, Spolier revealed. “Then, we post ourselves in areas that are current big crime hotspots, and wait to see if anything happens.”

“What do we do if a crime happens?”, Raven asked.

“Then we stop the crime!”, Nightwing replied.

“And if a crime doesn’t happen?”, Raven asks.

“Unfortunately, this is Gotham”, I said. “Crime always happens. Especially on weekend nights.”

“Got it”, Raven said. “Well, I hope that I’ll be able to lend a helping hand?”

“Now then”, Oracle started. “Who’s splinting into which groups tonight?”

I was about to answer this question, but Spoiler beat me to it by suddenly grabbing onto Raven’s arms and pulling her close to her.

“I call dibs on Raven!”, she replied enthusiastically.

“What?”, I asked angrily. “Shouldn’t Raven be with me during patrol?”

“Don’t get jealous, Damian”, Spolier teased me. “You get to spend time with Raven at school almost everyday. Plus, you two were hanging out in the library all afternoon! I wanna get to know Raven better! So, she’s coming with me!”

I tried to speak up against Spolier, but before I could…Nightwing slung his arm around my shoulder. “I think that’s a great idea, Steph! While you get to know Raven better, I’ll patrol with Damian. It’s been a while since we’ve gotten to have some brotherly bonding time.”

“Great! It looks like you’ve all been paired up”, Gordon said. “I’ll assign you your lookout spots, and we can get this patrol night started!”

Realising that neither Spoiler nor Nightwing were going to change their minds, I sighed in defeat. Then, I pulled myself out of Nightwing’s grasp and walked up to Raven. “I apologise that you’ll have to put up with Spoiler on your first patrol with us.”

“Hey!”, Spoiler said, which made Raven giggle. 

“It’s okay”, she reassured. “So…I’ll see you after patrol, Damian?”

For some reason, hearing this made me smile. “Yeah. See you after patrol, Raven.”

Nightwing and I were watching over Gotham from a top of a building. Unfortunately (or I guess I should say fortunately?) no crimes had happened so far, So I decided to pass the time by doing some drawing.

“So Damian”, Nightwing started as he sat next to me. “I’ve been wanting to ask you about Raven.”

“About what?”, I asked.

“It’s just…”, Nightwing started. “While you have made a couple of friends before, it was usually because something or someone pushed you into it. The last time you made a friend completely on your own was back when you were in middle school.”

“What point are you trying to make here, Nightwing?”, I asked.

“What I’m trying to ask is…how’d you and Raven end up becoming friends?”, Nightwing asked.

“We’re not friends”, I reminded Nightwing.

“Okay, but you willingly spend time with her. You don’t usually willingly spend time with anyone outside of animals”, Nightwing pointed out. “So, tell me…why do you willingly spend time with Raven?”

When I was asked this question, I had to take a moment to think of an answer. “Raven is…quiet.”

“Quiet?”, Nightwing asked.

“Yes”, I replied. “A lot of the time when we eat lunch together, we don’t really talk to each other. We just sit there next to each other. Or sometimes, she’ll be reading a book while I’m working on a sketch.”

“Isn’t that kind of awkward?”, Nightwing asked me.

“No”, I replied. “Actually, I find it somewhat…comforting.”

“Comforting”, Nightwing repeated. Then…he smiled.  “You know, I’m glad that you and Raven met, and I’m happy that she has someone at school to talk to. I was worried that she‘d be all on her own there.”

When Nightwing said this, it made me realise something. “Nightwing, is it a coincidence that someone you knew ended up at the same school I attend?”

“I was wondering when you were going to catch on to that”, Nightwing revealed. “Even though I graduated forever ago, I still follow Gotham Academy’s official social media account. When I saw that their literally program was holding a contest to win a scholarship to the school, I told Raven about it.”

“Did you tell her that you know someone who also attends Gotham Academy?”, I asked.

“I didn’t”, Nightwing replied. “I didn’t want her to feel pressured into getting to know you. But, I’m really glad that you two managed to meet and get to know each other on your own.”

“Well, I’m just glad that you didn’t try to shove a friend onto me”, I said.

“Yeah”, Nightwing said. “Surprisingly, you managed to do that all on your own.”

I rolled my eyes at Nightwing. Then…my communicator suddenly went off.

“This is Spoiler”, I heard. “Nightwing and Robin, do you copy?”

“We copy, Spoiler”, Nightwing replied as I stood up.

“Nothing happened while you were with Raven, did it?”, I asked.

“Don’t worry, Dami…”

“Robin”, Brown corrected her.

“Right. Sorry”, Raven said. 

“You’ll get used to it”, Spoiler reassured Raven. “Anyway, Raven and I spotted some suspicious looking guys holding suspicious looking boxes. I gave them a scan, and they have explosives in them.”

“Spoiler, this is Batman”, he suddenly chimed in. “How many boxes?”

“About five medium boxes of explosives”, Spoiler replied. 

“Okay”, Batman said. “You and Raven stay at your post, and do not proceed! The rest of us will be there as fast as we can.”

“Spoiler”, I started, with a sternness in my voice. “You make sure nothing happens to Raven.”

“Awe, he’s worried about you Raven!”, Spoiler said. I opened my mouth to counter her, but she cut me off. “Don’t worry, Damian! I’ll keep your friend safe! Spoiler out!”

With this, the call ended. I then looked at Nightwing, who was smirking at me. “What?”

“You say Raven’s not your friend”, Nightwing started. “But you seemed pretty worried about her?”

“Let’s just go”, I demanded. I then quickly turned around and rushed off…so Nightwing couldn’t see my cheeks turning pink.

Chapter Text

Chapter 32 Comforting Quiet Part 2
Raven’s POV

I was sitting with Stephanie on top of a building.

“Sorry that your first patrol is kinda boring”, she said.

“It’s fine”, I said. Then, I smiled when I thought about something. “This actually kind of reminds me of when me and Damian were on a stake out together.”

“That’s what you guys were doing before you chased those thugs’ car down, right?”, Stephanie asked me.

“Yeah”, I replied. Then, Stephanie smiled at me.

“Hey Raven, can I asked you something?”, she asked.

“Ask me what?”, I asked.

“What do you think about, Damian?”, Stephanie asked.

“What do you mean by that?”, I asked.

“From what I know, it’s been over a month since you and Damian first met, right?”, Stephanie asked, and I nodded. “I was wondering what your opinion on him is after getting to know him for a bit?”

After being asked this, I took a sec to think about the moments I had spent with Damian.

“Damian is definitely someone who doesn’t like to socialise”, I pointed out. “He also doesn’t sugarcoat things, and is very blunt and straight to the point. To be honest, he can seem kinda like a jerk at first.

“If you think Damian is bad now, you should’ve met him when he first started living with Bruce”, Stephanie revealed.

“What do you mean?”, I asked.

“How much do you know about Damian’s past?”, Stephanie asked me.

“Not a lot”, I replied. “I know that his dad didn’t know that him and his sister even existed until they were ten, when their mom brought them to stay with him to keep them safe from something. Then, once that thing had been dealt with, Athanasia went back to live with their mom while Damian stayed with their dad. Also, I don’t know who Damian’s mother is, but I gather she’s the one who taught Damian how to fight?”

“You’re correct there”, Stephanie replied. “And because teaching Damian how to fight was her main focus, teaching him about manners or human decency wasn’t high on her list of priorities.”

“I see”, I said. 

“That’s why Damian was way worse when he first started living with Bruce”, Stephanie added. “Being around him was almost insufferable!”

“It was?”, I asked.

“Yep”, Stephanie replied. “Thankfully, he’s improved over the years. He’s gone from bratty kid, to moody teenager.”

“I agree with you there”, I said. Then, I thought more about Damian, and smiled. “But underneath Damian’s bluntness and moodiness…he is a kind and gentle soul.”

Stephanie seemed shocked when I said this. But then, she smiled. “Say, Raven, do you like hanging out with Damian?”

“I do”, I replied. “Damian doesn’t talk a lot, so it’s usually really quiet when we’re together. But…I actually find that quiet…comforting.”

“Comforting, huh?”, Stephanie said. “Well, I’m glad that Damian has someone to hang out with at school. Honestly, I was worried that he’d end up spending the entirely of high school by himself. So I’m glad that he’s not alone.”

After Stephanie said this, she surprised me by suddenly grabbing onto my hands. “Raven, could you please continue to be Damian’s friend?”

After being asked this, I smiled. “You know, Mr Wayne actually asked me the same thing.”

“He did? Then, I’m double asking you!”, Stephanie said, before letting go of my hands and holding hers together. “Pretty please, Raven!”

“Sure”, I replied. “Like I said, I like hanging out with Damian.”

“Yay!”, Stephanie said with a smile on her face. But then, she seemed to notice something, and her smile faded.

“Is everything okay, Stephanie?”, I asked her in concern.

“See those guys over there?”, Stephanie asked. I then turned around to see what she was pointing at, and saw a group of men getting out of a van.

“What about them?”, I asked.

“Give me a moment”, Stephanie said, before talking into her communicator. “Oracle, this is Spoiler. Do you copy?”

I was given my own communicator, so I could hear what Barbara was saying. “I copy, Spoiler. Everything good?”

“Can you check the drop off schedule of the warehouse Raven and I are at?”, Spoiler asked.

“Give me a sec”, Oracle said, before taking a moment to do something. “According to the schedule, there aren’t any drop offs scheduled at that warehouse for tonight.”

“That means I’m looking at a group of men doing an unscheduled drop-off”, Stephanie said. “Give me a sec, Oracle.”

With this, Stephanie went closer to the edge of the building we were on, and took a moment to look at the boxes.

“Good news, Raven. You’re first patrol isn’t going to be boring after all”, she said, before talking into her communicator again.

“This is Spoiler”, Stephanie said. “Nightwing and Robin, do you copy?”

“We copy, Spoiler”, Nightwing replied.

“Nothing happened while you were with Raven, did it?”, Damian asked. And for some reason, hearing that made me happy.

“Don’t worry, Dami…”, I started, but was cut off by Stephanie.

“Robin”, she corrected.

“Right. Sorry”, I apologised. 

“You’ll get used to it”, Stephanie reassured me. “Anyway, Raven and I spotted some suspicious looking guys holding suspicious looking boxes. I gave them a scan, and they have explosives in them.”

“They do?!”, I asked in shock.

“Spoiler, this is Batman”, Mr Wayne suddenly chimed in. “How many boxes?”

“About five medium boxes of explosives”, Stephanie replied. 

“Okay”, Batman said. “You and Raven stay at your post, and do not proceed! The rest of us will be there as fast as we can.”

“Spoiler”, Damian started, with a sternness in his voice. “Make sure nothing happens to Raven.”

“Awe, he’s worried about you Raven!”, Stephanie said to me. “Don’t worry, Damian! I’ll keep your friend safe! Spoiler out!”

With this, Stephanie ended the call, before turning to look at me with a smirk on her face.

“What?”, I asked.

“He’s going to deny it later, but Damien was totally worried about you!”, Stephanie said. And for some reason, when I heard this…I got a warm, fuzzy feeling in my chest.

Chapter Text

Chapter 33 Saving Him
Damian’s POV

Everyone who was on patrol had arrived at Raven and Spoiler’s location.

“Wow”, Raven said in awe. “You guys got here quickly.”

“We all know Gotham pretty well”, Nightwing revealed. 

“Spoiler, what’s the status on the situation?”, Father asked.

“Nothing’s really changed since I called in”, Spoiler replied. “The guys inside have just been chatting about some kind of the deal.”

“Alright then”, Father started. “Everyone, take a corner of the warehouse. I’ll take the center.”

“Got it”, Spoiler, Nightwing, and I said.

“Wait, what are we doing?”, Raven asked in confusion.

“Follow me”, I commanded. 

“Let’s go”, Father commanded. Then, we all used our grabbing hooks to get to different sides of the building. Afterwards, we carefully climbed into the building and onto the rafters. We then looked to the ground, and saw five men loading boxes into the back of a truck.

Spoiler and Nightwing used their grappling hooks to get to other sides of the warehouse while father moved so he was right above the men. He waited for a moment. Then…he jumped to the ground and punched one of the men unconscious.

“Shit! It’s Batman!”, another one of the men exclaimed. Then, the rest of us jumped to the ground as well.

We managed to knock out three of the other men. But the last of them managed to slip past us, get into the truck, and begin to drive away!

I quickly took something out of my pocket and threw it at the truck, which it stuck to.

“What was that?”, Raven asked.

“Tracking device”, I replied. 

“Spoiler, it’s your turn to stay and watch these guys”, Father said.

“Aw man!”, Spoiler said in disappointment.

“Don’t worry, Spoiler! We’ll bring you back a souvenir!”, Nightwing reassured her.

“Quick! To the Bat Mobile!”, Father commanded. We then ran to an alley that was opposite the warehouse, where the Bat Mobile was parked. We all got into the car, and then we sped off.

Thanks to the tracker, we were able to see where the truck was headed.

“How are we dealing with this?”, I asked.

“Yeah”, Nightwing added. “If that truck ends up crashing into anything, the explosives inside could go off.”

“We need to find a way to get the truck to come to a standstill without it crashing into anything”, Father pointed out. 

For a moment, we all tried to think of a solution. Then, Raven suddenly spoke up. “I think I may be able to get the truck to stop.”

“Really? How?”, Father asked. 

“I can use my magic to stop it”, Raven replied. 

“Will you be able to stop something that big, and that’s moving?”, I asked her.

“It’ll probably take a lot out of me, but I can do it”, Raven replied.

“Robin, do you trust Raven”, Father asked.

“I do”, I replied.

“I trust Raven too, Batman!”, Dick added.

“Damian. Dick”, Raven said in shock.

“If you both trust Raven, then I do too”, Father replied. “Raven, what do you need us to do?”

“Oh”, Raven said as she snapped out of her shock. I just need to get out of the car. Leave the rest to me.”

“Got it”, Father said. “Then open the car door on the count of three. One, two, three!”

With this, Raven opened the car door and flew out of it! She then flew closer to the truck and held her hands out. A type of black magic surround the truck, and it stopped moving. My father then slammed his foot on the brakes and slid the car to a stop.

“That’s…impressive”, he said, before looking back at us. “On the move, boys!”

With this, Nightwing and I rushed out of the car and began running towards the truck.

“I’ll take the left and you take the right!”, he instructed.

“Got it”, I said. I then ran to the right side of the truck while Nightwing ran to the left side.

The man got out on the right side and tried to make a run for it. Moving quickly on my feet, I rushed up to him, grabbed onto his arms, and pinned him to the side of the truck.

“End of the line for you”, I said. “Next stop, Gotham Prison.”

“I’d rather die than rot in jail!”, the man stated. Unfortunately…only then did I notice that he had something in his hands, and that it was a grenade. 

I tried to grab it from him, but before I could…he set it off.

Raven’s POV

I watched in horror as the man Damian was holding set off a grenade.

“Damain!”, Mr Wayne yelled, before running up to him.

I rushed down to Damian as quickly as I could. And when I got to him…he did not look good.

His face and entire body had been completely burned, and his skin was now a deep red.

“Damian! Damian!”, Mr Wayne yelled as shook him. 

“You better not quit on us now, Damian!”, Dick said. 

“What happened to Damian?! Is he okay?!”, Stephanie asked in a panicked tone through the communicator.

“Do you need me to send some for medical assistance?”, Barbara asked. Then, I realized what I had to do, and I went up to Damian. 

“Mr Wayne, give Damian to me!”, I said.

Mr Wayne seemed hesitant to hand Damian to me, as he held him closer to him. Then, Dick put his arm on his shoulder. “Remember, Batman. Both Robin and I trust Raven.”

Hearing this seemed to be enough for to convince Mr Wayne. He turned back around to face me, before holding Damian out to me. 

“Raven please, save my boy”, he pleaded, sounding like he was trying not to cry.

“I will”, I reassured, before taking Damian from him. I then laid his head on my lap, took a deep breath, and cupped his face with my hands. I closed my eyes, concentrated as hard as I could, and then…a bright light completely engulfed Damian and I.

Suddenly, I was seeing moments from Damian’s past. 

I saw a younger version of him watching in horror as a man was killed right in front of him.

I saw him and his sister standing in front of Mr Wayne was he looked at them in shock.

I saw him tightly hugging a woman, before sadly watching as she left with Anthanaisa.

I saw a boy who looked about Damian’s age hugging him. He rolled his eyes, before letting out a small smile.

After seeing all of these memories, the light surrounding Damian and I disappeared. I looked down at him, and saw that the burns on his skin had completely healed!

“Damian”, Mr Wayne exclaimed, before grabbing him back from me. Then…Damian slowly opened his eyes.

“F…father”, he said weakly. 

“Damian”, Mr Wayne said in relief. Then, he pulled him into a hug.

I was relieved to see that Damian was okay. Then…I began feeling dizzy.

“Raven?”, Dick asked in concern. “You don’t look so good.”

“I…”, I started, but I then lost all my strength…and collapsed to the ground.

The last thing I heard was Dick yelling my name. Then…everything went dark.

Chapter Text

Chapter 34 A Reward for Saving Him
Raven’s POV

I slowly opened my eyes, and found myself staring up at a ceiling.

Confused, I slowly sat up, took a look around, and saw that I was in a bedroom I had never seen before.

“You’re awake”, I suddenly heard a familiar voice say. I then turned my head in the direction it came from, and found Damian sitting on an armchair with with his sketchbook in his hands.

“Damain!”, I exclaimed. I then jumped out of the bed I was on and ran up to him. 

“Careful!”, he said as he shot up and grabbed onto my shoulders. “You suddenly passed out.”

“And you got blown up!”, I pointed out. “Are you okay?!”

“I am”, Damian replied. “Thanks to you.”

Damian looked right at me when he said this. Then, noticed that he was still holding onto my shoulders, and let go of me before clearing his throat. “Anyway. What about you? Are you feeling okay?”

“I’m feeling okay”, I replied. “Between stopping the truck and healing you, I must’ve used up most of my power?”

“Well, I’m glad you’re feeling alright”, Damian said.

“And are you feeling alright?”, I asked. “I mean, you got blown up.”

“I’m alright. Today wasn’t the first I’ve been on the verge of death”, Damian revealed. But before I could ask him more about that, he changed the subject. “Now that you’re awake, we should probably go see everyone else so they can see that you’re okay? Follow me.”

With this, I followed Damian out of the bedroom we were in and down the halls of Wayne Manor until we reached another room. We walked into it, and I was met with everyone that had been on the patrol; as well as someone who hadn’t.

“Raven!”, she exclaimed when she saw me. She then shot out of her seat, rushed up to me, and pulled me into a tight bear hug. 

“Starfire?”, I said in confusion, before pulling away from her. “What are you doing here?”

“Dick called me and told what happened”, Starfire revealed. “Are you okay, Raven?”

“I’m okay. I just used up my power, that’s all”, I replied. Then, Starfire pulled me into another hug.

“I’m so glad you’re okay”, she said. She then pulled away from me, just as Mr Wayne walked up to us.

“Raven”, he started.

“Yes, Mr Wayne?”, I asked nervously. 

Then, to my surprise, Mr Wayne grabbed onto my hand.

“Raven, you saved my son’s life”, he said. “I don’t know how I can ever repay you?”

“You don’t have to repay me, Mr Wayne”, I stated. “I’m just glad that Damian is okay.”

“Raven”, Damian started as he walked up to me. “The richest man in Gotham is offering to do something for you. There’s a high chance that he can get you anything you’d want. I’d take his offer if I was you.”

For a moment, I thought about if there was anything I’d want that Mr Wayne could give to me. Then…something came to mind.

“Well…”, I started. “If you’re okay with it, Mr Wayne. The thing I would like…is full time access to your library!”

After I said this, everyone stared at me in silent shock. Then, Stephanie spoke up. “T…that’s it? All you want to access to our library?”

“I shouldn’t be surprised”, she said, before looking at Mr Wayne. “Bruce, Raven is quite the bookworm. Giving Raven access to your library is, in fact, probably one of the best ways you can repay her.”

“Is that so?”, Mr Wayne asked.

“You don’t have to do it if you don’t want to!”, I said.

“I feel like you deserve way more for saving my son’s life”, Mr Wayne stated. “But, if that’s what you want, than I’m more than happy to give it to you. From now on, feel free to come over to Wayne Manor whenever you’d like to use the library.”

When I heard this, I was so happy that I wanted to jump with joy. But I managed to keep myself composed in front of Mr Wayne. “Thank you so much, Mr Wayne!”

“You’re welcome, Raven”, Mr Wayne said. “And like I’ve told you before, you can just call me Bruce.”

“Right. I’ll try to remember that”, I said. Then, I remembered something else. “By the way, what happened to the guys with the explosives?”

“The ones who are still alive will be facing trail in Gotham Court”, Mr Wayne revealed. “Unfortunately, the one who nearly killed Damian got his wish of dying instead of going to prison.”

Hearing this suddenly made me a bit angry. “Well, let’s hope he ends up in a place that makes him wish he’d gone to jail instead”, I said, before changing the subject. “It’s getting late, so I should probably head home.”

“You’re more than welcome to stay here for the night if you’d like, Raven”, Mr Wayne said. 

“Thank you so much, Mr W…I mean Bruce!”, I said. “But I’d really like get back to my own place and sleep in my own bed, you know?”

“I understand”, Mr Wayne said. 

“I’ll drive you home, Raven”, Dick said.

“Thanks Dick”, I said.

“Raven”, Mr Wayne said. “Thank you so much again for saving my son.”

“You’re welcome, Mr Wayne”, I said. 

“I’ll see you at school on Monday?”, Damian asked me.

“Yeah”, I replied. “Try not to nearly die during the weekend, okay?”

“I’ll try my best”, Damian replied. “See you on Monday, Raven.”

“See you on Monday, Damian.”

Damian’s POV

I was in bed. But instead of being asleep, I laid awake thinking about what had happened earlier.

After everything went black after I got blown up…I saw glimpses of moments I had never seen before.

I saw Raven wearing a white robe.

I saw a woman who looked liked an older version of her.

And…I saw a devil looking like creature with red skin.

Chapter Text

Chapter 35 Skylar
Damian’s POV

The next day, I was helping out at the Safe Haven animal shelter.

Father and everyone else urged me to stay at home after what happened. But nearly dying just made me want to help improve the lives of others even more.

Currently, I was petting Hachi has she sat on my lap. She had thankfully warmed up to me in the weeks she had been at the shelter. The next step was now getting her more comfortable around other people so that there could be the possibility of her getting adopted.

“Damain, do you have a moment?”, Mr Brown started as he walked up to me. “A new volunteer is starting at the shelter today, and I would like to introduce you to her.”

I let out a sigh at the thought of having to introduce myself to a new person, but I knew I had to do it regardless of if I wanted to or not. “Very well. I’ll be there in a moment.”

With this, I picked up Hachi from my lap, put her on the ground, and gave her a pat on the head. 

“I’ll be back soon, girl”, I said. Then, I stood up and followed Mr Brown to reception. 

“Damain, this is our new volunteer, Skylar”, he said.

With this, I looked up…and I couldn’t believe my eyes.

Standing in front of me was a teenage girl with short, red hair. When she saw me, she looked just as surprised as I probably did in that moment.

“Damian? Is that you?”, she asked in shock. Then…a huge smile spread across her face. “Oh my god, it is you!”

With this, Skylar made her way towards me. I froze up, unsure what to do. Then, Skylar came up to me and wrapped her arms around me. 

“It’s so good to see you again, Damian!”, she said, before pulling away from me. “How have you been?”

“I’ve…”, I started, unsure what to say. “I’ve been okay, I guess?”

“Oh? I didn’t know that you two knew each other?”, Mr Brown asked.

“Damian and I used to go to the same elementary school together!”, Skylar revealed.

“Well would you look at that?”, Mr Brown asked. “It’s a small world after all, isn’t it?”

“Apparently”, I replied.

“Well then, Damian”, Mr Brown started. “Since you know Skylar, why don’t you show her around the shelter?”

I wanted to say no, but I would probably hurt Skylar’s feelings if I did. And I didn’t want to do that more than I already had. So, I decided to push my uneasiness aside and just get it over with. “Okay then. Follow me, Skylar.”

I spent the next hour or so showing Skylar around the shelter, all while trying to avoid making eye contact with her as much as I could.

She would occasionally ask me questions about the shelter. But thankfully, she didn’t ask about when we were kids.

Once I was done showing Skylar around, we met back up with Mr Brown at reception.

“Thank you for showing me around, Damian”, she said, before looking at Mr Brown. “I’m so excited to start helping out around here, Mr Brown!”

“We’re very happy to have you, Skylar”, Mr Brown said, before looking at me. “Plus, I’m sure that Damian is happy to have someone he knows working here? Right, Damian?”

“R…right”, I replied, but that was a lie.

“Anyway”, Skylar started. “I’d better get going. A friend of mine is coming to pick me up, and she’ll probably be here any moment.”

“Alright then”, Mr Brown said, before looking at me. “Damian, why don’t you go wait outside with Skylar while she waits for her friend?”

I didn’t want to do this, but I knew that I didn’t have a good excuse not to. “Okay.”

With this, Skylar and I walked outside and began waiting for her friend. 

“I’m so happy that I got to see you again, Damian!”, she said. “And were volunteering at the same shelter! Isn’t it great?”

“S…sure”, I replied, but I honestly wasn’t sure about how to feel about this situation.

I’m not sure if Skylar was going to say something else to me, but before she could…I suddenly heard someone call out her name. “Hey, Sky!”

I looked up when I heard this…and what I saw made my heart rate increase.

A teenage girl was walking up to us. She had short, blonde hair with pink highlights, pale skin and blue eyes.

“There you are, Jen”, Skylar said, before walking up to her. “You won’t believe this! Guess who’s also volunteering at this shelter?”

With this, the blonde hair girl looked up at me…and her eyes widened in shock.

“D…Damian?”, she said in shock. “Damian Wayne?”

“Jenny?”, I said in shock. Then, something else hit me. “Wait a minute? You’re Skylar’s friend?”

“It’s a long story”, Skylar stated, before seemingly getting an idea. “Hey! Why don’t we go somewhere where we can chat?”

“I’m fine with it if Damian is?”, Jenny replied. But…I wasn’t really in the mood to talk.

“Sorry, but I still have work to do here”, I replied.

“Oh”, Skylar said, sounding disappointed. But then, she quickly smiled again. “That’s okay! We can talk another time!”

Not sure what else to say, I just gave Skylar a slight nod.

“I’ll see you around, Skylar”, I said. Then, I turned around, and quickly walked back into the shelter without looking back.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

That night, I was at the dining table with my father. However, I didn’t really have an appetite, so I was just pushing the food around my plate instead.

“Is the food not to your liking, Master Damian?”, Alfred asked.

“I’m sorry, Alfred”, I apologized. “I just don’t really have an appetite tonight.”

“Damian, what’s wrong?”, Father asked in his ‘serious dad’ voice.

Realising that there was no point in keeping this from my father, I took a deep breath. “We got a new volunteer at the shelter. And…it was Skylar.”

My father looked at me in shock when I said this. “Skylar? As in…your friend from elementary school?”

“Yes”, I replied.

“I see”, my father said. “That must’ve been a lot for you, huh?”

“It’s was”, I replied. “And if that wasn’t enough, her friend came to pick her up from the shelter. And her friend…was Jenny.”

“Jenny?”, my father asked in shock. “After everything that happened, the two of them are friends now?”

“Apparently”, I replied. “Skylar suggested that we chat, but I wasn’t really in the mood to, so I left before she or Jenny could say anything.

“I see”, my father said. He then thought for a moment, before speaking up. “How do you feel about all of this, Damian?”

“I…I don’t know”, I admitted, and I could feel myself beginning to get emotional. “I really am happy to see Skylar again. But, she doesn’t know what happened, and…”

Before I went any further, my father wrapped his arms around me and pulled me close to him. “It’s okay, Damian. Whatever happens next, I’m sure that you’ll be able to overcome it.”

Chapter Text

Chapter 36 Pool of Red
Raven’s POV

On Sunday, I decided to take up Mr Wayne’s offer to use his library whenever I wanted to.

I walked to the front gate of Wayne Manor. But when I got there…I found two teenage girls talking to each other?

“Is it really a good idea to show up unannounced like this, Jen?”, a red haired girl asked. 

“I think we should talk to Damian as soon as possible”, a blonde haired girl replied.

Damian? These girls know Damian?

As I was thinking this, the red haired girl looked up, and noticed me.

“Oh. Hello!”, she said when she saw me. 

“Uh…hello”, I greeted, thinking about what to say. “Um…are you two here to see Damian?”

“We are!”, the red haired girl replied. “Do you know him?”

“We go to the same school”, I replied.

“Really?”, the red haired girl asked. Then, she smiled. “I’m so happy that Damian has a friend at his school.”

With this, the red haired girl came up to me. “My name is Skylar. Damian and I were friends back in elementary school!”

Wait a minute? Damian has a friend from elementary school?

“I didn’t know that”, I said.

“Oh, and this is my friend Jenny!”, Skylar added. “But I call her Jen!”

“Nice to meet you”, Jen greeted me. “What’s your name?”

“Oh”, I said. “I’m Rachel.”

 “Nice to meet you, Rachel”, Jenny said. 

“Rachel, if you’re here to see Damian, then we can come back another day?”, Skylar said.

“You don’t have to do that”, I reassured her. “I’m not actually here to see Damian. Um…Mr Wayne said I could use his library whenever I wanted.”

“Really? That’s so nice!”, Skylar said. Then, Jenny suddenly grabbed onto her hand.

“Come on, Sky”, she said. “Let’s go talk to Damian!”

With this, Skylar closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Then, she opened them up and nodded.  “Right. Let’s go talk to Damian!”

Damian’s POV

Art helped me deal with my emotions, which was how I found myself drawing.

The drawing was set in a classroom. A girl laid on the ground; the only color in the drawing coming from the red that was spilling from her neck to the floor.

Standing next to the girl was another girl. This girl was looking at a boy in shock and horror. 

The boy was standing in front of the girl on the floor; his hands extended out in front of him.

This was not just a drawing. This was something that actually happened.

“Jenny, please stop!”, Skylar pleaded as Jenny pulled her hair.

“Stop giving me your lunch!”, Jenny demanded angrily. “Stop offering to help me with my homework! Just…just leave me the hell alone!”

As I watched my friend get brutally bullied, I thought back to the advice I kept getting from adults.

“Have you tried talking to one of your teachers, Damian?”

I tried, but the teachers told me that Jenny was ‘just teasing’ Skylar and that I was overreacting.

“Just ignore her, Damian.”

Skylar and I tried that, but that just made Jenny even more angry.

“Kill her with kindness, Damian!”

