Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

One year earlier...

"Are you sure about this, Alfred?" Bruce asked, giving his butler one last look.

"Sir, after decades of working for the Wayne family, I am not getting any younger."

"Alfred." he turned to fully face him with a smile. "You'll bury us all."

"And I might break a hip in the process. Which is why I need an apprentice."

"...You do know I can't keep my secret identity for long with someone that lives under the same roof as me."

"Which is why we have to make sure they are a trustworthy person."

"Alright. But we will both be conducting the interviews."

"Certainly, Sir." he nodded.

Bruce turned to the computer and pressed send, sending the job offering to almost all of Gotham's newpapers.

As suspected, any kind of job offering coming from the Wayne family attracted a lot of attention. Bruce and Alfred had to organize group interviews there were so many applicants from all over Gotham. It took them a whole week. Only a few were selected for a trial period that would last a couple of days. However, if they were to success and be hired. They would end up quitting soon after because they truly got a grasp of how hard the job was, or they turned out to be spies for a rival company.

After a month or so, things were looking quite dire... There were no more applicants.

That was until there was a knock at the door. Alfred went to open and a little girl was there.

"Good morning, Sir." she bowed. "You're Alfred Pennyworth, I presume."

The butler was taken aback. Not only was this child speaking like an adult, but she also acted quite refined for someone looking so...ratchet. She was clearly from the poorer parts of Gotham.

"And who might you be, miss...?"

"My name is (Y/n) (L/n). I'm here about the apprenticeship."

His eyes widened. Before he could say anything, she asked where 'Master Wayne' was.

"In his office upstairs but-"

"Thank you very much." she bowed again and walked in.

Bruce was equally as surprised to be greeted by a child.

"Good morning, Master Wayne." she bowed. "I'm here to apply for the apprenticeship."

"Uh, hello little lady." he smiled with a raised eyebrow, keeping up his casual persona. "No need to call me 'Master', you're not hired just yet.

"Apologies." she nodded. "I'm just very determined to get the position."

He blinked twice and glanced at Alfred who was by the doorway. He shrugged and Bruce cleared his throat.

"Please, take a seat."

"Thank you, Mr. Wayne." she nodded again before sitting on the chair across from him. "Should I give my resume to you or Mr. Pennyworth?"

"You have a resume?" he repeated with a hint of disbelief.

As an answer, the girl looked into her duffle bag and took out a paper than she then carefully placed on his desk. Bruce picked it up and examined it. He immediately noticed the stamp from Gotham's public library that she tried to erase. If he didn't have those detective eyes, he would've missed it. He deduced she didn't have access to a computer at home and so she used one of the library's.

"Says here you're nine years old."

"I'm mature for my age." she smiled. "And I'll be ten in just three months."

He kept reading her 'resume'. Obviously the 'experience' portion was the smallest he's ever seen, and she clearly compencated with the 'skills' portion. At some point he raised an eyebrow.

"You worked in construction?" he said, not believing that.

"My father would sometimes need help."

"With construction?"

"Administrative work." she corrected. "There were times where he couldn't afford a secretary."

"And now he can?"

"No. But with time he learned how it works."

Bruce just hummed. He stared at the paper and didn't say anything for a bit to see how she would deal with the silence. Eventually, he glanced at her. She was still sitting straight with good posture, patiently waiting for him to say something. Although her hands were gripping her bermuda shorts.

"Why do you want this apprenticeship so badly?"

"I'm poor, Sir. I need a job."

The two men couldn't help but find her bluntness refreshing, after so many applicants saying different versions of the same speech.

"Don't you have parents for that?"

"They're poor too, Sir. That's why I need a job."

"You know this is an apprenticeship, it's not a paid position."

"But it will be, once I become an official maid."

He noted her confidence there.

"Don't you have school?"

"No. And that means I can fully dedicate myself to this position." she smiled.

'She's good.' he admitted.

"Do your parents know you're here? Are they even okay with you not going to school?"

"No. And I had to stop going when it was getting too expensive."

"Do you think they'd agree to this apprenticeship?" he raised an eyebrow with a little smirk.

"If they learn that I'll be working at Wayne manor, they'll probably cry of joy."

"Look kid," he put her resume down. "I like you. You're definitely unlike any other applicant we've seen so far. But..." his voice trailed off.

"Sir, if I may speak frankly..."

It took him a moment to realize she was actually asking for permission.

"You may." he gestured her to go ahead.

"When I say I want this, I'm not saying this because I wish to be an adult already. I really want to work, I want to work for something important. Someone like you." she paused, looking at him in the eyes. "I understand if you want someone who had a more solid education. I do admit that it is a flaw of mine. But when it comes to manual labor, I'm a fast learner. If I ever ask Mr. Pennyworth for help with a task, I guarantee you that I will never have to ask again."

There was a moment of silence.

"Well," Alfred stepped up. "I suppose there is only one way to find out."

"Alfred." Bruce rolled his eyes. "You're not actually agreeing to-"

"Not at all, Master Bruce. Which is why she must go through the trial period."

(Y/n) gasped softly, her eyes wide open.

"Alfred."

"I like her, Master Bruce. She reminds me of me when I started working, I was only a few years older then." he smiled.

"I won't disappoint you." she spoke. "I swear it."

Bruce looked back at her.

"Let me make sure you understand. This is a position in the Wayne manor, this isn't like your household chores."

"I'm well aware of that." she nodded. "I'm prepared for it."

"If you get the apprenticeship, you'll have to live here. You won't have a lot of personal time."

"That's alright."

"You might not see your friends often."

"I don't have any friends, so that's not a problem either."

A moment passed, the two men silently acknowledged how sad that is. Finally, Bruce sighed.

"I'll trust your judgment, Alfred."

(Y/n)'s face lit up.

"But I'm calling her parents first." he pointed.

"Naturally." the butler nodded.

"I'll contact you to tell you when you can start your trial period." he turned to her.

"Yes sir!" she quickly stood up and put a hand to her forehand like a soldier.

Despite what the young child said, she was not ready for all of the work that came with being a servant of the Wayne family. However, she made up for it with her determination and perseverence. She was right when she said she only needed to ask for help once.

Once Alfred told her how Bruce liked his waffles. She stayed up all night to make sure they were just like Alfred's. Ever since she started her trial, anytime Bruce would see her, she would work. He began to feel a little bad after the second day.

"Do you take any breaks at all?" he asked.

"Of course, Master Wayne. I just want to make sure I polish my skills to perfection."

Concidering the fact that she was in the middle of polishing the tiled floor, Bruce hoped this wasn't a pun. Based on her genuine tone, he figured it wasn't.

"You seem happy to have so much work. I have to admit, it's unusual."

"Unusual? Really?" she wiped sweat off her forehead and looked at him. "This is the busiest I've ever been!" she beamed.

Bruce couldn't help but smile.

Needless to say, (Y/n) was later hired as Alfred's apprentice, she proved to be a wonderful new addition to the staff. She brought a certain light-heartedness to the manor. Despite her professionalism, she was still just a kid.

After a few months (and a thorough background check of her and her family) Bruce shared his secret to her and she was showed the batcave. She swore on her life to never reveal this secret.

[Just wanna share how I picture her in my head 🥰 But of course, you do you with how you imagine her!

She looks very tomboyish in her casual clothes, but that’s just appearances, she’s still very polite and elegant 👌😌]

Chapter Text

Batman was surprised when he encountered Talia again, caught off guard when she told him her father – the 'immortal' Ra's al Ghul – died. But he was shocked to find out he had a son: Damian. He looked just like him when he was his age, minus the beautiful green eyes he got from his mother. Talia left him to Batman's care, at least until she finds whoever killed Ra's and is after her and her son.

"This isn't necessary." Damian said once he and Batman were alone. "I'll do fine by myself."

"So will I." he faced him. "But things have changed. Your mother thinks you'll be better off with me. For now."

"What do you think?" he raised an eyebrow.

"...Better than with the League of Assassins."

"They taught me how to fight." Damian frowned.

"And I take it not much else."

Hearing the kid talk, Batman couldn't help but think of (Y/n). She also didn't talk like a normal kid. But that was probably the only thing these two had in common.

He called the batmobile. Damian looked at it for a moment.

"I'll drive."

"No."

"I know how!"

"No." he pressed.

Nevermind, he thought, another thing in common: they're both still just kids.

Once they both got in the batmobile, Batman called Alfred.

"We're going to have company." he said.

"A sleepover? Oh goody." he said with not a lot of enthusiasm.

After hearing all about the situation, Alfred went to  (Y/n) to tell her they're going to have a guest tonight.

"A sleepover? Oh goody!" she beamed, with genuine enthusiasm.

"More than a simple sleepover. We will be welcoming Master Bruce's son."

She gasped and quickly asked for any details she needed to remember.

When the batmobile entered the batcave, Pennyworth and (Y/n) were there to welcome their Master and his son. When Damian stepped out, (Y/n) was surprised to see that they seemed to be the same age.

"Welcome back, Sir." Alfred addressed Batman first. "I presume this is the young man of whom you spoke."

"Hello Pennyworth." Damian walked up to him. "I've heard of you."

"At your service, Master Damian." he bowed.

Damian noticed the child besides the butler and gave her a weird look, as if he also didn't expect to see a child here. Even less such an ordinary-looking girl. He looked around.

"Where are the rest of the servants?"

"We are the sum total."

"You have only two servants?" he asked his father.

"They're not servants. They're friends."

Hearing this, (Y/n) smiled.

"And one of them is a child." Damian pointed at her.

"This is (Y/n) (L/n)." Alfred said. "My apprentice. I assure you, she is most capable."

"At your service, Master Damian." she bowed with a polite smile. "If you're ever in need of anything to make your stay more pleasant, I am at your full service."

"It's to be expected of you." he said in a dismissive manner before wandering and looking around. "So this is the famous batcave. Grandfather told me all about it."

He went to the bat-computer and took a seat on the chair, which he turned around as he looked at the ceiling.

"...Smaller than I imagined. Very efficient though." he said as he joined his hands together and leaned back.

The two men went up to him, with (Y/n) close behind. The boy was so confident that she found him a bit indimidating. Alfred told her all about the League of Assassins. She could only imagine how it was being raised there...

He stood up from the chair and went up some stairs to look around on another platform above. She instinctively followed him, while still giving him some space. He stopped in front of the old Robin costumes. The very first one, to be exact. He looked at it for a moment.

"Looks rather efeminate, don't you think?" he looked at (Y/n), saw that she was the only one there, then turned to the two men downstairs.

"Master Dick was a boy when he wore that." Alfred said as he went up to him.

"Where is he now?"

"Moved on. And so shall we." he put a hand on his back and made him walk with him. "Would you like to see where you'll be sleeping?"

As he and Damian walked away, Batman stood beside (Y/n) as they both watch them leave.

"...Master Bruce." she looked up at him. "Is his staying temporary?"

"Until we find who killed Ra's. Yes."

"You sound unsure..." she furrowed her eyebrows.

Batman looked at her.

"Be careful around him (Y/n). Remember, he was raised by the League of Assassins."

She gulped. Despite knowing of Batman's secret identity, she was never involved in any of his business. The only thing she'd see of Gotham's villains was the damage on Bruce's body, and she knew the League of Assassins was one of them.

"I'll be careful, Sir. Thank you." she nodded before leaving.

Meanwhile, Alfred had finished giving a tour to Damian.

"Naturally you have the run of the mansion." he finished, looking at him.

"...Of course. I know that." he said in a dismissive manner once again.

He glanced around his new room before facing him.

"Prepare some tea, Pennyworth. Brown sugar instead of white. Fresh cut lemon. A china cup." he said as he went to sit on a chair.

"Perhaps Master would like some warm mixed nuts, and a moist hand towel?"

"Watch it Pennyworth. I'm not so young that I don't understand sarcasm."

"Well I am much to old to care." he said before leaving the room.

Soon after though, there was a knock.

"Enter."

"Master Damian." the girl walked in and faced him.

"You."

"I hope the room is to your liking." she made a small bow.

"It's acceptable." he said, looking away from her.

"Alfred told me he was making some tea for you. Would you like some warm mixed nuts and a moist hand towel with that?"

He quickly looked at her, wondering if this was a joke Pennyworth set up. But looking at her smiling, he realized she was being genuine.

"No." he looked away again. "If I need anything, I'll call you."

"Very well, Master Damian." she nodded before leaving.

Damian woke up at the usual time: 4:30am. He believed not even Batman could keep up with his sleep schedule. Which is why he was ticked off when he ran into the servant girl while he was looking around the manor.

"Oh! Good morning Master Damian." she bowed.

"Did you not sleep?"

"No. I usually wake up around five, but I wanted to start earlier in case you needed anything." she smiled. "Would you like breakfast?"

"Training comes before breakfast." he said almost automatically and folded his arms. "But good, because I do need something."

"What is it?"

"A sword."

"Well there are plenty in the batcave-"

"None of them are good enough. I need a sword that can be my own."

She thought for a moment with a hum. She knew Alfred wouldn't like this, but she didn't want to upset Damian either.

"May I show you a selection?"

He raised an eyebrow, surpised by her willingness.

"Lead the way."

She nodded and led him to one of the living rooms. She gestured to a wall plaque on the wall, where several old swords were displayed.

"These belonged to Master Bruce's grand-father."

He picked one up and took it out of its sheath, which he then tossed over to (Y/n) who clumsily caught it. He started to swing the sword with precise movements. She quickly stepped back and watched as he repeated that process with the others.

"This one is good." he said, looking at the sword he was holding. "But it clearly hasn't been used in a while."

"I can sharpen it if you want." (Y/n) offered. "We have a blacksmith workshop in the tool shed."

He took a moment to look at her.

"You know how to work a blacksmith workshop?" he asked with an almost dead tone.

"Of course I do." she smiled offered a hand to take the sword. "I wouldn't be here if I didn't."

He narrowed his eyes. Eventually he walked past her, keeping the sword.

"Come on." he said, not looking back.

"Yes Sir!" she put her hand to her forehand in salute and hurried to follow him.

While working on the sword, she could feel Damian's eyes on her. Thankfully, being under Alfred's teaching, she was used to being observed while she worked.

"Where did a child like you learn to do this?"

"This one time the lawnmower broke down so we had to use this old scythe instead. It was very rusty so Alfred had it sharpened and polished. I practiced and learned on my own." she smiled, wiping the sweat off her forehead.

Damian glanced to a corner of the shed to see the scythe, it looked as good as new. When she was finished, he examined the sword from every angle.

"Mmh. Not bad."

Her face lit up.

"Thank you Master Damian." she bowed her head.

"Don't thank me just yet. Let's test it out first." he said as he walked out.

"Oh." she followed him. "There are practice dummies in the batcave."

"No need. In the morning, I train outside."

It didn't take long for Alfred to find them. Damian just ignored him and kept 'fighting' all of the shrubbery in the garden, but (Y/n) answered the butler's glare with an awkward chuckle.

"That is one of Master Patrick Wayne's swords." he noted. "So that's where it went."

"Y-Yes." she nodded. "Master Damian wanted to use it for training."

Alfred looked at how easily Damian cut his 'enemies'.

"You did a fantastic job renovating it." he sighed. "Just make sure he doesn't attack the statues next."

She breathed a sigh of relief.

"Yes, Alfred!" she saluted him.

He nodded and left. She kept watching Damian and couldn't help but be in awe. It's been an hour and he wasn't even breaking a sweat! Still, just in case... She waited for him to pause in his 'fighting' to call out for him.

"Master Damian! Would you like any refreshment later on?"

"Fresh limonade." he said, not looking at her.

"Very well, Sir." she nodded and went to the kitchen.

As she was squeezing the lemons, Alfred had just finished preparing Bruce's breakfast. Speaking of the devil, he walked in soon after.

"Good morning Master Bruce!" (Y/n) beamed.

"Hello (Y/n). Is that for me?"

"For Master Damian actually. But, would you like a glass?"

"Sure."

She served him a glass before putting the carafe of limonade on a trail along with a glass with ice cubes in it, decorated with a slice of lemon. She took a straw and was about to put it in the glass but instead just placed it on the trail – in case Damian thinks it's too childish – she put a towel on her arm and aranged her hair. She then picked up the trail and with a small huff, she left for the garden. Bruce noticed that his glass didn't have a slice of lemon on it.

"She's deffinitely putting more effort for Damian." he pointed out before drinking.

"He is after all the only child her age she's met." Alfred said, looking out the window. "I believe she sees a potential friend in Master Damian."

"Poor girl."

"Indeed."

Just then, a toast jumped out of the toaster.

"By the way, how's Damian?" Bruce asked as he picked it up and took a bite out of it.

"See for yourself." Alfred stepped aside and gestured to the window.

He went up to the window and watched as Damian destroyed the bushes shaped like animals while (Y/n) looked at him from the sidelines, holding her trail. She'd sometimes cheer for him whenever he struck a pose.

"They've been at it since five o'clock this morning." Alfred said. "I hope you don't mind Sir, the sword is your grand-father's. (Y/n) had it sharpened and polished for him."

Bruce has a strange feeling about the duo. But he shrugged it off for now. Meanwhile Damian cut the 'head' off of one of the pines and (Y/n) had to step back with a yelp before it could crash into her.

"That was amazing, Master Damian." she said as he walked up to her and took the towel to wipe his forehead.

"That was nothing to cheer for. If fighting inanimated objects impresses you, then you really haven't been out often."

"I mostly stay in the manor with Alfred, yes." she nodded as he took a sip of lemonade. "It's you I'm impressed with, not your ruthless opponents." she smiled.

He looked at her and put the glass back on the trail.

"Again. That was nothing." he walked away and tossed the towel back, which she caught. "If this was a real fight, you wouldn't be so enthusiastic."

"True... I wouldn't be near one in the first place."

"Exactly. Now be quiet." he gripped his sword and went back to training.

She kept admiring him, but this time she kept quiet as she was told. Soon after that, the two kids noticed Bruce's car leaving the driveway. Damian stopped. Waited for a few seconds, then went back inside, taking his glass of limonade as he walked passed (Y/n). She followed him.

"Master Damian?"

"I need something to download some data. Fetch that for me."

"Yes, Sir." she instincively saluted. "But, for what?"

"Don't question me servant." he glanced back at her. "Just do as you're told. Meet me in the batcave." he said as he kept walking.

She felt a shiver from his coldness.

"Yes, Sir." she bowed her head and went her own way.

She found Damian sitting by the bat-computer, his glass of limonade beside the keyboard. She was shocked to see that he hacked into it. She went to stand beside him to see what he was looking at. It was the file of a big man named Ubu. She wanted to ask who he was, but she remembered what Damian said. She looked for answers as she read the file. He was Deathstroke's right hand man but used to work for Ra's al Ghul. The file said he'd stay in Gotham in between missions. (Y/n) thought for a moment as to why he was looking at this file in particular.

"Is he the one who killed your grandfather?" she asked.

Damian glanced at her, taking note of how quickly she put the pieces together.

"No." he faced the screen. "But he works for the man who did."

'So... Deathstroke did it?'

Before she could actually ask, he raised a hand for her to give him what he asked for.

"Um... Could you give me a moment?"

"What?" he looked at her with a glare.

"This is just a thumb drive." she showed it to him. "If you want the information quickly, you might need something else. Like..."

She looked around and found a hologram projector, usually used for calls. She hurried and picked it up.

"I can combined these for you."

"...You can tinker with advanced machinery?" he raised an eyebrow.

"Of course I do." she smiled. "I wouldn't be here if I didn't."

He narrowed his eyes, scanning her every feature. Then he sighed and gestured her to go ahead. She did a quick curtsy before rushing to get some material and equipement. Damian observed as she set up shop right there on the floor and put up goggles.

"And how did you learn how to do that?"

"This one time the bat-computer broke. And well, you can imagine that we couldn't just call an electrician." she chuckled.

"So they let you do it?" he raised an eyebrow.

"Oh not at all. Master Bruce took care of most of it. But at some point, he said he needed small hands." she raised her hands before getting back to work. "He told me what to do. Later on I taught myself how to work with such technology, so that I could assist him more efficiently."

"How long did it take you to do that?"

"A week or so. To be fair though, my knowledge is rather rudimentary."

He frowned. Each time he talked to that girl, he grew more and more suspicious of her. He kept staring waiting for her to finish. Finally, she huffed and stood up, dusting her maid dress before handing him a small square device. She pushed a button and a small hologram appeared, though it didn't actually project anything.

Damian hummed and glanced at her. She seemed happy to help and eager for some kind of feedback. She wasn't going to get any before he was certain she did a good job. He took the device and plugged it into the computer to download Ubu's file into it. After that he tested the device and looked at her.

"That will do." he hopped off the chair. "I'm off now."

"Where are you going?"

"To Wayne Tower, review my birthright."

She let out a small 'oh'. She didn't realize Wayne Enterprise was being passed down from generation to generation.

'Like modern day royalty.'

Damian left the batcave before her, since she had to put all the equipment back. So when she left, she couldn't find him anywhere. She breathed a small sigh and went to wash the glass. Then she went back to her usual work around the manor.

At some point, she ran into Alfred.

"(Y/n), have you seen Master Damian?"

She pursed her lips, her mind racing.

"I haven't."

"Last time I checked, you were together this morning."

"Yes. And then we went our separate ways. I had to clean up the trail and such, you know."

Alfred's eyes narrowed, she did her best to maintain eye contact.

"Very well, I will keeping looking. I will have to contact Master Bruce if he's gone. Who knows where he could be now..." he said as he walked away, glancing as her and be moved passed her.

(Y/n) knew he said that to worry her. She was glad Damian had told her where he was going.

An hour or so later, Alfred received a call from Bruce, telling him that Damian was in his office and he asked him to come pick him up. (Y/n) couldn't help but feel guilty as she watched him leave. She hoped Damian didn't get into too much trouble with Bruce. While she was alone, she kept looking out the window. Once she saw the car coming up the driveway, she ran dowstairs to the entry hall. Alfred opened the door to let Damian in. He looked pissed.

"Welcome back, Master Damian." she bowed.

He just walked passed her, not saying a word.

"Master Bruce has instructed us to make sure Master Damian doesn't leave the manor." Alfred told her. "It's for his own good."

She nodded with a hum. As soon as Alfred was out of sight, Damian pulled her by the arm behind a corner. She gasped and was about to yell out in surprise but he covered her mouth. She quickly relaxed when she realized it was him. Though, his stare was scary.

"Did you tell Pennyworth I was gone?" he removed his hand.

"No, Sir." she shook her head.

"Don't lie to me."

"I would never."

They looked into each-other's eyes for a moment. Eventually, Damian clicked his tongue and let go of her arm before leaving. He went to see Alfred, leaning against the doorway with his arms folded while the butler was dusting off a bookshelf.

"Anything I can do for you, Master Damian?" he asked, pausing in his work to face him.

"That 'apprentice' you have, tell me, is she a failed experiment you got out of a secret laboratory?"

"...No."

"Are her parents spies who died in the field and put you in charge of her?"

"(Y/n) is an ordinary girl from a...modest family. That is all."

"I don't believe that. She is the most plain person I have ever seen yet she has skills in both blacksmithing and engineering! No matter how good her limonade is, it is suspicious." he frowned.

"She wouldn't be here if she didn't know how to do all these things."

"So she says." he mumbled, rolling his eyes.

"She is simply a hard-working child. That is all. She has been with us for a year now. But feel free to go through a background check on your own." he turned back to the bookshelf. "I'm sure she'd greatly appreciate it if she heard you liked her limonade."

Damian just clicked his tongue and left. He decided to stay in his room, for the time being at least...

When Bruce came back from work, both Alfred and (Y/n) were there to greet him as he walked into the entry hall.

"Welcome back, Master Bruce." the butler said as he and his apprentice bowed to him. "How was work today?"

"Had to take care of a situation with the Argentinian division." he said, rubbing the back of his neck as he rolled it. "Did Damian stay put?"

"He hasn't left his room, I checked multiple times."

"Good. (Y/n)?" he stood in front of her.

"Yes, Sir?"

"Did you know Damian had left the manor?"

"I realized this after he was gone, yes." she nodded. 

She felt a twist in her heart. She didn't like lying to Bruce...

"Well, he went to Wayne Tower and infiltrated my office."

"Oh my. I hope he didn't cause too much trouble."

"He had a device with him. A small hologram projector that looked similar to the one we had. Except it had been altered."

She just stared at him, her heart beating like a drum. Noticing how tense she was, Bruce sighed.

"It's not just about causing trouble." he crouched to be at eye level with her, speaking in a softer tone. "He was reckless. They are people who are after him and his mother. That's why he's here, so he could be safe. You understand? If he goes out in the open, he'd just become a target."

Her eyebrows furrowed. She's heard about the situation from Alfred, but Bruce's reminder weight a little heavier on her small heart.

"I understand, Sir."

With a small smile, he ruffled her hair and stood up.

"I have to go visit Croc." he addressed Alfred as he walked away.

"Still on the search for Langstrom, Sir?" Alfred asked, walking beside him.

"If his serum made Croc like this, who knows what else he can do. I have to find him. I have a feeling there's a connection between-" his voice faded away as the two fo them went down the corridor.

(Y/n) watched them leave to do their adult Batman business. It always seemed so far away before. Now she felt like she had one foot into the door. She decided to go check on Damian. She knocked on his door and was met with silence.

"...Master Damian?"

Nothing again. With Bruce's words echoing in her head, she opened the door.

"Did I say you could come in?"

His voice made her flinch. But she quickly relaxed when she saw him. Sitting cross legged on the floor, facing the window, his back to her.

"My apologies." she sighed. "I thought you had left."

"I was hoping you would. That's why I stayed quiet."

"The best way to avoid me entering next time would be to simply tell me to go away."

Damian noted how matter-of-fact her tone was.

"Noted." he said. "My father returned?"

"He has." she nodded.

"When does he usually leave as Batman?"

"It depends. He's working on a case at the moment, so I assume he will be leaving soon."

"Good. Leave now."

She just realized that she might have involuntarily cooperated with Damian's next escape plan. But there was nothing she could do now. She excused herself and turned to leave.

"Oh." she stopped herself and leaned back to look at him. "Would you like anything in particular for dinner?"

He turned his head to glance at her. After all the questions he asked, this was hers? She really is the textbook definition of a maid, he thought.

"I'll eat later."

"Very well Master Damian." and with that she closed the door.

Ever since Batman left, Damian had tried multiple times to escape the manor. But each time, he was either blocked by the security system, or by Pennyworth himself. Alfred indeed had a lot of practice with Bruce when he was sick and needed to rest. But this was getting on Damian's nerves, the security, he could deal with, but it would always give the butler time to come get him. 

The young man began to think. Then he spotted the servant child and he got an idea. But he hesitated to go through with this plan.

Well, this girl clearly wanted to be on his good side. All things considered, he needed an ally here in this manor. And she was his best shot.

He made sure Alfred wasn't around and he went up to her.

"Hey."

She was caught off guard but almost immediately faced him and stood straight, in position.

"Master Damian?"

"I need to talk to you. Privately."

To (Y/n), the way he said it made it look like he was going to yell at her. As she followed him to his room, she replayed everything she did to look for any mistake. Once they got in his room, Damian told her to lock the door. She did without questions and waited for him to speak.

"I need to get out of here." he faced her. "And you're going to help me."

"Huh?" her eyes widened.

"As Pennyworth's apprentice, you know how he works. I need you to create a distraction."

"For you to...find Ubu?"

"Yes."

"I..." she looked to the side. "I shouldn't. Master Bruce said that-"

"Listen." he was suddenly close to her, making her lean back. "I'm the son of Batman. When he'll be gone, everything of his will be mine, and that includes being Batman. And if you're Pennyworth's apprentice, that means you'll replace him also. You'll be my Pennyworth. The guy in the chair while I'm out there. So you better start ahead of time and help me."

With him looking directly into her eyes and being so close, she just couldn't say no. She gulped.

"A-Alright." she nodded.

"Good." he unlocked the door. "Let's go Penny."

"Penny?" she gave him a weird look.

"Since you're a mini Pennyworth." he smirked. 

That was the first time she's seen him smile. Considering the circumstances, she didn't know how to feel about that...

"Go." he pressed. "I'll wait for your signal."

'I have to come up with a signal now...' 

She'd hear this line so many times yet could never figure out how they can figure out what a good signal would be. As she left the room and began looking for Alfred, her mind raced, her heart beat fast. Once she spotted him, she left to create her distraction. She knew from the start what she had to do, she had some practice this one time Bruce was sick and he asked the same thing Damian had.

"Ah! Alfred!" 

"(Y/n)?" he watched as she ran up to him. "You can rush, you can't run. Remember?"

"But this is important! I think the mole is back."

His expression quickly turned grave. That mole has been his personal nemesis for months now. Just when he thought it was gone for the season. He put his feather duster aside.

"Where?"

"Where else?"

"The vegetable patch." he mumbled as he left the room.

She followed him. Her eyes went wide when, on the way outside, Alfred picked up a shotgun.

"No second chances now."

(Y/n) gulped. But she wasn't worried for her little plan. She made sure to tamper with the garden to make it look like a mole was there. Her and Alfred investigated the 'crime scene'. She would glance at the manor, wondering if Damian had left yet.

'What kind of signal should I do that he could hear from all the way over there???'

Just then, she noticed movements from the corner of her eyes. With big eyes, she looked over to see the small mole digging out of the ground like a champ. It looked so cute, thankfully Alfred didn't notice yet. (Y/n)'s mind began ro race again. 

"Right there!" she grabbed Alfred's arm and pointed at one of the patch of overturned dirt she made, opposite to where the mole actually was. "It's going right for the cabbages!"

As the trained soldier he was, Alfred didn't miss a second and shot right at the patch, successfully avoiding the vegetables. The loud sound made her flinch and yelp in surprise. She pointed at other spots and as Alfred fired a couple of more shots, she glanced back and watched as the little animal dug itself back in the ground.

'Go little mole!' she thought. 'Be free!'

She noticed a window opening and she looked over to see Damian climbing down before running away. He was wearing the assassin outfit he had when he first came in, and he had his new sword on his back. As he left, she briefly looked at her and she nodded. (Y/n) hoped he would get home safe. 

Chapter Text

When (Y/n) and Alfred walked back to the manor and realized Damian was gone again, she acted as shocked as her mentor. To be fair, she wasn't faking her concerns.

"Should we contact Batman?" she asked.

"Not now at least." he looked at the time on his pocket watch. "He's in the middle of interrogating Killer Croc. He doesn't like to be interrupted. He should be done in five minutes or so, however."

"Wow. You know how long it takes for him to do that?"

"A servant of the Wayne family must know the habits of their masters."

She nodded, making a mental note. Alfred told her she could go to bed, it was getting late. Usually when it was nighttime and Batman was out in town, she'd sleep through it. And (Y/n) being ten years old, she still needed her hours of sleep. But this time, she declined, she wanted to be here when Damian comes back...

'If I'll eventually replace Alfred and he'll be Batman, then I should train my brain to stay up late.' she nodded to herself.

She went down to the batcave where Alfred was, sitting in front of the bat-computer. On the screen there was a map of Gotham, with a red dot moving fast. She figured it was Batman. He made a stop and stayed put for a while. (Y/n) eventually suppressed a yawn, but Alfred noticed.

"I understand you're worried, (Y/n). But you won't be able to provide a good service to either Bruce or Damian if you're on the verge of collapsing."

"...You're right, Alfred." she said before she left.

Alfred smiled. He knew he'd get to her if he appealed to her professionalism. She later came back with a can of monsters and he sighed.

(Y/n) wandered back and forth between the manor and the cave, wondering who would come back first, Damian or Batman. She never expected it to be both at the same time. And as the batmobile rolled into the cave and she rushed over, she expected even less to see Nightwing hopping out. She gasped in delight.

"Master Richard!"

"Heeeey! Look who's up at this hour!" he picked her up with one arm and she laughed. "Hope Alfred doesn't find out."

"You're hurt!" she exclaimed, realizing he was covered in cuts and bruises. "You shouldn't pick me up!"

"That never stopped me before." he smiled.

She smiled. She liked Richard (though he always insisted on being called Dick), he was like a cool big brother to her.

"How's my lil Peanut been doing, mmh?"

"Peanut...?" she frowned. "I told you Sir. I much prefer to simply go by my name."

He chuckled, mentally crossing that nickname off of his list. One day he'll find the one!

"Well, I tried!" he shrugged. "Oh yeah. I believe this is yours."

He raised his other hand to reveal he was holding a tied up and gagged Damian. He did not look happy. (Y/n) gasped again.

"What happened?!"

"I was doing my patrol and I see this kid about to slice a guy twice his size in half." he said as he put her down. "He put up a fight, but I stopped him. He said he was Batman's son. For that part, I was hoping he would tell me." he nodded towards Bruce who moved passed him and towards the computer.

"I've contacted commissioner Gordon regarding Ubu." he said to no one in particular as he began to type on the keyboard. "He should be in the hospital by now." 

Nightwing put Damian down and asked Alfred if he could take care of his wounds and fill him in on the situation in the process. As soon as Damian was let go of, (Y/n) untied him.

