Chapter Text
When Damian is ten, Jason finally returns to the compound.
Damian watches him talk with his mother: he's worked at improving his sneaking skills, and this time, Jason should not see him.
At least, as long as Damian does not get too close.
Though, irritatingly, that distance means that he cannot hear what they are saying.
Especially since they are talking quietly.
His mother is upset again, but so is Jason.
The only sentence he manages to hear is when Jason bristles, and his mother, almost shouts "-and I would leave how up to your discretion. I would never order you to-", whereupon Jason hunches his shoulders.
But he doesn't need to hear them to see his mother saying "Please." and Jason looking away, then down, then finally looking her in the eyes again before agreeing, saying quietly "'ana lak al'amr."
*****
Another fragment of conversation that Damian manages to sneak close enough to hear is Jason telling his mother that he will need to clean up in Gotham, before Damian can come there. It makes very little sense - the compound here is very clean, but Damian would hardly expect an American city to conform to the same standards. And besides, what reason would Jason have to clean a city? It seems a hopeless and foolish task, especially for one person alone.
But then the Demon's daughter -and it is she, by the slant of her shoulders, and the angle of her jaw- offers assistance from the League.
Jason hesitates when answering, but the Demon's daughter reassures him that for this, for Damian, his grandson, the Demon's Head would work with him.
And if the League is involved, then perhaps Damian has misunderstood an American idiom. So many of them are absurd.
But Jason bows his head -as is appropriate to respect the Demon's Head, and the Demon's Daughter- and says that he will owe Ra's one, but not without conditions. One what, Damian doesn't know.
Abruptly, her shoulders loosen, and she tips her head at Jason, and then turns towards Damian.
He scrambles away.
*****
Jason comes to talk to him again. His voice isn't as raspy this time, but it's the same conversation that they had the last time Jason was here, almost half a year ago: that if Damian ever feels unsafe, he should leave the situation, leave Gotham.
But the difference is, this time, that instead of calling Talia, who will be several hours away in Metropolis, he can call Jason.
Jason lives in Gotham, in the same city as Batman. And he is closer than Talia.
And like Talia, if Damian is in danger, he will stop at nothing to keep him safe. Even if that means killing those threatening him - which Damian will not be allowed to do, for as long as he is Batman's son.
But Jason adds that if they meet while in Gotham, they should not acknowledge that they know each other. Jason doesn't want them to know that he knows Talia, or that he knows Damian.
And he explains this by saying that if they do not know that Jason will defend Damian at any cost, even against Batman, then they will not expect it. And Jason will be more effective.
After all, the greatest weapon is one that their opponent does not know is there.