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Bruce was thankful it was a Saturday. Jason had allowed him to sleep in. Bruce had a rough night. Well, actually, it was his alter ego Matches Malone that had a rough night.
He had tried to draw out Nexus, but succeeded in drawing out a rival gang looking to take over Red Hoods territory instead. Matches and his few hired thugs were outnumbered. Red Robin and Spoiler showed up to help put an end to the brawl. Bruce still suffered a dislocated shoulder and required sutures for a split eyebrow.
He was headed downstairs for a late breakfast when he heard it. Deep and gravely. It sounded demonic. He was pretty sure it was a voice. It certainly didn’t sound like anyone he knew.
There it was again. What was that?
Bruce moved swiftly and silently toward the source of the sound. It was definitely someone or something speaking and it was mocking him.
“I’m Batman. Fear me.”
Bruce paused outside the library where the voice was coming from.
“Oh this is gold. Say ‘I’m Batman and I’m emotionally constipated’.”
“No. Don’t make him say that “
“I’m Batman. I motionally capated.”
Tim and Stephanie both burst into giggles and Jason, the unexpected source of the demonic voice, followed. Bruce stood in the doorway and watched them prompt Jason into saying more ‘funny’ phrases in his ‘Batman’ voice.
Bruce knew it was all in good fun. He knew that his voice modulation device made him sound… scary. Putting the fear into criminals was effective.
“Okay. Okay. Okay. Say… say ‘I’m Batman. I’m getting way to old for this sh-“
“Language!” Bruce called on impulse.
“Hi Dada. Hi Dada.”
“Oh hey, B.”
“Morning.”
“I’m sorry, B. He just started with the ‘I’m Batman’ voice and we just were having some fun.”
“I get it, Steph. Just watch the language.”
Jason stood at Bruce’s feet, tugged on his sore arm and stared up at him,”Dada,” Jason smiled when he got his attention, “I’m Batman,” he said in his demonic voice. He giggled and spun around in circles.
Bruce looked down at the ball of boundless energy that was his son and put on his serious face and lowered his voice, “No. I am Batman. Fear me,” he crouched down and reached out and tickled Jason. He squealed with delight and took off across the room. “I’m Batman and I like to tickle baby bellies,” Bruce exclaimed as he chased after Jason.
Bruce detoured at Steph and tickled the back of her neck. She batted him away with a laugh.
Bruce then playfully tackled Tim on the couch. “I’m Batman. I smother my children and eat them up. Nom. Nom. Nom.” Bruce laughed as he covered Tim and pretended to eat him.
Jason jumped on his back and put him in a rather impressive though ineffective choke hold, “I save you Tim!”
“It’s Jaybird! I’m saved!” Tim played along.
Soon the manor was filled with the sounds of laughter.
—
Damian POV
“Be gentle, Ahki. Remember? You need to pet Titus from front to back.”
“‘Kay.”
“There you go. Good job Ahki.”
“Good boy, Tissis. Good boy.”
Damian held the lead loosely in his hand. Titus was enjoying the affection afforded to him from his over eager little brother. He thought it would be a good idea to take a brief respite outside on the patio. There was a cool breeze to make the high summer sun more tolerable.
Titus yawned and rolled on to his back. Jason patted his belly and looked curiously at Titus’ nipples.
“Ahki! Tissis has boobies,” Jason said mischievously.
Titus cocked his head in Jason’s direction and whined as if he understood that comment.
“Titus is a mammal. All mammals possess nipples,” Damian explained. He pointed at Jason, “You are also a mammal and you have nipples.”
Jason chewed on his lower lip. “‘Kay.”
Jason continued to pet Titus as the dog's tail wagged. Suddenly Titus spotted something in the tree line. He stood to his full height and in the process knocked Jason off his feet. Damian was powerless to stop his baby brother from falling over.
Jason screamed. He screamed and that scared Titus who tried to run but Damian held onto his lead and then he was pulled forward tripping over Jason and then falling to the ground himself. And Jason was screaming and crying and he was holding his hand and two of fingers were pointing in directions they shouldn’t be pointing. And Damian broke his baby brother. Father is going to be so mad.
Fiona and Alfred made their way onto the patio. Damian could not comprehend what was being said because all he could focus on was his Ahk. He had broken him. He stepped on his hand and broke his fingers. He couldn’t stop it. Titus was strong and he broke his baby brother. He caused him pain. Why did he do that? He made him cry. How could he do that? He broke him. He broke him.
“Come now, Master Damian. We need to get to emergency straight away. Let’s go.”
Alfred smoothed the tears from his cheeks that he hadn’t realized he spilled. “It’s okay dear boy. It was an accident.”
“I broke him.” Damian whispered.
“It was an accident. Master Jason will be alright. But we need to get you both to emergency.”
Alfred pulled his hand from his chin. He hadn’t remembered Alfred giving him a dish towel to keep pressure on the cut under his chin. He hadn’t realized he had hurt himself.
“Young sir, I must insist we get moving. Miss Fiona cannot drive and I cannot in good conscience leave you here alone. So you must come with. Presently.”
Damian followed Alfred out the door and slid into the front passenger seat of the waiting car. Fiona sat with Jason in the back seat. Jason sat in his car seat crying.
Damian stared out the window as the world quickly passed him by. He was lost in his own thoughts when they arrived at the Gotham Medical Centre. Jason had been inconsolable the whole car ride and the sounds of his distress were too much for Damian to bear.
