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Which Teen Titans VA Do You Want to Meet First?
I would love to meet all of them, but the one I would want to see the most is BB’s VA, Greg Cipes. Beast Boy has always been my favorite character in Teen Titans. He’s funny, kind, and a fun person. I’ve seen videos of Greg Cipes on YouTube and I follow him on Instagram. He seems like a cool dude and I would love to have a chat with him. Plus, he’s the voice of Michelangelo from the 2012 version of TMNT, and I love Mickey, so meeting his VA would be awesome.
Tara Strong is second since Raven is my second favorite character, and Tara has literally been a part of my childhood. I love her as Timmy, Raven, and Bubbles. She's great!
Khary Payton is next because I like Cyborg and he voices a character from Young Justice, Kaldur'ahm. His voice is just so unique.
Hynden is second to last because I love her as Starfire and Princess Bubblgum in Adventure Time.
I feel bad for putting Scott Menville last, but I don't know as much of his roles compared to Robin. Still would love to meet him though. 😊❤️
Nightwing by Andy MacDonald!
https://instagram.com/andymacdeez?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
Dear Barry Allen,
PLEASE STOP MESSING WITH THE TIMELINE!! 2020 IS ALREADY BAD ENOUGH, PLEASE DON’T MAKE THINGS ANY WORSE THAN THEY ALREADY ARE!
Thank You.
I love how the Arrowverse fandom has given Eobard Thawne the nickname “Angry Helicopter Noises”
If there is one thing I love about Jon and Damian is there parallels to each other. Damian grew up with his mother than his father and his parents don't exactly have a good relationship with each other and not to mention Damian having a ton of siblings. But that's not even bringing up how he grew up thinking that death was better than disappointment and how he thought that other people were a wast. Not to mention the relationship he has with his parents aren't well or aren't that good. But than we have Jon were he was raised by both of his parents and they love each other very much and he has a good relationship with them (I think). Also the fact that he didn't really grow up with a bunch of older siblings. But just how they're total opposites but are best friends is really nice to think about and how they probably envy each other for something the other has but that is a rant for another time.
Fictional characters with daddy issues.
Luke Skywalker
Ben solo
Anakin Skywalker
Zuko
Todoroki Shoto
Izuku Midoriay
Boba Fett
Cole Brookstone
Spencer Reid
Jyn Esro
All of the umbrella academy kids
All of the clones from Clone wars
Peter Parker
Tony Stark
Loki
Shinso Hitoshi
Kyoya Ootori
Kendall Knight from BTR show
Sam Winchester
Dean Winchester
Lucifer
All of the batkids
Waltz of Love
I was requested by @accio-fist to write about Stephanie dancing and Tim walking in on it.
Merry Christmas and I hope this lives up to your expectations!
Stephanie first sees it when she’s refining stealth techniques with Damian in the Wayne Manor (read: playing Hide and Seek). She’s in an obscure closet when she sees it, tucked away in the corner.
She wondered if it still worked.
But then Damian barges in and she has to leave it alone.
When she does get to come back, she immediately grabs it and finds the nearest empty room, setting it down. She carefully inserts a record, placing the needle on top of it.
The vinyl starts playing, and Stephanie can feel the music as it washes over her, beckoning her to dance.
And dance she does.
Stephanie doesn’t follow any set pattern, just moves with the beat. She flows with the soft and slow music, leaps with the loud and eccentric songs, and loses herself in the lyrics and rhythm.
Tim has no idea why there’s music coming from one of the older wings of the Manor, but he can’t help but try to seek out its source.
He stops in front of a door he remembers vaguely from his childhood, back when he was curious and tried to map out the entire manor.
Tim carefully opens the door and peeks his head in, expecting to see Cass or Dick or even Jason.
He did not expect to see Steph.
Tim watches with wide eyes as Stephanie dances, body gracefully twisting and turning as she moves, hair swirling around her like a halo.
When could Steph dance?
Tim’s eyes follow her legs as she twirls, one leg flung up as a guitar riff plays in the background. She’s wild and graceful, frenzied and dainty, and so beautiful.
Tim doesn’t know what comes over him but before he can stop himself, his legs carry him to her, hands slipping gently around her waist.
He feels her stiffen before turning around, and they face each other as the music transitions into a slower tune.
Steph places her hands on his shoulders, he wraps his around her waist, and they dance, entrapped in their own world.
They move as one, twirling around the room, stepping in unison. He loves the feeling of her waist under his hands, feeling her muscles flex under his fingertips. He loves looking into her eyes, seeing the peacefulness and concentration shining there. He loves every piece of her, head to toe, as he gently twirls her. Looking at her in front of him, he can’t help but think that he never wants the moment to end.
When the music starts to fade out, he thinks it only feels right to press his lips against hers, bodies melding together as the euphoria fades.
My first entry for the DC Fandome Event; now that my pain levels are more or less under control, I thought I should give it a shot. I mean, this is a once in a life time opportunity and...besides...Babs drives me to achieve good things.
It's getting better . . . right?
Inspired by this fanfic
uploaded on 04/11/21
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Ao3 // Wattpad
next
I'm fine
Damian Wayne knew that no one wanted him around. He wasn’t an idiot. He noticed how everyone always seemed to look at him with a bit of distaste and revulsion wherever he went.
It made him feel like he didn’t belong with them. Like he was unwanted.
Didn’t his family notice how hard he was trying?
They never seemed to look past the fact that he was raised by assassins. They all assumed that he was nothing but a cold, bratty, killer.
And in a way, maybe they were right.
After all, the ones he was supposed to call his brothers didn’t even give him a chance.
Even the team he handpicked, hated him.
What was wrong with him?
If everyone seemed to hate him so much, there had to be something wrong with him. Right?
That’s what everyone at school seemed to believe.
Ever since someone leaked his number, his phone would always be filled with dozens of new messages. Not a single one of them was positive.
“KYS smart ass”
“U know that no one actually likes you, right?”
“U might be Bruce Wayne’s child but remember that u were nothing but a mistake”
“No one's going to like u with that attitude. No matter how hot you might be”
“isn’t it sad that no one likes you?”
“Do us all a favor and just kys”
And as if that wasn’t enough, everyone in his vigilante life seemed to always have something negative to say about him.
They didn’t even care that he was within earshot. In fact, he wholeheartedly believed that they wanted him to hear about all their complaints about him and his attitude.
He received their points loud and clear. No one there wanted him.
No matter how hard he tried, it would never be enough. Sometimes, he wanted to take his suit and run away, killing all the criminals that he deemed deserved it. He wanted to fight back and argue against them with the bratty behavior that everyone seemed to believe he was born with.
But.
It would only prove everyone right. It would only prove that he was nothing but a spoiled, worthless, ungrateful brat that doesn’t know how to take no for an answer.
Ever since Damian was given to his father, he has wanted nothing more than to gain his approval. He promised that he would become everything that Batman wanted and more.
Even if it meant that he had to pretend that their comments didn’t hurt him.
Damian stared back at his empty, plain wall.
A few minutes before he got back to the manor, the team had just completed another mission.
Damian was about to apologize because he felt like he was a bit too overbearing and bossy when he heard them complaining and criticizing him.
Again.
He froze, not knowing what to do.
“- Such a brat!” he heard someone growl. “Like how can someone be such a dick?”
The room filled with laughter and Emiko spoke up, “What did the kid do now?”
“He goes and gets mad at me for being incompetent or something. Like it’s not my fault I wasn’t raised by a crazy old hot assassin lady.” Wally snapped.
They were right, of course. Damian was raised in different circumstances. And he knew that he was a bit harsh. But he just didn’t want anyone to get hurt.
“‘If you don’t halt your tongue you useless speedster,” someone mockingly imitated, “You will perish under my sword.” That brought another round of fresh laughter to the tight group.
Not even the two people that Damian could probably call his friends could hold in their laughs.
“Why are you guys so mean to the small man?” Roundhouse asked, making the tense feeling inside Damian’s chest loosen up a bit.
Maybe they didn’t hate him as much as he thought they did.
He heard Emiko snort, “Please, that wanna-be is barely a man.”
He quickly got that foolish thought out of his head.
Wally muttered something that Damian couldn’t hear.
Emiko spoke up again, “You guys wanna know what Roy told me,” Damian assumed that the others nodded and he found himself leaning in as well. “He said that even his own brothers don’t like him. They just put up with him to make their dad happy. Actually, probably even his own father doesn’t want him.”
Damian ignored how tight his chest was getting. They were right after all. No matter how hard he tried, his father would never love him the way he loved Grayson, Todd, and Drake.
Wally laughed, “You’re probably right. I mean, didn’t his mom just force Batman to take him. The guy probably didn’t have a choice.”
“That must be tough.” someone huffed, “Being tossed around like trash.”
“He probably deserved it.”
Damian stood there, suddenly not wanting to face his team. Again, they were right. Maybe he did deserve it. No one wanted him around.
No one loved him.
He noticed that the talking from the room ceased and decided that maybe now would be a good time to quickly leave.
All he had to do was go in, use the zeta tubes, and he would be out of there.
Damian walked in the room, with the utmost confidence he could muster.
“Great!” Wally had an excited grin on his face, “I can’t wait to go-“ his voice trailed off when he spotted Damian walking in.
“Can’t wait for what?” he couldn’t stop himself from asking.
“We’re going to the movies!” Djinn answered for the speedster. “We wanted to do a bit of team bonding.” she gave him a bright smile.
Damian nodded in acceptance, hoping that his eyes didn’t betray the hurt he was feeling. Understanding the fact that no one wanted him around, he muttered a quick “Have fun.” Then left.
He should’ve known better than to know that they would invite him.
They probably just didn’t want him to ruin their bonding experience. It makes sense. Damian ruined everything. And he doesn’t even have to try.
It’s like all he had to do was step into a room and everyone’s mood suddenly spiraled down.
These feelings stirring up inside of him made him feel weak and useless. He was pathetic.
Damian stopped, why should he care about what they think? Their opinions should mean nothing to him.
Because father would want you to get along with them. His mind whispered. And even if you don’t want to admit it, you’ve grown fond of them. That’s why you want them to like you so much.
Damian sighed, deciding to take a shower. It’s not like he had anything better to do.
He left his phone on his bed, barely anyone but Alfred came into his room anyway.
The steaming hot water sprinkled across his brown skin. It hurt at first but Damian got used to it.
He didn’t know how long he stayed in the shower but when he heard the knock at the door, he immediately assumed that it was time for dinner.
“I’ll be there soon Alfred!” he called out, changing as fast as he could. He didn’t want to disappoint his father by showing up late.
“Sorry, but I’m not Alfred.”
“Grayson?” he asked, stepping out of the bathroom. “What are you doing here?”
“Do I need an excuse to visit my brother?” he grinned excitedly.
Damian wanted to nod and say yes. No one talked to him unless they had to. However, Damian stopped himself when he saw the glint of mischief in Grayson’s eyes.
Immediately putting up his guard, knowing nothing good happens when Nightwing himself is up to no good, he sneered. “I’m not up for your silly little games tonight.”
Grayson had the nerve to look hurt and pout. Damian ignored him, “Please Dami.” he begged, “I just want to spend some time with my brother.”
“Well, I don’t want to spend time with you.” Damian snapped, “Now if you excuse me, I have to go do... something.”
Grayson cheerfully grinned, ignoring everything Damian just said. “Since you have nothing better to do, let’s go hang out with your friends.” Before Damian could say that he didn’t have any friends and that Bruce needed to know if he ever went somewhere, Grayson lifted him up. “I already asked Dad. So come on! I want to meet your team.”
“It’s not like I have a choice.” Damian grumbled, “Can you put me down?”
“Nope.”
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When they arrived at the tower, Damian sat on the only empty seat left.
He was confused. Why was everyone here? Did they just bring him here so that they could talk about how bad of a person he was? Cause he honestly didn’t need a reminder.
He had a bad feeling about this meetup.