Skylar was the kindest person I knew, even to Jenny despite how terrible she had been to her. But the more Skylar was nice to Jenny, the more angry she seemed to get at her.

It had been months since Jenny started bullying Skylar, and non of the advice the adults had given me had helped. And now, as I watched Skylar’s hair getting pulled by Jenny…the advice of my mother rang through my mind.

“It’s simple, Damian. If you see a problem, you eliminate it.”

Jenny was a problem, and I was going to eliminate it. I held out my arms, and charged at her with as much strength as I could muster.

“Just die!”

Yelling this made Jenny notice me. But just as she turned her head to look me…I shoved her as hard as I could, and she fell to the ground.

For a moment, all I could hear was my heavy breathing. But then, I heard Skylar scream “Jenny!”

“Shut up, Skylar!”, I yelled at her. “Jenny doesn’t deserve your kind…”

As I was talking, I turned to look at Jenny. And when I finally got a good look at her…my eyes widened in horror.

She was lying on the ground, and…a pool of red was forming from her neck.

I slowly looked around the classroom, and then…I spotted that one of the desks’ corners was slightly red.

When I pushed Jenny, her neck must’ve hit the desk. And now…she was bleeding to death…because of me.

I don’t know what sight haunted me more. The sight of a girl my age bleeding to death because of me, or the way Skylar starred at me with utter terror on her face.

Thinking about this moment became too much for me, and I suddenly felt my food coming up.

I quickly grabbed the trash can that sat under my desk, and threw up into it. 

When I was done, I took a moment to take some deep breaths. Then…I heard my front door suddenly open.

“Are you alright, Master Damian?”, Alfred asked in concern.

“I’m fine, Alfred”, I reassured him. He then walked up to, and saw what I had drawn. 

“Master Damian, I’m not sure you should be drawing such images”, he stated.

“Drawing…helps me cope with my emotions”, I reminded him.

“Well, perhaps there is another way to help you cope with your emotions?”, he suddenly suggested. “Ms Skylar and Ms Jennifer have come to see you.”

When I heard this, my whole body froze up. Then, I slowly turned to face Alfred. “Skylar and Jenny…have come to see me?”

“Yes. They are waiting for you in the main lounge”, Alfred replied. Then, he put his hand on my shoulder. “I know that it won’t be an easy thing to do, Master Damian. But…I believe that it is better to face things head on instead of running away from them.”

With this, Alfred took the trash can from my hands, and walked out of my room. This left me to decide whether I was going to face Skylar and Jenny or not.

Chapter Text

Chapter 37 Putting the Past Behind Us
Damian’s POV

I walked to the entrance of the main lounge. Once I got there, I hid behind the wall and took a peak over its corner. When I did, I saw Skylar and Jenny sitting on one of the couches.

Both of them were looking around nervously. When I saw them, I could feel my heart race. But I knew that I couldn’t avoid them forever. So, I took a deep breath, and walked into the lounge.

“Hi”, I greeted.

“Damian!”, Skylar said as a smile appeared on her face.

“I wasn’t sure if you were actually going to show up”, Jenny revealed.

“Well…”, I started as I sat down on the couch opposite of the one Skylar and Jenny were sitting on. “I can’t avoid Skylar since we’re now both volunteering at the same shelter. So I figured it was better to get this over and done with.”

After I said this, non of us spoke for a moment; none of us knowing what to say next. Then, Jenny suddenly started talking. “Damian, do you want to know why I bullied Sky?”

For a moment, I didn’t say anything. Then, I replied. “Why?”

“Long story short, my dad left my mom for another woman”, Jenny revealed. “My mom started drinking, and barely paid any attention to me.

I was angry, and I didn’t know what to do. So, I started talking my anger out on Sky.”

“But why Skylar?”, I asked, before getting angry. “She was nothing but kind to you no matter how cruelly you treated her!”

“It was because her kindness…made me angry”, Jenny revealed. “For a while, I didn’t know why I felt like that. But, after talking about it in therapy, I was able to figure it out. It had been so long since someone had shown me genuine kindness. So, when Sky showed it to me, I did know how to react to it. So instead, I lashed out at Sky’s kindness. And at her.”

Hearing Jenny say this took me by surprise. As I thought about her words, tears started falling from her eyes.

“Oh Jen”, Skylar said, before wrapping her arm around her shoulder.

“I…”, I started, thinking about what to say. “I also know what it’s like to lash out when being shown kindness.”

“You do?”, Jenny asked in shock.

“Before I came to live here, I too grew up in what you can say wasn’t a really loving household”, I revealed. “Back then, Father and the other children he had taken in all did their best to help me feel welcome. But, I had never experienced people caring for me in that way before. So…I lashed out at them instead.”

“Damian”, Skylar said. “I…I never knew that.”

“Neither did I”, Jenny added. “I just assumed that you must’ve always had it easy because your dad is the richest man in all of Gotham.”

“You never know what other people are going through”, I said. “That’s what Skylar told me when I asked her why she continued to show you kindness even when you continued to bully her.”

After I said this, Jenny looked down with a look of regret on her face. “I didn’t deserve Sky’s kindness back then.”

“Jen”, Skylar said.

“Maybe you didn’t?”, I said. “But…that doesn’t mean you deserved what I did to you.”

With this, I could feel tears forming in my eyes. But I held them back and looked straight at Jenny. “Jenny, I know that it is far too late for me to say this, but…I am so sorry for what I did to to you!”

After I said this, I looked back at the floor as I tried to keep myself from bursting into tears. Then…I suddenly felt someone put their hand on my shoulder. I looked back up…and saw Jenny kneeling in front of me.

“I don’t blame you for what happened, Damian”, she revealed.

“You…don’t?”, I asked in shock.

“You were just a kid whose friend was being bullied”, Jenny stated. “At that moment, you just wanted it to stop and felt like that was the only thing you could do.”

“But…”, I started. “I could’ve killed you, Jenny!”

“But you didn’t”, Jenny stated. “I lived. And actually, because of what happened, things started turning around for the better.”

“What do you mean?”, I asked.

“Seems like me nearly dying was the wake up call my mom needed”, Jenny revealed. “She booked herself into a rehab center while I went to go live with my grandma.”

“Your mother, is she better now?”, I asked.

“Much better”, Jenny replied. “And the two of us have a better relationship too.”

“I’m glad”, I said. Then, Skylar kneeled down next to Jenny and looked up at me. 

“Damian, I know you feel terrible about what happened”, she said. “And I know that, deep down, you are a good person!”

When I heard this…it was if my heart was beginning to feel heavy, and I turned to look away from Skylar. “I’m…I’m not sure if I’m actually a good person.”

“You’ve not a bad person, that’s for sure”, Jenny stated.

“What makes you so sure?”, I asked as I turned around to face her.

“If you were a bad person, you wouldn’t be beating yourself over this”, Jenny stated. I then looked down at the floor, and heard her letting out a deep breath. “Look, what happened sucked for everyone. But it’s over now, and we all made it out of it. So how about this? Why don’t we just leave the past behind us and start over?”

“Start over?”, I asked. Then, Jenny stood up, cleared her throat, and held out her hand to me.

“My name is Jenny”, she said. “My friend Skylar tells me that you’re an old friend of hers, and that you two will be volunteering at the same shelter together? Maybe the two of us can get to know each other better?”

For a moment after I heard this, I stared at Jenny in shock. I then turned to look at her outstretched hand. And after thinking for a moment, I smiled, looked up at Jenny…and took her hand into my own. “I’d like that very much, Jenny.”

For the next few hours, I talked with Skylar and Jenny as we caught each other up on what had happened in our lives since elementary school.

Eventually, they had to leave so they could get back to their respective homes before it got dark out, so I walked them to the entrance area.

“I’m so happy that we all got to hang out like this! Let’s try to do it again soon.”, Skylar said, which gave me an idea.

“Do you two have any plans on Halloween?”, I asked.

“Halloween?”, Skylar asked.

“Wayne Manor will be transformed into a haunted house that night”, I revealed. “If you want, you two can come?”

“A haunted house?!”, Jenny asked excitedly. “That sounds so cool!”

“It does. We’ll be there, Damian!”, Skylar said. Then, I heard footsteps coming into the entrance area. I turned around, and saw Raven.

“Hey”, she greeted.

“Hey”, I greeted her. “Did you come here to use the library?”

“I did”, Raven replied.

“Hi there, Rachel!”, Skylar greeted her, taking me by surprise.

“Wait a minute?”, I started. “Skylar, you know Rav…chel?”

“Sky and I met her earlier when we arrived here”, Jenny replied.

“It seemed like they wanted to talk to you about something serious, so I decided to give you guys your space”, Raven added. “Speaking of which, did you guys work everything out?”

“We did”, I replied.

“I’m glad”, Raven said, before changing the subject. “Well, I should start heading home. See you tomorrow at school, Damian?”

“See you tomorrow, Rachel”, I greeted. Raven then left, and I looked at Skylar; who was smiling at me. “What are you smiling about, Skylar?”

“I’m just happy that you have a friend at your high school”, Skylar replied.

“Well, Sky and I should get going”, Jenny said. 

“I’ll send you guys the information about the haunted house”, I added.

“Thanks”, Jenny said, before turning away from me. “Later, Damian.”

“Bye, Damian!”, Skylar greeted. “I’ll see you at the shelter!”

With this, Skylar and Jenny left. Once they were gone, I let out a relieved sigh. Then…Alfred and my father walked up to me.

“Damian, did everything go okay with Skylar and Jenny?”, he asked me.

“Yes, Father”, I replied. “They’ll be coming to the haunted house on Halloween.”

“Is that so?”, Alfred asked. “In that case, I’m happy that you have resolved things with your childhood friend, Master Damian.”

With this, I thought about Skylar and Jenny…and smiled. “Yeah. Me too.”

Chapter Text

Chapter 38 Damian’s Best Friend
Damian’s POV

Nothing really happened during the school week, and it was Friday before I knew it.

I was walking to the parking lot after my final class of the day, when Raven walked up to me.

“Hey, Damian”, she greeted. “You heading home now?”

“Yes”, I replied. 

“Would…would it be okay if I head back to Wayne Manor with you?”, Raven asked nervously.

“Let me guess? You want to use our library again?”, I asked.

“You know me well, Damian”, Raven replied in embarrassment. Then, we both walked to the parking lot, where we found Alfred waiting in his usual spot.

“Good afternoon, Master Damian”, he greeted, before looking at Raven. “And good afternoon, Ms Roth.”

“Good afternoon, Alfred”, Raven greeted.

“Raven is coming back with us so she can use our library”, I revealed.

“Is…is that okay?”, Raven asked Alfred nervous.

“Of course. After all, Master Bruce said that you are allowed to use Wayne Manor’s library whenever you’d like to”, Alfred reassured Raven. Then, he opened the door of the car and held it open for her. “After you, Ms Roth.”

It was now midnight. But instead of going to sleep, there was a new drawing technique I wanted to try out. 

I headed to the library to get a book on art techniques. But when I got there…I found Raven passed out on one of the couches with a book lying on her stomach.

I shook my head. But then…I smiled in amusement.

I went to my bedroom to grab a blanket before heading back to the library, and covering Raven with it.

“Good night, Raven”, I said softly so I wouldn’t wake her up. Then, I grabbed the book I came to get, and left the library.

When someone wakes up on a Saturday morning, they’re supposed to enjoy the fact that they don’t have to go to school or work. However, my Saturday morning was ruined as soon as I heard a familiar voice. “Rise and shine, sleeping beauty!”

Instead of moving or saying anything, I stayed still in hopes that this pest would leave me alone. But instead, he started poking my cheek. “Damian? Damian? Wakey wakey, Damian.”

No matter how much this pest poked my cheek, I refused to move. So, he switched to another tactic. I felt his weight leave the bed, and I rolled over to the other side of it right as he landed hardly in the spot I was in a moment ago.

“Owie”, he said. “Why’d you do that, Damian?!”

“You tried to attack me in my sleep”, I pointed out. “I was merely defending myself.”

“I only did that because you were pretending to be asleep!”, the pest shot back.

“You have super strength”, I pointed out. “I doubt it really hurt.”

“I may not be physically hurt, but now I’m mentally hurt!”, the pest stated. “I mean, aren’t you happy that your bestest friend in the whole wide world has come to visit you?”

“No”, I replied. “And why are you here anyway? It’s still a few days to go until Halloween.”

“I’ll tell you later. But first, it’s breakfast time!”, the pest replied. Then, I felt him get off the bed before he pulled my sheets off of me. “Hurry up, Damian! Or I’m going to eat all of your pancakes!”

Alfred’s pancakes were one of the few things that could get me up in the morning, and the pest knew this. But instead of giving me a moment to get out of bed, he suddenly picked me up, threw me over his shoulder, and walked out of my bedroom.

“You knew I was about to get up, right?”, I asked. 

“I know!”, the pest replied. “But I’ll never miss an opportunity to show off that I’m stronger than you, Damian!”

I let out an annoyed sigh at this. Then, I let the pest carry me to the dining room.

“Good morning, Wayne family!”, he greeted when he entered.

“Damian?”, I heard a familiar voice say, and I was immediately horrified.

I quickly got off of the pest’s shoulder before turning around, and seeing Raven looking at me with amusement on her face.

“Uh…”, I started, trying to think of something to say. But before I could, the pest spoke up.

“Damian, who’s this?”, he asked.

“This is Raven!”, Brown replied. “She’s Damian’s friend from school!”

“What?!”, the pest exclaimed in shock, before looking at me. “Damian, you made a friend at school, and you didn’t tell me?! How long has this been going on for?!”

“I think I remember Damian telling me that he met Raven sometime at the beginning of September”, Brown replied.

“So you’ve had a school friend for nearly TWO MONTHS, and you didn’t tell me?!”, the pest asked angrily. Then, he crossed his arms and pouted before before turning away from me. “I am very disappointed in you, Damian.”

After saying this, the pest smiled before excitedly rushing up to Raven and shaking her hand. “It’s very nice to meet you! My name is Johnathan Samuel Kent! But everyone just calls me ‘Jon’ for short! I’m Damian’s bestest friend in the whole wide world!”

“Oh. Its nice to meet you, Jon, My name is Raven.”, she replied. Then, Jon smiled before sitting down next to her and beginning to pile a plate with pancakes. 

Breakfast was over, and Raven was about to head home with Grayson. “Damian, before I go, I want to ask…are you the one who covered me with a blanket last night?”

“I went in there to get a book on art techniques, and I saw that you had fallen asleep on the couch”, I replied. “It’s nearly November, so the weather is about to get really cold. I didn’t want you to catch a cold or anything.”

“Well…thanks”, Raven said. “Anyway, Dick is waiting for me. I’ll see you at school on Monday, Damian.”

“See you on Monday, Raven”, I greeted. She then left…and I noticed that Jon was staring at me. “What?”

“You and Raven seem close”, Jon stated.

“Not really”, I stated. “We just eat lunch together. That’s all.”

“I don’t believe you”, Jon stated, but he quickly changed the subject before I could say anything. “Anyway, let me show you why I came here!”

Chapter Text

Chapter 39 Comic Contest
Damian’s POV

“Anyway, let me show you why I came here!”, Jon said excitedly. Then, he took out a poster and shoved it in my face. 

“A comic book contest?”, I asked after reading what was on the poster.

“Yep! You have to draw a ten page comic!”, Jon replied. “The deadline is at the end of November!”

“Okay”, I started. “And why are you telling me about this contest?”

“Because I’d love to create my own comic, but I don’t know how to draw!”, Jon replied, before smiling mischievously at me. “But…my dearest bestest friend in the whole entire world does know how to draw! So….”

With this, Jon dropped to his knees and held his hands up in a praying position. “Damian, pretty pretty please draw a comic book for me?!”

I wanted to say no to Jon, but I’d known him for long enough to know that he wasn’t going to budge. So instead, I let out a sigh of defeat, and asked “Do you at least have an idea about what the plot of this comic book will be?”

“I’m glad you asked!”, Jon said as he shot to his feet and wrapped his arm around my shoulder. “So here’s the idea I have! A teenage boy, who’s pretty moody and grumpy, sees a space ship falling from his bedroom window. He goes to the crash site of the ship, and when he gets there, he finds an alien boy among the wreck. The alien boy takes an instant liking to him, and follows him home. This begins a very unlikely friendship between the two!”

“Hmm?”, I started. “I wonder where you got the idea for that plot from?”

“I’m just a story genius, am I not!”, Jon praised himself. “So, what do you think of my story idea?”

“It’s simple, and I feel like there’s been plenty of stories with a similar premise before”, I replied.

“Maybe”, Jon replied. “But sometimes, it’s all about the execution!”

“Good point”, I agreed. “Let’s go with this story then.”

“Yay!”, Jon cheered, before hugging me. “You’re the bestest best friend in the whole wide world, Damian!”

“Yeah yeah”, I said. Then, Jon let me go and held up his fist with a determined look on his face.

“Now then”, he started. “Let’s get to work on the first ever Johnathan Samuel Kent and Damian Wayne original comic!”

It was now Monday. I was working on something at my usual spot in the school library, but I was struggling a bit with it.

“Hey there, Damian”, I heard Raven greet me.

“Raven”, I greeted her, not looking away from what I was working on.

“Whatever you’re writing down, you’re staring at it intensely” she stated. “What is it?”

“Jon wants to enter in a comic contest, and he asked me to draw it for him”, I replied.

“A comic contest?”, Raven asked, before thinking about it for a moment. “Sounds cool.”

“I’ve run into a problem though”, I revealed. “I’m struggling to take the idea Jon gave me and structure it into a story that can be told within a ten page comic.”

“What idea did Jon have for the comic?”, Raven asked. I then told her, and she seemed to think about something for a moment. “I may be able to help you?”

“Help me? How?”, I asked. But instead of answering, Raven took out a notebook and a pen from her backpack. 

“Give me a bit”, she said. Then, she spent almost the entire lunch break writing things down. Once she was done, she tore out a page from her note and handed it to me. “Here. Let me know what you think.”

With this, I took the piece of paper from Raven and read what she had wrote down. She had taken the basic premise I had explained to her and written down a more detailed plot outline with a list of key plot points.

“What do you think?”, she asked me.

“This…could work?”, I replied, before looking up at her. “How did you do that? And so quickly too?”

“I’ve…always had an interest in creative writing”, Raven replied. “I’ve written outlines for stories before, but I’ve never managed to write more than short stories.”

After hearing this, I looked down at the plot outline Raven had written again. Then…I smiled before looking back up at her. “Thank you, Raven. This will be very useful for me and Jon.”

After I got home from school that afternoon, I showed the plot outline Raven had written for our comic to Jon.

“This is great!”, he said, before looking up at me. “Raven wrote this?”

“She did”, I replied.

“Well, her writing this is going to be a big help for us!”, Jon pointed out. “Damian, when you see her tomorrow at school, make sure to thank her for me!”

“I will”, I said. 

“Alrighty!”, Jon said, changing the subject. “Now that we have a plot outline for our comic, can you start drawing it, Damian?”

“I’ll start getting to work on it as soon as I can.”

Chapter Text

Chapter 40 Halloween
Damian’s POV

That night, I was having dinner with Father, Grayson and Brown. When I thought about the day that was coming up soon, I suddenly spoke up. “Grayson?”

“What’s up, Damian?”, he asked.

“I was wondering…”, I started. “Does Raven have a specific cake flavor she likes or something?”

“That’s random”, Brown stated. “Why are you asking that, Damian?”

“Raven’s birthday is on Halloween, which is just a few days from now”, I pointed out. “So I was wondering if she had a favorite cake flavor or not?”

“Damian, that’s so sweet!”, Brown squealed. “You wanna get a cake for your friend!”

“It’s not like that”, I stated. “Raven helped write a plot outline for the comic Jon wants me to draw for the contest he wants to enter. I figured that I should do something to thank her for that.”

“Awe! That’s so kind, Damian!”, Brown stated.

“So”, I started as I looked back at Grayson. “Does Raven have a favorite cake flavor, Grayson?”

“Hmm”, he said as he thought for a moment. “I think I remember Starfire telling me that Raven’s favorite cake flavor is Black Forrest Cake.”

“Thank you, Grayson”, I said. I then turned to face Alfred and opened my mouth to say something, but he beat me to it.

“I will get to work on a Black forrest cake for Ms Roth’s birthday as soon as I can, Master Damian.”

“Thank you, Alfred.”

It was Halloween, and I had just returned to Wayne Manor from school.

“I’m back!”, I called out. And as soon a I did…a familiar person flew right into me with a hug that could crush someone’s bones.

“Welcome back, Damian!”, he greeted, before pulling away from me. “Now that you’re back, let me show you the Halloween costumes I got for the two of us!”

With this, Jon picked me up and quickly flew me to my bedroom before setting me down on the floor. Then, he quickly went to my closet, before pulling out two costumes.

“Tada!”, he said. He then held up the costumes, and I did not like saw I.

“Oh no!” I said. “I am NOT wearing that!”

“What?! But why?!”, Jon asked. “Our dads will love it!”

“And the orphans will make fun of me until Halloween next year!”, I stated. “I’m sorry, Jon, but I’m putting my foot down! I am not wearing this costume!”

I had known Jon for quite some time, so I don’t know why I thought that he wouldn’t eventually convince me to wear the costume he had picked for me.

Once we both changed into our costumes, Jon dragged me to Father and the orphans to show them. As I suspected, they laughed when they saw me. And I even caught Father trying to hold back a laugh.

“I’m…very flattered, Damian”, he said. “And Jon, I’m sure that your dad will be too.”

“I’m sure he will!”, Jon said excitedly. Then, I cleared my throat. 

“Skylar and Jenny will probably be here soon”, I said. “I should go outside and wait for them to arrive.”

“Wait. Skylar and Jenny!”, Jon said in shock. “As in…Skylar your friend from elementary school? And Jenny, the girl who was bullying her?”

“I’ll explain while we wait for them”, I replied. Then, Jon and I walked to the gates of Wayne Manor, where the ticket booth was.

While Jon and I were waiting, I caught him up on everything that had happened between me, Skylar and Jenny.

“Huh?”, Jon said when I was done explaining everything to him. “Are you okay with Skylar being friends with Jenny, Damian?”

“I’ve done way worse things than Jenny”, I stated. “I feel like it’d be unfair for me to not give her a second chance.”

After I said this, Jon smiled, before wrapping his arm around my shoulder. Then, I spotted two familiar faces walking up to the gates.

“Skylar! Jenny!”, I called out as I waved to them. They then spotted me before coming up to us. 

“Damian!”, Skylar greeted, before giving me a hug. “I like your costume!”

“Batman. Nice.”, Jenny said, before looking at Jon. “And your friend here is Superman.”

“Greetings”, Jon said, before grabbing onto Skylar and Jenny’s hands and shaking them. “My name is Johnathan Samuel Kent, but you can call me Jon! I’m Damian’s bestest friend in the whole wide world!”

“It’s very nice to meet you, Jon!”, Skylar greeted him.

“I don’t remember you mentioning a ‘best friend’ back in elementary school, Damian”, Jenny pointed out.

“I met Jon not long after I graduated elementary school”, I revealed. Then, I changed the subject to Skylar and Jenny’s costumes. “I see you two decided to dress up as Glinda and Elphaba?”

“With the movie coming out soon, I thought it’d be a fun idea!”, Skylar revealed.

“But walking though the haunted house in this dress is going to be a bitch”, Jenny added. “Speaking of which, are we going to head in or what?”

“Not yet”, I replied. “I’m still waiting for…”

“Damian!”, I heard a familiar voice say. I then looked up, and saw Raven approaching us.

She was wearing an outfit that made her look like a villager from a typical fantasy story. Her dress was more simple compared to the ones Skylar and Jenny were wearing. And yet, for some reason, when I saw Raven in her costume…I got the same fluttery feeling in my stomach that I had gotten before.

“Hey there, Damian”, Raven greeted me. Then…she noticed the costume I was wearing…and started giggling. “You’re dressed as your d…I mean Batman!”

“It was Jon’s idea”, I revealed, grateful that Raven couldn’t see my cheeks under the cowl I was wearing. “You look…nice.”

“T…Thanks”, Raven said.

“Hey! You didn’t say that Sky and I looked nice, Damian!”, Jenny pointed out.

“You all look nice!”, I stated, before quickly changing the subject. “Anyway! Now that Raven is here, we can head into the haunted house.”

As soon as I said this, Raven’s eyes lit up with excitement. For some reason…seeing her being excited like that…made my stomach feel fluttery even more.

“Yay!”, Skylar said excitedly. “Come on, everyone! Let’s go!”

Chapter Text

Chapter 41 Haunted House
Damian’s POV

We walked to the entrance of Wayne Manor, which had been completely transformed into a haunted house.

“So, how does this work exactly?”, Jenny asked.

“Each level of the manor has been transformed”, I revealed. ‘The lower levels are family friendly, while the higher levels are more intense. So, which level do you guys want to do?”

“Lower level!”, Jenny and Jon replied quickly.

“Higher level!”, Raven and Skylar said excitedly at the same time.

“Looks like you’re the deciding vote, Damian”, Jon pointed out. Then, he wrapped his arms around my shoulder and added. “Do you really want to see your best friend get scared?”

“Yes”, I replied. “Plus, it’s Raven’s birthday today. So I think we should do what she wants.”

“It’s your birthday, Raven!”, Skylar said, before grabbing onto her hand. “Happy birthday!”

“Thanks”, Raven said.

“You didn’t tell us that it was Raven’s birthday, Damian!”, Jon said. “I would’ve gotten her a gift!”

“Your birthday is on Halloween, Raven?”, Jenny asked her.

“Yep”, Raven replied. “And Halloween is actually my favorite holiday.”

“That’s cool”, Jenny said. Then, she gulped. “Well, if it’s Raven’s birthday…then I guess we should do what she wants?”

“You guys really don’t have to do the scarier floors if you don’t want to”, Raven said. “I wouldn’t want you guys to do something that would make you uncomfortable.”

With this, Jon took a deep breath. “No. I can do this! This haunted house isn’t going to scare me!

“Yeah! Me too!”, Jenny added. “I hope.”

“The higher floors it is then”, I said. “Follow me.”

With this, I led my group up the flight of stairs. As we reached the higher floors…it suddenly got darker.

“Um…”, Jenny started. “Why’d it suddenly get darker?”

“Because if it’s dark…you can’t see what’s coming for you”, I replied in an eery voice. A moment later…I suddenly felt someone grab onto the back of the cape of my costume. “You good, Jon? You sure you don’t want to turn back?”

“I’m…I’m fine”, Jon lied. And as soon as he did…our group was met with our first jump scare.

One of the orphans in a costume jumped out at us. I heard Jon and Jenny scream in fear, before the former wrapped his arms around my torso and held onto me like his life depended on it. On the other hand, I heard Raven and Skylar giggle in excitement.

“That’s such a sick costume!”, Raven said.

“Thanks, Raven. I mean…”, Grayson said, before clearing his throat and speaking in a darker voice. “Visitors, be warned! Those who walk into this place…never walk out.”

“They…don’t?”, Jon asked nervously.

“I change my mind! Can we do the not scary floors instead?”, Jenny asked.

“Too late!”, Skylar replied, before linking her arms with Jenny’s. “Let’s go, Jen!”

For the next few minutes, our group walked through the floor. Every time a ‘scary’ thing came up. Jon and Jenny would scream. The former would also tighten his grip on me every time. I’m surprised he hadn’t crushed my rips yet.

But while Jon and Jenny were scared, Raven and Skylar seemed to be enjoying it.

“This floor is so cool!”, Skylar said. “Damian, did you help make these things?”

“Yes”, I replied. “I mostly worked on the paintings. It was my first time experimenting with glow in the dark paint.”

“Well, you did a good job”, Skylar said. “The paintings look so cool and creepy!”

“I agree”, Raven said. “You did a great job, Dami...”

Because Raven was talking to me, she wasn’t looking where she was going, and she ended walking into one of the props, which caused it to pop out and light up.

Raven let out a squeal before jumping back, and tripping on the carpet! She began falling down, but I quickly run up and caught her.

“You okay, Raven?”, I asked.

“Yeah. I’m okay”, Raven reassured me. She then looked at me, and I suddenly became aware how physically close we were to each other. I also realized that I was holding onto her shoulders, and her hands were on mine.

I felt my entire face burning up, and I pulled away from Raven as quickly as I could.

I turned to look away from her, and not only was the fluttery feeling in my stomach back…my heart rate had increased too.

“Um…”, I started, trying to get my thoughts in order. “We’ve reached the end of this floor.”

“Then can we please get out of here and go to one of the lower floors?”, Jenny asked.

“Yes please!”, Jon pleaded. “I’m going to have a heart attack if I stay on this floor any longer!”

Once we were done on the higher floors, we went to check out the lower levels; which had many different games and activities set up. After that, we went outside; where many different food trucks had been set up.

While Jon was off with Skylar and Jenny to get some food, I was sitting by one of the picnic tables. Raven then came up to me, and held out the cotton candy she was holding. “Here. Try some.”

With this, I tore a piece of cotton candy off, put it in my mouth, and immediately gagged. “That tastes like pure sugar.”

Raven just giggled at me, and then opened her mouth to say something. But she was cut off when two familiar faces walked up to us.

“There you are, Raven”, one of them said. 

“Hey Starfire. Hey Dick”, Raven greeted them.

“We’re glad we found you, Raven”, Dick said. Then, he held up a cake box. “We’ve got something for you.”

“For me?”, Raven asked. Dick then put the cake box down on the table, and opened up the lid. Raven looked inside, and was shocked at what she saw. “Is that…”

“A Black Forrest Cake”, Dick replied. “Alfred baked it for you.”

“How did he even know what my favorite cake flavor was?”, Raven asked.

“The other day, Damian asked me if you had a favorite cake flavor”, Dick revealed. 

“You did?”, Raven asked me in shock. 

“I figured I should do something for you since you wrote out that plot outline for Jon’s comic”, I said. Then, Raven smiled at me.

“Thanks, Damian”, she said. Grayson then started putting ‘1’ and ‘7’ candles on the cake as Jon, Skylar and Jenny walked up to us.

“Hey there, Dick!”, Jon greeted him. “Are you singing ‘happy birthday’ to Raven?”

“Yep”, Grayson replied. He then lit up the candles and pulled away from the cake. “Okay everybody! On the count of three! One, two…”

Happy birthday to you!
Happy birthday to you!
Happy birthday to Raven!
Happy birthday to you!

I watched Raven as everyone sang happy birthday to her…and I noticed that she seemed to be a bit emotional.

Once we were done singing, Raven blew out her candles, and everyone clapped for her.

“What’d you wish for, Raven?”, Jenny asked.

“I…”, Raven started, but was cut off by Jon.

“Stop, Raven!”, he said suddenly. “If you reveal what you wish for, then it won’t come true!”