"Are you alright?!" she asked, worried.

"Did you have to restrain me for the whole ride?!" he glared at Dick.

"No. That one was for me."

Damian groaned.

"Did you find anything?" (Y/n) asked quietly.

"He refused to talk." he whispered before standing up.

He went up some stairs to go on a higher platform. Looking at him, she didn't see anything grave injuries, which made her relieve. Alfred then asked her to fetch something for him and she brought it over. Despite his usual jovial attitude towards (Y/n), Dick wasn't having such a good time right now...

"Really ticks me off after all those lectures he gave me about using protection." he said as Alfred stitched off one of his deep wounds.

(Y/n) blushed at that.

"Indeed." Alfred said.

Dick loudly groaned, one of these stitches went deep.

"Are you alright, Master Dick?" 

"I took the cut. I can take the stitch." he smiled.

"Maybe you need more anesthetic." Damian said, looking down at them from the platform.

"And maybe you need to go fu-!"

"Master Dick!" Alfred glared at him.

Dick quickly glanced at (Y/n) and huffed.

"Maybe you should remember who the blood son is!" Damian said before leaving.

"Bloodthirty is more like it." he mumbled before turning to the little maid. "Stay away from this psycho, (Y/n). It won't do you any good."

She pursed her lips.

"I'll be careful." she nodded.

She looked at Damian who was looking at the suits displayed. He once again stopped in front of the first Robin's.

"This was yours?" he looked back at Dick.

"Still is." he said as he stood up (Alfred was done closing his wounds) and and went up to him, knowing what he was planning.

Damian opened the display but Dick came just in time to close it before he did anything.

"Keep your hands off it, kid."

"Is this what you wore in training?" 

"It's what I wore when I went on patrol."

Damian looked at it for a moment.

"The only thing it's missing is lace trim and a sun hat." he faced him with a smirk.

(Y/n) puffed a chuckle. The two young men looked at her (she avoided eye contact) before facing each-other again.

"You don't fool me." Dick spoke. "I know what you're thinking. You're thinking you could be Robin. Well you can't." he waved a hand.

"I don't need some insipid costume and a bird name. I'm way beyond your kind of simplistic training." he pointing his thumb at himself with a smirk. "As you saw tonight."

"...Don't forget, you lost that fight." he said as he left.

Damian glared at him. Meanwhile, Batman finally got a hold of Gordon at the hospital. He put the videocall on full screen as the others approached to see.

"How's Ubu?"

"He's got more monitors connected to him than Arkham has lunatics." the commissioner stepped aside for him to see the man in his hospital bed.

"Can he talk?"

"Talk? It's a wonder he can breathe."

"...I'll stay in touch." he said before hanging up.

He held his chin, deep in thought. Damian went up to him.

"He doesn't deserve to breathe."

Batman stood up and pushed his chair away so hard it would've knocked over (Y/n) if Nightwing hasn't stopped it.

"Uh-ho." he smiled.

"Oh he's angry." the two of them shared a look.

"Do you know what you were tonight?" Batman asked as he faced the boy. "You weren't a warrior, you weren't a soldier. You were a child."

"If it hadn't been for him," he pointed at Dick. "I-!"

"If it hadn't been for Dick, you'd have gone too far."

"...It's easier my way."

"It has nothing to do with 'easy'." he pressed. "It's about doing what's right because it's right and that's  the only reason you need."

"Seemed right to me."

"That's the problem." 

He walked to the batmobile and picked up something from it.

"Heads up."

He threw something at Damian – a ninja star – and he caught if effortlessly. 

"Good reflexes." Batman noted to himself.

"What if I had missed?"

"It would have hurt." he went up to him again.

Damian looked at it for a moment.

"It's a League of Assassins star."

"Found it in a warehouse, belonging to a man named Langstrom. Ring a bell?"

At the mention of that name, (Y/n)'s eyes went big.

"...No."

"It appears there's a connection to Ra's and Deathstroke."

"Than we need to find out what it is."

"I need to find out."

"I wanna help, like he used to!" he pointed at Dick, who had moved to be closer to them.

"It's bad enough you've given yourself away and let them know we're into them, but you're letting vengeance guide you."

"You've never felt vengeful?"

"...Every day."

Hearing this, (Y/n) felt a twist in her heart. This seemed to have left an impact on Damian as well.

"You have to keep your center, Damian." Batman continued in a softer tone. "You can't fight crime by becoming a criminal." he paused. "From now on, stay close. That's an order."

"...I can do that." he nodded.

(Y/n) softly gasped, knowing where this was going.

"Waaait a minute." Dick spoke. "I'm not gonna like this, am I?"

"...Nope." Batman said.

He turned towards (Y/n) and paused when he saw the big smile on her face. 

"(Y/n). Make him a suit."

"Right away, Sir!" she saluted him.

"You know how to make a suit?" Damian asked with a frowned.

"Not from scratch, but I can alter and tailor one of Master Richard's prototypes. Ooo! I could make it fireproof if you want?"

"You know how to tailor a supersuit?" he went up to her and the two of them walked out of the cave.  

"Of course I do." she smiled. "I wouldn't be here if I didn't."

"I don't suppose you have a neat little anecdote to go with that?" he asked sarcastically.

"Mmh... Well there was this one time-"

"I don't like this at all." Nightwing shook his head as he watched the two kids leave before he turned to Batman. "Why's she being so chummy with this kid?!"

"She wants to be friends with him. Since he's the only other kid she's met."

"Oh, poor sweet little angel." he sighed.

(Y/n) took Damian's measurements. Looking at her, he could see a look of pure focus on her face, the same she had while renovating the sword and when she tinkered with the thumb drive. She asked a few questions about how he wanted the suit to look.

"Just make sure it has pants."

That made her laugh, which made him frown. He wasn't used to such positive reactions. Nobody has laughed at anything he said before.

It took a while, but he was patient, and she eventually handed him a suit and a mask.

"There you go, Sir. Try it on and tell me if there is any tweaks I must make." 

He took it and put it aside before he started to take off his tunic. (Y/n) yelped and quickly turned away.

"S-Sir!"

"What?"

By the sound of his voice, this clearly wasn't a big deal for him. 

"W-We have other rooms for you to change."

"...You're flustered."

"Well yeah!"

He couldn't help but smirk. She finally lost her professional way of speaking.

"As a maid, you should get used to it."

"I...I guess."

"You can turn around now."

'He hasn't stopped changing while we talked?!'

She glanced just a little bit to make sure, then her eyes widened and she fully faced him. He was now in his new Robin costume and he put his mask on. He stood in front of a mirror and looked at himself up and down. He smiled with a 'heh', satisfied with the result, and began to do big stretches to test out the fabrics.

"I gotta admit, Penny." he said. "You're proving yourself to be quite reliable."

Seeing her reflection in the mirror, how happy these words made her, he almost regretted saying that.

"You look very intimidating, Sir." she said. "I'm sure your enemies will cower in fear at the mere sight of you!"

"Hmm." he smirked. "They already do that." 

"As for the belt and the gadgets, Master Bruce will provide you with those down in the batcave."

"Then let's not waste any more time gloating. Let's go Penny." he walked out.

"Yes, Sir!" she followed him.

Seeing the new Robin suit, Nightwing whistled.

"You really outdid yourself there, (Y/n)!" he said as he ruffled her hair. "Remind me to come to you next time I need a new look."

She giggled, happy. Before, she'd always just patch up suits. This was the first one she actually made. 

'Well, it was a collaborative work really.' she looked at Damian.

"Penny." said boy faced her. "I'll have to test out if this thing really is fireproof."

At the mention of that name, everyone stared at the two kids.

"Oh you don't have to." she shook her head.

"You're saying you don't believe it'd work?" he folded his arms.

"I'm saying that the ideal scenario would be to never have to get near flames in the first place." she nodded.

"Robin." Batman called out. "We have to go."

"...You're lucky it's raining right now." he quietly told her before rushing to get in the batmobile.

She waved goodbye as Batman left with his new Robin. She cheered for them in her head.

"Um... (Y/n)?" 

She turned to Dick.

"Who is Penny?"

"Oh. I think Master Damian had decided to call me that. He said I was like a...A 'mini Pennyworth'."

"How lovely..." Alfred said in his usual monotone voice, but they could all hear the hint of sarcasm.

"And you didn't say anything? You hate nicknames!"

"It's just..." she fiddled with her fingernails, avoiding eye contact. "He just got here, I didn't want to offend him."

"I see." Dick nodded. "No worries, (Y/n). I'll tell him-"

"Oh no no no! It's fine, really!" she waved her hands.

"Huh?"

"Well... I like it." she smiled, her gaze distant. "I don't know, it feels special."

"I see." he smiled. "Well, good for you Penny."

She visibly cringed. It didn't sound right coming from him. Dick felt devastated. When she left, he turned to Alfred.

"I could've come up with Penny first, right?" 

Alfred just gave him a look. He sighed.

Meanwhile, in the batmobile.

"You called (Y/n) 'Penny'." Batman broke the silence.

"I did. So?" he raised an eyebrow.

"Did you two create some kind of alliance?"

"Don't be ridiculous, father. I call her Penny because she is literally a mini Pennyworth." 

Damian turned to look out the window, but he could feel his father's eyes on him.

"She's a nice kid. She doesn't have any friends her age."

"I figured as much." he mumbled.

"She also loves to help people. She'd easily cooperate with any plan you have."

"That's because it's her job." he looked at him. "Yet you're talking as though she's also your daughter."

Batman said nothing to that.

"Don't drag her into trouble with you."

'She made Pennyworth shoot up the backyard with a shotgun!' he wanted to shout, but contained himself as he folded his arms with a huff.

He later wondered why he didn't just say it...

After a few hours, the batmobile rolled back into the batcave. (Y/n) rushed over.

"You're back! How was it?!"

"Fun, for the most part." Robin rolled his shoulder.

Batman helped another man out of the batmobile, he had a bag over his head and was clearly panicked.

"Please don't hurt me! I-I swear I don't know where he is! Where are you taking me?"

"Who is this?" she whispered to Damian.

"Langstrom. We found his lab." he replied in regular volume. "You shouldn't be here when we unbag him."

"Why?"

"Father, Nightwing and I are masked. You're not."

"I don't see the issue." she shrugged. "He'll never see me again, I almost never go out."

"No use getting technical. You could compromise all of us."

"Alright, I understand." she bowed her head. "Can I just hide then?"

"You just wanna be in on the action, don't you?"

She pursed her lips. He narrowed his eyes.

"You can hide up there." Dick pointed at a platform upstairs.

Her face lit up as Damian glared at him.

"Thank you, Master R-" she quickly covered her own mouth.

Dick suppressed a laugh and Damian sighed, shaking his head. She gave them both an apologetic look before leaving upstairs in a rush. She watched as Batman sat the man down in the chair, his back facing her so there was no way he'd see her. The three vigilantes stood in front of the man and Batman removed the bag. 

"Wh-Where am I?" the scientists looked around.

"Just start talking." Batman said.

"Ra's wanted me to splice animal DNA to humans unsing advanced mutagens. He would provide 'volunteers' for me to work on."

"Obviously, you took him up on it."

"I knew it would mean prison if anyone discovered I was up to my old experiments. But how do you say no to ra's al Ghul?"

(Y/n) looked at Damian, wondeing how he felt about this. Was he even aware of it? She couldn't decipher the look on his face...

"He wanted you to make the ultimate warriors..." Nightwing said.

"Yes." he nodded. "Ra's called it 'Operation Air Strike'. No military would withstand an army of flying super-powered ninjas using sonar in the dead of night."

"But then Deathstroke took over."

"The formula was my ace in the hole." he looked down, nervously slasping his hands together. "I kept working on it, aking improvements. If I completely finished it, I didn't know what he might do."

"Where's your family?" Batman asked.

"I-I don't know." he shook his head. "He let me speak to them once, briefly. My daughter mentioned something about snow... Um two-Two mountain peaks that she said looked like cat ears!"

This seemed to ring a bell for Robin.

"Interlaken," he turned to Batman. "Grandfather's compound."

"You're sure?"

"I'm sure."

(Y/n) wondered what made him realize what he was talking about, the two mountain peaks or the fact that they looked like cat ears.

"Can you make an antidote to the Man-Bat formula?" Batman asked Langstrom. "With the right material, the right equipement?"

"It's possible, but what about my family?"

"Leave them to us." he nodded. "Nightwing, you stay here with him. Me and Robin will take the Batwing."

(Y/n) leaned ver the rails to get their attention. Batman looked at her.

"Make sure Langstrom has everything he needs."

She silently saluted him with a big smile.

'Was she waiting for someone to give her something to do?' Robin thought.

Batman and Robin flew over the snowy mountain range.

"I hope you're right about this." Batman said.

"I know these mountains well. I've been climbing them since I was four. It was part of my training."

"That's some training for a four-year-old." he glanced at him.

"First time I climbed I fell. Broke my wrist." he said, looking out the window. "I made it to the top anyway. It was expected." he looked ahead, his gaze distant. "I was Ra's al Ghul's grandson."

"Was it all like that, Damian?"

"I was groomed to lead humanity like my grandfather." he folded his arms. "We were going to create a whole new world."

"By killing."

"If that's what it took."

"How do you expect to lead humanity when you've never been a part of it?"

"...What about you?" he looked at him. "From what I've heard your childhood wasn't a lot of fun either."

"I had my traumas. But I also had people around me to help." he spoke softly. "Alfred, Dick, (Y/n), others. I had friends. As far as I can tell, all you've had are trainers. There's a difference, Damian."

When Damian heard the word 'friend', Penny popped in his head. He wondered if an ally was the closest thing to a friend. Before he could really ponder over this, he noticed something ahead.

"There's the stronghold." he pointed. "Beyond those peaks." 

Batman put the Batwing on autopilot before he and Robin jumped down onto the roof. They were very stealthy at first, but as time passed, they realized that the compound was empty. There was nobody here. However, they did eventually find Langstrom's wife and daughter, behind a fake wall.

Langstrom's daughter rushed over to Damian and hugged him tightly.

"Robin! You saved us."

"This is totally unecessary." he cringed.

"Deathstroke said he would spare us if I gave this to you." she whispered and discreetly put a communicator in his hand. "Don't tell Batman. Please." she looked him in the eyes.

Robin didn't say anything and put it in his pocket as she joined her mother and they followed Batman.

"There's a landing pad on the other side of the stronghold." Batman said, leading the way while Robin was behind them. "I'll call Interpol to send a helicopter. Shouldn't take long."

As they walked around a corner, Robin stayed behind to turn on the communicator. A video began to play, there as Deathstroke talking directly to the camera. Beside him was Talia, chained and beat up.

"I have your mother, Damian." he said. "This is her location." a map of Scotland appeared with a dot in the middle of the water. "Perhaps you've been there. This is between you and me. Leave the sperm donor out of it." the feed went back to Deathstoke. "I give you forty-eight hours before I end her suffering. Be worthy of your heritage, boy." he grabbed Talia by the hair and pulled her up  to show her face. "Make your mother proud."

With that, the video ended. In his rage, Damian broke the communicator with his bear hand. He quickly joined Batman before he suspected anything. Together, they waited for Interpol to take Langstrom's family. Then Batman and Robin went to the Wayne Tower over in London.

As soon as they walked into their suits, Damian picked up the phone and called room service, he was very specific with his order. After that, he went into his room and waited. Batman didn't ask any question, he figured the boy was tired after being up all night.

Not only that, but Batman found on his own that Deathstroke had Damian's mother. He found signs of torture in one of the cells, and Langstrom's wife told him there was another prisoner in the stronghold with them, a woman. He began to make his own research as to where she could be.

Since neither Alfred nor (Y/n) could approach Langstrom, they'd give everything to Dick who would then bring it to him. This one time they had to instructed him from a distance how to make tea properly. Yes it took the two of them to do it.

At some point, Nightwing got a call from Batman, telling him that they've secured Langstrom's family. Once he relayed that information, the scientific had a newfound fire in him and began to produce antidotes at a rapid speed. (Y/n) was happy for him.

'Now they just need to take out Deathstroke!'

Just then, she received a call. She quickly and silently excused herself to Nightwing and left the batcave before picking up. It was from an unknown number.

"Hello?"

"Penny. I need you to do something for me."

"Master Damian?! How did you get my number?"

"I got a hold of if since day one." he quickly explained before giving her her mission. "I need you to send a drone over to my location, have it bring me some equipment."

"W-Wait."

He caught her off guard with that one.

"Alfred would always do this kind of thing. I don't know how to do that."

"You're a fast learner aren't you? Remember, this will eventually be a frequent ocurence for the both of us. You better get started now if you wanna work for me."

"I already am."

"Don't start arguing Penny. I need this now."

"I wasn't trying to..." she paused. "...Does Batman know about this?"

"You sure get chatty over the phone, huh?"

"It's an important question. Nightwing and Langstrom are both in the batcave, your answer will determine the way I approach this task."

Damian was silent for a long moment.

"...Deathstroke has my mother. He wants to face me. Alone."

Her eyes widened.

"I'll be as fast as possible."

"Good. I'll ping my location to you."

"Oh... My phone can't do that. It doesn't have regular apps."

"What do you mean it doesn't have 'regular apps'?"

"I have a flip phone my father used to own."

"A hand-me-down flip phone? How poor are you?!"

"My family gets by." she shrugged. 

"Well that explains your atrocious audio quality."

"...Could you text me the coordinates instead?"

He clicked his tongue.

"Fine. Remember my mother's fate is on the line, along with the League of Assassins'."

"You mother's safety is enough reason for me, Master Damian." she smiled.

She wanted to say something else, but he hung up. Right after that, she got a text from him, his coordinates along with a list of what he needed: a diving mask with spare bottles of oxygen and a few batarangs. She took a deep breath and went to the cave. Fortunately, there was an incident where Langstrom caught on fire since he was being too intense with his chemistry work. It wasn't anything serious, but definitely enough to create a distration. (Y/n) quickly went to grab what she needed and ran out to one of the balconies. Though not before she grabed a sticky note and a pen. The drone was certainly heavy, but she pulled through.

She loaded a box with everything Damian asked for and added a note inside, so that she could tell him what she wanted to say over on the phone. As for making the drone work, thankfully, she only needed to enter the coordinates. She watched it silently fly away, hoping it'd get safely to Damian. And that he would also get out of this in one piece.

In his Robin suit, Damian waited on an old harbor, walking in circles. Finally, he saw the drone coming over with a box. In his impatience, he climbed up the roof of a boat hangar and grabbed the box while the drone was in mid air. He opened the box and saw the note. It said 'Go get 'em!' with a smiley face. Seeing how badly she drew such a simple thing, he suppressed a laugh.

Chapter Text

Not long after she came back to the batcave, Dick received a call from Bruce, giving each-other a check up on their situation. Bruce spoke about how Deathstroke had Talia and he was now looking for her but found nothing. Thankfully, Dick had done his own research on his side.

"A dormant oil rig belonging to Ra's, part of a shell company, went active a few weeks back. I thought that was interesting."

"That is interesting." there was a pause. "Hold on..." 

Standing on the platform above, (Y/n) gripped the rails tighter. 

"Where's the oil rig?"

"Close to you."

"How close?"

"Scotland. Off the Outer Hebrides. What's wrong?"

"...Dammit! He's gone. And he took his uniform."

(Y/n) could feel her heart beating out of her chest.

"Bruce, chill. The rig is fifty miles off the coast. What's he gonna do, swim there?"

Dick smiled when he said that, but after he said it, his smile slowly faltered. He turned his head to stare at (Y/n) and she stared back with big eyes. He could feel her anxiety from all the way over there.

"Oh boy..." he sighed.

"What is it?" Batman asked.

(Y/n) joined her hands together with a pleading look. She's never done this before, Dick couldn't refuse those puppy dog eyes.

"Nothin'. You're right. That little brat would find a way."

"Is the antidote ready?"

"We have enough for a battalion."

"Load them up in the jet, you and Langstrom fly over as backup."

"Can I come?" (Y/n) rushed over.

"No." both Dick and Bruce said at the same time.

They said it with such sterness that she didn't argue. Before Nightwing left with Langstrom, he looked back at (Y/n), who was fiddling with her fingernails, pouting.

"Hey." he crouched down and held her by the shoulders. "I know you're worried about the kid. Batman will make sure nothing bad happens to him. He always does. Don't worry."

"I worry about you too."

His heart squeezed. He ruffled her hair with a chuckle.

"Keep an eye on the manor for us, okay?" he stood up. "And go clean my old room, I'll probably spend the night here when we get back."

One would think it was rude to give her work to do, at a time like this. But Dick knew that (Y/n) was a stress-cleaner and that she enjoyed having something to do.

She gasped.

"You mean...a sleepover?"

"Sleepoveeer!" he beamed with jazz hands.

Her face lit up and his heart filled with joy.

"Be careful, Master Richard!" she waved as he walked to the batwing.

"Okay, but just because you asked me to." he waved without looking at her.

They kept waving until they literally couldn't see each-other anymore.

Despite being happy to clean a room from top to bottom, she still felt this knot in her chest. Anytime she finished a task, she'd go to the batcave and asked Alfred if he had any news.

"If I receive any, you will be the first to know." he said.

"...Do you feel nervous whenever Batman goes out, Alfred?"

"Batman, Nightwing, every night."

Her eyebrows furrowed. She sighed and went back to Richard's room. When she was done, her and Alfred had a small diner in the batcave. After that, she went to bed.

Before she went to sleep however, she remembered something and took out her phone. She created a new contact with Damian's number. And simply called it 'Master Damian'. She marked it as favorite, just like with Bruce, Alfred and Dick.

Robin effortlessly infiltrated the rig, but once he got to the underwater facility, he couldn't do anything against Deathstroke, who had his mother at gun point. Thankfully, Batman came in just in time, sending the men bats into a frenzy with sonar batarangs. They flew out in a panic, stuffing the elevator shaft leading to the surface. Talia had been shot and Batman picked her up to put her in a lazarus pit (what the oil rig was actually pumping), but Damian went after Deathstoke who was running away after the men bats destroyed the elevator shaft and the rig slowly began to fall appart.

The fight was ruthless. At some point, Deathstroke broke Damian's arm so he used his other hand to use his sword with. Finally, he tricked Deathstroke into destroying a tank of acid. His suit took most of the damage, but he was still badly injured and couldn't get up. Damian stood over him and pointed his sword at him.

"Go ahead. Finish me." Deathstroke taunted. "You were trained to kill your enemies, weren't you? It's what you want. It's what I would do. It's what your grandfather would do." he paused. "...Well? Do it!"

Damian's eyes narrowed.

"...No." he raised his sword. "I'm my father's son too."

Just then, the sea water began to fill the room and Damian ran away, leaving Deathstroke to his fate.

Meanwhile, Talia was revived by the lazarus pit, and in an intimate moment, her and Batman kissed. As they both stepped out of the pit, Damian ran over and hugged his mother. But it didn't last long, the whole place was collapsing. The three of them quickly got to an escape pod and joined Nightwing on the surface. Dick fired suction cups onto the pod to pull them away from the collapsing rig. They reached the Scotish shore and Talia called the League of Assassins to send over a boat while Nightwing and Langstrom flew back home. Dick took the opportunity to send a text to (Y/n).

'We got him! Saved the day as always' with a few emojis that her old flip phone couldn't translate.

As soon as she heard the ding, she quickly sat up in her bed and looked at the text. Then she sighed a huge sigh of relief and fell back. But now she wondered, now that the situation was resolved, Damian could go back to the League of Assassins with his mother.

'Well. Good for him.' she nodded to herself, ignoring the sting in her small heart.

The boat arrived. Talia faced Batman one last time.

"I thank you for my life, and the life of my son."

"Our son." he said softly.

"I need to rebuilt the League. Make it stronger, better." she offered a hand. "Come with me. You and I, together with Damian, would be invinsible."

"...The best way to fix the League is to disband it."

She looked away with a pained look, lowering her hand.

"If only it were that easy."

They both looked over and saw Damian walking over to them.

"Damian should stay with me." Batman said.

"He will want to be with his mother."

"He's Robin now." he looked at her. "He stays with the Batman."

Now that Damian joined them, Talia faced him.

"Damian, are you ready to come?"

"...If that's your wish, mother." he looked down.

She took note of that pause he made before responding. She caressed his hair before placing her hand on his shoulder. She looked over at Batman for a moment, before puting her other hand on her son's other shoulder and getting on one knee to look him in the eyes.

"Learn from your father, Damian, for he is very wise. And you, are the future." she said softly before kissing him on the forehead.

She walked passed Batman, her hand hovering over his, he reached out for it but it was aready out of reach. She stepped on the boat but looked back one last time.

"I will come back for him. Make him great."

"I will."

She smiled and turned back. Batman and Robin watched the boat leaving then disappearing into the horizon.

"Let's go home, Damian."

"I'll drive."

"No."

"I know how!"

"No." he pressed as he called for the batwing to fly to their location.

When they went back to the batcave. (Y/n) ran over. Her heart jumped when she saw Damian.

"You're back!" 

The boy braised for impact, but she seemed to remember her job and she slowed down before facing him, her posture perfect.

"Welcome back, Master Damian." she said with a smile. "Welcome back, Master Bruce."

He breathed a small sigh of relief. She noticed the states he was in.

"Oh my gosh! Your arm!" she panicked.

"Do you perhaps know a technic on how to put bones back in their place?"

"...Not yet, no." she gave him an apologetic look.

"I do." he walked away. "Feel free to watch and learn."

She smiled and followed him while Bruce went to Alfred for any injuries. Damian found a chair to sit on and used a technic to pop his arm back into place. However, the bones were still broken, so (Y/n) had to make a cast, which of course she knew how to do. But before that, she had to sew his wounds shut.

She asked about what happened and he told her, he was very detailed when describing his fight with Deathstroke. She winced when she heard about how he got both of his arms pierced. Her reaction made him snickered.

"So..." she hesitated. "Is it not safe yet for you to go back to the League of Assassins?"

"It is. But my mother let me stay, she said I could learn a lot from father."

"I see." she nodded. "Would you have rather gone back home?"

Damian's gaze became distant at the mention of 'home'. 

"I think she's right. I can learn a lot here."

(Y/n) didn't say anything and kept her eyes on her task. But Damian noticed the big happy smile on her face.

"You're happy that I'm staying." he said, not asked.

"...I am." she said, seeing no use in hiding it.

He didn't expect that. He huffed and looked away.

After that, she bandaged his arm in a cast. Once she was done, Damian stood up.

"I'm going to bed now."

"Would you like anything for dinner?"

"Yes actually. Make me some musakhan."

"Yes sir!" she saluted, ready to go through the entire kitchen library to find out what that was and how to make it perfectly.

"(Y/nnn)?!" they heard Dick's voice.

"Oh shoot!" she covered her mouth. "I forgot."

Damian frowned in his confusion. Dick came over running and he noticed the boy.

"Oh. You're back."

"And he said he'll stay with us!" she beamed.

"Well that explains what took you so long. I found the movie we can watch tonight." he raised a dvd box.

She gasped in delight but then her shoulders dropped.

"Oh, but..." she turned to Damian.

"Movie?" he raised an eyebrow.

"Master Richard will be spending the night here." she explained. "We'll be watching a movie in the theater room. Oh! Would you like to join us?"

"Join you/us?" both him and Dick repeated.

Damian glanced at the young man who stared him into his eyes. He clearly didn’t want him to intrude on their almost-sibling bonding time. Damian rolled his eyes.

"I'll stay in my room." he began to walk away.

"But, your diner?"

"I'll have Pennyworth do it instead."

Now this cut deep for (Y/n). As an apprentice, she considered that a failure.

"N-no! I'll do it- We'll do it!"

"You and who?" he looked back.

"Me and Master Richard." she turned to face said man. "Would it be already if we switch tonight's activity for cooking?" she joined her hands together. "It's something new."

Dick thought for a moment. If he and (Y/n) made something great, the brat will have to be grateful!

"Alright. Get ready lil man." he looked at Damian. "You're about to get the best meal of your life!"

"I can hardly wait." he said with a dead tone as he walked away.

Dick could feel the fire of (Y/n)'s determination ever since that conversation. They used his smartphone to look up the recipe, though first they had to figure out how to spell it since it had an Arabic name. 

(Y/n) read the recipe multiple times and she snatched the phone for herself to go look for the ingredients.

"Yeesh, I've never seen you this fired up since you discovered you could make your own popcorn!" Dick laughed.

"I get to cook something new, I never get to do that these days!" she beamed. "And it's for Master Damian, I want it to be perfect." 

He sighed. 

"I get you want to have a friend that's the same age as you but, seriously, do you really want him as a friend?"

"Well... Why not?" she tilted her head.

"...Have we met the same kid?"

"He's just...really cool." she shrugged with a smile.

"That's right. I forget you're a ten-year-old and your definition of 'cool' is widely different."

She frowned with a pout. Seeing this, he laughed.

"I'm just teasing Sweet Pea." he ruffled her hair.

"Sweet Pea..." her frowned deepened.

"Okay, crossing that one off the list." he mumbled to himself before speaking. "I just don't want you to get into trouble because of him. I mean, I already had to keep a secret from Bruce for you."

"I know, and I am forever thankful for that." she bowed her head. "Even if I didn't help him, he would've found a way to that oil rig and you know it." she pointed at him with a smirk.

He chuckled.

After gathering the ingredients, (Y/n) quickly started cooking. 

"This dish takes a lot of time to make." she said with a commanding voice as she put on her apron. "We can't have a draft dish on this one. We only have one shot and it shall be perfect!"

"Yes Ma'am!" he saluted.

On any other day, (Y/n) would've rathered do everything by herself, but since this was now part of her sleepover, she had Dick assist her. As they were cooking, Dick began to chuckle.

"What?" she asked.

"Oh nothin'. This just reminds me of the first time you ever asked me for help."

She blushed.

"The first and last time!"

"What were you trying to cook again?"

"I don't remember." she quickly said, keeping her eyes on whatever she was doing. 

"Oh yeah! You wanted to make a cheese soufflé! You could never get it right."

"I got it eventually."

"Now that I think about it, you didn't actually come to me. I walked in on you."

"Okay. I get it."

"You were crying."

"Stop!" she hit him, her face red.

He laughed.

Damian was laying in bed, facing the ceiling. He thought about everything that happened and what he'll do next. Looking at his cast, he figured his options will be limited for the time being.

He felt hungry and stood up.

"How much longer is this gonna take?" he mumbled as he left the room. "Her speed leaves much to be desired. Or maybe Dick is slowing her down... That's probably it."

He walked to the kitchen but stopped when he heard laughter. Standing beside the open door, he leaned over to see Penny and Dick, bickering but laughing at the same time. Talking about anything and everything.

He observed them for a little while. This was an environment he was unfamiliar with. He felt a certain warmth in this room, but not like a fire's.

Once he realized he was staring, he stood on the doorway and rested his shoulder on it.

"Are you done yet?"

(Y/n) flinched with a small gasp.

"Master Damian! Almost." she nodded. "It should be ready in..." she checked the pan and the oven. "About twenty minutes."

"Good." he took a seat at the counter, facing them. "...This is the first time you're cooking musakhan, isn't it?"

She avoided eye contact, flustered.

"It is. But I am certain we did a great job!"

"I'm sure you tried your best." he told her before glancing at Dick.

Said man glared at him.

"Oh, you'll see." he folded his arms with a smirk.

"I will."

There was a moment of silence.

"Hey, (Y/n)." Dick looked at her. "I watched the latest episode of Gotham Stars."

She gasped. She never had the time to watch tv (or anything for that matter) so Dick was her relayer of drama.

"Was Zackary voted off?!"

Dick pursed his lips and tilted his head.

"No!"

"He found an immunity badge."

"I thought they weren't any more!"

"There's always a special secret fourth one!"

(Y/n) whined.

"Then who left? Clara?"

"...No."

"...Richard. Don't tell me-"

"It's Marcus."

"Noooo!" she held her head.

"You and me both, sister." he patted her shoulder. "There’s already a petition online to bring him back."

"Where? I'll sign it!"

"Hold on." he took out his phone.

Damian stayed quiet throughout this conversation. He was okay not participating in this stupid talk about 'drama' and gossip. Still, he was offended that he was being ignored. (Y/n) finally looked at him.

"...Master Damian, would you like to sign the petition?"

"No."

"Oh please?"

"I didn't even comprehend a word you were saying about this 'Marcus'. And don't try to convince me of anything. It won't work."

"Right... I'm sorry."

She handed the phone back to Dick, who sighed and rolled his eyes.

"Is there anything you'd like to talk about?" she asked.

"No."

"Alright then."

There was silence again. Dick frowned, he knew Damian was a master of conversation enders.

"In case father didn't tell you," Damian told him. "I decided to stay and be Robin."

"I figured. What, is being the League of Assassins' new leader not prestigious enough?"

"My mother is the new leader now., not me." he looked away. 

"Will you keep in contact with her?" (Y/n) asked.

"That will be up to her."

"...Why?"

He blinked twice, taken aback, then frowned.

"That's how it works."