He soon became aware that everyone was watching him, “Don’t you guys have a movie to watch?”
“It was closed.”
“How would it be closed? It’s barely 10 o’clock.”
Crush looked at Todd and the boy rolled his eyes before speaking up. “Hey, brat. You do-”
“Don’t I get a welcome, Demon?” Drake suddenly interrupted, “Plus, last time I checked, you didn’t know what cinema they were going to, so how would you know what time it would close.”
“Tt, whatever.” he rolled his eyes, concealing how his chest seems to ache at the fact that his brothers they didn’t even care that were humiliating him in front of his team. “Can I go now?” he turned to Grayson, “I just remembered that I had to do something.”
It was an obvious lie. And from the snickers going on around the room, they knew it too. Damian didn’t bother to pretend to care. He needed to get out of here.
Something felt wrong.
Without waiting for Grayson’s answer he stood up and tried to walk towards the exit. However, judging by the fact that someone was blocking the door, it seemed like they didn’t want him to leave.
He turned around. “What do you guys want?” he demanded, hoping that they would get the hint that he didn’t want to stay here.
“I don’t know what they want,” Todd casually said, leaning forward. “But can you try this? Alfred gave me the recipe.”
Damian narrowed his eyes at the drink, running his hands through his dark, damp hair. A habit he only did when he was extremely nervous or when he had a very bad feeling. “And I should care about that because...?” He made his voice trail off.
Why won’t they leave him alone?
Everyone seemed to grit their teeth before Crush looked at him straight in the eye, an eyebrow mockingly raised. “Please don’t tell me that you're scared.”
Damian scoffed at the thought.
Him. Scared of a drink? As if.
He paused, he was wary of it though. Something definitely didn’t feel right. He wanted to leave before this whole thing further escalated.
It was like he was back in school and everyone was surrounding him so that he couldn’t walk away. Then somehow, everyone would make comments about how useless and stupid he was. Then they would push him around. Sometimes, they would even go as fast as going through his backpack and rip his notebooks apart.
It was humiliating.
Is that what they wanted? To humiliate Damian.
He was right. They really did hate him.
The fact that Damian didn’t answer his teammate’s question seemed to boost everyone’s confidence.
Damian noticed that they all had a glint of amusement in their eyes, probably enjoying the fact that he couldn’t leave.
Todd walked up to him, the mug in his hand. Damian couldn’t bring himself to move, he could only stare at the object.
Get out. his head seemed to scream. Get out!
He warily looked around, he couldn’t force himself out of this one. He was trapped and the walls just kept closing in.
“You know,” Emiko taunted. “What would happen if your father heard the fact that you declined a drink that your brother obviously worked hard on just for you?” she suddenly let out a mocking gasp, “Oh! What would the League do?”
“If dad found out,” Drake playfully commented, a hint of delight in his tone. As if he enjoyed how uncomfortable Damian felt. “You would probably be banned from patrol... again.”
Everyone around him laughed and Damian clenched his fists.
This wasn’t fair.
Why should it matter that he didn’t want to try the stupid drink that Drake made?
He tried to look at Grayson for help but he was laughing too. Why would his brother the older kid bring him here just to be made fun of?
He hated it here.
Did all of them hate him so much that they would gang up on him? Threatening him that they’ll snitch to Bruce so that he wouldn’t be able to be Robin anymore?
They couldn’t.
Damian refused to let them take away the only escape he had from his horrible life.
If all they wanted was for him to drink from that stupid mug, then he would.
He snatched the white mug- covered with bats from Todd’s hand. Not even bothering to check what was in it, he drank it all as fast as he could.
Before he could open his mouth to ask if he could leave now, his vision blurred. Dark spots seemed to be dancing around the room.
What was happening?
His head suddenly started to hurt. He tried to walk away but he stumbled, almost falling face-first to the floor when someone caught him.
Damian felt his body being carried and put down somewhere soft.
The last thing he noticed was the fact that everyone seemed to wear matching smirks. The exact smirks that seemed to make chills go down Damian’s spine all evening. Wally took out his phone, angling it to film something.
He heard the voices talking and he felt his mouth open as if answering a question.
His head still hurts.
He wanted the pain to go away.
Why wasn’t it going away?
He wanted to scream for help. It hurts. Everything hurts. But it was like he couldn’t bring the words out of his mouth.
He didn’t know if the reason he couldn’t ask for help was that he didn’t trust them or if he just physically couldn’t do it.
In the end, it didn’t matter. Damian’s small body slumped against the couch and his vision went dark.
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When his green eyes opened, he felt like Superman hit his head with as much strength as he could.
It hurts, the throbbing just wouldn’t stop and his eyes couldn’t focus. Everything was blurry and hazy.
He tried to get up but it was like his body failed him. He couldn’t move.
Suddenly, he felt someone put another blanket over his body. He looked up and noticed that all three of his father’s sons were there, staring at him with worried eyes.
They sat on his bed, “What’s wrong, Dami?” Todd asked in a worried tone.
“Nothing,” he muttered. “Why are you guys here?”
“We’re just worried for you, little bat.” Grayson softly argued, his hands playing with Damian’s dark hair.
“Why?” If he could, Damian would’ve winced at how pathetic he sounded. “ I mean, what happened?”
The older bats exchanged glances before Drake slowly answered his question, “There was a mission.” he faltered, “And you got hurt. Really badly.”
Damian frowned, the pain distracting him from focusing on anything else but the words being said to him. “I don’t remember going on a mission?” His eyes stared at theirs, “What was the mission again, exactly?”
Todd scooted closer to him and Damian wanted to scoot away, will he hurt him? “We’ll tell you everything later. Right now, you need to rest.”
Damian's head throbbed even more, “None of this makes sense. Where’s the team?” When the word team came out of his mouth, something inside Damian seemed to snap, he looked at them, obviously panicking as he asked, “How’s the team? Are they hurt? No one was drastically injured right?”
How could he be so selfish? Why was he focusing on himself so much? He should’ve focused on his team right when he woke up.
No wonder they hated him. He couldn’t even protect them properly.
Were they going to kick him out? Were they going to replace him as their leader? Were they g-
“Your team is fine,” Tim assured him, wrapping his arm around Damian, causing the small child to flinch. Drake quickly removed his arm, muttering a quick “Sorry.”
Noticing that the atmosphere has gotten tense and uncomfortable again, Damian couldn’t help but scold himself. Stupid, he just wanted to help you. Why did you have to flinch?
“They’re worried about you, you know.” Grayson suddenly spoke up.
Damian tilted his head in confusion, “Who?”
“Your team.”
“Why?” he questioned.
“Cause you’re hurt?” Todd supplied, as if it was obvious, exchanging quick glances with the others again.
“I just have a headache.” Damian argued before muttering a quiet, “Plus, they didn’t care before. So why would they care now.”
“They care because you’re their leader” Grayson gently answered.
Damian scrunched his eyebrows, so they didn’t want to replace Damian as the leader. Maybe he wasn’t as useless to the team as he thought. They might not like him but they probably believed he was valuable.
Damian nodded in understanding, “So you’re sure that no one's hurt.” he asked meekly. “Did you make sure that they were all okay?”
They might not like or care about him but Damian cared for them.
“They’re fine.” Todd mumbled, “Now, why don’t you go back to sleep.”
Grayson wrapped Damian around his arms, this time Damian tried his hardest not to flinch. It didn’t work but Grayson didn’t seem to notice or care.
He just didn’t want to turn the pleasant atmosphere into an awkward and sorrowful one.
“You’re never getting hurt again.” he heard Drake vow. “We’ll make sure of it.”
Damian wanted to mention they would not be able to keep that promise. They wouldn’t be there with him at every moment of his life.
Damian chose not to tell them down. As much as they wanted to believe that they knew Damian, they didn’t.
Plus, that promise was doomed from the start. After all, how could they protect Damian from themselves?
He also decided that he wouldn’t mention their strange behavior. He knew that they would go back to hating him tomorrow. Right now, all he wanted was to stay in the older kid’s arms.
For once in his life, Damian felt like he belonged. Like someone cared.
He only wished that this feeling would last forever.
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Note:
So I tried something new. What do you think?
Feel free to comment your thoughts and ideas on what I should add. I love reading them!
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next
It's getting better . . . right?
Inspired by this fanfic
uploaded on 04/11/21
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Ao3 // Wattpad
next
I'm fine
Damian Wayne knew that no one wanted him around. He wasn’t an idiot. He noticed how everyone always seemed to look at him with a bit of distaste and revulsion wherever he went.
It made him feel like he didn’t belong with them. Like he was unwanted.
Didn’t his family notice how hard he was trying?
They never seemed to look past the fact that he was raised by assassins. They all assumed that he was nothing but a cold, bratty, killer.
And in a way, maybe they were right.
After all, the ones he was supposed to call his brothers didn’t even give him a chance.
Even the team he handpicked, hated him.
What was wrong with him?
If everyone seemed to hate him so much, there had to be something wrong with him. Right?
That’s what everyone at school seemed to believe.
Ever since someone leaked his number, his phone would always be filled with dozens of new messages. Not a single one of them was positive.
“KYS smart ass”
“U know that no one actually likes you, right?”
“U might be Bruce Wayne’s child but remember that u were nothing but a mistake”
“No one's going to like u with that attitude. No matter how hot you might be”
“isn’t it sad that no one likes you?”
“Do us all a favor and just kys”
And as if that wasn’t enough, everyone in his vigilante life seemed to always have something negative to say about him.
They didn’t even care that he was within earshot. In fact, he wholeheartedly believed that they wanted him to hear about all their complaints about him and his attitude.
He received their points loud and clear. No one there wanted him.
No matter how hard he tried, it would never be enough. Sometimes, he wanted to take his suit and run away, killing all the criminals that he deemed deserved it. He wanted to fight back and argue against them with the bratty behavior that everyone seemed to believe he was born with.
But.
It would only prove everyone right. It would only prove that he was nothing but a spoiled, worthless, ungrateful brat that doesn’t know how to take no for an answer.
Ever since Damian was given to his father, he has wanted nothing more than to gain his approval. He promised that he would become everything that Batman wanted and more.
Even if it meant that he had to pretend that their comments didn’t hurt him.
Damian stared back at his empty, plain wall.
A few minutes before he got back to the manor, the team had just completed another mission.
Damian was about to apologize because he felt like he was a bit too overbearing and bossy when he heard them complaining and criticizing him.
Again.
He froze, not knowing what to do.
“- Such a brat!” he heard someone growl. “Like how can someone be such a dick?”
The room filled with laughter and Emiko spoke up, “What did the kid do now?”
“He goes and gets mad at me for being incompetent or something. Like it’s not my fault I wasn’t raised by a crazy old hot assassin lady.” Wally snapped.
They were right, of course. Damian was raised in different circumstances. And he knew that he was a bit harsh. But he just didn’t want anyone to get hurt.
“‘If you don’t halt your tongue you useless speedster,” someone mockingly imitated, “You will perish under my sword.” That brought another round of fresh laughter to the tight group.
Not even the two people that Damian could probably call his friends could hold in their laughs.
“Why are you guys so mean to the small man?” Roundhouse asked, making the tense feeling inside Damian’s chest loosen up a bit.
Maybe they didn’t hate him as much as he thought they did.
He heard Emiko snort, “Please, that wanna-be is barely a man.”
He quickly got that foolish thought out of his head.
Wally muttered something that Damian couldn’t hear.
Emiko spoke up again, “You guys wanna know what Roy told me,” Damian assumed that the others nodded and he found himself leaning in as well. “He said that even his own brothers don’t like him. They just put up with him to make their dad happy. Actually, probably even his own father doesn’t want him.”
Damian ignored how tight his chest was getting. They were right after all. No matter how hard he tried, his father would never love him the way he loved Grayson, Todd, and Drake.
Wally laughed, “You’re probably right. I mean, didn’t his mom just force Batman to take him. The guy probably didn’t have a choice.”