“Like wishing actually exists”, I stated. Jon then came up to me, and started pulling on my cheeks! “Ow! Ow!”

“Stop being Mister Grumpy Gills!”, he demanded. “It’s Halloween, and Raven’s birthday!”

Everyone laughed at my expense, including Raven: And that made me happy.

Chapter Text

Chapter 42 Ace
Damian’s POV

I woke up one morning and sat up before stretching my arms above my head. I then looked down at Ace, who was laying next to me, and rubbed his head. “Good morning, Ace.”

Ace was an older dog, so I was used to him not moving as much as he used when I petted him. However, when I petted him this time…he barely moved at all. “Ace? Ace? You okay, buddy?”

Ace still wasn’t really moving, so I got off of my bed, and walk around it so I was in front of him. I then leaned down to look closer at him…and my heart sank when I came to a horrible realization. “Oh no.”

With this, I rushed out of my room, ran to Father’s room, and banged on his door.

“Father! Father!”, I yelled. He then opened the door, still half dressed.

“Are you okay, Damian?”, he asked in concern. Then, he got a look at my face…and he could see that I was in distress. 

“What’s wrong, Damian?”, he asked as he put his hands on my shoulders.

“It’s…”, I started, trying not to burst into tears. “It’s Ace.”

Raven’s POV

I went to the library during lunch like usual and began waiting for Damian. But after a few minutes…he still hadn’t shown up.

I figured he just got caught up with something in class, so I continued to wait. But as lunch went on, Damian still didn’t show up.

Before I knew it, lunch was over, and Damian hadn’t shown up at all.

He probably just taught up with something in his class?

That’s what I told myself. But…I still couldn’t help but feel worried.

More time passed, and before I knew it…the school day had come to an end.

I went to the school entrance. But when I got there…I didn’t see Alfred’s car waiting in its usual spot.

This made me even more worried. I waited a few minutes to see if Damian came out, but he never did.

Did Damian not come to school today?

This shouldn’t have worried me too much. People skip school all the time, after all. And yet…I still couldn’t help but worry.

I thought about what to do for a moment, and once I had made up my mind, I walked off.

I found myself standing in front of the gates of Wayne Manor. After hesitating for a moment, I pressed a button on the intercom.

“Welcome to Wayne Manor”, Alfred’s voice said. “This is the head butler, Alfred Pennyworth. How may I be of assistance?”

“Hi Alfred. It’s me”, I greeted.

“Good afternoon, Ms Roth”, he greeted. “Please give me just a moment.”

With this, the gates opened. I walked to the front door of the manor, and found Alfred holding it open for me.

“Good afternoon, Ms Roth”, he greeted as I walked into the entry area.

“Hi Alfred”, I greeted. 

“Are you here because Master Damian didn’t come to school today?”, he asked.

“Y…yeah”, I replied. “I’m sure that’s it nothing, but I just wanted to make sure he was okay?”

“Thank you for coming to check up on him, Ms Roth. That is very considerate of you”, Alfred said. Then…he suddenly frowned. “Unfortunately, the reason for Master Damian’s absence from school is due something sad happening.”

After Alfred told me why Damian didn’t go to school, I asked him where he was. This led me to the Wayne family graveyard.

It took me a moment, but I eventually found where the pet section of the cemetery was. I walked to it, and soon…I found Damian sitting on the ground.

For a moment, I thought that I should maybe just leave him alone. But after thinking about it, I took a deep breath, before walking to his side. 

He was kneeling in front of a grave that didn’t have a tombstone yet. Instead, a piece of wood with words painted on it had been planted in the ground next to it instead. 

Here lies Ace Wayne. He was a very good boy.

“What are you doing here?”, Damian asked, which startled me for a moment. Then, I kneeled down next to him.

“You didn’t come to school today”, I pointed out. “I…just wanted to make sure you were okay.”

“Do I look okay?”, Damian asked.

“No”, I replied.

“Sorry”, Damian apologized. “I shouldn’t snap at you. Especially when you came here to check up on me.”

“It’s okay”, I reassured Damian. “I…I’ve never had a pet before, but I’m sure that it must be hard?”

For a moment after I said this, both Damian and I didn’t say anything. Then…he suddenly spoke up. “Ace…wasn’t actually my dog.”

“What do you mean?”, I asked.

“He was a dog my dad had for a long time before I came here”, Damian replied. Then…a small smile came to his face. “When I first started living here, for some reason, Ace seemed to take a liking to me. He just started following me around. I’d never really been around animals before then, so I actually didn’t like it at first. But over time…I found myself liking having him by my side.”

“That’s sweet”, I said. Then…I noticed that tears were falling from Damian’s eyes.

“Damian”, I said, but he quickly wiped the tears away.

“I shouldn’t be sad”, he stated. “Ace was an old dog. If I’m being honest, I’ve known for a while that his time was coming soon.”

“That doesn’t mean that you can’t be sad about him being gone”, I pointed out. “You loved him, didn’t you? Of course you’re going to be sad when someone you loves dies.”

For a moment, Damian stayed silent. But then…tears started falling from his eyes. And before I knew it…those tears had turned into full on sobs.

Without even thinking about it…I wrapped my arms around Damian’s shoulders, and held him close to me.

I didn’t say anything, and neither did he. I just held him as he cried. 

Once he was done, he pulled away from me, and wiped his face with his sleeve. “I’m…sorry you had to see that.”

“It’s okay, Damian”, I reassured him as I put my hand on his shoulder. He then cleared his throat, and I shivered before wrapping my arms around his torso.

“We should probably get inside?”, Damian said. He then stood up, before holding out his hand to me. I grabbed onto it, and he pulled me onto my feet.  

Damian and I were sitting in the library with coffee to keep us warm. I was reading a book, and he was drawing something.

“Raven, can I show you something?”, he asked me suddenly.

“Sure”, I replied. Then, Damian turned around his sketchbook…to reveal a drawing of Ace.

“I…asked Father if I could do a design for Ace’s tombstone”, Damian revealed. “Do you think this does him justice?”

After Damian asked me this, I smiled. “I think it does.”

Chapter Text

Chapter 43 I Hate Group Projects
Damian’s POV

When Alfred dropped me off at school the next morning, I found Raven waiting for me at the entrance.

“Hey, Damian”, she greeted as she walked up to me. 

“Raven”, I greeted her. “Were you waiting for me?”

“I was”, Raven replied. “Damian, are you okay to come to school today?”

“Life doesn’t just stop when sad things happen”, I pointed out. “My home room teacher told us that there’s going to be a very important announcement in class today, and to try to not miss it if we could.”

“Weird”, Raven said. “My home room teacher told me the same thing as well.”

“I suspect that it has something to do with Entrepreneur Day coming up”, I revealed. “Gotham Academy is a school that is mostly attended by the children of people who own big businesses. So of course, the school wants to train its students to have the skills needed to take over those businesses someday.”

“I see”, Raven said.

“Anyway, I should be heading to class”, I said.

“See you in the library at lunch?”, Raven asked.

“I’ll see you there”, I replied, before walking to my Homeroom class.

After class started and our teacher took attendance, they got straight into the announcement.

“Class, Entrepreneur Day is coming up, and this day is taken very seriously at Gotham Academy”, they said. “Every year, we hold an open day to show off our students entrepreneurship skills. As freshman, you will be spilt into groups of fives, and each group must run some type of stall to sell items at the open day. I will assign you all to your groups. Then, you will spend the rest of Homeroom choosing a group leader and deciding on what kind of stall you will run.”

Hearing this did not make me happy. I hated group assignments, But unfortunately, there really wasn’t anything I could do about it.

Once I had been organized into a group, we all sat together and began discussing.

“Okay!”, one of the group members started. “First things first, who’s going to be our group leader?”

“Maybe we should nominate Damian?”, another one of the members suggested.

“Huh? Why me”, I asked in confusion.

“Because you’re dad is the richest man in all of Gotham!”, the group member replied. “Surely you’ve got to know a few things on how to run a really successful business?”

I mean, they’re not wrong.

“So, what do you say, Damian?”, the group member asked. “You want to be our team leader?”

I took a moment to think. Then, I gave my answer. “Very well. I’ll be the group leader.”

“Great!”, the group member replied. “So, team leader, do you have any ideas on what we should do for our stall?

I took another moment to think, and something soon come to mind. “Vegetarian food.”

“Huh?”, one of my group members asked in confusion. 

“Many events lack vegetarian options, or options for people with different dietary needs in general”, I replied. 

“Hmm. That’s a good point”, one of the group members said as they thought about my suggestion. “And…maybe we can sell vegan food options as well?”

“Yes. I think that’s a good idea”, I replied. “Is everyone okay with running a stall that sells vegetarian and vegan food options?”

“Yep!”, everyone in the group replied.

“Then we’ll go with that idea”, I replied, before taking out a notebook. “Now then, let’s decide on what everyone’s roles will be.”

Lunch had arrived, and I walked into the library like usual. 

When I got there, I found Raven sitting in her usual, and sat down next to her. “Raven.”

“Hey Damian”, she greeted. “So, how did the announcement in Homeroom go?”

“I’ve been put into a group that has to run a stalk during the Entrepreneur Day open day”, I replied. “What about you?”

“It seems like the higher grades have to do more advance projects for Entrepreneur Day”, Raven replied. “I was placed into a group that has to come up with a product pitch. And then we have to present that pitch in front of actual business people at the open day!”

With this, both Raven and I let out annoyed sighs.

“I hate group assignments”, I revealed.

“Same”, Raven agreed. “Especially because…”

“Because what?”, I asked.

“Never mind. It’s nothing”, Raven replied, before quickly changing the subject. “Anyway, what type of stall is your group going to run?”

I knew that whatever Raven was going to say wasn’t ‘nothing’, but I decided not to push her about it, and started telling her about the stall my group was going to run instead.

Raven’s POV

After school, I waved to Alfred as he got into his car and drove off with Damian. Once they could no longer see me, I let out a sigh, before thinking about what had happened when I got assigned to my group.

Once we were all assigned our groups, I walked up to where my one was sitting.

“Um…hello”, I greeted them nervously. But as soon as I did, one of the members of my group let out an annoyed sigh.

“Great”, she said. “We got stuck with the scholarship girl.”

“I know, right?”, another person in the group said. “I mean, she’s probably so poor that she can’t even afford the product we’re going to pitch.”

After all the shit I had been through in my life, some mean comments from some spoiled reach kids weren’t going to get to me. 

I said nothing and just sat down and stayed quiet while the rest of the group talked about the pitch. They never once asked for my input, but I actually preferred it that way.

I just hoped that I’d be make it through this group assignment without any drama happening.

Chapter Text

Chapter 44 I Don’t Find You Unpleasant
Raven’s POV

For the next couple of days, I worked with my group on our project. And by that I mean that they didn’t really involve me in it at all. According to them, I was ‘probably too poor to understand what they were talking about anyway.’

I could honestly care less about what some spoiled rich kids thought about me, so I just stayed quiet and wrote down notes where I could.

“So how’s your group’s planning for your stall going?”, I asked Damian as we ate lunch together like usual.

“It’s going alright”, Damian replied. “One member of my group is good with forms and data handling. So they have published a survey to ask students what foods they would like to have vegetarian and vegan options of at the Entrepreneur Day Open Day. We’ll sell the most popular options at our stall.”

“That’s good”, I said. “And how are you feeling about working in a group?”

 “I’m…actually not hating it as much I thought I would”, Damian replied.

“Really?”, I asked.

“Yes”, Damian replied. “Fortunately, the people I got grouped with are not too unpleasant to be around.”

“I’m glad”, I said. “Wish I could say the same about my group.”

“What do you mean?”, Damian asked, and I mentally slapped myself.

I didn’t want to bother Damian with what was going on in my group, which was why I hadn’t brought it up to him.

I spent a moment wondering what I should say. But before I could think of anything, I heard the library doors open.

“Well, well, well. What do we have here?”, I heard a familiar voice say. I then looked up, and did not like what I saw.

Maybelline Armani, the leader of my group, walked into the library with one of her friends.

“What are you guys going here?”, I asked as I stood up.

“We noticed that you don’t eat lunch in the cafeteria”, Maybelline replied. “so we wanted to see where you were eating?”

“Did you guys follow me here?”, I asked, getting upset.

“We’re students here too. We’re allowed in here just as much as you are”, Maybelline said. Then, she peaked over my shoulder, and looked at Damian. “I assumed you ate alone. Never thought you’d be eating lunch with Damian Wayne.”

With this, Maybelline sat next to Damian…and touched his shoulder! “Damian dear, how kind it is of you to take pity on this poor scholarship student.”

“Yeah”, Maybelline’s friend said as she sat on the other side of Damian’s. “But you really don’t have to bother with this charity case.”

For the first time, these spoiled rich kids’ comments actually stung. But before I could say anything, Damian suddenly stood up, walked to the other side of the table, and looked at the girls.

“You’re Maybelline Williams, right?”, he asked. “You tried to sit with me at lunch on the first day of school.”

“That’s right. I‘m so happy that you remember me, Damian!”, Maybelline said, before flipping her hair. “But I mean, everyone remembers me.”

“Yes”, Damian said. “I remember that I found you so annoying that I decided to eat lunch in the library from that moment on.”

I had to cover my mouth to stop a laugh from coming out. Meanwhile, the smirk on Maybelline’s face immediately dropped, and Damian crossed his arms and starred at her.

“For your information, if I don’t like someone, I won’t sit with them”, he revealed. “I won’t sit with you because I DON’T like you. I like Rachel, so I sit with her.”

For some reason, when Damian said that he liked me, I got a weird fluttery feeling in my chest.

“Now, could you please leave so Rachel and I can continue having lunch in peace?”, Damian asked. This made Maybelline angry, and she shot out of her chair and glared at Damian.

“Now you listen here, Mr”, she said! “You’d better not mess with me, or I’ll…!”

“Or you’ll what?”, Damian asked. “In case you’ve forgotten, my father is the richest man in all of Gotham. And what is it that your parent does?”

“My mother owns an international successful make-up brand, mind you!”, Maybelline shot back angrily.

“Ah yes, I remember now”, Damian said, before walking closer to Maybelline. “Isn’t that the make-up brand that’s under investigation for potentially illegally testing on animals?”

Maybelline didn’t have a comeback for that, so she let out a huff before storming out of the library with her friend following after her.

“Okay. That was awesome, Damian”, I said once they were gone.

“You okay?”, Damian asked me.

“Yeah. I’m fine”, I reassured him. “I’ve got way more important things to worry about than what some spoiled rich kids think of me.”

“Good”, Damian said, before changing the subject. “How do know those girls anyway?”

“They’re members of my group for the Entrepreneur Day project”, I replied.

“Yikes. Sorry you have to work with them”, Damian said.

“It’s okay”, I reassured him. “I’ll just have to bare with it for the next couple of weeks.”

“Well, if they bother you again, let me know”, Damian said. “I’ll make sure to put them in their place.”

“Will do”, I said. “And Damian? Thanks. For standing up for me.”

“It’s not a problem”, Damian said. “Unfortunately, because of my father’s work, I have to many times interact with spoiled rich kids. So, whenever I get an opportunity to knock one down a peg, I’ll gladly take it.”

For a moment, I stayed silent as I thought about what Damian said earlier. Then, I spoke up. “Damian, did you mean it when you told those two that you like me?”

“Well, I don’t find you unpleasant”, Damian replied, and it actually made me really happy.

“Well, I don’t find you unpleasant either”, I said.

Damian didn’t say anything, but I did notice a small smile creep onto his face.

Chapter Text

Chapter 45 Eating In the Canteen
Raven’s POV

I arrived at my Homeroom class the next morning. But as soon as I got there, my teacher walked up to me.

“Good morning, Ms Roth”, they greeted me. “The principal could like to see you in her office.”

“Me? Why?”, I asked in confusion.

“You’ll find out when you get there”, my Homeroom teacher replied. “The sooner you go, the sooner you can head back to class.”

“Right”, I said, before leaving.

On my way to the principal’s office, I tried thinking of what I could’ve done to get called into the principal’s office. When I got there, I became even more confused…because Damian was waiting outside of the office.

“Raven?”, he said in confusion, before walking up to me. “What are you doing here?”

“My Homeroom teacher told me that the principal wanted to see me”, I replied.

“My Homeroom teacher told me the same thing”, Damian revealed.

“That’s weird”, I said. “What’s going on?”

Before Damian and I could get an answer, our principal, Principal Black, opened the door to her office. “Mr Wayne, Ms Roth, good morning. Please come in.”

With this, Damian and I looked at each other. Then, we walked into the principal’s office and sat down in chairs in front of the her desk while she sat down on the opposite side of it.

“The reason why I called the two of you in here today is because I was told that you two have been eating lunch in the library”, she said. “Is this true?”

I immediately knew who had ratted Damian and I out to the principal. And I’m sure he did too.

“Yes, Principal Black”, he replied. 

“And do you two know that eating in the library is against school rules?”, Principal Black asked.

“Yes, Principal Black. We do”, I replied.

“Then why did you two eat in the library?”, Principal Black asked.

“The canteen’s too loud”, Damian replied.

“And what about you, Ms Roth?”, Principal Black asked.

“I…”, I started. “I got nervous eating in the canteen on my first day of school, so I went to go eat in the library instead”, I replied. “And after a while…I just got used to eating in there with Damian.”

“I understand finding the canteen to be too noisy, or getting nervous eating with so many other people around”, Principal Black started. “However, there are many other places in the school where you could’ve eaten instead. The library is not one of them. Do you understand?”

“Yes, Principal Black”, Damian and I replied.

“Good”, Principal Black said. “I’ll let you two off with a warning this time, but from now on, you have lunch somewhere else besides the library. Is that clear?”

“Yes, Principal Black”, Damian and I replied again.”

“Good”, Principal Black. “Now you two hurry back to your Homeroom classes.”

With this, Damian and I left Principal Black’s office. Once we were out of there, I let out an annoyed sigh.

“Did Maybelline seriously rat us out to Principal Black to get back at us for yesterday?”, I asked.

“I doubt that it’s a coincidence that we were called into the principal’s office the day after I told her off”, Damian said.

“So, what do we do now?”, I asked. 

“I guess we’ll have to eat lunch in the canteen today”, Damian replied.

“You sure you’re okay with that?”, I asked.

“I am”, Damian replied. “Besides, I want to show Maybelline that what she did really didn’t accomplish anything in the end.”

“Okay”, I said. “Well, I’m heading back to class. I’ll meet you outside the canteen at lunch.”

“See you there”, Damian said. Then, we both rushed back to our Homeroom classes.

“There you are, Raven”, my teacher said when I entered my classroom. “You can join your group to continue discussing your project.”

With this, I went up to my group and sat down. Maybelline then looked at me, and smirked. “Too bad you won’t be able to eat lunch with Damian in the library anymore. But that’s what you get for breaking the rules.”

I knew Maybelline was trying to get under my skin, but I just ignored her and continued to write notes.

Lunch had arrived, and I walked to the entrance of the canteen; where I found Damian waiting.

“Hey Damian”, I greeted as I walked up to him.

“Raven”, he greeted. 

“You ready?”, I asked.

“Yes”, Damian replied. 

“Then let’s go”, I said. Then, Damian and I walked into the canteen.

“So…where are we going to sit?”, I asked as I took a look around.

“How about…over there?”, Damian suggested. I then looked in the direction he was pointing in, and saw an empty table…right across from the one Maybelline was sitting at with her friends.

“Good idea”, I said. Then, Damian and I walked up to that table. I made sure to pay close attention to Maybelline as we walked past her, and when she saw us…the smile immediately dropped from her face. 

“I think it worked”, I said triumphantly as I looked at Damian with a smile. We then sat down and began eating, but after a few minutes, he groaned in frustration. “You okay, Damian?”

“It’s too loud in here”, he complained. 

After thinking for a moment, I got an idea. I then picked up my backpack, reached into it…and pulled out a pair of tattered headphones. 

“Here”, I said as I held them out to Damian.

“These look like they’ve seen better days”, he pointed out.

“They may be old, but they still work. Mostly”, I said, before changing the subject. “Anyway, what kind of music do you like?”

“I don’t really listen to music”, Damian replied.

“Wait, really?”, I asked. “You’re not the type of person who listens to music when they draw?”

“When I draw, I prefer to do it in absolute silence”, Damian replied. “That’s the main reason I like to work on my art in the middle of the night.”

“I get that. I’m the same when it comes to writing”, I revealed, before changing the subject. “Anyway, check out this song then.”

With this, I put my headphone onto Damian. Then, I got out my phone, and started playing my favorite song.

I ate my lunch as Damian listened to the song. And when it was done, he pulled my headphones off of his ears. “What song was that?”

“Down to Nothing by Siddhartha Menon”, I replied. “It’s one of my favorite songs.”

“It’s…not bad”, Damian replied. “At least, that’s what I think as someone who doesn’t really listen to music.”

“Glad you don’t hate it”, I said.

“But, you seriously need to consider getting a new pair of headphones”, Damian said. “These ones keep giving off static.”

“I would if I could, but between paying for rent and grocery money, I don’t really have much money to buy other stuff”, I revealed.

“You have to pay for those things yourself?”, Damian asked.

“Starfire helps where she can, but I told her that I wanted to try being as independent as I can”, I replied.

“I get that”, Damian said, before changing the subject. “It’s still really loud in here. Do you have any other music suggestions?”

“Plenty”, I replied, before taking out my phone. “I hope you like rock, ‘cause that’s the genre I mostly listen to.”

Chapter Text

Chapter 46 Maybelline’s Mother
Raven’s POV

I was working a shift at the bookstore on Saturday, when I suddenly got an alert on my phone. I picked it up, and saw that it was a text from Damian. 

Want to help bring a down corrupt company, while also knocking down Maybelline another peg or two?

This text had me confused, but also intrigued. So after my shift, I headed to Wayne Manor. When I got there, Damian was waiting for me in the entryway, and we went to the library to talk.

“I got your text”, I said. “What did you mean by that?”

“Maybelline’s mother owns an internationally success make-up brand”, Damian reminded me. “However, despite her claiming that her company’s products are cruelty free, some people have claimed that to be a lie, and that the company does test on animals.”

“That’s awful”, I said. 

“So far, anytime someone tries to prove that the company is in fact testing on animals, they end up getting shut down by them”, Damian revealed.

“So, what do we do?”, I asked.

“The company’s main factory is right here in Gotham”, Damian revealed. “If we break into the factory, we may be able to get first hand proof of them testing on animals?”

“Wait a minute”, I said in realization. “You want to break into the factory of an internationally successful business?”

“Yes”, Damian replied nonchalantly. “Are you in or not?”

“Why me, though?”, I asked. “Can’t your dad or any of your siblings help you break into the factory?”

“My father has an important business dinner to attend tonight”, Damian replied. “Meanwhile, the other orphans are either busy with school, work, or are also stopping other crimes.”

“Huh?”, I said. “You have…an interesting family, Damian.”

“You don’t have to help me if you don’t want to”, Damian said. But when he did, I thought back to when he got badly burned.

What if Damian gets hurt again?

“I’m in.”

That Night

Damian and I were standing on top of a building that was opposite of the make-up factory.

“Oracle, this is Robin. Do you copy?”, he asked. 

“I copy, Robin”, Barbara replied.

“Have you finished the scans of the factory layout yet?”, Damian asked.

“I have. Sending them over now”, Barbara replied. Damian then took out his phone, and a moment later, a layout of the factory appeared on the screen.

“It looks like our best entry point will be from that side of the building”, Damian said as he pointed to it.

“Got it”, I said.

“Robin, Raven, you two be careful, okay?”, Barbara asked.

“Don’t worry, Oracle. We will”, Damian reassured her.

“And Raven, please try to keep Robin out of trouble?”, she asked, which got a giggle out of me.

“Don’t worry. I’ll keep an eye on him”, I reassured Barbara.

“Good”, she said. “Oracle out.”

After Barbara ended the call, I held out my hand to Damian. “You ready?”

“Ready”, Damian replied. I then took his hand in my own, and flew him over to the side of the building. There was a window there, and I flew through it before placing Damian on top of the rafters. We then looked down…and saw something terrible.

A bunch of animals were locked in cages, with some of them crying out in pain.

“Those poor things”, I said. I then looked at Damian, who had a pained look on his face as he looked at the animals. I then looked back at the ground, and saw something that took me by surprise.

“Damian, look over there”, I said. Then, I pointed to a person who was standing below us, and Damian was also surprised to see her.

“Is that…Maybelline?”

Maybelline was standing in front of the animal cages. When Damian saw her, he suddenly looked really angry. However, that angry look soon disappeared when Maybelline spoke up.

“You poor things”, she said. “You must be in so much pain?”

“Maybelline, what are you doing here?”, someone asked. Then, a woman walked up to the animal cages. She looked just like Maybelinne, but much older.

“Mom”, Maybelline started. “Can you please let these animals go?”

“How many times have I told you, Maybelinne?”, her mother started. “Don’t get involved in grown up matters.”

“But these poor animals are clearly suffering!”, Maybelinne pointed out. “Mom, surely you don’t have to continue testing on…”

“Enough, Maybelline!”, her mother yelled. “I am done talking to you about this!”

With this, Maybelline’s mother grabbed her arm, and dragged her out of the room.

Once the two of them were gone, Damian and I jumped down from the rafters to the ground.

“I…guess Maybelline isn’t totally terrible after all?”, I said.

“Maybe”, Damian said, before turning around to look at the caged animals. “But…her mother still has to pay for what she has done to these poor animals.”

“So…what do we do now?”, I asked.

“Oracle”, Damian started. “Can you send my live feed to Commissioner Gordon?”

“Sending it now”, Barbara replied. “It’ll probably take a few minutes. Can you two hang tight until then?”

“We can”, Damian replied. 

“Okay then”, Barbara said. “Oracle, out.”

“What do we do now?”, I asked. 

“Let’s head back outdoors and wait”, Damian replied.

“Got it”, I said. I then held out my hand to Damian. He grabbed it, and I flew us out of the window we came in from and back to the building we had been standing on earlier.

For a few minutes, we just stood on that building. Then…Barbara suddenly started talking again.

“Robin, Raven, Commissioner Gordon has seen your live feed and is on his way to the factory with other police officers”, Barbara revealed. 

“Good. Raven and I will stay here in case anything happens”, Damian said.

“Copy that. Oracle out”, Barbara said, before ending the call.

“Hey, Dami…”, I started.

“Robin”, he corrected me.

“Right, Robin”, I said. “How were you able to record footage of the animals anyway? I didn’t see a camera on you or anything.”

After I asked this, Damian pointed to his mask. “This mask has a camera installed in it.”

“Really?”, I asked. “That’s useful.”

“That’s why it’s there”, Damian replied. Then, we suddenly heard the sounds of sirens. We both looked in the direction they were coming from, and saw a few police cars driving up to the factory. “They’re here. Let’s go meet them.”

With this, I followed Damian to the police cars. We got there just as a man got out of one of the cars, and I recognized him from that time Damian and I stopped an illegal dog fighting ring.

“Good evening, Comissioner Gordon”, Damian greeted him.

“Good evening, Robin”, Commissioner Gordon greeted him, before looking at me. “I see your friend from before is helping you again?”

“Uh…hello again”, I greeted Commissionor Gordon nervously. Damian then got out his phone, and showed something to him.

“This is a layout of the factory”, Damian revealed, before pointing to the screen. “And this is the room you saw in the footage Oracle sent you.”

“Are there anymore rooms like that?”, Comissioner Gordon asked. 

“I don’t know”, Damian replied.

“I see. Well, good job, Robin. And to your friend as well. We’ll take it from here”, Comissioner Gordon said. And right after he did, we suddenly heard the main entrance of the factory open. “You two, hide!”

With this, Damian grabbed my hand and pulled me behind one of the cop cars. We then peaked over it…and saw Maybelline’s mother walking up to the police cars with her daughter following after her nervously.

“Good evening, officers”, she greeted them. “May I ask what’s going on here?”

“Good evening, Ma’am. I’m Commissioner Gordon”, he greeted her. “We have received evidence from an anonymous source that this factory is testing products on animals, and would like to investigate further.”

While she tried to hide it, I could tell that Maybelline’s mother was nervous. “Commissioner, I assure you that non of my products are tested on animals.”

After her mother said this, I saw Maybelline take a deep breath, before walking up to Commissioner Gordon.

“Actually, Sir”, she started. “That’s a lie. My mother’s products are tested on animals.”

When her mother heard Maybelline say this, the smile dropped from her face. “Maybelline, what are you…”

“I can take you right to the room the animals are kept in”, Maybelline said.

“Why you…”, her mother said, before lunging at her! Luckily, a police officer grabbed her hands and held them behind her back. “Let go of me!”

“What’s your name, dear?”, Comissioner Gordon asked Maybelline.

“Maybelline”, she replied.

“Maybelline, can you show us the room the animals are kept in?”, Comissioner Gordon asked her.

“I can”, Maybelline said.

“Keep her here”, Comissioner Gordon said to the police officer who was holding onto Maybelline’s mother.

“Get back here, Maybelline!”, she yelled out to her. “Get back here this instant, you ungrateful brat!”

Maybelline had a pained look on her face when her mother said this. Then, she looked up at Commissioner Gordon. “Follow me!”

With this, Damian and I watched as Maybelline walked into the factory with the police following her.

Once they were gone, Damian motioned to me, and we jumped back to the top of the building we were on earlier.

“Maybelline…actually turned in her own mother?”, I said.

“She did”, Damian said.

“I doubt that was easy for her to do?”, I asked. I then looked at Damian, who seemed to be deep in thought.

“No. I doubt it was.”

Chapter Text

Chapter 47 Rooftop Garden
Raven’s POV

I was on my way to Homeroom, when I saw Maybelline by her locker. She had a box with her, and was shoving everything from her locker into it.

As I watched Maybelline, I heard other nearby students whispering about her. I felt bad, so I walked up to her. “H…hey, Maybelline.”

“What do you want?”, Maybelline asked.

“I…heard about what happened with your mom”, I replied, and Maybelline scoffed.

“Who hasn’t?”, she asked bitterly.

“I…also heard that you gave all the authorities the information they need to proof what she was doing?”, I added. “That…mustn’t have been easy?”

After I said this, Maybelline stopped shoving things into the box. Then, she let out a sigh. “I wonder if I did the right thing?”

“Well…I think you did”, I said, which seemed to take Maybelline by surprise.

“T…thanks”, she said, before changing the subject. “My friend is going to take over as group leader of the project. So, good luck with that.”

“Thanks”, I said. Maybelline then closed her locker, and left without another word.

“Everyone”, my Homeroom teacher started after taking role call. “Before we begin, you may have noticed that Ms Armani is no longer here with us? Due to personal reasons, her father decided to pull her out of school and homeschool her for the time being.”

