Chapter Text
It was dark. Damian should be sleeping so that tomorrow he would be fit and in a good condition to patrol otherwise his father would bench him. But he wasn't tired and so he laid there, looking up at the dark ceiling. He huffed and rolled over, reaching over to his bedside table and opened the middle drawer all the way. Sticking his hand into the space, he reached up towards the bottom of the top drawer and took the book that he had stuck there. Retrieving it, and closing the drawer, he sat it in front of him, resting it on the pillow his head was on. It was a copy of Pride and Prejudice. He flipped it open, eyes automatically going to the inside front cover, where the words were.
Dami,
I'm sorry I'm leaving, I wish I could stay with you, but there are things I've got to do. I enjoyed my time with you and Talia, and I will always be grateful for what she has done for me. Keep training and getting strong, maybe we'll meet again.
Love,
Jayjay
P.S. This is my favourite book, I've had it since I was a child. It took a while for me to track it down but now I'm giving it to you. Read it whenever you're lonely or missing me and remember, I will always love you, no matter what.
Damian read the small paragraph, the words slurring together as he mumbled through it. Jayjay was his first ever friend. He knew that Jayjay wasn't his real name but couldn't recall what his full name was. He didn't even know his surname. Damian could vaguely remember him. Jayjay hadn't spoken or moved on his own free will, following the person in front of him. Still, he had picked Damian up whenever he had wanted, lifting him high. Damian had loved being in his arms, feeling safe and protected. Several times he had pretended to be hurt so that Jason would come and save him. It wasn't the easiest, Jayjay had been blind in one eye and the other had been badly damaged though he could see, even if it was blurred. Damian had used the assassins around the compound to aid him, making it look like they were attacking him. Jason would leap into action then, one hand scooping Damian up and into his side whilst the hand strangled the life out of the assassin. Talia had scolded him for doing it but let him continue doing it.
Jayjay had left for a while and Damian couldn't get an answer as to where he was. Talia wouldn't tell him anything. Before he could begin to miss his friend, Jayjay had come back. When he returned, he could speak and he chatted avidly to Damian. He had grown both in height and broadness, his shoulders wider than before. He was even stronger, easily able to raise Damian up above his head with one hand. He would come and go, travelling the world. Damian had thought he was learning the skills to become an assassin so he would stay with him but Jayjay had told him that he needed to get his revenge. Someone had wronged him and he had to pay. Damian had wanted to help him and managed to get Jayjay to train with him. Jayjay had a way with fighting, picking things up quickly and easily. Damian would have detested him for being able to learn the moves before him but Jayjay would then turn and help him learn it, giving him tips and pointers on where to put his feet, what side to lean, etc.
When Damian was skilled enough to spar with Jayjay, Jayjay beat him every single time. Jayjay had held back, but not by much, throwing Damian around and punching him with about 65% of his full power. Even not punching at full power, he was strong and his punches hurt. Although being beaten wasn't fun, training and sparring with Jayjay was. The bruises and aches that Damian had days afterwards reminded him of the fun he had had just days before. Jayjay had also begun teaching him new moves, ones that drew on his small stature and flexibility. When he had proudly shown his mother what he been taught, she had looked at Jayjay.
"Are you sure you want to teach him that, Jay?" 'Jay' was the nickname she had given to Jayjay. She had looked concerned.
"Yeah. I'm too big to use them now. I fight more like him, strong and relentless. Dami has the size to utilise them. If I can't use them, I should give them to someone who can." Talia had relented and Jayjay kept teaching Damian new moves. but he didn't explain to Damian what he had meant or who "he" was. It wasn't until an enemy had managed to breach their compound that Jayjay showed Damian what he could really do. Before the assassin could leap at Talia, and be killed by her, Jayjay threw himself at the killer and began to punch him. Talia swept Damian behind her and he watched from around her leg as Jayjay continued to pound the man below him. He looked up at Talia and she smiled down at him, running a hand through his soft hair.
"Do not fear him son. He will never hurt you. This is the strength and skill of a tiger." When Jayjay had finished punching the male, who had died several minutes into the onslaught, Damian had run up to Jayjay. He caught Damian lifting him up with hs forearm instead of his hand, careful to keep the blood off him.
"What was amazing Jayjay!" He exclaimed. With Jayjay, he could express himself however he wanted, without the coldness normally present in his voice.
"I can teach you how to kill a man by breaking his nose," Jayjay offered and had Damian enthusiastically agreed. Jayjay had carried him off to the prison camp, gathering a group of people to practise on.
Damian had been jealous of Jayjay in several ways. Unlike him, Jayjay didn't have an empire he would one day inherit to rule. Jayjay didn't have the pressure to become the best heir he could be. Jayjay walked with a small swagger and an air of confidence like he owned the entire compound even though he was neither an al Ghul nor an assassin of the League. Damian supposed it came with the knowledge and skills of being able to take down anyone who would dare attack him.
Unfortunately, the time came for Jayjay to leave the League of Assassins and Damian. Jayjay had given the book to Damian on his last night. He had ruffled Damian's hair in goodbye, nodded to Talia then had walked off to board the plane. Damian, allowing himself to feel sad, had pushed himself closer to his mother seeking comfort from her.
"Do not be sad my beloved son. Jay is sad at leaving too," Damian had looked slightly happy at that. "Keep training and one day, maybe you two will meet up."
A few years later and he too left the League of Assassins, to meet his father. It was only after the two had left that Talia had realised how much Jay had affected her son's life. He spoke sarcastically just like the older male, insulting people and making snarky comments almost all the time. Talia had smiled at how similar they were. Briefly, she wondered how Gotham, and Bruce, would cope with having two assassin sons living in the same city. Jay's mental state was chaotic, it was all over the place, sometimes he actively worked against Bruce, other times he would fight with him. She had wondered if it was still the Pit making him mad, or if another event in his life had made him crazy. His time with the Outlaws had calmed him and left him much more stable. They had split up, Arsenal and Red Hood working on missions every other month or so. Jay had begun living in Gotham again, patrolling parts of it. With one last sigh, she had left the building Damian and Bruce had met in and made her way to the jet that would take her back.