Chapter Text
Damian didn't like his new school, well he didn't like school at all, it was useless, he was already taught these things as a child. He was probably smarter than the average highschooler and if he had to guess his family only ever really placed Damian in school was in hopes he'd socialize and make friends. Yet this school was different. He was recently pulled out of his old school, Gotham Academy, due to a misunderstanding involving some fights he got in, really if you had to ask Damian thought those kids deserved the beating, they would taunt and bully other students and when Damian saw them kicking a kitten he just couldn't hold back. Of course no one even bothered to ask why he even began the fight. So now here he was in a new private school, Eldridge Academy, the name sounded like something out of a book and made no sense to him.
The students in the school were weird, normally you'd see children roaming the halls laughing, and talking amongst one another, however everyone here seemed almost robotic Damian would've loved this in the past it would've saved him so much trouble, but the way they would stare and remain silent almost unnerved him. It was like they were all in on some big joke and Damian wasn't. Grayson's worthless attempts at getting him to make friends wouldn't work here at all. He didn't think it was even possible to make friends here.
Damian was interrupted from his thoughts when the car abruptly stopped. "We're here Master Damian." Alfred in the front seat rolls down the window between them and Damian only nods in response, he had already tried to bride Pennyworth into letting him skip yet his attempts were futile against the old man. He snatched his bag from the side of the car and hoped out before Alfred had the chance to get up and open the door for him. Seriously, did everyone around him think he was so useless?
He got out of the black car and put his backpack on, looking at the tall castle like school. He would've even complimented it if it wasn't for the poor paint job and infection of plants, this place was a wreck.
"Goodbye Pennyworth."
"Have a nice day at school sir"
Although his first day of school was yesterday, today didn't feel any different, he barely knew his way around the building and the only person he talked to was his guide and talk is a strong word he merely nodded at everything she said and she didn't exactly say a lot.
While walking down the halls he watched on intently observing the other students in the hall. They all wore the same black and red uniform with not much diversity, making Damian suddenly very self aware of his green hoodie tied around his waist, and as much as he wanted to take it off and stuff it in his bag he was curious. Would anyone tell him off for the hoodie? Maybe a dress code was why the students wore such strict wear. He didn't want to be a bother and cause problems like he did at his old school but this was completely different, he had to know. Why? Maybe it was just stupid child curiousity getting the best of him and well that's because Damian was utterly convinced something was entirely wrong with this school and he wanted to find out what.
Of course no one really took him seriously about it, when he returned home from school yesterday he told Alfred all about how suspicious the school is, but the Butler only nodded in fake recognition of what Damian was saying, he felt like a child. He was a child.
Once again he was interrupted from his thoughts when he heard a small voice behind him, "Excuse me, you're new here right? I haven't seen you before" Damian turned around and found himself face to face with a boy not much older than he was. He wore the same uniform as the rest of the kids and his dirty blonde hair was combed back neatly and tight, he could pass for a college student if he wasn't so short. Damian nodded, not actually giving a response and the boy sheepishly scratched the back of his neck uncomfortable with the lack of response.
"Well um I'm Gavin I noticed you in a few of my classes and you seem pretty cool so I was wondering—" Oh so that's why he was talking to him, at first Damian assumed he was going to ask for help with work or something many kids at his old school only ever talked to him for useless stuff like that. Before he answered the boy he noticed a small fickle of red on his very clean (or not so clean) white shirt.
"Do you paint?"
Gavin looked a little caught off guard with the question. "Huh? No, why?"
"You have red paint on your dress shirt" Damian replied bluntly pointing to the stain. Gavin, having noticed it now as well, awkwardly flinched away and fixed his tie so it would cover the stain.
"Oh.. sorry it must've been from my pen, I was doing a lot of work yesterday."
Of course Damian already knew he was lying, no one would look that guilty over a silly ink splash. However he decided to play along for now, he had a few clues on what the red stain was but he can't know for sure.. yet.
"Ah I see, and yes if you would like we can become acquainted with one another." Take that Grayson, Damian smirked to himself, he can make friends.
