Chapter Text
"Damian! If I have to say it again, I'm going to come up there and you're going to be in real trouble."
"Hmm...?" Damian blinked open his eyes reluctantly and instantly wished he hadn't. It was morning, and a ray of sunlight peeked through the curtains in his room.
It was his first day of school today.
"Ok, I'm coming up."
Shoot.
Damian shot out of bed, leaping for his closet. If Father found him not ready, or at least not even dressed for school, he would literally be dragged down from his room (or worse, carried) all the way down to the kitchen. He grabbed at random clothes and suddenly felt something odd on him. He looked down and realised he was still dressed from head to toe in his Robin suit. Oh no I'm in so much trouble... He vaguely heard footsteps storming up the stairs as Father got closer. He ripped off his mask, then as quickly as possible stripped himself of his uniform. He slipped on a simple pair of black jeans and a black shirt, along with a black hoodie. Yes, he knew he had too much black. But it was his kind of thing. Maybe I should try red sometime... He shoved his suit into his closet. Yeah, he knew that it belonged in the Batcave. But he'd have to return it when Father wasn't storming up to his room. He heard the footsteps come to an abrupt halt, and Damian leaped to the door. He relaxed himself, relaxing the tensed muscles in his face. So when Father opened the door, glaring down at his son, he would see not a completely worn out kid, but a bored one ready to start the day. Unfortunately, only one of those things were true.
"Come on, I've been calling to you for ten minutes," Father huffed.
"Just ten?" Damian replied, raising an eyebrow.
"Come on, Alfred's made breakfast." Father gestured down the hall. "And today's your first day of school! You'll love it."
"And Alfred's Batman," Damian muttered.
"Hm?"
"Nothing."
Damian pushed past Father and stormed down the hall and down the stairs. He suddenly realised he'd left Titus in his room when he turned around to fetch him, only to bump into Father.
"Titus is already up," Father said, studying Damian's face.
"Hmph." Damian whirled around again and continued to the kitchen where Alfred was busy making breakfast. He slid into the seat at the dinner table and rested his head against the table. Boy, was he tired. He'd spent half of last night on a wild goose-chase going after the same robbers for at least 3 hours, then spent the rest of the night dealing with some crazy electric guy who somehow got in his head that he could fly. Let's just say he found out the hard way. Don't worry, nobody died but let's just say Damian was very tempted to have let the guy fall to his death. So, yeah. Now he was exhausted. But he couldn't let Father notice. He'd sit him out of patrol for the week, telling him he needs his 'rest'. He's Robin, for goodness sake. He doesn't need rest.
Alfred lifted his head from where he was looking over a pan. "Good morning, Master Damian. Sleep well?"
Damian jolted his head up, hoping Alfred hadn't seen him about to doze off. "Mhm."
"Good to know." There was something in Alfred's voice that told Damian all he needed to know, but he didn't press the matter further.
Father finally entered the kitchen and joined Dmaian at the table. Father was about to open his mouth to speak when a bark was sounded, jolting Damian awake. Oops, he was about to nod off again. Titus! Titus trotted over to Damian, resting his head on his lap. Damian scratched the Dane's head gently, and Titus rubbed his head against Damian's thigh.
"Hey, Titus," Damian murmured. Suddenly it occurred to him that Titus had left the room by himself. How could he have-- "How did Titus leave the room without me?" Damian demanded, looking up at Father.
"He's a smart dog, Damian," Father replied. "I called him, and he opened the door by himself. It seems you've trained him well."
"Is this true, Titus?" Damian stared down at Titus, giving him his best serious look. Titus simply cocked his head, then continued to rub his head on Damian's thigh. Damian sighed. "Yeah, sounds true enough."
"How are you feeling about today, master Damian?" Alfred said, approaching the table with bowls in both hands. He set the bowls down, revealing Damian's favourite cereal. He stared at it, not feeling the least bit hungry. He wanted to go back to bed.
"Another irritation," Damain sniffed. He half heartedly picked up his spoon and poked at his food, while his eyelids began to droop.
"I'm sure it will not be as bad as you are making it out to be," Alfred reassured him. "Your Father experienced the same thing on his first day of school: lack of hunger, and he was not excited to say in the least. But he was nervous, I can tell you that. It took me a whole half hour to get him out of the house. He was late that day, but at least he got there."
"Alfred, I'm right here," Father sighed.
"I am aware, sir," Alfred acknowledged. He turned away to head back to the kitchen, but not before Damian caught the slightest bit of a smile tugging at the corners of Alfred's mouth. "Enjoy your meal."