“That must be tough.” someone huffed, “Being tossed around like trash.”
“He probably deserved it.”
Damian stood there, suddenly not wanting to face his team. Again, they were right. Maybe he did deserve it. No one wanted him around.
No one loved him.
He noticed that the talking from the room ceased and decided that maybe now would be a good time to quickly leave.
All he had to do was go in, use the zeta tubes, and he would be out of there.
Damian walked in the room, with the utmost confidence he could muster.
“Great!” Wally had an excited grin on his face, “I can’t wait to go-“ his voice trailed off when he spotted Damian walking in.
“Can’t wait for what?” he couldn’t stop himself from asking.
“We’re going to the movies!” Djinn answered for the speedster. “We wanted to do a bit of team bonding.” she gave him a bright smile.
Damian nodded in acceptance, hoping that his eyes didn’t betray the hurt he was feeling. Understanding the fact that no one wanted him around, he muttered a quick “Have fun.” Then left.
He should’ve known better than to know that they would invite him.
They probably just didn’t want him to ruin their bonding experience. It makes sense. Damian ruined everything. And he doesn’t even have to try.
It’s like all he had to do was step into a room and everyone’s mood suddenly spiraled down.
These feelings stirring up inside of him made him feel weak and useless. He was pathetic.
Damian stopped, why should he care about what they think? Their opinions should mean nothing to him.
Because father would want you to get along with them. His mind whispered. And even if you don’t want to admit it, you’ve grown fond of them. That’s why you want them to like you so much.
Damian sighed, deciding to take a shower. It’s not like he had anything better to do.
He left his phone on his bed, barely anyone but Alfred came into his room anyway.
The steaming hot water sprinkled across his brown skin. It hurt at first but Damian got used to it.
He didn’t know how long he stayed in the shower but when he heard the knock at the door, he immediately assumed that it was time for dinner.
“I’ll be there soon Alfred!” he called out, changing as fast as he could. He didn’t want to disappoint his father by showing up late.
“Sorry, but I’m not Alfred.”
“Grayson?” he asked, stepping out of the bathroom. “What are you doing here?”
“Do I need an excuse to visit my brother?” he grinned excitedly.
Damian wanted to nod and say yes. No one talked to him unless they had to. However, Damian stopped himself when he saw the glint of mischief in Grayson’s eyes.
Immediately putting up his guard, knowing nothing good happens when Nightwing himself is up to no good, he sneered. “I’m not up for your silly little games tonight.”
Grayson had the nerve to look hurt and pout. Damian ignored him, “Please Dami.” he begged, “I just want to spend some time with my brother.”
“Well, I don’t want to spend time with you.” Damian snapped, “Now if you excuse me, I have to go do... something.”
Grayson cheerfully grinned, ignoring everything Damian just said. “Since you have nothing better to do, let’s go hang out with your friends.” Before Damian could say that he didn’t have any friends and that Bruce needed to know if he ever went somewhere, Grayson lifted him up. “I already asked Dad. So come on! I want to meet your team.”
“It’s not like I have a choice.” Damian grumbled, “Can you put me down?”
“Nope.”
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
When they arrived at the tower, Damian sat on the only empty seat left.
He was confused. Why was everyone here? Did they just bring him here so that they could talk about how bad of a person he was? Cause he honestly didn’t need a reminder.
He had a bad feeling about this meetup.
He soon became aware that everyone was watching him, “Don’t you guys have a movie to watch?”
“It was closed.”
“How would it be closed? It’s barely 10 o’clock.”
Crush looked at Todd and the boy rolled his eyes before speaking up. “Hey, brat. You do-”
“Don’t I get a welcome, Demon?” Drake suddenly interrupted, “Plus, last time I checked, you didn’t know what cinema they were going to, so how would you know what time it would close.”
“Tt, whatever.” he rolled his eyes, concealing how his chest seems to ache at the fact that his brothers they didn’t even care that were humiliating him in front of his team. “Can I go now?” he turned to Grayson, “I just remembered that I had to do something.”
It was an obvious lie. And from the snickers going on around the room, they knew it too. Damian didn’t bother to pretend to care. He needed to get out of here.
Something felt wrong.
Without waiting for Grayson’s answer he stood up and tried to walk towards the exit. However, judging by the fact that someone was blocking the door, it seemed like they didn’t want him to leave.
He turned around. “What do you guys want?” he demanded, hoping that they would get the hint that he didn’t want to stay here.
“I don’t know what they want,” Todd casually said, leaning forward. “But can you try this? Alfred gave me the recipe.”
Damian narrowed his eyes at the drink, running his hands through his dark, damp hair. A habit he only did when he was extremely nervous or when he had a very bad feeling. “And I should care about that because...?” He made his voice trail off.
Why won’t they leave him alone?
Everyone seemed to grit their teeth before Crush looked at him straight in the eye, an eyebrow mockingly raised. “Please don’t tell me that you're scared.”
Damian scoffed at the thought.
Him. Scared of a drink? As if.
He paused, he was wary of it though. Something definitely didn’t feel right. He wanted to leave before this whole thing further escalated.
It was like he was back in school and everyone was surrounding him so that he couldn’t walk away. Then somehow, everyone would make comments about how useless and stupid he was. Then they would push him around. Sometimes, they would even go as fast as going through his backpack and rip his notebooks apart.
It was humiliating.
Is that what they wanted? To humiliate Damian.
He was right. They really did hate him.
The fact that Damian didn’t answer his teammate’s question seemed to boost everyone’s confidence.
Damian noticed that they all had a glint of amusement in their eyes, probably enjoying the fact that he couldn’t leave.
Todd walked up to him, the mug in his hand. Damian couldn’t bring himself to move, he could only stare at the object.
Get out. his head seemed to scream. Get out!
He warily looked around, he couldn’t force himself out of this one. He was trapped and the walls just kept closing in.
“You know,” Emiko taunted. “What would happen if your father heard the fact that you declined a drink that your brother obviously worked hard on just for you?” she suddenly let out a mocking gasp, “Oh! What would the League do?”
“If dad found out,” Drake playfully commented, a hint of delight in his tone. As if he enjoyed how uncomfortable Damian felt. “You would probably be banned from patrol... again.”
Everyone around him laughed and Damian clenched his fists.
This wasn’t fair.
Why should it matter that he didn’t want to try the stupid drink that Drake made?
He tried to look at Grayson for help but he was laughing too. Why would his brother the older kid bring him here just to be made fun of?
He hated it here.
Did all of them hate him so much that they would gang up on him? Threatening him that they’ll snitch to Bruce so that he wouldn’t be able to be Robin anymore?
They couldn’t.
Damian refused to let them take away the only escape he had from his horrible life.
If all they wanted was for him to drink from that stupid mug, then he would.
He snatched the white mug- covered with bats from Todd’s hand. Not even bothering to check what was in it, he drank it all as fast as he could.
Before he could open his mouth to ask if he could leave now, his vision blurred. Dark spots seemed to be dancing around the room.
What was happening?
His head suddenly started to hurt. He tried to walk away but he stumbled, almost falling face-first to the floor when someone caught him.
Damian felt his body being carried and put down somewhere soft.
The last thing he noticed was the fact that everyone seemed to wear matching smirks. The exact smirks that seemed to make chills go down Damian’s spine all evening. Wally took out his phone, angling it to film something.
He heard the voices talking and he felt his mouth open as if answering a question.
His head still hurts.
He wanted the pain to go away.
Why wasn’t it going away?
He wanted to scream for help. It hurts. Everything hurts. But it was like he couldn’t bring the words out of his mouth.
He didn’t know if the reason he couldn’t ask for help was that he didn’t trust them or if he just physically couldn’t do it.
In the end, it didn’t matter. Damian’s small body slumped against the couch and his vision went dark.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
When his green eyes opened, he felt like Superman hit his head with as much strength as he could.
It hurts, the throbbing just wouldn’t stop and his eyes couldn’t focus. Everything was blurry and hazy.
He tried to get up but it was like his body failed him. He couldn’t move.
Suddenly, he felt someone put another blanket over his body. He looked up and noticed that all three of his father’s sons were there, staring at him with worried eyes.
They sat on his bed, “What’s wrong, Dami?” Todd asked in a worried tone.
“Nothing,” he muttered. “Why are you guys here?”
“We’re just worried for you, little bat.” Grayson softly argued, his hands playing with Damian’s dark hair.
“Why?” If he could, Damian would’ve winced at how pathetic he sounded. “ I mean, what happened?”
The older bats exchanged glances before Drake slowly answered his question, “There was a mission.” he faltered, “And you got hurt. Really badly.”
Damian frowned, the pain distracting him from focusing on anything else but the words being said to him. “I don’t remember going on a mission?” His eyes stared at theirs, “What was the mission again, exactly?”
Todd scooted closer to him and Damian wanted to scoot away, will he hurt him? “We’ll tell you everything later. Right now, you need to rest.”
Damian's head throbbed even more, “None of this makes sense. Where’s the team?” When the word team came out of his mouth, something inside Damian seemed to snap, he looked at them, obviously panicking as he asked, “How’s the team? Are they hurt? No one was drastically injured right?”
How could he be so selfish? Why was he focusing on himself so much? He should’ve focused on his team right when he woke up.
No wonder they hated him. He couldn’t even protect them properly.
Were they going to kick him out? Were they going to replace him as their leader? Were they g-
“Your team is fine,” Tim assured him, wrapping his arm around Damian, causing the small child to flinch. Drake quickly removed his arm, muttering a quick “Sorry.”
Noticing that the atmosphere has gotten tense and uncomfortable again, Damian couldn’t help but scold himself. Stupid, he just wanted to help you. Why did you have to flinch?
“They’re worried about you, you know.” Grayson suddenly spoke up.
Damian tilted his head in confusion, “Who?”
“Your team.”
“Why?” he questioned.
“Cause you’re hurt?” Todd supplied, as if it was obvious, exchanging quick glances with the others again.
“I just have a headache.” Damian argued before muttering a quiet, “Plus, they didn’t care before. So why would they care now.”
“They care because you’re their leader” Grayson gently answered.
Damian scrunched his eyebrows, so they didn’t want to replace Damian as the leader. Maybe he wasn’t as useless to the team as he thought. They might not like him but they probably believed he was valuable.
Damian nodded in understanding, “So you’re sure that no one's hurt.” he asked meekly. “Did you make sure that they were all okay?”
They might not like or care about him but Damian cared for them.
“They’re fine.” Todd mumbled, “Now, why don’t you go back to sleep.”
Grayson wrapped Damian around his arms, this time Damian tried his hardest not to flinch. It didn’t work but Grayson didn’t seem to notice or care.
He just didn’t want to turn the pleasant atmosphere into an awkward and sorrowful one.
“You’re never getting hurt again.” he heard Drake vow. “We’ll make sure of it.”
Damian wanted to mention they would not be able to keep that promise. They wouldn’t be there with him at every moment of his life.
Damian chose not to tell them down. As much as they wanted to believe that they knew Damian, they didn’t.
Plus, that promise was doomed from the start. After all, how could they protect Damian from themselves?
He also decided that he wouldn’t mention their strange behavior. He knew that they would go back to hating him tomorrow. Right now, all he wanted was to stay in the older kid’s arms.
For once in his life, Damian felt like he belonged. Like someone cared.
He only wished that this feeling would last forever.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Note:
So I tried something new. What do you think?
Feel free to comment your thoughts and ideas on what I should add. I love reading them!
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
next
It's getting better . . . right?
Inspired by this fanfic
uploaded on 04/11/21
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Ao3 // Wattpad
next
I'm fine
Damian Wayne knew that no one wanted him around. He wasn’t an idiot. He noticed how everyone always seemed to look at him with a bit of distaste and revulsion wherever he went.
It made him feel like he didn’t belong with them. Like he was unwanted.
Didn’t his family notice how hard he was trying?