"Cool! What class do you have next we can compare schedul—"
"Boys, classes start in five minutes. I suggest you finish this conversation now and get to class immediately" Gavin perked up fixing his posture and nodded at the lady. Damian hasn't seen her before yet, she had a tight black bun and her clothing looked like something Father would wear to a gala, the sound of her heels clicking on the ground as she walked towards them made Damian want to pull his ears off.
Gavin looked towards Damian not exactly saying anything but from the look Damian could tell he was trying to say, "See you later" or "We'll continue this later." And he watched as the boy waved secretly to him before trudging down the long hall towards the stairs. Damian, having not moved or acknowledging the lady yet heard a cough behind him.
"Ahem, young man please put away that jacket, you are to not wear anything like that on school grounds." Her voice made her sound even older than she looked, scratchy and rasp, like she needed to drink water.
Ah so the school did have a dress code, figures. Though Damian didn't have the patience to cooperate with such foolish rules, he nodded, "Yes Miss." The lady smiled at the formality and it was like her personality did a 180.
"Damian right? I heard you just started yesterday, you'll fit right in here at Eldridge Academy."
Then she promptly patted the tip of his head with her wrinkly old hand and walked away, the clicking of her heels getting quieter and quieter.
Damian squinted in disgust as she walked away then went to his first class praying the day goes by faster than it did yesterday.
The rest of Damians day was surprisingly easy in spite of his rough, messy morning. He still had quite a bit to go but it was finally lunch so he considered it a win. Stopping at his locker to put away his book bag Damian notices Gavin walking towards him abandoning a group of kids he had been walking down the corridor with. The kids looked very much like the rich teens you'd see on TV, snotty and egotistical, why Gavin would ever want to hang out with people like that Damian would never know.
"Hey– oh sorry I never got your name" Gavin blushed in embarrassment sheepishly scratching the back of his neck once again, must've been a bad habit of his.
Damian slammed his locker shut, startling Gavin who flinched in response, "It's Damian."
"Oh cool cool.. so you have lunch now?"
"Yes, I do."
Gavin nodded aggressively and Damian could easily tell he was struggling to ask if they could go together. In all honesty Damian didn't mind it, normally he would say no as he tended to enjoy his alone time during lunch but Gavin would be a good excuse when Grayson asks if he made any new friends and he won't be disappointed when Damian finally says he has instead of replying with none.
Damian sighed realizing Gavin was still terribly anxious around him, "We can go to lunch together if you'd like." Now that got the blonde smiling. "Okay sounds good!"
The two started towards the school's cafeteria, keeping the calming silence between them as they walked. While walking however Damian continued to observe the school, he was just starting to notice how truly old the place was he could see the chipped white paint on the walls and the dust covering some lookers head to toe, it was like this school wasn't inhabited at all which was far from true.
This only increased Damians curiosity about the strange school. At first he would have assumed it was his childish imagination taking over, but the more he thought about it this school was more than weird, it actually started to creep him out but he'd never admit that.
Gavin and Damian finally took their seats in the cafeteria and started eating. To Damian it was way too quiet in there for a gigantic room filled with kids and teens. "So Damian, did you come to this school cause you wanted to? I haven't really ever meant a kid who has." Gavin was implying he didn't come to this school willingly? This confused Damian, Gavin didn't seem like the type of kid to start trouble nor get sent to a school like this for behavioural issues.
"No I didn't if you must know I was sent here by my family." That wasn't quite a lie he really was sent here by his family, he just decided to keep out the fact he was sent here because of 'issues' he had with his previous school.
"Oh..you too huh? I wouldn't ever come here willingly either but my family treats it like it's a prestigious tradition."
"Tradition?" Damian questioned.
Gavin shrugged, "Yeah my father and his father attended this school, my mom too she even meant my dad here, a lot of the kids in this town parents have the same tradition."
Damian thought for a second, this was rather interesting and if he wanted to learn more he might just have to play into his white lie a little more. "Yes well I guess my family is the same to an extent, my father cares far too much for traditions." Now this was true, Bruce did care quite a lot for tradition, just not the average family tradition.