"I'm not hungry," Damian said, standing up. He made a move to leave, but a firm grip on his hoodie pulled him back.
"Oh no you don't," Father chuckled. "You're going to sit down and eat your food, then you're going to go upstairs and pack your bag. Got it?" Damian simply glared at his cereal as he took his seat again. "Got it?" Father repeated.
"Fine," Damian muttered. He lifted his spoon and half heartedly scooped a small portion of cereal onto it, then took the most slow bite in the history of bites. He didn't have the energy to chew, but he managed to swallow the small mouthful. He leaned his head on the table, letting out a long sigh, his eyelids beginning to droop. Titus nudged his side, checking on his master.
"Looks like last night's patrol went a little too far," Father commented.
Damian's head shot up. "Huh? N-no, everythings--things--" Damian trailed off into a massive yawn, then slumped forward on the table again.
"You're still going to school today, you do know that right?" There was no response. "Right?" Father sighed. He got up out of his chair and walked over to Damian, gently lifting him up from where he was slumped forward, resting his head against the back of the chair this time. The young crime-fighter's eyes were closed, and his breathing was even. Father sighed again. He'd fallen asleep. On any other occasion Father would allow him to rest the full day, but today was his first day of school, so no excuses. He ruffled Damian's hair. "Come on, son. Wake up."
Titus let out a loud bark and Damian jolted awake, staring around with his eyes wide. "Wh--I'm awake."
"Good, now finish your breakfast and go get ready for school," Father commanded.
"Not hungry," Damian grumbled. He got up again and left the table, and this time when Father attempted to reach out to stop him again, Titus snapped at him, fangs gleaming.
"Bad boy," Father snapped. "Damian, what have you trained Titus to do?"
There was no response, but Damian was obviously not in the room anymore. Father sighed and stood. He better make sure Damian hadn't fallen asleep while walking up the stairs.
After much struggling and arguments, Damian had finally packed his bag and was ready to leave for school. Luckily this school did not require a uniform, so he got to wear his simple black clothes he'd chosen earlier. He was attending Gorham academy, the most famous school in all of Gotham. Damian had tried to talk Father out of attending it for a couple months, but Father had been very strict and stubborn about his choice. Eventually Damian (even though he hated to admit it) had been forced into submission with his Father's demands. So now he was standing by the door of the Wayne Manor, ready to leave. Well, ready was a very large overstatement.
"Ah, there you are." Damian looked up from stroking Titus to see Father approaching him. "Ready to go?"
No. "Yes." Damian didn't even bother to try to look bright. He would display what he felt. And right now that was extreme boredom, as well as exhaustion but he did his best to conceal that.
"Great, get in the car. I'll be there in two."
"You're coming?" Damian said, surprised. Usually Alfred was the one to drive him places, not Father.
"Of course," Father responded, cracking a smile. "Can't miss my son's first day of school."
So exhilarating. Damian held back a sigh. He knelt down to Titus' level, stroking his head. "Can I bring Titus?"
"He can come for the drive, that's it though," Father replied, walking over to a large cabinet. He began to sort through it.
"You know what I meant."
Father sighed, turning to face Damian. "Damian, you know they don't accept animals in the school. Besides, Titus will be here when you get back. It'll be like you never left him."
"Keep dreaming," Damian muttered. He loved his animals, especially Titus. Father had gotten him as a gift for him, to show how proud he was of his control over the years. Sadly, that control hadn't lasted long when the very night Damian had given Titus his name, he'd made his first kill in a very long time. He still wasn't sure if he regretted it today, but something told him that it'd been worth it, while the other part of him dug holes of regret throughout him every night. But it had led to meeting the victim's daughter, which he had become...perhaps 'friends' wasn't the right word. More like partners when need be. But he trusted her. He'd given her one of his most oldest pets, Goliath, to her, who is definitely, no matter what anyone says, NOT a Man-Bat. Thinking of Goliath now sent a pang through him. He missed his old friend, missed flying with him on countless dangerous missions. But he was free now. Free from Damian's control. Which was for the best, he kept on telling himself. Maybe he should visit him sometime...
"Master Damian? Are you quite awake?"
Damian snapped back to reality to see Alfred standing before him. Father was nowhere to be seen. Damian shook off the painful memories and focused on Titus' steady heartbeat by placing his hand on his side. "Yeah."