After our Homeroom teacher said this, everyone in class started whispering to each other. 

“Instead of gossiping to each other, why don’t you continue to work on your projects for Entrepreneur Day instead?”, our Homeroom teacher asked in a stern voice. “It is only a week to go, after all.”

With this, we all got into our groups and began working on our projects.

“I bet you’re happy about this, Rachel?”, Maybelline’s friend asked me, and it upset me.

“No, I’m not happy”, I said. “I’m not happy that Maybelline has to deal with what her mother did. No one should have to suffer because of something their parent did.”

The rest of my group seemed shocked by what I said. Thankfully, they dropped the subject afterwards and just went back to discussing our project.

During lunch, I walked to the canteen doors; where I found Damian waiting for me.

“Hey, Damian”, I greeted him. 

“Raven”, he greeted me. “I was wondering, could we try finding another place to eat lunch today?”

“The canteen getting too loud for you?”, I asked.

“Yes”, Damian replied. “And while I actually haven’t minded the songs you’ve been playing for me to block out the noise,  I don’t think that it’s a permanent solution?”

“Yeah”, I agreed. “So, where are we going to eat lunch today then?”

Damian and I were walking up a flight of stairs that led to the school rooftop.

“Are you sure we’re allowed to eat up on the rooftop?”, I asked.

“I read the school manual. There’s nothing in there that says that we’re not allowed to eat up there”, Damian replied. 

A moment later, we reached the door that led to the rooftop, and Damian opened it. I walked through the door, and found myself standing in a garden.

“Wow. It’s really pretty up here”, I said. Then, a unfamiliar voice suddenly spoke up.

“Damian?”, I heard them say. I then looked up, and saw a girl wearing a gardening tool belt.

“Flora?”, Damian said in confusion.

“You know her?”, I asked him.

“She’s a member of my group for our Entrepreneur Day project”, Damian replied, before looking at  Flora. “What are you doing here?”

“I’m a member of the gardening club”, Flora replied. “What are you doing here? And who’s your friend?”

“This is Rav…Rachel”, Damian replied. “We’re trying to find a quieter place for us to eat lunch because it’s too noisy in the canteen.”

“Is that so? In that case, you’re more than welcome to eat up here!”, Flora said. She then turned around, and pointed in front of her. “There’s a seating area with a table right over there.”

“Thank you very much”, I said.

“You’re welcome!”, Flora said with a smile. She then went back to gardening while Damian and I went to the sitting area she pointed us to. We sat down there, and began eating our lunch.

“So, how do you feel about eating lunch here, Damian?”, I asked him after a few minutes.

“Its…not bad”, Damian replied. “It’s quiet here. And…the scenery is nice.”

“Yeah. This is a really pretty garden”, I said, before looking around at some of the flowers that were surrounding us. “Hey, check it out. Cosmos.”

“Do you like those flowers?”, Damian asked.

“They’re my birth flower. As well as Marigolds.”, I replied. Damian then just gave me a slight nod, before continuing to eat his lunch. “So, is this place going to be our new lunch spot?”

“I’m okay with that”, Damian replied. Then, he turned to look at Flora. “Flora, you won’t be bothered by us eating lunch up here everyday?”

“Not at all! You’re more than welcome to eat lunch here!”, Flora replied. “Just keep in mind that you members of the gardening club occasionally come up here to tend to the garden.”

“I’m fine with that”, Damian said. “As long as they’re not noisy, or try to talk to me.”

“You’re really don’t like talking to people, do you Damian?”, Flora asked.

“I don’t”, Damian replied.

“But it seems like you and your friend Rachel always eat lunch together?”, Flora pointed out. “Which means you like talking to her?”

“Because I don’t find her annoying”, Damian replied. 

“I know that Damian seems like a jerk”, I started. “But when you actually get to know him, he’s actually kind of a sweet guy.”

“Is that so?”, Flora asked as she looked at Damian. Then, she smiled at him. “While, I look forward to getting to know you more as we work on our project together, Damian!”

Damian didn’t say anything else to Flora, and just continued to eat his lunch.

Chapter Text

Chapter 48 Entrepreneur Day
Damian’s POV

It was the Entrepreneur Day open day, and Alfred and I arrived at school earlier than usual so I could help with setting up my group’s stall. 

Once we arrived, we both picked up boxes that contained food Alfred had made, and began making our way to the sports field; where our stall would be set up.

“Thank you again for helping me make this food, Alfred”, I said.

“You’re most welcome, Master Damian”, Alfred said. “I’m always happy to be of assistance.”

With this, Alfred and I made our way to the sports field. We then walked up to my group’s stall, where I saw that the rest of its members were already setting up.

“There you are, Damian”, Flora greeted when she saw me.

“So what food did you bring?”, another one of my group members asked me.

“Vegetable spring rolls”, I replied.

“Ooo! Sounds nice!”, one of my group members said. 

“Why did you decide to go with spring rolls, Damian?”, Flora asked me.

“I have some Chinese ancestry from my mother’s side”, I revealed. “Plus, spring rolls seem to be a popular food.”

“That sounds so good”, one of my group members said. “Hey, group leader, can I have some of the spring rolls?”

“If we have any leftover by the end of the day, then you can have some”, I replied. 

“What?! Come on!”, the group member said. He then came up to me, and held his hands together. “Pretty please, group leader? Just a taste?”

“It’ll be good to taste our product before we sell them”, another group member pointed out, and I let out a defeated sigh.

“Fine, but everyone just tries one spring roll each!”, I instructed. When I did, I heard Alfred let out a little chuckle. “What are you finding funny, Alfred?”

“My apologies, Master Damian”, he said. “It’s just…nice seeing you in a leadership position.”

I didn’t know what to say to this, so I changed the subject instead. “Alfred, could you please go to the car and get the t-shirts?”

“Of course. I’ll be right back, everyone”, Alfred said. Then, he left.

“I can’t wait to see how our t-shirts turned out!”, Flora said excitedly. “Thank you for coming up with the design for them, Damian.”

“While we wait for my butler to come back, let’s get to work on setting up our stall”, I said. And then, we all got to work.

The open day was in full swing, and our stall had already made quite a few sales.

“I’m glad that our stall is doing so well”, Flora said.

“Yeah”, another group member said. “And it seems Damian’s spring rolls brought are our top seller?”

“Make sure to thank your butler for making them for us, Damian”, Flora said.

“I will”, I said.

“Damian!”, I suddenly heard a familiar voice call out. I then looked up, and saw Brown walking up to me with Father, Grayson and Starfire.

“Is that…THE Bruce Wayne?”, one of my group members asked in shock when they saw Father.

“Hello everyone”, he greeted when he walked up to our stall, and everyone else in my group froze up nervously.

“Greetings, Father”, I said. “Brown, Grayson, Starfire.”

“Hey Damian”, Grayson greeted.

“I can’t wait to get my hands on some of these spring rolls! They smelled so good when Alfred was making them this weekend!”, Brown said excitedly. “And a ton of the other stuff in your stall looks nice as well!”

“Thank you so much”, Flora said. “We all worked really hard on the dishes we each brought.”

“Also, your t-shirts look so cute!”, Brown added. “You’re the one who came up with the design, right Damian?”

“Yes”, I replied.

“How are your sales so far, Damian?”, Father asked. 

“They are going well, Father”, I replied. “If sales continue at the rate they are now, then we may sell out before the day is over.”

“That’d be nice”, Brown said. “Then we can spend the rest of the time checking out the stalls together!”

“Damian”, Starfire started. “Do you know when Rav…Rachel’s presentation is going to be?”

“Soon, I think?”, I replied.

“Then we should probably start heading over to where the presentation is going to be done?”, Starfire said.

“Damian”, Flora started. “If you want, you can take a break and go watch Rachel’s presentation?”

“You sure?”, I asked.

“Don’t worry, group leader!”, one of my group members reassured me. “We can take care of things over here!”

“Very well then”, I said. “But if any of you mess anything up while I’m gone, I’m telling our teacher.”

We were sitting in the room all the junior students would be doing their presentations in.

After sitting through a few other presentations that I had no interest in, it was time for Raven’s group to present. 

She walked onto the stage with the rest of her group members. When she saw me, as well as everyone as who had come, she seemed surprised. 

Starfire waved to her, and Raven gave her a small wave back, before quickly going to the spot she was supposed to stand in.

For the next ten minutes, I watched as Raven’s group did a presentation on some kind of new type of make-up product. I could honestly care less about the product itself, and instead kept my focus on Raven. She wasn’t given anything to say during the presentation, and just stood awkwardly to the side the whole time.

Soon, the presentation was over, and Raven walked up to us. “What are you guys doing here?”

“We wanted to support you while you gave your presentation”, Starfire replied.

“Really? Thanks”, Raven said. “But as you could see, I didn’t actually do much during the presentation.”

“They didn’t give you anything to say during the presentation at all?”, I asked. 

“Nope”, Raven replied. “But honestly, I don’t really like public speaking that much. So I’m just glad that it’s over it.”

“Well, now that you’re done with the presentation, you can come back with us to try some things at Damian’s group’s stall!”, Brown said excitedly.

“Speaking of which, how is your stall going, Damian?”, Raven asked.

“It’s going well”, I replied. “We’ve made a good amount of sales.”

“I’m glad”, Raven said, before looking at my t-shirt. “By the way, I like your t-shirt.”

“Damian came up with the design himself!”, Brown replied. 

“At this point, that doesn’t surprise me”, Raven said. “Is there anything art related you don’t know how to do, Damian?”, 

“I don’t know anything about animation”, I replied. 

“But if he ever wanted to, he’d probably get pretty good at it very quickly”, Brown added. “Isn’t that right, Mr Overachiever?”

“Whatever”, I replied. “I need to get back to my stall, are you all coming or not?”

Chapter Text

Chapter 49 Best Friend in the Whole Wide Universe
Damian’s POV

I was sleeping in on Saturday, when I was suddenly rudely woken up by someone jumping on my bed.

“Damian! Damian! Wakey wakey, Damian!”, he said.

“No. Leave”, I demanded, still not opening my eyes.

“But you told me last night that you finished the comic”, my intruder said. “I wanna see it! I wanna see it!”

Realizing that Jon wasn’t going to give up, I let out an annoyed sigh, before sitting up in bed. “Can we at least have breakfast first?”

“Of course!”, Jon replied. Then, he picked me up and threw me over his shoulder. “Come on, Damian! Let’s go eat pancakes!”

Once Jon and I were done with breakfast, we went back to my room, and I showed him the comic on my computer.

A boy, dressed in a black hoodie and wearing a pair of headphones around his neck, walks into his house. His mother hears him come in, and peaks her head out from the kitchen to see him. 

“Hi, honey!”, she greets him. “How was school?”

The boy doesn’t answer. Instead, he just walks up the stairs. His mother watches him, before letting out a sad sigh.

Once the boy is upstairs, he goes to his bedroom. He throws his backpack to the floor. Then he flops onto his bed, pulls his headphones over his ears, and starts listening to music.

As the music plays, he lays down on his bed, before looking out the window. He looks at the night sky, and sees what looks like a shooting star.

“This is stupid”, he thinks to himself. But then, he closes his eyes, and makes a wish.

“Please…can something happen in my life that makes me want to live?”

After making this wish, the boy opens his eyes, and looks back at the sky. When he does, he realizes that the ‘shooting star’ he made a wish on, was getting closer to him.

The boy sits up in his bed, and moves right to his window. He looks out of it, and sees whatever he wished on fly past the roof of his house!

“What the hell was that?!”, the boy asks himself.

Wanting to know what the thing he just saw was, the boy jumps out of his bed, grabs his backpack, and rushes downstairs.

“What’s wrong, honey?”, he mother asks him worryingly when she sees the rush he’s in. 

“I’m heading out!”, the boy replied as he hurriedly puts on his shoes. “I’ll be back later!”

“Oh. Okay”, his mother says. “I’ll save you some dinner. I love you, hon…”

The boy closes the front door on his mother before she can finish. The then runs to the front of his yard, gets on his bike, and rides off.

The boy rides in the direction the ‘shooting star’ he saw went in, and this leads him to a large crater. When the boy arrives at the crater, he gets off his bike, and slowly starts making his way towards it. Once he’s close enough to it, he looks into the crater, and sees…a spaceship.

“Is that…a spaceship”, the boy asks. And right as he does…the top of the spaceship suddenly starts opening up!

When he sees this, the boy jumps back in shock and falls to the ground. He then crawls to the edge of the crater to look at the spaceship. When he does, he sees something coming out of the spaceship; and it looks like a boy in a suit. 

“Don’t tell me…”, he started. “Is that…an alien?”

When the boy asks this, the alien suddenly turns his head in his direction…and spots him.

“Crap”, the boy exclaims. He then scrambles to his feet and tries to run back to his bike. But before he can reach it, he suddenly feels someone grab onto him!

He lets out a scream. Then, whatever’s holding him turns him around, and he comes face to face with the alien 

The boy looks at the alien in fear, worried what it’ll do to him. But then…the alien smiles.

“Hi there! Do you want to be friends!”, he says, leaving the boy confused.

“Huh?”

“So, what do you think?”, I asked Jon after we were done reading the comic. I then looked at him…and saw that he was crying. “Jon? You okay?”

After I asked Jon this, he pulled me into an extremely tight hug! “I can’t believe this! An actual comic that’s based on an idea I had! You’re the bestest friend in the whole wide world, Damian!”

“Jon”, I struggled to get out. “If you don’t loosen your grip, you may literally crush my rib cage!”

“Sorry”, Jon said before letting me go. “But isn’t this exciting, Damian?! Our very own comic!”

“I…didn’t mind drawing the comic”, I said. “It was interesting getting try something artistic that’s different to what I usually do.”

“You’re welcome!”, Jon said. “So, are we going to submit this for the contest or what?”

“It’s almost good to go”, I replied. “I just need you to tell me one more thing.”

“Which is?”, Jon asked.

“What is the name of this comic?”, I asked.

“On yeah! Let me think”, Jon said. He then thought for a moment, before getting an idea. “I’ve got it! Let’s call our comic ‘Best Friend in the Whole Universe!’”

I was sitting on my bed in my apartment, when I heard a knock at the door.

“Who is it?”, I called out as I got up from my bed. 

“It’s Starfire!”, she called out from the other side of the door. I then went and opened it for her.

“Hey, Star. Come on in”, I greeted, before letting her in.

“I came to tell you something”, she revealed, before looking at me. “But first, how are you doing, Raven?”

“I’m doing the same as usual”, I replied, before changing the subject. “So, what’s the thing you wanted to tell me?”

“Dick told me that Bruce has invited me and you over to Wayne Manor for Thanksgiving”, Starfire replied.

“Thanksgiving?”, I asked. “Isn’t Thanksgiving supposed to be a family thing? He really wants me there?”

“Yes, he does”, Starfire replied. “But, fair warning, Dick did mention that a lot of people usually end up coming for Thanksgiving at Wayne Manor. So, if you don’t feel comfortable with that, then we don’t have to go.”

“But, wouldn’t you like to get to know Dick’s family more?”, I asked.

“Of course I would. But…I also don’t want you to be alone on a day that’s supposed to be about spending time with those who are important to you.”

When Starfire said this, I couldn’t help but feel bad. 

“So”, she started. “What do you say, Raven?”

Chapter Text

Chapter 50 Thanksgiving 
Raven’s POV

It was Thanksgiving, and Dick was driving Starfire and I to Wayne Manor.

“Thank you for coming with us, Raven”, Starfire said. “But, are you sure that you’ll be alright with a lot of people around?”

“I’ll be alright”, I replied. “Hopefully, because they’ll be so many people, It’ll be easy for me to blend in?”

We had arrived at Wayne Manor. We walked into the entryway, and it was packed with a ton of people!

“Wow”, I said in awe. “You weren’t kidding when you said that there’d be a lot of people here, Dick.”

“Yep”, he said. “All thanks to Bruce adopting so many kids.”

“Raven”, a familiar voice called out to me. I then looked up, and saw Damian walking up to us.

“Hey there, Damian. Happy Thanksgiving”, I said, before looking at this outfit. “You clean up nicely.”

Damian paused for a moment after I said this, before speaking up. “You too.”

“Thanks”, I said, before changing the subject. “By the way, are Jon, Skylar and Jenny here?”

“No”, Damian replied. “Jon always spends Thanksgiving on his grandparents farm. And Skylar invited Jenny and her mother to join her family for Thanksgiving.”

“I see”, I said. “Sorry your friends couldn’t be here.”

“At least you’re here”, Damian said. “The night more manageable with you around.”

For some reason, hearing this made me happy. But before I could say anything about it…I suddenly heard a bell ring. Everyone turned in the direction the bell came in, and we saw Alfred.

“Hello, everyone. Thank you for coming. It always feels my heart with warmth to see you all at the manor again”, he said. “Now then, the meal is ready, so could you all please make your way to the dining room?”

With this, everyone made our way to the dining room.

“Damian, pull Raven’s chair out for her”, Dick said as he did the same for Starfire.

“You sound like Alfred”, Damian stated. 

“You want to get a scolding from him?”, Dick asked.

“Good point”, Damian replied. Then, he pulled a chair out for me.

“Thanks”, I said, before sitting down in the chair. Damian then sat next to me.

Once everyone was seated. Mr Wayne (who was standing at the head of the table) tapped a knife on his glass to get everyone’s attention.

“Excuse me, everyone”, he started as we all turned to look at him. “Before we start eating, I just wanted to thank you all for coming today.”

After Mr Wayne said this, he took a look at everyone with a big smile on his face. “Just like Alfred said, it always warms my heart to see all of you back here in the manor. Whenever I think about what I’m thankful for, all of you come to mind.”

“Yeah, yeah. Enough if the soppiness, Bruce!”, a man with black and white hair said. “Can we start eating now?!”

With this, everyone at the table cheered loudly, and Mr Wayne and Alfred both chucked.

I’d never had a family meal like this before. It might sound cheesy…but it made me feel warm and fuzzy.

For the next few minutes, everyone chatted while dishing and eating food. Most of the conversation was about Mr Wayne’s upcoming wedding.

“Hey Damian”, I started. “Are you going to be alright since you won’t eat the turkey?”

“Don’t worry about that”, Damian replied. “Alfred always makes sure that there are many other vegetarian dishes for me to eat.”

“Hey Damian!”, somebody called out to him suddenly. “I’ve been meaning to ask, but whose the girl you’ve been talking to?”

“I’m…Raven”, I replied nervously. “Damian and I go to the same school.

“Wait a minute?”, another person said suddenly. “You’re Raven?! That Raven?! You’re actually real?!”

“I told you she was real, Tim!”, Stephanie said excitedly. “Damian actually managed to make a friend at school!”

“You told Drake about Raven, Brown?”, Damian asked, annoyed.

“She was excited that you actually managed to make a friend at school”, Tim replied. “To be honest, I wasn’t sure if I believed her or not?”

“Why is everyone so surprised?”, Damian asked, still annoyed. “Are you all forgetting about Skylar and Jon?”

“Skylar was back when you were in elementary school”, the man with white and black hair said. “And Jon kinda just stuck to you and refused to leave you alone.”

“So, Raven”, Tim started. “How did Damian actually manage to become friends with you?”

“Oh”, I started, a bit nervously. “We both prefer to eat lunch in the library because the school canteen is loud and crowded with people.”

“Are you even allowed to eat in the library?”, someone asked.

“We…actually did end up getting scolded by the principal for that”, I admitted. “So now, Damian and I eat lunch together on the school rooftop?”

“Interesting”, The black and white haired guy said. “So Damian to eat lunch with you? And even looked got a new place to eat lunch with you?”

“Why does that seem to interest you so much, Todd?”, Damian asked.

“Because you try to avoid social interactions like the plague, Damian”, Tim stated. “Why is Raven different?”

“Because, unlike most people, I don’t find spending time with Raven unpleasant”, Damian said. And when he did…everyone looked at us in shock.

“Wow”, Todd said. Then, he turned to look at me. “I’m not sure if you know this, Raven, but when says he doesn’t Damian find you ‘unpleasant’, it actually means that he likes you.”

“It…does?”, I asked in shock.

“It does”, Tim replied. “I mean, Jon is Damian’s best friend, and he calls him a pest! You must be really special, Raven?”
For some reason, when I heard that Damian ‘liked’ me…I got a fluttery feeling in my chest.

I turned to look at Damian. But for some reason…he seemed kind of sad?

The meal was done, and everyone had split into smaller groups to chat and do other things. While this was happening, I went to the bathroom. But when I got back…I realized that Damian had snuck away.

“Hey Dick”, I started as I walked up to him and Starfire. “Have you seen Damian?”

“I think I saw him go outside”, Dick replied.

“Thanks. I’ll catch up with you guys later”, I said. I then rushed outside, and began looking for Damian.

It took me a bit, but eventually…I found him in the pet cemetery. He was kneeling in front of Ace’s tombstone; which had his design on it.

“Hey”, I said as I kneeled down next to him.

“Hey”, Damian said.

I stayed silent for a moment, before speaking up. “Maybe it’s just me, but…I thought you seemed kind of down during the meal?”

For a moment, Damian didn’t say anything. Then, he spoke up. “During Thanksgiving…Ace would always sit under the table, waiting for us to feed him some of the food.

Hearing this made me realize why Damian seemed sad earlier. And after he said this…tears started forming in his eyes.

“Damian”, I said. He then looked at me, before wiping away the tears from his eyes.

“I’m sorry you had to see that”, he said.

“Damian”, I started. “It’s okay to be sad about Ace.”

“It’s…almost been a month since he passed away”, Damian said. “I should have been over it by now.”

“You don’t just ‘get over’ someone you love dying”, I stated. Damian looked at me, before turning back to look at Ace’s grave. Even though he was trying to hide it…I could tell that he was holding back tears.

I hated seeing Damian hold back his feelings. So…I put my hand on his shoulder. “Damian, you don’t have to pretend to be okay. It’s okay to cry.”

For a moment, Damian didn’t say anything. Then, he spoke up. “Turn around.”

“Why?”, I asked.

“I…don’t want you to see me cry”.”

I decided to accept Damian’s request, and turned away from him. Even though I couldn’t see anything, I could hear him crying.

I didn’t say anything or turn around to look at him. I just stayed silent as I listened to him cry.

After a few minutes, Damian’s crying stopped. Then, I felt him tap my shoulder, and turned around to face him.

“You feeling better now?”, I asked.

“I am”, Damian replied. He then paused for a moment, before speaking again. “Raven…thanks.”

When I heard this, I smiled. “You’re welcome, Damian.”

After I said this…Damian smiled at me. Then…he started shivering. 

“It’s cold out here”, he said, before standing up “We should probably head inside?”

“Good idea”, I said. Then, Damian reached his hand out to me. I grabbed onto it…and in the cold weather…his hand felt really warm.

Damian pulled me onto my feet. He then stared at me for a moment, before turning around and walking away. I smiled to myself, before walking after him.

Chapter Text

Chapter 51 Comic Series
Damian’s POV

It was another Saturday morning, which was once again ruined by the pest flying into my room.

“Damian, the results of the comic contest are out!”, he exclaimed.

“Okay. I’m up”, I said before spitting up in bed. Jon then sat down next to me and pulled out his phone.

“Okay, here we go!”, he said excitedly. He then pulled up the results of the comic contest, and scrolled through it until we found our comic.

Rank 25th: Best Friend in the Whole Universe 

“Yes!”, Jon exclaimed excitedly. “There were fifty entries, so we reached the top half of the competition!”

With this, Jon wrapped his arms tightly around my body. “Damian, thank you, thank you, thank you so much for drawing the comic for me! This is a dream come true for me!

“You’re welcome, Jon”, I said. “Now, please let me go before you crush my ribs.”

“Oh, sorry!”, Jon said, before pulling away from me. Then, he smiled at me, and it was his ‘I have an idea’ smile.

“Okay. What do you want me to do now?”, I asked.

“Damian…”, Jon started. “I had a lot of fun working on this comic with you. Plus, I would love to see where the story of our boy and his alien friend will go.”

“So, you’re saying that…”, I started, already knowing where this was going.

“Damian, why don’t we turn ‘Best Friend in the Whole Universe’ into a full blown comic series?!”

“A full blown comic series, huh?”, I asked. 

“Yeah! Thanks to the contest, ‘Best Friend in the Whole Universe’ has some eyes on it”, Jon pointed out. “We can create a website and publish it as a web comic! And then, when the comic gets popular enough, we can publish physical copies of it!”

“Let’s not get ahead of us”, I said. “First things first, we should probably draft out a plot for a full series?”

“So…does that mean you’re in?”, Jon asked me hopefully, and I let out a defeated sigh.

“I know that publishing your own comic series has been a dream of yours for years”, I said. “So, I’ll help you make that dream a really.”

“Yay!”, Jon exclaimed, before wrapping his arms around me again. “Damian, your the bestest best friend ever!”

“Jon, my ribs”, I reminded him. 

“Sorry”, Jon said, before pulling away from me. “So, what do we do first?”

“For starters, we need to think about how we’re going to turn the plot of our comic into a full blown series”, I said. And when I did, a certain someone came to mind.  “And I think I know who we can ask for help with that?”

Raven’s POV

After my shift at the bookstore, I went to Wayne Manor to use the library.

“Good afternoon, Ms Roth”, Alfred greeted me when I walked into the entryway. “Please allow me to take your coat.”

“Thank you so much, Alfred”, I said as I slipped off my coat. 

“Would you like me to make you a cup coffee, Ms Roth?”, Alfred asked.

“You don’t have to do that, Alfred”, I told him.

“Ms Roth, you are a guest in Wayne Manor. As the butler, it is my job to take care of our guests”, Alfred pointed out. “Besides, having a cup of coffee while reading a book is quite lovely. Especially in this cold weather.”

“You’re not wrong there”, I said. “In that case, I would love a cup of coffee, Alfred. I like it black with just a bit of sugar.”

“Very well, Ms Roth”, Alfred said. “I will prepare your coffee, and bring it to you in the library.”

“Thank you, Alfred”, I said. Then, I made my way to the library. But when I got there…I found two other people.

“Hey there, Raven!”, one of them greeted. “Just the person we were waiting for!”

“Oh. Hey, Jon”, I greeted, before realizing something. “Wait a minute. You were waiting for me?”

“Yep!”, Jon replied. “Guess what? Our comic reached 25th place in the contest!”

“That’s great!”, I said. “Congrats you two!”

“Thanks!”, Jon said. “Anyway, Damian and I decided to turn our comic into a full-blown series!”

“A full-blown series?”, I asked. “That’s pretty cool.”

“It is!”, Jon said. “The first thing we need to do is draft out a plot for a full comic series. And that’s where you come in, Raven!”

“Me?”, I asked.

“Remember when you wrote out a plot outline for our ten page comic?”, Damian asked. “Can you do that for a full-blown series?”

“You want me to help you write a plot outline for a full-blown series?”, I asked in shock. Then, Jon grabbed onto one of my hands with both of his. 

“Raven, could you pretty pretty pretty please help us make a full-blown comic series a reality?!”, he pleaded with me.

“Don’t fall for his pathetic begging, Raven”, Damian said as he walked up to us. “You don’t have to do this if you don’t want to.”

“Hey!”, Jon said. “Damian, this was your idea!”

“Yes, but I don’t want to pressure Raven into doing it”, Damian said. 

“Hmm…”, I said as I thought for a moment. “I don’t mind helping you guys. It’s just…I’ve never written a plot outline for a comic before.”

“Hmm…”, Jon started as he also thought for a moment. “Raven, do you know a lot about comics?”

“I’ve read a few graphic novels, but that’s it”, I replied.

“Then the first thing we should do is get you to read some comics!”, Jon suggested. “Maybe that will help you with coming up with a plot outline for our comic?”

“Sure”, I replied. “I’m always down to read new things.”

“Great!”, Jon said. Then, he suddenly grabbed onto my hand. “To the comic book section!”

Chapter Text

Chapter 52 Art Contest
Damian’s POV

On Monday, Alfred ended up dropping me off at school earlier than usual. Since I had the free time, I decided to check out the art classroom.

I took a look at the bulletin board that was in front of the classroom, and when I did…a particular poster caught my eye.

Gotham Gallery Junior Art Contest

When I saw this poster, it made me think of something that happened in the past. I then turned away from the bulletin board and walked off.

It was lunch time, and I was eating with Raven as usual.

It had become too cold to eat on the rooftop. So instead, we decided to eat lunch inside of an empty classroom. We just hoped that we didn’t get ratted out this time.

“Hey, Damian”, she started, getting my attention. “Earlier today, I walked past the art classroom, and I saw a poster for something called ‘The Gotham Gallery Junior Art Contest.’”, Raven revealed. “I figured you’d know what that is since you’re an artist?”

“Every year, the Gotham Art Gallery holds a contest where participants under the age of eightteen submit a painting based on a theme”, I revealed. “The winning piece gets their art permanently featured in the gallery.”

“Wow. Sounds cool”, Raven said. “Have you ever entered the contest before, Damian?”

I wasn’t sure if I wanted to tell Raven about what had happened. But, after thinking about for a moment, I decided to tell her. “I did, once. It was about a year or so after I started doing art.”

“How did it go?”, Raven asked.

“I won the contest, but…”, I trailed off.

“But what?”, Raven asked.

“After the announcement of the winner, I overheard the judges talking”, I revealed. “I found out that…they only chose my painting as the winner because they wanted to get funding for the gallery from my father.”

“That’s awful”, Raven said. “What did you do?”

“I told my father, who reported the judges”, I replied. “They were removed from the contest, and a new panel of judges were chosen; who fairly chose a winner this time.”

“That’s good”, Raven said, before asking me another question. “Have you ever entered in another art contest since then?”

“No”, I replied. “How can I be sure that I’m winning because I actually deserve it, and not just because of who my father is?”

“That…must really suck, huh?”, Raven asked.

“I am proud to be my father’s son”, I said. “But…it sometimes leads to situations I’d rather not have to deal with.”

For a moment, Raven didn’t say anything. Then, she spoke up. “Is that why you post all of your art under an alias now?”

“It is”, I replied.

“Does the Gotham Gallery Junior Art contest accept entries under pseudonyms?”, Raven asked.

“They do”, I replied. “But why are you asking me that?”

“Well…”, Raven started. “Why don’t you enter the contest under a pseudonym?”

Hearing this took me by surprise. “You think I should enter the contest under a pseudonym?”

“Why not? That way, you won’t have to worry about winning just because of who your dad is”, Raven pointed out, and it got me thinking.

“I’ll think about it.”

That night, I was looking up the rules for the art contest on its official website.

The aim of the Gotham Gallery Art Contest is to give young artists an opportunity to show off their work and get some exposure. This year, the theme of the contest is ‘the pain of losing something you love.’”