"So.. um if you're like me .. then you know about-" Gavin's sentence was cut short by the loud ringing of the lunch bell.
What he was going to say after that Damian never found out because they were both rushed out of the cafeteria to their last classes.
-
While in his 6th period Damian had time to think about the conversation he had with Gavin during lunch. What was Damian supposed to know about? Did Gavin assume something about Damians arrival at this school?
He really shouldn't be wasting his time worrying about some old broken down school, even if his childish thoughts told him he should.
But as foolish as it sounded maybe he should go to the library after this class to see if there's any books on the school's history, with a place this old there had to be at least something or he could at best go on the computers to look up the school although that might be unwise. If the school didn't want anyone to find anything out about it he was sure they'd take precautions or would know if someone looked up such information on their computers. Besides, when nothing turns up at least his mind will be put at ease.
He also took the time to observe the students in his class, even the teacher. His teacher was on the bigger side, a scruffy brown and gray beard covering his face. He looked rather tired and uninterested in the lesson he was teaching, the students didn't look any more interested in the lesson though. They all looked as if background characters in a comic book eyes steady on the board and movement very slim almost like mannequins.
Finally the bell rang and he quickly followed behind the many other anxious students through the door. Heading straight for his locker, wasting no time, Damian grabbed his book bag and hoodie, preparing to head right to the library before anyone could stop him and tell him to get to class.
Rushing down the long dimly lit hallway he finally spotted the dusty door handles that led to the library. It looked as if no one had been in here for months, it was outdated and didn't even have any computers besides an old white box shaped computer that looked as if it was older than Damian. He made way towards the rows of bookshelves and threw his bag over his shoulder pulling a tiny flashlight from the front pocket.
The library was rather small, tattered and dark. There was very little lighting in the room besides a small light bulb in the middle of the room. He could see no one else occupying any of the table seats or even a receptionist to help check out any of the books, which wasn't surprising considering the state of the library. There was even a vast array of spider webs covering the ceiling above the bookshelves. Seriously, did no one clean this place?
Switching on the small flashlight Damian walked down the section containing books starting with the letter e. Skimming through the shelves of books he was surprised to find exactly what he was looking for.
"Eldridge Academy.. school rules?" He whispered to himself, a rule book wasn't exactly what he'd been expecting but he wasn't one to complain. He simply plopped onto the floor and flipped the book open to the first page, the book said it had been written by Ben Manson, he couldn't quite read the date in which the book was written because it had been scratched out and Damian hoped that was an accident and no on purpose.
He began to read quietly to himself, "Students at Eldridge Academy are expected to follow these simple rules. These rules are not meant to be broken, heed my warning. Action and punishment will be decided if so." Well that was harsh was it not?
"Number one, to keep equality within our walls students are to wear the same clothes, hair must be worn up and kept short, individuality within clothing is strictly prohibited. Number two, socialization between students regarding our rules outside the school grounds is not allowed. Number three, students from families that are not–"
The floor creaked on the opposite side of the room from Damian and he quickly shut the book and switched off his light. He heard the familiar sound of heels clicking on the wooden floor that came to an abrupt stop when reaching the front desk of the room. He pushed himself further into the comfort of the darkness in the book aisle looking onward at the female figure.
"The new students are doing well, however I've seen quite a few already breaking the rules we need to reinforce-"
"What we need. Is to get in contact with their families and prepare the assembly for our new members."
The voices bickered back and forth quite a lot like Tim and Damian would. One of the voices he recognized as the lady who greeted him this morning, the other however he hasn't heard before. It was an older, and much more masucline, voice. While the two fought with one another Damian took the chance to slip out from behind the shelf and under the tables on the further side of the room, hoping the darkness was enough to conceal his body from being seen.
"I understand where you are coming from but really we mustn't concern ourselves anymore with the older ones, the children are what's important, they're young.. naive if we just-"
"Miss Porter, are you suggesting we turn our back on the previous children we molded into our own?"
