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“Tell me again, Todd, why you insisted on accompanying me on my walk?” Damian asked, as he switched Titus’s leash from one hand to the other, looping the end around his wrist.
He pointedly refused to look at Jason, instead keeping his attention on the path before them. Path was generous, Jason decided, this was more a trail made by the many rabbits and critters that frequented the land around the manor. Jason knew Damian and Titus walked it frequently enough they probably wouldn’t get lost. Maybe.
“Is spending time with my babiest of brothers not a good enough reason?” He asked.
“It would be if that were your aim.” Damian told him, “But I do not believe it is.”
“Dames I’m hurt, you don’t question Dick hanging out with you.”
“Richard’s only goal when ‘hanging out’ is bonding. The man rarely conceals a request behind pandering, he knows me better than that.”
Okay, so Jason deserved that. Damian was right, he shouldn’t try to hide a request behind the guise of bonding. No matter how well that worked with other siblings, Damian was a different person. He needed to switch things up, and be honest.
“All the more reason for me to hang out.” Jason told him, “Besides, why can’t this be both? Bonding time, and a request from your best big brother.”
Damian scoffed, “You are not my--” Damian broke off with a yelp, and started running forward.
Jason froze, blinking at him for a second before he realized it wasn’t Damian who’d started running but Titus. The dog was bolting after something he couldn’t see, and dragging Damian along for the ride.
He started off after them, yelling, “Let go of the leash, or he’ll pull your arm off!”
“No!” Damian managed, “I can’t--Titus heel!”
His words fell on deaf ears as the dog continued forward. Damian, for all his speed was still a kid and hadn’t hit the growth spurt he kept claiming was just days away--Jason was betting it’d hit him at in a couple years and he’d be all gangly limbs and awkward voice cracks-- and couldn’t keep running forever. He knew it was only a matter of time before the kid took a spill.
They ran, twisting and turning through trees and brush totally leaving the trail they’d been on to dive deep into the woods.
Jason picked up his own pace to close the gap between them. He was just within reaching distance of Damian when the kid tripped over a raised tree root and went tumbling. In an instant, Jason reached out and snatched his brother up by the waist, only to hear him yell again as his arm and body were yanked forward, the leash twisted tightly around it.
Jason swore, and slipped a knife from his boot before swinging it up, to slice cleanly through the leash. Titus continued forward in his mad dash, while Damian slumped back against Jason, his arm pressed to his chest.
“You okay?” Jason asked.
He leaned over and awkwardly put his knife back in his boot before returning his arm around Damian. The kid was practically boneless, and even crouched the way they were, he didn’t want Damian falling.
Damian nodded, but didn’t move from where they were crouched for a few long seconds. He shook slightly against Jason’s chest, as his adrenalin from the run faded. When he did move, it was to scoot forward to plop onto the ground, his wrist now cradled in one hand as he inspected it.
“Let me see.” Jason asked, holding his hand out.
“It’s just red and bruised. I’ll be fine.” Damian snapped, defensive.
Jason rolled his eyes, embarrassed or not, Jason wasn’t going to let Damian hide a possible injury that happened right in front of him.
“Right, and I’m the easter bunny, let me see.”
“Tt.” Damian reluctantly held his hand out for Jason to check.
He took it gingerly, and turned it over, pressing into irritating red skin, feeling for snaps or excess swelling before letting Damian have his hand back.
“You might be right, red and bruised for sure. Keep an eye on it and tell me if it gets worse, you could have pulled something.”
The boy shook his hand and scowled at it, but he looked otherwise fine, especially considering their mad dash through the woods. Jason leaned back on his hands and looked around him. There wasn’t anything familiar about the area they were in, which meant they must have either gone deeper into Wayne land than he’d been before, or they’d crossed into the city owned forest that butted up against Bruce’s.
Jason sighed. This is what he’d worried about. There was a stupid amount of forest out here to get lost in and there was no clear line between where B’s stopped and the city’s started, making it easy to end up closer to the highway than home. Or in some cases, just deep in nothing.
Being lost in the woods wasn’t anything new to Jason, even woods so close to home. He’d ended up lost during Robin training far too often as a kid, and once when he’d purposefully tried to run away. Stupid forest had spat him out right in the back yard, muddy and drenched after a spring rainstorm.
Still he wasn’t happy to have to deal with it again.
“Please tell me you know where we are?” he asked.
Damian shook his head, “I did not exactly have the time to memorize every twist and turn. Though, I would say we have left the manor grounds.”
“No duh, Sherlock.” Jason sighed, “Good thing we’ve all got computers in our pockets now eh?” he said, then pulled out his phone, “Let’s get the old map pulled up to see where we are.”