She tilted her head, clearly not satisfied with this answer. But she didn't say anything.

"Yeesh, family reunions will be fun." Dick mumbled.

"You have no idea what you're talking about." he glared at him.

"I know how healthy families work."

"Regular families." he leaned a little closer. "And there is nothing regular about me or my family. I'm the grandson of the Demon and the son of Batman. You cannot expect me to act like one of your people." he leaned back.

"My people?"

"...Poor."

(Y/n) puffed a chuckle and turned her head away.

"Hey! Bruce is technically my father too. You're just insulting (Y/n) right now!" 

"It's alright." she smiled. "I know I'm poor, it's a fact. But if I wasn't, I wouldn't be here. So that's okay."

"Are your parents dead?" Damian asked.

"Dude." he glared at him for speaking so lightly about it.

"No. They're just too poor to take care of me."

"I thought you said your family was 'getting by'." Damian raised an eyebrow.

"They do, now that I'm not here."

Dick looked at her with big eyes. She never talked about this before.

"This apprenticeship was the opportunity of a lifetime. I had to take it."

"What if you hadn't been hired?" he asked.

She thought about it. Before they could get an answer, the timer ran out.

"Ah! It's ready!"

After preparing and plating the food, she placed it in front of Damian. He looked at it for a moment and glanced up at her. She still had her perfect posture but she was staring at him with pursed lips, fiddling with her nails. He picked up a fork and took a bite.

"...So?" Dick asked.

He chewed and swallowed.

"It's edible."

"But is it good?" (Y/n) asked, her eyebrows furrowed. "If not, what can I do to make it better next time?"

"Why are you asking me? It's your job to figure it out."

"But I want it to be perfect for you."

"...The chicken's dry-"

As he began his list, she quickly took out a small notebook and a pen to take notes. He kept eating as he talked.

"-There has to be some sides dishes along with it."

"You didn't say anything about that." Dick frowned.

"It went without saying."

"I'm sorry, Master Damian." (Y/n) bowed her head.

"...That's fine. Just make some next time." he quickly said before continuing. "There's not enough seasoning."

"I was afraid it'd be too much."

"Don't be a coward. Put less almonds. The flatbread is fine, but-"

Dick looked at these two kids going back and forth.

'Maybe she'll be a good influence on him.' he smiled.

Chapter Text

Damian was living with his father now, but they couldn't just announce that Bruce Wayne had a secret child who was now living with him. The media would be asking too many questions. Bruce came up with a story about how Damian had a tough childhood and that he wanted to adopt him. The addition to the Wayne family would be announced once the paperwork was settled, which was partly true. The other half of the truth was that: Damian was not ready for social life. Despite being mature for his age, he had zero knowledge of proper etiquette. Thankfully, Alfred took care of it.

"I really don't understand the point." Damian said, looking at the silverwares set in front of him. "Why don't they just use a single knife and fork? Someone with ill intentions could easily grab one to stab me with, and even if I disarm him, he can just grab another one."

"I assure you, Master Damian, that nobody in Mrs. Venderchop's dinner party will try to stab you." Alfred said. "Let's try this again. You're presented with a fish dish. Which silverware do you use?"

Damian stared for a moment. Three knives, four forks, two spoons at those were only the ones beside the plate. Thankfully, being ten years old, he only had two glasses as opposed to five. He glanced up and saw (Y/n), who's been listening to the lesson. To refresh her memory, so she said. They locked eyes and she glanced at Alfred who had his back to her. She raised her hands, one made a two, the other made a three. Second fork, third knife. He picked those up.

"Good." Alfred nodded with a satisfied smile. "You're finally memorizing it."

And he actually will...eventually. He and (Y/n) locked eyes again. He made the slightest nod and she smiled.

To 'reward her cooperation' with those stupid etiquette lessons, Damian offered to tutor her with her own lessons. Since (Y/n) stopped going to school a few years ago, Bruce had offered to pay for her education. But she wanted to focus on her apprenticeship and instead asked for textbooks that she could complete on her own.

When Damian offered his services – being an academic genius – (Y/n) politely declined. She said she wanted to do this by herself, but he knew there was something more to it. Something she wasn't telling him. So he sneaked up on her while she was studying in Alfred's office (he used to use it all the time when there were a lot more servants in the manor) and snatched one of the textbooks without her noticing. He opened it and his eyes widened. Not only was her handwriting god awful, but she didn't get any answers right. He looked at the back of her head as she gripped her hair in frustration. He closed the book and lightly hit her head with it. 'Lightly' for him, it still hurt like hell!

"Ow! What the-?!" she looked back with a glare, then quickly stood up when she saw who did this. "Master Damian! I'm sorry, I didn't see yo-"

"You really do need my help, Penny." he showed her the textbook he was holding. "Yet you've denied me." he glared.

"I-I didn't mean to offend you!" she shook her head, her cheeks a little redder. "I was just...embarrassed."

He huffed.

"What are you doing right now?"

"English."

"A lot less complicated than math I assure you." he went up to the desk and tossed the math book on it before grabbing the English one. "Let's see."

If (Y/n) had surprised Damian in the past with her 'skill monkey' character, he shocked her with her academic levels.

"Penny. You can perfect any skill just because you once needed it. How can you not know the difference between a comparison and a metaphor?!" he asked, baffled.

"Because most of the time, it's like asking me to draw a tree when I already know how to draw a bush." she said, her back hunched and resting her elbows on the desk, as frustrated as he was. "Right now, you're asking me to climb a mountain, and I barely know how to walk!" she whined.

He wondered what she meant by that first sentence.

"...That first sentence was a comparison. The other one was a metaphor."

Her eyes darted around as she thought back to what she said and what the difference was.

"...Ooooh!" she leaned back. "I get it now!"

Damian was relieved to know she wasn't a lost cause. Academic stuff just took longer for her to get a hang on.

One day, Nightwing came over to assist on another case. When (Y/n) rushed to greet him, he made a new attempt.

"Hey Bubbles. You didn't get in any trouble while I was gone, did you?"

"Bubbles?" her and Damian both visibly cringed.

'Note to self, don't try anything while Damian's here.' he thought, feeling double-hurt.

"What was that?" Damian asked her as Nightwing walked away to get Batman (dragging his feet a little bit).

"Master Richard always tries to give me a nickname. But I never liked them very much."

"...You let me call you Penny."

"Yes." she nodded.

They looked at each-other for a moment. Damian smirked and she turned her head away. He waited until Nightwing came back with Batman.

"Welcome back father, Nightwing. I was just talking with Penny." he pointed his thumb at her. "By the way, Penny. Go and bring me some refreshments, I have a feeling this will take a while."

"Yes Sir." she saluted.

"Go, Penny. Don't spare a second."

She frowned, knowing what he was doing, and left. Damian gave Nightwing a smug look. He was not happy about it.

"You lil brat." he mumbled.

"Maybe you're just that bad at nicknames." he shrugged.

"Maybe you're just-!"

"Enough." Batman said as he sat in front of the bat-computer. "We don't have time for childish arguments."

"Have you tried calling her Penny, B?"

"No."

"You should, father. Put him to shame even more." Damian pointed at Dick with his thumb.

"No way it'll work with him." he shook his head. "Batman doesn't call someone by a nickname out of the blue. She'll freak out."

Batman narrowed his eyes. Just then, (Y/n) came back.

"Just in case, I brought drinks for everyone." she smiled. "And some snacks too."

She handed the trail to Damian first, since he actually asked for it, then went to Batman. He paused for a second before taking a glass.

"Thank you, Penny."

She froze in shock, her eyes wide open. Then, her bottom lip began to shake as tears built up in her eyes which were filled with stars. Batman was taken aback while the two young men panicked.

"Okay that's enough!" "Never again!" they both said.

"Right." she said, blinking rapidly. "I don't think my heart can take it."

Every Sunday, (Y/n) had a day off and would go visit her parents. But for this mission, Damian needed assistance. He called her to come here right away.

"But this is my day off-"

"Crime doesn't care about your schedule, Penny. Get over here." he said before hanging up.

A while later, he heard running.

"I came as fast as I could! What's going on?!"

He turned around and froze when he saw her. She was in her civilian clothes. Compared to her maid uniform, this was the complete opposite. Her hair was down instead of neatly put up. She had bermuda shorts, a t-shirt that was way too big for her (probably another hand-me-down from her father) and sneakers that were on the verge of collapsing. Seeing her like this was quite a shock for Damian.

"...What?"

Her question snapped him out of it.

"We have a situation and we need every hand on deck." he said before explaining what she needed to do.

Today, Bruce has finally seen (Y/n)'s phone. She'd make sure to never use it in front of her boss, but one day, it fell out of her pocket and he saw it. The same day, when he was back from work, he gave her the latest smartphone. She'd hold it with both hands, and handle it as if it was a baby bird.

But now there was a problem. (Y/n) didn't know how to use a smartphone, this big of a change all of a sudden confused her. Seeing that Alfred – of all people here in the manor! – was explaining to her how to send a picture to someone, Damian knew this was a mistake. Though he was sure his father meant well.

One morning, (Y/n) woke up with a box on her nightstand. She opened it. Inside was one of those modern flip phones. She gasped, her face lighting up.

She hurried to go thank Bruce, but he had no idea what she was talking about. She went to Alfred, even called Dick, none of them bought her anything. She hesitated, but then went to ask Damian about it.

"No clue." he said, not looking away from his book. "But hey, isn't this model a good middle ground for you?" he glanced at her.

"It is! It's perfect!" she nodded with a big smile. "I wish I knew who bought it so I can thank them properly!"

She left. He could still hear her giggle from down the hall. Damian went back to his book, not knowing he was smiling.

Damian was forced into eating in the kitchen this evening. His father had a dinner date over in the dining hall. He wasn't complaining, he didn't want to witness any of that.

As he walked back to his room, he encountered Penny, who was secretly peeking into the dining room, where he could hear chatter from Bruce and his date. She didn't notice Damian, so he went up to her.

"Spying?"

She jumped and suppressed a yelp, then looked at him with big eyes.

"Master Damian." she whispered. "What can I do for yo-"

"Answer the question, Penny." he folded his arms. "Why are you spying on my father?"

"I-I'm not spying!" she blushed. "I'm just...making sure the diner goes well."

"Yeah right." he leaned over and peeked inside.

Bruce was wearing his playboy persona like a glove. Everything he told the lady was said with a fawning voice, so full of honey Damian felt his teeth hurt. Bruce said something flirty and it made the lady laugh. (Y/n) sighed with a dreamy look.

"Seriously?" Damian gave her a weird look. "You're falling for this?"

"What? It's romantic." she shrugged. "I know this is just Master Bruce overplaying a part of himself, but it's really effective." she giggled, her hands on her cheeks. "I also find the difference a little funny. He can talk a lot, he just chooses not to."

"You surely won't see me throwing flatteries around so easily." he shook his head and walked away.

"Only to those who deserve it?" she followed him.

"And never when they ask for it."

"A woman never directly asks for flattery. Not with words at least."

"What does that even mean?" he gave her a weird look.

"It seems you're not a romantic, Master Damian." she smiled.

"I have no need for romanticism."

"You will though. You'll have to come up with a secret identity once you're in the public eye."

"Unlike father though, I won't invent a character. I'll simply be me, only my past will be different."

"Aw that's nice." she thought for a moment. "Master Bruce said he plays an eccentric playboy, a larger than life character so that nobody could ever suspect he was Batman. Maybe he'd be doing enough pretending for the both of you."

"If that's what you like to believe." he shrugged. "You can go back to spying now." he waved.

"I wasn't spying!" she stopped.

"Suuure." he smirked, glancing back at her as he left.

As Robin, Damian almost killed a man again. So now he was grounded. Meanwhile, (Y/n) had a lot to do these days, and so has been skipping some meals. As soon as he heard her stomach grumbling, he had an idea and offered to take her out to eat.

"I wanna go out, and you're hungry. Let's go."

"But I'm working. And you're grounded."

"Okay. You want a real reason?" he turned on the hologram projector which then showed the profile of a man. "The boss of one of the biggest gangs in Gotham has a 'date' planned tonight in one of the fanciest restaurants in the city. We can go there and keep an eye on him."

"You want to...spy on his date?" she slowly said, reminiscing about the time he accused her of spying and said she was weird for it.

"This 'date' might be a cover up for something much worse."

He said it with such confidence that she believed him.

"Oh no!"

"You see now. Batman is too focused on his current case with Scarecrow. We'll be the ones to keep an eye on the smaller – but not less important – criminals. And we ourselves have the perfect cover: I wanna go out, and you're hungry."

She felt her stomach grumbling again.

"Let's do this." she nodded.

"Good. Let's go Penny."

After changing into more casual attires (though Damian of course hid a ton of gadgets), they stole one of Bruce's cars.

"You know how to drive?"

"Of course I do." he smirked. "I wouldn't be Robin if I didn't."

She laughed.

"I could teach you."

"I'm a kid, I can't drive."

"We might be about to bust a major drug deal. Mind as well."

"...Maybe later."

He let out a small 'heh'.

Walking into this fancy skyscraper, going up the elevator to then enter the restaurant full of people dressed up to the nine, the two kids stood out like the sourest of thumbs. Damian was well aware of that but he thought that – just like Bruce's playboy persona – people would think of them as simply just kids having dinner using his dad's credit card, instead of a vigilante and his assistant on a mission.

(Y/n) on the other hand might not have even noticed all the eyes on her, she was too busy marveling at the place and the view, overlooking the entire city. When the menus arrived, she noted the names she didn't know in her little notebook, to then learn their recipes later. Meanwhile, Damian looked around, looking for his target. His search was interrupted by a waiter.

"Um, hello children. Are your parents coming anytime soon?"

"No. We'll be ordering now." he bluntly said. "Penny?"

"Y-Yes." she nodded. "I would like-"

As the waiter wrote down her order, he noticed her poor excuse for shoes and felt a knot in his stomach. He wondered if she left a trail of dirty footprints behind her as she walked in.

After the waiter left, Damian finally spotted tonight's target.

"He's behind you." he whispered.

(Y/n) blinked and began turning her head.

"Don't look!" he said, making her face forward.

"Does he look at all suspicious?"

"Looks like your typical crime lord, he's wearing the exact same suit as the one on his profile." he snickered. "That loud and obnoxious laugh you're hearing?"

She nodded.

"That's him."

"I see. And his date?"

"She looks normal. Too normal." he narrowed his eyes.

He then noticed how tense she had become.

"Just act natural. I'll tell you if anything happens."

"Alright..." she moved her fork to be properly placed. "If I may ask, Master Damian."

"You may."

"If that man is a known crime lord, why don't you just arrest him right now?"

"Because at the moment, he's not doing anything illegal." he leaned back and folded his arms. "Trust me, I know how easy it would be to simply just throw this human scum out that window. But as father says: Justice, not vengeance."

"I see. It's a little confusing."

"Pfff, a little?" he smirked. "Nonsense is what it is."

"It might be a grownup thing."

"It's not like we're kids." he shrugged.

"...We are."

"We're nothing like them, Penny." he leaned closer, speaking more quietly. "No kid is raised by the League of Assassins. No kid goes on an apprenticeship to serve the Batman because they're 'too poor'." he gestured to himself, then to her.

"...I suppose." she smiled.

Having him but the two of them into a league of their own made her happy. Just then, their food came. While Damian began to eat, (Y/n) stared at her food.

"...What?" he asked.

"I asked for no sauce." she shook her head and picked up her silverware. "That's alright. I'm sure I'll like the one they make he-"

"Don't be a pushover." he picked up her plate. "Waiter!"

"Yes lil mister?" a member of staff came over.

This guy was taking the matter all too lightly for Damian's taste.

"You will take this plate back to the kitchen, you will tell your cooks to get it right this time, or I will." he said, handing him the plate.

With that stare and that tone of voice, the waiter understood that this kid was someone important, or at least the kid of someone important. He took the plate and left with a quick and quiet 'yes sir'.

"That's how you do it." he leaned back.

"Understood." (Y/n) nodded.

Damian didn't touch his food until she had hers.

"It will get cold!" she told him.

"I'm not actually here for the food, unlike you." he raised an eyebrow. "In fact, I've been trained to go a week without eating if need be. Besides, that way, I look less at the food and more at our target."

"Ooooh how clever of you!"

When her food arrived, properly this time. Her face lit up. As she began to dig in, Damian kept staring at the man, looking for anything that was slightly suspicious. After a while, he couldn't deny it anymore: the guy was just on a date.

'Oh great.' he sighed. 'Now what?!'

He rested his head on his palm and looked over at Penny, who was enjoying every bite of her meal like she's been starving for weeks. She looked like this was the best meal of her life.

'It probably is.' he smiled with a raised eyebrow.

He didn't realize he was staring. When she asked him if he was even hungry at all, that was when he finally started to eat. It was cold now, luckily the dish he ordered could also be served cold.

Yes. Sometimes, when Damian was grounded, he would just sneak out. He'd have Penny stay behind to cover for him, but on rare occasions, he'd consider having her come along. Though he quickly learned that it was a bad idea. That time at the restaurant didn't count, he'd say to himself.

Not only of course was he putting her in danger, but she also put him at risk and by extension his father.

This one time on a Sunday evening, she just so happened to be passing by when she saw him beat up muggers in an alley.

"Oh my gosh!" she ran up to him when he was done.

He quickly turned around.

"Penny?"

"That was amazing Master D-!" she leaned towards him, making him lean back.

He quickly covered her mouth.

"Secret identity, Penny. Also personal space." he gently pushed her away.

She gasped and he removed his hand.

"I'm so sorry." she covered her mouth again.

"You're lucky they're unconscious." he picked up the muggers by the collar and began to tie them up together. "What are you doing here anyway?"

"Running some late night errands."

"Well you better get out of here quick. And not a word to father."

"Of course, of course." she looked down at his suit, then back at him. "By the way, have you come to find out if your suit is properly fireproof?"

"I have. It is."

Her face lit up and she bid him goodbye. He sighed and shook his head. He realized then how easy it was to please her.

This happened before Batman even knew of Damian's existence.

Jason Todd has been the vigilante Red Hood for a little over a year now. He'd always lay low, working in the shadows. He wanted to avoid having to see Batman as much as possible. He wanted to work alone. But sometimes, he had his bad nights. Just like tonight.

Someone has been knocking at the door leading to the backyard non stop. Alfred opened it and saw him, bloody and panting.

"Master Jason." he whispered, pale.

"Heh. Hey..." he managed to say before his legs gave up on him.

Alfred caught him before he could hit the ground.

"Come, my boy. Stay conscious." he dragged him inside.

It was snowing outside. He brought him to a living room that had a lit up fireplace, and made him sit in a chair close to it. In the light of the fire, Alfred saw the state Jason was in. He quickly went to get a medical kit and some sewing material.

Now alone, Jason decided to look around, take his mind off of the pain. He recognized this room. It didn't change much from the last time he was here. On winter evenings like this, Bruce would read the journal on this very chair while he'd take sticks from the garden and burn them for fun.

'This was a bad idea.' he grunted, his hand pressing harder on the giant gash he had on his side.

He felt relieved that, at least, Bruce was out being Batman and probably won't be back until sunrise. That brought him a semblance of comfort.

Alfred came back and began to treat his wounds.

"How have you been?" he broke the silence.

"Just peachy."

Alfred glanced at him, by the sound of his voice, he could tell Jason was smirking.

"Why must I only see you when you're in such a sorry state these days."

"Heh. Trust me. I'd rather you didn't."

Just then, Jason noticed something. Peeking inside the room, hiding poorly, was a little girl in her pajamas. She looked to be around ten years old. She was staring at him with big eyes. With his mask on, she couldn't see that he was looking back at her. Only when he waved did she quickly retreated.

"Who's the kid? Another Robin?"

"(Y/n) is my apprentice."

"So a new Alfred? That's rude. You're not even gone-" he grunted in pain.

"Apologies."

"So why's she hiding like that?"

"...You're scaring her."

"Me? Why? I'm the most friendly face of Gotham-" he winced again. "That one was on purpose!"

"That would be unprofessional of me."

"You're not denying it." he huffed.

"She's very polite and mature. She does her job perfectly. Sometimes, I look at her... And I'm reminded of you."

Jason's shoulders relaxed and he turned his head away. His heart started to ache. He may not want to see Bruce ever again, but Alfred has never done him any wrong. He missed him too, terribly so. He wanted to say sorry...

"When me and Master Bruce told her about you, she cried."

He looked at him again.

"Did you tell her the whole story? Or just about Jason Todd, the second Robin?"

"Just the first part of the story at first, but she kept asking questions. So yes, the whole story."

Jason's gaze wandered. Alfred excused himself and left to get some ice for his bruises.

While he waited, the girl came back to stare some more. Jason glanced at her, acting like he didn't see her, and remembered what Alfred said. Someone who's polite, does as they're told and does it perfectly? That sounded like the opposite of him, even back then! Maybe it was only because she was just a kid. He was a kid once... Once.

Jason breathed a long sigh and hung his head back, closing his eyes.

(Y/n) left.

After a while, he heard small footsteps, and smelled a sweet aroma. He opened his eyes but didn't move. He watched as the little girl placed a cup of hot cocoa on the small table beside him before rushing away.

"Hey kid." he raised his head.

She froze, tense, and turned around.

"Ma- M... M-Mister Todd."

He gestured her to come closer. Fiddling with her nails, she gulped and went up to him. He placed his hand on top of her head and ruffled her hair.

"Thanks."

She relaxed, surprised by his soft tone.

Looking at her, Jason now understood what Alfred meant. It was the eyes. They were young, innocent, untainted. He supposed his were like this too once.

"You can go now."

She did a quick curtsy and left. Just as Alfred entered the room.

"She's alright, that kid." Jason said as he picked up the cup. "Oh? Marshmallows. You're right, she does do a perfect job."

"I'm sure she'd be happy to hear it." Alfred smiled.

The next thing (Y/n) knew, Jason Todd had left. She was glad to have finally met him, though he looked scary. Alfred didn't have to tell her to keep this visit a secret from Bruce, she acted as if nothing happened the next morning.

Chapter Text

Damian has been Robin for months now. And during that time, his alliance with Penny has been thriving. They even had their own communication line now (which no one knew about), so she could assist him on his mission while staying in the manor. Just like Pennyworth did for Batman. And she had a laptop that was like a mini bat-computer. Damian had her ask Bruce for one under the pretext that she wanted to 'keep up with technology'. It didn't have its level of innovation, but it was serviceable.

These days, Batman and Robin were working on a case, children were getting kidnapped all over Gotham. So many of them in fact that the two of them convinced (Y/n) to spend her day off in the manor. Their concern warmed her small heart.

One day, Damian went to her before sneaking out as Robin. Again.

"I found an interesting common point between all the victims." he showed her his tablet, on which there was a picture of an abandoned warehouse "They all owned toys from this company in Ichabod, a small town not far from Gotham."

"Schott's Toys..." she read as she took it. "Oh. I know this one. Ever since it went out of business because of the flood, their toys became really cheap, so a lot of people who couldn't afford them before are buying them. My mom got me a teddy bear. I was hesitant to bring it here with me."

"It's a good thing you didn't. I also did some research on the man who owned it. Winslow Schott, a psychotic killer. After he was thrown in jail, his son and victim, Anton Schott, took over the company. Then there was the flood that destroyed the entire town and put him out of business. And yet, new toys have resurfaced."

"You're suspecting the son."

"I have to check out that warehouse right away."

"You're not going to wait for Batman?"

"These children might be in grave danger, Penny. I'll contact him, but I won't wait when I can act." he walked away. "And I'm taking the batmobile."

"Oh boy..." she mumbled, clenching the tablet in her hands before following him. "Master Bruce won't like this."

"I'll deal with him when the time comes."

They avoided running into Alfred – they both got very good at it – and got to the batcave. (Y/n) watched as he hopped into the car.

"Good luck, Master Damian." she smiled. "Be safe."

"Keep your comm line open. I want the quickest route to the warehouse."

"Yes, Sir." she saluted.

The batmobile left the cave, leaving a cloud of smoke behind him. Once Damian was out of sight, (Y/n) hurried to her room. She put on her ear piece and turned on her laptop to connect it to the batmobile.

"I'm sending you the itinerary, Sir." she said, typing rapidly. "You should get there in less than thirty minutes."

"Good."

Damian never said 'thank you'. But some times he would say 'good job Penny', and that would be plenty enough for her.

'Besides,' she'd think. 'I work for him. So it's a given that I'm helping. He doesn't have to thank me.'

It didn't take long for Batman to find out the batmobile has been stolen. When he contacted Damian, (Y/n) kept quiet, as if he could hear her though she herself couldn't even hear him. But she could tell he contacted Damian because the boy let out a frustrated groan.

"I have half a mind to report you for grand theft auto." Batman told him.

"I'd love to hear that call." he said as he arrived at his destination and stepped out. "'Hello, police? My son stole the batmobile'."

"You find this amusing?"

"A little. I called and told you to meet me up here, didn't I?"

He then shared the latest info he found.

"You could've shared the information a little sooner."

"An alternate response would be 'Good work Robin'. But I guess I expect too much."

"I'm still a mile away. Don't do anything until I get here."

"Word of honor, I won't do anything."

(Y/n) pursed her lips. She knew what this meant, she just hoped he wouldn't get hurt.

Now inside the warehouse, Damian muted himself on one ear piece so he could freely talk to the other.

"Penny. I'm inside the warehouse."

"How is it?"

"Creepy." he looked around with his flashlight. "But definitely not abandoned. I see clothes belonging to children."

He heard her gulp.

"I-I see."

"Why are you scared? You're not even here."

"I can imagine it!"

"Well just look around you and remind yourself that you are in your comfortable little room."

She huffed, and he could picture the small frown on her face. The fact that he could do that so easily now made him smirk.

Damian followed the disregarded clothes and shoes to find a large metal door.

"Remember, Robin." he heard Batman. "Justice-"

"Not vengeance." he cut him off before opening the door.

(Y/n) heard the metal groaning and waited for any updates. She could feel her heart beating like a drum. This wasn't the first mission she assisted Robin on, but it would still put her nerves to the test. She heard Robin gasp.

"What is it?"

"Victimized...children. He keeps them in cages."

She became paler. She could only imagine the state those kids were in.

"You're worried about the little ones?" she heard a voice far away.

Whoever kidnapped them found Robin.

"Don't be. You see, I love them. More then you could even know."

"Schott." Damian faced him.

"Anton Schott died when he was a little boy, when the monster took away his innocence. I'm not Anton. I am the Dollmaker."

He pulled on a chain, opening other cages. Out of them ran out some of the children he kidnapped, but they were different. Their minds have been broken, some even had their limbs replaced by weapons.

"Psychopath." Damian glared at him. "You'll pay for this!"

"Protect me children," he stepped back. "as I've protected you!"

All at once, the kids attacked Robin, he fought them off, careful to not hurt them too badly. But because he didn't, they could easily get back to fighting. And there were a lot of them.

Just then, a hole blew open in the ceiling and Batman jumped through it, landing beside him.

"I can take care of myself."

"An alternate response might be 'Thanks Batman'. But I guess I expect too much."

Now that there were two of them – and one of them was Batman – the Dollmaker ran away. Robin went after him.

"Robin, no!" Batman called out for him but he was too busy with the feral children.

"I'll get him!" he glanced back at him.

He followed him to the woods outside and threw a batarang in front of Anton to make him stop.

"There are dying children in those caged back there."

"S-Some had to be sacrificed so that the others could live!" he panted, looking around but not seeing the masked boy.

Holding onto a cable, Robin swung towards him and kicked him in the back of the head, making him fall over while Damian landed on his feet.

"Shut up."

"As children, they're helpless," he looked at him. "but as dolls... As dolls no one can ever hurt them again!"

"By making them mindless? How inhuman..." Damian heard Penny's small shaky voice.

"You want to know about helplessness?" he asked him as he took out a batarang. "Let me teach you."

The Dollmaker got up and ran. Damian threw a cable at him which wrapped around his legs and made him fall again.

"Um... Master Damian?" (Y/n) asked. "You're not going to kill him, right?"

"He doesn't need to know that." he pulled his catch back to him. "Besides, incapacitating isn't killing."

"If you say so..." she said, knowing she couldn't stop him anyway.

"Wh-Why won't you listen?!" Anton asked. "Why won't you understand?! I love them! I love them. I-"

Robin grabbed him by the collar, pointing the batarang at his neck.

"Shut up, damn you. Or I'll tear your heart out. Do you hear me? I'll tear it out!"

There was a moment of tense silence, Robin's grip on the batarang was shaking, holding back. Finally, he threw the Dollmaker on the ground and threw the blade close to his face. He turned away.

"Justice, not vengeance." he mumbled to himself. "Justice, not vengeance."

As he talked to himself, the Dollmaker slowly stood up and grabbed a rock to bash the kid's head with. But just as he lifted the rock, his heart was torn out from behind.

Robin heard the noise and spun around. The Dollmaker collapsed and revealed the man who just killed him. He had a mask that looked like an owl, geared up like an assassin, and holding the beating heart of his victim.

"Don't doubt your instincts." the man said before tossing the heart away and leaving, jumping from branch to branch.

Damian wanted to go after him, but he was already gone.

"Who was that?!" he heard Penny ask.

He didn't respond, his mind elsewhere. Just then, Batman ran over. He saw Anton's corpse, he saw the batarang on the ground. He looked at Robin.

"What have you done?"

The boy kept his back to him, looking at the direction the owl man left.

"What have you done?!" he pressed.

He finally turned around, looking at the body, then at his father.

"You think that I..."

"After all these months together, all that I've taught you, you revert to the assassin your grandfather wanted you to be."

"I could've easily done it, but I didn't. Out of respect for you."

"...State police are here. There are more on the way. Who did it?"

"...Figure it out for yourself." he said before running away.

Batman called out for him but Robin ignored him. He got back to the batmobile and drove home.

Batman had to stay beside to tell the police what happened, so Damian came back first. (Y/n) rushed to welcome him back but because Alfred was there as well, she refrained from asking her more pressing questions.

"Welcome back, Master Damian." the butler and her bowed.

"Is dinner ready?" he hopped out of the car.

"Yes."

"Penny, bring it to my room." he walked past them.

"Yes, Sir." she saluted.

She knew he used it as an excuse for them to debrief about what happened. As she walked to his room, holding the trail of food, she pondered about how she's come to know how he worked a little bit. Though knowing him, he probably knew a lot more about her. She smiled.

Damian told her to put the trail on the table but he stayed seated on his bed.

"He thought I killed him!" he vented. "Do you see any blood on my hands?!"

"I'm sure it didn't take long for him to realize the truth." she said calmly, facing him and standing still after she placed the trail on the table.

"His mistrust could cloud his detective skills." he huffed.

"...Who was that man?" she asked quietly. "The one who killed Anton?"

"I don't know." he shook his head. "But he's good. And he dresses like an owl."

"What will you do, Master Damian?"

He sighed through his nose.

"I'm sure I'll see him again." he stood up and sat at the table. "Any trouble while I was gone?"

"None at all, Sir." she shook her head. "Our alliance is still a sound secret."

"Good." he began to eat. "...Alfred made this, didn't he?"

Her eyes widened.

"How do you know?!"

"I can tell. It tastes different."

"Well..." she tilted her head. "He is the better cook."

"Don't put words into my mouth. I said 'different', not 'better'."

She pursed her lips, trying not to smile.

"You can go now."

"Very well. Master Damian." she bowed before leaving.

The next day, Bruce had a dinner date with a woman he's been seeing for three months now. Samantha Vanaver. Both Alfred and (Y/n) have worked all day for this meal, and they both felt a certain satisfaction when their guest gave them her compliments. When the last course was served, Alfred told his apprentice he could take care of it alone from now on. But (Y/n) stayed, standing in the hallway, peeking into the room to listen in on their romantic flirting. She sighed with a dreamy look.

Damian slowly leaned close to her.

"Penny."

She jumped and quickly covered her own mouth to not scream. She turned to Damian, glaring and blushing. He gestured her to follow him, as if he didn't just scare the hell out of her. The reality of it was: he liked scaring her, it was the only times he'd ever see her mad. He led her to the library.

"I was thinking now was the time to further your reading skills."

"I can read just fine, Master Damian."

"The only thing you read are cook books and criminal files." he said, his hand hovering around looking for a book. "When was the last time you've read an actual novel?"

She thought deeply, her eyes darting around. He figured she didn't have an answer for him.

"Besides, you've just been relieved of your duties for the night. Might as well use that time in a constructive way." he picked up a book from the shelf. "Beats spying on my father and his date."

"I wasn't spying!" she blushed. "I was making sure everything went smoothly."

"You always say that." he went up to her. "If you love romance so much, read this. I heard the author is a pioneer of the genre."

He handed an old copy of Pride and Prejudice to her. She took it, but she wasn't pleased.

"Can't I have something...shorter?"

"There's no deadline, Penny. If you read everyday, you'll finish it eventually."

"Can't I have something...modern?"

"Do you think father keeps up with the latest romance books? These probably belonged to my grandmother."

