Chapter Text
“So, this whole time… You were in Nanda Parbat? Being the heir?” Jon said, confirming what he’s learned since they landed and got him settled.
“But why? You changed, you didn’t want this anymore-”
“Well, I changed again.” Damian said, cutting off all of Jon's questioning.
Jon’s expression fell, his gaze darkening, “So even you caved to the pull of power” His tone was low, a bit venomous with disappointment.
Damian looked a bit shocked, but then turned away, not explaining himself.
“And to think, at one point, we were…” Jon trailed off, biting his lip.
“Jonathan-” Damian almost reached out, but a shorter boy than even Damian was coming towards them, laughing as he rode on his skateboard. He seemed younger, having dark brown hair and blue eyes, and wearing proper safety gear, he… really stood out amongst the seriousness of the location with assassins galore.
“Woah, is this who I think it is?” The boy asked as he circled around on his board leisurely, grinning, “The superboy?”
“Ian, I told you to stay in the court yard.” Damian said to this boy, Ian.
“It’s so totally boring there, nothing to ramp on” Ian whined petulantly.
“You could try and sit still for a day, at the least” As Damian spoke, the 6’7 man who’d been quietly watching the whole time, grabbed the young teen by the scruff of his jacket, causing his board to roll off, crashing to a stop against a nearby curb.
“Ah! No, no, no!” Ian flailed hopelessly in the hold of the large man. “Haffid let me down you big brute!”
Damian watched the young boy struggle, as stoic as ever. Jon would almost laugh at the situation if he wasn’t so confused by everything that's been happening in such a short time.
“Call your dog down, Dami!” Ian screeched, trying to claw at the man's wrist now, to no avail.
“Haffid is not a dog, Ian, you know this. He is our brother.” Damian took slight pity on the younger boy, and motioned for him to be released. Ian pouted and crossed his arms when dropped.
“Who made you leader..” Ian muttered.
“Wait, wait, wait, hold on, brothers?!” Jon said, shocked. “Since when do you have two brothers?!”
“Three” Ian said, “Damian has three brothers. And I’m his favorite!” The boy declared, smug, but he soon lost that smug look when Haffid loomed over him. Without even being able to see the man's face, he radiated an intense aura, someone to not be tested.
“Then, who's the last one?” Jon asked, when a man nearly as tall as Haffid came in, he had long dark hair, tied back in a low pony, the soft waves of it looking like ink against his long green jacket.
“That would be me,” The man said, he looked older then Damian, but Jon had a feeling he somehow wasn’t, if Damian was the leader out of the four of them. “I am Ibn Al Xu’affach, but I permit you to call me Ibn.” He was even more proper then Damian, and seemed like someone who wouldn’t accept much rule pushing.
“Shoot… you found me” Ian said, a bit nervous.
“You are growing more clever by the day little brother, using Damian's orders for me to watch you against me, by distracting me with a simple request. But unfortunately, you still haven’t learned how to cover your tracks.” And so Ibn raised his hand, and Ian flinched- But Ibn held out an apple, freshly picked from a tree, to the younger boy. He took it sheepishly, and bit in, keeping quiet for a moment. Ibn broke his stoicism a little, softening for his brother, a weakness that is probably how the younger boy escaped in the first place.
Jon usually had enough on his hands with just one Damian, but now with four boys in front of him, he was going to be in over his head.