“Do that and I will see where Titus has run off to.” Damian said, standing.
Jason shot him a thumbs up while tapping out his password and added, “Don’t go too far, I’m sure Titus can find us easier than we’ll find each other if you get lost again.”
Damian nodded and moved off to search for his pet. The crunch of his footsteps was matched with his frequent calls after Titus.
Jason tuned it out as he opened his GPS app and started to try to get it to load. A blank, pale blue, screen stared up at him and he sighed. Checking his connection he found he had exactly zero bars, and about 40% battery.
“Of course.” he muttered and poked at the screen a couple times, just to try and get it to do something.
A few seconds went by and the battery ready 35%. Jason groaned and kept poking at the screen. The app had just given him a message that read Uh oh! Looks like we’re having trouble connecting when he heard Damian call out.
“Found him!”
His tone sounded frustrated, and Jason figured it was a sort of request for help. He stood, dusted off his pants, and moved in the direction of his little brother’s voice.
“Titus, let go!” Jason heard Damian command.
It sounded like he was in a battle of wills with his pet. When Jason turned and ducked around a larger tree, he found his suspicion to be right. His brother was in the middle of a round of tug of war with Titus, pulling at some scrap of cloth. Damian glanced up and caught sight of Jason.
“Help me with this, he won't’ let go.”
Before Jason could move, Titus tugged sharply enough, the fabric tore, and Damian fell back onto his bottom as the dog hurried off again.
“Titus!” Damian called, while scrambling to his feet and rushing off after him.
“Don’t keep running off!” Jason yelled after both of them, and resumed his own chase.
Again, they bolted through the woods, a trail of chaos and in Jason’s case, thinning patience. At last, the chase ended when Damian dove forward, tackling Titus and taking them both down.
“Get that fabric!” Damian snapped, flopped over his dog like a starfish.
Jason hurried over and this time Titus let him take the scrap of fabric. When Damian stood, Titus shook himself off, and sat down like nothing had happened.
“What is it?” Jason asked, unfolding the torn, rumpled, mess. It looked to be the remains of a kite of some kind, it’s color might have once been a sort of green, but it was muddied by dirt and at least one rainstorm.
“Why was he holding on to this?” Jason frowned.
Damian crossed his arms, “I lost it. Two weeks ago Father thought he would show me how to fly a kite. Titus got excited by the tail and would not stop chasing it until he’d snapped the line.”
Jason chuckled, “That’s actually pretty cute.”
“I have already spoken with Titus at length about kite destruction, but apparently he has an affinity for them.” Damian shot a look at the kite loving pet in question.
Jason snickered at that.
“What?” Damian asked.
He waved at Titus, “I bet you could train him to take out Kiteman.”
Damian’s stern look was replaced by one of surprise, then he snorted, “Indeed. He would make an excellent foe for that D-list villain.”
“Ouch, Dames. At least count him as a C.”
Titus woofed and stood to butt Damian’s leg. The boy reached down and rubbed him behind one ear, looking at him with fondness.
“I think he agrees with you.”
Jason nodded, “Of course he does, he’s a smart dog. Speaking of, how come he ran off the first time? He wouldn’t have grabbed the kite and ran right?”
Damian shook his head, “A raccoon had it. I believe it dropped the kite close to where we stopped last.”
“Well thanks to that raccoon and Titus’ love of flowy kites, I think we’re really lost now.” Jason sighed.
He checked his phone again and his face brightened, he had a single bar, “Let’s see if I can get this thing to pull up our location.”
This time the app actually started to load, pulling up a blank map that populated so slowly it was almost painful. Jason had to tap on the screen a couple times just to keep the display on so he was sure it wouldn’t stop loading.
“Well?” Damian demanded.
“It’s loading.”
“It has been loading for five minutes.”
Jason shot Damian a look. The kid had the patience of a toddler. It was his fault they were out in the middle of nowhere. Well, Titus’s, but Damian had instigated the walk. And the dog was his. So, his logic tracked.
“You have the patience of a toddler, give the phone a chance, there’s barely any signal here.”
“Tt. It is your phone that is at fault then.” Damian said, and pulled out his own phone.
Jason left him to figure out that a crappy signal was a crappy signal, no matter the phone. It was better than giving him a bop on the head for getting on Jason’s nerves. Really, kids . Had he been that impatient at 12?
He looked down to find the map of their immediate area having loaded, but the moment he tried to zoom out or move to figure out how far they were away from the manor the whole thing whited out and he got another lost signal message. They were doing this the hard way then.