Her eyes widened. Knowing this used to be Martha Wayne's made this book a lot more precious to her.

"You read this one while I read that one."

He showed her a copy of Oliver Twist. (Y/n) then realized he's been holding it this entire time. She smiled.

"Alright."

They both sat on opposite end of a couch and began to read. It took a while for (Y/n) to really get into this almost-500-pages-long book, but eventually, the plot picked up and she became invested. Damian could tell all of this happened, because at some point, she started gasping and scoffing and saying 'no way's. He frowned. Having her join him on his lecture session was a bad idea after all.

"Can't you be quiet." he said as more of an order than a question.

"Ah!" she tensed up, her cheeks a little redder. "Apologies! I didn't realize..."

"I can't tell if such receptiveness to anything romance-related is common among girls, or if it's just you." he held his chin. "Though maybe your lack of experience may have something to do with it also."

"I had a boyfriend before."

"Holding hands in kindergarten doesn't count, Penny. I've told you. Even I know that."

"But it was real."

"As real as Fagin's care for the orphan boys he swore to protect." he waved his book.

Just then, they heard footsteps and voices coming closer.

"Oh." (Y/n) closed her book. "It must be Master Bruce and-"

Damian covered her mouth with a quiet 'sssh'. They both stayed still as the library doors opened and the couple stepped in, not realizing there were two kids in the room with them. Bruce presented his model of Gotham to Samantha, along with the holograms of possible new structures and buildings.

"Go that way." Damian whispered, nodding to a direction. "I'll create a distraction."

She wondered why he wanted her presence here to be a secret. But she nodded. He removed his hand and she stealthily moved away. Damian layed on the couch and pretended to be asleep.

"Before we can build it, we have to dream it." Bruce said. "And luckily, I have the imagination and the capital to do both."

"And all they write about is the billionaire playboy." Samantha hugged his arm.

"Not to worry, he's here too."

She placed a hand on his cheek. Before they could kiss, they heard a groan and turned to see Damian 'waking up'. He sat up and stretched, yawning.

"I was reading, I must've fallen asleep." he rubbed his eyes and looked around, speaking in a low sleepy voice. "What... What's going on?"

In the shadows of the room, (Y/n) suppressed a chuckle. Seeing him act innocent was funny.

"Oh. And who might this be?" Samantha asked as her and Bruce walked over to him.

"I'm Damian." he stood up and faced them. "Bruce's-"

"My ward." Bruce said. "Well, he will be soon."

"That's twice you've surprised me tonight." Samantha smiled at him.

"Damian's had a difficult life." he crouched to look at him. "And I don't want those vultures in the press corps descending on him just yet. So we've been-"

"Keeping me a secret." Damian finished.

"Only until the paperwork is finalized. Then we'll proudly announce the newest addition to our family."

He ruffled his hair, which Damian wasn't happy about.

"I should've told you Samantha, but..."

"No, there's nothing to apologize for." she leaned over to Damian and grabbed his jaw. "You take in this unfortunate child and give him a chance at a better life. You have to do it your way." she let go of him (he rubbed his cheek) and looked at Bruce. "I respect that."

Then, she got a text and stood up to read it, Bruce also stood up. Something about an emergency board meeting. While the adults were talking, Damian glanced at Penny and discreetly gestured her to go on. She nodded and left the room. He looked back to see the couple kissing. He rolled his eyes.

"And I look forward to seeing more of you, Damian." she shook his small hand. "I'll call you tomorrow." she smiled at Bruce before leaving.

They looked at her leave, waiting until they were alone.

"...You were awake this whole time, weren't you?" Bruce broke the silence.

"Not the whole time." he lied. "She's very attractive. A hair pretentious. Definitely a little shallow but-"

"What are you reading?" he snatched the book from him.

"I've been working my way through Dickens."

"Mhm." he glanced at the bookshelf. "And what book did (Y/n) take?"

"What?" he raised an eyebrow.

"(Y/n)?" he looked at the door.

A moment passed before the little girl shyly poked her head from the hallway and walked up to him.

"These books rarely leave the shelf. If one of them was missing – especially one of my parents' – you didn't think I'd notice?" he smirked. "Besides, (Y/n), you're no cat burglar. I noticed you first."

"I'm sorry, Master Bruce..." she handed the book back.

"Keep it." he waved. "It's a good pick, I have a feeling you'll like it."

He looked at Damian, who was annoyed that Penny had been spotted. Now their secret alliance could be compromised.

"...What did I do wrong now?" he opened his arms. "We were just reading."

"Nothing. Fact is, I tore through Dickens when I was just about your age." he handed back the book to him. "You ever seen the 1948 movie version, directed by David Lean?"

"Ra's al Ghul wasn't much of a movie buff."

"Well I am." he walked to an intercom and called the servant quarters. "Alfred?"

"Yes, Sir?"

"Popcorn, drenched in butter. And open up the screening room." he glanced back at the boy.

A big smile formed on (Y/n)'s face.

"I'd reconsider the butter, Sir. Terrible for the cholesterol."

"You know what, Alfred? Let's be daring tonight."

"As you wish, Sir."

"Coming?" he looked at Damian.

A small smile formed on the boy's face.

"Okay. But I'm not sharing." he rushed out. "Penny, I want my own bowl!"

"Yes Sir!" she saluted and followed him.

"I think we can afford that." Bruce smiled, simply walking.

(Y/n) went to the kitchen to help Alfred make tonight's snacks. She poured two bowls and went to serve them while Alfred served the drinks. Damian noticed his bowl had more popcorn than Bruce's. He and Penny exchanged a knowing glance which made her smile and him smirk.

The next night, (Y/n) and Robin stood on a balcony overlooking the front yard.

"Okay so, the invisible electric net should be over there." she pointed.

"The invisible electric net..." he repeated to accentuate how stupid that sounded.

"I saw it being installed, I tell you. The bombs are around this area, and watch out for the fake wall."

"Not much different than last time." he hopped on the rails. "Nice work, Penny." he looked back at her. "Now get back inside before someone sees you."

"Alright. Good luck Master Damian." she smiled. "And please, be careful."

He nodded and jumped off, safely landing on his feet. She went inside but still looked out the window to watch him. He easily disarmed and cut the net, dodged the (not lethal) bombs and jumped on the wall, which then collapsed, revealing a metal gate. He grabbed it but then got electrified. (Y/n) winced as he fell down.

'Oh no! I didn't know about that!'

Bruce walked up to Damian.

"You didn't really think I'd let you sneak out again."

Damian stood up and faced him.

"You've got me under surveillance?!" he glared.

"I thought we were making some progress."

"You show me a movie, and that gives you permission to keep me a prisoner in my own house?!"

Bruce crouched to be at eye level.

"It's for your own protection."

He placed a hand on his shoulder, but Damian slapped it away.

"Bad enough you won't let me out as Damian. The least you could do is let Robin have a life!" he poked his chest.

Bruce grabbed him by the wrist. The two of them glared into each-other's eyes. Eventually, Damian stepped back, shaking his father's hand off of him.

"If you were a little more trustworthy, I would." Bruce said.

"You never trusted me." he walked away.

"Trust has to be earned, Damian."

"That works both ways."

Damian walked back to the manor, Penny rushed to see him.

"Master Damian, are you-"

"I'm going to change." he removed his mask as he walked past her.

She watched him leave with a sigh. Then, Bruce walked in and she faced him.

"Please don't be too harsh on him, Master Bruce." she joined her hands together. "He only wants to do what you do."

"I understand that." he spoke softly. "But he needs to learn the right way to do it. A shame having a friend like you isn't rubbing off on him."

"Friend?" her eyes widened. "With all due respect, Sir, I believe you may be misunderstanding."

"You're always around each-other." he smiled, tilting his head.

"...As happy as that would make me. I don't think Master Damian sees it that way. I'm just his maid, and I'm okay with that." she nodded with a smile.

"Mmh. Come with me, I need you to assist me with something."

"Yes, Sir."

She followed him down to the batcave. He picked up something from a compartment in the batmobile, a feather.

"What is this?" (Y/n) asked.

"It was in the Dollmaker's mouth. Probably left there by the real killer. It's an owl feather." he looked at her. "Have you ever heard of the Court of Owls, (Y/n)?"

She shook her head. Bruce went to his chemistry table – where he makes his smoke bombs and other gadgets of the sort – and put the feather in a compartment for the computer to analyze.

"When I was a child, my father would tell me stories about a secret court full of Gotham's richest members of the elite, controlling the city from the shadows and...removing anyone that gets in the way of their plans."

"You... You're saying the stories are true?"

"I don't know for sure. (Y/n)." he crouched and looked her in the eyes. "Did Damian tell you anything about Dollmaker's killer?"

The reasonable thing to do might have been to tell him the whole truth. But Damian trusted her with his secrets. With their secret alliance, she was the person he trusted the most here. And she believed that if she betrayed his trust, he'll never trust again. Not fully knowing the consequences, she shook her head.

"Just that it was a man."

Bruce kept staring at her for a moment.

"Okay." he said before standing up. "Tell me when the analysis is over."

"Yes Sir." she nodded.

While she waited, Bruce worked on this new project of his, to only use in case of emergency. After a while, Damian walked in. He and Penny exchanged a look.

'Did you say anything?' he wordlessly asked.

She discreetly shook her head. He'd always ask that whenever she had a moment alone with Bruce. Whenever he did that, it reminded her that they weren't friends. She may be the one he trusted the most here, but that didn't mean he truly trusted her. He went to sit in front of the bat-computer to review the Dollmaker case file.

"Dollmaker, deceased." the computer said. "Case closed."

"But it isn't though." (Y/n) whispered to herself.

Damian turned his chair to look at his father.

"If it had been me dead in one of those cages, would you have killed him then?"

The computer beside (Y/n) made a small ding. The feather was partly fake, it came from a stuffed model from this new owl exhibition at the Gotham Museum.

"Master Bruce?" she called out for him, but didn't say more so as to not interrupt their conversation.

"We have to be better than our baser instincts." Bruce paused in his work and went to change into his Batman suit.

"...I'm sorry about sneaking out the other night."

"And the night before that?"

"Not so much. We stopped the Dollmaker, didn't we?" he stood up. "I was raised to be the ultimate soldier. A master assassin. Nothing out there can hurt me."

Bruce came back and walked up to (Y/n). She handed the feather back and told him the analysis results.

"Thank you (Y/n)." he took it and put it in his belt before addressing Damian. "Underneath that hard shell, you're still just a boy."

"If that were true, you wouldn't be taking me out on the streets hunting psychopathic murderers."

(Y/n) pursed her lips, thinking he had a point there. Bruce faced him.

"Those papers will be signed soon. Everything will be different then, you'll see." he said before walking to the batmobile.

"Where are you going?"

"Out."

"What about me?"

"I got you two a sitter."

"Huh? I'm getting a sitter too?" (Y/n) pointed at herself.

"Penny was the sitter last time." Damian folded his arms.

"Last time, you snuck out and almost killed Commissioner Gordon."

"I told him I didn't have time to disarm the bomb! It's his fault for not being reactive."

"He went to the hospital."

"He had minor burns at worst." he mumbled, rolling his eyes.

"Since Alfred's not here tonight, I can't have you two alone unsupervised." Bruce put on his mask and sat in the driver seat.

The two kids exchanged a glance. Then (Y/n) looked down.

"Don't worry, (Y/n)," Bruce said. "you'll like him."

"And I won't?" Damian raised an eyebrow as he and Penny watched the batmobile leave.

"To be fair, Sir, the list of people you like is quite limited."

He glared at her and she quickly turned her head away, suddenly very focused on the ceiling.

"(Y/nnn)?!" they heard a voice far away.

The girl gasped in delight while the boy groaned. They both recognized that voice. She hurried up the stairs while he dragged his feet, his hands in his pockets.

"Master Richard!" she exclaimed when she saw him.

"Heeey you!" he picked her up. "It's been a while, has Damian killed Bruce yet?"

"He would never!"

"I'm very close to." Damian said.

Dick laughed.

"As jovial as ever." he put (Y/n) down. "So, what do you kids wanna do tonight?"

"I want to leave." Damian said.

"It'll just be a normal night for me." she shrugged. "I think your babysitting duties should focus on Master Damian."

"Oooow but we never hang out outside of the manor!" Dick comically whined. "You almost make me wanna be Robin again!"

"I'm Robin. Don't forget it." Damian folded his arms.

"Really? From what I've heard, your position might be compromised." he smirked.

The boy glared at him before rolling his eyes and walking away.

"Where'd you think you're going?" Dick blocked his path.

"None of your business."

"I was told to keep an eye on you. Come on. How about a sparring session? I brought my suit." he raised his duffle bag.

Damian's eyes narrowed. Next thing (Y/n) knew, she was in the batcave, watching the two young men fighting. Of course, she was cheering for the two of them at the same time.

"You're sloppy." Dick smirked.

"No, I'm uninterested."

(Y/n) let out a small 'ooo' at Damian's quick wip.

"Well get interested!"

He attacked him but Damian dodged.

"I don't need to be trained by some circus clown!" he frowned, gripping the sword in his hand. "My grandfather taught me everything there was to know about personal combat."

At some point, his sword clashed with Dick's sticks and they were at a standstill.

"Well I was trained by Bruce Wayne. And everytime they met, he kicked Ra's al Ghul's ass. Just like I'm kicking yours."

(Y/n) let out another 'oooo!', louder this time.

Dick kicked Damian's sword out of his hand and let go of his own weapons to make it fair. The fight became a bear fist one and they ended up on the platform above, where all the suits were displayed. It was also where Penny was.

"Woawoawoawoah!" she quickly went down the stairs. "Careful with the suits. Careful with the suits!" she panicked.

But Damian ignored her, this fight was seriously starting to piss him off. Dick locked his arm behind his back and slammed him on the display's glass, where the first Robin suit was.

"You really are a mass of ego, aren't you?" he glanced back at him. "The pure and perfect Dick Grayson. The first Robin."

"Based on what I've seen, I was the only Robin."

(Y/n) figured he said that so that his line had more punch. Or else it would've been quite rude to Mister Jason... And Master Tim.

"You're just some lost little orphan he took pity on." Damian said. "But I'm blood!"

He put his feet on the glass and used it to jump above Dick. The fight continued! After a few carefully placed hits, Damian sent Dick flying above the rails and he landed on a chair.

"I'm his son." Damian said, looking down at him.

"...You certainly are." he grunted, holding his jaw.

"Are you two okay?" (Y/n) rushed toward Dick.

"Take care of him, Penny. In case I broke a wing."

"You wish." Dick glared at him.

"What about you, Master Damian?"

"I went easy on him."

"No, you were just sloppy." Damian glanced at him as he walked passed them.

"Hey. Don't think I'm letting you out of my sight!"

After 'dinner' (Dick ordered pizza), the three of them were now in the library. Damian and Penny were reading their respective books, sitting on one couch, while Dick layed on the one opposite to them, on his phone. Damian knew they couldn't use morse code because Dick also knew it, so he found another way to communicate. He nudged her and pointed at the letters on the pages. A slow process, but a discreet one.

'We have to make him leave the room.'

'I don't think even I could make him leave this time.'

Damian thought for a moment.

'I have a plan...'

"Penny, I'm thirsty." he broke the silence.

"What would you like to drink?"

"Tea. The usual."

"Don't worry, (Y/n)." Dick sat up, smiling at her. "You don't have to do any work toni-."

"No." Damian bluntly said. "Penny knows exactly how I like my tea. You'll just ruin it."

"I don't mind, Master Richard." she stood up, smiling. "I'm happy to serve."

She left and now the boys were alone.

"...You know she considers you a friend, right?" Dick looked at Damian.

"How is that any of my concern?" he asked, not looking up from his book.

"You keep treating her like a servant."

"She is a servant. It's not like she's complaining. In fact," he glanced at him with a smirk. "she always does everything I tell her, with a smile on her face."

Dick's frown deepened.

"You don't deserve her."

"That matters very little." he went back to reading.

Chapter Text

(Y/n) carefully mixed Damian's drink. She sniffed it. Smelled like regular tea. She nodded to herself and brought it to him.

"There you go, Master Damian." she placed the trail on the coffee table before sitting back on the couch.

He just hummed and took the cup to take a sip, without looking away from his book and she went back to reading her own. A while later – during which he drank the whole cup – Damian yawned and leaned back in his seat. He blinked slower until his eyes closed and his book slipped from his hands and dropped on the floor, allerting Penny and Dick.

"Oh." she looked at the time. "It is getting late."

"Falling asleep like that though?" he stood up. "I don't believe that, kid." he leaned towards the boy.

A moment passed. (Y/n) hesitated before nudging Damian.

"He seems very asleep to me."

Dick's eyes narrowed. He picked up the boy by the ankles and raised him in the air. Then he shook him.

"M-Master Dick, careful!" she panicked. "Being upside down is not good!"

"Just checkin'." he smiled before holding him over his shoulder. "Maybe all these all-nighters are finally catching up to him. I'll go put him to bed."

"I'll take this opportunity to also change into my pajamas." she hopped off the couch.

"Really...?" he sounded disappointed.

(Y/n) figured he wanted to spend more time with her, now that Damian was out of the picture.

"...I thought you might take this opportunity to call Kori."

His eyes widened.

"Ohohoho! Youuu!" he pointed at her.

She pointed back and the two of them went their separate ways.

An hour or so later, (Y/n) snuck into Damian's room. He was soundly asleep and she couldn't help but take a moment to note how peaceful and normal he looked when he was sleeping. Once she realized she was staring, she leaned over to him and waved the smelling salt underneath his nose. It didn't take long for him to wake up.

"Master Richard didn't suspect a thing." she said quietly.

"As suspected." he smirked and quickly went to change. "You go ahead and disarm the security system."

"Already did it, Sir."

He paused and looked back at her.

"...Good initiative, Penny." he nodded with a small smile.

Her face lit up and he grabbed his suit to go change.

Robin went on his usual patrol around Gotham. Eventually, he came across two muggers attacking a woman and her husband. Robin jumped into action and beat up the two thugs pretty badly while the couple escaped. The two men begged him to stop, Robin grabbed their butterfly knife.

"What are you waiting for, Robin?"

He looked over to see the Owl Man, standing in the shadows.

"Men like this don't deserve to live." he said. "I won't finish it for you this time. The decision has to be yours."

Robin looked at the knife, then at the two thugs who shook and cowered with just his gaze on them. Just then, there were police sirens in the distance, approaching. The Owl Man began to climb up the building.

"Wait!" Robin called out. "Who are you?"

The man paused.

"My name is Talon." he said before continuing. "Come on."

Robin followed him up the rooftops and across town.

"Master Damian, are you really following this man?" he heard Penny in his ear piece, she sounded in disbelief. "Who knows where he's leading you!"

"If it's a trick, I'll take care of him properly."

"Sir, maybe you could simply just-"

"Quiet Penny."

She pursed her lips. She couldn't help but think that, if Damian and Bruce were on better terms, he wouldn't have followed this 'Talon'.

Talon brought Robin to a hideout, in the poorer parts of town. He looked around, there were other versions of his owl suit, weapons, a board with newspaper clippings and criminal files.

"What is this place?" he removed his hood.

"Home." Talon said as he turned on the lights. "You can speak freely here. My respects for Batman and all he's achieved is high. But there are lines he won't cross." he went to a diaplay and grabbed two sais. "Perhaps out of fear, or some misguided moral code. There are no lines I won't cross in order to achieve my goal."

"So you've come to Gotham to-"

"To do what Batman refuses to do: eradicate crime and criminals once and for all."

'That doesn't sound like the Court of Owls.' Penny thought, listening silently. 'Still...' she fiddled with her nails. 'I don't like this at all.'

Talon attacked one of the mannequins, finishing by sticking the two says into the eyes.

"No lines. No limits." he said, tossing one of them to Robin who caught it effortlessly. "No rules."

"You're saying the ends always justifies the means."

"If the goal is a worthy one." he nodded.

"Who decides what's worthy?"

"That takes an exceptional human being."

"Like you?"

"And you."

Hearing this, Penny frowned.

Robin turned to another mannequin and jammed the sai right into its head. He then handed the weapon back to Talon.

"Keep it." he raised a hand. "A gift."

"...Why me?" he asked as he attached the sai to his belt.

"We're kindred spirits. I've been watching you for some time. I want you to join me."

"...And if I say no?"

"When you've made your decision, use this to contact me." he gave him some sort of detonator. "It's not a tracking device, feel free to give it a thorough inspection."

"I will." he smirked as he put it in his belt.

In his ear piece, he heard a faraway voice.

"Master Richard is calling for me. I have to go." Penny quickly said before the line disconected.

(Y/n) walked down the hallway to join Dick

"Master Richard? Wha- Oh my gosh!!!" (Y/n) covered her mouth.

Nightwing was dragging a bleeding and bruised Batman.

"(Y/n). Go get a med kit. and join me in Damian's room."

Ignoring the fact that he's discovered Damian snuck out again, she ran to get the kit and came back as Dick tossed away the top part of Bruce's suit. The two of them attended to his wounds.

"What happened?!"

"He sent out an emergency call, I found him like this at the Gotham Museum. And there were those weird black puddles, like whoever he was fighting melted."

"Melted...?"

"Do you know what he was there for?"

She then told him about the Court of Owls and that Bruce suspected them to be involved in Dollmaker's murder. Dick responced with a simple 'damn'.

As they bandaged his wounds, Bruce regained full consciousness. He looked around.

"Where's Damian?" he asked.

"Where do you think?" Dick said. "Lil brat snuck out again."

Bruce's eyes narrowed. He looked at the little girl.

"Where is he, (Y/n)?"

His tone created a tightness in her chest.

"...I don't know."

"Don't think I'm not aware of your little alliance."

Her eyes widened.

"Where is he?" he pressed.

"I... I don't know." she took a step back. "I swea-"

He slapped a fist on the armrest, making her flinch. She's seen Bruce mad before, sometimes his job (day or night) was getting to him. Whenever that happened, Alfred would put her aside so she wouldn't have to deal with it.

But right now, Alfred wasn't here, and Bruce was mad at her.

"All this time, I let it slide. But now you are deliberately lying to me." he said, looking at her in the eyes. "Make up your mind, (Y/n). Do you work for me, or for Damian?"

He didn't raise his voice. But he might as well have. She clung onto her pajama dress and looked down, her eyes filled with tears. This broke Dick's heart. Bruce sighed.

"Go to your room. Get some rest."

She did a quick curtsy and left. Once she left the room, she ran, wiping her tears. She jumped on her bed, hugging her pillow and burrying her face in it.

Robin climbed through his window. Suddenly the lights turned on and he saw Bruce, bandaged up, sitting on a chair and glaring at him while Dick was tending to him.

"Where were you?"

"What happened to you?!" he rushed up to him. "Are you okay?"

"You don't get to ask questions. Now where the hell were you?"

"Out." he frowned, his concern for him quickly fading away.

"Where?"

"Just out."

"'Out' has suddenly become a far more dangerous place." he noticed the sai on his belt and took it. "What's this?"

"That's mine!"

"I don't think so."

"So what are you gonna do now? Build a dungeon and lock me up in it?"

"Despite what you may think, I'm you father, Damian, not your jailer."

"A biological accident doesn't make you my father." he said with venom in his voice. "And it sure as hell doesn't make me your son!"

Dick paused, waiting for Bruce's responce. Even Damian seem to just realize what he said and he looked away.

"...There's a school in Switzerland run by a retired general who knows far more than I do about boys and dicipline." he stood up, looking down at him. "Try this again, this is where you'll be spending the next year."

He walked out. Dick packed up the medecine kit.

"You really played me for a fool." he sent Damian a look.

"Not hard to do." he said, almost automatically.

Dick frowned and stepped out, closing the door behind him. He watched as Bruce locked the sai in a secret compartement. After that, he held the bridge of his nose with a heavy sigh.

"...You know, I did my fair share of sneaking out too back in the day." Dick broke the silence.

"Those things are out there, Dick. If Batman's a target, so is he."

"Then talk to him about it." he walked up to him.

"He doesn't listen."

"But Bruce, he's just-"

"He's not you, Dick." he looked at him. "Before I took you in, you had loving parents. You had a heart."

"And he doesn't."

Bruce sighed and held his head.

"That's not what I meant. Or is it? I don't know." he looked down. "Maybe biological ties aren't enough to make a man a father... Or a boy a son."

With his ear pressed on the door, Damian felt a pain in his chest. He leaned his back against the door, looking up, his eyebrows furrowed. But a moment after, he frowned.

The next day, (Y/n) and Alfred watched as Bruce upgraded the security wall. She filled him in on everything that happened yesterday.

"Yes, I also caught on your alliance with Master Damian." he said.

She pursed her lips, now feeling silly for so confidently telling Damian their secret were sound.

"I had a feeling you would nourish each-other's childish rebellion."

"I didn't mean any harm by it." she looked up at him, her eyebrows furrowed. "I just wanted to help."

"As you do, (Y/n)." he caressed her hair. "You are a good friend, there is no denying it."

That word felt bittersweet to her. Alfred noticed the melancholy in her eyes. And when he went to serve Damian his lunch (he hasn't left his room since yesterday) he saw the same melancholy. He thought about it for a while... Then he went to the security system panel.

Later that evening, Bruce was working on his emergency project while Nighwing, Alfred and (Y/n) watched the computer screen which showed Damian sneaking out of the manor.

"I thought you upgraded the security wall." Dick turned to Bruce.

"I did."

The two men looked at (Y/n).

"I-It's not me! I swear it!" she shook her head and waved her hands.

"I uh..." Alfred stepped forward, nervous. "I show the outgoing system down Sir."

(Y/n) softly gasped.

"Why?" Bruce frowned.

"Master Damian said he felt like a prisoner in his own home. I thought if he tried to leave again and saw that there was nothing keeping him here, that you did trust him, then..." he sighed before looking back at Bruce. "Sometimes, you have to have a little faith, Sir."

"You did the right thing." Dick placed a hand on Alfred's shoulder.

"Since when have I been a man of faith?" Bruce asked sternly.

"...You had faith in me." (Y/n) spoke. "In Master Richard, Mister Jason, Master Tim. You are a man of faith. But not Damian, you consider him a failure." she frowned. "Of course he'd-!" she turned her head away.

'Of course he'd turn to someone who validates him and his beliefs.' was what she wanted to say, but she knew it would hint at the fact that Damian was meeting with Talon. She stopped herself out of instinct.

"(Y/n) you still don't understand the dangers out there."

"If that's the case then Damian doesn't either." she tried not to raise her voice, her hands gripping her maid dress. "You're not telling him anything because he doesn't tell you anything, but it's the other way around too!"

Looking at Bruce, Dick could tell that he wasn't feeling up for a reality check right now.

"Okay, let's calm down lil lady." he pressed a hand on top of her head like he was slowly pressing a button. "Man, where did that fiestiness come from?"

Just then, Bruce's smartwatch rang, a reminder of his date with Samantha tonight. He put his equipment aside and left.

"He'll be back, Bruce."

"He better be."

"...He'll get over it, won't he?" Alfred looked at Dick.

"He never gets over anything."

(Y/n) huffed and left a little after him.

She went to her room and turned on her laptop. She put on her ear piece and connected it to Robin's. Her eyes widened and she covered her mouth when she heard a conversation he was having with Talon. She quickly muted herself, but her hand was still on her mouth. She didn't expect Damian to still keep his line open.

'Maybe he just forgot?' she thought. 'Or maybe a force of habit?'

She listened intentely, looking for any clues as to where they were. From what she could tell, they were on patrol, looking for any crime happening tonight.

'Is he going to kill, now that he's with him?' she fiddled with her nails.

Well, Talon sure did without restraint. However, anytime Robin had to deliver the final blow, he'd stop himself. And anytime he did, (Y/n) would breathed a deep sigh of relief.

She was glad that Damian wasn't completely lost yet.

After a few hours, there were loud noises of metal coming from outside. (Y/n) hopped off her bed and went to look out her window. She gasped. In front of the gates there was Bruce's car, it seemed to have gotten into an accident.

"Alfred! Alfred!" she ran out while calling for her mentor. "Master Bruce, he...!"

She ran to the car and opened the door. Thankfully, Bruce was in one piece, with only a few cuts and bruises.

"Master Bruce! Are you okay?! What happened?!"

He grunted.

"(Y/n)." he looked at her.

Just then, Alfred and Dick joined them. (Y/n) stepped away while the two men picked up Bruce and brought him out of the car.

"I'm okay." he waved a hand, standing up straight. "I'm okay." he rubbed his forehead.

"What happened?" (Y/n) asked again in a small voice.

As they all went back inside, Bruce told them that, on his way to his date, people chased and kidnapped him, their cars colliding in the process. He was brought to the Court of Owls who invited him to join them.

"I told them that Batman wouldn't like them controlling the city." he said, sitting on a chair in the living room. "The Grandmaster told me that they were dealing with him as we spoke."

"What does that mean?" Dick folded his arms.

"Not sure. But I have reasons to believe it has something to do with Robin."

(Y/n) clunched her fists, staring at her feet.

"...He's with that man."

They all looked at her.

"The man who killed the Dollmaker. He calls himself Talon, and he dresses like an owl."

That name seemed to ring a bell for Bruce, he leaned closer.

"He told Master Damian that he was in Gotham to... To do what Batman doesn't do." she shook her head. "They're on patrol right now. But I don't know where they are." she looked at him with an almost apologetic look.

"Thank you." he said softly, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"He must be manipulating him into joining the Court." Dick looked at him.

"And turn him against me." he leaned back, his gaze distant.

"That would explain the latest police reports." Alfred said. "Criminals are being attacked and killed, from drug dealers to petty thiefs."

"I-It's not Damian though!" (Y/n) exclaimed. "It's all Talon!"

"How can you be so sure?" Dick asked.

She opened her mouth, but quickly closed it. With the three men staring at her, she sighed, her shoulders dropping. She told them about the laptop and their secret line of communication. Bruce asked her to bring it to him. She did, reluctantly.

"I knew you wanted a mini-batcomputer." Bruce said, looking at the laptop on the coffee table. "So this is what you were using it for. And that explained the missing ear pieces."

"What do you mean you knew?"

"I figured you asking me for a laptop was Damian's doing."

"What? How?"

"Your requirements were very specific. No normal child would ask for such a powerful computer. Especially when you can barely handle a smartphone" he paused. "Plus you were reading from a list that was written with his handwriting."

She blushed, embarrassed. Despite the graveness of the sitiation, Dick couldn't help but laugh and ruffle her hair. Bruce put on the ear piece and her heart tightened. She knew that once she told him everything, there would be no going back. Still... She believed she could avoid the point of no return, as long as Master Bruce only listened.

Unfortunately, Bruce was listening as Damian beat up a crime lord, Talon taunting him to end him once and for all.

"Don't do it Robin!" he exclaimed.

(Y/n) felt her heart drop.

"Batman?!" Damian exclaimed, caught off guard. "Where's Penny?"

"Don't move. Where are you? Don't do anything stupi-"

Damian disconnected the ear piece. He gave the criminal one last hit to the head, knocking him out before rushing past Talon.

"I've been compromised." he quickly told him. "We have to go."

Talon followed without questions. Deep inside him, Damian felt relieved, it gave them an excuse to leave. But now his mind was filled with questions. What happened with Penny? Did his father hack into their comm line, or did he just steal her ear piece?

His eyes narrowed.

"Dammit!" Bruce removed the ear piece and stood up. "I have to go find them." he said as he left to get his Batman suit.

"I'm coming with you." Dick followed him.

"(Y/n), keep the ear piece on. Just in case."

"Yes, Sir." she nodded.

'But I doubt he'll ever use it again...'

She felt a tight knot in her chest. Once she was alone, her phone vibrated. She got a text from Damian.

'Father has gotten a hold of our communication line. He knows.'

She pursed her lips, her eyebrows furrowed. She truly felt like she betrayed him.

'But it's for his own good.'

Not knowing what to say, if he even suspected her of anything, she replied.

'I know. I'm sorry...'

He left her on read. She didn't like that feature, her old phone didn't have that. She didn't sleep that night. Neither did anyone really...

Damian hasn't come back in a few days now. He hasn't opened his comm line either. The knot in (Y/n)'s chest kept growing as – just like Batman – she pulled all-nighter after all-nighter. To Batman, this was an easy tracking job, Talon and Robin weren't really a discreet duo. To (Y/n) however, it was harder than anything she did in the manor. She insisted on helping with this case. She became better at navigating the bat-computer, tracking down the attacks to finally stop Talon and bring Damian back.

'But, it's not certain he'll even want to come back...' the thought lingered in her head, though she tried to not pay attention to it and instead focus on the task at hand.

Finally, one night, Batman found them standing on a roof. Right after they've beaten up a big drug dealer and his men.

"Master Bruce?" (Y/n) spoke through his ear piece while he approached. "Please... Please try talking to him."

"I will. But it will be up to him to listen."

Talon was telling Robin about the Court, how they recruted him when he was living in the streets and how they gave him a purpose in life.

"What they did for me, I want to do for you."

Batman landed, startling them.

"You've done quite enough." he glared.