They never seemed to look past the fact that he was raised by assassins. They all assumed that he was nothing but a cold, bratty, killer.
And in a way, maybe they were right.
After all, the ones he was supposed to call his brothers didn’t even give him a chance.
Even the team he handpicked, hated him.
What was wrong with him?
If everyone seemed to hate him so much, there had to be something wrong with him. Right?
That’s what everyone at school seemed to believe.
Ever since someone leaked his number, his phone would always be filled with dozens of new messages. Not a single one of them was positive.
“KYS smart ass”
“U know that no one actually likes you, right?”
“U might be Bruce Wayne’s child but remember that u were nothing but a mistake”
“No one's going to like u with that attitude. No matter how hot you might be”
“isn’t it sad that no one likes you?”
“Do us all a favor and just kys”
And as if that wasn’t enough, everyone in his vigilante life seemed to always have something negative to say about him.
They didn’t even care that he was within earshot. In fact, he wholeheartedly believed that they wanted him to hear about all their complaints about him and his attitude.
He received their points loud and clear. No one there wanted him.
No matter how hard he tried, it would never be enough. Sometimes, he wanted to take his suit and run away, killing all the criminals that he deemed deserved it. He wanted to fight back and argue against them with the bratty behavior that everyone seemed to believe he was born with.
But.
It would only prove everyone right. It would only prove that he was nothing but a spoiled, worthless, ungrateful brat that doesn’t know how to take no for an answer.
Ever since Damian was given to his father, he has wanted nothing more than to gain his approval. He promised that he would become everything that Batman wanted and more.
Even if it meant that he had to pretend that their comments didn’t hurt him.
Damian stared back at his empty, plain wall.
A few minutes before he got back to the manor, the team had just completed another mission.
Damian was about to apologize because he felt like he was a bit too overbearing and bossy when he heard them complaining and criticizing him.
Again.
He froze, not knowing what to do.
“- Such a brat!” he heard someone growl. “Like how can someone be such a dick?”
The room filled with laughter and Emiko spoke up, “What did the kid do now?”
“He goes and gets mad at me for being incompetent or something. Like it’s not my fault I wasn’t raised by a crazy old hot assassin lady.” Wally snapped.
They were right, of course. Damian was raised in different circumstances. And he knew that he was a bit harsh. But he just didn’t want anyone to get hurt.
“‘If you don’t halt your tongue you useless speedster,” someone mockingly imitated, “You will perish under my sword.” That brought another round of fresh laughter to the tight group.
Not even the two people that Damian could probably call his friends could hold in their laughs.
“Why are you guys so mean to the small man?” Roundhouse asked, making the tense feeling inside Damian’s chest loosen up a bit.
Maybe they didn’t hate him as much as he thought they did.
He heard Emiko snort, “Please, that wanna-be is barely a man.”
He quickly got that foolish thought out of his head.
Wally muttered something that Damian couldn’t hear.
Emiko spoke up again, “You guys wanna know what Roy told me,” Damian assumed that the others nodded and he found himself leaning in as well. “He said that even his own brothers don’t like him. They just put up with him to make their dad happy. Actually, probably even his own father doesn’t want him.”
Damian ignored how tight his chest was getting. They were right after all. No matter how hard he tried, his father would never love him the way he loved Grayson, Todd, and Drake.
Wally laughed, “You’re probably right. I mean, didn’t his mom just force Batman to take him. The guy probably didn’t have a choice.”
“That must be tough.” someone huffed, “Being tossed around like trash.”
“He probably deserved it.”
Damian stood there, suddenly not wanting to face his team. Again, they were right. Maybe he did deserve it. No one wanted him around.
No one loved him.
He noticed that the talking from the room ceased and decided that maybe now would be a good time to quickly leave.
All he had to do was go in, use the zeta tubes, and he would be out of there.
Damian walked in the room, with the utmost confidence he could muster.
“Great!” Wally had an excited grin on his face, “I can’t wait to go-“ his voice trailed off when he spotted Damian walking in.
“Can’t wait for what?” he couldn’t stop himself from asking.
“We’re going to the movies!” Djinn answered for the speedster. “We wanted to do a bit of team bonding.” she gave him a bright smile.
Damian nodded in acceptance, hoping that his eyes didn’t betray the hurt he was feeling. Understanding the fact that no one wanted him around, he muttered a quick “Have fun.” Then left.
He should’ve known better than to know that they would invite him.
They probably just didn’t want him to ruin their bonding experience. It makes sense. Damian ruined everything. And he doesn’t even have to try.
It’s like all he had to do was step into a room and everyone’s mood suddenly spiraled down.
These feelings stirring up inside of him made him feel weak and useless. He was pathetic.
Damian stopped, why should he care about what they think? Their opinions should mean nothing to him.
Because father would want you to get along with them. His mind whispered. And even if you don’t want to admit it, you’ve grown fond of them. That’s why you want them to like you so much.
Damian sighed, deciding to take a shower. It’s not like he had anything better to do.
He left his phone on his bed, barely anyone but Alfred came into his room anyway.
The steaming hot water sprinkled across his brown skin. It hurt at first but Damian got used to it.
He didn’t know how long he stayed in the shower but when he heard the knock at the door, he immediately assumed that it was time for dinner.
“I’ll be there soon Alfred!” he called out, changing as fast as he could. He didn’t want to disappoint his father by showing up late.
“Sorry, but I’m not Alfred.”
“Grayson?” he asked, stepping out of the bathroom. “What are you doing here?”
“Do I need an excuse to visit my brother?” he grinned excitedly.
Damian wanted to nod and say yes. No one talked to him unless they had to. However, Damian stopped himself when he saw the glint of mischief in Grayson’s eyes.
Immediately putting up his guard, knowing nothing good happens when Nightwing himself is up to no good, he sneered. “I’m not up for your silly little games tonight.”
Grayson had the nerve to look hurt and pout. Damian ignored him, “Please Dami.” he begged, “I just want to spend some time with my brother.”
“Well, I don’t want to spend time with you.” Damian snapped, “Now if you excuse me, I have to go do... something.”
Grayson cheerfully grinned, ignoring everything Damian just said. “Since you have nothing better to do, let’s go hang out with your friends.” Before Damian could say that he didn’t have any friends and that Bruce needed to know if he ever went somewhere, Grayson lifted him up. “I already asked Dad. So come on! I want to meet your team.”
“It’s not like I have a choice.” Damian grumbled, “Can you put me down?”
“Nope.”
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When they arrived at the tower, Damian sat on the only empty seat left.
He was confused. Why was everyone here? Did they just bring him here so that they could talk about how bad of a person he was? Cause he honestly didn’t need a reminder.
He had a bad feeling about this meetup.
He soon became aware that everyone was watching him, “Don’t you guys have a movie to watch?”
“It was closed.”
“How would it be closed? It’s barely 10 o’clock.”
Crush looked at Todd and the boy rolled his eyes before speaking up. “Hey, brat. You do-”
“Don’t I get a welcome, Demon?” Drake suddenly interrupted, “Plus, last time I checked, you didn’t know what cinema they were going to, so how would you know what time it would close.”
“Tt, whatever.” he rolled his eyes, concealing how his chest seems to ache at the fact that his brothers they didn’t even care that were humiliating him in front of his team. “Can I go now?” he turned to Grayson, “I just remembered that I had to do something.”
It was an obvious lie. And from the snickers going on around the room, they knew it too. Damian didn’t bother to pretend to care. He needed to get out of here.
Something felt wrong.
Without waiting for Grayson’s answer he stood up and tried to walk towards the exit. However, judging by the fact that someone was blocking the door, it seemed like they didn’t want him to leave.
He turned around. “What do you guys want?” he demanded, hoping that they would get the hint that he didn’t want to stay here.
“I don’t know what they want,” Todd casually said, leaning forward. “But can you try this? Alfred gave me the recipe.”
Damian narrowed his eyes at the drink, running his hands through his dark, damp hair. A habit he only did when he was extremely nervous or when he had a very bad feeling. “And I should care about that because...?” He made his voice trail off.
Why won’t they leave him alone?
Everyone seemed to grit their teeth before Crush looked at him straight in the eye, an eyebrow mockingly raised. “Please don’t tell me that you're scared.”
Damian scoffed at the thought.
Him. Scared of a drink? As if.
He paused, he was wary of it though. Something definitely didn’t feel right. He wanted to leave before this whole thing further escalated.
It was like he was back in school and everyone was surrounding him so that he couldn’t walk away. Then somehow, everyone would make comments about how useless and stupid he was. Then they would push him around. Sometimes, they would even go as fast as going through his backpack and rip his notebooks apart.
It was humiliating.
Is that what they wanted? To humiliate Damian.
He was right. They really did hate him.
The fact that Damian didn’t answer his teammate’s question seemed to boost everyone’s confidence.
Damian noticed that they all had a glint of amusement in their eyes, probably enjoying the fact that he couldn’t leave.
Todd walked up to him, the mug in his hand. Damian couldn’t bring himself to move, he could only stare at the object.
Get out. his head seemed to scream. Get out!
He warily looked around, he couldn’t force himself out of this one. He was trapped and the walls just kept closing in.
“You know,” Emiko taunted. “What would happen if your father heard the fact that you declined a drink that your brother obviously worked hard on just for you?” she suddenly let out a mocking gasp, “Oh! What would the League do?”
“If dad found out,” Drake playfully commented, a hint of delight in his tone. As if he enjoyed how uncomfortable Damian felt. “You would probably be banned from patrol... again.”
Everyone around him laughed and Damian clenched his fists.
This wasn’t fair.
Why should it matter that he didn’t want to try the stupid drink that Drake made?
He tried to look at Grayson for help but he was laughing too. Why would his brother the older kid bring him here just to be made fun of?
He hated it here.
Did all of them hate him so much that they would gang up on him? Threatening him that they’ll snitch to Bruce so that he wouldn’t be able to be Robin anymore?
They couldn’t.
Damian refused to let them take away the only escape he had from his horrible life.
If all they wanted was for him to drink from that stupid mug, then he would.
He snatched the white mug- covered with bats from Todd’s hand. Not even bothering to check what was in it, he drank it all as fast as he could.
Before he could open his mouth to ask if he could leave now, his vision blurred. Dark spots seemed to be dancing around the room.
What was happening?
His head suddenly started to hurt. He tried to walk away but he stumbled, almost falling face-first to the floor when someone caught him.
Damian felt his body being carried and put down somewhere soft.
The last thing he noticed was the fact that everyone seemed to wear matching smirks. The exact smirks that seemed to make chills go down Damian’s spine all evening. Wally took out his phone, angling it to film something.
He heard the voices talking and he felt his mouth open as if answering a question.
His head still hurts.
He wanted the pain to go away.
Why wasn’t it going away?
He wanted to scream for help. It hurts. Everything hurts. But it was like he couldn’t bring the words out of his mouth.
He didn’t know if the reason he couldn’t ask for help was that he didn’t trust them or if he just physically couldn’t do it.
In the end, it didn’t matter. Damian’s small body slumped against the couch and his vision went dark.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
When his green eyes opened, he felt like Superman hit his head with as much strength as he could.
It hurts, the throbbing just wouldn’t stop and his eyes couldn’t focus. Everything was blurry and hazy.
He tried to get up but it was like his body failed him. He couldn’t move.
Suddenly, he felt someone put another blanket over his body. He looked up and noticed that all three of his father’s sons were there, staring at him with worried eyes.
They sat on his bed, “What’s wrong, Dami?” Todd asked in a worried tone.
“Nothing,” he muttered. “Why are you guys here?”
“We’re just worried for you, little bat.” Grayson softly argued, his hands playing with Damian’s dark hair.
“Why?” If he could, Damian would’ve winced at how pathetic he sounded. “ I mean, what happened?”
The older bats exchanged glances before Drake slowly answered his question, “There was a mission.” he faltered, “And you got hurt. Really badly.”