"Great. Then we must be going now, your father will be here shortly." Alfred opened the door, moving to the side to allow Damian through first. Damian whistled, and Titus perked up, following Damian out the door. He walked down the stairs that led away from the Wayne Manor mansion and to the flash Lamborghini Murcielago that was parked at the bottom of the stairs. He whistled again and Titus bounded forward, reaching the car before him. He pawed at the car door handle, then inspected it.
"Come on, Titus," Damian called. "Under. Then pull."
Titus inspected it for a second longer then nuzzled at the handle, his muzzle nuzzling under the handle. Finally getting a good enough grip, Titus pulled, and the door opened. Titus stepped away, then quickly leaped to the back of the door to avoid it closing again. Titus looked up at Damian, his eyes wide.
"Good boy!" Damian whispered, scratching Titus' head. "Don't tell Father." Damian quickly got in the car, then Titus followed, the door closing behind him. He had to sit in the back this time unfortunately now that Father was coming. He always took the front seat, and Alfred was driving. Damian would have loved to drive, but even he had to admit it would look a bit weird if a 13 year old showed up at his new school driving a Lamborghini. With Bruce Wayne. Yeah, let's just say he'd get a lot of hate and a lot of admiration. And both of those things he did not want. He didn't even want to go to this stupid school, but he'd been forced to, so he'd decided to just sit through the class, ace every test because he was the best, and ignore every girl who came up to him. Seemed pretty simple in his mind, yes, but he knew that it wouldn't be as simple when he got there. Kids just don't know when to mind their own business.
His thoughts were interrupted when both car doors opened at the front and Father and Alfred slid into their seats. Alfred started the car, the soft hum of the sleek Lamborghini filling the silence. They left the Wayne Manor, joining the traffic on the main road.
To infinity and nowhere.
Another reason why Damian didn't want to go to school? Well, he felt it was below him. And it was. He already knew twice as much as a normal person would in three lifetimes. So yeah. He was gonna be sooo bored while the teacher rambled on and on about things that probably weren't even true. And he was a warrior, not a student. He fought crime every night while everyone just slept their worries away. I guess what he's trying to say is: school is an absolute waste of time.
"What's so wrong about school, Damian?" Father asked, breaking the silence.
"It is an irritation getting in the way of my life," Damian replied instantly.
"Trust me, you'll learn lots," Father said reassuringly. Well, he thought it was meant to sound reassuring. "And besides, it'll give you a chance to experience friendships. Make connections with people. How does that sound?"
"Like a waste of my time," Damian muttered, just loud enough for Father to hear. Father didn't respond, so Damian just crossed his arms against his chest and stared out the window. Titus rested his head on his lap, silently comforting his master.
A few minutes later (which was way too soon for Damian's liking) Alfred pulled the car to a stop. "Here we are, master Damian. Your new school." Damian reluctantly peered out the opposite window, and, let's just say, he didn't like what he saw.
Kids were everywhere, just entering school and milling into their friend groups. Others walked straight to their lockers inside, chatting with their friends. The school itself was massive, about 6 stories high. Damian let out a long, silent sigh. He was not going to enjoy this.
"Have a good day, son," Father said, his gaze affectionate. Damian groaned inwardly. He would have the exact opposite. He turned to Titus and scratched the Great Dane's head.
"Bye, Titus," Damian whispered. "Keep Father in line, will you?"
Titus barked and nuzzled him. Damian opened the door and Titus tried to follow him, but Damian quickly closed it. He mouthed 'no' and Titus sat down reluctantly on the car seat, staring at him with his big, black, beady eyes. Oh, how Damian wished he could bring him. But, rules were rules. And how he hated them. Yes, there were rules on the battlefield, but this was different. These were life rules. Less free.
Alfred honked the car, nearly making Damian jump, but he kept it in. More likely it was Father. Damian sighed and didn't bother to wave. They left quickly, and soon it was just Damian standing there to face his worst nightmares.
Socialising.
Not by any means was he going to make friends here. He would have no weaknesses. In the battlefield, your only weakness is your partner, which is Father. And school was very much like a battlefield. Well, at least that's how Damian viewed it.
He stepped forward and decided to go straight to his locker. He walked past people and their friend groups, and he felt their eyes on him. He didn't duck his head, but kept looking straight ahead, all the while taking in his surroundings to analyse any threats. Like he said, school was like a battleground. Unpredictable. He felt like the whole school was watching him, probably because he had rocked up in a beautiful Lamborghini with Bruce Wayne. Well, they can mind their own business. But it seemed that they wouldn't. As he found his locker finally, he heard people talking about him. Due to him being a former assassin and now Batman's sidekick, he had pretty enhanced hearing.
"Hey, is that the new kid?"