Robin looked shocked.

"How did you-?!"

"Not too hard to track, considering the bloody trail you two have left."

'Speak for yourself.' (Y/n) sighed through her nose.

"This is where you chose sides," Talon looked at Robin. "once and for all." he fired a cable at a building and swung away.

Batman immediately made a run for it but Robin stood in front of him.

"No!"

"We've got to stop him. You don't understand, he's part of something bigger! He's using you, Robin. To get to me."

"Right. It's all about the Great Batman." he rolled his eyes. "Well for your information, he sees something in me that you don't!" he pointed at him.

"I don't have time for this." he pushed his hand away and tried to move around him. "Now get out of here before-"

Robin took out a batarang, once again stopping Batman in his tracks.

"Before what?" he glared.

There was a moment of heavy silence. (Y/n) could sense the tension from all the way over here. She began to sweat.

"Master Bruce...?"

"...Talon's right about one thing." he spoke in a grave voice. "The choice you make tonight will define you for the rest of your line."

He then fired a cable and began to swing away, but Robin threw the batarang to cut the cable, making Baman fall on the roof. The two of them glared at each-other.

"Master Bruce wait! M-Maybe you two should take a deep breath and-"

"Quiet Penny." he turned off his ear piece.

"Do not call her that!" Robin shouted before launching himself at him.

In the batcave, (Y/n) leaned back, fiddling with her nails. Her mind was racing with scenarios of what could be happening, what could happen on that roof. Dick saw the anxiety on her face, plain to see. And put a hand on hers.

"Why don't you call it a night, buddy?"

"I-I can't!" she shook her head. "We have to-"

"There's nothing you can do, (Y/n). Go rest."

His bluntess hit her. She went to her room and laid in bed, staring at the ceiling. Just as her eyelids became heavier, she got a text. She immediately sat up and read it. It was from Damian, of course.

'Meet me at this location.' along with a pinged location

She tapped on it and looked at her map app. She recognized this building. In fact, she lived a few blocks away. That building was abandoned when she left for the manor.

'Talon must've taken shelter there for his plan with Damian.' her eyes narrowed.

She was unsure about this. What if Talon was there with him? What if he finds out she's working for Bruce Wayne and so pieces together that he's Batman? She shook her head. It would be safer to stay here, she thought. But then she received another text. And when she read it, she jumped out of bed and changed into her casual attire.

'Bring a medicine kit.'

'I'm on my way!' she quickly replied.

In this abandoned building, it was the only appartement someone lived in. The door was open. The room was dark, she looked around the hideout.

"Maste-... Robin?"

"We're the only ones here, Penny."

She turned to see Damian, sitting on the couch, his forearms on his lap. His mask and the top part of his suit were tossed aside.

"You can speak freely."

Despite the knot still in her chest. Hearing her nickname coming from him, after all this time, a wave of relief washed over her.

"How are you feeling?" she walked up to him.

"Like I fought Batman and won."

She froze.

"You..."

"I didn't kill him." he rolled his eyes. "I could have though. He sure didn't hold back." he held his jaw.

Now that she was up close, she could see the bruises and the blood dripping from his mouth. But these wounds were a lot less serious than what he had in the past few months.

"If that was the case, you would have multiple bones broken." she sat beside him, opening the medicine kid. "Or maybe you're sturdier than all of Batman's villains." she smiled.

"Of course I am."

She chuckled and started to tend to his wounds.

Damian noticed how unusually quiet she was. She didn't ask any stupid questions, or any questions in general.

"Talon wants me to join the Court of Owls." he broke the silence.

"...Will you?"

"Yes."

There was a moment of silence.

"I suppose your fight with Master Bruce helped make up your mind."

"Talon's right. Batman can't end crime without spilling blood. There needs to be more permenant solutions. For a better world."

"Your grandfather would be proud of you, Sir."

Damian stared at her. Penny hasn't looked him in the eyes ever since she got here.

"You disagree with my decision."

"I never said that, Sir."

"But you do." he leaned closer.

She looked him in the eyes, pausing in her work. There was a certain sadness in them, that ticked him off.

"...My opinion matters very little." she went back to bandaging his bleeding knuckles. "Besides, I'm not so bold as to believe I can make you change your mind."

Damian clicked his tongue and leaned back.

"Good." he said in a dry tone, looking away with a frown.

The silence settled again. (Y/n) began to think, about everything that happened with Damian, their alliance, what Bruce told her. And she wondered, why, after all of this, did she come here in the first place?

"Why did we get a communication line, you and me?"

"Because we have an alliance. Don't ask stupid questions."

"Apologies, let me rephrase it then. Why did you always keep your communication line open? Letting me hear everything that was happening? You could just mute yourself and contact me only when you need something. So why?"

"I-"

He stared at her for a moment. He wondered where this came from.

"...That way, I don't have to tell you everything that happened." he folded his arms since she was done bandaging his hand. "Saves me the trouble, along with my time."

"I see..." she nodded. "Is that all?"

"What other reasons would there be?" he raised an eyebrow.

She took a deep breath and slowly sighed.

"I don't know."

Damian's frown deepened. He knew she was lying. Penny was hiding something from him. Time for him to ask questions.

"How did Batman get a hold of our communication line?"

They looked into each-other's eyes. The silence was heavier now.

"...I told Master Bruce everything. About Talon and everything that happened. I gave him my ear piece."

His eyes widened. But just a second after, he frowned.

"You betrayed me." he sat up.

"No! I did it for y-"

"All this time, I thought you were a reliable ally! Then you turn around and report back to my father?! Did you bring him here?!" he stood up and looked around.

"No!" she shook her head.

"Just get out of here and never come back! Before I show what we do to traitors in the League of Assassins."

His cold glare scared her. She took a deep breath.

"...Since you turned your back on Batman, our alliance had already expired."

He seemed taken aback, as if he just realized that. Not only that, but her eyes became glassy, like she was about to cry. She blinked rapidly.

"My apologies." she packed the med kit. "It's my fault, it seemed this alliance meant more for me than it did for you."

"What, you thought we were friends?" he frowned. "I made this alliance with you so I could be a more efficient Robin, as my maid you were helping me. That's it."

His matter-of-fact tone hurt her.

"I don't need friends." he added. "And I don't need people who go behind my back and work with the enemy."

"...Well," she stood up and looked at him. "if you need anything else in the future, as a friend, I'll help you in any way I can."

"Don't bother." he took off his ear piece and crushed it into his fist.

She gasped. Damian managed to keep his stern expression when seeing the pained look on her face. She also eventually managed to push her emotions down.

"Goodnight, Damian." she bowed her head. "Take care of yourself."

Damian watched Penny leave without a word. Once the door closed, he opened his hands to see the small device into pieces. He sighed, feeling a tightness in his chest.

(Y/n) quickly walked down the stairs of the building, wiping the tears from her eyes and clutching the med kit close, not paying attention to her surroundings. Once she walked out, she gasped as she almost bumped into someone.

"I'm so sor-"

"Good evening."

Her blood ran cold. She recognized that voice. She stepped back and looked up. Talon was tall, his red goggles stood out in the cold colors of the night.

Chapter Text

"You're..." he tapped his chin. "Penny, correct?"

"(Y/n)." she corrected automatically, speaking under her breath.

"Robin told me about you. Though it's odd, you will admit. I mean, this nickname of yours is pretty different than your real one."

"...It's an inside joke."

"Well it's nice to finally put a face to your name. Especially one as cute as yours." he poked her nose.

He was wearing gauntlets with sharp claws. She felt a shiver when the cold metal came in contact with her skin.

"Thank you. For taking care of M-... Robin."

"He can take care of himself. I'm just teaching him what I know."

"I see."

"He called you to tend to his wounds?" he gestured to the med kit.

"Yes." she nodded.

"And you assist him when he goes on patrol."

"Not anymore. Batman hacked our communication line."

She didn't want him to think she was associated with Batman. She hoped Damian did the same when he talked about her. How much did he say...? Either way, she kept her answers short so that she could leave as soon as possible. But Talon didn't move. He kept looking down at her. She felt like he was considering killing her. Her heart was beating out of her chest and she felt cold sweat on the back of her neck.

"He said you were a 'reliable ally'."

She felt her heart ache.

"I'm happy to hear it." she bowed her head.

"You don't look happy." he leaned closer, his hands on his knees. "Boy troubles?"

She took a small step back, clutching the med kit close to her chest like it was a shield.

"I can tell you've been crying. You disagree with Robin being under my wing."

She wondered if the pun was intended. But he certainly wasn't asking. Even though he was wearing opaque red goggles, she could feel his piercing stare.

"Don't worry." she said. "I won't be a bother to either of you. This is getting too much for me." she went around him, though never turning her back on him. "Have a good night. Please take good care of Robin."

She walked backwards for a few meters before running away. She could still feel his eyes on her.

Sitting on the couch, Damian heard footsteps and quickly put his mask back on. Talon walked in and went straight for the weapons display.

"I ran into Penny." 

"That's not her name." the boy said without thinking.

"Do you want to take care of her, or should I?" he turned to him, daggers in hands.

Damian's blood ran cold.

"You said she would help. But it seems she wants nothing to do with the Court."

"And I cut all ties with her because of that."

"She knows where we are, Robin. If Batman-"

"I told you," he stood up. "I knew her before Batman." he glared. "She assisted me in secret because I didn't trust him."

"If he finds her, she'll talk."

"She won't. She's loyal to a fault." his gaze wandered. "Despite all of this, she still considers me a friend..."

Talon looked at him for a moment before putting the daggers back.

"Loyal to a fault indeed. A shame, really."

"It's in the past now." he shook his head. "Where were you?"

"I was talking to the Grandmaster, about presenting my new protégé to the Court." he gestured towards him.

"When will it be?"

Talon took out his pocket watch to check the time.

"Every member of the court will be gathered in about three hours.

Damian nodded and put on the top part of his suit.

"I must tell you, Robin. The Court values loyalty above anything. They will ask you to prove yourself."

"And I will."

(Y/n) quietly walked into the manor, she knew Alfred was staying in the batcave and Nightwing was either with him or out there with Batman. She sat on her bed and breathed a heavy sigh. She kept looking behind her on the way here. She's never felt this paranoid since the first time she brought her first paycheck home on Sunday.

Before she could change into her pajamas though, she heard Bruce screaming like a mad man. It sent a chill through her spine and she ran to the batcave. Batman was having some kind of nervous panic, screaming, throwing anything within his reach, his eyes darting around but never looking at anything. Dick was trying to get a hold of him, but Batman would struggle and eventually push him away.

"Master Bruce?!"

"(Y/n)!" Alfred exclaimed, holding a straitjacket. "Go get a sedative!"

"O-Okay!" she nodded before running to a medicine cabinet.

"Pass it over!" Dick raised a hand once she came back.

She threw it, he caught it and jammed it into Batman's thigh. After a while, the man's  movements slowed down, which gave Alfred the opportunity to put the straitjacket on him. Eventually, Bruce passed out and Dick let out a huge sigh. He looked at (Y/n) and finally noticed what she was wearing.

"...Going somewhere?"

"What happened?!" she asked, panicked.

Alfred explained that, after his fight with Damian, Batman came back to tend to his wounds and decided that, since 'talking' to Damian wasn't an option, he would follow the tracker he put somewhere in the Court of Owls' lair. He went to the sewers and found a tunnel, but soon after that his line was disconnected. Alfred sent Dick to look for him and he found him nearby where his last transmission ended.

The three of them laid him on an operating table somewhere in the batcave.

"The sedative was quite strong," Dick said. "it'll take a while for him to wake up."

"Do we just wait then?"

"I'll go look around the sewer, see if I can find the Court's lair."

"Be careful."

"As always." he waved as he walked away.

Alfred monitored Nightwing while (Y/n) kept an eye on Bruce. After a couple of hours, Dick came back empty handed. While the two men were discussing what to do next, Bruce started to wake up. (Y/n) quickly called them in and the three of them surrounded Bruce. He slowly opened his eyes and looked at each of them.

"How long have I been...?"

"Five hours." Dick replied.

He grunted and managed to sit up.

"Damian. If those animals get their hands on him-"

"I've been out there Bruce. There's no sign of him."

"I'll help you."

"You're of no help to anyone in your current state, Sir." Alfred said. "You need to rest."

"No! Don't you understand?!" he struggled and the two men tried to make him stay in bed. "I have to find him! He's my son." he looked down. "My son..."

(Y/n) felt her heart twist. Master Bruce looked filled with guilt and worry. Whatever he saw while he was out, it must've opened his eyes. She clenched her fists and was about to tell them where Talon's hideout was – though the current target was the Court, it was better than nothing – but then she heard something, coming from her ear piece. She kept it in her ear, force of habit. Her eyes widened.

Talon and Robin stood in front of the Court, its masked members of all ages looking down at them from their theater seats like in a chic arena. Damian wondered if he'll have to fight their strongest warriors to be part of the Court. If so, he thought, then this will be a breath. He'd do this all the time back in the League of Assassins, his mother and grandfather wanted to keep him sharp.

"Talon," the Grandmaster spoke. "introduce your protégé."

"It is an honor to introduce this boy to the Court." he stepped forward and gestured towards him. "I've seen first hand that he has greatness within him, and a great destiny ahead."

"Perhaps that is so. But we must be certain of his loyalty."

"You have my word." Damian bowed, with a hand over his heart.

"We are the Court of Owls, and we require more than words." he paused. "Your mask."

Damian frowned, he didn't expect that. A long moment passed during which he didn't move.

"...Robin?" Talon looked at him.

"So much for your loyalty." the Grandmaster said. "Toss that brat back in the gutter where you found him!"

"Wait!" he raised a hand then walked closer to him, speaking quietly. "Robin. We discussed this."

Damian thought of when he became Robin, his father told him to keep his identity a secret, like it was the most important thing in the world. He thought of the time spent with Talon, how easier everything was. And then, unwillingly, he saw the look on Penny's face during their last conversation...

"Robin." Talon pressed, snapping him out of it.

He sighed and took off his mask. When he looked up, the Grandmaster gasped.

"The boy. Bruce Wayne's ward!"

His eyes widened.

"How do you-?"

"That means Wayne is Batman!"

Damian felt his heart drop. Samantha!

"No!" he exclaimed. "No you're wrong! He-"

Suddenly, metal bars came out of the floor, trapping him in a cage. He tried to break free but it was no use.

"This changes everything!" the Grandmaster said. "Imagine how deeply we can hurt the Batman, break his heart and his will by killing this boy!"

"No!" Talon spoke. "He's supposed to take my place in the ritual."

It was then that the pieces came together for Damian.

"You lied to me!" he glared. "Batman and Penny were right! You were just using me to-"

"Shut up shut up!"

He felt like an utter fool. So prideful and angry at his father that he went to the first man who validated him. Penny was the first to warn him too! His grip on the bars tightened. He pushed her away for nothing.

"I swear to you we'll find a replacement. Now kill him!"

"...Yes, Grandmaster." he faced the cage.

There was a moment where the two of them just stared at each-other. Damian took a step back, but the moment some metal bars dropped to create an entrance, he launched himself at Talon. Sadly, he knocked the air out of him and threw him back in the cage. Talon brandished his claws but when Robin looked up at him, he froze.

Seeing this young misguided boy, who wasn't accepted by the one he looked up to... It reminded Talon of himself. That boy and him, he believed they were the same.

He turned around and threw knives at the members of the Courts, panicked screams filled the room. Damian quickly stood up but the cage closed. He clicked his tongue and watched as Talon chased and massacred the Court. He put his mask back on and reached out for his belt, which fell during his short fight with Talon. But it was just out of reach.

"I've just sacrificed a world for you, Robin."

He looked up to see Talon approaching. He kicked the belt out even farther away which made the boy glare at him.

"Now what will you sacrifice for me?"

"You're insane!"

"I won't ask you to betray him any further." he crouched to be at eye level. "But Bruce Wayne is a complication." he grabbed his hands. "He had to be dealt with."

He suddenly pulled hard on them, making Robin hit his head on the bars. He fell back, unconscious. Talon opened the cage and picked up the boy, bringing him to the Court's secret lad.

Damian woke up in some sort of test tube coffin. He pushed on the glass, looking for some kind of door, but couldn't find any. Green water began to fill the tube and he started to hit the glass.

"You'll be safe here until I'm done." Talon said, looking down at him.

"You think you can stop him alone?!"

"Who says I'm alone?"

He walked to a control panel and pushed a few buttons. All around Damian, fifty-or-so other tubes opened. Strange zombie-like creatures stepped out, some more decomposed than others. They all put on a Talon suit and gathered in front of Talon.

"To Wayne manor. Kill everyone inside." he said before leaving, his small army following him.

Now alone, Damian hit and kicked around, but none of his hits left even a dent. He turned on his ear piece, hoping with all his might that she kept hers.

"Penny! Listen, I don't know if you'll get this transmission but-"

"Mast- D-ian?!"

Hearing her voice – though very glitchy – he paused and let out a sigh of relief.

"How di- -hought you-!"

"We stole spare ones, remember? Look, I don't have time to apologize right now. Talon murdered the entire Court of Owls and he is now coming to the manor, and he's not alone! He knows who Batman is!"

"Wher- - you?!"

"I'll find a way out, worry about yourself! Alert father and Dick, hurry!"

"Yes Sir!"

"What did he say?" Bruce asked her, him and the others looking at her with big eyes.

"I'm not sure." she shook her head. "It was too glitchy. But it didn't sound good at all. I could hear echo and running water. I did hear something about Talon learning who Batman is and killing the Court of Owls."

"What?!" the three men exclaimed.

"Did Damian tell him?" Dick asked, shocked.

"He would never!" she glared.

"Can you hand over your ear piece?" Bruce asked.

"Yes, Sir!"

Alfred took the jacket off of him to he could plug the ear piece to the bat cumputer. It was tricky, and it took a while, but using advanced audio softwares, he was able to renovate the glitching transmission.

"Look, I don't have time to apologize right now-" was one of the first complete phrases they got.

"Awww!" Dick smiled. "Isn't that cute?"

He looked at (Y/n) but his smile fell when he saw how emotional she got, a hand over her heart. He huffed. Just as the whole transmission was renovated, as they heard Robin's warnings, the radar picked up fifty people approaching.

"Red security grid up and active?" Dick asked.

"Unless someone shut it down and didn't bother to tell us." Bruce glanced at Alfred.

"Most unkind, Sir."

"Either way," he went to change into his suit. "they're about to get a welcome they'll never forget. (Y/n)." he turned to her. "You go hide in the secret bunker in your room, we'll come get you when this is over."

"I want to help." she frowned. "Protecting the Wayne manor is part of my job."

"These are no ordinary burglars. And if they're anything like the ones I previously fought against, then they're no ordinary assassins either. Go."

"...Yes, Sir." she nodded before running.

The tube was almost full. Damian took a deep breath and went under water. He took out a screwdriver from his boot and ripped off a panel at the top of the tube where the water came in. He put his hand into the pipe and detached it. He looked for a lever that would make the glass tube fall. He was almost out of air but he managed to stay calm. Eventually, he found and pulled it. The tube fell and broke.

Damian quickly rolled on his stomach and couched out any water that entered his lungs. He heard a high whistle and stood up. It came from one of the tubes, the only other one that didn't open. According to a gauge, the water was cold. Inside the water, the body twitched. The person inside looked to be dead for a decade at least. Wanting to test out a theory, Damian walked over to it and lowered the temperature more and more, until the body broke apart.

Then, not wasting any time, he ran to get his belt and to get out of here.

'They must be already in the manor by now.' he thought, jumping from roof to roof.

He called the batcomputer.

"Yes?"

"Pennyworth, this is Damian."

"Master Damian?! Where are you? How-?"

"No questions, just listen! The Talons can't function in subzero cold!"

"...Understood, Sir."

Damian hung up. He didn't hear Penny's voice, not even in the background. He shook his head and picked up the pace.

When he approached the manor, he saw the broken windows. And when he climbed through one of them, he saw that the inside wasn't better. It was as if a tornado had passed by. But now, it was too quiet. He began to run through the hallways, getting back the sai Bruce confiscated earlier. Despite heading for the batcave, he kept glancing around like he was looking for something else.

When he heard a scream, he immediately stopped.

"Penny!" he ran towards it, deviating from his original course without hesitation.

Eventually, he saw her running in his direction, chased by a Talon. She was doing something with duct tape and a screwdriver and so hadn't noticed him.

"Penny!"

She looked up and gasped.

"Master Damian! If it's not too much to ask, could you-"

She didn't have to finish her request, Damian threw a batarang at the Talon. Despite slitting its throat, it kept moving. He clicked his tongue and took out the sai, running towards it. As they fought, Penny kept working on whatever device she was holding while running. No matter how fatal Damian's attacks were, the Talon would only stop for a moment.

"Duck!" he heard Penny shout behind him.

He did without question. Penny fired her taser right into the Talon's chest, it received a shock so big that it was smoking after it was over. Damian stood up just as the revived corpse dropped on the floor. He looked back to see Penny holding a taser gun held together with duct tape.

"You know how to craft a taser?!" he said before shaking his head. "Oh what am I saying, of course you do." he smirked.

Her face lit up. She didn't have to say it this time!

"Let's go before it wakes up." he ran past her and she followed. "What are you doing here anyway?"

"W-Well," she panted. "Master Bruce told me to go into the security bunker in my room, but-" she gasped when they went around a corner and saw two other Talons.

"You didn't listen." he threw bombs at them and the two of them went the other way.

"Batman's their target, but I knew there would be some that would wander away from the group." another Talon jumped on them and Damian pierced its heart, holding it up in the air. "I didn't want them to break any more of the manor." she took out a hammer and caved its skull with one heavy hit. "You could say I'm cleaning up!" she forced out a chuckle as Damian threw the body away.

"I'd hardly call running away 'cleaning'." they began to run again. "I'm taking you to that bunker."

"No! Please, not in my room at least!"

"Where then?"

"Follow me!"

She led the way, whenever they would run into a Talon, Damian would take care of it, protecting her. Though Penny would sometimes delivers some effective blows herself. Eventually they entered one of the living rooms, he recognized it. This was where he got his sword. There were other displays with various vintage objects, trophies, pictures and jewelry.

"This is where Thomas and Martha Wayne's belongings are, along with other family heirlooms." Penny faced him with a determined look. "I can't let the Talons damage any of it."

"...Come on."

The two of them hid the items throughout the room and baricaded the doors.

"There's an entrance to the batcave in the garden, I'll take that one." he said, gesturing to the windows. "Can you craft another taser? Do you have your ear piece?"

"Um..." she checked her various pockets. "Yes, and yes!"

"Alright." he put a hand on her shoulder and gently pushed her into the closet, making her sit on the floor. "Stay here and don't make any noise. I'll be back."

He turned around but was suddenly stopped when Penny grabbed his cape. He turned around. Their eyes locked for a split second.

"I..." she let go and looked down. "I'm sorry."

She apologized like she just realized what she did. But for that split second, Damian saw the look on her face. It was as if her eyes were pleading him.

'Please don't leave. I'm scared.'

Penny never acted her age, neither did Damian really. But in that moment, she did. Damian crouched in front of her and reached for something on the back of his belt. He handed her a dagger. Penny didn't recognize it. This wasn't from the batcave. The handle was emerauld green with golden engravings in Arabic, and the blade was made of damascus steel. Was it from the League of Assassins?

She took it and Damian placed his other hand on top of hers, squeezing. She looked up and saw him looking deeply into her eyes.

"It'll be alright."

Her heart skipped a beat. She nodded. He nodded back and left, leaving the closet open a crack. (Y/n) looked as Damian jumped out the window and ran across the garden. She looked at the dagger and gripped it with both hands with a determined look.

The Talons have entered the batcave, NIghtwing fought Talon but got seriously injured. Bruce had to resort to his emergency project: a massive metal suit of armor.

"Now I'm only gonna say this once you sons of bitches. Get the hell out of my house!" he said before smashing his way through.

"We've got to get to that utility core, Master Bruce!" Alfred pointed before shooting more Talons with his shotgun.

"Hop on." he pointed at his back with his thumb.

Alfred climbed on his back and Bruce jumped off the platform to get to ground level. Alfred quickly hopped down and ran to the utility core. He tampered with it and managed to freeze all of the Talons. But Talon was still standing, and after dealing with Nightwing, he went after Bruce. He used the batmobile to destroy the metal suit, thankfully, Bruce came out of it in one piece. The two men faced each-other.

"You and your Court tried to take control of my city and destroy my home." Bruce walked up to him. "But worst of all, you messed with my kid. So this is gonna hurt." he raised his fists. "And I'm gonna enjoy it."

Talon smirked and launched himself at him. They were evenly matched. But while Bruce was going bare handed, Talon still had his dagger and hidden blades, he ended up stabbing him in the side. With his hands pressing firmly on the wound, Bruce fell on the ground.

"I've taken your boy." Talon said, kicking him for a while before brandishing his claws. "And now-"

"No!"

He looked up and quickly stepped back, seeing Robin falling towards him. He landed on his feet, raising the sai before crouching beside Bruce to make sure he was still alive.

"Damian, listen to me." Talon said. "He's not worth it. Let him go. Let him die."

"...Like you let your father die?"

"Stupid boy." he frowned and suddenly ran towards him.

Damian dodged his attack just in time, but he was eventually beaten and kicked down. While the boy struggled to stand back up, Talon grabbed Bruce by the neck and lifted him up.

"Don't you see? He'll never let you go. For us to be free, he has to die. The Wayne fortune will be ours. The Owls, they'll never find us. Tell him goodbye, Damian."

Damian sneaked up behind him and jumped on his shoulders, wrapping his legs around his neck and hitting him on the head a bunch. Talon shook him off but that didn't stop Robin from hitting him again.

"You filthy ingrate!" Talon glared. "Everything I've done was for you, and this is how you repay me?!" he took out his own sai. "Then so be it."

The two of them ran towards each-other and began to fight. This time though, Damian was ready and knew who he was up against. He disarmed him and pointed the sai at his opponent's neck.

"You could never replace Batman." he said. "He's my father."

From the corner of his eyes, Talon could see Bruce regaining consciousness and looking at them, it gave him an idea. He smirked and grabbed Robin's hand.

"Don't doubt your instincts." he said before stabbing his own neck with the sai.

"No!" 

As soon as Talon's grip loosened, Damian let go of the weapon and stepped back. He watched in horror as the body fell on the floor, a small puddle of blood formed on the floor. Damian fell to his knees, feeling like he failed.

"Are you alright?"

He looked back to see his father, smiling and offering him a hand. The boy took it and he helped him stand up. Bruce then placed a hand on his shoulder.

"I'm proud of you." he crouched. "Welcome home."

He was speaking in a tone he'd often use with Penny. It was soft...

"No." Damian stepped back, shaking Bruce's hand off of him. "I could have killed him. Maybe I should have..." he looked down then back at him. "But you were in my head, you wouldn't let me. You, Talia, Ra's, you're all in here!" he held his head in frustration. "But where am I? How can I ever be the son you need me to be, when I don't even know who I am?" he looked down and turned away.

Bruce felt his heart ache for his son. He could relate to his struggles...

"...I have to go."

"Damian." he called out before the boy could leave. "There's a school-"

"In Switzerland. Yeah, you told me about it." he said in a dry tone.

"No. No..." he placed a hand on his shoulder. "This is a monastery, in the Himalayas. I stayed there years ago, when I was lost, troubled. And the monks helped me in ways that proved to be very-"

"I don't need any help!" he glared.

His father looked down. It was then that Damian realized something. For the longest time, anytime a gentle hand has reached out to him, he answered with a closed fist, violent and aggressive. But when he gave his dagger to Penny, he learned what it was like to be gentle. He wanted this to be his default response. He wanted to be able to bring comfort to people, just like Batman, Nightwing, Pennyworth and Penny...

"But, maybe I will...later on."

He walked up to his father and hugged him. Bruce was clearly surprised but he didn't hesitate to hug him back, squeezing him gently.

This felt nice...

"Penny!" Damian called out after he and his father managed to push the door open.

The closet burst open and the little girl ran up to them.

"You're oka- You're hurt!" she looked at him then at Bruce, panicked.

"Damian told me you wanted to protect my parent's belongings."

"...I knew you'd be devastated if anything happened to them."

He smiled and caressed her hair.

"Thank you, (Y/n)."

She smiled widely.

"Here, Master Damian." she handed him back his dagger while Bruce went to Alfred to get himself patched up. "I never had to use it, thank heavens." she chuckled.

He looked at it for a moment.

"Thanks." he took it.

(Y/n) was taken aback. Did he just thank her? There was a moment of silence where he just stared at her.

"You were right to be wary of Talon." he broke the silence, looking down. "But I didn't want to listen. As my ally, I should've trusted your judgement... I'm sorry." he looked at her.

She took a deep breath and smiled.

"It's alright. You came back."

He pursed his lips. 

"Penny, there's one last thing I need you to do for me."

"What is it?"

'Wait, one last?'

"I need you to book me a flight."

"To where?"

"Nepal, I'm going to the Himalayas."

"...Excuse me?"

He told her about the temple.

"There are too many influences clouding my mind." he said. "I want to listen to my own voice from now on. But I have to find what it is first. I can't do that here." 

"I see..." she slowly nodded. "That's very noble of you, Master Damian." 

She smiled, but he could tell it was fake. Just then, the pain from his injuries resurfaced and he dropped to his knees. Penny quickly put his arm around her shoulders and brought him to the batcave to patch him up.

With their injuries, neither Batman, Dick nor Damian could really do anything for the following day. But as soon as Damian was able to walk again, he started to get ready to leave. Penny refused to let him pack his own luggage.

"I made some sandwiches for the road." she smiled.

They both knew Damian was traveling light, still he let her do it, knowing it was for her own peace of mind. Her back was facing him as he was seated on his bed. Ever since he told her he was leaving, she's been more quiet than usual.

"Will you come back?" she asked.

"Yes. But I'm not sure when."

"I see."

There was a moment of silence. Damian noticed that, even though she was done packing his backpack, she began to fold the clothes he wouldn't bring with him. She was nervous.

"Well," she spoke. "for the short months you've been here, I'm sure even Master Richard will miss you."

"I don't care for him."

She chuckled, but it sounded different than normal. Damian narrowed his eyes.

"...The manor won't be the same without you."

"You'll do just fine." he waved a hand. "You can easily adapt to situations."

"I know. I know... But, you know, just because I'll learn how to live without you, doesn't mean I want to."

For a moment, Damian just stared at her. He noticed her hands and how she was fiddling with her nails.

"...Come with me."

She suddenly turned around and looked at him with big eyes as he calmly looked back at her. Her cheeks turned a bit more pink.

"I..." she shook her head. "I-I can't. I have to stay here."

"Fine." he hopped out of bed.

'That's it?!' she thought, wondering if he was aware how 'romance movie' what he said sounded.

Still she breathed a small sigh, relieved that it was quickly over. Her heart was about to explode. Damian put on his coat and picked up his bag. The two kids faced each-other.

"Take care of yourself, Master Damian." she smiled.

"...When I was born, I was Damian al Ghul, grandson of the Demon. Then I came here, and I became Damian Wayne, son of Batman. This alliance with you was a breath of fresh air."

She pursed her lips, trying not to smile too much.

"I'll be back and become a better ally... A better friend."

Her heart made a little jump.

"You're already well on your way, Sir."

She accompanied him to the front door. It was around 4:30 in the morning, the entire manor was asleep. A taxi was waiting for him in front of the gates, the driver of which was probably very confused upon seeing all of the broken windows and the giant hole in the roof.

"Have a safe trip, Master Damian."

He smiled.

"Take care of the adults while I'm gone."

"Will do." she nodded.

He walked down the small set of stairs.

"And one more thing." he turned back, speaking more sternly. "Don't think just because I'm gone means you get to slack off." he smirked. "I expect you to become a much more efficient and capable Pennyworth when I come back. Do you understand?"

"Yes Sir!" she saluted with a big smile.

"Good." he nodded and went to the car. 

Before he stepped in, he looked back one last time. Penny was still standing by the front door. She waved at him. He smiled and got in the back of the taxi, which then drove off. Now that she was alone, (Y/n) let out a heavy sigh.

"To be quite honest, I expected you to hug him."

She looked up. Alfred was standing beside her.

"I could tell you wanted to do that." he smiled.

She sniffed as her eyes grew teary.

"It would be unprofessional." she looked down with a frown.

The butler placed a hand on her shoulder.

"He'll miss you too."

"How do you know?"

"Who wouldn't?"

She looked up at him again and smiled, wiping away her tears.

"Come, now." he gently pushed her inside. "We have a lot to do today."

Bruce had called a renovation company to repair the roof and replace the windows. A lot of the furniture was damaged, and so they had to make an inventory of everything that was salvageable. Right now, Bruce, his two trusted servants and Dick, were in the library, checking every book to see if they were damaged – by one of the many explosions there were during the Talons' attack – before putting them in boxes. The library needed to be empty for the renovation team to do their work. As the four of them worked, Bruce gave an update on the Court of Owls situation.