Damian frowned, the pain distracting him from focusing on anything else but the words being said to him. “I don’t remember going on a mission?” His eyes stared at theirs, “What was the mission again, exactly?”
Todd scooted closer to him and Damian wanted to scoot away, will he hurt him? “We’ll tell you everything later. Right now, you need to rest.”
Damian's head throbbed even more, “None of this makes sense. Where’s the team?” When the word team came out of his mouth, something inside Damian seemed to snap, he looked at them, obviously panicking as he asked, “How’s the team? Are they hurt? No one was drastically injured right?”
How could he be so selfish? Why was he focusing on himself so much? He should’ve focused on his team right when he woke up.
No wonder they hated him. He couldn’t even protect them properly.
Were they going to kick him out? Were they going to replace him as their leader? Were they g-
“Your team is fine,” Tim assured him, wrapping his arm around Damian, causing the small child to flinch. Drake quickly removed his arm, muttering a quick “Sorry.”
Noticing that the atmosphere has gotten tense and uncomfortable again, Damian couldn’t help but scold himself. Stupid, he just wanted to help you. Why did you have to flinch?
“They’re worried about you, you know.” Grayson suddenly spoke up.
Damian tilted his head in confusion, “Who?”
“Your team.”
“Why?” he questioned.
“Cause you’re hurt?” Todd supplied, as if it was obvious, exchanging quick glances with the others again.
“I just have a headache.” Damian argued before muttering a quiet, “Plus, they didn’t care before. So why would they care now.”
“They care because you’re their leader” Grayson gently answered.
Damian scrunched his eyebrows, so they didn’t want to replace Damian as the leader. Maybe he wasn’t as useless to the team as he thought. They might not like him but they probably believed he was valuable.
Damian nodded in understanding, “So you’re sure that no one's hurt.” he asked meekly. “Did you make sure that they were all okay?”
They might not like or care about him but Damian cared for them.
“They’re fine.” Todd mumbled, “Now, why don’t you go back to sleep.”
Grayson wrapped Damian around his arms, this time Damian tried his hardest not to flinch. It didn’t work but Grayson didn’t seem to notice or care.
He just didn’t want to turn the pleasant atmosphere into an awkward and sorrowful one.
“You’re never getting hurt again.” he heard Drake vow. “We’ll make sure of it.”
Damian wanted to mention they would not be able to keep that promise. They wouldn’t be there with him at every moment of his life.
Damian chose not to tell them down. As much as they wanted to believe that they knew Damian, they didn’t.
Plus, that promise was doomed from the start. After all, how could they protect Damian from themselves?
He also decided that he wouldn’t mention their strange behavior. He knew that they would go back to hating him tomorrow. Right now, all he wanted was to stay in the older kid’s arms.
For once in his life, Damian felt like he belonged. Like someone cared.
He only wished that this feeling would last forever.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Note:
So I tried something new. What do you think?
Feel free to comment your thoughts and ideas on what I should add. I love reading them!
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
next
It's getting better . . . right?
Inspired by this fanfic
uploaded on 04/16/21
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Ao3 // Wattpad
previous II next
I'm confused (Part 1)
Ever since Damian had that weird experience with his brother’s, it was like everyone’s personality towards him did a whole 180. Like a switch has been flipped.
He suspects that the meta-human they fought had something to do with it.
However, whenever he brought it up, everyone seemed to change the subject. As if they didn’t want Damian to know who they fought or how he got injured.
It was both annoying and suspicious.
His nose crinkled in disgust, he wanted his old teammates back.
Even though he hated how he was treated, at least he knew that their actions towards him weren’t fake.
If anything, he knew that he deserved it.
He ruined everything. He was nothing but a mistake that they couldn’t get rid of.
Everything they did towards him was justified. No matter how much it hurts.
So, why. Why are all of them being so adequate towards him now?
It doesn’t make sense.
“Father,” Damian announced as soon as he stepped foot into the office.
“Damian,” the man acknowledged, glancing down at his son. “Is there something that you need?”
“I was wondering if you could tell me about the mission that the Titans had a few days ago. I believe it happened somewhere around midnight.” he paused before adding, “No one is willing to give me any details about it.”
His father stared at him in puzzlement, “You guys haven’t had a night mission for a while. Are you sure that you even had one?”
Damian nodded, “That’s what everyone told me. Plus, they’ve all been acting weird.” his eyes met his father’s as he seriously said, “I believe that everyone has been hit with some type of mind control meta-human.”
Bruce only raised an eyebrow at his youngest’s declaration. “As far as I know, meta-humans like that haven’t gone near your team. Much less you brothers.”
He mentally sighed.
Of course, he wouldn’t believe Damian. Why should he?
Seeing no reason to continue this conversation, Damian nodded and turned away, walking towards his room. He knew better than to assume that his father would want to spend any more time with him.
After all, he was nothing but a mistake. His father didn’t choose to raise him the way he chose to raise the others. He was forced to by his mother.
That’s the difference between him and his siblings. His father chose them and he didn’t choose Damian.
It might hurt him to admit it but it’s the truth. Bruce will never love Damian the way he loves his other protégés.
As he laid on his bed, he couldn’t help but be confused by the whole ordeal. Everyone told him that there was a mission that happened to take place at night. Yet, his father said that there was no mission.
If there was no mission, then why was everyone acting so weird towards him. Nothing made sense.
Whenever Damian tried to connect the dots on what caused his team’s whole personality change, he got nothing. All he remembered was waking up with a massive headache.
For some reason, Damian missed the feeling of being hurt. He had become used to it. And when his teammates didn’t make the snide, mocking comments they usually made, it felt weird to him.
It made him feel guilty.
He didn’t deserve love. He didn’t deserve anyone caring for him. He didn’t deserve anything.
As he rested his eyes, Damian made a promise to himself.
He will figure out what happened that night, no matter what.
And when he does, he will save them from whatever caused this personality change.
Cause deep down, he knew that they didn’t want him.
“Hey, little bat.” a voice interrupted his thoughts.
He sat up, looking around his room, and noticed that all three of his brothers were standing in front of his door.
“Why are you guys here?” he snapped, not in the mood for their silly little games.
“We just want to hang out with you.” Grayson grinned, “Are we not allowed to do that?”
Damian faltered, wanting to tell them that they never wanted to hang out before, but before he could say anything, Todd spoke up. “So what are your plans for the day?”
Damian narrowed his eyes in suspicion, “Why?”
They looked at each other and stated “Because we want to hang out with you.” as if that answer was obvious.
“And what if I don’t want to hang out with you?” he asked, although it came out harsher than he meant it to.
The way they were acting scared Damian. They were acting like they actually cared about him.
But they didn’t.
After all, How could they ever care about a bratty, selfish, self-absorbed, assassin?
Those were their words, not his.
Not that anyone ever said it to his face. Even they weren’t that low. But he’s heard those exact words come out of a lot of his people’s mouths. Even Grayson’s.
So he didn’t dare bring his hopes up. This was probably another trick so that they could lower his guard and humiliate him.
Those were their favorite things to do to him.
“Look, Damian, we know that we haven’t been the best-“ Drake’s blue eyes met his and he faltered, probably trying to find the right word. “-people when it came to being around you.”
Todd scoffed, “That’s an understatement.”
Drake ignored him, “But we want to try harder now. So will you please just give us a chance?” he pleaded.
Damian believed that this whole ruse of theirs was nothing but a trick. Yet when he saw the sincerity in their eyes, he hesitated.
They care. His heart seemed to whisper. They actually care.
Or, his brain argued. This is just a trick. Drake was always the best actor out of the three of them.
Damian didn’t know which one to agree with.
Plus, there’s no way that they actually care for you. His brain continued. After everything they’ve said, you’re actually going to fall for this? What would your mother say? Meta-human or not, they don’t care about you.
“If I do decide to give you a chance,” Damian tried to negotiate, “Will you guys finally tell me about the mission?”
No matter how much Damian wanted to listen to his heart, his brain had the most logical information. There was no way his brothers would willingly change their attitudes towards him. Meta human or not.
Damian noticed that they glanced at each other again, something they always did when they were hiding something.
“Look Damian,” Grayson slowly said, sitting next to Damian on his bed. “We can’t te-”
“You know, Father mentioned that we didn’t even have a mission.” he suddenly interrupted.
Grayson and the others froze. “He did?”
Damian nodded as he discreetly tried to move away from him. “So, either there was no mission,” the and you guys lied to me was left unsaid, “Or-“
“We snuck out!” The others stared at Todd in disbelief, “What,” he shrugged. “It’s not like he’s gonna tell the bat.”
Grayson suddenly pulled Damian closer to him, “Don’t think I don’t notice you trying to get away from us.”
He missed the way Drake’s lips curled up in a smirk as he moved closer to Damian as well, “Yeah, little bat. Do you not like us or something?”
“Was that not obvious?” Damian retorted, trying to get away from Grayson’s hug. “Let me go!” when Grayson wouldn’t budge, he added a small, “please.”
Todd laughed, “Let the kid go. If he doesn’t want to find out more about the mission, then that’s on him.”
Damian faltered, he really wanted to know about the mission. He was his team’s leader and he was responsible for their safety. He couldn’t fail them again.
“I’ll do it. I’ll do whatever you guys were planning to do.”
Damian noticed how their eyes seemed to light up and he couldn’t help but feel accomplished.
He did something right.
“Great.” Grayson finally let him go, “Today is actually the day where we relax and just bond. Tim had this ide-“
Damian wasn’t paying attention to the older kid’s babbling. He still couldn’t decide if the turning in his stomach meant that this activity he was doing with his brothers was a good thing or not.
It was weird.
Usually, his instincts were something that Damian could clearly interpret. But lately, it seemed like even they were confused.
Though, he had a feeling that it might have something to do with his memory loss of what happened that day.
He glanced up and noticed that his brother’s backs were facing him. They were walking in front of him and considering the fact that they didn’t give Damian a second glance, he assumed that they were having an intense conversation.
Damian knew that something happened that day and considering how no one would tell him about it. He knew that it was important. And he will stop at nothing to figure out what it was.
Even if he got hurt in the process.
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It turns out that Drake’s definition of “bonding” meant going back to the Titan’s Tower.
Damian did not want to be there with his brothers. He didn’t know how to explain it but he got this feeling of deja vu.
And it was not the good kind.
Damian mentally put that in his box of questions to find answers for.
He found everyone from his team hanging out in front of the TV
It was probably another team bonding experience that he wasn’t invited to.
“What’s up guys,” Grayson greeted as hopped on the couch.
The other followed his lead, leaving Damian alone in front of the door.
He didn’t know what to do.
Should he join them?
No.
He would only ruin the bonding experience.
Instead, Damian retreated into the kitchen. Hoping for some peace and quiet so that he could think.
Damian should’ve expected something like this to happen. Even if he only agreed so that he could get more information about the mission, a small part of him found himself looking forward to spending the day with his brothers.
What was the point of that whole sentimental speech if all they were gonna do was abandon him as soon as they saw his team?
Were they embarrassed to be seen hanging out with Damian?
Probably.
Damian sighed. Since when were they so close with his team anyways? As far as he knew, his brothers refused to be associated with anything that Damian was associated with.
Though, he couldn’t help be saddened at the fact that his own brothers had a closer relationship with his own team than he did.
Damian clenched his fists. It wasn’t fair.
None of this was fair.
He was about to leave when a lonely mug caught his eye. It was plain white and covered with bats.
He’s never seen this mug before, yet something about it just seemed so familiar.
He reached out and grabbed it, studying every inch like it’ll give him the answers he was looking for.
“There you are!” he heard a voice suddenly exclaim, “GUYS, I FOUND DAMIAN!”
The sudden screaming caused Damian to jump and drop the mug.
Fuck.
He messed up. Again.
Damian kneeled down, grabbing the larger pieces of the glass when he froze.