“The pain of losing something you love, huh?”, I asked myself. Then, I turned around to look at my bed. 

Pennyworth was laying on it, and he was holding Ace’s collar in his paws. He had been doing that since he had passed away. 

When I saw this…I immediately got an idea about what to paint.

Some time had passed, and I was once again eating lunch with Raven.

While we were eating, I suddenly got an alert on my phone. I picked it up, and saw that I had gotten an email. I checked who the email was from, and saw that it was from the Gotham Art Gallery.

“What are you looking at, Damian?”, Raven asked.

“I’ve just received an email from the Gotham Art Gallery”, I replied.

“Really?”, Raven asked, getting excited. She then got out of her seat and came to my side. 

“What does it say?”, she asked. Then, I opened the email and read it.

Greetings, RobinFlyingintheNightSky

It is with great pleasure that we inform you that your work ‘Missing My Dear Friend’ has been selected to be displayed at the Gotham Art Galley as part of the finales of our junior art contest.

“You did it, Damian!”, Raven said happily when I was done reading the email.

“I haven’t won yet”, I pointed out.

“But your painting was selected to be in the finals! And it’s going to be displayed at the art gallery.  That’s good, right?”, Raven asked. 

I thought about how my painting managed to make it to the finals without the influence of my father, and a small smile came to my face. “I guess it is.”

Chapter Text

Chapter 53 The Pain of Losing Someone You Love
Damian’s POV

The day of art contest finals had arrived, and I was at the Gotham Art Gallery with my father.

Not long after we got there, my father was pulled away by members of the gallery board. Wh wile they talked, I went to where all the paintings that had been made it to the finals were being displayed. 

I walked up to my painting, and when I got there…I was surprised to see a familiar face looking at it.

“Raven?”, I said, which got her attention. 

“Hey Damian”, she greeted.

“What are you doing here?”, I asked.

“I wanted to be here to see if you won the contest or not. Plus, I hadn’t actually seen your painting yet”, Raven replied, before looking back at it. “This is Pennyworth, isn’t it?”

“It is”, I replied. “The theme for the contest was ‘The Pain of Losing Something You Love.’ Pennyworth has been doing this ever since Ace died.”

For a moment, Raven didn’t say anything as she looked at the painting. “Do you think…he knows that Ace is dead?”

“I’m not sure if he understands what death is”, I replied. “But…I think he knows that Ace is gone, and isn’t coming back.”

For a moment, Raven and I stood in silence. But then, this silence was broken when I heard someone call out my name.

“Damian? Damian Wayne?”, they said. I then turned around, and was met with someone I hadn’t seen in a few years.

“Mikey?”, I said in shock.

“It’s been a while, Damian!”, Mikey said with a smile on his face. “How’ve you been doing?”

“Normal”, I replied. “You?”

“I’ve been doing great!”, Mikey replied. “Still have to deal with Mr Turner’s harsh criticism though.”

“You’re still in Mr Turner’s class?”, I asked. 

“Yep. I’ve learned a lot from him, but I still feel like I could learn a lot more. You know?”, Mikey replied. He then looked at Raven and held out his hand to her. “Nice to meet you! I’m Mikey! Damian and I used to attend the same art class together.”

“Nice to meet you, Mikey”, Raven greeted. “I’m Rachel. Damian and I go to the same school.”

“Glad to see that Damian has a friend at school”, Mikey said. He then let go of Raven’s hand, before looking at my painting. “Is this your entry for the contest, Damian?”

“It is”, I replied.

“‘Missing My Dear Friend’ by RobinFlyingintheNightSky”, Mikey said as he read what was written at the bottom of the painting. “Did you enter under an alias after what happened last time?”

“Yes”, I replied. “If I win, I want to win because of my art. Not because of who my father is.”

“Well, your painting is great!”, Mikey praised. “I’m actually kind of worried now.”

“I’m sure your painting is good as well”, I said.

“Well, they’re about to announce the winner, so we’ll see soon enough”, Mikey said. “I’m going to head back to my family. Damian, good luck.”

“You too, Mikey”, I said. Then, Mikey left just as Father walked up to me and Raven.

“Raven?”, he said when he saw her. “Are you here to see if Damian wins the contest?”

“I am”, Raven replied.

“Well, they’re about to announce the winner, so let’s go”, Father said. Then, we all walked to a podium just as someone walked behind it and cleared his throat.

“Can I have everyone’s attention, please? Thank you all for coming today. The purpose of the Gotham Gallery Junior Art Contest is to give young artists a chance to show off their work and get some exposure. This year, the theme of the contest was ‘The pain of Losing Something you Love.’

Ten paintings that were submitted were chosen to be displayed here today. And after looking through all of the paintings, the judges have chosen a winner. And so, it is my honor to announce that this year’s winner of the Gotham Gallery Junior Art Contest is…Mikey Simons with his piece ‘Eating Grandma’s Cookies!’”

With this, the room suddenly became dark, and a spotlight shown on the painting Mikey was standing next to with his family.

The painting showed a young man that looked like Mikey sitting by table in a kitchen. Sunlight poured onto him from a window that was behind him, and he was eating from a plate of cookies as tears fell from his eyes.

As everyone cheered, Mikey grinned ecstatically as he was hugged by his family members. The announcer then came up to him with a trophy in his hands. 

“Congratulations, Mr Simons”, he said as handed Mikey his trophy. “Now then, could you please explain to us this painting and how it represents the theme of losing something you love?”

“Last year, my grandma died”, Mikey revealed. “One of our favorite things to do together was bake cookies. Before she died, she gave me a hand written recipe book and told me to continue baking cookies even after she was gone. For a few months after she died, I couldn’t bring myself to bake. But one day, I was in my kitchen, and I was really missing her. So, I got out her recipe book, and I baked her cookies. When I took a bite after one of them, they made me feel sad, but also happy.”

“Sad, but also happy”, the announcer repeated. “Why did you feel like that?”

“I was sad because it hit me that I’d never be able to bake cookies with my grandma again”, Mikey replied. “But…I was also happy. Because I realized that, as long as I could continue to bake my grandma’s cookies, a part of her would always be with me.”

“That’s very beautiful story, and it is reflected beautifully in this painting”, the announcer said. “Congratulations, Mr Simons. I’m sure that your grandma would be proud of you.”

With this, every clapped again. I looked at Mikey, and smiled at him. Then, I felt my father put his hand on my shoulder. 

“I’m sorry you didn’t win, Damian”, he said. 

“But you should be proud of yourself”, Raven added. “Your painting was great.”

“Thank you, Father. Thank you, Raven”, I said. Then, I looked over at my painting, and smiled.

Chapter Text

Chapter 54 Art Café
Raven’s POV

I was reading on my bed, when there was suddenly a knock on my door.

“Raven, it’s me”, I heard a familiar voice call out to me.

“Coming!”, I called back. I then hopped off my bed, walked up to my front door, and opened it. “Hey, Starfire.”

“Hey, Raven”, she greeted. I then stepped aside, and she walked into my apartment. “I cam here to tell you that Dick has invited you and I to stay in Wayne Manor for Christmas Eve and day.”

“Stay in Wayne Manor?”, I asked in shock. “Does that mean we’ll be sleeping over there on Christmas Eve?”

“It does”, Starfire replied. “So, what do you say, Raven? Do you want to stay at Wayne Manor for Christmas?”

I thought about Starfire’s question for a moment, before giving my answer. “Well, if Mr Wayne is okay with it, then sure! I didn’t have any other plans for Christmas anyway.”

The Next Day

It was lunchtime, and I walked into the classroom Damian and I agreed to eat in. When I got there,  I saw him drawing something by one of the desks.

“Hey Damian”, I greeted him. “What you drawing?”, 

“The Safe Haven Animal Shelter is holding an adoption day the day before Christmas Eve”, Damian replied. “Skylar asked if I could design a poster for the event.”

“That sounds nice”, I said. Then, I got an idea. “You know, if you need any extra help on the adoption day, I’d be happy to help.”

“Didn’t you already finish your community service assignment?”, Damian asked.

“This isn’t for the assignment. I just want to help”, I replied. “So, can I?”

“I’m sure Mr Brown would appreciate another pair of hands?”, Damian said. “I’ll let him know that you’d like to help with the adoption day.”

Damian’s POV

That night, I was scrolling through my social media page, when I suddenly got an alert that someone had sent me a private message.

“Who’s sending me a private message?”, I asked myself. I then entered my private messages, and saw that it was from someone called ‘SimonsStreetArt.’

Hey there, Damian! It’s Mikey!

Sorry we didn’t get to talk more at the gallery. I wanted to, but after I won the award, I had to take a ton of pictures, and a ton of people kept on congratulating me. And when that was all done, my family went out to celebrate.

Don’t worry about it. Also, congratulations on winning the contest.

Thanks! I can’t believe that I actually won! Also, sorry your painting didn’t win.

I managed to make it to the finals without my father’s influence. That’s enough for me. 

Glad you think that! Anyway, there’s another reason I reached out to you. I was wondering if you wanted to hang out sometime?

Depends on where and when you want to hang out?

There’s an art themed café downtown I’d love to show you.

Does it have vegetarian options?

I forgot you were vegetarian. And yeah! There’s plenty of vegetarian options!

Then I’ll go. What day are you available?

You free on Saturday?

Saturday had arrived, and Alfred had just dropped me off in front of the café Mikey told me to meet him at.

“I’ll come back to pick you up in a couple of hours.”, Alfred said. “Enjoy your outing with your friend, Master Damian.”

“Thank you, Alfred. I’ll see you later”, I greeted. Alfred then drove off, and I walked into the cafe. The decor had a very urban aesthetic to it, and the walls were covered in many different paintings.

“Damian! Over here!”, I heard a familiar voice call out to me. I then looked up, and saw Mikey waving to me from one of the tables.

“Hello, Mikey”, I greeted after I had walked up to the table he was sitting at.

“Hey there, Damian! Glad you could make it!”, Mikey greeted as I sat down. “So, what do you think of this place?”

“The decor gives it a unique look compared to other cafes”, I pointed out. I then picked up the menu, and saw that it was a coloring page.

“Pretty cool, right! You can color your menu here!”, Mikey revealed. “Look they even gave us colored pencils!”

“Isn’t coloring your menu kind of childish?”, I asked.

“Damian, you’re an artist”, Mikey pointed out. “You of all people should know that you’re never too old to color!”

“Good point”, I said. “But let me decide on what I’ll eat before I color in my menu.”

Mikey and I were drawing on our menus while we waited for our food. 

“I checked out your social media pages”, he revealed. “And I saw that you drew a ten-page comic for a contest.”

“A friend of mine is a big comic book fan”, I revealed. “He practically begged me to draw the comic for him.”

“Well, I thought your comic was great!”, Mikey said. “The art was really good! It’s a shame that you could only submit a ten-page comic though. I’d love to see where the story would go!”

“My friend and I are actually currently working on turning our comic into a full series”, I revealed.

“Really?! That sounds awesome, man! I can’t wait to see where the story goes!”, Mikey said enthusiastically. I then took a sip out of my tea, before changing the subject. 

“You said you are still in Mr Turner’s class?”, I reminded Mikey. “Is he still as brutally honest as he was a few years ago?”

“He is”, Mikey replied. “But, his brutal honesty is probably one of the biggest reasons why my art has improved so much over the years?”

I didn’t say anything to this. Then, Mikey spoke up again. “Hey Damian? I’ve been wondering…have you ever considered coming back to Mr Turner’s class?”

After Mikey asked me this, I paused for a moment as I set my cup down. “Mikey, do you remember the question Mr Turner asked me the last time I attended one of his classes?”

“I’m trying to think”, Mikey replied. “What question did he ask you again?”

“What is our purpose for creating art”, I replied. “I couldn’t think of an answer back then. And honestly, I’m still not sure if I have the answer to that now?”

“But, even after you stopped attending Mr Turner’s classes, you still continued to create art, didn’t you?”, Mikey asked. “That means that you must have a purpose for creating art? Even if you haven’t figured it out yet?”

Hearing Mikey’s words got me thinking. But before I could dwell on it for long, he spoke up again.

“I think Mr Turner doesn’t have any classes until after Christmas break?”, he revealed. “Maybe you can use that time to think about if you’ll go back or not?”

“I’ll…think about it”, I said.

“Good”, Mikey said. Then, he held up his menu. “What do you think?”

With this, I leaned closer to get a better look at Mikey’s menu, and saw that he had drawn some graffiti.

“Good”, I replied.

“What did you draw?”, Mikey asked. I then turned my menu around, to show off a bunch of birds I had drawn. “Nice!”

I didn’t say anything, and just looked down at the birds I had drawn Instead.

What is my purpose for creating art?

Chapter Text

Chapter 55 A Home for Hachi
Damian’s POV

It was the day before Christmas Eve, and Raven, Skylar and I were standing in the field at the Safe Haven Animal Shelter.

“Hello, everyone. And welcome to the Safe Haven Animal Shelter’s adoption day!”, Mr Brown said into a mic, and the group of people that were gathered cheered for him. “Tomorrow is Christmas Eve, which is a time to spend with family. And who knows? Maybe a new furry friend will be joining your family today? So everyone, please go look around and spend time with some of our animals! And if you need assistance, please feel free to ask one of our helpers.”

When Mr Brown said this, he gestured to me, Raven and Skylar. The latter waved at the crowd, while Raven and I just stood still.

“Alright, everyone. Please enjoy yourselves! ”, Mr Brown said, and the crowd dispersed as they began looking at the animals.

“Thank you so much for agreeing to help out today, Raven!”, Skylar said.

“It’s not a problem”, Raven said. “I just hope I’ll actually be able to help? I didn’t really handle any of the animals when I did my community service here.”

“Don’t worry, Raven!”, Skylar reassured her. “Damian and I are here to help you!”

“Thanks, Skylar”, Raven said. Then, a woman suddenly walked up to us.

“Excuse me?”, she started. “Could I please get some assistance? My daughter would like to look at that litter of kittens over there.”

“I’ll help with that since I spent a lot of time with those kitties”, Skylar said. “See you later, Damian and Raven!”

“See you, Skylar!”, Raven greeted her. Not long after she left, I felt paws on my leg. I looked down, and smiled at who I saw.

“Hey there, Titus”, I said as I knelt down and picked up a Great Dane puppy. 

“Who’s this little guy?”, Raven asked as she gave Titus a pat.

“This is Titus”, I replied. “He was found abandoned in a box about a week ago.”

“In this cold? Poor thing”, Raven said as she gave Titus another pat. Then, she smiled when she seemed to realize something. “Wait a minute. Is he named after the Roman emperor Titus?”

“That name made me think of strength”, I replied, before looking at Titus. “Something I thought this little guy needed when he first arrived here.”

With this, Titus let out a bark as he happily wagged his tail. I then looked up, and when I did…I saw a young man standing in front of Hachi’s pen.

“Go play, Titus”, I said, before placing him on the ground.

“Where are you going?”, Raven asked.

“That man over there seems to have taken an interest in Hachi?”, I replied. Then, I walked up to the man, with Raven and Titus following me. “Excuse me? Can I help you?”

“This dog”, the man started as he stared at Hachi. “What happened to her eye?”

“She was rescued from an illegal dog fighting ring”, I replied. Then, the man squatted down in front of Hachi’s pen, and held his hand up to the fence.

“You’ve been through a lot, haven’t you?”, he asked as he looked at her. “I know how that feels.”

“You should stand ba…”, I started, but I stopped myself when I noticed something.

Hachi usually got aggressive if anyone besides people from the shelter approached her. But despite how close this man she didn’t know was to her, she stayed calmed. 

“Hmm”, I said, getting an idea. Then, I looked at the man. “Would you like pet her?”

“Can I?”, the man asked.

“Yes”, I replied. “I have to warn you that the trauma Hachi has from her time in the fighting ring causes her to get very aggressive around most people. Especially those she doesn’t know.”

“I’ll be careful. I promise”, the man reassured me.

“Okay. Stand back”, I commanded, and the man did as told. I then opened the door to Hachi’s pen slowly, and kneeled down besides it. “Come here, girl.”

With this, Hachi made her way up to me. I then picked her up, and turned to face the man.

“Hold out your hand”, I commanded. The man did as I told, and I grabbed onto his wrist. Slowly, I guided his hand to Hachi’s head. She growled when it got closer. But when the hand touched her head, she calmed down.

“Hey there, girl”, the man said with a smile as he patted Hachi’s head.

“Do you want to hold her?”, I asked.

“I do”, the man replied. Then…I slowly passed Hachi into his arms.

I was worried she’d get agitated being held by a stranger. But instead, she started nuzzling her head into his chest. When I saw this, I smiled.

Hachi had finally found a person to go home with.

“Okay”, Mr Brown started. “All the necessary paper work has been filled out, and this care package has everything you’ll need to get started on taking care of your new furry family member. We’ve also included a list of other things you may need, and a guidebook with some dog facts and care tips. Finally, someone will come visit your address in a couple of weeks time to see if your home is a good living environment for Hachi.”

“And if we discover anything that indicates that you may not be treating Hachi properly, we will not be afraid to get the police involved”, I added.

“Got it”, Hachi’s new owner said. Then, he smiled as he looked down at her in his arms. “You ready to go home, girl?”

Hachi replied to this question by letting out a bark, and it made me smile.

“We’re going to miss you, Hachi”, Skylar said, before petting her head. “But we’re so happy that you found a new home!”

“Farewell, Hachi”, I said, before petting her head as well. “I hope that the rest of your life will be a happy one.”

“Thank you for everything”, Hachi’s owner said. “Come on girl. Let’s take you home.”

With this, Hachi’s owner left with her in his arms. I felt happy that she was going to a permanent home. But…I also felt a bit sad when I realized I may never see her again.

As soon as Hachi and her owner were out of our sight, Skylar wiped a few tears away from her eyes.

“I’m gonna miss her so much!”, she said. “But I’m so happy that she’s found a home!”

“Me too”, I said with a smile.

“Well, time to get back to work!”, Skylar said enthusiastically. “Let’s see how many other furry friends we can help find homes?!”

With this, Skylar walked off. Once she was gone…I felt paws on my leg once again. I looked down, and smiled when I saw Titus.

“Hey there, buddy”, I greeted, before picking him up.

“Titus must really like you?”, Raven said as she walked up to me. “He’s been following you around all day.”

“Yeah”, I said. Then, I suddenly thought of something, and it made me feel a bit sad.

“You okay, Damian?”, Raven asked. 

“It’s just…I’m going to miss Hachi”, I said. “And…I’ll miss Titus when he gets adopted too.”

Raven didn’t say anything after I said, and I cleared my throat. “I should get back to work. Let’s go, Titus.”

Raven’s POV

I watched Damian leave with Titus in his arms. Once they were gone, I started thinking.

Damian is clearly attached to Titus. He’s probably going to be really upset when he gets adopted.

After I had this thought…I got an idea, and turned around. “Mr Brown?”

“Yes, Dear?”, Mr Brown asked.

“I was wondering”, I started. “Can you adopt animals for someone else from here?”

Chapter Text

Chapter 56 Exchanging Gifts
Raven’s POV

It was Christmas Eve, and I had just finished packing my suitcase for my stay at Wayne Manor, when there was suddenly a knock on my door.

“Raven, it’s us!”, I heard Dick’s voice call out to me.

“Coming!”, I called back. Then, I walked up to my front door and opened it. “Hey guys.”

“Hello Raven”, Starfire greeted. “Are you ready to go?”

“I’m ready”, I replied. “But, can we go to the Safe Haven Animal Shelter before we head over to Wayne Manor?”

“Isn’t that the shelter Damian volunteers at?”, Dick asked. “Why do you need to go there?”

“I need to pick up Damian’s Christmas present.”

After going to the Safe Haven Animal Shelter, we were now on our way to Wayne Manor.

My gift for Damian was in a brown box with holes on the top on it. I decorated it with a big, red bow. And I had to hold onto the lid to make sure the gift didn’t jump out of the box.

After a few minutes of driving, we had arrived at Wayne Manor. 

“I’ll take care of your bags”, Dick said after I got out of the car.

“Thank you, Dick”, Starfire said. Then, we walked to the front door, which was soon opened by Alfred.

“Good afternoon, Ms Starfire and Ms Roth”, he greeted. “Happy Christmas Eve.”

“Thank you, Alfred. Happy Christmas Eve to you as well”, Starfire said. We then walked into the entryway…and were met with a huge Christmas tree standing by one of the walls!

“That…is a really big Christmas tree”, I pointed out in awe.

“Christmas is one of the few events where almost all of the orphans are at Wayne Manor at the same time”, Damian revealed as he walked up to me. “Because of that, there is a lot of gifts. Which means we need a big tree to fit all of those gifts under.”

“Got it”, I said. I then looked at Damian, and had to stop myself from laughing when I saw the ugly Christmas sweater he was wearing. “Nice sweater.”

When I said this, Damian let out an annoyed sigh.

“Every year, Brown insists that everyone wears these ugly Christmas sweaters”, he revealed. Then…a bark suddenly came from the box I was holding, and he looked at it in shock. “Did…the box you’re holding just bark?”

“I know that we’re supposed to only open gifts tomorrow”, I said, before holding the box out to Damian. “But…I think you should open your gift now?”

When I said this, Damian seemed to realize what my gift to him was. He quickly took the lid off of the box…and what was probably the biggest smile I’d ever seen on his face appeared when he saw what was inside.

“Titus!”, he said happily. He then pulled him out of the box and held him close to his chest, before looking up at me. “How’d you…?”

“At the adoption day yesterday, I saw how attached you and Titus were to each other. And I knew you’d probably be really sad if he ended up getting adopted by someone else”, I revealed. “So, I asked Mr Brown if I could adopt him for you.”

After I said this, Damian looked at Titus with a smile on his face. “He’s wearing a red collar.”

“I’ve noticed that red seems to be your favorite color”, I revealed. “So, I decided to get Titus a red collar.”

Damian continued to smile after I said this, before looking at me. “Thank you, Raven.”

“Merry Christmas, Damian”, I said.

“Merry Christmas, Raven”, Damian said. “But you know, now it’s going to look like I didn’t as much of an effort into your gift.”

“You got me a Christmas gift?”, I asked in shock. Then, Damian reached into his pocket, pulled out an envelope, and held it out to me. 

“Since you already gave me your gift, I’ll give you mine now”, he said. I then took the envelope from him, opened it, and pulled out a bookmark.

The bookmark had a grayscale pencil drawing of two birds flying upwards on it, and the top a hole with a blue ribbon tied through it. “Did you…make this bookmark yourself?”

“Since you spend most of your free time reading, I looked at what Jon tells me is called ‘Booktok’ to see what kind of gift a book lover might like”, Damian revealed. “Bookmarks seemed like a basic, common one. So, I decided to make you one.”

After I heard Damian say this, I took another look at the bookmark he made me. “You used a blue ribbon on the top.”

“Thanks, Damian”, I said. “The bookmark I’ve been using is quite worn down, so this is actually a very useful gift.”

“Ms Roth”, Alfred suddenly said as he walked up to me. “Shall I show you to your room for tonight?”

“Oh. Sure”, I replied, before looking at Damian. “See you later, Damian.”

“See you later, Raven”, Damian said. Then, I followed Alfred as he led me to the room I’d be staying in for the night.

“Master Grayson has already brought your suitcase into this room”, he said. “If there’s anything else you’ll need for your stay, please just inform me.”

“Thank you so much, Alfred”, I said.

“It is my pleasure, Ms Roth”, Alfred said. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I must continue preparing Christmas dinner.”

“Okay. See you later, Alfred”, I greeted, and he left. Once he was gone, I looked around the room, and was in awe of how big and nice it was. I then went to my bed, and besides my suitcase…there was also a wrapped present waiting for me.

Confused, I walked up to the box and picked it up. There was a note attached to it, so I pulled it off the present and read it.

If you stay at Wayne Manor, it is mandatory that you wear this - Dick :)

After I read this, I took the lid off of the box, and laughed when I saw what was inside.

Chapter Text

Chapter 57 Reading to Children
Raven’s POV

After I changed into the gift Dick left for me, I walked out of my room, and was met with a puppy running up to me and placing his paws on my legs.

“Hi there, Titus”, I greeted, before bending down and picking him up.

“Nice sweater”, Damian said with a smirk as he walked up to me.

“Okay, we’re even”, I said, before changing the subject. “So, what does the Wayne family usually do on Christmas Eve?”

“Tonight, we’ll have Christmas dinner”, Damian replied. “Then, we’ll watch Christmas movies while eating Christmas themed snacks and drinking hot chocolate.”

“Sounds nice”, I said. “But, when does that usually start?”

“Alfred said that dinner should be at at about seven tonight”, Damian replied.

“That’s good”, I said. “Because I’ve actually got something I need to get to.”

“What do you need to get to?”, Damian asked.

“Mrs Brown is doing a Christmas book reading to underprivileged children at her bookstore today”, I revealed. “I told her I’d help out with it.”

“Can I come with you?”, Damian asked.

“You want to go to a Christmas book reading for kids?”, I asked in shock.

“I’ve got nothing better to do”, Damian replied. Then, he smiled as he took Titus into his arms. “Plus, I’m sure Titus will be a big hit with the children. Which he’ll love because he’s such an attention hog.”

“Is he?”, I asked in amusement. “Well, you and Titus are more than welcome to come.”

“Okay”, Damian said. Then, we walked to the entryway, where Mr Wayne was organizing gifts under the huge Christmas tree. “Father, Raven has an event at the bookstore she works at, and I’ll be accompanying her to it.”

“Okay”, Mr Wayne said. “Just be back before dinner.”

Damian and I had arrived at the bookstore, and Mrs Brown walked up to us.

“There you are, Rachel”, she said. “And Damian too? What brings you here, dear?”

“Raven told me about the book reading you’re doing today. I had nothing better to do, so I thought I’d come”, Damian replied. Then, he smiled as he held up Titus. “Plus, Titus here loves attention, and will probably be a big hit with the children.”

“I’m sure he will”, Mrs Brown said. “Thank you for coming, Damian. Please follow me.”

With this, Mrs Brown led us to a group of kids that had gathered in the kiddies section of the bookstore.

“Puppy!”, one of them exclaimed excitedly when they saw Titus.

“This is Titus”, Mrs Brown revealed. “Our friend Damian here brought him to play with you all today.”

“Yay!”, all the kids exclaimed with excitement.

“Titus is still just a puppy, so please be gentle with him, everyone”, Damian said. Then, he gently placed Titus on the floor; who immediately ran up to the children.

“Okay, everyone!”, Mrs Brown started. “Let’s start with our first story.”

With this, Mrs Brown sat on a chair in front of the children, opened a children’s book, and began reading out loud.

Damian and I found two chairs behind the children and sat in them. A moment later, Damian took out a sketchbook and a case of colored pencils.

“Do you always have art supplies handy?”, I asked in amusement.

“You never know when art inspiration will suddenly hit”, Damian said.

“Good point”, I said. Then, I stayed quiet and listened as Mrs Brown read out the story to the children. While she was reading, I also heard some of the parents whispering.

“Isn’t that Bruce Wayne’s son?”, one of them asked in shock.

“What’s a rich kid like him doing here on Christmas Eve?”, another parent asked.

“Bruce Wayne has always been very charitable person”, another parent pointed out. “Maybe that passed down to his kid?”

After I heard these comments, I turned back to Mrs Brown and listened as she read the rest of the story to the kids. When the story was done, all of the kids cheered for her.

“Thank you very much, everyone. Now then, for our next story, why don’t we have our friend Rachel read it for us?”, Mrs Brown asked. She then gestured to me, and all the kids turned around to face me. 

I did tell Mrs Brown earlier that I was okay with reading to the kids. But now that I was actually about to do it, I was suddenly a bit nervous.

“Relax. They’re children”, Damian pointed out. “I doubt that it’ll be too scarring if you mess up in front them.”

“Thanks for the reassurance”, I said sarcastically.

“You can do it, Rachel!”, one of the kids encouraged me, and it actually made me feel a bit better. 

“Thank you”, I said. Then, I took a deep breath, and got out of my chair. I walked up to Mrs Brown, took a book from her, and sat down in the chair she had just been sitting in. 

“Okay”, I said, before taking another keep breath, and opening the book. “Let’s begin.”

After reading a few stories to the kids, we played a few Christmas themed games with them. Finally we gave them Christmas themed goodie bags.

“That went so well!”, Mrs Brown said after all the kids and their parents left. “Rachel, Damian, thank you both so much for coming today.”

“You’re welcome, Mrs Brown”, I said. Then, Damian went up to her, and handed over a piece of paper from his sketchbook.

“This is for you”, he said. Mrs Brown then took the piece of paper from him, looked at it, and smiled.

“Oh Damian. This is beautiful!”, she said. I then went up to her to see what was on the paper, and saw that it was a drawing of her reading to the children.

Most of Damian’s drawings were in black and white and had a dark, bleak feeling to it. But this drawing was in color, and had a warm, comforting feeling to it. When I saw it, I smiled.

“This is what you were drawing this whole time?”, I asked.

“Yes”, Damian replied, before looking at Mrs Brown. “Rav…chel told me the children that were here were from underprivileged families? If any of them need help with anything, please let me know. I can ask my father on how we can assist them.”

“That’s so very kind of you, dear”, Mrs Brown said. “Thank you so much! And thank you for this wonderful drawing!”

“No need to thank me”, Damian said, before looking at me. “We should get going. If we’re late for Alfred’s Christmas dinner, Father will scold us.”

“Oh, are you two spending Christmas together?”, Mrs Brown asked.

“Damian’s older brother is dating a friend of mine, and he invited the both of us to stay with their family for Christmas”, I replied.

“Oh, that’s nice. I was worried that you’d be spending Christmas by yourself, Rachel”, Mrs Brown said. “Well, I won’t keep you two waiting. Merry Christmas!”

“Merry Christmas, Mrs Brown.”

Chapter Text

Chapter 58 Christmas Dinner and Movies
Raven’s POV

“There you guys are”, Dick said as Damian and I walked to the entryway of Wayne Manor. “Bruce said that you two went to some event at the bookstore Raven works at?”

“It was a Christmas book reading for underprivileged children”, I revealed. 

“Sounds nice”, Dick said, before look at Damian. “But why’d you go to it, Damian?”

“I had nothing better to do”, Damian replied. Then, he looked at Titus in his arms, and smiled. “Plus, I figured that this little guy would be a big hit with the children; which he was.”

“Would you look at that?”, Dick asked. “You’re usually not the biggest fan of Christmas, Damian, but you’re actually getting into the spirit of the holiday this year.”

“Whatever”, Damian said. “Is dinner going to be served soon?”

“It is. So let’s head to the dining room”, Dick said. We then followed him to that room; and a ton of people were already there.