"Gotham P.D.'s collecting evidence at the Court of Owls. I suspected Samantha's involvement early on."

"Really?!" (Y/n) exclaimed. "Since when, exactly?"

"As soon as I learned the Court wasn't mere bedtime stories. The Vanavers are one of the oldest families in Gotham, after all. Besides, even as we began dating, I could tell she was wearing a mask."

"Wow..." her gaze wandered. "I would've never guessed."

"S.T.A.R. Labs should have an analysis of the Talons' remains within the week."

Dick opened his mouth, but closed it right after. Bruce figured he wanted to say something, and he knew what he wanted to say.

"He needs this time to find his own place in the world." Bruce said.

"He's just a ten-year-old boy."

"...No. There's not another child on Earth like Damian Wayne." he smiled.

Hearing this, (Y/n) smiled too.

"When the time is right, Damian will be back." he looked out the window. "And it won't be because I want him to, it'll be because he wants to."

"And if you're wrong, Sir?" Alfred asked.

"Sometimes Alfred, you have to have a little faith."

(Y/n)'s smile grew bigger.

After a long day of work, she let herself fall on her bed. As she was drifting off to sleep, she heard her phone buzzing on her nightstand. A text. She reached for it without looking and looked at the screen, her eyes squinting because of the light coming from it. A second later, she suddenly sat up, holding her phone with both hands as she stared with big eyes.

Of course. Who else could it be?

That's how she learned that Damian smuggled his phone into the temple.

Another secret they will share for the following year or so.

Chapter Text

After each of them were done with their works for the day, Damian and (Y/n) would text each-other, talking about their day. At first it was her 'giving a report' on the manor and Batman and Gotham in general. As the weeks passed though, the conversation became more mundane.

'Goodnight Master Damian.'

Damian stared at the text, not realizing he was frowning. It has been bothering him for a while now. No progress will be made unless it changes. He sent:

'Neither of us are working right now, Penny. Just call me Damian. Besides, it's faster to type.'

She tried not to giggle out of joy upon reading this. She sent two texts.

'Very well.' '*Goodnight Damian.'

He shook his head, smiling.

For some time now, Bruce could tell that (Y/n) was working on some secret project. Equipment and materials from the batcave kept getting lost. He started to worry. What if she was trying to be Robin – or a replacement for him – while Damian was away? He had to find out.

Using his famous stealth, he watched as (Y/n) sweeped the floor of the batcave. She paused, checking if anyone was watching. Of course she hasn't noticed Bruce. She then picked up some tools and an EMP device and quickly put them in her pocket before leaving. Bruce then followed her to her room. He silently opened the door to see her opening a secret compartment under the floorboards.

"So I was right."

(Y/n) gasped and turned around to see her boss leaning on the doorway.

"M-Master Bruce!" she quickly stood up, stiff.

"You know how I feel about stealing." he said, though his tone was lighthearted.

"I-I didn't steal! Nothing has ever left the premises I swear!"

"So you did this multiple times."

She covered her mouth, only now realizing her slip of the tongue. He chuckled and walked up to her.

"What's this stack for, (Y/n)?" he leaned closer to take a look.

He noticed that the gadgets that were 'borrowed' now looked unfamiliar.

"You altered them all?"

"It's... It's for Master Damian." she looked down. "For when he comes back."

"...For Damian, huh."

He picked one up and looked at it. He couldn't help but feel a sting in his heart.

"You know, I wouldn't decline an upgrade."

"...Oh!" her eyes widened.

'It didn't even cross her mind.' he sighed through his nose.

"But Sir, that sort of thing is above my paygrade." her eyebrows furrowed. "This is just something I do in my free time. Plus, it's nothing to the level of Batman."

Bruce thought for a moment.

"Then maybe Batman can teach you a thing or two."

She gasped with a spark in her eyes. Now, whenever they both had time, Bruce would give engineering lessons to (Y/n). It was nice, it reminded him of his youth.

Today, (Y/n) was really excited to finish all of her tasks for the day. And she kept checking the time.

"Has he reached Gotham yet?" she'd sometimes ask Bruce.

"Not yet, (Y/n)." he'd reply.

"Alright." she nodded before quickly going back to work.

It was Bruce who told her the news, but by now, everyone in Gotham was talking about it. Still, she was the most excited out of everyone.

"(Y/n)," Alfred told her. "I understand that you're very eager. But it shouldn't be an excuse to do a rushed job. It won't make him arrive any earlier."

"Apologies, Alfred." she bowed her head.

Just then, they heard a car honking outside. She gasped and looked up at the butler.

"...Well, what are we waiting for?" he smiled. "As servants of the Waynes, we must go and welcome our master back."

She put her broom aside and went to the front door with quick steps. A fancy red car pulled up into the driveway. (Y/n) jumped lightly while Bruce stood behind her, his hands in his pockets. The door opened and a dashing young man wearing sunglasses stepped out.

"Aww! All the gang is here- Except Dick." Tim took out his shades.

That's right, Tim Drake is back in town for Spring break!

"Master Draaake!" (Y/n) threw her hands in the air.

"Aaaaye my number one fan's here!" he pointed at her as he walked up the small staircase. "Gimme ten."

They high-fived.

"Did you do your homework yet?"

"I don't have homework. Did you?"

"Don't start this," he pointed before leaning closer and whispering. "not with mom and dad being right there."

She mimed locking her mouth up and throwing the key.

"Who's the mom and who's the dad?" Bruce raised an eyebrow and folded his arms.

"Oops." he faced him.

Bruce chuckled and the two of them hugged.

"It's good to see you again, Tim. How's college?"

"A good way to pass time. Anyway- (Y/n)! You wanna hang out?"

"Do I?! Oh. But no, I have some work I must finish."

Tim thought for a moment, glancing at Bruce who just knew he was scheming. Tim clocked that adoptive father's knew something was up.

"Well, here's the thing Bruce." he shrugged. "You know I would love to just sit down and catch up. But, the thing is, I've been so busy with furthering my education, that I haven't gone shopping once!" he said as Alfred walked past him to bring his luggage inside. "What will the press think when they don't see Tim Drake wearing the latest fashions? You remember what happened last time." he glanced at him with raised eyebrows.

Bruce sighed. He did remember.

"Alright." he nodded.

"Awesome." he beamed. "Also I'm going to need someone to carry my bags." he looked at (Y/n).

"I can do it!" she raised a hand.

"Amazing. It's kind of an emergency, so we have to go right now." he walked back to the car.

"Yes Sir!" she followed him.

"This is a serious mission and we must remain professional."

"Yes Sir. As always."

"As always." he nodded.

He opened the door for her and waved goodbye to Bruce and Alfred.

"We'll be back for dinner, promise!" he said before going in the car and driving away.

Bruce sighed. If (Y/n) and Dick were like siblings, her and Tim were like playground playmates. He just hoped they wouldn't get into trouble again.

'Good thing I planted a tracker while I was hugging him.' he thought to himself.

Tim took off the tracker Bruce put on him and handed it to (Y/n).

"Mind keeping a hold of that for me?"

"Not at all Sir." she said and put it in her pocket.

She looked around the car in awe. She'd usually go around the city by foot or public transport. Being inside such a fancy car, she tried not to touch anything. Tim noticed she was fiddling with her nails.

"Wanna see something cool?"

"Yes." she quickly answered.

He opened the roof and she gasped. He turned up the music and the two of them loudly sang along.

Once in the mall, (Y/n) wasn't actually carrying any bags. They weren't even shopping for clothes. They went to check out a video games store and then he bought them milkshakes. It didn't take long for journalists to find them. Tim quickly put (Y/n) behind him so that no cameras could see her face. He turned on the charms and replied to their questions without actually answering any of them.

"Who's the kid with you, Drake? And why's she dressed like a maid."

"Oh she is a maid, that's Alfred's apprentice. She's here to carry my bags. I gave her a milkshake as payment."

The journalists gave each-other weird looks. (Y/n) noticed a sudden change of atmosphere...

"How old is she?" "So you're okay with child labour?" "Do you believe this is appropriate? Where are her parents?" "Do you not care what people will think?"

"Excuse me." (Y/n) stepped up. "Please don't misunderstand. Master Drake is really kind and cool, and spending time with him is always a lot of fun. He's a great friend!"

"Awww!" Tim said with a hand in his heart before turning to the press. "If I see her face in the papers, I'll sue."

The journalists became pale and assured him they won't.

"Great, good day to you then!" he gave them a charming smile before walking away with (Y/n). "You didn't have to speak up, you know."

"But, what they were insinuating," she shook her head. "I didn't like it one bit. I had to step in and clear up any misunderstanding."

"I'm one of Brune Wayne's adoptive sons. There will always be nasty rumors going around."

"And you're okay with that?" she asked, shocked.

"Eh, it becomes white noise at some point." he shrugged.

"Still, just because you're used to it, that doesn't make it okay."

"Aaaaww!" he ruffled her hair. "My lil PR protector!"

"As a servant of the Wayne family, it's only natural that I protect your honor." she nodded to herself.

"Not just a servant. I'm a great friend, you said!"

"You are, yes."

"Am I like a brother to you?"

"...I wouldn't say that."

"Damn." he chuckled.

"But I do wish we were the same age." she took a sip. "That way we would've gone to school together."

"Ah, but sadly I went to smart kid school."

"Hey!" she hit him and he laughed. "I take back what I said!"

"Oww." he tilted his head, though he was still smiling.

"And besides, if I had any friends when I left school, then I would've been sad." she looked ahead. "So I'm glad I didn't have any at the time."

Tim couldn't find anything to say to such a sad statement. It was even sadder that she said it in a matter-of-fact way. After window shopping a bit, they sat down by the fountain.

"So. Anything cool happened while I was gone?"

"Master Bruce's son spent a few months here and became the new Robin." she said quietly.

Tim choked on his milkshake and coughed loudly.

"Let's go somewhere more private."

And so they snuck onto the roof and sat on the edge of it. (Y/n) told him about Damian, Deathstroke, the Court of Owls, everything.

"Wow." Tim said, baffled. "Now even Dick told me about that!"

"Maybe he wanted to see the look on your face right now."

"Well jokes on him! He won't get to see it now!" he raised his chin with a huff, which made her laugh. "And you became friends with that kid?"

"Yes!" she beamed. "He's amazing! And he's so strong and smart, he knows so much about so many things! This one time, he-"

Tim was taken aback as she kept singing Damian's praises. A smirk formed on his face.

"Say... Sounds to me like you like this Damian."

"I do." she nodded.

"No, like him."

"Yes?"

"Like like him."

"Huh?" she blushed.

"Playing dumb, are we?" he tilted his head.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Sir."

"Ooooo (Y/n) likes a boy!" he poked her. "(Y/n) and Damian, sittin' in a tree-"

"Stop!" she hit him, blushing even more.

He just laughed until he noticed something on the ground level.

"Ah-ha! There he is."

"Who?"

She leaned forward and saw a man entering the mall, with two henchmen behind him. She recognized him as a gangster who was never arrested due to lack of evidence.

"I gotta be honest with you, (Y/n)." Tim looked at her. "When I said this was a hangout, I half lied."

She gasped softly. 

"A Red Robin mission?!"

"For you, not that much." he chuckled. "See, I planted a trap for that guy, somewhere in the mall. He's walking right into it right now, and I'm going to catch him red handed. All you-" he booped her nose. "have to do, is go to the security guards' office, tell them we lost each-other in the crowd and the last location you saw me." he leaned closer. "Which will be where the trap is." he whispered with a cheeky smile.

He noticed a small frown on her face.

"What, you wanted to beat up some bad guys?" he asked with a chuckle.

"No... But saying we lost each-other just gives these journalists more material for their lies."

"A small sacrifice for getting a bad guy behind bars once and for all." he ruffled her hair.

The two of them went back inside the mall and went their separate ways. As she walked to the security office, (Y/n)'s mind was racing.

"Mister! Mister!" she faked panic as she entered.

"Woah, slow down there missy." a security guard went up to her and crouched to be at eye level. "Where are your parents?"

"They're not here. I was accompanying Master Tim Drake through his shopping spree and then he noticed some shady men talking and being up to no good."

"Tim Drake?"

"The nepo baby?" another guard asked from across the room, as surprised as his colleague.

(Y/n) nodded with a hum.

"He went after them to try and stop them and he sent me to fetch you."

"Wow, okay." he rubbed his forehead and stood up. "Where were they going?"

After she told them, the security guards told her to wait here, and they left after calling some other guards. (Y/n) purposefully stood in the doorway, because she knew that eventually, the journalists would come around. And sure enough, they did and asked about what happened, she told them her side of the story.

"I wanted to go with him, but Master Drake said it could be dangerous." she looked down, looking worried.

This seemed to give them plenty of materials to write.

Tim soon came back, accompanied by the guards who were pushing the criminal and his two henchmen, all three of them were beat up. While the guards went to call the police, (Y/n) ran to hug Tim and the journalists bombarded him with questions. He quickly caught on that their versions of the fact weren't the one he came up with. He glanced at (Y/n), who just smiled at him. He smiled back.

"Yeah, well, I guess it's the Batman fanboy in me. I could tell these guys were gonna cause trouble."

"Did you beat them up?" someone asked.

"I couldn't just let them leave." he shrugged. "Those five years of MMA finally came in handy." he flexed his muscles which made them laugh.

(Y/n) was just happy that the journalists were left with a positive image of him.

"You didn't follow my script." Tim said as they were leaving.

"I made some adjustments." she smiled.

"Well, it was better, thanks to you."

"Anytime, Master Drake." she bowed her head.

"Alright. Now let's go shopping for real! And I'll buy you something too."

"Huh? Really?!" her eyes widened.

"Yeah. When that Damian comes back, he's gonna fall over backwards when he sees your new outfit."

"No he won't, shut up!" she hit him, blushing.

He just laughed.

Just a few days later, Dick came back to see Tim. They caught up on whatever happened on their ends. Dick was indeed disappointed that he didn't get to see Tim's shock upon learning about Damian.

"But damn, a fourth Robin, huh?" Tim sighed. "You know what that means."

"What?" (Y/n) tilted her head as she served them their coffee.

"Oh yeah." Dick nodded with a smile.

"What? What?" she looked back and forth between them.

"We add him to the album!" Tim smiled at her.

"An album?" she tilted her head, confused.

"I'm sure Alfred already did, too." Dick stood up. "Let's go check it out."

The two young men led her to a bookshelf in one of the many living rooms in the manor. They took out a photo album.

"You see, (Y/n)," Dick said as he gave it to her and the three of them sat on the couch, with her in the middle. "every Robin gets their photos in the album of Robins. Their first crime busting, and their greatest feats."

"That's amazing, Master Richard!" she said as she flipped the pages. "And that's you?"

"Nah, that's Jason."

"Oh, apologies."

"Yeah," Tim pointed. "this was after my very first solo mission. Look at that bright smile on that kid. I was so proud of myself.

"Oh. That's you?"

"Yeah, can't you tell?"

"Um..." she leaned closer, squinting her eyes.

The two young men looked at each-other, understanding what was happening.

"Say, (Y/n)." Dick took the album, flipped through the pages and took out a picture. "Can you guess who that is?"

(Y/n) spent a long time staring at the picture.

"M... Mister Todd?"

"That's me!" Tim pointed at himself.

"Ah! I'm sorry!"

"What about this Robin?" Dick showed her a headshot picture.

"Oh, that's Damian." she pointed.

"Y-Yeah." he blinked twice, baffled.

"So you can't tell the first three Robins apart, but you can spot that Damian a mile away?" Tim raised an eyebrow. "She must really like that boy." he whispered to Dick who smacked him behind the head (Tim giggled at that).

"I believe it's because I've known him as Robin, unlike you three." she smiled. "And we've worked for a long time together. So of course I'd recognize him."

"Sure." Tim took the picture to look closely at it. "I'd say it's mostly because we all had similar haircuts and he's the only one with his hair slicked back."

"Huh?" she looked at the picture then at the ones on the album. "Why yes, you're right!"

'She didn't notice?!' they thought.

Now that (Y/n) had a more modern phone, she convinced Dick to help her download a few social media apps. He made sure that she blocked a bunch of accounts right away, and he gave her a lecture about not replying to dms of people she didn't know. 

"And don't post pictures of yourself." he said.

"I don't intend to. I just want to be up to date on what's going on in the city. I also want to follow the Gotham Stars account."

"Ah yes, of course."

"What's the name of your account, Master Dick?" she looked up at him.

His face lit up.

"Oh my gosh, I'll send you so many memes. You'll finally get the references I make!" he said excitedly.

"Oh! I'm excited." she smiled.

Later that evening, as she and Damian told each-other about their day, she told him about her new social media accounts. Not an hour later, she received a dm on twitter, it was from an account with no profile picture and one of those 'user' names followed by random numbers. Remembering what Dick told her. She ignored it and went about her business. But then after a while, she received a text from Damian.

'Reply, Penny.'

'Okay, here.'

'On twitter.'

"On...?" she mumbled before her eyes widened and she replied.

'It was you?!'

'Yes.'

'My deepest apologies, I'll get to it right away!' with a cute 'I'm sorry' sticker.

She quickly opened the dm and read.

'Penny, this is Damian. Now that you have a social media page, I've decided to move our conversation there. That way, the occasional lack of service in the temple won't be a problem anymore. Reply to confirm.'

'Roger that Sir.' '*Damian.' 'Sorry.'

She covered her face in embarrassment. She also noticed that the profile's name changed to Damian. It would seem he's taken some more time to shape his profile. He must've made it in a hurry. Soon enough, he followed her other socials and dmed her the exact same message. She followed him back on all of them.

Unexpectedly, Damian started posting art on his socials. He told (Y/n) he'd sketch the landscapes whenever he had some free time. Even more unexpectedly, he was a really good artist. (Y/n) found herself staring at his sketches. Of course she liked all of his posts. 

She found herself inspired and picked up a pencil and paper. She wanted to sketch the Wayne manor but then decided not to.

'What if people figure it to be my location and they track me down?!' she thought to herself with a grave expression. 

So she instead googled 'pretty landscape' and chose one that she liked most to draw.

Damian was about to go to bed when he had a notification that Penny posted for the first time. He checked it out and saw a sketch of hers of...what seemed to be reminiscent of a forest. 

He snickered. He was reminded of the smiley face she drew on that post-it note she left for him. It's still in his bag at this very moment. 

He liked her post. He received a dm from her soon after.

'I see you've liked my drawing, Damian. I very much appreciate it. Thank you!'

He chuckled again.

'You're welcome, Penny.'

It didn't take long for Dick to discover Damian's accounts and of course he followed all of them. He'd sometimes send memes or tiktoks without context, try to check up on him. Damian would always leave him on read. But after a while, he started to reply! Though, only with insults...

"(Y/n), look at what he pulled this time!" he showed her his phone.

Damian replied with 'انتا حمار'.

"The heck does that mean?!"

"Enta...Hmar." she slowly read.

"Y...You know what that means?!"

"Yes. I've started to learn Arabic for a while now."

"Why- Wait, don't tell me!" he raised a hand.

"In case Master Damian wants us to communicate in secret."

"Of course." he sighed. "So... Do you know what that means?"

She took his hand so she could look at the message again, humming.

"He's insulted your mother, your father," she counted on her fingers. "your grandparents, your pets, your neighbors, your teachers-"

'Jesus fucking christ.'

After that, Dick stopped messaging Damian...For a week, then he sent him some more memes.

This happened during (Y/n)'s first year of apprenticeship in the manor, before she met Damian or even Dick. She spent her day just like any other, working hard and learning all she could. 

"(Y/n)," Alfred said as the two of them set up the table for dinner. "could you go to the wine cellar and bring out one of the bottles from 1850?"

'Oh my! Tonight must be a special occasion.'

"Sure thing, Alfred." she nodded before rushing away.

The cellar was dark and dusty, it scared her a little bit and she hesitated to even step in. But then she shook her head.

'I was given a mission, I must carry it out, as a servant of the Waynes!' she thought with a look of determination.

The bottle was heavy, she had to carry it in her arms. She went back to the dining room with quick but careful steps. She pushed open the door with her back.

"I got it, Alfre-" she froze once she realized that all the lights were turned off.

Well, not exactly. On the table, there was a colorful cake with ten lit candles on it. Alfred was holding it on a trail, singing happy birthday while walking up to her with Bruce.

"Happy tenth birthday (Y/n)." Bruce smiled once the song was over.

The young girl just stared at the cake with big eyes, her mouth agape.

"You said you didn't have a favorite cake." Alfred said. "So I went for a classic chocolate cake."

The two men's eyes widened when they saw the tears flowing down her face. Their hearts ached a little, they knew why she was crying. 

"Your birthday was on your resume." Bruce spoke softly. 

She carefully placed the bottle on the table and went to hug Bruce, wrapping her arms around his waist as she kept crying quietly. 

"Thank you, Mister Wayne."

"Mister? How casual of you." he caressed her hair. "Now, hurry up and make a wish."

"A wish?"

"It's a birthday tradition." Alfred said as he placed the cake on the table and pulled up a chair for her. "You make a wish and try to blow out all the candles at the same time."

"Ah, I see..." she sat down and thought for a moment. "I wish for chocolate cake to be my favorite cake!" she quickly exclaimed before blowing out all the candles.

She gave them a big proud smile.

"...You're not supposed to say it out loud." Bruce said. "Now it won't come true."

She gasped.

"Oh no! B-But that doesn't mean I won't like it!" she turned to Alfred. "It just means that I'll one day come across a cake that will be my favorite!"

"I take no offense, no worries." he said as he took the candles off and started to cut the cake.

That was when (Y/n) noticed that while she was gone, Alfred had set another plate on the table for her. She cried again, and she kept complimenting the food and thanking the two men.

For the present year, Dick came over with a big present for her. Tim sent one over through mail. And Damian texted her. 

"I'm off, Master Wayne." (Y/n) said, dressed in her casual outfit after preparing her duffle bag.

"Alright, have a good Sunday. Be careful on your way home. And say hi to your parents for me."

"I will, Sir." she curtsied. "I will be back tomorrow."

She said goodbye to Alfred and left the manor, which looked gigantic from her point of view, even the front doors she had to push with her entire body weight. She walked through the fancy part of Gotham, where people – though they've gotten used to her – would look at her weird because of her outfit. She took a tramway to downtown and walked through the busy streets, unbothered by the loud chaos of Gotham around her. 

She then took the subway to the end of the line. There were a lot less people now. She put her bag's strap across her chest to make it harder to steal, and she kept a grip on it. Despite her precautions, she still looked relatively calm, as if it was a regular occurrence. It was. She walked through the small streets of the poorer parts of the city. And once she reached her neighborhood, some recognized her and said hello. They were all business owners, people she would frequently interact with before, while she ran her errands.

She was stopped by some thugs who offered her to help them steal from the Wayne manor. As always, she laid down all of the things that would prevent them from doing that, and she reminded them that she wasn't a thief. A weekly occurrence.

She reached her parents' apartment building and climbed the stairs. The elevator was forever 'out of service'.

"Father, mother! I'm home!" she exclaimed.

She was met with silence, but she didn't mind. She carefully closed the doors and locked all three locks before making her way through the dirty apartment. She went to the kitchen. Sure enough, her father was there, hurrying his way through both making a sandwich and gathering working papers.

"Hello father."

"Fuckin' hell!" he jumped, startled, but then his face lit up when he saw his daughter. "(Y/n)! It's Sunday already?!"

He rushed to give her a quick, but sincere hug.

"Yer mom's already gone to work. And I'm runnin' late!" he rushed back to his preparation.

"Would you like me to make that sandwich for you?" she asked as she put her bag aside and went up to the counter.

"Oh yeah! Thanks!" he ran out and she began to calmly finish preparing his lunch. "I gotta find these papers, me and the guys have to sign a contract with that other company 'cause we're workin' on the same building and I gotta bring some certificates or whatever!"

"Have you checked on top of the bookshelf?" she asked loudly enough for him to hear. "You always absentmindedly place things there."

"You and your fancy speech- where'd you get that from?!"

Not her job. She's spoken like this her whole life.

"Is it there?"

A moment passed, during which she wrapped up his lunch and put it in a box. Her father walked in, documents in hand, and gave her a kiss on the head.

"You're a life =saver, hun." 

She gave him his lunch. And he quickly walked out.

"Have a good day at work, father." she smiled. "Oh! And-!"

The door slammed shut. She sighed. She looked around at the sorry state of the kitchen. She went around the apartment, she checked the tv, it wasn't working well, neither did some of the light.

"Well then," she tied her hair up. "let's get to it."

When she said she wasn't a thief, that was true! She only borrowed some cleaning products from the manor.

Now, compared to the Wayne manor, this was nothing! It was only more difficult regarding the gravity of the filth. She was finished by lunch time, and she took this opportunity to call her mom. At first, she thought it was her dad – since (Y/n) was calling from their home's landline – and she began to yell at him

"Hello mother. It's me."

"(Y/n)! By Jove is it Sunday already?!"

"It is. How is your day so far?"

"Oh you know how it is, Sweetheart. But hearin' your voice just gave me the boost I needed!"

A big smile formed on her face.

"I'm happy to hear that."

"You're not... You're not cleaning the apartment, are ya?"

"I've already finished, actually."

"Already?! You're gettin' faster by the week!"

She chuckled.

"You don't have to do this y'know?"

"I know, but I like doing it."

That was one of the reasons. The other was that she knew her parents didn't have time to properly clean their home.

"Alright. I'll see you and your father tonight okay?"

"Okay."

"Remember, if someone knocks-"

"I don't answer."

"And if someone tries to break in?"

"I say I have a gun and I don't call the police."

"That's my girl! Ow shit, I gotta go. Bu-byyye kiss kiss!" she said before hanging up.

(Y/n) sighed. She looked through the kitchen to see what ingredients there were and thought for a moment. She then put on an apron and started cooking a fancy diner. One of the many recipes she learned at Wayne manor. She spent all afternoon on it and filled the table with carefully plated dishes. She wiped the sweat off her forehead and huffed.

"They should be here in thirty minutes or so." she told herself as she looked at the time. "Hopefully it's still warm once they're back. I did take less time than expected." she giggled. "I am getting better at this!"

As she admired her work, she thought for a bit and remembered something.

"Oh... Oh." her eyebrows furrowed. "My mistake."

She picked up the dishes and each put them in tupperwares which she then put in the fridge. She wrote 'have a good day at work!' with a poorly but sincerely drawn heart on a post-it note which she placed where her parents would find it upon opening the fridge.

She then sat on the couch and watched tv.

A short while later, the door opened.

"(Y/n)!!!" both her parents called out.

"Father! Mother!" she hopped off the couch and ran to hug them.

She paused when she saw the pizza boxes in her father's arms.

'I was right to listen to my instincts.'

"Pizza niiight! To celebrate you being here!" he beamed. "Must be different from all yer fancy three course diners over at Wayne's, huh?" he laughed.

"At least she's well fed!" her mom glared at him. "Look at my baby." she pinched her cheeks. "She is glowin'!"

(Y/n) laughed.

"But, it's true that I haven't had pizza in so long." she smiled. "I'd be happy to eat it with you."

"Alriiight! Let's get some plates and dig in!"

As they went to the table, the parents noticed the place was squeaky clean now.

"(Y/n)! Ya cleaned again!"

"Do you like it?"

"Looks like an actual liveable place now! But it's supposed to be yer day off, ya shouldn't be workin'."

"I did it because I wanted to. I'm a stress cleaner."

"Gosh you're just like me when I was your age." her mother cupped her own face in her hands.

"Sure. Minus the politeness." her dad mumbled.

"What was that?!"

"Nothin' sweety, nothin'!" he became tense.

(Y/n) laughed. The three of them had a lovely diner and told each-other about their work and what's been going on. (Y/n) wished she could share all of the exciting stuff that's been happening. But she only said the parts regarding her apprenticeship. And besides, her parents had a lot to share too.

The next day, she woke up at her usual time: five in the morning. She was disappointed she wouldn't see the look on their faces when they saw the lunch she left for them in the fridge, but she had to leave for the manor.

"Welcome back, (Y/n)." Alfred told her once he saw her. "Did you enjoy your day off?"

"It was, yes." she beamed. "I had fun." she gasped. "Oh no. I didn't say hello from Master Wayne!"

He chuckled.

"You must've been so busy enjoying your parents' company."

"Yes... Yes." she nodded.

Later on, her parents called her phone from their landline. They sounded overwhelmed by the gift she left them. It made her really happy.

Chapter Text

While out of patrol, Damian has noticed the decorations all around Gotham. Well, he would've been blind if he didn't. Everyone was very excited for this 'Christmas', it was all over Gotham, all over the news, the internet, everywhere.

And his father... Never acknowledged it. He was unsure why, but he didn't much care for it.

Until after the first week of December, when he spotted Penny pacing around in front of Bruce's office, who was working at home today. She was breathing deeply and fiddling with her nails.

"Penny." he went up to her.

She faced him, with perfect posture.

"Master Damian, how can I help you?"

"My suit has been damaged during patrol. And my batarangs need sharpening."

"Oh! Yes of course, lead the way."

The two of them went to Damian's room to grab his suit and gadgets. They first went to the tailor room. Truth be told, Damian was curious about the reasons of her distress. Since she has yet to talk about it, he supposed he'll have to ask, in his own way.

"You were nervous about something." he said.

"Mmh?" she looked up from the sewing machine. "Oh yes, I want to make a request to Master Bruce."

"An official paid position as a servant of the Wayne's?"

She chuckled.

"I'm not ready for that just yet. I... I would like to put up Christmas decorations around the manor." she looked down.

"...What's Christmas?"

"Huh?" she looked at him with big eyes.

Damian didn't repeat himself. Penny leaned back, flabbergasted.

"Only the best holiday in the world! You don't know what Christmas is?!"

"The al Ghul's aren't exactly the festive bunch."

"Ah, yes of course. Apologies." she bowed her head and kept working. "Christmas is when Santa Claus brings presents to all of the nice children in the world."

"Santa Claus?"

"Yes!" she beamed. "He lives in the North Pole with all of his elves, and they work all year to make toys for all of the children in the world. Santa also keeps an eye on them to make sure they're nice. If they're not, they don't get any presents. Throughout December, every child sends a letter to him, asking what we want for Christmas. And on Christmas night, he goes around the world on a flying sleigh to deliver all of the toys."

There was a moment of silence.

"And sometimes, people leave him milk and cookies by the fireplace." she said as she looked over her finished work. "Or even a carrot for the reindeers."

"That's... Ridiculous."

"No it's not." she said with a small frown.

"You really expect me to believe that such a magician exists?"

"Why wouldn't he?" she asked as she hung the suit somewhere in the room. "Batman is real, aliens like Superman are real, Greek gods are real. Why wouldn't Santa Claus be real?"

As they went to the blacksmith workshop in the tool shed, Damian thought some more about Penny's description. A powerful magician who rules over the North Pole, has the power to travel the world at light speed and can keep an eye on anyone in the world? The image he had in his mind was widely different from the one (Y/n) had.

"Tell me more about this Santa Claus." he told her. "How does he access people's homes?"

Her face lit up, she was happy to answer any questions he had while she worked. When she said that Santa was immortal, Damian's eyes lit up.

"He's just like Grandfather."

"Oh absolutely not." (Y/n) frowned. "Santa would never use his powers to harm anyone. He only brings joy to people!"

"That is a waste of his powers. He could use them for a greater cause."

"What greater cause is there? Christmas is all about giving to others and cherishing the people in your life."

"I take it you're fond of this holiday."

"I love Christmas." she beamed. "My parents get an entire day off and we'd spend it together." she looked at the finished batarangs and she handed them back to him. "These are starting to get dull."

Damian took them and threw one to the wall.

"Does its job." he smirked. "Good job, Penny. You can go to father now."

"Oh I do hope he accepts." she said as they made their way back to the manor.

"Why wouldn't he?"

"Master Bruce doesn't celebrate Christmas."

"Why?"

"I don't know..." she looked down.

The two kids stood in front of the office door. (Y/n) gulped and knocked on the door.

"Come in."

"Master Bruce?" she opened the door. "May we converse?"

"Sure, (Y/n)." he gestured her to come closer, not looking away from the business documents on his laptop. "What is it you want to talk about?"

"Thank you." she stood in front of his desk while Damian stayed by the doorway. "Um..." she cleared her throat. "As you know, Sir, it's December."

"Yes, it is."

"Christmas is approaching."

"I told you, we don't celebrate Christmas here in the manor." he said with a neutral tone.

"I-I know. But can't we just put up decorations?" she joined her hands together. "I know the perfect place to put up a tree-"

"That'd just be a waste of space, time and money."

"Oh please, Master Bruce, just decorations! It's Master Damian's first ever Christmas, I want him to get to experience some of it at least. Since his existence has yet to be announced to the public, he can only do it here."

"Unless you want Robin to mingle with the common folks." Damian smirked, leaning against the doorway.

Bruce glanced at his son. He looked back and forth between the two kids. Finally, he sighed.

"If it's just decoration, I suppose it's alright."

(Y/n)'s face lit up.