Flashes of Grayson forcing Damian into the tower resurfaced. He saw that Drake and Todd were there as well with everyone else. Todd was sitting there with a mug. The exact one that he just broke.
“Damian,” a hand touched his shoulder and Damian flinched, forcing the hand away.
Realizing what he just did, he muttered a soft apology.
“It’s fine.” Todd waved it off, “But are you okay? You just froze there for a minute.”
“Yeah, I’m fine.” Damian tried to assure, “I just- I think I remembered something.”
With that simple sentence, it was like the whole room froze.
They warily looked at each other before Emiko hesitantly spoke up. “What did you remember?”
Damian shrugged. “Nothing much. I just-“ he turned to his siblings, “Wait, why didn’t you guys inform me that we were all in the tower during the mission?”
Minutes seemed to pass and no one said anything. It was like everyone was waiting for someone to speak up.
Suddenly, Djinn pulled Damian out of the kitchen. “Come on.” she urged, “Why don’t we watch a movie or something.” leaning in, she whispered. “The atmosphere there was getting way too tense and awkward for my liking.”
Even though Damian knew she didn’t mean to make him feel bad, he still did.
If he just asked them that question in private then all of them wouldn’t be in such a bad mood.
Why did he have to ruin everything?
Damian sent her a fake smile, “You can pick what you wanna watch. I usually don’t waste my time watching foolish things.”
Djinn nodded, used to Damian’s cold demeanor, and picked a movie called ‘Legally Blonde’. “This one is a classic.” she informed him, “It’s a team favorite.”
Due to the fact that Damian was rarely invited to their “team” outings, he didn’t know that. But he didn’t want to ruin the comfortable atmosphere they were in so he only nodded, turning his focus on the huge screen.
He was so lost in his thoughts that he didn’t realize that everyone else joined them in the room.
As his eyes got heavier, Damian felt a warm blanket cover his body.
He noticed that Drake was sitting next to him, gesturing for Damian to rest his head on his shoulders.
The smile that Drake sent him when he complied made Damian’s stomach turn.
This happened before, his brain mentioned. And it didn’t turn out good.
Oh really? his heart asked. Then why don’t we remember it?
Because we can’t remember anything that happened! His brain snapped.
You heard what they said before. His heart kindly reminded him, They care. Why can’t we just give them a chance?
His brain seemed to scoff, sure. It sarcastically said, give them a chance. But don’t blame me when you regret it.
Just one chance. his heart firmly stated, ignoring the brain. Don’t we deserve it?
Damian wasn’t aware that he snuggled closer to his brother.
Just one.
For once in his life, Damian decided that maybe it was time for him to listen to his heart.
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uploaded on 04/16/21
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I'm confused (Part 1)
Ever since Damian had that weird experience with his brother’s, it was like everyone’s personality towards him did a whole 180. Like a switch has been flipped.
He suspects that the meta-human they fought had something to do with it.
However, whenever he brought it up, everyone seemed to change the subject. As if they didn’t want Damian to know who they fought or how he got injured.
It was both annoying and suspicious.
His nose crinkled in disgust, he wanted his old teammates back.
Even though he hated how he was treated, at least he knew that their actions towards him weren’t fake.
If anything, he knew that he deserved it.
He ruined everything. He was nothing but a mistake that they couldn’t get rid of.
Everything they did towards him was justified. No matter how much it hurts.
So, why. Why are all of them being so adequate towards him now?
It doesn’t make sense.
“Father,” Damian announced as soon as he stepped foot into the office.
“Damian,” the man acknowledged, glancing down at his son. “Is there something that you need?”
“I was wondering if you could tell me about the mission that the Titans had a few days ago. I believe it happened somewhere around midnight.” he paused before adding, “No one is willing to give me any details about it.”
His father stared at him in puzzlement, “You guys haven’t had a night mission for a while. Are you sure that you even had one?”
Damian nodded, “That’s what everyone told me. Plus, they’ve all been acting weird.” his eyes met his father’s as he seriously said, “I believe that everyone has been hit with some type of mind control meta-human.”
Bruce only raised an eyebrow at his youngest’s declaration. “As far as I know, meta-humans like that haven’t gone near your team. Much less you brothers.”
He mentally sighed.
Of course, he wouldn’t believe Damian. Why should he?
Seeing no reason to continue this conversation, Damian nodded and turned away, walking towards his room. He knew better than to assume that his father would want to spend any more time with him.
After all, he was nothing but a mistake. His father didn’t choose to raise him the way he chose to raise the others. He was forced to by his mother.
That’s the difference between him and his siblings. His father chose them and he didn’t choose Damian.
It might hurt him to admit it but it’s the truth. Bruce will never love Damian the way he loves his other protégés.
As he laid on his bed, he couldn’t help but be confused by the whole ordeal. Everyone told him that there was a mission that happened to take place at night. Yet, his father said that there was no mission.
If there was no mission, then why was everyone acting so weird towards him. Nothing made sense.
Whenever Damian tried to connect the dots on what caused his team’s whole personality change, he got nothing. All he remembered was waking up with a massive headache.
For some reason, Damian missed the feeling of being hurt. He had become used to it. And when his teammates didn’t make the snide, mocking comments they usually made, it felt weird to him.
It made him feel guilty.
He didn’t deserve love. He didn’t deserve anyone caring for him. He didn’t deserve anything.
As he rested his eyes, Damian made a promise to himself.
He will figure out what happened that night, no matter what.
And when he does, he will save them from whatever caused this personality change.
Cause deep down, he knew that they didn’t want him.
“Hey, little bat.” a voice interrupted his thoughts.
He sat up, looking around his room, and noticed that all three of his brothers were standing in front of his door.
“Why are you guys here?” he snapped, not in the mood for their silly little games.
“We just want to hang out with you.” Grayson grinned, “Are we not allowed to do that?”
Damian faltered, wanting to tell them that they never wanted to hang out before, but before he could say anything, Todd spoke up. “So what are your plans for the day?”
Damian narrowed his eyes in suspicion, “Why?”
They looked at each other and stated “Because we want to hang out with you.” as if that answer was obvious.
“And what if I don’t want to hang out with you?” he asked, although it came out harsher than he meant it to.
The way they were acting scared Damian. They were acting like they actually cared about him.
But they didn’t.
After all, How could they ever care about a bratty, selfish, self-absorbed, assassin?
Those were their words, not his.
Not that anyone ever said it to his face. Even they weren’t that low. But he’s heard those exact words come out of a lot of his people’s mouths. Even Grayson’s.
So he didn’t dare bring his hopes up. This was probably another trick so that they could lower his guard and humiliate him.
Those were their favorite things to do to him.
“Look, Damian, we know that we haven’t been the best-“ Drake’s blue eyes met his and he faltered, probably trying to find the right word. “-people when it came to being around you.”
Todd scoffed, “That’s an understatement.”
Drake ignored him, “But we want to try harder now. So will you please just give us a chance?” he pleaded.
Damian believed that this whole ruse of theirs was nothing but a trick. Yet when he saw the sincerity in their eyes, he hesitated.
They care. His heart seemed to whisper. They actually care.
Or, his brain argued. This is just a trick. Drake was always the best actor out of the three of them.
Damian didn’t know which one to agree with.
Plus, there’s no way that they actually care for you. His brain continued. After everything they’ve said, you’re actually going to fall for this? What would your mother say? Meta-human or not, they don’t care about you.
“If I do decide to give you a chance,” Damian tried to negotiate, “Will you guys finally tell me about the mission?”
No matter how much Damian wanted to listen to his heart, his brain had the most logical information. There was no way his brothers would willingly change their attitudes towards him. Meta human or not.
Damian noticed that they glanced at each other again, something they always did when they were hiding something.
“Look Damian,” Grayson slowly said, sitting next to Damian on his bed. “We can’t te-”
“You know, Father mentioned that we didn’t even have a mission.” he suddenly interrupted.
Grayson and the others froze. “He did?”
Damian nodded as he discreetly tried to move away from him. “So, either there was no mission,” the and you guys lied to me was left unsaid, “Or-“
“We snuck out!” The others stared at Todd in disbelief, “What,” he shrugged. “It’s not like he’s gonna tell the bat.”
Grayson suddenly pulled Damian closer to him, “Don’t think I don’t notice you trying to get away from us.”
He missed the way Drake’s lips curled up in a smirk as he moved closer to Damian as well, “Yeah, little bat. Do you not like us or something?”
“Was that not obvious?” Damian retorted, trying to get away from Grayson’s hug. “Let me go!” when Grayson wouldn’t budge, he added a small, “please.”
Todd laughed, “Let the kid go. If he doesn’t want to find out more about the mission, then that’s on him.”
Damian faltered, he really wanted to know about the mission. He was his team’s leader and he was responsible for their safety. He couldn’t fail them again.
“I’ll do it. I’ll do whatever you guys were planning to do.”
Damian noticed how their eyes seemed to light up and he couldn’t help but feel accomplished.
He did something right.
“Great.” Grayson finally let him go, “Today is actually the day where we relax and just bond. Tim had this ide-“
Damian wasn’t paying attention to the older kid’s babbling. He still couldn’t decide if the turning in his stomach meant that this activity he was doing with his brothers was a good thing or not.
It was weird.
Usually, his instincts were something that Damian could clearly interpret. But lately, it seemed like even they were confused.
Though, he had a feeling that it might have something to do with his memory loss of what happened that day.
He glanced up and noticed that his brother’s backs were facing him. They were walking in front of him and considering the fact that they didn’t give Damian a second glance, he assumed that they were having an intense conversation.
Damian knew that something happened that day and considering how no one would tell him about it. He knew that it was important. And he will stop at nothing to figure out what it was.
Even if he got hurt in the process.
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It turns out that Drake’s definition of “bonding” meant going back to the Titan’s Tower.
Damian did not want to be there with his brothers. He didn’t know how to explain it but he got this feeling of deja vu.
And it was not the good kind.
Damian mentally put that in his box of questions to find answers for.
He found everyone from his team hanging out in front of the TV
It was probably another team bonding experience that he wasn’t invited to.
“What’s up guys,” Grayson greeted as hopped on the couch.
The other followed his lead, leaving Damian alone in front of the door.
He didn’t know what to do.
Should he join them?
No.
He would only ruin the bonding experience.
Instead, Damian retreated into the kitchen. Hoping for some peace and quiet so that he could think.
Damian should’ve expected something like this to happen. Even if he only agreed so that he could get more information about the mission, a small part of him found himself looking forward to spending the day with his brothers.
What was the point of that whole sentimental speech if all they were gonna do was abandon him as soon as they saw his team?
Were they embarrassed to be seen hanging out with Damian?
Probably.
Damian sighed. Since when were they so close with his team anyways? As far as he knew, his brothers refused to be associated with anything that Damian was associated with.
Though, he couldn’t help be saddened at the fact that his own brothers had a closer relationship with his own team than he did.
Damian clenched his fists. It wasn’t fair.
None of this was fair.
He was about to leave when a lonely mug caught his eye. It was plain white and covered with bats.
He’s never seen this mug before, yet something about it just seemed so familiar.
He reached out and grabbed it, studying every inch like it’ll give him the answers he was looking for.
“There you are!” he heard a voice suddenly exclaim, “GUYS, I FOUND DAMIAN!”
The sudden screaming caused Damian to jump and drop the mug.
Fuck.
He messed up. Again.
Damian kneeled down, grabbing the larger pieces of the glass when he froze.
Flashes of Grayson forcing Damian into the tower resurfaced. He saw that Drake and Todd were there as well with everyone else. Todd was sitting there with a mug. The exact one that he just broke.
“Damian,” a hand touched his shoulder and Damian flinched, forcing the hand away.
Realizing what he just did, he muttered a soft apology.
“It’s fine.” Todd waved it off, “But are you okay? You just froze there for a minute.”
“Yeah, I’m fine.” Damian tried to assure, “I just- I think I remembered something.”
With that simple sentence, it was like the whole room froze.