"He looks a bit shorter than I expected."
"Well what did you expect? He's a Wayne, isn't he?"
"Huh. Good point."
"Bet he's one of those rich kids who's the party of the lifetime."
"You think so?"
"I know so."
No you don't. The voices faded away, but the noise of the hall did not. It was filled with excited yells and chatter, and Damian wished he was anywhere but here. Even having to put up with Tim was better than this.
"Hey who's he?"
Damian switched his concentration to the voice who had spoken, keeping his gaze on his locker, pretending to rummage in his bag for something.
"I don't know, but he's kinda...you know what I'm gonna say."
"Handsome?"
"Girl, you read my mind."
"Should we go over there?"
"I dunno...do you think he'll like it? It is the first day after all..."
"Let's catch him at lunch."
"You always were smart girl."
Damian sighed and shoved his bag a little too hard into his locker. Luckily nothing cracked. He closed his locker and walked away, finding the schedule board. He found it quickly; it was set on a large board on the wall, and it was the one place none of the students hung around. He quickly skimmed over the timetable, committing it to memory, then turned away from it and headed to class.
He just wanted to get this over with.
"Hello class, and welcome back to Gotham academy. I am Mrs Humming. Now a few of you may be new here, so I'm sure our lovely students here will help you feel at home."
Yeah right. Damian yawned. He just wanted to go home, sleep, go on patrol, and repeat. He did not want to spend all day at this useless school listening to teachers yammer on all day. And this teacher, Mrs Humming, just somehow got on Damian's nerves. The teacher had short, curly red hair and wore a long green skirt, along with a maroon v-neck shirt. He didn't know why, but he hated this teacher. Maybe it was her voice.
"Now I'll introduce the new students here," Mrs Humming announced. She looked down at a list she held in her hand, and Damian guessed it was a list of all the new students. Couldn't she commit them to memory? It really wasn't that hard if you tried hard enough. She looked up, a smile on her face as she searched for a student. "Thomas Downey?"
A young boy that looked roughly around the same age as Damian waved his hand, a smile on his face. "Hey everyone."
"Could you tell us something about yourself Thomas?" Oh no. Now he had to actually speak . What was Damian meant to say? 'Uh, hi everyone. I'm a former assassin and now partner of Batman, and I don't want to be here.' Yeah, that sounded perfect.
"Well, my name is Thomas," Thomas began. Wow. Never would have guessed. "And my favourite colour is gold, and I like rabbits. I also enjoy football. A lot."
"Lovely," Mrs Humming said. She quickly skimmed the list again and called out another name. "Skylar Runway?"
Skylar looked up, looking nervous. "Uh, hi guys," she said quietly. Ugh. Can't even talk properly. What is wrong with this class? "I, um, I like giraffes, and, um..." Spit it out already. "My favourite colour is purple."
"That's a great colour, Skylar," Mrs Humming replied, smiling largely at Skylar. The young girl simply ducked her head in embarrassment. The teacher skimmed through the list again. She looked up, her eyes darting around the room. "And our last new student here: Damian Wayne?"
A collective gasp echoed throughout the room, and nearly every head turned to face him. Everyone started whispering among themselves, their voices excited. Mrs Humming let out a chuckle. "Quiet down everyone." Her eyes landed on Damian. "It is a pleasure to have a Wayne here at Gotham academy. I hope you feel welcomed here."
"The pleasures not mine," Damian replied, and the room quieted a little at Damian's blunt comment.
"Well, uh, yes," Mrs Humming stammered. "We hope you, well..."
"Spit it out woman," Damian snapped.
A collective 'oooo' went around the room. Mrs Humming's cheeks darkened a shade and she straightened. "Well, master Wayne, care to tell us a little about yourself?"
I'm Robin and a former assassin who killed more people than a police saves in his lifetime. Speak like that to me again and I'll flip you. "I like dogs."
"Very well, Damian, thank you for sharing," Mrs Humming said, looking a little flustered but regaining her control. Weak. "Now class, if we can get started I thought we should start today with some games."
Today was going to be a loooong day.
Four very long hours passed and the lunch bell finally rang. Recess had already been, but it had barely lasted half an hour. Damian had nearly fallen asleep more than once, and the lunch bell jolted him awake from where he had been nodding off, his head resting on his arms on his desk. He looked around blearily, then yawned.