"But do not touch my room, nor my office." he pointed at her.

"Yes Sir! Thank you!" she saluted before leaving in a rush. "Alfreeeed! We must go buy a tree!"

Bruce sighed again, then realized that Damian was still staring at him. He stared back. A moment later, Damian lot out a 'heh' and left. Now alone, Bruce leaned back in his seat, rubbing his forehead.

"Ah, Master Bruce!" (Y/n) peeked her head back in the office. "Would you like anything in particular while me and Alfred are shopping?"

"...I'm alright, thank you." he smiled.

"Alright." she nodded with a big smile. "Merry Christmas, Sir." she said before leaving.

"...What's so merry about Christmas?" he whispered to himself before getting back to work, to occupy his mind.

Decorating the Wayne manor took an entire week and a half. It also took a while to find the perfect pine tree. It took up the entire hallway, and it was wrapped up!

"Right this way please, in the ballroom." (Y/n) escorted the delivery men. "It's where the ceiling is higher."

Alfred helped them put up and unwrap the pinetree. It opened itself and doubled in size like a fluffy dog drying itself.

"Wow..." (Y/n) looked up at it. "It's beautiful!"

"A very good choice Wayne made." one of the delivery men wiped some sweat off of his forehead as they all admired the tree for a moment. "Say," he looked at Alfred. "is it safe to assume the Wayne Christmas Gala's makin' a comeback?"

"The what?" (Y/n) tilted her head.

Alfred's expression became sombre.

"I'm afraid not." he said. "However, we hope this could be a step to recovery."

The delivery men sighed, clearly disappointed.

"Well, let's hope it happens sooner than later. Merry Christmas to ya."

"Would you like anything to drink or eat before leaving?" (Y/n) asked out of instinct.

"D'aww how nice of ya, sweetheart!" he pinched her cheek. "Nah we got more deliveries to do."

"And it'll be a lot faster now that we got a huge weight off!" his colleague added and they both laughed.

(Y/n) and Alfred accompanied them to the door.

"Merry Christmas to you both. And to Wayne too, of course."

"Merry Christmas!" the two servants waved.

When they got back to the ballroom, Damian was looking up at the tree.

"Impressive." he said.

"Just wait until it's decorated." (Y/n) smiled as she stood beside him. "It will be magical! You can help us decorate it if you want."

"Why would I do your job?" he gave her a weird look.

"Setting up decorations is an essential part of Christmas. It's a lot of fun!"

"We'll see about that." he folded his arms, looking back at the tree.

Her smile widened. He accepted!

"What is the Wayne Christmas Gala, Pennyworth?"

"Oh, right!" she said as the two of them turned around to look at her mentor. "What is that?"

Alfred sighed.

"You see, children, every year, Thomas and Martha Wayne would organized a gala to celebrate Christmas. They would invite every local business owner, no matter how poor, to come with their families."

"That sounds wonderful!" (Y/n) exclaimed. "Why doesn't Master Bruce keep up with that tradition?"

"Because it's a 'Christmas' gala." Damian looked at her.

"He could rebrand it to 'Winter Gala', there would be no problem there."

"I'm afraid the problem runs deeper than that." Alfred said. "The truth is... Thomas and Martha Wayne died on Christmas day."

(Y/n) gasped and covered her mouth, her and Damian's eyes wide open.

"I knew it was in winter but..." she said quietly. "I didn't know it was on Christmas."

"The board at Wayne Enterprise kept the news away from the public until after the new years. Said they didn't want 'that kind of PR during the holiday season'."

That broke (Y/n)'s heart.

"That's terrible... How could they be so heartless?"

"People working in billion dollar corporations are heartless to the core, Penny." Damian said, his fists clenched. "The world is lucky that father is an exception."

"Ever since then, Master Bruce stopped celebrating Christmas." Alfred shook his head. "Nowadays, on Christmas Eve and on Christmas, Bruce is pushed aside, and only Batman remains."

"So that what happened doesn't happen again." (Y/n)'s gaze wandered.

There was a moment of silence. The doorbell rang, she gasped.

"It must be the decorations we ordered!" she beamed before rushing away.

The three of them spent the rest of the day decorating the manor. Damian did have fun. Meanwhile, Bruce decided to take a break from working. He stretched his back with a grunt. He then picked up the desk phone and called Alfred's line.

"Alfred?!" he called out. "Could you bring me a coffee?"

But he received no answer. He frowned and stood up.

"Alfred?!" he called as he opened the door. "(Y-)?!"

He was caught off guard by the colors that now adorned the hallways of his manor. Red, gold and green.

'How are they so fast?' he wondered.

He heard a familiar laughter and followed it to the ballroom. He first noticed the pine tree, which was definitely over the size limit he implemented. It was being decorated by both (Y/n) and Damian. The boy was using his agility to climb the walls and decorate the top half of the tree while the maid decorated the bottom part, safely on the ground if not going up a small ladder.

"What do you want for Christmas, Master Damian?" she asked.

They haven't noticed Bruce, since he was on the other side of the large ballroom. But he could hear their conversation.

"Mmh..." he thought for a moment. "A new sword."

"Santa doesn't deliver weapons." her eyebrows furrowed. "He only brings toys."

"I have no need for toys." he frowned.

"Maybe because you've never had one. No worries, for I brought..." she searched her pockets and took out a magazins that she then brandished in the air. "Ta-daaa! This year's toy catalogue!"

"I don't see how anything in this will interest me more than a sword." he said as he slid down a pillar and faced her.

"Let's have a look, shall we?" she opened it and stood by his side for him to see. "Besides, scouting over the toy catalogue is another essential step of Christmas."

"Why even ask for things that already exist? Like here," he pointed at an item she had previously circled with a big red marker. "I could go and buy you a giant teddy-bear right now. Why wait for Santa to bring it?"

"Huh." she tilted her head. "You do bring up a good point. But I'm lucky enough to have you. A lot of kids like me can't normally afford their toys."

"I guess." he folded his arms.

"Do you need anything, Sir?"

Bruce flinched and turned around. He sighed when he saw Alfred. His voice also caught the attention of the two kids.

"A coffee, please."

"Very well." he nodded. "I see the children are also taking a break." he looked at them.

"We're just figuring out what Master Damian would want for Christmas!" (Y/n) exclaimed so that they could hear.

"I still just want a sword." Damian said.

"Carry on." Alfred said before he and Bruce walked away. "How do you like the decor, Sir? They've worked really hard on it."

"Hurts my eyes. I'm going back to my office."

"...Very well."

They've reached the office, Bruce was about to go inside while Alfred would keep going to go to the kitchen.

"One more thing, Sir." he said, making Bruce pause. "If Master Damian does want something for Christmas...?"

Bruce took a moment to stare at the door, his grip on the doorknob tightened.

"If he ever brings it up to you, remind him that we don't celebrate Christmas here."

And with that, he went into his office and closed the door behind him, a little harder than he intended to. Alfred let out a long sigh, feeling a tightness in his chest.

It was now a week before Christmas Eve. Damian and Bruce were sparring in the batcave while Alfred and (Y/n) were in the manor, working. Well, (Y/n) was supposed to work, but there she was, sitting in a corner, deep in thought and writing on a little notepad from time to time, something she acquired a few weeks ago. A knock at the door brought her back to reality. Since she was the closest, she exclaimed 'I got it!' as she rushed to the entrance hall. She opened the door and gasped in delight.

"Wow!" he said. "Love what you did with the place!"

She quickly led the guest to the batcave.

"Master Bruce! Look who's here!"

"Ho ho ho!" Dick walked in, his arms open. "Merry Christmas!"

Both Bruce and Damian sighed, for different reasons.

"Would you like to join us, Grayson?" Damian smirked, still in a fighting stance. "I'd be happy to welcome you."

"You're too kind, but I won't be long." he walked past him and up to Bruce.

"What do you want, Dick?" Bruce walked away to get some water and a towel.

"I wanted to send a text, but since you left me on read last year, I'm here now." he smiled.

"If it's the same as last year then you know what my answer will be." he drank a few sip and wiped the sweat off his forehead.

"Oh come on, Bruce." he sighed. "You're still hellbent on pretending like Christmas doesn't exist? You'd think having two children under your roof would finally warm up that ice cube heart of yours. I would've thought otherwise when I saw the new decor."

"(Y/n) begged me to let them decorate. And I had to hold them down for not touching the batcave."

"Oh man! Christmas lights in the batcave?!" he laughed and looked at the small maid. "I'll help you, he can't stop all of us."

"Don't you dare." Bruce glared at him.

"Why are you here, Grayson?" Damian asked.

"Well, since Bruce never celebrates Christmas, me and the other ex-Robins do it together at my place." he smiled. "Every year, I invite him but-"

"Batman doesn't celebrate Christmas." Bruce said.

(Y/n) tilted her head with a sad expression. Whenever Master Bruce would refer to himself as Batman, it never meant anything good. Though she could hardly put her finger on what it specifically meant.

"It's just one night a year." Dick rolled his eyes. "Surely Batman can take a night off-"

"Crime doesn't rest. Christmas is just an inconvenience to me."

(Y/n) gasped but quickly covered her mouth to not disturb their conversation.

"Criminals can easily use the celebrations as a cover," he continued. "the lights around the city make it difficult to have a visual of the streets, along with all of the music and noise. Christmas makes my job more difficult than ever. That's why I must be even more focused that night, and not eat a cheap dinner like everything was right in the world." he glanced at Dick.

The young man frowned.

"Not everything is right in the world. I'm not an idiot. " he said in a dry tone. "But that's precisely why Christmas is so important. It's a reminder to appreciate everything you have."

(Y/n) nodded at these words. Bruce turned his back on him again. Dick's expression softened.

"I know you're hurt, I really do. But you can't keep looking back while you have so much right in front of you."

"...It was good seeing you, Dick."

Dick scoffed.

"Come on! You know Jason comes over because he knows you never do?!"

"All the better for him then." he looked at him with a cold expression. "Unless you want me to come arrest him, you will drop the subject."

"Arrest him?! You two- Mmh! No! No." he raised his hands, his eyes tightly shut. "This isn't my conversation to have with you." he took a sharp breath. "Well. I tried. Merry Christmas to you, Batman."

"You know the way out."

"I do, yes. I've lived in this damn place for half of my life now."

He started to walk away but stopped in front of Damian.

"...You never celebrated Christmas before, huh?"

"How do you-?"

"I can tell." he smiled. "You can have dinner with us. You'd get to meet all the other Robins."

"What makes you think I'd want to have a cheap dinner in your tiny apartment?" he frowned.

"The invite extends to you too (Y/n), obviously." he pointed at her.

Now Damian was tempted to go.

"Oh I would love to, Master Richard." she smiled. "But... I wanted to take this opportunity to request my emergency day off."

(Y/n) had a day off every Sunday, however she could cash in an emergency day off one day per month. Truthfully, Bruce said 'one per week', but she thought it 'sounded too childish' and so imposed this monthly rule upon herself.

"Which day?" Bruce asked.

"Why, Christmas day of course." she beamed.

"Of course." he sighed. "You can have that day off. Just don't party too much and be late the next morning."

"Yes, Sir." she saluted.

"Always so compassionate." Dick shook his head. "Well, Damian, I'll text you the address." he patted his head.

"I did not say I'd go!" he glared at the young man as he walked away.

"Say hi to your folks for me, (Y/n)." he smiled and ruffled her hair.

"Will do!" she nodded. "And please send my regards to Master Drake and Mister Todd- Oh wait! I made presents for them! Please come with me!"

"You made presents?" Damian blinked twice.

"Of course I did, in my free time." she smiled before walking off with Dick.

She casted one last look at Bruce, who seemed to be actively ignoring the conversation. And as she and Dick left, he promptly told Damian to get back to sparring.

She felt a tightness in her chest.

Today was Christmas Eve, in the Wayne manor, this was just a day like any other. Except that Bruce put on his costumes earlier than usual, and was right now sitting at the batcomputer, ready to go on patrol as soon as the Sun set. Damian and (Y/n) walked in, the two of them dressed in their casual outfits. Since tomorrow was (Y/n)'s day off, she was to go home today after her shift was over.

"We're leaving, Father." Damian spoke.

"Very well." he said, not looking back.

"Do be careful on your patrol tonight." (Y/n) said. "And Merry Christmas to you, Sir."

"Good night, (Y/n). Give my regards to your parents."

Her eyebrows furrowed.

"Yes, Sir." she managed to keep a neutral tone despite her sad expression.

Damian glanced at her then back at Bruce.

"Merry Christmas, Father."

Bruce glanced back and watched as they left.

"He can't even say it back." she sighed once the two of them exited the batcave and walked through the manor's hallways. "I didn't think he despited Christmas this much."

"Given what happened, and knowing him, it's pretty understandable." Damian shrugged. "Father can be quite sentimental."

"Sentimental? He seems to be the opposite of that. As soon as December started, it's like he locked his heart away."

They made a stop to the giant pine tree. (Y/n) crouched under it and took out two boxes from her duffle bag. One rectangular and thin, the other almost a perfect cube, both neatly wrapped with a pretty bow, and both labeled 'to Master Bruce'.

"In the end, I couldn't decide." she gave Damian an embarrassed smile before carefully putting the two presents under the tree. "So I opted for both."

"I thought Santa was delivering the presents." he raised an eyebrow.

"That is true. But I find that the presents you make yourself are much more magical." she smiled, staring at the two boxes. "I just hope Master Bruce won't get upset when he sees them."

"If he does, then he really has become heartless." he frowned.

The two of them said goodbye to Alfred before stepping out of the manor. (Y/n) adjusted her thick puffer jacket and blew air into her palms.

"I'm glad you accepted Master Richard's invitation." she said as they walked to the gates.

"I keep hearing about Todd and Drake, I want to see them with my own eyes. Especially Todd, see if he's as scary as you say he is."

"He is a little scary." she smiled, her eyebrows furrowed. "But he is nice- And certainly not as scary as you are, Sir!"

"Obviously. That goes without saying." he huffed.

"Do you have a present for the three of them?"

"No. I asked Santa to bring them something they'd like."

"Ooooh that's really clever!"

He smirked. Once they stepped through the gates, they faced each-other.

"Are you positive you don't want my help?" he asked.

"We'll be okay." she waved a hand. "I've been preparing for almost the whole month. Besides, I don't want you to miss this dinner."

"Still, I've seen your neighborhood. It's-"

"It's home. I'll be fine." she smiled. "Merry Christmas, Damian."

"...Merry Christmas, Penny." he nodded. "If you see signs of any trouble, text me."

"No worries." she started walking backwards. "Batman will be having his eyes peeled on all of Gotham tonight."

She waved, and the two of them went their separate ways. (Y/n) had a pep in her step and she was humming all the way home.

The Sun had set, Batman was jumping from roof to roof like his life depended on it. He had a list of all of Gotham's most wanted villains, and he planned to visit all of them, to make sure they don't try anything.

So far, he's crashed Joker's and Harley's 'Christmas Joker Jamboree' party, he's locked Poison Ivy inside her greenhouse, destroyed Hatter's workshop along with all of his gadget, knocked out Two-face, the Riddler, Bane, Killer Croc, Black Mask and more. Let it be noted that none of these people were actually up to anything nefarious. Still, Batman did it to be sure they wouldn't even think about it. Catwoman could tell something was going on when he left her tied up somewhere without even acknowledging her attempts at flirting.

"Way to leave a lady hanging, Bats." she mumbled to herself. "On Christmas too."

Next on his list was the Penguin, who was stepping out of one of his casinos after winning a lot of money. He was walking with his goons, talking about giving a Christmas bonus, to himself that is. As they walked into a back alley to get to their car, Batman jumped down from the roof and landed on the roof of the vehicle, starting the men.

"Batman? What do you want?" Penguin glared. "I won this money fair and square, like a good boy! Nothing illegal!"

Batman hopped off and slowly approached them while they stepped back.

"What, you're gonna beat us for no reason?! Now that's illegal!"

"You forget," he said. "I follow my own law."

"G-Get him boys!"

And just like that, he and the goons started fighting. Batman striked first before they could even touch him. Penguin was keeping his distance, trying to shoot at Batman with his umbrella-gun, but it was rather difficult considering the cramped space the fight was going on in. He'd sometimes hit his own men, but didn't really care that much. Finally, since the Bat was standing between him and the car, he opted to just run away.

With the last henchmen collapsing from concussion, Batman noticed the Penguin running and narrowed his eyes before following him deeper into the alley. Penguin was scared, he wasn't even looking back. It was strangely quiet now, with just his shallow breath echoing through the dark space. None of them questioned this strange change though, both of them too focused on their individual goal to notice. Penguin turned a corner and Batman picked up the pace.

"Hello, Bruce."

Said man froze when he saw the man who was now facing him: Tall, big, a big red coat bordered with black fur, a black ushanka, a long white beard.

"Don't worry, it's just us now." he spoke with a russian accent.

"Who are you?" Bruce asked, in a fighting stance. "Where's the Penguin?"

"As frosty as ever." he laughed." Oswald's on his way home for Christmas, of course." he smiled. "His sister got out of prison, he's very excited to see her again. I was thinking I'd give them a matching set of-"

Batman ran past him, not caring about what the man said, now that he knew where his target was. He turned around the corner but was faced once again with the mysterious man. It was then that he noticed the mist.

"The newest version of Scarecrow's fear gas?" he took out his batarangs.

"Fear? No no no. Not me." he shook his head, hurt by the assumption.

"What do you want?"

"I am simply stopping by to deliver a message, and then I will be on my way."

"A message?"

"Eh... More like an announcement." he nodded to himself. "You see, Bruce-"

"I don't know why you're calling me by that name. I am Batman."

"Well, Batman." he mimicked his voice as he said the same. "You've been cursed."

There was a moment of silence.

"Who cursed me?"

"Trust me, it won't matter in a second." he laughed.

"And why?"

"Why? Come on friend, you're being a sourpuss on Christmas Eve!" he gestured towards him. "And so, you will be visited by the three ghosts of Christmas."

"The three ghosts of-" he sighed. "I don't have time for this."

"I am also a busy man, but I always make time for everyone. As you should."

"You will get me out of wherever this is." he pointed at the ground.

"Oh this isn't my doing. The curse has already started."

"What is this curse?" he pressed.

"That's up to you to find out, Bruce." he spoke softly.

"...Who are you?"

The man just laughed.

"World's greatest detective!" he kept laughing as he left.

Batman followed him but once he turned the corner, he was back in the alleyway were the Penguin's car and his passed out goons were. He looked behind and around him, confused but keeping a stoic expression. He shook his head, trying to shrug off this strange conversation that happened, and began to handcuff the henchmen. He then left an anonymous tip to the GCPD to come and get them before he went back up to the roof.

He was making his way to the Penguin's house when he stopped in his tracks once again. But this time, he was really caught off guard.

"Hello, Bruce."

The young man stood proud and tall, with his arms folded, his face covered with a bright red helmet.

"Red Hood...?" Bruce mumbled in disbelief.

"Jason. He has a name." he tilted his head. "And no, I'm not him."

Batman frowned, silently demanding an explanation.

"I'm the ghost of Christmas past."

"...You seriously think I'm going to believe that."

"What, you want proof?" he sounded annoyed. "Here I'll give you one. You've never seen what's under this thing, right?" he pointed at the helmet.

He removed it and Batman's eyes widened. The young man had a head and a face. But Batman – with his unparalleled focus and his attention to details – could not make out any discernible feature. It was blurry, constantly shifting. One second he had black hair, the next there was a white streak in them, the next it was all white or he had no hair at all. Even as the ghost put the helmet back on, he couldn't pinpoint anything he saw. Like trying to remember a dream.

"That means you've never looked him in the eyes." he shook his head. "That's cold."

"So you're a part of this curse that someone put on me. Are you here to fight?" he narrowed his eyes.

"Of course that's your first response when you see this guy. No wonder he hates your guts. Aggression is met with aggression, you know."

Hearing such pacifist things come out of Red Hood's mouth was a little unsettling to Batman.

"I'm here to show you the past. It's in the name, idiot."

Now that sass, that sounded just like Jason.

"I don't need to see the past, I remember it clearly. I remember it everyday." Batman's voice became graver.

"Still, you could use a reminder. Come on." he raised a hand for him to take.

Batman stared at it, not moving an inch. Another unsettling image.

"Why did you choose this form?"

"I didn't. You did."

The ghost started walking backwards until he was on the edge of the roof. That was when Bruce instinctively took a step towards him.

"...Huh." the ghost tilted his head. "Well come on now. Before it's too late..." he said that last part mimicking a creepy voice before laughing and taking a step back, casually falling off the roof.

Batman rushed up the edge to look down into the street. But there was no street, only a bottomless darkness. No ghost-Jason anywhere in sight. Still, he jumped.

He landed – a lot earlier than he expected – on what sounded like a wooden surface. He was still in the dark though.

"You're so weird."

He stood up and saw the ghost who was looking at him up and down with his hands on his hips.

"You act like such an asshole to this poor guy, yet you run to his aid at the first sign of danger."

"Where are we?"

"Just look around."

He did, the darkness began to dissipate, starting from the floor then up the walls, revealing the room they were now in. A small apartment, the size of his bedroom. Very shabby, very old, with cheap Christmas decorations. Batman has never been here before, but he knew what this place was. An apartment complex in the poorer part of Gotham.

"Why bring me here?" he looked at the ghost.

The ghost wasn't going to answer, but before Batman realized that, he heard a small cry of pain. The two of them looked over and saw black smoke coming from the kitchen area.

"No no no no no no no!"

They heard the oven open, and soon after that, two small hands pushed a burnt turkey on the counter. Using a small step ladder, (Y/n) popped out from under the counter to look at the damage. She looked to be about eight years old. She began to cry.

"(Y/n)." Bruce went up to her. "It's alright."

"She can't see you, Bruce." the ghost said.

Indeed, the little girl was completely unaware of his presence. Bruce walked back to the ghost, who stared at him and snickered.

"She should open the windows." Bruce mumbled, clearly embarrassed though his tone was perfectly neutral.

Through her tears, she flipped through a cooking book, holding it with shaky hands. Batman could see the public library stamp on the cover. She froze when there was a knock at the door. She leaned to the side to look at it, along with Batman and the ghost.

"(Y/n), devochka?"

The young girl gasped and shut the book. She loudly sniffed and wiped her tears as she made her way to the door, moving past the two men. She intensely fanned her eyes for a moment before opening the door just a little bit, the chain still attached. On the other side was an old lady.

"Hello Mrs. Bukov." (Y/n) said with a timid voice.

"Hello devochka." she spoke softly. "Is everything all right? I heard crying."

She shook her head.

"I wasn't crying."

"Of course not," she chuckled. "a strong girl like you. What are you doing in there?"

"Cooking a turkey. I'm just having trouble with the oven."

"Oh. Your mother did mention it being old. You can use mine if you want."

(Y/n) became tense again.

"I'm okay, thank you."

"...If you say so." she smiled. "Still, if you want to visit, do so. I don't want you to spend Christmas alone."

"Thank you, Mrs. Bukov, I will keep your invitation in mind." she bowed her head. "Good day to you."

She closed the door and locked all three locks. Before letting out a big sigh of relief.

"She used to think her neighbors was a witch." the ghost whispered to Batman. "Always scared she'd eat her if she made her angry." he chuckled.

(Y/n) only now noticed the black smoke floating around the apartment, she gasped and opened the windows in a panic. She then went back to her turkey to review the recipe. She concluded that the problem truly was the oven. And so she took out her father's tool box and began to work on repairing it.

"Working on Christmas, could you imagine?" the ghost glanced at Bruce. "But man," he looked around. "did she work hard."

Batman looked around too and, upon closer inspection, he realized that the cheap decoration was hand made with paper.

"Doing this all by herself, to surprise her parents when they come home from work."

"She had only her parents." Batman said in a grave voice. "She was keeping the apartment in check, doing any maintenance she could find, all to make it a proper home, to make sure they wouldn't spend any more of the little money they have."

"That's why she stopped going to school."

"That's why she came to me."

"Yeah, life isn't easy for this kid." he folded his arms. "Buuuuut..." his voice trailed off as he turned back to the kitchen.

Batman looked over to see that a few hours had passed. (Y/n) had finished making another dish made from the bits and pieces she was able to save from her first attempt. She smiled widely, proud of herself. Just then, the door opened.

"Father! Mother!" she ran over to hug them.

"We got dessert- Woah! Holy sh-!" her dad flinched when she jumped on him. "Aaaah here's my lil Christmas miracle!" he picked her up.

She laughed.

"I made dinner!" she beamed.

"You did?!" her mom's eyes widened. "But the oven is broken, I told you that!"

"I forgot, I apologize." she bowed her head. "But I made it work!"

"I gotta tell ya, honey," her dad sniffed around. "I can smell the deliciousness from here!"

Her parents went to the kitchen and marveled at what she made.

"Ohohohoho we are eating like kings tonight!"

"What did you bring for dessert?" (Y/n) tried to peek into the grocery bag.

"Oh no you don't." her mom raised it out of reach. "It's a surprise, sweetie." she booped her nose.

The small family then prepared the table, chatting about their day and laughing.

"They're very poor, they don't have a lot of friends nor family." the ghost said. "But they have each-other. Christmas gives them the opportunity to remember that. And the kid gets to be a kid." he went up to (Y/n) and leaned closer to her. "Not gonna tell them about the witch? Naaah, you don't want them to think you're scared. Good call." he patted her shoulder.

"Leave her be." Batman frowned.

"Oh come on now!" he stepped back. "Look at them, having a cheap dinner like everything was right in the world."

Bruce felt those words hit him.

"How dare they, right?" he added.

"Stop it." Batman pressed.

The ghost just stared at him.

"Are you sure you're not Jason?"

"Oh, speaking of which." he left the apartment.

"What?" Batman followed, confused.

The ghost walked across the floor and stopped in front of another apartment. Batman faced the door, noticing that it looked different from all of the others. The ghost gestured him to go ahead. Batman opened the door and the two of them walked in.

The place was dark. There were no Christmas decorations. He could hear a football game playing on the tv. They walked through a small hallway. It was the middle of the night, the view from the window was completely different. They were now in a different place in time and space. He stopped when he saw the living room, the only thing lighting up the place, in front of it was a man, drinking, wearing a factory uniform. Bruce recognized that man. He felt a tightness in his chest.

"A drunken bastard." the ghost kept walking.

Bruce noticed his bruised knuckled and felt a boiling anger in his stomach. He clenched his fists.

"Don't worry." he heard the ghost say. "He will die, three years from now."

"A workplace accident." he kept staring at the man.

"That's what happens when you show up to work drunk and you handle heavy machinery."

Bruce finally went to the ghost, who had stopped beside a door, leaning against the wall.

"Leaving behind a kid who won't miss him."

Bruce faced the door, but didn't move to open it. There was sobbing on the other side, muffled by the sound of the tv. The ghost opened the door with a little kick. The room was dark, but the lights of the city from the small window revealed what little there was in the small bedroom. Against the light, he could see the silhouette of a child, sitting on a chair and resting his arms and head against the windowsill. His breathing was irregular, shaky, sometimes there was a muffled whine.

"Kids, always trying to be tough." the ghost said. "This was before you met him. Before he was an orphan. Before he was a trouble-maker. Back when he was just 'Willis' kid'."

Bruce didn't move. He just stared at the back of the child's head. The ghost leaned over to look at his face.

"You want to fight him on sight, you run to his aid at the first sign of danger. But when he cries, you're too scared to move? You really are weird." he leaned back.

Bruce didn't listen. He kept staring, his lips pursed.

"...Jason-"

The kid stood up so fast, he knocked over the chair. He grabbed a jacket from his bed, a few tools, and snuck out the window. Before he left though, he glared towards the door, directly at Bruce.

"Fuck you old man." he whispered, his voice full of venom, before leaving.

"Yeaaaah kid! Become Jason the troubler-making brat!" the ghost clapped. "Don't let your old man ruin your Christmas!" he looked out the window with a raised fist. "And you know what?" he turned to Batman. "He never let him do that ever again."

From the sound of it, you could tell he was smirking. Batman glared at him.

"So is this the curse?" he asked. "Showing me a past that isn't even my own?"

"Relaaaax." he waved as he made his way out. "Man you're impatient!"

The two of them left the apartment and went to another one. The space was much bigger. This wasn't an apartment at all.

"Gotham orphanage." he said.

"Really? Could've fooled me, with all the orphans around." the ghost said with a familiar sarcasm.

They walked down a staircase but stopped midway through when they saw the Christmas party. Kids sitting around the tree, unpacking their new toys and playing with them. But there were no familiar faces.

"Donation toys." the ghost said. "The orphanage couldn't afford buying toys for all of these kids." he looked at him. "You ever donated to them?"

"All of my toys, I had no need for them anymore."

"All of them?"

"...Yes." he didn't look away from the children, though he could feel the ghost's stare.

"Mmh." he inhaled. "Anyway." he exhaled. "There's one kid missing."

"I have a feeling I know who."

"No shit detective." he said as they continued walking downstairs.

"There's a calendar on the wall there, the year indicates that we are during Jason's time as Robin-"

"I know. Crazy, it's almost like we're magically traveling through time or something." he turned to face him and walked backwards. "Who could've seen this coming? Not me, the ghost of Christmas past."

Bruce huffed a smile, something he himself wasn't aware of. Instead of joining the party, they went to one of the many rooms. There was a single boy, solving a new rubix cube before undoing it and starting again. Batman noticed the torn up wrapping paper at his feet, that was his Christmas present.

"Tim Drake." the ghost said, walking up to the boy. "He was always smarter than his peers, might have made him a good Robin, but in the orphanage, he was an outcast. It never really bothered him, but in times like Christmas... It hit harder than the rest of the year."

After solving the rubix cube – except instead of making all sides the same, he would make patterns with the different colors – Tim let out a heavy sigh. Then, a shadow went past the window, blocking the moonlight for a split second. Tim gasped and rushed to the window to see Batman passing by, going from roof to roof. The boy's eyes were sparkling upon seeing his hero.

"Not a big fan either, huh?" he asked, looking at the dark figure getting smaller and smaller. "Yeah..."

"Yeesh. So many sad kids tonight." the ghost rubbed the back of his neck. "Usually, the past part is the happier one..." he glanced at Batman.

Once the Batman from the past was out of sigh, Tim sighed and closed the curtains before going to bed.

"Man, imagine being a child and never experiencing the joy of Christmas?" the ghost walked up to the window and looked at Batman.

He frowned and said nothing.

"Thankfully, someone taught them. Someone who knows."

He opened the curtains, which were now as big as them. Behind it was the inside of a giant tent. They could hear music and laughter. They went in, into a big party of about a hundred people, sitting at tables on the stage of an empty circus.

"Merry Christmas!!!" they toasted.

"To another successful show!" the emcee added.

"That's more like it." the ghost nodded.

Despite the number of people, Bruce spotted the boy right away, as when he did, his gaze was fixed on him. Dick looked so young, so happy.

"Hey son," his father nudged him. "your mom and I got a present for ya."

The boy gasped. They gave him a new and improved costume. He gasped again and hugged them.

"He wanted a toy car that year." the ghost whispered to Batman. "Every time, they'd give him something that was far from what he wanted. But he wasn't dumb, he knew how poor his parents actually were. But everything they gave him, it was made by hand, and it was made with love. So he always acted as if they hit the nail."

"That's just what I wanted!" the boy exclaimed. "How did you know?!"

"Well," his mom puffed up her chest. "this is what we call parental instinct, son."

The ghost chuckled.

"Your boys were lucky to have him." he said.

"I was lucky too." Bruce quietly said.

"Oh so you're aware of that." he glanced at him. "Could've fooled me, with how your last interaction went."

With this reminder came a sense of shame. Bruce looked down, his eyes tightly shut.

"And with that, one last stop." he heard the ghost say.

He opened his eyes again. They were now standing on a tiled floor. Bruce looked up and around. His eyes became wide open. He recognized the place right away. This was the Wayne manor's ballroom, filled with Chritsmas decorations and with a tall pine tree in a corner. But it was different, the decorations weren't the same.

"Bruce?"

Bruce felt his heart drop, a chill ran down his spine. He hasn't heard that voice in decades. He turned around. His father, Thomas Wayne, entered the venue and was making his way up to him.

"What are you doing here?"

"D-Dad? You-"

"I told you, you have to wait until it's Christmas."

Now that Thomas was closer, Bruce realized he wasn't looking directly at him.

'Right.' he thought, not without a pain in his chest. 'These are just shadows of things that happened.'

He turned around and followed his father's line of sight.

"I can't wait, dad!"

Underneath the tree – where there also was a multitude of presents – there was a much younger Bruce. He was around Damian's age, looked just like him too, it made Bruce's heart a little tighter.

"I wanna know what you and mom bought me for Christmas!"

"All in due time, Bruce. Come on now, before your mother sees you."

Young Bruce laughed and rushed up to his father, who held his hand and escorted him out.

"You didn't believe in Santa?!" the ghost's voice brought Bruce back to the strange reality he was experiencing.

"Never did, since my parents bought me everything."