At the emergency department, Fiona took his baby brother and Alfred stayed with him. Alfred tried his best to explain to the nurse the events that led to their visit. He said he had witnessed the whole thing from the kitchen window, but if he did, Damian thought he would have mentioned that Damian broke his baby brother.
He could hear Jason just down the hall. His crying had grown subdued. Damian imagined that he probably had to be sedated. His baby brother was broken. He’d broken him. How could he ever face him again? How could father trust him to watch over Jason ever again? How could he trust himself?
Damian sat quietly contemplating his role in his family as he waited to get stitches. Alfred had stepped out to get an update on Jason and likely to call Father and appraise him of his failings.
When the plastic surgeon performed his sutures he refused the lidocaine numbing. Alfred assured the doctor that he could proceed with the sutures. Damian already felt numb. He broke his baby brother.
When he was finished and discharged, he walked sullenly toward Jason’s room. They ran into Father on the way. He hung his head low, refusing to meet his Father’s eyes.
“Damian? Are you okay?” His Father asked.
When Damian didn’t answer, he tilted Damian’s face to look at him. He eyed the bandage under his chin and thumbed it with an unearned gentleness.
Damian met his Father’s eyes and he felt the heat rise in his cheeks.He threw his arms around his Father’s neck and his Father lifted him into an embrace easily.
“I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry, Father. Please forgive me. I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean it. I didn’t mean to break him.”
Damian couldn’t see the look on his Father’s face. Obviously he knew he was questioning why Damian would dare break down like that in full view of everyone.
“He thinks he ‘broke’ Master Jason,” Alfred supplied.
Father placed Damian back on the floor and gripped him by the back of his neck. “You didn’t do anything wrong, Damian.”
“I broke him. I stepped on his fingers and -.”
“No. You didn’t,” Alfred interceded, “Master Jason broke his fingers when he tried to catch himself after Titus knocked him over.”
Damian looked at Alfred and knitted his brow. He shook his head and sputtered, “No. I stepped on him. I broke his little fingers. I can’t be trusted around him.”
Father shook his head and pulled Damian into another hug. “Yes, you can. You can be trusted around him. You didn’t hurt him. It was an accident. It wasn’t your fault. Come on, Jason wants to see you,” Father placed a hand at his back and pushed him in the direction of Jason’s room.
Jason looked so small on that large gurney. Almost as small as he was the early morning he was reborn. His brother wasn’t even two years old yet. He had already been through so much.
“Ahki!” Jason called for him. He was so undeserving of the sentimental term.
Father gave him a little push toward the bed. Jason was propped up among no less than half a dozen pillows. Jason wore a lazy smile and his pupils were blown wide, indicative of the potent pain medication flowing through the intravenous catheter attached to his left hand. His right hand was hidden under an ice pack, but Damian could see that his fingers were no longer bent at an awkward angle.
Damian stood at Jason’s bedside and placed a hand on the guardrail separating them.
“Ahki. I am sorry you were injured. It was my fault,” Damian hung his head and fell on his figurative sword.
Jason laughed feebly. “Fall, splat.” the comment sent Jason into hysterics.
“Damian sweetie, why are you blaming yourself?” Fiona questioned.
“I stepped on him,” Damian whispered.
Fiona sighed, “Oh my dear boy. You did no such thing.”
Damian spared a glance to Alfred. “As I tried to tell you.”
Damian blinked several times. He went over the series of events in his head. He was sure he stepped on Jason’s hand. He was sure that he broke his little fingers. He was sure that he had hurt him.
“His fingers were dislocated, but they’ve been properly reduced. We’ll be able to take him home in about an hour,” Father explained.
“‘Ome? We go ‘ome?” Jason asked.
“Not yet, Jaylad. Soon. You can sleep for a little bit if you want.”
“‘Kay.” Jason closed his eyes and thanks to the drugs in his system, fell right to sleep.
‘So I really didn’t break him?” Damian asked, his eyes never leaving his baby brother.
Father came to stand behind him and put a firm hand on his shoulder. “No. You didn’t break him.”
--
Bruce pulled up to the manor and parked by the front door. He could see the lights were on in the ballroom. Odd. Considering that he hadn’t held a gala since the last one. And he had no plans for another one anytime soon.
Bruce entered the manor to find it unusually quiet. Except he was pretty sure he heard Vivaldi coming from somewhere. He suspected the ballroom and headed off in that direction.
As he grew closer the violins grew louder.
She was wearing a floor length gown and a tiara. The skirt billowed out every time she spun him around. He was wearing a onesie and a bow tie. The smiles on their faces was well worth the intrusion of their time together.
Bruce watched Cass glided across the room with Jason secure in her arms. She moved silently and gracefully. Bruce thought maybe he should pull out his phone and record the moment but decided he would rather be in the moment.
The piece ended and a traditional waltz began to play. Bruce entered the ballroom and bowed to them and offered his hand. She graciously accepted and shifted Jason between them. Bruce led and Cass was a wondrous partner. They often danced together at galas in the past; the waltz was nothing for them. Dancing while trying to hold an infant between them was new though.
Jason squealed with joy as he danced with his father and sister. Bruce twirled and dipped and glided his way across the room. There was no need for words because their expressions revealed everything.
They were happy.