They warily looked at each other before Emiko hesitantly spoke up. “What did you remember?”
Damian shrugged. “Nothing much. I just-“ he turned to his siblings, “Wait, why didn’t you guys inform me that we were all in the tower during the mission?”
Minutes seemed to pass and no one said anything. It was like everyone was waiting for someone to speak up.
Suddenly, Djinn pulled Damian out of the kitchen. “Come on.” she urged, “Why don’t we watch a movie or something.” leaning in, she whispered. “The atmosphere there was getting way too tense and awkward for my liking.”
Even though Damian knew she didn’t mean to make him feel bad, he still did.
If he just asked them that question in private then all of them wouldn’t be in such a bad mood.
Why did he have to ruin everything?
Damian sent her a fake smile, “You can pick what you wanna watch. I usually don’t waste my time watching foolish things.”
Djinn nodded, used to Damian’s cold demeanor, and picked a movie called ‘Legally Blonde’. “This one is a classic.” she informed him, “It’s a team favorite.”
Due to the fact that Damian was rarely invited to their “team” outings, he didn’t know that. But he didn’t want to ruin the comfortable atmosphere they were in so he only nodded, turning his focus on the huge screen.
He was so lost in his thoughts that he didn’t realize that everyone else joined them in the room.
As his eyes got heavier, Damian felt a warm blanket cover his body.
He noticed that Drake was sitting next to him, gesturing for Damian to rest his head on his shoulders.
The smile that Drake sent him when he complied made Damian’s stomach turn.
This happened before, his brain mentioned. And it didn’t turn out good.
Oh really? his heart asked. Then why don’t we remember it?
Because we can’t remember anything that happened! His brain snapped.
You heard what they said before. His heart kindly reminded him, They care. Why can’t we just give them a chance?
His brain seemed to scoff, sure. It sarcastically said, give them a chance. But don’t blame me when you regret it.
Just one chance. his heart firmly stated, ignoring the brain. Don’t we deserve it?
Damian wasn’t aware that he snuggled closer to his brother.
Just one.
For once in his life, Damian decided that maybe it was time for him to listen to his heart.
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A small dive into how Damian’s life at school is.
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I'm confused (Part 2)
As Damian stepped onto the school grounds, he couldn’t help but feel a small amount of relief.
It was like school was the only place where nothing changed. Everyone treated him the same way they’ve always treated him before.
Even though Damian chose to listen to his heart, he still struggled to accept the fact that people cared for him.
The school was the only place of normalcy he had left.
Suddenly, Damian felt someone push him against a brick wall, driving him down on his knees.
He embraced the pain that he was feeling.
You wanted this.
You deserve this.
His face was forced upwards, causing his eyes to meet his tormentors.
Damian immediately noticed the face of the guy who pushed him.
Max Thornwell.
The guy was Damian’s age, 15 years old, yet he towered over Damian with a few inches.
The guy was adequate-looking. There was nothing special about him, blonde hair, brown eyes, and lean-ish build. But, the guy walked with the confidence of Superman. Like he ruled the school and no one could take the throne away from him.
Damian hated him but he didn’t say anything. He didn’t want to make the situation worse.
If he did, he would get in trouble again. And his father would send him the disappointed look that made Damian feel worthless. Then someone would make a comment about how he isn’t fit to be Robin anymore.
Damian needed to be Robin.
The feeling of freedom he felt when he put on the costume made him smile with glee.
If Damian believed in Greek mythology, Robin would be the string of his life. Take Robin away from him and he would be gone. Like a turtle retreating in his shell.
Without Robin, Damian would be a nobody with a family of somebodies.
He would be the shadow that no one notices. The one that everyone forgets. They would only realize he was there when they needed something. Or when they had a comment to make that’ll chip away the small amount of confidence he had left.
“Look at me when I’m talking to you, Wayne.” Max’s voice snarled, “Don’t tell me that you’re a pussy as well.” A cruel smirk settled in the blonde’s face as he heard the laughter of his peers echoing around him.
He kicked Damian in the stomach, causing the boy to wheeze in pain in front of the unexpected attack.
The laughter only got louder.
Tears began to form in his eyes but he refused to let them fall.
He would not cry in front of them.
Max leaned in, whispering in Damian’s ear so only he could hear what the boy was saying. “Don’t you think it’s sad that no one is defending you? Never forget the fact that no one likes you. The fact that one loves you.” he roughly shoved Damian’s shoulder, “Remember your place.”
Damian gritted his teeth. His body ached all over and it was like the headache he got a week ago came back.
He forced himself to reach for his backpack, only for someone to grab it right before his hand could even touch it.
His green eyes met cold blue ones.
Michelle Chuxtre.
Damian didn’t know much about her. But he heard many people comment about how “hot” or how “fine” she is. He guessed that she was one of those popular kids, meaning that she was probably there to have her fun at tormenting Damian.
As Damian stared at her, he understood how people could call her pretty. Her features would fit the beauty standard— blue eyes, dirty blonde hair, and a slim figure- but the mocking smirk she wore on her face made Damian feel uneasy.
It didn’t help that her eyes seemed to glint maliciously as she studied him.
She quickly glanced at the dirty backpack she was holding and her smirk only grew wider. “What are you hiding here?” she sarcastically asked, unzipping his backpack.
Damian winced, seeing all of his supplies fall on the ground.
She looked pleased with his reaction, stepping towards him, her shoe landing on one of his notebooks. “You understand why I had to do that right?” her voice was sympathetic as if she was actually sorry for her actions. “I just had to make sure you weren’t going to bomb the school or anything.”
Damian understood the implications of her sentence. She made it obvious enough so that the people around him understood it too.
Once Michelle left, the people around him soon followed. Their entertainment was done for the morning.
Even though Damian admitted that he was relieved at the fact that everything at school stayed the same, he couldn’t help but want to let a few tears fall.
You wanted this, he reminded himself, this is your fault.
As Damian struggled to get up, he noticed someone holding their hand out to him. He studied that hand for a few seconds before realizing that she wanted to help him up.
It’s probably a trick, his head supplied, she’ll probably push you back down.
Damian assumed that his head was right, so he accepted her hand wanting to get everything over with so that he could get to his classes. The girl pulled him up, kneeling and picking up the dropped objects from the ground.
He looked at her with confusion, “What are you doing?”
“Helping you.”
His voice faltered, “But why?”
She froze and turned to him.
It was the first time that Damian saw her face properly. She was new. The girl was no doubt Filipino. She had the trademark dark brown hair that glowed in the sun. Though, he could see that she had blonde highlights as well. Her eyes were the same as her hair. At first glance, you would believe that they were black yet in the sun, they were a beautiful golden color. She also had the same tone of skin as him.
Judging by the uniform she was wearing, she was going to be attending school with him. Meaning that they would be the only two people that weren’t white in the building.
“Because you needed help.” the girl firmly said. “Are you alright?”
“Yeah,” he winced in pain as he tried to walk, “I’m used to it.”
I asked for it.
“That’s not something you should get used to,” she firmly said, handing him the dirty backpack.
“Thank you.” He muttered softly.
“You’re welcome.” The dark-haired girl gave him a bright smile, “I’m Auda. Auda Arison.”
He returned it with a hesitant smile, “I’m Damian.” he repeated her gesture. “Damian Wayne.”
“Well, it’s nice to meet you Damian.” she looked around, realizing that there wasn’t another person in sight. “Since there’s no one else here, can you show me where the office is?”
Damian only nodded, walking forward as he gestured for the Filipino to follow him.
As they walked in, eyes seemed to follow them. Damian ignored them, used to people watching and silently critiquing his every move.
His eyes glanced at the girl walking beside him and she seemed deep in thought. She probably wasn’t aware of the eyes watching her.
They walked to the office in comfortable silence.
“Thank you”. she said when they arrived at the front.
“You’re welcome.” With those final words, he walked away, not bothering to give the girl a second glance.
—
Lunch was Damian’s least favorite part of the school day. He had no friends, so he had no one to sit with
And there was always a chance that someone would accidentally spill their food and beverage over him.
Damian wondered how his family would react if they found out what the kids in the school were doing.
Would they care?
Damian likes to think so.
But, his brain told him, they probably don’t.
Why can’t you just shut up for once? His heart complained.
Because you guys are acting stupid. It insisted. They don’t care. And they don’t!
Yes, they do!
No, they don’t.
Yes, they do!
No-
Yes!
His brain sighed, They only act as they care. It’s probably another scheme for them to humiliate and hurt you.
You’re wrong. His heart argued.
I hope so. His head resigned, I really do.
Damian’s back slumped against the wall, unable to focus on the book he was reading.
Did he make the wrong choice when he gave his brothers a chance?
Hopefully not.
He liked hanging out with them. He liked how they included him in things. And he liked how they don’t only talk to each other, so he could get insulted.
Damian felt someone grab the book from his hand.
What the-
Laughter echoed around the room as he felt water drip into his shirt. He shot up from his chair, trying to figure out what just happened.
His eyes analyzed the room. The librarian was gone and a crowd of 6 people was crowding him.
He notices that Max was holding his book, flipping through the pages before throwing it to one of his friends.
“Are you planning on bombing the school or something?” Max taunted him.
Damian rolled his eyes, “No. That book was just in Arabic” he couldn’t help but spit it out.
Max only smirked, “So the little terrorist finally started to talk.”
Damian tried not to flinch.
No fights. He reminded himself. Father will take Robin away.
Damian took a step back, hoping that Max would see it as him giving up.
It worked.
The boy’s face stretched into a victorious grin. “For a Wayne, you sure are pathetic.”
Someone held Damian’s arms so that he couldn’t run as Max walked slowly forward.
Like a predator stalking his prey.
Damian didn’t know what to do. He couldn’t just break away from his peer’s grip. But if he stayed, he would be left at Max’s mercy.
He scared Damian in a way that no villain ever could.
When Damian fought a criminal, he usually knew what the outcome would be. He would either live or he would die.
And he was fine with that.
But socializing?
It wasn’t his territory.
Damian was created to be a perfect clone of Batman. He was raised to be a warrior. He was raised to fight.
To kill.
Damian didn’t know how to interact with people properly. He only somewhat understands social cues when it comes to manipulation. But when he opens his mouth, he would have no filter.
And why should he?
That’s how he was raised.
And he was trying so hard to change.
In galas, he could put on the act that people wanted to see.
He would be Damian Wayne, the adorable, intelligent, charming, heartthrob son of Bruce Wayne.
He would play it nice, entertain the ones older than him with his vibrant eyes and appealing smiles. Ignoring how they seemed to eye his skin with distaste.
He would pretend that he didn’t hear whispers of how he would be the perfect Wayne if it wasn’t for his skin color.
He would pretend that it didn’t hurt because they didn’t say it right to his face.
But at school?
People didn’t try to hide what they thought of it.
They acted like everything they did to him was justified.
It didn’t help that Damian never tried to fit in with them. He distanced himself, speaking coldly to anyone that approached him.
The students began to dislike him pretty quickly. In their eyes, Damian should’ve felt lucky that they had even given him a chance.
In Damian’s eyes, they were racist. It wasn't that hard to tell. Everyone at the school was white— teachers, students, janitors— you name it. And from how they treated Damian on his first few days, they also had a white-savior mentality.
Growing up, Damian was taught the stereotypes people had regarding their race.
It wasn’t pretty.
Damian remembered staying up late in the small space he called home, wondering how people could assume such horrible things towards a group of people because of another man’s crime.
It wasn’t fair.
But even at his young age, Damian knew that nothing in life was fair.
And he accepted that.
So Damian stayed, pretending that he couldn’t break out of his peer’s grip. Max’s brown eyes met him maliciously.
He held his hand out and someone handed him Damian’s book.
“How much do you like this book?”
Damian refused to answer.
“Answer me, brat.”
“That book does not hold any value to me.” Damian spat out.
“I don’t believe you.”
Couldn’t he just get it over with?