“Puppy!”, Stephanie exclaimed, before rushing up to Damian and patting Titus’ head. “Where’d you get a puppy from, Damian?”

“He’s my Christmas gift from Raven”, Damian replied. “He’s from the Safe Haven Animal Shelter.”

“You got Damian a puppy?”, Stephanie asked me in shock.

“I saw how attached Damian and Titus were to each other”, I revealed. “And I knew Damian would probably be sad if he got adopted by someone else.”

“So you got the puppy for Damian?”, Stephanie asked. “That’s so sweet of you, Raven! Anyway, let’s go eat!”

With this, Damian and I walked up to our seats, and he pulled out my chair for me. 

“Thanks”, I said, before sitting down. Damian sat down next to me, and put Titus on the ground. 

“There you go, boy”, he said. “I’m sure you’ll get plenty of scraps from everyone.”

“Okay everyone!”, Stephanie said after dinner was done. “Now that we’re done eating, you all know what to do next!”

“Yes Christmas captain, Steph!”, Tim said with a salute, and everyone laughed at it.

“While you all get changed, I shall set up everything in the entertainment room”, Alfred said.

“Wait, I’m confused”, I said. “What are we supposed to do now?”

“Head to your bedroom”, Dick said. “I’ve left another gift for you there.”

“Okay?”, I said in confusion. I then looked at Damian, who was pulling Titus out from under the table.

“Did you enjoy the scraps, boy?”, he asked as he rubbed Titus’ tummy. This made me giggle, and Damian turned to look at me. “What’s so funny, Raven?”

“You’re usually so serious. But when you’re with an animal, you suddenly get all sweet”, I pointed out. And when I did…Damian’s cheeks started turning pink. 

“Don’t worry. I think it’s cute”, I said, but that just seemed to make Damian even more embarrassed. 

“I’ll see you in a bit”, he said, before quickly rushing off. 

“Huh?”, I overheard the black and white haired guy (who I now knew was named Jason) say. “I’ve never seen Damian get all flustered like that before.”

“He must’ve been embarrassed that his friend from school saw his softer side?”, Tim suggested. Then, Jason said something that took me by surprise.

“Maybe he’s got a crush on her?”, he suggested. And when he did…I got a fluttery feeling in my chest.

“That would explain why he’s so nice to her”, Tim said. “Well, as nice as Damian Wayne can be anyway.”

Hearing this made the fluttery feeling in my chest grow. I then quietly snuck past Jason and Tim and started making my way to the room I was staying in.

Damian has a crush on me? Yeah right. Right?

I pushed this thought aside and walked into my room. I looked at my bed, and found another present box waiting for me. I took the lid off of it, and smiled when I saw what it was.

After changing into Dick’s other gift for me, I stepped outside my room; and found Damian waiting for me. Just like me, he was wearing Christmas pajamas.

“Nice jammies”, I said.

“You too”, Damian said. “Follow me.”

With this, I started following Damian. But as I walked behind him, I thought about what Jason and Tim had said earlier.

“Maybe he’s got a crush on her?”

“That would explain why he’s so nice to her.”

Pushing these thoughts aside, I continued to follow Damian, until he suddenly stopped in front of a room.

“Ladies first”, he said.

“Thanks”, I said. I then walked into the room; which was a lounge with a HUGE tv at the back of it. In front of the tv, a bunch of blankets and pillows had been set up. And by the side of the room, there was a long table with popcorn, hot chocolate and other Christmas themed snacks on it.

“Wow”, I said in awe. “You guys really go out with the Christmas Eve movie night.”

“We sure do!”, Stephanie said. Then, she suddenly picked up a Santa hat from the table, and ran to the front of the room. “Okay everyone! It’s time for Santa’s hat to choose our first Christmas movie! And it’ll will be…drumroll please”

With this, everyone (expect Damian) pretended to give a drumroll as Stephanie pulled a piece of paper from the Santa hat and read it. 

“An All Dogs Christmas Carol”, she said. Then, she smirked before looking at Damian, who was holding Titus in his arms. “Gee. I wonder who chose that movie?”

“It’s the only Christmas movie I find tolerable”, Damian replied, and everybody laughed. 

“Okay everyone”, Stephanie said. “Everybody, get your Christmas snacks, and then we can start the movie!”

Even though Damian said he could ‘tolerate’ An All Dogs Christmas Carol, he seemed very focused on it throughout the whole movie.

“Okay!”, Stephanie said after the movie was done. “For our next movie, I was actually thinking we let either Starfire and Raven pick it?”

“Us?”, I asked in shock.

“It’s the first time you guys are spending Christmas with us”, Stephanie pointed out. “So, I think it’s only fair that you get to choose one of our Christmas movies.”

“That’s very nice of you, Stephanie”, Starfire said. “But…I don’t really have a favorite Christmas movie that comes to mind. What about you, Raven?”

“Um…does The Nightmare Before Christmas count?”, I asked.

“Isn’t that a Halloween movie?”, Jason asked.

“I mean…Santa and Christmas plays a big part in it”, Tim pointed out.

“I say it counts! Nightmare Before Christmas it is!”, Stephanie said. Then, while she went to set up the movie, Damian looked at me with a smirk on his face.

“What?”, I asked.

“Why does it not surprise me that you picked what can be also be considered a Halloween movie?”, he asked teasingly.

“Think you’ll be able to ‘tolerate’ this one as well?”, I asked.

“It’s not as nauseatingly overly positive and as other Christmas movies are, so I don’t hate it”, Damian replied. “Plus, I do like the stop motion animation.”

Damian actually didn’t seem to mind The Nightmare Before Christmas. But when we got to our third Christmas film, he was definitely losing interest. And only a few minutes into it…he fell asleep on one of the pillows with Titus and Pennyworth sleeping curled up on opposite sides of him.

I found the entire thing extremely cute. So, I quietly got out my phone and took a picture of him. Then…I let out a yawn, and was suddenly really tired; probably because of how late it was.

I laid my head down on a nearby pillow, and looked at Damian; who wasn’t far from me. I smiled at him…before closing my eyes.

Chapter Text

Chapter 59 Opening Christmas Gifts
Raven’s POV

The next morning, I was abruptly woken up when someone yelled “Wake up, everyone! It’s Christmas!” I suddenly shot up before looking around, and seeing that I had fallen asleep in the lounge.

“Good morning, Raven”, Starfire (who seemed to have fallen asleep next to me with Dick next to her) greeted me. “Merry Christmas.”

“Merry Christmas, Starfire”, I said. Then, I turned my head…and what I saw made my heart skip a beat.

Damian was sleeping while holding Titus close to him. He looked really cute. And for some reason…seeing him like that made me feel that fluttery feeling in my chest again.

“Good morning, Raven!”, Stephanie greeted as she came up to me. “Merry Christmas!”

“Thanks you, Stephanie. Merry Christmas”, I greeted her. She then looked down at Damian, and started poking his cheek. “Wakey wakey, Damian. It’s Christmas!”

“So?”, Damian asked, still not opening his eyes.

“It’s time to go downstairs and open presents!”, Stephanie said excitedly.

“You can all go do that”, Damian said, still not opening his eyes. “I’m going to stay here and sleep.”

After hearing this, Stephanie let out a sigh. “I hoped that it wouldn’t come to this, but you have left me no choice, Damian. Jason!”

“Got it!”, Jason said. Then, he went up to Damian, and threw him over his shoulder! “Come on, sleeping beauty. Let’s go open presents!”

Damian’s response to this was to let out a grown, but he still didn’t open his eyes. Jason them started walking downstairs with him over his shoulder. I followed behind them, and had to hold back a laugh when I saw Damian in that position. Then, I got my phone as subtly as I could,  and quickly snapped a picture.

“What are you doing, Raven?”, Damian asked, finally opening his eyes as he looked up at me.

“Nothing”, I lied as I quickly hid my phone behind my back. Then, I rushed past Jason and into the entryway, where everyone had gathered around the huge tree to open gifts.

Jason plopped Damian down on one of the chairs that had been placed around the tree. Then, he came up to me, and suddenly grabbed my phone from behind my back!

“Hey! What are you do…”, I started, but stopped when Jason suddenly gave me back my phone.

“Just sending that pic you took to me”, Jason replied. “And also the one you took of Damian sleeping last night.”

“You saw that?!”, I asked as I felt my face burn up with embarrassment.

“What picture of me sleeping last night?”, Damian asked, clearly upset.

I laughed nervously as I tried to think of an excuse. Luckily, I was saved when someone literally flew into the entryway from the front door.

“Damian!”, they exclaimed, before crashing right into him!

“Damian!”, I exclaimed, before rushing up to him; who was now on the ground. “Are you okay?!”

“I’m okay”, Damian replied. He then sat up, and shoved the person who had flown into him onto the floor.

“Merry Christmas, Damian!”, he said, before holding out a Christmas themed gift bag to him. Damian took the bag from him, and he pulled out…two small crocheted dolls.

“Are these…the characters from our comic?”, Damian asked, and Jon smiled at him.

“My grandma’s been teaching me how to crochet! So…what do you think?”, Jon asked. Damian then looked down at the dolls, and smiled.

“Thanks, Jon”, he said as he looked back up at him. “Merry Christmas.”

With this, Jon got a huge smile on his face. Then, he pulled Damian into a hug.

“Merry Christmas, my bestest friend in the whole wide world!”, Jon said, before pulling away from Damian. “Now, where’s my gift?”

“Who says I got you a gift?”, Damian asked.

“Here it is!”, Stephanie said as she held up a Christmas themed gift bag that had a tag that said ‘For the Pest’ attached to it.

“Yay!”, Jon exclaimed happily, while Damian had an annoyed look on his face. Stephanie then came up to Jon and handed him a gift bag. 

Jon took the gift bag from her…and pulled out a comic book. He then took a closer look at it… before looking at Damian with tears forming in his eyes. “Is this…a physical version of our comic?”

“It is”, Damian replied, and Jon flung his arms around him.

“You’re my bestest friend in the whole wide universe, Damian!”, he exclaimed.

“Jon, my rib cage”, Damian said, and Jon let him go.

“Well, I need to head back to my grandparents’ farm now”, he said, before flying into the air! “Merry Christmas, everyone!”

“Merry Christmas, Jon”, Bruce said. “Make sure to give your dad a happy holidays on for me.”

“Will do, Mr Bruce! Bye!”, Jon greeted. Then, he turned around and flew out the front door; which Alfred was holding open for him.

“Uh…”, I started. “I’m not the only one who saw Jon floating in the air right now, right?”, I asked.

“We’re used to it”, Dick replied. Then, Starfire came up to me with a gift bag. “Merry Christmas, Raven. Dick and I got this for you.”

With this, Starfire handed me the gift bag. I pulled something out from it, and smiled when I saw what it was. “This is the special edition of that book I was reading a little while ago!”

“I remember you saying that you really liked that book, and wanted to get the special edition of it”, Starfire revealed. 

“Yeah, but I don’t really have the money to justify getting another copy of the same book”, I said. Then, I smiled at Starfire and Dick before wrapping my arms around them. “Thanks, you guys. I will appreciate this gift.”

“No problem, Raven”, Dick said as him and Starfire pulled away from me. “By the way, did Damian get you a gift.”

“He did”, I replied. “He made me a custom made bookmark.”

“That was nice of him”, Starfire said as Damian came up to us.

“I still feel like it pales in comparison to Raven getting me a puppy”, he stated.

“Well, now I can use your gift with Starfire and Dick’s gift”, I pointed out; and it made Damian smile.

“Then it looks like my gift was a good idea after all?”

Chapter Text

Chapter 60 Snowball Fight
Raven’s POV

Because of how many people had come to Wayne Manor for Christmas, it took a few hours for all of the gifts to be opened. By the time all of the gifts had been opened, Alfred had made a Christmas themed breakfast for everyone. 

Once breakfast was done, everyone went off to do their own thing. So I decided to go spend some time in the library. However, I had only made it an hour into reading the book Dick and Starfire had gotten me, when Damian suddenly entered the library.

“I thought I’d find you here”, he said.

“Hey Damian”, I greeted as I looked up from my book. But when I did, I noticed that Damian was wearing Winter weather gear over his Christmas pajamas. Then, I noticed that Titus had a Winter jumpsuit on.

“You look so cute, Titus!”, I said as I got up and rubbed behind his ears. “But, why are you two dressed like that?”

“We’re dressed for a very important mission”, Damian revealed. “And we need your help with it?”

“You need my help for a mission?”, I asked. Then, I remembered what Damian was wearing. Um…are Christmas jammies suitable for a mission?”

“Brown insists that we must wear these all day on Christmas Day”, Damian revealed. “Anyway, put on stuff for the cold weather and follow me outside.”

Once I got dressed to protect myself from the cold, I followed Damian outside to a group of people who had gathered.

“There you too are”, Starfire said when she saw us.

“You’re here too, Starfire?”, I asked her in shock.

“Dick asked for my help with something”, Starfire replied.

“Which is?”, I asked.

“Every year on Christmas Day, we try to beat Bruce in a snowball fight”, Stephane revealed. “But every year…he always manages to get the upper hand on us!”

“But this year will be different!”, Dick stated. “Because this year, we have you and Starfire with us!”

“And how do Starfire and I help?”, I asked.

“Here’s the plan!”, Dick started. Then, he pick up a nearby long stick and started drawing in the snow. “Barbara will use her drone to locate our target. Once he has been located, Starfire and Raven will position themselves above the target while Damian uses Titus as a distraction. And then, while Bruce is distracted by the cute puppy, Raven and Starfire will go in for the final attack!”

“Huh? You guys are taking this really seriously”, I said, before looking at Damian. “And I’m surprised that even you seem to be getting into this, Damian?”

“We have been trying to defeat Father in a snowball fight for years”, Damian revealed, before clenching his fist in determination. “I have to do what I can to help us achieve that goal!”

Hearing Damian take this snowball fight so seriously took me by surprise. But then, I smiled. 

Damian tries to act so tough. But deep down, he still gets excited over certain things even if they’re a bit childish.

“Well, if even you’re getting excited about this, Damian, then I’ll do my best too!”

Damian looked at me in shock when I said this, before turning away from me. “Thanks.”

“Ooo! You’re blushing, Damian!”, Jason said teasingly.

“Am not!”, Damian stated angrily. 

“Then why are your cheeks turning pink?”, Tim asked teasingly.

“It’s because of the cold!”, Damian stated.

When I heard this, I started thinking about what Jason and Tim had said the day before. But I pushed those feelings aside, and focused on the task ahead.

A few minutes had passed, and Barbara had managed to locate Bruce.

“Target spotted”, she said. “He doesn’t appear to have any snowballs on standby? Nor has he built any defenses around him.”

“Careful. He may be trying to get our guards down?”, Dick pointed out. Then, he looked up at me and Starfire. “Starfire, Raven, get into your positions. Keep an eye out for any traps.”

“Got it”, Starfire said. Then, Dick went up to her, and pulled her into a kiss. 

“Stay safe, Babe”, he said.

“I will”, Starfire said, before pulling Dick into another kiss.

“Gross”, Damian said, which earned him a flick on his forehead from Stephanie. Then, he turned to face me. “Keep an eye out, Raven.”

“I will”, I said. Then, Starfire and I made snowballs, before launching ourselves into the air.

We flew to where Bruce was, and made sure to say high enough so he couldn’t see us.

“Starfire, Raven, hold your positions”, Dick said. “Do not engage the target until Damian has released the distraction.”

“Got it”, I said.

“Damian, release the distraction!”, Dick instructed him.

“Roger that”, Damian said. “This is it, boy. Go get him!”

With this, I watched as Titus ran up Bruce and put his paws on his legs.

“Hello there, little guy”, Bruce greeted as he leaned down and picked Titus up. “They’re using as a distraction, huh?”

“Crap! He’s onto us!”, Tim said in a panic.

“Remain calm”, Dick said. “Starfire, Raven, on my signal, throw your…”

“Raven, Starfire”, Bruce said suddenly, taking us by surprise. “I’m sorry to do this during your first Christmas with us, but I can’t let my children off the hook that easily.”

“How did he…”, I said, but was suddenly interrupted by Barbara.

“Raven, Starfire, retreat!”, she said frantically. “I’ve got visuals on backu…!”

Before Barbara could finish warning us…Starfire was suddenly hit with a snowball!

“Starfire!”, I exclaimed. But then…I was suddenly hit with a snowball too!

“What the…!”, I said in shock, before looking around. “Where’d that come…”

“It’s Selina! She’s in the trees!”, Barbara revealed. And right after she did, Selina jumped out from the trees she was hiding in and landed right next to Bruce.

“Using your fiancé against your children, Father?”, Damian asked as he walked out of his hiding spot.

“Hey. You and Dick used your girlfriends to try and get me”, Bruce stated. “So I say all is fair in love and war.”

“Raven is not my…”, Damian started as his face started turning red. But before he could finish, I suddenly heard screaming! I turned my head in the direction it was coming from, and saw a lot of people…being chased by a giant robot?!

“Run!”, Tim exclaimed. “It’s Alfred!”

With this, I landed next to Damian, and watched as the giant robot poured snow onto everyone. “Is that Alfred…in a robot mech?”

“It is”, Damian replied.

“And he’s using it…to help your dad win a snowball fight?”, I asked.

“He is”, Damian replied, and I smiled.

“Your family sure is something, Damian”, I said.

“They are”, Damian said, before letting a sigh. “Well, we weren’t able to get Father this year. But…at least there’s someone else I can get.”

“Which is…”, I started. But as soon as I turned to face Damian…I was suddenly hit in the face with a snowball!

“Bleh!”, I said, before wiping the snow off of my face. When I did…I saw Damian smirking at me with a snowball in his hand.

“Oh, so that’s how you want to play, Damian?”, I asked. Then…I used my magic to form a snowball, and threw it at him! Unfortunately, he dodged it easily.

“It’s going to take more than that to get me, Raven”, he said smugly. I then took a moment to think of another tactic, and when my eyes landed on Titus, I got an idea. 

“Titus!”, I said suddenly. “Got fetch, boy!”

With this, I threw another snowball at Damian. He dodged it…but was then immediately tackled to the grounds when Titus jumped straight into his chest.

Seeing this made me laugh my butt off. Then, I bent down next to Damian with a smirk on my face.

“Okay, okay. You win this round”, he said, before smirking. “Not.”

Before I could react, Damian grabbed my wrist, and pulled me into the snow next to him!

We both let out laughs. But then, I opened my eyes…and realized that I was face to face with Damian. And that our faces were really close to each other. 

I felt my face burning up, so I quickly turned onto my side so I wasn’t looking at Damian.

My heart was beating really fast. And…the fluttery feeling from before was back.

Chapter Text

Chapter 61 Fluttery Feeling
Raven’s POV

Starfire and I were packing up our things as we got ready to leave Wayne Manor. And, after debating with myself for a good few minutes, I spoke up. “Hey, Starfire. Can I ask you something?”

“Of course”, Starfire replied. “What is it?”

“Um…”, I started nervously. “When did you realize that you liked Dick? Like…romantically?”

When I asked this…Starfire suddenly stopped what she was doing. Then…she turned to face me with a smile on her face. “Why are you asking me that, Raven?”

“I…”, I started, unsure what to say. “I’ve read a lot of books that have the scene where a character realizes they have romantic feelings for someone.  And I wanted to know what it’s like in real life?”

“Is that so?”, Starfire asked, and I wasn’t sure if she believed my lie or not. Then, she paused for a moment as she seemed to think about something. “Raven, do you remember that I can instantly learn any language be kissing someone who can speak it?”

“I remember”, I replied. “I wish I had a power like that so I could read books in any language. But, why are you bringing it up?”

“Well, when I first met Dick, I kissed him so I could learn how to speak English”, Starfire replied. “On my home world, the act of mouth to mouth contact is simply to exchange knowledge. There’s nothing romantic about it. But, when I kissed Dick for the first time, I got a fluttery feeling in my chest.”

Hearing this took me by surprise. “You…got a fluttery feeling in your chest when you kissed Dick for the first time?”

“Yes”, Starfire replied. “And as we spent more time together and got to know each other more, I would get the same fluttery feeling in my chest again and again. It took me a while, but eventually…I realized that this feeling was because of my feelings for him.”

After Starfire told me this, I looked down as I thought about what this meant.

“Are you okay, Raven?”, Starfire asked in concern.

“I’ve…I’ve gotten a fluttery feeling in my chest too”, I admitted. “With…with Damian.”

After I said this, I looked back at Starfire; who know had a huge smile on her face.

“You’ve gotten a fluttery feeling in your chest with Damian?”, she asked excitedly, and I nodded. “Do you have feelings for him?”

“I…I don’t know”, I replied. “I mean…I like spending time with him. But…I don’t know if I like him in that way?”

“Hmm?”, Starfire said, as she seemed to think about something. Then, she suddenly smiled.“Raven, close your eyes.”

“Huh? Why?”, I asked.

“I have an idea that might help you figure out your feelings”, Starfire replied. “Now, close your eyes.”

I wasn’t sure what Starfire was trying to do. But, I closed my eyes anyway.

“Now, think about Damian”, Starfire instructed. “When you think about him, what do you feel?”

With this…I thought about Damian. I thought about how he seemed like a jerk on the outside, but was actually very kind once you got to know him.

I thought about how he liked art, loved animals, and became a vegetarian because of that.

I thought about how quiet he was. How he didn’t talk much. But, when I was with him…I didn’t feel the need to talk to him. Just reading a book next to him made me happy.

I thought how he didn’t smile much, but when he did…I always thought he looked cute. Seeing him smile always made me happy. In fact…it always made my chest feel warm.

And when I thought about all of this…I was suddenly hit with a realization…and I opened my eyes. 
“I…”, I started, my cheeks starting to feel warm. “I like him. I like Damian.”

I smiled when I said this. But then…that smile faded when what I said really hit me. “Crap! I like Damian!”

“Looks like you do”, Starfire said.

“Starfire, what do I do?!”, I asked, now panicking. Meanwhile, she just let out a giggle. “What’s so funny?!”

“This reminds me so much of when I realized my feelings for Dick”, she revealed. 

“Well, what did you do?!”, I asked.

“Honestly, I just kind of acted awkwardly around Dick for a while after that”, Starfire admitted. We ended up finally confessing our feelings to each other after an intense mission we were on while in Japan.”

After hearing this, I let out a frustrated sigh. Then, Starfire came up to me, and took my hands in her own.

“Don’t worry, Raven”, she reassured me. “Dick and I eventually managed to figure things out. So I’m sure you and Damian will to?”

Hearing this made me feel a little better, and I smiled. “Thanks, Starfire.”

Damian’s POV

Inside of Wayne Manor’s gym, I had just finished running on a treadmill with Titus running next to me. 

“Good job, boy”, I said, before kneeling down and patting his head. “I think both you and I have successfully worked off all of the Christmas food.”

“Good to see you two keeping fit”, Grayson said from where he was lifting weights. Then, after debating with myself for a few seconds, I decided to ask him something.

“Grayson, can you answer something for me?”, I asked.

“Depends. What do you want to know?”, Grayson asked.

“Have….”, I started, suddenly getting nervous. “Have you ever gotten a weird, fluttery feeling in your chest?”

When I asked this…Grayson suddenly paused what he was going…and looked at me with a smile on his face. “A fluttery feeling in your chest, you say?”

“Yes”, I replied, now confused. “Why are smiling at me like that?”

With this, Grayson put down the weight he was lifting, and walked up to me. “Tell me, Damian, whenever you’ve felt this ‘fluttery feeling’ in your chest, has it been because of one specific person?”

“M…maybe?”, I replied, as I felt my cheeks burning up slightly. “Why…why are you asking me that?”

“Because I’ve gotten a ‘fluttery feeling’ in my chest too”, Grayson replied. 

“You have?”, I asked.

“I have”, Grayson replied. “And the first time I ever got that ‘fluttery feeling’ in my chest was when I first met Starfire, and she kissed me to learn how to speak English.”

“T…that’s when you felt it for the first time?”, I asked.

“Yep. And since then, I’ve gotten that fluttery feeling in my chest many times throughout my relationship with Starfire”, Grayson replied. Then, he looked at me with a smirk on his face. “So, tell me, Damian, who’s the special person you’ve felt this ‘fluttery feeling’ for?”

I didn’t want to tell Grayson the truth, so I turned away from him as I felt my cheeks burn up even more. “No one.”

“It’s Raven, isn’t it?”, Dick asked, and I turned to look at him in shock.

“How did you…?”, I started, but was cut off by Grayson.

“You’re nicer to Raven than you are to even Jon”, he stated. “Well, nice for you, anyway.”

After Grayson said this, I turned away from him again in embarrassment. “So what?”

“So”, Grayson started. “Do you have a crush on Raven, Damian?”

“I…!”, I started, fully intending on saying ‘I do not!’ But instead…I looked down as I began to falter.

“I…”, I said. And then…I let out a sigh. “Is someone like me even capable of having feelings like that?”

“What do you mean ‘someone like you’, Damian?”, Grayson asked.

“My grandfather told me to never fall in love”, I revealed. “Because it would make me weak.”

After I said this, Grayson put his hand on his shoulder, and I looked up at him. “Your grandfather was wrong, Damian. Love doesn’t make you weak. Love makes you strong, because it gives you the strength to fight for and protect those who matter most to you.”

I looked at Grayson in shock when he said this. “So…you think I am capable of having that kind of feelings towards someone?”

“I do”, Grayson replied. Then…I looked down sadly.

“And…do you think someone could actually have those kind of feelings towards someone like me?”, I asked. Then…Grayson suddenly wrapped his arms around my neck, and started giving me a noogie!

“Of course!”, he replied. “You may be a jerk, Damian. But you’re a lovable jerk if you just let people in!”

“Let go of me!”, I demanded, before pulling myself out of Grayson’s hold. Then…I smiled at him. “Thanks, Grayson.”

“Anything for my little bro!”, he stated.

“But if you tell any of the other orphans about this, I will literally kill you”, I added.

“But if you kill me, who will you go to for love advice?”, Grayson asked.

“You think you can give me good love advice?”, I asked in amusement.

“Well, I managed to snag someone as amazing as Starfire. So I must know something?”, Grayson stated. “And speaking of Starfire, her and Raven are busy packing up. So I’d better go take a quick shower so I can drop them off. Later, lover boy!”

“Don’t call me that!”, I demanded, but Grayson had already left. Once he was gone, I let out a sigh, before looking at Titus. “You’re lucky that you’re an animal, boy. You don’t have to deal with complicated human emotions.”

Chapter Text

Chapter 62 New Year’s Eve Party
Damian’s POV

I was in my room, and I was working on a drawing of Raven. As I was drawing, I thought about the conversation I had with Grayson earlier. 

“So…you think I am capable of having that kind of feelings towards someone?”

“I do.”

“And…do you think someone could actually have those kind of feelings towards someone like me?”

“Of course! You may be a jerk, Damian, but you’re a lovable jerk if you just let people in!”

“Let people in, huh?”, I asked myself.

“Damian!”, I suddenly heard a familiar voice call out to me. I then quickly turned around to face the, while hiding my sketchbook behind my back.

“You really need to learn to knock before entering my room”, I stated. “And what are you doing here anyway?”

“To tell you about the New Year’s Eve party we’re holding!”, Jon replied excitedly.

“We’re holding a party?”, I asked. 

“That’s right!”, Jon replied. “And we’re having it right here at Wayne Manor!”

“You know I hate parties, Jon”, I reminded him.

“That’s why it’ll be a small party with just a few friends”, Jon revealed.

“Which will be?”, I asked.

“Skylar, Jenny and Raven”, Jon replied. “So, what do you say?”

Knowing that Jon was probably not going to drop this, I sighed in defeat. “I’ll have to ask my father if he’s okay with us having a party here?”

“Yay!”, Jon exclaimed, before wrapping his arms around me. “Thank you, bestest friend in the whole wide world!”

“Also”, I started. “If it’s okay with you, there’s actually one more person I would like to invite.”

Raven’s POV

I was lying on my bed in my apartment, and I was reading a romantic confession scene from one of my books. 

As I read it, I thought back to the conversation I had with Starfire earlier. 

“Don’t worry, Raven. Dick and I eventually managed to figure things out. So I’m sure you and Damian will too?”

“The question is how?”, I asked myself. Then…I suddenly got an alert for a text message on my phone. I picked it up…and my heart skipped a beat when I saw that Damian had messaged me.

“Calm down, Raven. It’s just a text message”, I told myself. Then, I opened up the message and read it.

Jon and I are holding a New Year’s Eve Party at the manor. You want to come?

Reading this took me by surprise, and I replied back.

A party? That doesn’t really sound like your kind of thing?

It isn’t. But when Jon insists on doing something, I can’t really talk him out of it.

But are you really okay with having a party? 

Thankfully, the only other people besides you that’s being invited are Skylar, Jenny and Mikey. So it should be tolerable?

I see. Well, I had nothing else planned for New Year’s Eve. So I’d be happy to come to your party.

See you on New Year’s Eve then.

See you on New Year’s Eve, Damian.

Once I was done messing Damain, I smiled as I held my phone close to my chest. Once again, I had a fluttery feeling in my chest.

But then, I suddenly remembered something else, so I called Starfire.

“Hey Raven. What’s up?”, she asked.

“Damian invited me to a party at the manor on New Year’s Eve”, I revealed.

“A party?”, Starfire asked. “That doesn’t really seem like the type of thing Damian is interested in?”

“It was Jon’s idea. Plus, all the other guests are going to be friends of Damian”, I revealed. “Anyway, I’m calling you because I don’t think I have anything suitable to wear to a party?”

“I see”, Starfire said. “Alright then! Tomorrow, let’s head over to the mall and find you an outfit to wear on New Year’s Eve!”

It was New Year’s Eve, and Dick was driving me to Wayne Manor.

“Thanks for dropping me off at Wayne Manor, Dick”, I said.

“Its not a problem, Raven”, Dick reassured me. “I was going to drop in to wish everyone a happy New Year’s Eve anyway.”

“I hope that you’ll enjoy the party, Raven”, Starfire said. 

“Thanks”, I said. “I hope you guys enjoy the party you’re going to as well?”

Not long after this, we arrived at Wayne Manor. We walked into the entryway, where Alfred was waiting for us. 

“Greetings, everyone”, he said. “Happy New Year’s Eve to you all.”

“Thanks, Alfred”, Dick said. “Happy New Year’s Eve too. Thanks for putting up with all of us for another year.”

“It has been my pleasure to ‘put up with you all’, Master Grayson”, Alfred said. “And I hope that I will be able to continue to do so for many more years to come.”

“So do we”, Dick said. “We honestly don’t know what we’d do without you, Alfred?”