“I don’t think we’re going to get any signal until we’re a bit closer to the house.” Jason told Damian, as the boy was shoving his phone into his own pocket with an irritated movement.
“Indeed.” he huffed.
Damian knelt by Titus, unhooked the cut leash from Titus’ collar and looked him in the eyes, “Titus, I will implore you once more to follow at a normal pace, and do not run off on any more adventures.”
While he attempted to convince his dog to be good, Jason rolled up the remains of the kite so they didn’t flop around and shoved it in his back pocket. Maybe carrying it with them would keep Titus close by. Then he turned to examine the trees and sighed.
“I guess we just try working backwards?” he suggested.
Damian didn’t seem to have a better idea, and soon they were off.
They walked for a while, with Titus sticking close by, and Damian quietly examining their surroundings. It was almost like their earlier walk, except of course, for the fact that they didn’t have a path to follow this time to take them back home.
Jason wasn’t sad their walk had been extended. He had honestly been enjoying it earlier, and hadn’t really been lying about wanting to spend time with Damian. He liked the kid, even with his sass and prickly nature. And sure, he did want to ask for his help with a case, but it was nice to just spend time together outside capes and cowls.
He’d been trying to do that more and more lately. See Dick, and Tim. Damian, Alfred, and all the others and just grab at some sense of normalcy. He was tired of fighting and anger and he’d been following Bruce’s rules long enough it felt like all the walls between him and everyone else were eroding and it was almost--safe to try and be normal again.
Normal was something Jason had wanted for a long time, but hadn’t quite ever been able to let himself have. Now? He was too tired to fight himself.
So when Damian had declared he was going to abandon the chaos that was the manor on a Saturday --packed full of people and noise-- Jason had sprung at his chance to join him for some peace and quiet.
“What were you going to ask me?” Damian asked, breaking the quiet between them.
“Oh?” Jason said, “I just need a hand on a case. I know you and Dick have been on a team up kick, but I need someone small to get through some vents.”
“So you would use me simply for that?” Damian asked, raising an eyebrow at him.
Jason shrugged, “It comes with the territory of being Robin. You’re the smallest of the bunch, and can do something none of the rest of us could.”
“Timothy is also small.” Damian pointed out, “As is Cassandra.”
“Sure, but it’s you I’m asking.” Jason said.
Damian’s eyes widened at that, like he’d been expecting Jason to make excuses for the others or tease him again about being a couple inches shorter than both his siblings. Jason could have done both those things-- Cass was busy, and Tim was likely to make excuses why he couldn’t drop a night with the Titans to help.
“I wasn’t kidding when I said I wanted to get to know you better. We’ve got some rocky history between us, but we also have a lot in common.” he grinned, then added, “Besides, you’re far easier to bribe than Tim is.”
His brother huffed, but a small smile tipped up the corners of his lips, “Drake is a bear to bribe. He wants the worst things.”
“Yup. You, you're easy. I can get you a new cat and you’ll be happy to do whatever I need. Plus it’ll surprise Bruce, and you know I’ll never miss an opportunity to pick on the old man.”
“I take offense at being known so well.” Damian told him, “But I will help you in exchange for a new cat. Alfred is in need of a companion. Preferably one from a shelter.”
Jason pumped a fist into the air, “Perfect. I’ve had my eye on one for a while that I know you’ll love, I’ve just been waiting for an excuse to pick her up.”
“Tt.” Damian turned back to look into the trees for a moment, “You are aware that you do not have to irritate Father to get his attention right? You have it the moment you walk into the same room as him.”
That, Jason had not been expecting. He had no idea what to do with that statement. He had not asked to be called out like that on a walk . Or be told--well it was hard to believe he held Bruce’s attention like that.
Or if he did, that it was for a good reason.
“You know, I didn’t come on this walk to be perceived either.” he told Damian, “Who knew you were so emotionally in tune with stuff.”
Damian shrugged, “I am simply not blind. It is a shame the rest of the family seems to be.”
“First of all, rude. Second, you might be Mr. Perceptive when it comes to the rest of us, but I doubt you're so wise you can look at yourself that way.”
His brother waved him off, “That is what I have Richard for.”
Jason actually stopped walking at that and blinked at him. Damian stilled too, raising an eyebrow. A joke. Damian had made a joke. He couldn’t have been serious --though to be honest Dick probably did help a lot.
He snorted, “I’m going to tell Dick you said that you know.”
“You will not.” Damian declared.
“Oh, I so am. The moment we’re back I’m going to find him and tell him all about how you actually listen when he’s spouting self care tips and reminding you you’re loved.”