Max glared at Damian, unsatisfied with his reaction. He threw the book on the ground as he stormed out, his goons quickly following.
Damian let out a sigh of relief as soon as they were out of sight. He picked up his book, inspecting it carefully.
He needed to make sure that the book was unharmed. It was the one thing that his mom had given him before she quickly tossed Damian away like trash.
Stupid. He scolded himself, you should’ve known better than to bring a prized possession to school.
The bell rang and he quickly hid the book in his backpack, not noticing how a girl pocketed her phone with narrowed eyes.
—
Damian would like to say that no one else bothered him for the rest of the day. But that would be a lie.
His lockers were filled with more sickening messages and everywhere he went, glares and whispers seemed to follow him.
He just wanted to go home.
He wanted to be Robin.
No, he needed to be Robin.
He just wanted to get away from the school.
He didn’t think that he bothered anyone today. All he did was defend himself against Max.
Was that so bad?
Everything we do seems to be bad. His heart couldn't help but whisper.
His brain didn’t argue.
It's getting better . . . right?
A small dive into how Damian’s life at school is.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Ao3 // Wattpad
previous II next
I'm confused (Part 2)
As Damian stepped onto the school grounds, he couldn’t help but feel a small amount of relief.
It was like school was the only place where nothing changed. Everyone treated him the same way they’ve always treated him before.
Even though Damian chose to listen to his heart, he still struggled to accept the fact that people cared for him.
The school was the only place of normalcy he had left.
Suddenly, Damian felt someone push him against a brick wall, driving him down on his knees.
He embraced the pain that he was feeling.
You wanted this.
You deserve this.
His face was forced upwards, causing his eyes to meet his tormentors.
Damian immediately noticed the face of the guy who pushed him.
Max Thornwell.
The guy was Damian’s age, 15 years old, yet he towered over Damian with a few inches.
The guy was adequate-looking. There was nothing special about him, blonde hair, brown eyes, and lean-ish build. But, the guy walked with the confidence of Superman. Like he ruled the school and no one could take the throne away from him.
Damian hated him but he didn’t say anything. He didn’t want to make the situation worse.
If he did, he would get in trouble again. And his father would send him the disappointed look that made Damian feel worthless. Then someone would make a comment about how he isn’t fit to be Robin anymore.
Damian needed to be Robin.
The feeling of freedom he felt when he put on the costume made him smile with glee.
If Damian believed in Greek mythology, Robin would be the string of his life. Take Robin away from him and he would be gone. Like a turtle retreating in his shell.
Without Robin, Damian would be a nobody with a family of somebodies.
He would be the shadow that no one notices. The one that everyone forgets. They would only realize he was there when they needed something. Or when they had a comment to make that’ll chip away the small amount of confidence he had left.
“Look at me when I’m talking to you, Wayne.” Max’s voice snarled, “Don’t tell me that you’re a pussy as well.” A cruel smirk settled in the blonde’s face as he heard the laughter of his peers echoing around him.
He kicked Damian in the stomach, causing the boy to wheeze in pain in front of the unexpected attack.
The laughter only got louder.
Tears began to form in his eyes but he refused to let them fall.
He would not cry in front of them.
Max leaned in, whispering in Damian’s ear so only he could hear what the boy was saying. “Don’t you think it’s sad that no one is defending you? Never forget the fact that no one likes you. The fact that one loves you.” he roughly shoved Damian’s shoulder, “Remember your place.”
Damian gritted his teeth. His body ached all over and it was like the headache he got a week ago came back.
He forced himself to reach for his backpack, only for someone to grab it right before his hand could even touch it.
His green eyes met cold blue ones.
Michelle Chuxtre.
Damian didn’t know much about her. But he heard many people comment about how “hot” or how “fine” she is. He guessed that she was one of those popular kids, meaning that she was probably there to have her fun at tormenting Damian.
As Damian stared at her, he understood how people could call her pretty. Her features would fit the beauty standard— blue eyes, dirty blonde hair, and a slim figure- but the mocking smirk she wore on her face made Damian feel uneasy.
It didn’t help that her eyes seemed to glint maliciously as she studied him.
She quickly glanced at the dirty backpack she was holding and her smirk only grew wider. “What are you hiding here?” she sarcastically asked, unzipping his backpack.
Damian winced, seeing all of his supplies fall on the ground.
She looked pleased with his reaction, stepping towards him, her shoe landing on one of his notebooks. “You understand why I had to do that right?” her voice was sympathetic as if she was actually sorry for her actions. “I just had to make sure you weren’t going to bomb the school or anything.”
Damian understood the implications of her sentence. She made it obvious enough so that the people around him understood it too.
Once Michelle left, the people around him soon followed. Their entertainment was done for the morning.
Even though Damian admitted that he was relieved at the fact that everything at school stayed the same, he couldn’t help but want to let a few tears fall.
You wanted this, he reminded himself, this is your fault.
As Damian struggled to get up, he noticed someone holding their hand out to him. He studied that hand for a few seconds before realizing that she wanted to help him up.
It’s probably a trick, his head supplied, she’ll probably push you back down.
Damian assumed that his head was right, so he accepted her hand wanting to get everything over with so that he could get to his classes. The girl pulled him up, kneeling and picking up the dropped objects from the ground.
He looked at her with confusion, “What are you doing?”
“Helping you.”
His voice faltered, “But why?”
She froze and turned to him.
It was the first time that Damian saw her face properly. She was new. The girl was no doubt Filipino. She had the trademark dark brown hair that glowed in the sun. Though, he could see that she had blonde highlights as well. Her eyes were the same as her hair. At first glance, you would believe that they were black yet in the sun, they were a beautiful golden color. She also had the same tone of skin as him.
Judging by the uniform she was wearing, she was going to be attending school with him. Meaning that they would be the only two people that weren’t white in the building.
“Because you needed help.” the girl firmly said. “Are you alright?”
“Yeah,” he winced in pain as he tried to walk, “I’m used to it.”
I asked for it.
“That’s not something you should get used to,” she firmly said, handing him the dirty backpack.
“Thank you.” He muttered softly.
“You’re welcome.” The dark-haired girl gave him a bright smile, “I’m Auda. Auda Arison.”
He returned it with a hesitant smile, “I’m Damian.” he repeated her gesture. “Damian Wayne.”
“Well, it’s nice to meet you Damian.” she looked around, realizing that there wasn’t another person in sight. “Since there’s no one else here, can you show me where the office is?”
Damian only nodded, walking forward as he gestured for the Filipino to follow him.
As they walked in, eyes seemed to follow them. Damian ignored them, used to people watching and silently critiquing his every move.
His eyes glanced at the girl walking beside him and she seemed deep in thought. She probably wasn’t aware of the eyes watching her.
They walked to the office in comfortable silence.
“Thank you”. she said when they arrived at the front.
“You’re welcome.” With those final words, he walked away, not bothering to give the girl a second glance.
—
Lunch was Damian’s least favorite part of the school day. He had no friends, so he had no one to sit with
And there was always a chance that someone would accidentally spill their food and beverage over him.
Damian wondered how his family would react if they found out what the kids in the school were doing.
Would they care?
Damian likes to think so.
But, his brain told him, they probably don’t.
Why can’t you just shut up for once? His heart complained.
Because you guys are acting stupid. It insisted. They don’t care. And they don’t!
Yes, they do!
No, they don’t.
Yes, they do!
No-
Yes!
His brain sighed, They only act as they care. It’s probably another scheme for them to humiliate and hurt you.
You’re wrong. His heart argued.
I hope so. His head resigned, I really do.
Damian’s back slumped against the wall, unable to focus on the book he was reading.
Did he make the wrong choice when he gave his brothers a chance?
Hopefully not.
He liked hanging out with them. He liked how they included him in things. And he liked how they don’t only talk to each other, so he could get insulted.
Damian felt someone grab the book from his hand.
What the-
Laughter echoed around the room as he felt water drip into his shirt. He shot up from his chair, trying to figure out what just happened.
His eyes analyzed the room. The librarian was gone and a crowd of 6 people was crowding him.
He notices that Max was holding his book, flipping through the pages before throwing it to one of his friends.
“Are you planning on bombing the school or something?” Max taunted him.
Damian rolled his eyes, “No. That book was just in Arabic” he couldn’t help but spit it out.
Max only smirked, “So the little terrorist finally started to talk.”
Damian tried not to flinch.
No fights. He reminded himself. Father will take Robin away.
Damian took a step back, hoping that Max would see it as him giving up.
It worked.
The boy’s face stretched into a victorious grin. “For a Wayne, you sure are pathetic.”
Someone held Damian’s arms so that he couldn’t run as Max walked slowly forward.
Like a predator stalking his prey.
Damian didn’t know what to do. He couldn’t just break away from his peer’s grip. But if he stayed, he would be left at Max’s mercy.
He scared Damian in a way that no villain ever could.
When Damian fought a criminal, he usually knew what the outcome would be. He would either live or he would die.
And he was fine with that.
But socializing?
It wasn’t his territory.
Damian was created to be a perfect clone of Batman. He was raised to be a warrior. He was raised to fight.
To kill.
Damian didn’t know how to interact with people properly. He only somewhat understands social cues when it comes to manipulation. But when he opens his mouth, he would have no filter.
And why should he?
That’s how he was raised.
And he was trying so hard to change.
In galas, he could put on the act that people wanted to see.
He would be Damian Wayne, the adorable, intelligent, charming, heartthrob son of Bruce Wayne.
He would play it nice, entertain the ones older than him with his vibrant eyes and appealing smiles. Ignoring how they seemed to eye his skin with distaste.
He would pretend that he didn’t hear whispers of how he would be the perfect Wayne if it wasn’t for his skin color.
He would pretend that it didn’t hurt because they didn’t say it right to his face.
But at school?
People didn’t try to hide what they thought of it.
They acted like everything they did to him was justified.
It didn’t help that Damian never tried to fit in with them. He distanced himself, speaking coldly to anyone that approached him.
The students began to dislike him pretty quickly. In their eyes, Damian should’ve felt lucky that they had even given him a chance.
In Damian’s eyes, they were racist. It wasn't that hard to tell. Everyone at the school was white— teachers, students, janitors— you name it. And from how they treated Damian on his first few days, they also had a white-savior mentality.
Growing up, Damian was taught the stereotypes people had regarding their race.
It wasn’t pretty.
Damian remembered staying up late in the small space he called home, wondering how people could assume such horrible things towards a group of people because of another man’s crime.
It wasn’t fair.
But even at his young age, Damian knew that nothing in life was fair.
And he accepted that.
So Damian stayed, pretending that he couldn’t break out of his peer’s grip. Max’s brown eyes met him maliciously.
He held his hand out and someone handed him Damian’s book.
“How much do you like this book?”
Damian refused to answer.
“Answer me, brat.”
“That book does not hold any value to me.” Damian spat out.
“I don’t believe you.”
Couldn’t he just get it over with?
Max glared at Damian, unsatisfied with his reaction. He threw the book on the ground as he stormed out, his goons quickly following.
Damian let out a sigh of relief as soon as they were out of sight. He picked up his book, inspecting it carefully.
He needed to make sure that the book was unharmed. It was the one thing that his mom had given him before she quickly tossed Damian away like trash.
Stupid. He scolded himself, you should’ve known better than to bring a prized possession to school.
The bell rang and he quickly hid the book in his backpack, not noticing how a girl pocketed her phone with narrowed eyes.
—
Damian would like to say that no one else bothered him for the rest of the day. But that would be a lie.
His lockers were filled with more sickening messages and everywhere he went, glares and whispers seemed to follow him.
He just wanted to go home.
He wanted to be Robin.
No, he needed to be Robin.
He just wanted to get away from the school.
He didn’t think that he bothered anyone today. All he did was defend himself against Max.
Was that so bad?
Everything we do seems to be bad. His heart couldn't help but whisper.
His brain didn’t argue.