“Hey there, Raven!”, a familiar voice suddenly called out to me. I then looked up, and saw Jon rushing up to me as Damian followed behind him. “Happy New Year’s Eve!”

“Happy New Year’s Eve, Jon”, I said. Then, I looked at Damian, and I could feel the rate of my heartbeat increase slightly. “Happy New Year’s Eve, Damian.”

“You too”, Damian said. Then, he paused as he looked at me. “You look…nice.”

“Thanks”, I said, as I felt my cheeks burn up slightly. “You too.”

“Well, you guys enjoy your party”, Dick said suddenly. “I’m going to find Bruce and wish him a happy new year. Then Starfire and I have our own party to get to. Happy New Year, you guys!”

“Happy New Year, you two!”, Jon greeted Dick and Starfire. 

Right after they left, the doorbell suddenly rang again. Alfred opened it, and two girls walked into the entryway.

“Greetings, Ms Skylar and Ms Jennifer”, he greeted. “Happy New Year’s Eve.”

“Happy New Year’s Eve, Alfred”, Skylar greeted.

“Hey guys”, Jenny greeted. “Thanks for inviting us to your party.”

“Thank you for coming!”, Jon said. Then, the last guest suddenly walked into the entryway.

“Wow”, he said as he looked around in awe. “Now this is awesome!”

“Mikey”, Damian greeted as he walked up to him.

“Hey there, Damian!”, he greeted. “Happy New Year’s Eve, man!”

“So you’re Mikey?”, Jon said excitedly. Then, he rushed up to him and held out his hand. “I’m Jon! I’m Damian’s bestest friend in the whole wide world!”

“Nice to meet you, Jon”, Mikey greeted as he shook his hand. Then, he turned to face Skylar and Jenny. “And who are these lovey ladies?”

“Nice to meet you. I’m Skylar, and this is Jenny”, she revealed. “We knew Damian back in elementary school.”

“Nice to meet you two”, Mikey greeted. “I’m Mikey. Damian and I used to attend the same art class together.”

When I saw all of these people Damian knew gathered in one place, it made me realize something.

Even though he claims to not like interacting with people, Damian actually has a few friends. Me on the other hand…

“Okay everyone!”, Jon said suddenly, snapping me out of my thoughts. “We’ve got about seven hours until midnight, so let’s end this year with a bang!”

Chapter Text

Chapter 63 My Best Moment
Damian’s POV

We spent hours eating snacks and playing different party games Jon had come up with (which I partook in reluctantly), and before I knew it, it was just an hour to go until midnight.

“Okay”, Jon started. “Since it’s about to end, what was everyone’s best moment from this year?”

“For me, it’s definitely when I won the Gotham Gallery Junior Art Contest”, Mikey replied. 

“I’ve heard about that contest”, Skylar replied. “Congratulations, Mikey!”

“Thanks”, Mikey said. “Plus, I also reconnected with Damian thanks to the contest. So that’s a bonus win.”

“What do you mean you ‘reconnected with Damian?’”, Jenny asked.

“Damian and I lost touch after he stopped going to the art classes we both used to attend”, Mikey revealed. “But, as fate would have it, we both ended up making it to the finals of the art contest.”

“That’s nice”, Skylar said. Then, she looked at me with a smile on my face. “Damian and I also ended up reconnecting this year; which I think was my best moment of the year?”

“It…was?”, I asked in shock.

“Of course it was!”, Skylar replied. “I was so sad after we lost after elementary school, Damian. So I’m really happy that we got to reconnect!”

Hearing this took me by surprise. But then, I smiled at Skylar. 

“Would you look at that?”, Jon asked as he nudged my shoulder. “For someone who avoids social interactions like the plague, you’re actually quite popular, Damian.”

“I was thinking the same thing earlier”, Raven revealed.

“Anyway”, I said, wanting to get everyone’s attention off of me. “Jon, since you’re the one who brought it up, what was your best moment of this year?”

“Oh that’s easy!”, Jon replied. “It’s when we published our first comic together!”

“You guys published a comic?”, Jenny asked. 

“It was for a ten-page comic contest”, Jon revealed. “It didn’t win, but getting to publish a comic of my own has been a dream of mine for years. And, Damian and I are even working on turning it into a full series!”

“Really? That sounds so cool!”, Skylar said. “When is it going to be published?”

“Rav…chel has finished writing out a basic plot outline for what will make up the first volume of the series”, I replied. “I will soon start drawing it, and our plan at the moment is to try and publish the first chapter by the end of January.”

“Sounds awesome”, Mikey said. “How are you going to publish it?”

“We’re going to publish it on its own website!”, Jon replied enthusiastically. “Damian has quite a few followers on his art socials, and I have socials focusing on comic books I can use to promote it as well! Plus, we can also ask Damian’s siblings to read the comic and spread the word about it as well!”

“Sounds like you guys have a plan?”, Mikey said. “Well, I like reading comics too, so send me the link when the first chapter is published.”

“Actually, Mikey”, I started. “When I finish drawing the first chapter, would you be okay with taking a look at it for me before we publish it?”

“You want me to beta read it for you?”, Mikey asked.

“Specifically, I’d like your feedback on the art and panel layout”, I revealed. “I looked at the comments on our entry for the contest, and a common criticism was that the panel layout was a bit confusing.”

“Wait”, Mikey started with a smile on his face. “Is the Damian Wayne asking me for art feedback?”

“Why does that seem to surprise you?”, I asked.

“Back when we were in art class together, I was always jealous of how naturally talented you were”, Mikey revealed.

“You were?”, I asked in shock.

“Sure was”, Mikey replied. “But, that jealousy actually pushed me to improve my art.”

“I didn’t know that”, I said, mostly to myself. “Well, you won the art gallery contest over me. That alone shows you’re better than me in some cases when it comes to art.”

“Then it looks like all of my hard work paid off!”, Mikey said. “Anyway, I’d be more than happy to give you feedback on your comic. You okay with that, Jon?”

“Definitely! Thanks a lot, Mikey!”, Jon said, before changing the subject. “Anyway, back to our topic. Damian, what was your best moment of this year?”

“My best moment of this year?”, I asked myself. Then, a specific moment came to mind, and I smiled. “I think it’s when Raven gifted me Titus?”

“Awwwww!”, Jon and Skylar said in union. Then, Jon put his hand on my shoulder.

“You really do have a heart”, he said.

“Speaking of Titus, where is he anyway?”, Skylar asked.

“I put him and my other animals in a sound proof room downstairs so the fireworks don’t bother them”, I replied.

“Speaking of fireworks”, Jon said as he looked at his phone. “Time flies when you’re having fun. It’s almost midnight!”

“Really? That was fast”, Mikey said. Then, Jon suddenly stood up.

“I know a great place where we can watch the fireworks from!”, he said. “Follow me, everyone!”

With this, Jon led us to my bedroom. Then, we opened a door that was at the back of the room; which led us to my balcony.

“Wow. This is a pretty big balcony”, Mikey pointed out. Then, I reached into my pocket, pulled out a pack of ear plugs, and held them out to everyone.

“So the fireworks don’t make our ears bleed”, I said.

“Good idea, Damian”, Raven said. Then, everyone took ear plugs from me and put them in.

“It’s almost time!”, Jon said excitedly. “Okay everyone! Say it with me now!”

With this, everyone (but me) started counting down. “Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one…happy new year!”

With this, an explosion of colorful fireworks exploded into the sky.

“Happy new year, everyone!”, Skylar said. “I hope that this year will be wonderful for everyone!”

“Thanks, Skylar. So do I”, Mikey said.

“Alright, everyone! let’s start off this new year in style!”, Jon said. He then rushed into my room, before rushing back onto the balcony with sparklers in hand. 

We were now outside on the ground, holding sparklers. Even some of the orphans who didn’t go out for New Year’s Eve joined us.

While Jon ran around with everyone else, Raven and I held sparklers while sitting on some nearby steps.

“Another year gone by, huh?”, she asked. “I hope this year will be a good one?”

“Hmm”, I said. Then, I realized something. “Raven, you were the only one who didn’t tell us what your best moment of this year…while, last year was.”

“My best moment of last year?”, Raven asked herself. Then, she looked at me, and for some reason…her cheeks started turning pink.

“You okay?”, I asked. “Your cheeks are turning pink.”

“I’m fine! It’s just cold”, Raven stated. “Anyway, I can’t really think of a specific moment from this…well, last year.”

“I see”, I said. Then, Raven went back to looking at her sparkler, and as I watched her…my cheeks burned up as I felt the fluttery feeling in my chest once again. I then thought about something, and smiled.

I’m not sure if it’s my best moment, but…I’m really happy that I met Raven this year.

Chapter Text

Chapter 64 Returning to Art Class
Damian’s POV

Because I didn’t want Raven, Skylar, Jenny or Mikey to go home late on New Year’s Eve, they stayed at the manor for the night.

On New Year’s day, we came downstairs to find that Alfred had made a big brunch for everyone. 

“Hey Damian”, Mikey suddenly said while we were at the dining table. “I’m not sure if you know this, but Mr Turner’s going to be holding his Winter workshop soon. The first class is next Thursday, and I think you should still be able to sign up for it if you go to Mr Turner’s website?”

“Are you going to be taking those art classes you and Mikey were talking about again?”, Jenny asked.

“I’ve…been thinking about it”, I replied.

“How come you stopped going to the classes anyway?”, Jenny asked.

“Because…our teacher asked us a question that I couldn’t answer”, I replied.

“Which was?”, Jenny asked, and it took me a moment to decide if I wanted to answer her or not.

“What is your purpose for creating art?”, I replied.

“Your purpose for creating art?”, Jenny asked.

“I didn’t have an answer for Mr Turner back then”, I revealed. “And, if I’m being honest, I’m still not sure if I have an answer now?”

“But even so, Damian didn’t give up on art”, Mikey added. “So, even if he hasn’t realized yet, I’m sure that he has a reason for why he continues to create art.”

For a moment, nobody said anything. Then, Raven suddenly spoke up. “Hey Damian, do you remember the drawing you made based on the drabble that got me the scholarship to Gotham Academy?”

When I thought back to this, it made me smile. “I remember. You then wrote another drabble based on one of my drawings.”

“Thinking back to it, that was actually the first time we talked to each other”, Raven said, and it made me come to a realization.

If I hadn’t drawn that picture…would Raven and I have started talking to each other?

After everyone had gone home, I went to my room, and searched up the website for Mr Turner’s class.

I went to the page about his Winter workshop, and while I was looking at it…I thought back to what I had discussed with everyone at brunch. Then…I took a deep breath, and clicked on the link to sign up for the class.

The day Mr Turner’s Winter Workshop had arrived. After school, Alfred dropped me off in front of the building his classroom was in.

“Enjoy your first day back at art class, Master Damian”, he said. 

“Thanks, Alfred”, I said. He then drove off, and I let out a sigh.

I usually didn’t get nervous. But, for some reason, I was nervous to start attending Mr Turner’s art class again.

“Hey Damian!”, a familiar voice called out to me. I then looked up, and saw Mikey.

“Mikey”, I greeted as he walked up to me. 

“So you decided to come to Mr Turner’s worship after all?”, he asked. “I’m glad.”

“Thank you for telling me about it”, I said.

“No problem”, Mikey replied. “Come on. Let’s head in together.”

With this, Mikey and I walked into the building. As we got closer to the classroom, I noticed that some paintings and drawings had been stuck up on the walls. 

“These are art some of Mr Turner’s students have done”, Mikey replied. Then, he pointed to a specific drawing. “This one’s mine.”

With this, I took a closer look at Mikey’s art piece. It was a landscape drawing of what looked like a downtown urban area. “The assignment was to create a landscape drawing of a place that’s important to us. So, I decided to draw my neighborhood.”

“You’ve improved a lot since we last took classes together”, I praised. “But…I see that your perspective still needs work.”

“I see you still have an eye than can easily spot technical flaws?”, Mikey pointed out. 

“Sorry”, I apologized, worried that I’d upset him.

“Don’t worry about it”, Mickey reassured me. “You’re actually a lot like Mr Turner in that regard. Anyway, let’s head in!”

With this, Mikey and I headed into the classroom. Some of the people I saw were people I had never seen before, while others were people I recognized from when I used to attend Mr Turner’s classes.

“Hey Mikey!”, when of them greeted him as he walked up to us. Then, he noticed me, and seemed surprised. “Damian Wayne, is that you? What are you doing here?”

“Damian and I reconnected a little while ago”, Mikey revealed. “I brought up Mr Turner’s Winter Workshop, and he decided to come.”

“Really? Well, it’s great to see you back here, Damian”, my classmate said. “Be warned though, Mr Turner is as brutal as ever.”

“If you can handle brutality, then you shouldn’t pursue a career in the arts”, a voice I recognized said. I them turned around, and was met with my old art teacher.

“Hey there, Mr Turner”, Mikey greeted him. “How was your Christmas break?”

“It was good. Thank you, Mr Simons”, Mr Turner said. Then, he turned to look at me. “Damian Wayne. Long time, no see.”

“Hello, Mr Turner”, I greeted him, suddenly feeling more nervous than I did before.

“I’m glad to see you in my art class again. I’m interested to see how your art skills have changed since then?”, Mr Turner said. Then, he walked to the front of the class, and cleared his throat. “Good afternoon, everyone. My name is Gian Turner, and I will be your teacher for this workshop.”

“Good afternoon, Mr Turner”, we all greeted him.

“During this three day workshop, you will be working on your foundational principles. At the end of each day, we will be having deep discussions about each of your work”, Mr Turner revealed. “Now then, for today’s class, we will be doing two sketching exercises. For the first exercise, you will be sketching flowers of your choosing. For the second exercise, you will all be sketching this sculpture right here. Does anyone have anything questions?”

“Mr Turner, will we be drawing in color or grayscale?”, someone asked.

“The flowers can be drawn in either color or grayscale”, Mr Turner replied. “But your sculpture sketches must be done in grayscale. Any other questions?”

Mr Turner waited for some to reply, but no one did. “Good. We’ll start with the flower drawings first. Begin.”

With this, everyone got out their sketchbooks and started drawing. Mikey and I sat down next to each other before getting out our sketchbooks.

I never really draw flowers. I wonder what kind I should draw?

After I had this thought, I suddenly remembered something Raven told me when we went to the rooftop garden for the first time. 

“Hey, check it out. Cosmos.”

“Do you like those flowers?”

“They’re my birth flower. As well as Marigolds.”

With this, I realized what kind of flowers I wanted to draw, and began sketching them.

“Times up!”, Mr Turner called out. “Now then, let’s take a look at everyone’s flower sketches. Mr Wayne, let’s start with yours.

With this, I turned my sketchbook around and showed it to Mr Turner.

“It looks like you decided to draw Cosmos and Marigolds”, he pointed out. “Why did you choose those two flowers.”

“My…classmate told me a little while ago that those are her birth flowers”, I replied. 

“And why did you draw them in grayscale?”, Mr Turner asked.

“I mostly draw in grayscale”, I replied.

“I see”, Mr Turner said. Then, he took another look at my sketch. “The flowers themselves look nice, but you just drew them on random spots of the page. There was thought behind composition at all.”

When I heard these words, I was surprised that I was slightly hurt by them. “Thank you for the feedback, Mr Turner.”

“Let’s look at yours next, Mr Simons”, Mr Turner said, and Mikey turned his sketchbook around so he could look at it. “I see that you decided to do a colored sketch of sunflowers in a field? Tell me why?”

“When I was a kid, I was feeling sad about something, and I remember my grandma showing me a sunflower”, Mikey revealed. “She told me ‘sunflowers always face towards the light. No matter how tough things get, I hope that you’ll always be able to face towards the light too.’”

“I see”, Mr Turner said, before taking another look at Mikey’s sketch. “You tried to draw he sunflowers somewhat in 2-point perspective. But your perspective still needs a lot of work, so it looks off. Also, you didn’t use enough depth to show that your sunflowers are in the foreground while the sun is supposed to be in the background. It looks like they’re right next to each other. In the future, maybe try drawing sun rays instead of an actual sun?”

“Got it! Thanks for the tips, Mr Turner!”, Mikey said. Mr Turner then went to review another student’s sketch, and I scooted closer to Mikey.

“Mr Turner’s critiques don’t seem to bother you that much?”, I pointed out.

“Of course I’m a little bummed out by the criticism”, Mikey replied. “But, it’s good to know what I need to work on improving!”

We had now finished our sculpture sketches, and were showing them to Mr Turner.

“Show me yours next, Mr Simons”, he said, and Mikey turned his sketchbook around. “Overall…it looks slanted, and the jawline appears bent. Your use of shadows also needs work.”

“Thank you for the feedback, Mr Turner”, Mikey said.

“Now let’s look at yours, Mr Wayne”, Mr Turner said, and I turned my sketchbook around. “Hmm…Overall, I’m not picking up any easily noticeable technical issues. But besides that…it’s a painfully average sculpture sketch with nothing else really to it.”

“I see. Thank you for the feedback, Mr Turner”, I said. Then, he walked to the front of the classroom.

“Alright, everyone. That is all for today. Some of you have shown great potential. However, there is also some of you that make me think you shouldn’t even bother showing up for the next two days of the workshop”, he said, which seemed to make some of the students nervous. “Tomorrow, we’ll be doing landscape oil paintings. Find or take pictures of an environment you would like to paint. It can be an interior or exterior environment, and keep in mind that it must be painted in at least two-point perspective.”

“So, what did you think of your first class in a few years?”, Mikey asked while we were walking out of the classroom.

“Mr Turner is just as blunt as he was a few years”, I replied. “But, I appreciate criticism more than I did back then.”

“Yeah”, Mikey agreed as we stepped outside the building. “Anyway, I’ve gotta head home before it gets dark. See you tomorrow, Damian!”

With this, Mikey waved to me as he ran off. Once he was gone, I began thinking about what had happened in class.

Mikey had always struggled a bit when it came to the technical side of art; which was something I used to silently mock him for. But, when Mr Turner asked me what my purpose for creating art was, it made me realize something.

What Mikey lacked in technical skill, he made up for in artistic vision. His art always had a deeper meaning to it, but mine didn’t. At least, it didn’t back when I was originally attending Mr Turner’s art classes. I wondered if that had changed since then?

Chapter Text

Chapter 65 Portraying Warmth
Damian’s POV 

“Hey there, Damian”, Mikey greeted me when I walked into Mr Turner’s class the next day. “You ready for today’s class?”

“Yes”, I replied, just as Mr Turner walked into the room.

“Good afternoon, everyone”, he greeted. 

“Good afternoon, Mr Turner”, the class greeted him. Then, he took a look around the classroom.

“I see some students from yesterday didn’t return today?”, he pointed out. “That’s good. I know that my criticism can be quite harsh, but in the professional art world, almost no one is going to hold back on their criticisms; no matter how harsh it may be. “If that is too much for you, then maybe a career as a professional artist is not for you. Now then, has everyone prepared their materials for today’s assignment?”

“Yes, Mr Turner”, the class replied.

“Good”, Mr Turner said. “In that case, you can all begin with your landscape oil paintings.”

A few hours had passed, and everyone was pretty much finished with their oil paintings.

“Time is up”, Mr Turner announced. “Please turn your easels around so I can look at your paintings.”

With this, everyone turned their easels around. Then, Mr Turner came up to me. 

“Let’s start with yours, Mr Wayne”, he said, before taking a closer look at my painting. “I see that you decided to paint the exterior of Wayne Manor?”

“I did”, I replied.

“Most of your painting in really dark, but there’s light coming from inside the house; which is showing through the windows. And I also see snow on the ground”, Mr Turner observed. “Tell me, Mr Wayne, why did you decide to paint this?”

“The outside world is a dark, cold place”, I stated. “But, the inside of of Wayne Manor…is always light, and warm.”

Mr Turner stayed silent for a moment when I said this. Then, he took another look at my painting. “Your painting somewhat conveys your idea. However, the windows the light is shining through are a bit too small to get that message across. Also, because the blue you used for the sky is so dark; I’m having a hard time telling where the manor ends and the sky begins.

An easy way to have fixed this would’ve been to add some tint to your blue paint so it was slightly lighter. Another thing you could’ve done is add snow on top of the manor’s roof so you could tell it apart from the sky. Overall, I find this piece disappointing, Mr Wayne. All it would’ve taken is some slight adjustments, and the quality of your painting would’ve been better.”

Once again, I was actually quite hurt by Mr Turner’s words, but I did my best to hide it. “Thank you for the feedback, Mr Turner.”

“Let’s have a look at your painting next, Mr Simons”, Mr Turner said, before taking a closer look at Mikey’s drawing. “You painted an interior of a family eating in their kitchen. Please explain to me why you painted this, Mr Simons?”

“Some of my most fond memories are of me eating with my family, and I wanted to represent that in this painting”, Mikey replied. Then, Mr Turner took a closer look at his painting.

“You used warm colors for your entire painting, but I think that instead, you should’ve perhaps gone over most of the painting with a darker color to create shadows; leaving the area where your family is eating at the dining table”, Mr Turner suggested. “Not only would this have made it clearer that your painting is set at night, the viewers eyes would’ve been more easily drawn to the family eating by the dining table; which would’ve helped make the message of your painting clearer.”

“That’s some really good feedback, Mr Turner. Thank you”, Mikey said. Then, Mr Turner went to give feedback to the other students.

“Alright everyone. That will be us for today. Good job with your oil paintings”, Mr Turner said. “Tomorrow will be the final day of the workshop; and you will be able to create a free piece.”

“What does that mean, Mr Turner?”, one of the students asked. 

“It means that you’ll be free to create whatever you’s like with whatever medium you’d like based on a theme”, Mr Turner replied. But while this made everyone else in the class excited, it filled me with dread. “However, I will only tell you what the theme is tomorrow right before you start.”

“What?!”, a student asked in dismay. “Mr Turner, why are you only telling us the theme right before we have to start?”

“Because I want to test your ability to come up with something within a time limit without being able to plan ahead of time”, Mr Turner replied. “I suggest that you all relax tonight. You’ll need your energy for tomorrow. Have a good evening, everyone.”

“How did you feel about today’s class, Damian?”, Mikey asked as we were walking out of the building. 

“I…”, I started, unsure how to word my answer. “I wish I had caught the flaws Mr Turner noticed myself. Then maybe I wouldn’t have been criticized as harshly?”

“It’s okay, Damian”, Mikey reassured me. “I’ve had plenty of moments where I didn’t notice obvious flaws in my art pieces before someone else pointed them out. But hey, at least we get to create a free piece tomorrow! I always have fun with those!”

“I’m glad you’re looking forward to doing a free piece tomorrow”, I said. “Because I’m not.”

“Huh? How come?”, Mikey asked in shock.

“Because…I actually find it easier when I’m told what to do”, I replied. “I’m…not good when it comes to deciding what I want to do myself.”

“Is that so?”, Mikey asked. Then, he seemed to think of something for a moment. “Well…whenever I’m having a hard time figuring out what I want to draw or paint, I just follow my heart and let it lead me.”

Mikey was trying to help me, but what he says actually made me feel worse. “You can do that because you what your heart wants. I…don’t.”

“Don’t what?”, Mikey asked.

“I don’t know what my heart wants”, I replied. “Honestly, sometimes I wonder if I even have a heart?”

For a moment, Mikey didn’t say anything. Then, he smiled…before wrapping his arm around my shoulder.

“What are you doing?”, I asked.

“Of course you have a heart, Damian!”, Mikey stated. Then, he pointed to my chest. “You just got to figure out what’s inside it?”

“And how I do that?”, I asked. 

“Well, if there’s one thing that can help you figure out your true feelings, it’s art”, Mikey replied, before pulling his arm off of my shoulder. “Anyway, I’ve gotta get going. I’ll see ya tomorrow, Damian!”

With this, Mikey ran off; leaving me to ponder his words.

Chapter Text

Chapter 66 What’s In My Heart?
Damian’s POV

Once I returned home, I went to the library. And when I did, I saw someone I expected to see there.

“Hey Damian”, she greeted me. 

I was feeling a bit down. But, when I saw Raven, it made me feel a bit better, and I smiled. “Raven.”

“How was art class?”, Raven asked as I walked up to her.

“You can see for yourself if you want to?”, I asked. I then held up my painting to her, and she grabbed onto it before taking a look while I sat down on the couch opposite of the one she was sitting on.

“You painted Wayne Manor”, she pointed out.

“Our assignment today was to paint landscape oil paintings”, I revealed.

“Well, I’m not an art expert or anything, but I think it looks good”, Raven said. “What did your art teacher say about it?”

“The point of the painting was to show that the outside world is dark and cold, while it’s light and warm inside of the manor”, I revealed. “But, as my art teacher pointed out, the windows the light is shining out of are a bit too small to properly convey that message. Plus, the sky is too dark, and blends into the manor so much that it makes it hard to see where one ends and the other begins.”

“Hmm…”, Raven said as she took another look my painting. “Yeah, I can kind of see that. But at least there’s one more day of the workshop. What are you doing in class tomorrow?”

“We get to create whatever we want with whatever medium we want based on a theme”, I replied. “However, our teacher will only give us the theme tomorrow right before we’re supposed to start.”

“I see”, Raven said. “But, getting to draw or paint whatever you want is fun, right?”

“Not for me”, I replied. “I actually prefer it when I’m told what to draw or paint.”

“Really? How come?”, Raven asked. And I thought back to what Mikey and I were talking about earlier.

“Back at the New Year’s Eve party, Mikey said that he was jealous of how naturally talented I was at art. But, over these last couple of days at the workshop…I’ve actually become jealous of him.”

“You have? Why?”, Raven asked.

“Mikey struggles when it comes to the technical aspects of art”, I revealed. “But, his art…always has meaning.”

“Meaning?”, Raven asked.

“Mikey’s art always has some kind of deeper message to it”, I replied. Then…I started thinking about my own art, and looked at the floor. “I don’t really struggle with the technical side of art. But…my art is shallow, with no deeper meaning to it.”

Raven stayed silent for a moment when I said this. Then, she said something that took me by surprise. “That’s not true, Damian. At least…I don’t think so?”

“What do you mean by that?”, I asked Raven as I looked up at her.

“Damian, do you remember that drabble I wrote based on that drawing you did?”, Raven asked.

“The one with the bird and the bat, right?”, I asked.

“Why did you draw that?”, Raven asked. Then, I thought back to when I had created the drawing of the bird and the bat.

“When I first started at Gotham Academy, when of my classmates told me that I’m really lucky to have Bruce Wayne for a father”, I revealed. “But…”

“But…what?”, Raven asked.

“I am very proud to be my father’s son. And…I feel safe when I’m with him”, I said. But then…I frowned. “But…I…I also wonder if I’m ever going to live up to his legacy? Not just as Bruce Wayne’s son, but as Batman’s latest Robin.”

Raven once again stayed silent for a moment when I said this. Then…she smiled. “So…you put those feelings into a drawing?”

When Raven said this, I was hit with a realization. “Yeah, I did.”

“Then your art does have a deeper meaning to it, Damian”, Raven said. But then, I looked back at the floor when I thought about something else.

“But…if my art does have deeper meanings to them…why have I been struggling to express that in my piece’s for Mr Turner’s workshop?”

“Hmm? Maybe it’s because you were trying so hard to create something your teacher would approve of?”, Raven suggested; which took me by surprise.

I’ve been trying to create something that Mr Turner would approve of? But…since when have I cared about what people think of my art?

“When I was trying to write my literature piece to win the Gotham Academy scholarship, I was struggling with it because I was trying really hard to write something I thought would be good enough to win”, Raven revealed. “But then, I talked to Starfire about it, and she told me to stop trying to hard and just write from my heart instead.”

“Write from your heart?”, I asked

“Once I did that, I was able to write my piece in no time”, Raven said. But then…I looked at the floor again.

“I’ve heard many artists say ‘create from the heart’”, I revealed. “But…I can’t do that. Because…I don’t know what’s in my heart? Sometimes…I wonder if I even gave one?”

For a moment after I said this, both Raven and I stayed quiet. But then…I suddenly felt someone sit next to me on the couch. I looked up, and saw Raven. “You do have a heart, Damian.”

When Raven said this…the fluttery feeling in my chest returned. “You…think so?”

“You do”, Raven replied. “I…also struggle with knowing what’s in my heart. But, writing helps me with figuring out my feelings. So maybe art can help you do the same?”

After Raven said this, I looked at her in shock. But then…I smiled.

“Thank you, Raven”, I said, and she smiled at me.

“You’re welcome, Damian”, she said, and the fluttery feeling in my chest grew.

Chapter Text

Chapter 67 A Blank Heart
Damian’s POV

I walked into Mr Turner’s classroom on the final day of the workshop.

“Hey there, Damian”, Mikey greeted as he walked up to me. Then, he held up a paper takeaway coffee cup and held it out me. “Here.”

“What’s this?”, I asked as I took the cup from Mikey.

“Hot chocolate. I remember that you ordered it when we were at the cafe. Figured you might need something to help you through today?”, Mikey replied. I then looked at the coffee cup on my hand, and smiled before looking back at Mikey. 

“Thank you, Mikey”, I said. “So, what medium are you going to be using for your final piece?”

“I’m using regular paint and spray paint”, Mikey replied. “What about you, Damian?”

“I just brought pencils”, I replied, right as Mr Turner walked into the classroom.

“Good afternoon, everyone”, he greeted.

“Good afternoon, Mr Turner”, the class greeted him.

“Today is the final day of the workshop. And now, I want you to take what you have learned over these past two days in a piece based on the theme I am about to give you”, Mr Turner revealed. 

“And the theme for your final piece will be…yourself.”

When Mr Turner revealed what the theme was…I started feeling nervous.

“Mr Turner, what do you mean by ‘yourself?’”, one of the students asked.

“I mean that I want you create a piece that you believe represents who you are as a person”, Mr Turner replied. “You’ll have six hours to complete it, and your time starts…now.”

With this, some of the students immediately got to work on their pieces. Some students on the other hand looked deep in thought as they thought about what to do for their final piece. 

I turned to look at Mikey to see what he was doing. He had headphones on and was already sitting in front of a canvas as he prepped his paint.

Seems like Mikey already knows what he wants to paint? But…what about me? What can I draw that represents myself?

For a moment, I thought about what I should draw? Then…I thought about what Raven said to me the day before.

“I’ve heard many artists say ‘create from the heart.’ But…I can’t do that. Because…I don’t know what’s in my heart? Sometimes…I wonder if I even have one?”

“You do have a heart, Damian.”

“You…think so?”

“I do. I…also struggle with knowing what’s in my heart. But, writing helps me with figuring out my feelings. So maybe art can help you do the same?”

When I thought about these words…I suddenly got an idea on what to draw. I then sat in front of my canvas, took out a pencil, took a deep breath…and began drawing on the blank canvas.