Damian’s ears had turned red with embarrassment. Jason thought for a moment he’d retaliate, threaten some kind of similar statement to Bruce or something, but instead the kid turned on his heel and continued stomping through the forest.
Guilt rushed Jason, though he wasn’t sure what exactly had made Damian so upset. He’d been teasing, with no real intent on actually spilling the kid’s secrets.
“Dames! Hey, wait! I didn’t mean to upset you.” Jason called, chasing after him again.
Damian didn’t stop, and instead picked up his pace.
Jason caught up to him, and had to speed walk to stay beside him, “Come on, don’t be like that I was just kidding.”
“We should see if there is any phone service yet. I am eager to be home.” Damian said, ignoring Jason’s apology to retrieve his phone.
Jason sighed, and pulled his own out. He unlocked it, immediately got a message it was at 5% and then the screen blanked on him.
“Crap.” he said, “Phone’s dead.”
“Tt, typical.”
“Hey! We were doing good! Really, Squirt I didn't mean to tick you off.”
Damian glared at him at the nickname, “I have three bars. I am calling Father.”
He was so focused on his phone and Jason on their argument that neither noticed the sudden dip in the ground as dirt turned to water. Jason realized it the moment Damian stepped into nothing, his eyes going wide. He’d been moving so fast, he had no time to stop as he tumbled forward, arms spinning.
Jason reached out to try and catch Damian again, but his brother was already stumbling down a muddy hill. His foot caught something and he yelped, turning forward, his stumble changing into a fall, as he landed on his bottom and slid the rest of the way down the bank to splash into what had to be freezing cold creek water.
“Oof.” Jason winced, and hurried down the hill himself, at a more sedate pace.
Titus barreled past him, slipping and sliding down the hill to stop at Damian’s side, licking a face soaked from the splash. Damian grimaced, at the water or the addition of dog slobber Jason wasn’t sure.
Jason stopped a moment later to look down at his now drenched brother, “Need a hand?”
“Tt. I can--” Damian moved to push himself up, but both hands slipped in the muddy floor of the creek and he lost his grip with a wet sploosh.
“Perhaps I do.” He agreed, after a moment.
Jason reached out a hand that Damian took. The kid was surprisingly light as Jason lifted him from the mud churned water. When Damian was standing, and his hand free of Jason’s he attempted to wipe himself off, instead only succeeding in smearing mud down his pants.
“Ridiculous.” Damian muttered.
“So is stomping through the forest staring at your phone.” Jason pointed out.
“I was--” Damian stopped mid sentence, eyes going wide again, “My phone!”
He patted at his pockets and then looked down into the stream. Jason joined him, helping search for the missing device.
“Please tell me it’s waterproof?” he asked, shifting to search another section of mostly mud.
“Of course.” Damian sniffed, “It would be foolish to live in Gotham without one protected against times like this.”
Jason wasn’t sure how often phones fell in streams in Gotham, but he got Damian’s point. Melted ice from Freezes attacks was common enough that most phone companies sold a special “froze and soaked” insurance for Gothamites. And that wasn’t even counting all the other weird villains and their nonsense.
At last Damian seemed to locate his phone and plucked it from the creek. Jason could see water dripping off the bright blue Nightwing symbol of his case.
“So?” Jason asked.
“Even waterproof does not hold against a good crack against a rock apparently.” Damian frowned, turning the phone’s face to meet Jason. The glass was shattered out from where a pebble had embedded itself right where the home button would have been.
“Bad luck.” Jason whistled, “Now we really do have to find our way back on our own.”
“It seems so.” Damian agreed.
The incline they’d come down was steeper than Jason cared to climb back up, so he checked the rest of the creek bank and found a smoother one a little ways down. He waved at Damian.
“Come on, we can head back up that way. It’ll be easier on Titus and my knees.”
“Agreed.” Damian said.
It wasn’t until they were half back up the bank Jason realized Damian hadn’t added a witty or acerbic retort to his agreement. It wasn’t that concerning, but he did figure the kid hadn’t gotten over being mad at him so easily.
“So--” Jason started, turning once they’d reached the top.
He stopped, seeing Damian obviously shivering. That must have been the reason he’d kept quiet. He didn’t want Jason to hear his teeth chattering. He shrugged off his jacket and handed it over to the kid.
“Here, or you’ll freeze before we get home and Bruce will be mad at me for it.”
“Tt. It is not your fault.” Damian said, taking the jacket to tug on.
It dwarfed him adorably. It was huge in the shoulders, hung below his hips, and the arms were so long his hands disappeared in them.
“You need that growth spurt you keep talking about.” Jason grinned, “At least that’ll keep you warm.”