"No I'm.. just—"
"My word is final, we will contact the families of the new students tomorrow, prepare for a meeting with the councilor and—" Right at that moment a door creaked and the man stopped talking, searching around the room, under the table Damian held his breath in anticipation.
"..someone's here." He muttered, the lady frantically looking around the room now as well.
Damian felt a chill go down his back when the man looked directly at the table he was under. He leaned further back against the wall in hopes he wasn't spotted.
The figure moved past Miss Porter towards the table, the soft creaking of the floorboard only got louder as he got closer. Reaching a hand down towards the ground only causing Damian to scurry further into the wall behind him.
"Aha-!" The man yelled, but instead of Damian being pulled out from his hiding spot the figure pulled Gavin from behind one of the small book shelves next to the table.
"Mister Reeds! What do you think you're doing here during class hours? and eavesdropping no less?"
"Ah- Mr. Manson sorry I was looking- my teacher wanted me to get a textbook and I-"
"I've heard enough, Miss Porter will take you to the front office."
"No wait please! I promise I'm telling the truth- I wasn't trying to listen in really!-"
Miss Porter walked over and aggressively yanked the boy's arm out through the door as Gavin frantically begged and whined. The man, Mr. Manson, had remained in the room scanning his surroundings in a last attempt to be sure no one else was there. When he was finally satisfied he followed behind Miss Porter and Gavin leaving Damian alone in the library once again.
So many questions were going through his head, like why had Gavin even been in the library? and how long had he been there?
But leaving now was the best choice to make in this situation, he didn't want to get caught as well and all he needed for now was the rule book. He'll just come back later for more information during school hours if he really needs to. He tossed the book into his bag and hurried up from his hiding spot out the door swiftly rushing down the halls to the front door, the gentle ringing of the school bell hiding his rather loud footsteps.
-
Outside Damian could spy Alfred awaiting his arrival in the small black car in front of the school. Pushing himself through the crowd of rowdy kids, who were all beyond egear to leave the school as well, he found himself at the car and entered without saying a word about his outbreak while leaving the school.
Alfred hummed in the front seat when Damian entered and turned the engine on, immediately departing home.
Damian anxiously stared out the window and the car held a still bitter silence that Alfred finally decided to break when they got on the road.
"How was school today, young Master Damian?" he asked, a simple question that Damian would rather not answer at all, but he scoffed in response.
"Fine, I still believe Gotham Academy was a more.. suitable school for me however.." he whined, hoping Alfred would take the bait and stop asking questions. Instead the older man frowned and Damian knew all too well the pitiful look in his eyes.
"Maybe you can talk to your father about that later, did you make any friends? as Master Richard requested."
Friends? he thought to himself.. Gavin might've counted, but bringing him up now made Damian surprisingly uncomfortable. As much as he wanted to stop Graysons taunting over his lack of school 'friends' he had nothing backing up the claim he even had any as of now.
So instead he didn't answer, simply clicked his tongue and leaned back further into his car seat, staring out the window pretending to be focused on the cars outside it.
Alfred sighed and continued to keep his eyes on the road, taking quick peaks every now and then to check on Damian, the young master was acting rather peculiar today and he felt as if he just pushed a very heavy subject onto him without reason. As much as Damian needed to make friends he'd wish Bruce would understand how hard it's been for the poor boy, Alfred couldn't help but pity him. Changing schools due to a disappointed father you would do anything to prove yourself too sounded all too familiar between the Wayne children. It's also not like he couldn't tell Damian wasn't putting in the effort in either, the boy just didn't seem to understand relationships besides betrayal and lack of trust. That wasn't all though today he was acting even more strange, the way he ran to the car reminded Alfred of Tim running from bullies after school, or Jason running to the car after beating up said bullies after school, except more.. motivated? He'd have to ask about it later however, leaving the boy alone for now seemed like the best option.
Once home Damian rushed out of the car not waiting for Alfred to open the door for him once again. He didn't want to admit it but he was anxious to be back in the comfort of his family. Normally things don't get to Damian, but after what he'd witnessed today.. Well besides, he still needed to continue reading that rulebook he snatched.