"Alright students, time to have lunch! I'll see you all tomorrow, as you will not have me this afternoon." Mrs Humming waved us away, and all the students eagerly leapt to their feet and fought to be the first one out the classroom door. A few shot a few glances at Damian from where he was slowly getting up from his seat, and they whispered among themselves. This was a nightmare. No matter where he went, people talked about him. Stared at him. Because he was the son of a billionaire. He knew they wanted to become friends with him only because of Father's money, and, even though Damian hated to admit it, it kinda stung.
Soon everyone had filed out of the classroom, but Damian lingered, staring out the massive window that overlooked the school grounds. He was on the fifth floor now, and it had an acceptable view. But Damian's eyes were not on the students playing outside; no, it was on beyond. To the city of Gotham, the city that he protected. He wanted to be out there now, fighting criminals and bringing them to justice. But right now he was exhausted, and he didn't know if he'd go well on patrol tonight. But he was going. Father couldn't hold him back. He had to be strong, show no weakness, earn his Father's pride and trust every day. It hurt, sure, that Father still didn't trust him completely, but he was trying everyday. Sometimes Father didn't see that. Sometimes he did. Most of the time it seemed he didn't care. But Alfred saw it. And he encouraged Damian, kept him going. He owed Alfred a lot. More than he could name. He'd been there for him when Father hadn't. And that had been most of the time.
Damian sighed and put on a stony face. He couldn't let anyone see his inside. It was weakness. That's what Mother had taught him. Was that a good thing? He didn't know yet. But it wasn't important. It made sense, that was all. He turned away from the window and headed out of the classroom into the chaos of Gotham Academy.
Damian sat alone at a bench in an area where everyone was eating their lunch. Their chatter and laughter filled the air, and Damian did his best to block it out. He was beginning to get a headache from all the noise, and him being tired didn't help the least. He halfheartedly finished his apple, then threw it into a bin a few metres away, it landing perfectly into it. He felt eyes on him, and he whipped his head around to see a guy staring at him with narrowed eyes. As soon as they locked gazes, the boy instantly looked away, returning his attention to his friends at his table. Damian narrowed his eyes and kept giving the boy occasional glances to keep an eye on him. He was dark skinned, as were all his friends, and he wore a red hat that stuck out. Easy to remember.
He'd finished his lunch, so he had nothing to do. And when he had nothing to do, he'd usually draw. So he decided on doing just that. He'd kept a small notebook in his inside hoodie pocket all day, so he pulled it out now along with a pencil. He opened the book and stared at the blank page for a moment before deciding what to draw. It may surprise you that a former assassin and now crime fighter was very talented at drawing, but while he was with the League Of Assassins, he'd have the occasional opportunity to draw. It kept his mind of reality, and it kept his mind at peace. But what he drew now just made him homesick. It was Titus, his Great Dane. He'd only done part of the face now, and he hoped he could finish it before lunch ended. Just thinking of Titus made him look forward to going home even more.
A shadow suddenly blocked the light that helped him draw, and Damian looked up to see the boy from earlier who'd been staring at him looming over him. He wore a cruel smirk on his face, and his friends behind him wore a similar facial expression. Damian sighed and slipped his notebook and pencil into an inside pocket of his hoodie. He'd have to finish it later, maybe during class. It's not like the teachers cared or anything.
"What you drawin'?" the boy drawled.
"Nothing that concerns a low-life like you, idiot," Damian replied calmly.
The boy's friends let out a collective 'ooooh' and the leader boy shot them a glare, then returned his gaze back to Damian, the smirk returning. "You see, we know who you are, Damian Wayne. You're the son of Bruce Wayne, the billionaire."
"Wow, you figured that out?" Damian raised an eyebrow. "You should graduate early."
The boys laughed, and the leader's eyes flashed with anger for a moment. "We know you're rich."
"Huh. Once again, you should be in college already." Damian didn't remove his gaze from the boy's.
The boy's eyes narrowed with fury. "I'm afraid you don't understand. You see, you're gonna do exactly as we tell you or we're gonna beat you up after school. Meet you at three, sharp, after school, at the old shack by the river."
"Is that it?" Damian didn't waver his gaze. He wasn't even close to impressed.
The boy narrowed his eyes even further. "That's it. We're gonna have a talk, and if you don't comply..." The boy shrugged. "I guess you're gonna have to say goodbye daddy."
Damian didn't change a single expression on his face, just continued to stare in the face of the bully. At last the boy straightened, nodding to himself. "Remember, three sharp." The boy and his friends left, laughing to themselves.
Idiots.
They had no idea what they'd gotten themselves into. Just then the bell rang, and Damian had to thank the stars for the timing. Two girls had just been about to come over, and it gave him the excuse to leave. Time to finish another boring class in Gotham academy.