His brother huffed, but didn’t respond as he zipped the jacket closed. Jason gave him a once over to make sure the fall hadn’t hurt anything but his pride and nodded.
“Alright then, I guess we’re heading back in a general--that way direction?” he pointed in what he thought was the same way they’d been going.
“No, we should follow the creek. It runs behind the old stable.” Damian corrected, “We are a ways out since I have not seen this part before, but I am confident it will lead us back.”
“Great!” Jason cheered, “Finally some good news.”
He glanced at Titus, “You ready to go too?”
The dog whuffed at him and wagged his tail. Jason took it as a yes.
Jason hooked an arm around Damian’s shoulders, “Let’s head home, so you can get dry and I can get you that kitten I’ve promised you.”
He tugged his brother forward and Damian hissed. Jason froze, stepped away from Damian and looked him over again, frowning. The boy straightened, squaring his shoulders.
“I am fine.”
“You are not.” Jason told him, “Ankle? Or foot?”
Damian moved to step forward and stumbled.
“Ankle then.” Jason sighed, this day.
He turned around and knelt, “Up.” he said.
“What?” Damian asked.
“Hop up. You’re not walking back on a hurt ankle. Not if you want to be able to patrol in a day or so.”
That cut out any arguments from Damian. It was easy to get the kid to do something if it meant protecting his ability to go out and fight crime. Jason could hear him shuffle forward a moment before Damian climbed up onto his back, legs wrapped around Jason’s stomach, arms looped over his neck.
“There we go.” Jason said, hooking his arms under Damian’s legs just to make sure he was settled.
He stood, again marveling at how light his brother was. He really was small. They’d all been as Robin, but Jason hadn’t really had the opportunity to carry many Robins. For all his fierceness, Damian was still just a kid.
“This way then?” Jason asked, angling himself in the direction of the creek Damian had pointed up earlier.
“Yes.” His brother said, resting his head on his shoulder.
Jason nodded, and headed off in the direction of the house. Titus trotted close by, glancing up at Damian every so often.
“I am fine.” the boy said, addressing his dog.
“Now that you’ve got your weight off your foot you will be.” Jason added.
“Tt.”
Jason chuckled.
They continued for a while before Jason spoke back up, “You know earlier I was just teasing right? I won’t embarrass you like that.”
“I know.” Damian said, breath warm against Jason’s neck, “Richard rarely teases like that. And Timothy--” he shrugged, “It was simply different.”
“Alright, Amelia Bedelia, I guess I’ll go easy on you this time.” Jason said, then reached out to ruffle Damian’s hair, “But you need to get used to some proper big brother shenanigans if we’re going to team up.”
Damian wrinkled his nose, “Who is Amelia Bedelia?”
Jason chuckled, “I’ll introduce you to her books later, though you might be mad at me for the comparison.”
“I am sure I will be.” Damian told him, “Todd?”
“Hmm?” Jason asked, stepping over a raised root, careful that he didn’t trip over it.
The root was kind of familiar, maybe it was the same they’d stumbled over earlier? Or he was just making things up in hope that they were almost home.
“You know I was serious earlier as well? Father cares about you, just allow him to.”
“Says the boy who has to be tricked into being cared about.”
“It is a family trait apparently.”
“Family eh?”
Damian huffed, and released one of his hands to shove Jason’s arm, it was a bit awkward, but it was playful rather than irritated.
“I will not repeat myself.” Damian told him.
“Don’t worry, your soft side is safe with me, and Dick, and Bruce, whoever is lucky enough to catch you when you’re sleepy, and probably Cass--actually I think Tim’s the only one you haven’t shown it to yet.” Jason teased.
“Todd.” Damian warned.
Jason grinned. Next to him Titus barked, and ran forward.
“Titus!” Damian called.
Jason pushed forward, noticing the same thing Titus had, that the trees were breaking up.
“I think we're there.”
As he said it, they stepped out of the tree line and could see the barn Damian had mentioned, and even the manor up ahead. Titus had stopped by Bruce. He, Dick, and Tim were in the yard, equipped with flashlights, and looking decidedly relieved at the sight of Damian and Jason’s arrival.
“Father!” Damian called.
“Hey.” Jason said, “You guys on the way to save us?”
“We were.” Dick answered.
“You both have been gone for hours, we thought--” Tim stopped, “What happened to Damian?”
“We had a run in with a creek. And a raccoon, and well a couple things. It was quite the adventure.” Jason said.
Bruce chuckled, “Well let’s get you inside and dry, and you can tell us all about it.”
“We’d be happy to.” Jason said.