The manor felt smaller when Damian entered, maybe it was because of how big his school was in comparison. Still, he found himself feeling cramped up. Seriously, what had gotten into him today? He's supposed to be strong, he's Robin, the blood son of Batman, he's not supposed to be acting like some nervous little kid! no matter how young he was!
He wasted no time getting up to his room, normally he wouldn't head straight to his room after school, he would go down the cave and bother father or feed Titus. Today was different though he needed to get straight to work. If he found anything he'd go to father then and only then. He didn't want Bruce to think he was acting like a little kid and letting his imaginative thoughts get to him.
Right as he was running towards the stairs he found himself drifting a bit, tired. At that moment Tim had walked out from the kitchen holding a fresh hot cup of coffee, "Huh Damia-?"
They crashed into one another and Damian swiftly moved his bag out of the way of the coffee spill in an attempt to protect the book inside. The steaming water burned his skin but it wasn't anything he wasn't used to so he didn't freak out. Tim other hand gasped in shock and pushed Damian away from him.
"Dude come on I just made that!"
Damian scoffed, "It's not like you need the extra caffeine anyway." Tim glared at him and he only glared right back.
"I see you two have already caused trouble" Alfred said as he finally got into the house walking over towards the two teens. Tim looked over at him sheepishly mumbling an apology under his breath, Damian instead took this moment to slip away from the two and head up the stairs. Today just kept getting more and more troublesome, he thought to himself.
But finally all of that was over he could begin his real investigation now. Throwing his backpack onto his bed and following behind jumping onto the soft freshly cleaned sheets. In that moment his head felt light, he really should get to work now.. but his eyes seemed to be fluttering shut. It had been a rough day after all, surely closing his eyes for a few moments to rest wouldn't kill him? Besides it's not like he didn't have time to investigate later..right? as Damian found himself slowly drifting off to sleep through his blurry vision he could see a small figure in the corner of his room. He must've been really tired to be hallucinating at the moment, resting seemed to be the best option, he was a growing boy after all. The blurry figure seemed to fade away as Damian fell asleep.
When he finally awoke Damian was meant with still subtle darkness, the only light coming from the manor hallway through the crack of his door. It seemed he had slept way longer than anticipated. He stretched as he got up from the sheets, looking around the room for where his bag could've ended up while he was asleep. Yet it wasn't next to him on the bed nor on the floor..
His eyebrows furrowed and he turned to face the front of his bed, eyes widening. There in front of him stood the figure that he was hallucinating before passing out. Under the moonlight the figure stood turning towards Damian, in their hands was the rule book and Damian could see his bag discarded on the other side of the room next to the figure. He quickly sat up with a gasp, honestly he shouldn't really have been as shocked as he was considering how weird his day has been.. but there in front of him stood none other than Gavin Reeds, ghostly pale and limp. His eyes looked drained and tired, the dark circles underneath them resembled that of a raccoon, his hair was no longer kept nicely pulled back but instead loose and tangled covering most of his face. When Damian looked further down at the boy's clothes he saw a trail of dried red blood leading from the boy's neck down to his no longer white dress shirt.
They stared at one another, silence thickening the room. Gavin then finally moved and opened his mouth to speak, "I need your help" was all he said as he opened the rule book, scanning over the pages and rapidly flipping through it. Damian, eyes still wide from shock, awkwardly stepped forward and looked closer at the boy before him. He flinched back when Gavin stopped flipping through the book and tossed it to the floor looking Damian in the eyes, expecting a response. Damian gulped, finally composing himself and fixing his posture, nodding, "What do you need?" He asked timidly as if he was held at gunpoint.
Gavin pointed towards the slash on his neck to where the blood had gushed out from onto his shirt. Damian tried to not puke at the sight of it, he's seen much worse, but this.. it looked as if done with a knife that was on fire. Burn marks and melted skin all covered under thick blood, the thought of who would do such a thing made him sick. It was so obviously intentional, not at all an accident.
"Please.. find my killer."
And with that Damian found himself promptly passing out, Gavin's face being the last thing he'd see before darkness overtook him.