“Times up”, Mr Turner said six hours later. “Now then, let’s see how each of you chose to represent ‘yourselves.’ I’ll start some with Mr Simons’ piece.”

With this, Mr Turner walked up to Mikey, and took a close look at his painting. “Let’s see. You painted a child standing in front of a wall with graffiti that says ‘This is our home. You can’t throw us out.’ Tell me, Mr Simons, how does this painting represent ‘yourself?’”

“When I was a kid, this big company wanted to turn my downtown neighborhood into a mall”, Mikey revealed. “In order to protest it, someone went to a wall of a building that was going to be demolished and graffitied over it with the words ‘This is our home. You can’t throw us out.’ When I saw that graffiti, it made me realize that art can be used to stand up for what is right, and I wanted to do the same. That’s why I decided to become an artist. That’s why it represents ‘myself.’”

I was touched by Mikey’s words. He had such a deep meaning for creating art. Something I didn’t have.

“I see”, Mr Turner said, before taking another look at Mikey’s painting. “For starters, I’m impressed by that you decided to use both regular paint and spray paint in the same piece. Your wall has been painted very well, and I especially like the little details you added to make it look worn done and slightly broken. The graffiti; which is the main focus of your piece, looks very nice. However, I’m deducting points since you were copying pre-existing graffiti. Some of the anatomy of the person you painted is also a little off. But overall, I think this is a very good piece that represents ‘yourself’ well, Mr Simons.”

“Thank you Mr Turner”, Mikey said happily. He then turned to face me, and smiled.

“Now then, who’s next?”, Mr Turner said. And then, he proceeded to look at and critique the work of the rest of the students.

“Lastly, let’s look at Mr Wayne’s piece”, Mr Turner said when he was done with the other students. He then came up to me…and took a look at my drawing. “Let’s see. You drew…a grayscale drawing of yourself in front of a canvas. And…on the canvas…is a blank heart?”

“That’s correct”, I said. 

“Mr Wayne, how does this piece represent ‘yourself?’”, Mr Turner asked. I then took a deep breath, before speaking up. 

“Mr Turner, do you remember the last question you asked me before I quit your class?”, I asked.

“What is your purpose for creating art?”, Mr Turner replied.

“It’s been years, but…I still don’t have an answer to that question. And, that’s because…I have a hard time knowing what my true feelings are. I…don’t know how to ‘create from the heart’ because…I don’t know what’s in my heart.”

For a moment after I said this, Mr Turner stayed silent as he looked at my piece again. “Technically, this is a very good piece. However, I’m not sure if the message you’re trying to convey is all that clear?”

“I see”, I said, somewhat upset by these words. 

“However, This is probably the closest you’ve gotten with expressing your true feelings in one of the art pieces you have done for my class”, Mr Turner added. “If you keep up with this, then I have no doubt that you’ll be able to find your ‘purpose’ for creating art someday. And then, maybe you’ll even discover what your true feelings are? If there’s one way to figure out what is ‘in your heart’, it’s definitely through the process of creating art.”

Hearing Mr Turner say this took me by surprise. Then, he walked to the front of the classroom and started speaking again. “Well then, everyone. That concludes our workshop.“

With this, everyone cheered before Mr Turner spoke up again. “You all did quite well. However, many of you have a lot of things you can work on before you reach your full potential as artists. If my harsh criticism hasn’t scared you off yet, and you’d still like my advise on how you can improve your art, then you’re more than welcome to sign up for my full-time classes.”

When Mr Turner said that last part, he looked at right me; which took me by surprise. Then, Mikey came up to me, and wrapped his arm around my shoulder.

“Congrats, Damian! You survived Mr Turner’s workshop!”, he said.

“Thanks”, I said. 

“You know, I had a lot fun getting to take art classes with you again these past few days”, Mikey revealed.

“You did?”, I asked in shock. 

“Sure did”, Mikey replied. “And, I would love if it could become a full-time thing. So, what do you say?”

With this, I took a moment to think about what to do next. And, after thinking about Mr Turner’s words…I realized what I wanted to do. I then stood up, and walked up to him. “Mr Turner?”

“Yes, Mr Wayne?”, Mr Turner asked.

“I would like to sign up for the full-time classes again.”

Chapter Text

Chapter 68 Parents-Teacher Conference
Damian’s POV

I arrived at school the next morning. And when I got to the entrance, I found Raven waiting for me. “Morning, Damian.”

“Morning, Raven,” I greeted her. “You were waiting for me?”

“We have an assembly this morning,” Raven reminded me. “So, I was wondering if you wanted to head to the auditorium together?”

Raven asking me to go to the auditorium with her was a such a simple thing. And yet, it made me me really happy. But I made sure not to show how happy it made me. “Sure.”

“Then let’s get going,” Raven said. And then, the two of us headed to the auditorium together. 

Once we got there, we sat down next to each other while we waited for the assembly to start. A fe minutes later, Principal Black walked onto the stage. “Good morning, students. I hope that you all had a good first week back from Winter break?

Now then, the reason why I called this assembly is to announce that we will be holding our mid-year parents-teacher conference on Friday. Your homeroom teachers will give you pamphlets to give to your parents or guardians that will contain all of the information they will need. Please make sure to give it to them!”

After listening to this, I turned my head to look at Raven. When I did…I saw that she had a frown on her face. I wondered why she seemed up upset…and that’s when a thought crossed my mind.

Raven’s never mentioned her parents before. I wonder if she has anyway?

I really wanted to ask Raven about her parents, but we had agreed to not ask anymore questions about each other’s pasts, so I didn’t say anything.

The school day on Friday had come to an end, which meant it was time for the parent-teacher conference.

I walked to the entrance of the school, and found Raven by the entrance.

“Raven,” I greeted as I walked up to her.

“Hey, Damian,” she greeted me. “Is your dad here yet?”

“Not yet, but he should be soon,” I replied. Then, after thinking about it for a moment, I added “Are you staying here?”

“N…no,” Raven replied. “I’m heading home.”

For a moment, I went back in forth in my mind on if I wanted to ask Raven about her parents or not. But before I could make up my mind, two familiar men walked up to us.

“Good afternoon, Master Damian,” one of them greeted me, before turning his head to look at Raven “Good afternoon, Ms Roth.”

“Hey, Alfred,” Raven greeted him, before turning to my father. “Hello, Mr Wayne.”

“Hello, Raven,” Father greeted her, before looking at me. “So Damian, I don’t have to worry about your teacher telling me something negative, do I?”

“You can relax, Father,” I reassured him. “I have been doing well in all of my subjects, and have been following the rules.”

“Then I have nothing to worry about”, Father said. Then, he looked at Raven. “Raven, are you staying for the parent-teacher conference?”

“Well…um…no. I’m not,” Raven replied, and I noticed her tightening her grip on the straps of her backpack. “Anyway, I should get back home before it gets dark out.”

With this, Raven started rushing down the stairs as quickly as she could. However, she wasn’t looking where she was going, and she ended up bumping into another student!

“I’m so sor…”, Raven started. But, when she looked up at who she was talking to…her eyes widened in shock.

“Rachel?”, the student she was talking to said in shock.

Raven didn’t say anything thing as she continued to look at the person she had bumped into in shock. But then, an elderly couple came up to her, and they did not seem happy to see her.

“What are you doing here?”, the elderly lady asked.

“And why are you wearing a Gotham Academy school uniform?”, the elderly man added.

Raven seemed really nervous now. She kept opening and closing her mouth, but no words came out. I did know who these people were, but I could tell that they were making Raven uncomfortable.

Without even thinking, I rushed up to Raven, and grabbed onto her hand. 

“Damian?”, she asked as she looked up at me with a confusion look on her face.

“Let’s go, Raven,” I said. Then, I pulled her away from the student and elderly couple and up to my father. “Let’s go, Father. The parents-teacher conference will be starting soon, Father. We wouldn’t want to keep my teacher waiting.”

“Right. Let’s go,” my father said. Then, we both took one more look at the student and elderly couple, before turning away from them and walking into the school.

As I was walking down the halls of the school, I turned to look at Raven; who was clearly now really upset.

I hated seeing her like that, but I didn’t know what I could say to her.

“Alfred,” my father suddenly spoke up. “Why don’t you find the refreshments table they usually have and take Raven there? We’ll come find you once we’re done talking with Damian’s teacher.”

“Very well, Master Bruce,” Alfred said, before looking at Raven. “Come with me, Ms Roth.”

With this, Raven tried to follow Alfred. But then…we both came to the awkward realization that I was still holding onto her hand. 

Feeling my face burning up, I quickly let go of Raven’s hand as if it was on fire.

She opened her mouth to say something. But then, she let out a sigh, turned around, and walked off with Alfred.

I let out a sigh. Then, my father put his hand on my shoulder, so I turned my head up to look at him. “We can ask Raven who those people were later.”

I didn’t say anything else to my father, and just nodded instead.

“Come on,” he said. “Let’s go talk to your teacher.”

Raven’s POV

As soon as Alfred and I got to the refreshments table, I piled a bunch of snacks onto a plate and started scoffing them down.

“Nothing helps you feel better than food, doesn’t it Ms Roth?”, he asked. 

I gulped I had stuffed into my mouth down, before turning away from him as I wiped my mouth with my arm. “Sorry about that, Alfred.”

“There’s no need to apologize, Ms Roth,” Alfred reassured me, before holding out a napkin. “I can clearly tell that you seem distressed.”

I paused for a moment after Alfred said this, before speaking up again. “I…really should be heading home.”

“If you’re willing to wait a bit, I’d be more than happy to drive you home, Ms Roth,” Alfred suggested.

I didn’t want Damian and his family to see where I lived. But…I also knew Alfred well enough at this point to know that he wasn’t going to take me saying no to a lift as an answer. So, I came up with a compromise.

“Okay. Thank you very much, Alfred.”

“It’s my pleasure, Ms Roth.”

Chapter Text

Chapter 69 Bat Burger
Damian’s POV

After the parents-teacher conference, Alfred offered to drive Raven home. He was sitting in the front of the car with Father, while I was sitting with Raven at the back.

I kept glancing at her as she looked out of the window. I wanted to talk to her, but I couldn’t muster the courage to speak. Then, my father did. “Raven, who were those people we ran into earlier?”

I stared at Raven when Father asked her this, but she didn’t answer. “You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to.”

Raven still didn’t say anything. And just when I thought she wasn’t going to, she spoke up. “The…other student is Andrew; my cousin.”

“Your cousin?”, I asked in shock.

“Yes,” Raven replied. “And the elderly couple that was with him…are our grandparents.”

We all stayed silent when Raven said this. Then, she spoke up again. “My mom didn’t really talk about her past, so I don’t know much about what her relationship with her family was like. All I know is that, she didn’t get along with them. And, after she turned eighteen, she ran away from home.

When I first came to Gotham, I tracked down my grandparents and went to their house. But, when I told them who I was…they told me that they didn’t want anything to do with the child of their disgrace of a daughter.”

I didn’t know what to say after Raven said this. Then, I noticed Father and Alfred giving each other nods, before the former turned around to look at Raven. “Raven, would you be interested in joining us for patrol tonight?”

Raven seemed surprised when my father asked her that. Then, a small smile appeared on her face. “Sure.”

Since most of the orphans were busy, the only ones who joined us on patrol that night were Nightwing and Spoiler.

Said patrol ended up being quite uneventful; which at least meant that no one got seriously hurt.

“Good job, everyone!” Father said after we were done with patrol.

“Hey, Batman,”, Spoiler started. “I was wondering…why don’t we head to Bat Burger? It’s been a while since we last went there. Plus, I don’t think Raven’s ever been before?”

“I’m okay with that,” Father replied. “What about you, Nightwing and Robin?”

“I’m down,” Nightwing replied. “I’ve been wanting to show Raven Bat Burger.”

“Okay, I’m confused,” Raven said. “What’s Bat Burger?”

“You’ll see soon, Raven,” Father replied. “Let’s head back to the manor and change before heading to Bat Burger.”

Raven’s POV

After going back to Wayne Manor to change (Stephanie lent me an old outfit of hers) Damian and his family led me to a burger place called…Bat Burger. We walked inside…and I was met with workers dressed up as Batman and other people related to him.

“Wait a minute,” I started, before covering my mouth with my hand to hide the smile that was forming on my face. “Is this…a Batman themed fast food restaurant?”

“Sure is!” Stephanie replied. 

“Are you okay with this, Mr Wayne?”, I asked. 

“I didn’t really appreciate it when it first opened,” Mr Wayne replied. “But, I’ve come to be more accepting of it over time. Anyway, let’s order our food and find a place to sit down.”

“Do they have food you can eat here, Damian?” I asked.

“Don’t worry,” he reassured me. “There are plenty of vegetarian options here.”

Hanging out with Damian and some of his family at Bat Burger was fun. And…it actually cheered me up quite a bit after everyone that happened earlier.

“Um…Mr Wayne,” I said nervously as we all walked outside of the restaurant. “I…just wanted to say…thank you so much for inviting me to come with you all tonight.”

“You’re welcome, Raven,” Mr Wayne said.

“Hey Raven, do you want me to give you a ride home?” Dick asked.

“That’d be great. Thanks, Dick,” I said. 

“Raven,” Mr Wayne said as he walked up to me.

“Yes, Mr Wayne?”, I asked. 

“I’m not sure exactly what happened between you and your grandparents, but—” before Mr Wayne finished, he took me by surprise by putting his hand on my shoulder. “—they shouldn’t have rejected you because of what your mother did. No one should ever turn their back on a child in need; especially if they’re family.”

Hearing this really took me by surprise. And…I could feel myself getting emotional. But I didn’t want to show it in front of Damian and his family. “Thank you for saying that, Mr Wayne.”

“Well,” Mr Wayne said as he took his hand off of my shoulder. “I’ll let you and Dick go. Have a good weekend, Raven.”

“You too, Mr Wayne,” I greeted. Then, Damian walked up to me.

“I…ah…”, he said, before letting out a sigh. “I’ll…see you at school on Monday, Raven. That is, if I don’t see at our library this weekend?”

“You know me well,” I said. Then, I smiled. “See you later, Damian.”

Damian looked at me for a moment when I said this. Then, he smiled back at me; and the fluttery feeling in my chest returned. “See you later, Raven.”

With this, I rushed into Dick’s car before Damian could see my cheeks that were probably turning pink from embarrassment. Then, after he had been driving for a bit, Dick suddenly spoke up. “Bruce…told me what happened with your grandparents while we were getting changed at Wayne Manor.”

I frowned when Dick said this, before asking “Did you tell him anything else about my past?”

“He just asked me how much I knew about your past,” Dick replied. “I told him that I knew more, but that you’ll tell him yourself if you want to.”

I stayed silent for a moment after Dick said this, before asking another question. “Dick, if I…told Mr Wayne the whole truth about my past, how do you think he would react?”

“He’s accepted a ton of kids with messed up pasts,” Dick replied. “So I doubt you’d be any different?”

“I’m sure none of this kids pasts are as messed up as mine?” I stated. 

“You’d be surprised by how messed up some of our pasts are,” Dick stated, before adding. “Including Damian.”

“Damian?”, I asked in confusion.

“Damian…definitely didn’t have what you’d consider a healthy childhood,” Dick revealed. “Now, he’s doing what he can to break away from it and forge his own path in life. When you think about it, you two are actually very similar in that way.”

For a moment, I didn’t say anything as I thought about Dick’s words. “Dick, how do you think Damian would react if I told him the whole truth about my past?”

“It’s a bit harder to know how Damian would react since he doesn’t really open up about his true feelings,” Dick revealed; which made me kind of sad. “But like I said, you two actually had it kind of similar when it came to your upbringings. So that makes me think he would accept you if you told him the truth about your past?”

Dick and I didn’t say anything to each other after this, but what he said was on my mind.

Chapter Text

Chapter 70 Raven’s Grandparents
Damian’s POV

The next morning, I was eating breakfast with Father “Father?”

“Yes, Damian?”, he asked.

“I…just wanted to say…thank you for what you did yesterday for Raven,” I said.

“You’re welcome, Damian,” Father said. “Seeing her grandparents suddenly like that must’ve really upset her. So, I hope that she felt at least a little better after going out with us?”

“She seemed a bit better on patrol. So I think it worked?” I said. Then, I let out a sigh. “I…I just wish I had been able to say something to make her feel better. I wanted to, but I…just couldn’t think of the right words to say.”

“I know that finding the right words to say isn’t something you’re the best at, Damian,” Father pointed out. “So please don’t beat yourself up over it.”

Despite what Father said, I still felt bad about not being able to say something to Raven to make her feel better. But before I could dwell on it to long, Alfred suddenly walked up to us. “Master Bruce, you have visitors. It…is Ms Roth’s grandparents.”

“What?” I asked angrily. “What are they doing here?”

“Only one way to find out,” Father said, before starting up. “Damian, do you want to come with me?”

Alfred led me and Father to the guest lounge, where we found Raven’s grandparents waiting for us.

“Good afternoon,” Father greeted them with a fake smile plastered onto his face as he walked up to him.

“Good afternoon, Mr Wayne,” Raven’s grandfather greeted him. “We apologize for arriving at Wayne manor without any prior notice.”

“Why did you all come here, anyway?” I asked as I sat down on the couch opposite of Raven’s grandparents and crossed my arms. Unlike Father, I wasn’t going to pretend to be polite: especially to people who treated Raven terribly.

“We were wondering, how do you know our granddaughter Rachel?” her grandmother asked.

“As you saw yesterday, she also attends Gotham Academy,” Father revealed. “And, she is good friends with my son Damian.”

“Oh, how wonderful!” Raven’s grandmother said. “I’m so happy that our dear Rachel has made a friend at school!”

“Dear Rachel?” I asked, trying my best to hold in my anger. “Yesterday, she told us that, when she  came to you for the first time, you told her that you didn’t want anything to do with the child of your disgrace of a daughter.”

For a slight second, I saw a flicker of anger flash on the face of Raven’s grandfather. But he quickly replaced it with a look of concern. “Please try to see it from our point of view. Our daughter ran away from home when she was eighteen years old. And about seventeen years later, her teenage daughter suddenly shows up at our home? It was a lot for us to process.”

“What about your ex showing up at your house with a ten year old pair of twins?”, Father asked. “One of them looks just like her, and the other one looks just like you. That’s what happened when Damian and his twin sister Athanasia first came into my life. But no matter what their mother did, they were still my children. I wasn’t going to turn my back on them.”

“That’s…that’s different, Mr Wayne,” Raven’s grandfather defended. “You already had adopted quite a few children by then. So of course you weren’t going to turn your back on your own flesh and blood.”

“You already had a grandson when Rachel showed up at your house, correct?” Father asked. “How would you feel if the only family he had left turned him away?”

“We…” Raven’s grandfather said, trying to think of an excuse. “Okay, we admit. Maybe we should’ve reacted differently when Rachel first came to us.”

“But we realized our mistake yesterday when we saw her,” Raven’s grandmother stated. “And now, we would like to give her another chance and get to know her.”

One of the many things I had been trained to do since I was young was to tell when people were lying; which Raven’s grandparents definitely were. Father knew it to. And thankfully, so did she.

“Is that so?” a familiar voice suddenly asked. We then all snapped our heads in the direction of the voice, and saw Raven standing by the entrance of the lounge with her arms crossed.

“Raven?” I said in shock when I saw her.

“Rachel?” her grandmother asked in shock. Then, she quickly plastered a fake smile on her face as she stood up. “Rachel, we’re so glad you’re here! We were just telling Mr Wayne…”

“I heard everything,” Raven said as she walked up to her grandparents and turned to face them. “But tell me this, grandma and grandpa. Did you two really change your minds and now want a relationship with me? Or…did you figure out that I was friends with the son of the richest man in Gotham, and wanted to use me to get closer to him?”

Raven saying this wiped the smiles off of her grandparents faces, and I knew that she had clocked what their true motives were. 

“What? Don’t be ridiculous, dear” her grandmother said. “Your grandfather and I just want to get to know you, that’s all.”

“Really?”, Raven asked. “Because you didn’t seem happy to see me when we ran into each other yesterday.”

“We were just surprised to see you there, dear,” Raven’s grandmother stated as she tried walking closer to her.

“Well, I don’t believe you,” Raven said, stepping back from her grandmother. “You guys made it very clear that you wanted nothing to do with me the first time we met. So, unless you two can prove to me that you genuinely want me to be in your life now, then I don’t want you in mine.”

This seemed to make Raven’s grandfather angry, and he stood up and started walking towards her. “Now you listen here, young lady! That is no way to speak to your grandparents—”  Raven’s grandfather tried to get close to her, but before he could, I shot up from my seat and stood in front of her. —“Out of the way, boy! This is a family matter!”

“Please do not speak like that to my son, in my home,” Father commanded as he stood up and walked up to us.

“My apologies, Mr Wayne,” Ravens grandfather said. 

“Raven, are your grandparents making you uncomfortable?” Father asked.

“Of course we’re not!” Raven’s grandmother stated.

“Yes, they are,” Raven replied, and her grandparents were furious.

“You ungrateful little—,” Raven’s grandfather tried to grab onto her, but I grabbed onto his arm before he could. “Let go off me, you brat!”

“Do not try to touch Rachel like that again,” I demanded; calmly, but firmly.

“Why you…!” Raven’s grandfather said angrily.

“Damian, let him go,” Father commanded, and I did just that. Then, he looked at Raven’s grandparents. “I’m sorry, I’m going to have to ask you to please leave the manor.”

Raven’s grandparents were clearly not happy with this. But, they probably realized that there was nothing else they could do. So, after giving Raven one more look, they turned around, and walked away without saying another word.

As soon as they were gone, I turned to look at Raven. She was trying to hide it, but…I could tell that she wanted to cry.

“Raven, are you okay?” Father asked her in concern, and Raven stayed silent for a moment.

“I’m fine,” she replied, but I could tell she was lying. 

Father and Alfred gave each other looks. Then, the latter suggested “Ms Roth, If you’d like, I can prepare some breakfast for you?”

“You don’t have to do that for me, Alfred,” Raven said. Then, he walked up to her, and put his hand on her shoulder; which seemed to take her by surprise.

“I want to, Ms Roth,” he reassured her. She looked at Alfred in shock. But then…she smiled. “I’ll go prepare the breakfast. I’ll let you know when it is ready.”

With this, Alfred left. Father gave her one more look, before leaving as while; which meant that the two of us were now alone.

“I…ah…” I said, trying to think of something to say.

“Damian, be honest,” Raven instructed. “Do you think my grandparents were being genuine when they said they want to get to know me?”

When Raven asked me this, I let out a deep sigh. “Ever since I was young, I had been trained to tell when people are lying or not.”

“And, were my grandparents lying?”, Raven asked.

I knew my answer was probably going to hurt her. But…I didn’t want to lie to her either. “Yeah. They were.”

Raven turned away from me when I said this. She looked upset. But…she also looked like she expected my answer. “I see. Well, thanks for being honest with me, Damian.”

I wanted to say something to make Raven feel better. But just like the day before, I couldn’t think of anything.

“Anyway, I’m going to head to the kitchen and wait for the breakfast Alfred is making for me,” Raven said. “I’ll see you later, Damian.”

With this, Raven walked out of the lounge; leaving me alone, and frustrated with myself for not being able to say anything to make her feel better.

Chapter Text

Chapter 71 Sick Raven
Damian’s POV

The next Monday at school, I waited for Raven in an empty classroom during the lunch break. But…she never showed up.

Instead of going back to class after lunch, I took out my phone and called Raven. But…she didn’t pick up.

I was beginning to get worried. So, I decided to call someone else who may know why Raven wasn’t at school. “Damian? Aren’t you at school right now?”

“Raven didn’t show up to school today,” I revealed. “I was wondering if you knew why?”

“Starfire told me that she went to Raven’s apartment to give her a ride to school,” Grayson revealed. “But, when she got there, Raven was clearly under the weather, and she had a fever.”

“So Raven’s sick?” I asked. “Is anyone else with her at the moment?”

“I don’t think so?” Grayson replied. “Starfire wanted to stay with her, and she couldn’t get off work.”

After I realized that Raven was sick and by herself, I quickly made a decision. “Grayson, can you give me Raven’s address?”

“Why?”, Grayson asked, before seemingly realizing what I was going to do. “Wait, are you going to check up on her? Well look at you, Damian. Being all caring.”

“Yeah yeah,” I said. “Are you going to give me Raven’s address or not?”

The address Grayson gave me was in downtown Gotham, so it took me a while to get there from where Gotham Academy was in the uptown part of the city.

When I got to Raven’s apartment building, I could tell it was run down and had seen better days. I went to the floor and then the door with the number Grayson told me Raven lived in, and knocked on it. “Raven, it’s Damian. You in there?”

I didn’t get a reply from inside. So, I took out a bobby pin from my coat pocket, and used it to pick the lock.

When I got into Raven’s apartment, I saw that it was an extremely small, rectangular shaped room with a bed, a clothing rack, and a small desk with a small bookshelf on it. There was also a door which I assumed led to a bathroom.

I walked up to the bed, and found Raven lying on it. Despite the apartment being almost as cold as it was outside in the Winter weather, she was covered in sweat.

“Raven,” I said as I kneeled down besides her bed. Then, I put my hand on her shoulder, and gently nudged her. “Raven, it’s Damian.”

With this, Raven slowly opened her eyes. “Da…mian?”

“Grayson told me that you were sick and that you were alone,” I revealed. Then, I placed my hand on her forehead, and felt that it was burning up. “Seems like you have a really high fever?”

With this, I thought about what to do for a moment. Then, after getting an idea, I took out my phone, and called someone. “Master Damian? Why are you calling me while you’re at school? Is everything okay?”

“I’m not at school,” I admitted. “I’m at Raven’s apartment. She didn’t show up durning lunch break. So I called Grayson, and he let me know that she was sick and by herself.”

“So you went to Ms Roth’s apartment to see if she was okay?” Alfred asked. “That was very kind of you, Master Damian. I’m very proud of you.”

“Raven seems to have a very high fever,” I revealed. “And her apartment is almost as cold as it is outside.”

“Oh dear. That won’t help with her getting better,” Alfred pointed out. “Master Damian, please send me Ms Roth’s address. I’ll be there as quickly as I can.”

“Thank you, Alfred. See you soon,” I said. I then ended the call, before typing in Raven’s address to send to Alfred.

“Damian,” Raven said weakly.

“Alfred’s going to be here soon,” I said. Then, just as I had sent him Raven’s address, something happened.

Raven suddenly reached out to me…and wrapped her arms around my head. I froze up when she did this; unsure how to react. “Raven?”

Raven didn’t respond to me. Instead, she buried her head into my chest. And then…I could hear crying softly.

I didn’t know what else to do. So…I wrapped my arms around her, and held her close to me.

I’m not sure how long we stayed in this position. But, when I heard knocking on the door, I gently but quickly pushed Raven away from me and laid her back down on the bed. “Master Damian, it’s Alfred!”

“Give me a second, Alfred!” I called out to him. I then got up, and opened the front door. “Thank you for coming on such short notice.”

“Of course,” Alfred said, before walking into the apartment. “You were right, Master Damian. It almost feels like we’re outside in this apartment. Let’s get Ms Roth to Wayne Manor, where it is warmer.”

“Right,” I said. Then, I walked back up to Raven, before taking off my Winter coat, and putting it over Raven so she wouldn’t get cold when we took her outside. Then, I leaned down, and picked her up. “Let’s go.”

Raven’s POV

I opened my eyes, and found myself staring at a ceiling that definitely wasn’t the one of my apartment. I was also definitely in a bed that was bigger than the one I had there.

I slowly sat up in the bed before taking a look around, and I realized that I was in the same guest room I stayed in at Wayne Manor durning Christmas.

“How did I get here?” I asked myself. Then, I turned my head to the side…and spotted Damian sleeping in a chair besides my bed. 

“Damian?” I asked. Then, I reached out, and poked his cheek. He slowly opened his eyes before looking up, and seeing me.

“You’re awake,” he said, before sitting up straight. “How are you feeling?”

“Um…better, I guess?” I replied. “But…how did I get here?”

“You didn’t show up during lunch break. I tried calling you, but you didn’t answer. So, I called Grayson, who told me that you were sick and alone,” Damian revealed. “Grayson gave me your address, and I went to your apartment. You had a really high fever, weren’t that responsive, and your apartment was almost as cold as it was outside. So, I called Alfred, and we brought you here.”

“You…came to my apartment?” I asked in shock. “How’d you even get in?”

“I picked the lock,” Damian replied nonchalantly 

“Why doesn’t it surprise me that you know how to do that?” I asked. Then, I realized something else. “Wait a minute. Did you ditch school to come check up on me?”

“I did,” Damian replied. When he did, the fluttery feeling in my chest returned. Then, I smiled.

“Thanks, Damian,” I said. Then, the door to the room suddenly opened.

“Ah. You’re awake, Ms Roth,” Alfred said as he walked up to me with a tray in his hands. “How are you feeling?”

“Better than before, at least,” I replied, before Alfred put the tray down.

“Ms Roth, is it okay if I touch your forehead to check your temperature?” he asked.

“Oh, sure,” I said, kind of embarrassed. Then, Alfred put his hand on my forehead.

“Good. It seems that your fever has come down,” he said, before picking up the tray again. “Chicken noodle soup. The perfect thing to eat when you’re feeling unwell.”

I didn’t say anything as Alfred put the bowl of chicken noodle soup in front of me. Then, I started getting emotional, and tears started forming in my eyes.

“Ms Roth, is everything alright?” Alfred asked in concern.

“You, Damian, and Mr Wayne are always so nice to me. Why?” I asked. Then, Alfred grabbed onto my hand.

“Because we want to, Ms Roth. It’s as simple as that,” he replied. Then, he gave me a smile, before letting go of my hand. “Is there anyway else you would like, Ms Roth.”

For a moment, I was going to say that I was fine. But, Alfred’s kindness made me feel okay to ask for something else. “Actually, my throat is a bit sore.”

“Then I will go prepare some honey lemon tea. I’ll be back in a bit,” Alfred said. He then turned around to leave, but I stopped him.

“Alfred,” I said, and he turned around to face me. “Th…thank you so much for every that you’ve done for me. And, please make sure to say thank you to Mr Wayne as well.”

When I said this, Alfred smiled at me again. “I will make sure to let Master Bruce know, Ms Roth.”

With this, Alfred left. Then, I turned my head to face Damian. “Damian, thank you as well.”

“For what?”, Damian asked. 

“For checking up on me,” I replied. Then, Damian turned to look away from me.

“Next time…call me if you’re not going to come to school,” he instructed me.

Hearing this took me by surprise. But then, I smiled. “Roger that, Captain Damian!”

“Seriously?” he asked as he turned to look at me. But he had a smile on his face; causing the fluttery feeling in my chest to return once more.