"Right." he huffed. "He wouldn't have brought you any presents anyway."

"Dad! Can we play in the snow?"

Their attention was brought back to the father and son.

"I'm sorry son, but I'm very busy and..." his voice trailed off when he saw young Bruce's sad expression. "Mmh... I guess that can wait."

The child's face lit up and he jumped from joy as he laughed.

"You have the job he had." the ghost looked at Batman. "Are you busy?"

"All the time. And thanks to advancements in technology, a lot of the work is now done automatically."

"So he was twice as busy as you are now with your day-job." he looked at Thomas. "What a cool dad."

"The best..." he nodded.

He heard laughter from the window. They both looked out to see Thomas and young Bruce, having a snow fight and making an Alfred snowman. Bruce couldn't help but chuckle.

"Christmas wasn't that bad back then, was it?"

"Winter and Christmas are two different things."

"I dunno," he looked towards the tree. "you looked pretty happy right now."

Bruce looked over to see his younger self opening his presents while his parents were sitting on a couch.

"Man, look at all these presents!" the ghost walked up to the opened ones to look inside. "You got as much as the entire orphanage! And you're going from one to the other- Savor it, kid!" he exclaimed as young Bruce moved on to the next one.

Bruce huffed a smile. But any amusement that began to grow was thrown out the window with just three words his younger self spoke.

"Is that it?"

Bruce felt his stomach twist, he remembered that night. He looked at his father, knowing what he was about to say.

"Actually, I have one last present for you." he took out a rectangular box from behind a cushion of the sofa. "I wanted to give it to you myself." he smiled as he handed it to him.

Young Bruce's face lit up and he rushed to take it. Just like he did with all of his presents, he shook the box a little to hear the sound it made, to try and deduce what was inside. He gasped in delight and opened it.

"It's the Swashb-!" his face fell.

He took out an old but well-kept nutcracker. He stared at it.

"My father gave it to me when I was your age," his father said. "and now it's your turn."

Now that he was taller, Bruce could see the look on his father's face when he said that. He was smiling, so happy to start this tradition, this toy might've meant a lot to him, after all he never spoke ill of his father. Bruce felt his heart shatter a little more, he pursed his lips.

"This isn't what I wanted!" young Bruce glared. "I wanted the Swashbuckle action figure!" he said as he threw the toy against the nearest wall, shattering it to pieces before running out of the room.

The scene around Bruce faded to black.

"You kept that nutcracker." the ghost beside him said. "It's up there with all your other heirlooms. But it's still in pieces." he glanced at him. "I guess as a reminder."

"I get it, let's leave now."

"I'm the one who decides if you 'got it' or not." he said, his tone quiet despite the stern words. "You're lucky you had the best parents. That night, to cheer you up, they made sure the theater was playing your favorite movie."

They were now outside, in front of the movie theater. There was a special re-showing of 'The Mask of Zorro'. Young Bruce and his parents stepped out.

"This movie gave me an idea. I know it wasn't the Swashbuckle toy you wanted." Thomas crouched and held his shoulders. "But I think maybe a Swashbuckle movie would be the next best thing." he smiled. "Would you like that?

Young Bruce huffed and looked to the side, pouting. Thomas sighed, looking down and Martha placed a hand on his shoulder with a comforting look.

"Alright boys," she linked her arm with his. "let's go home."

Young Bruce walked ahead of them, past Bruce. He didn't follow them, and kept his back turned as the three of them walked into the darkness of Crime Alley. The knot in his stomach twisted, making him feel sick. A moment of eerie silence passed before he heard two gunshots.

"Mom!!! Dad!!!"

Bruce closed his eyes, his head hung down as he clenched his shaky fists.

"Ever since then, Bruce Wayne stopped celebrating Christmas." he heard the ghost's voice, which had more of an echo now. "Every year, he takes a back seat and Batman takes the reins. Dick Grayson was denied Christmas for the first time when you took him in. He later realized that this would be one of the many times you pushed him away, starting the domino effect that made him leave. Same thing with Jason, same thing with Tim. You wouldn't even let your own son experience Christmas for the first time."

"Enough."

"These boys are lucky Dick was there to create a support system, away from you. You let them all down but they picked each-other up. In fact, Jason goes to that dinner party because he knows you'd never accept the invite. Kind of a bad sign when your kids assume the worst of you. But to be fair, they're right-"

"I said enough." he glared at him. "Take me back."

"Hey man," he raised his hands. "don't shoot the messenger, I'm just telling you what happened. I said the past part is happi-er, doesn't mean it actually is ha-"

Bruce grabbed him by the collar.

"Take me back to the present now." he said between his teeth.

The ghost laughed.

"I knew you'd snap! Someone owes me twenty bucks and a coke!"

Bruce tried to punch him, but the ghost swiftly dodged. The two of them began to fight but it didn't last long. The ghost wasn't fighting back, mostly dodging or deflecting the blows. When Batman finally landed a punch to the face, the ghost's helmet fell. His face was still blurry, but the eyes... Glaring at him the same way young Jason glared at his father. Bruce gasped and stepped back. He suddenly felt a headache and dropped to his knees, panting.

"Honestly though, I don't blame you." he said calmly as he picked up the helmet. "The past part is always the most hated one. 'Cause the thing about the past, is that you can't do anything about it." he went up to Bruce and placed it in front of him. "...You just have to learn how to live with it."

And with that, he walked away. Bruce couldn't look at the helmet and closed his eyes until the headache was gone.

Chapter Text

When the headache was gone, Batman quickly stood up and looked around, searching for the ghost. But then he realized. He was still in Wayne manor, except it was the present. Those were the decorations (Y/n) and Alfred picked out. All the lights were out.

"...Alfred?!" he called out.

But there was no response. He thought that, if he was back in the present, maybe he should get back to searching for the Penguin. But that silence... It didn't feel natural. 

It was then that he smelled something delicious in the air. He followed the scent to the dining room. Light was coming out from under the closed door and there was Christmas music coming from inside. On his guard, Batman opened the door. 

The room had even more fancy decorations -- more traditional than the ones that were put up a few weeks ago -- there were multiple small Christmas trees and all of the lights were on. But what was most impressive was the banquet displayed on the table, which seemed to have doubled in length. Dishes of all sorts: turkeys, geese, poultry, brawn, long wreath of sausages, mince-pies, plum-puddings, barrels of oysters, red-hot chestnuts, cherry-checked apples, juicy oranges, luscious pears, immense twelfth-cakes, and seething bowls of punch, all still warm to the same degree. And other dishes were still being brought out by...Alfred? Except Batman figured that wasn't actually his butler. His suit was different, dark red, gilded with golden lining and a golden pin on his lapel shaped like a mistletoe.

"Hello, Mister Wayne." he spoke as he placed the dish on the table. "Do come on in."

"You're the second of three ghosts, aren't you?" Batman asked as he walked in. "You're a part of my curse."

"Correct." he nodded, his voice monotonous. "I am the Ghost of Christmas Present. Pleased to meet you. Take a seat."

"I don't see the point of this, I know what is happening in the present."

"Do you, now?" he raised his eyebrows. "That is quite impressive, Mister. Do tell, what is happening at this very moment?"

"Dick, Jason, Tim and Damian are having their dinner party in Blüdhaven, (Y/n) is at home to spend all of Christmas day with her family, and Alfred is at home. The kids are having their childish fun while I'm working. Trying to anyway." he glared. "There."

"My my, Mister Wayne, you really are a master of your craft." he smiled.

Hearing 'Alfred' call him 'mister' was just as unsettling as the previous ghost could be.

"Well then," he continued. "now that you've solved the mystery of Christmas present, why don't you just sit and enjoy a good meal?"  he gestured to a chair at the end of the table, which moved back on its own for his guest to sit down.

"I would rather just skip to the next ghost and be done with it. Where are they? What faces will they take on this time?"

"I'm afraid that isn't how it works. Please, take a seat. And eat, while it's hot."

Batman narrowed his eyes, but finally sat down. The ghost picked up one of the many dishes and served him a plateful. It just so happens to be Bruce's favorite, the smell made his mouth water. He glanced at the ghost, who stared at him expectantly. Bruce didn't want to risk seeing the look Alfred would give whenever someone didn't touch his food, so he sighed and begrudgingly started eating. As soon as he took the first bite, he held himself back from eating faster. This was the best meal he's ever had. The ghost smiled, satisfied and went to open one of the doors in the dining room. He brought in a large tv, placed on top of a small table with wheels.

"Would you like some entertainment to pass the time, Mister?"

He placed the tv across the table, facing Bruce and turned it on without waiting for an answer. There was just static. The ghost changed channels a few times before letting out a delighted 'ah'. It was security footage from somewhere in the manor. It was Aflred's office. Batman noticed the date and time: Christmas night, at this very moment. Batman grunted and put his fork down, his appetite now gone.

"I should've known this was your plan."

"Merry Christmas Mr. and Mrs. Wayne."

Alfred's voice from the tv caught his attention. He realized that Alfred had a picture of the couple on the desk and he talked to them as he poured himself a glass of wine.

"Bruce is doing an excellent job as Batman, as always." he slowly spun his glass to turn the red wine. "Sometimes... I fear he's doing too good of a job, that he's... Forgetting Bruce Wayne." he drank a few sips. "Every Christmas, I see a window of what could be. And this year is no exception. I thought that, maybe, the children's presence would warm up his heart. And though he allowed them to celebrate, he's only distanced himself more from the festivities." he sighed and leaned back in his seat.

"It seems you're not the only one who isn't celebrating Christmas, Mister." the ghost said, not looking away from the tv.

Bruce felt a tightness in his chest. He never realized what Christmas was like for Alfred...

"Merry Christmas." the butler raised his glass. "Please, look after him, wherever you are now." he finished his drink.

The broadcast flickered and turned off. The ghost glanced back at Batman.

"You should eat, Mister, while it's hot."

Bruce glared at him, but he took another bite. It wasn't as good as it was before. The ghost changed channels again and another security camera footage popped up. This time, of Dick's apartment. There were the four Robins at the table, eating. Jason had his back to the camera, Batman couldn't see his face and he was relieved.

"I can't believe you think Santa is real!" Dick told Damian.

"And I should've known none of you do," he said, his arms folded. "close-minded who won't see the bigger picture."

"Watch it, kid." Tim said playfully. "This first Christmas could be your last."

"Don't say that." Jason nudged him. "We don't want another Bruce!"

The two of them laughed.

"I still can't believe he said he'd arrest you." Dick shook his head.

"Pfff. He'd never." he leaned back. "He can't even look me in the eyes."

"Guys, I don't wanna talk about that." Tim titled his head. "It's Christmas!"

"You're right, let's talk shit about him instead. Hey, new Robin." he nodded towards Damian. "Any new material on the old man?"

"I'd never go along with your childish gossiping."

"Oh come oooon. You can't be his loyal dog all the time."

"Trust me." Dick raised a hand. "He was not loyal when he first came in."

"And I'm not a dog." he glared. "Father is sometimes so stubborn that I have to go behind his back."

"With Penny's help, right?" Jason asked.

"Do not call her that."

He chuckled, having gotten the reaction he wanted out of the kid.

"You're right though. Bruce is the most close-minded guy I know. He could see a ghost go through him and think this is the work of some kind of nano technology!" he laughed.

"It took both him and me almost dying for him to admit he was wrong." Damian added.

"The very first thing he does when I come to visit from college is putting a tracker on me!" Tim leaned closer.

As the three of them kept bonding over their shared annoyance for him, Bruce felt a knot in his chest.

"And he still refuses to celebrate Christmas! Even with four sons now!" Tim said.

"I can't be mad at him." Dick finally spoke, making everyone look at him. "If anything, I pity him right now. He refuses to come to our yearly dinner party yet again, and what happens? He spends Christmas alone and he misses a good dinner!" he smiled, shaking his head. "He ruins his own evening."

"A very good dinner." Tim said.

"A 'cheap dinner'." Jason added.

"It's not the cook's means, it's the cook themself." Damian said in a matter-of-fact tone.

Dick gasped.

"You like my cooking...?" he asked in a small voice.

"Don't put words in my mouth."

He chuckled.

"Why do you keep inviting him if he always rejects you?" the boy asked.

"Because no one could say I didn't try." he smiled.

"Do you truly believe he'll say yes one day?" Jason asked.

"...I don't know." his gaze wandered. "But I'll keep asking. That way, at least he'll know my door's open for him."

"You say that, but if he actually came here, the party would be dead. He'd bring his own satin napkin."

"Oh my god, Bruce Wayne mingling with the commoners?!" Tim spoke in a fancy tone before they all laughed.

They kept making fun of him, even played a game of Yes and No where one had a character in mind and people asked questions to guess who. Dick was the one answering this time.

"Is it an animal?"

"...Sure." he said, trying not to laugh.

"Does it growl?"

"Oh yeah. And grunts too."

"Can you find one here in Gotham?"

"Yes."

After more questions and some attempts to guess, Damian gasped.

"I've got it!" he pointed. "It's father!"

"Yes!" Dick pointed back.

They all laughed. Bruce clenched his fists.

"I was right not to come." he said quietly to himself.

He didn't notice the decorations around him were losing their glow. The ghost glanced back at him and flicked channels again. This time, it was outside, a small square in the poorer part of Gotham. There seemed to be a soup kitchen set up in the middle, giving out various dishes, with lots of tables, music being played, and lots of decorations. On a banner there was 'Wayne Christmas Kitchen' written on it in red paint.

"What the..."

In the middle of it all was (Y/n), going around to make sure everything was going smoothly. Anytime someone new approached, she'd rush up to greet them. Lots of them were strangers, but she'd welcome them like they were family.

"Is everyone here enjoying themselves?" she stopped by a table.

"Well, this is no Wayna Gala." one of them said, a little disappointed. "Why the downgrade this year? Wayne's getting greedy."

"Oh no no no, that's not it at all!" she shook her head. "It's all my and my neighbors' doing. We thought we'd have our own Christmas dinner. Since the Wayne Gala is no more. I'm sorry it's nothing lika what the Waynes can bring to the table..."

"Oh..." the man scratched his head, feeling awkward. "Well it's very nice of y'all. Our Christmas' a lot merrier now."

Her face lit up and she thanked them before going to help out in the kitchen. They needed another pot of soup.

Bruce had a lot of questions. How long has this been in the works? Did she come up with this idea by herself? Such an event would take at least a month to prepare. Did she really do this after hearing of the Wayna Gala...?

"There are a lot of people present." the ghost commented.

"I didn't know the Gala was still missed." Bruce said. "Of course (Y/n) would be inspired to help her community." he smiled faintly. "I'm glad."

"Really? After all, criminals can easily use the celebrations as a cover, the lights around the city make it difficult to have a visual of the streets, along with all of the music and noise." he glanced back at him. "Doesn't Christmas make your job more difficult than ever, Mister?"

Bruce's face fell.

"Thankfully, you're nowhere near the scene." he faced the tv. "You're focused on your list. On the real villains of Gotham."

Despite the ghost's monotonous voice, Batman detected a sense of graveness to his words that made his eyes narrowed. He was about to ask him what he really wanted to say when the broadcast suddenly froze up. He looked at the time, it was around when the curse started taking place. Any further than that, and it would be the future. Then, a scent hit his nostrils and made his face twist. He looked down and saw that all of the food was starting to slowly rot and disappear.

"What's the meaning of this?" he asked the ghost.

"My life on this Earth is quite limited." he faced him. "It ends tonight."

"What?" he stood up.

As the ghost spoke, his wrinkles sunk further into his flesh. Such a sight was deeply upsetting for Bruce.

"How can I save you?" he rushed up to him.

"The present moment is ever so fleeting, Mister. That is a fact of this world that cannot be changed, not even by the Batman."

He kept aging, his posture unchanged. The smell of rot grew stronger and he couldn't tell if it was the food or the man in front of him. The lights flickered, the candles on the table melted rapidly, the trees died one by one. Bruce stepped back, unsettled.

"But you can't just-"

"Heed me, Bruce Wayne. What the ghost of Christmas past and the ghost of Christmas future show are simply just shadows. But if the present remains unchanged, what you are soon to witness is certain to happen."

He picked up a candlestick and blew out the small flame. Everything turned black. Bruce could only hear his shallow breathing. The air was colder. He just stood there, waiting for something to happen. After a while, he turned the nightvision on his cowl. In front of him was a large tall shape that made him step back, startled. He looked up at it. He could make out a head, but that was it.

"Ghost of Christmas future, I presume." he said.

The ghost said nothing. Its very presence filled Bruce with dread. So this was the effect Batman had on criminals...

"And you are about to show me the future." he spoke again, in case the ghost could hear his fast heartbeat in the silence. "Go on, then."

The ghost said nothing. It slowly raised an arm – wearing some kind of black garment and black gloves – and pointed behind Bruce. He turned around and saw a light. He looked back at the ghost, who kept pointing, motionless beyond that. Bruce walked to the light, which began to outstretch and envelop the environment around him.

They were in a small square in the poorer part of Gotham. There seemed to be a soup kitchen set up in the middle, giving out various dishes, with lots of tables, music being played, and lots of decorations. On a banner there was 'Wayne Christmas Kitchen' written on it in red paint.

"What?" Bruce let out. "This is just the... Wait."

Indeed, he noticed the empty kitchen, the less dense crowd. He peeked at someone's watch, this was a couple of hours into the future.

"Why so soon?" he looked at the ghost which stood in the shadow.

The ghost didn't answer. Its silence only increased Bruce's sense of uncertain horror.

"What the fuck do you mean you're out?!"

The voice of a clearly drunk man caught his attention, he was screaming at one of the volunteers. (Y/n) stepped in as soon as she was aware of the commotion. Bruce knew he could only watch as the scene unfolded. His heart began to beat faster.

"I'll take care of this Vivian," she patted the volunteer's arm. "thank you."

"Kid, I don't think you should-"

"No, I'm the organizer of this event." she sternly spoke. "If there is a problem, it's up to me to fix it." she faced the man as Vivian left. "What is it, sir?"

"It's a kitchen!" he pointed at the sign. "Fuck you mean you're out?!"

"My deepest apologies." she bowed. "We didn't expect there would be so many people to feed. If you had come an hour earlier, maybe-"

"You saying it's my fault?!"

He leaned closer in an attempt to intimidate her, which failed, but she did seem to feel bad for him. Bruce was scared for her.

"I'm sorry, sir. There's nothing we can do."

"Oh a'ight then." he nodded and leaned back, his hands in his pockets. "A'ight, a'ight..." he slowly turned away...

...Before quickly turning back around and stabbing her in the chest. Bruce's mind went blank. The man ran away, past him and through the ghost. Despite what he knew, Bruce threw a bataraang at him. It went through the ghost and didn't make a sound.

There were screams, panic. People called for help, some of them cried. Yet to Batman, it was disturbingly quiet. There were no explosions, the city wasn't in peril, no evil supervillain laughing maniacally. This was just a murder.

And there were no doctors, no policemen, no Batman. He was nowhere near the scene, probably still going after Penguin.

"Take me back." Bruce ran up to the ghost. "I can still save her. Take me back!"

The ghost said nothing.

"Your job is to make me care. I care about this child as if she was my own. Take me back now!" he pressed.

The ghost said nothing. It moved to the side and pointed to the direction of the darkness. Bruce grunted and walked into it. He walked through the darkness again and was back in his manor. More specifically, in the batcave, on one of the many platforms. Bruce looked down and saw himself, sitting at the batcomputer, typing rapidly to get the latest status reports on a bunch of criminals. He was wearing his suit, but it looked different. It was all black and there wasn't anything bat-like about it. This was quite concerning. The bat symbol was nowhere to be seen on the newer equipment. Bruce then deduced that this future Batman didn't much care for his symbol anymore.

He could feel the ghost's presence behind him.

"I've before what I've always feared I'd become," he asked with a grave voice, not turning around. "is that is?"

The ghost said nothing. It slowly pointed at one of the many screens of the computer. Clips of tv news and newspaper clippings began to appear, talking about how 'Batman' seemed to have teamed up with Nightwing in Bludhaven. Concerns were raised of course, on one hand, this 'Spirit of Gotham' – they called him, not he himself – was doing a much better job as the previous Batman, others were wary of that mysterious entity since very little was known about him. They were questioning if he was even human.

Another concerning thing was another news report saying that, in a month, it will be the anniversary of Bruce Wayne's death.

This was a lot to take in for Bruce, he took a moment to put all these pieces together.

"Every Christmas, I would renounce Bruce Wayne. After (Y/n)'s death, I completely abandoned that part of myself, to become a full-time vigilante." he concluded. "I suppose Damian took on the mantle..." his grip on the rails tightened. "Where is he now?" he turned around. "Where's my s-?"

The ghost was nowhere to be seen, instead he saw Damian – older and taller – walking into the batcave. He walked down to talk to his father, but stood at a certain distance from him.

"I'm leaving." he simply said.

Future Bruce just huffed and shook his head, but he kept typing. Damian frowned.

"I suppose this is good news for you."

"I don't care where you go. As long as you don't cross the line again."

This 'again' hit Bruce as he witnessed the exchange. Just like Damian, he couldn't see the man's face.

"I have no regrets." the young man said.

"He needed to be punished, not killed."

"He killed (Y/n)."

"Justice, not vengeance." he pressed.

"It was personal."

"It doesn't matter!" he faced him and glared, only his silhouette could be seen against the light of the screens. "You acted on impulse! You were weak! You either follow he code, or you leave!"

"It was not on impulse. I had been preparing for a long time." he said calmly. "And, you're the one who left us." 

There was a pause. Future Bruce huffed and turned around.

"I must get back to work." he said as he kept typing.

"...Goodbye, father." he walked away.

He walked past Bruce and left the batcave, without looking back. Bruce followed him but once he stepped into the darkness, he found himself in Damian's bedroom. It looked a lot different, like it hasn't been cleaned in a long time. There were cobwebs on the ceilings and the wallpaper was starting to rot.

There was one thing that stood out. Hanging on the wall was a pencil portrait of (Y/n) smiling, its clean golden frame contrasting the growing molds on the wall. There were also open suitcases on the bed and the floor, some for clothes, others for Batman gears. Just as Bruce wondered where Damian had gone, he heard voices approaching from the hallway.

"So how did it go?"

"As well as most interactions with him go."

With the door being opened, Bruce looked out to see Damian and Dick, walking side by side. Though the first of which was staring forwards like he was on a mission, and the latter kept looking at him like he could disappear at any minute.

"Damn." Dick sighed. "You'd think he'd at least say goodbye-"

"He didn't even show up to Alfred's funeral. I expected as much."

Bruce's eyebrows furrowed upon hearing this, his heart cracked.

"I also expected you to shed a tear but look at you, being a strong boy."

"...I've wasted enough strength trying to reach him." he said in a graver voice, frowning. "I'm finally letting him go."

Dick gave him a pained look. There was a moment of silence as they entered the bedroom. Bruce quickly stepped back further into the room. He had noticed that the hallway was in an even worse state than this occupied bedroom. The whole manor must be like this. An abandoned home. The home of a dead man.

'Damian's existence never went public.' Bruce deduced, feeling his heart ache.

"The (L/n)s called me again." Dick's voice brought his attention back to the two young men as they packed Damian's things.

Damian turned his head away.

"They still think I'm the one who gives them money every year."

"Let it stay that way. No one on the outside must know that I exist."

"You just don't want to face them."

"That's not it at all."

"Then you're free tonight." he smirked. "You wanna join Jason, Tim and I? They'd be happy to-"

"I knew this would come up." he sighed.

"Of course! What'd you expect?!" he laughed and wrapped an arm around his shoulders.

The moment he did, Damian grabbed his wrist and twisted the arm off of him. Dick cried in pain.

"Okayokayokayokay! Okay!"

Damian let him go and walked away. Bruce looked at him with wide eyes while Dick rubbed his own shoulder before looking up at him. Damian went to stand in front of the pencil portrait of (Y/n). With his back to them, he carefully took it off the wall and just looked at it for a moment before putting it in his duffle bag.

"Come on, Damian!" Dick shrugged. "You can't be alone on Christmas, it'd break her heart!"

"Do not speak of her." he glared at him.

"You're not the only one who lost her, you know?" he frowned.

"That may be true." he went up to him and looked him in the eyes. "But I lost a lot more that night."

Dick pursed his lips with a pained expression.

"I think I can manage by myself now." Damian said. "Thank you Grayson. I'll see you when I'm settled in Bludhaven."

He then began to direct him to the door. Dick didn't fight back and walked backwards into the hallway.

"Fine." he sighed. "But just so you know, you're always welcome to celebrate Christmas with us."

"Batman doesn't celebrate Christmas." he said before closing the door.

Bruce shook his head, feeling his heart twist.

"Damian..." he whispered.

The young man turned around and pressed him back against the door. Looking down for a moment, he then took a deep breath as he looked up, which just so happened to be in the direction of Bruce's eyes.

An emotionless expression with just a small frown, the kind Batman gives to intimidate his foes. His frown deepened as his breathing grew shallow. An eyelid twitched, the shoulders tensed. He sniffed.

Then he broke.

His eyes filled with tears as his expression twited to reveal the grief, the sorrow, the regrets.

"Damian." Bruce, heartbroken, reached out for him.

Damian covered his face and slid down to the floor, gripping his own hair.

"Damian no!" Bruce crouched in front of him. "I'm right here, I-I'm sorry, I-"

He tried to hold him, but his hands went through him as everything turned into mist and disappeared. Bruce let out a cry of frustration and slammed his fists on the ground, panting. He felt the ghost's presence.

"I understand now..." Bruce said under his breath. "I do. Please take me back now."

The ghost grabbed his throat, his gloved hand as cold as ice, and lifted him up higher and higher.

"You wouldn't have shown me this if I was beyond hope. I will change, I will!"

The ghost's grip tightened, slowly strangling him. Bruce tried to loosen the grip, but it was no use. And this time, he knew better than to fight back.

"These...are just shadows of things that could be." he managed to say. "I can alter them, change the future-" he gagged as the grip tightened.

He could feel his consciousness fade away.

"Please let me save them. P-Please..." his voice trailed off as he passed out.

When he woke up, he was back in the alleyway where he met that strange Russian man. Bruce looked around, patting himself and his surroundings to make sure he was really back. He took a deep breath as he rubbed his throat. Then he quickly stood up and checked his watch, remembering the precise time at which (Y/n) would be attacked.

'There's still time.'

He ran and encountered Penguin's henchmen, still tied up. The police hasn't arrived yet.

'A few minutes must've passed in real time.' he exhaled, both baffled and delighted.

He cut them free. They didn't move and just stared at him with big eyes, thinking this was a trick.

"Go to your families and tell them you love them." he told them and he shot a grappling gun up in the air. "Merry Christmas." he smiled before leaving.

"...What the fuck?" one of them said.

Since he had an hour to spare, Bruce allowed himself to stop from time to time to help out anyone in need. He helped someone carry their gifts to the taxi. Someone set fire to their kitchen trying to cook dinner, he got everyone out and booked a table at a fancy restaurant for the family, saying he'd put it on his tab. Accidents and petty crimes, things that he wouldn't bother with before, but now he knew how important Christmas made these things.

Finally, he reached the small square where 'Wayne Christmas Kitchen' was. He spotted the man right away. (Y/n) had just stepped in to try and handle the situation.

"It's a kitchen!" he pointed at the sign. "Fuck you mean you're out?!"

"My deepest apologies." she bowed. "We didn't expect there would be so many people to feed. If you had come an hour earlier, maybe-"

"You saying it's my fault?!"

He leaned closer in an attempt to intimidate her, which failed, but she did seem to feel bad for him. Bruce was scared for her.

"I'm sorry, sir. There's nothing we can do."

"Oh a'ight then." he nodded and leaned back, turning again.

As soon as he put his hands in his pockets, a cable wrapped around his arms and yanked him upwards. Everyone gasped and looked up to see Batman perched on top of a street lamp, holding the other end of the cable while the drunk man hung above the ground, the tight grip made him drop the knife. (Y/n) gasped again as she realized what the man was about to do.

"Mas- Mister Batman!" she exclaimed as everybody cheered.

After tying up the man fully so that he can hang there for a long time without passing out, Batman hopped down and went up to her. He looked up at the banner, then back at her. She awkwardly chuckled.

"You're the organizer?"

"Y-Yes, Sir." she nodded.

"Does Wayne know about this?"

"No one knows about this!" Vivian said. "Who would care about anything that happens here in the slums?"

"Batman would!" (Y/n) looked back at her. "As you can see." she smiled.

Bruce felt a tug at his heart strings.

"I..." she faced him and looked down. "I'm sorry I had to take you away from your work."

He felt a bigger tugging.

"No, no..." he crouched so he could be at eye level. "Saving people is my work. You made me realize that."

"It's my fault really, I didn't prepare enough food. And I didn't hire security-"

"You've organized a public event for the very first time, it's normal to overlook some things. You couldn't have known it'd be that popular." he placed a hand on her shoulder. "As for the security, I took care of it." he smiled.

She gasped.

"You'll stay here?"

"Sadly, no. But I called a friend to help."

Just as he said that, a police car came in. Commissioner Gordon stepped out and everyone relaxed. He looked around confused as he went up to Batman.

"Commissioner Gordon!" (Y/n) exclaimed. "You're working on Christmas Eve?"

"It was either that or the next day. No way in hell would I miss my kids opening their presents." he shook his head before looking at Batman. "This is the event you want me to run security on?" he asked quietly.

"It needs it."

"Does it though?"

Batman frowned.

"I already told the organizer." he said.

"Thank you so very much, Commissioner!" (Y/n) joined her hands together, looking up at him with a big happy smile. "You would lift a heavy weight off my shoulders and my heart!"

"W... Wait, you're the organizer?"

"Yes, sir." she nodded.

"You did all of this...?" he gestured around.

"It's not much I know." she nodded, now bashful. "It's my first time, you see."

'That was not meant derogatively.' the two men thought, with Batman smiling.

"I'm afraid I don't have much money to pay for your services but-" she gasped. "Since I don't have to worry about security, I could go home and get more supplies and we could serve more people! Oh thank you Commissioner! Thank you!" she jumped up and down.

"Um... Your welcome, miss." he awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck. "Tell me, you're not an orphan, are ya?"

"No sir, my parents are at home." she leaned closer and whispered. "They think I'm with friends."

"You should've told them, (Y/n)." Batman said. "You could use their help."

"I don't want them to work." her eyebrows furrowed. "Tomorrow is their only day off."

"We'll see if they decline the offer." he picked her up. "We'll be right back, commissioner. You can take care of him." he nodded to the tied up drunk man before using his grappling hook to leave.

Him and (Y/n) went to her apartment complex. They walked through the front door, very unusual for Batman. The girl's parents were visibly shaking upon seeing the Batman and they asked if they've done anything wrong. They quickly calmed down when he and their daughter explained the situation. Of course they offered their help without even being asked.

"I'll call up some of the boys!" her father took out his phone. "To make sure those stands stay standin'!"

"You should've told us, sweetiiiiie." her mom crouched and squeezed her cheeks.

"I didn't want to bother you with more work." she said in a small voice.

"Oh honey," she shook her head. "helping you out with your crazy ideas' no work at all!" she hugged her.

"What's that I hear?" their neighbor, Mrs. Bukov, opened her door.

(Y/n) tensed up. Batman noticed.

"We're goin' to help out at a soup kitchen, Mrs. Bukov." her mother said.

"Aaaah, chudesnyy!" she joined her hands together. "I can put that turkey to use!"

"Turkey?" she tilted her head.

"Tradition, is it not? But my small old lady stomach is full from just the potatoes. I can't throw away this turkey, it'd be a waste!"

"...You're all by yourself?" (Y/n) asked.

"Yes, my family is too far away, and too busy to visit. What they said, anyway..."

"Well we'd be happy if you joined us, won't we sweetheart?" (Y/n)'s mom looked at her.

"...Yes." she smiled and nodded. "But, will everything fit in the car?" she looked at her dad.

"I can bring Mrs. Bukov with the batmobile." Batman said.

"Oh my." the old lady covered her excited smile.

(Y/n) gasped.

"Can I go in the batmobile?!" she raised her hand. "Pleaaase I never got in it!"

"Neither has any of us, sweetie." her dad said as he shoved a knitted beanie on her head, to which she responded with a glare and a pout. "Come on now everyone! Mr. Batman." he nodded.

After they all got back to the square, and before he left, Batman stood on top of the rooftop to cast one last look upon the event. Everyone seemed to have gotten a boost of energy, thanks to the new arrivals and the prospect of more food. Smiling, he put a hand to his ear.

"Alfred, do you copy?"

"Y-Yes sir." he answered after a moment.

"I'm going home, prepare a gift basket please."

"Going home already? Wait, a gift basket, sir?"

"I'll explain later. Make sure it's really nice."

Dressed in a casual outfit, Bruce stepped off the elevator and reached the appartment door. He raised a hand to knock when he heard voices coming from inside.

"Is it an animal?"

"...Sure."

Bruce's eyebrows furrowed as he felt his heart twist.

"Does it growl?"

"Oh yeah. And grunts too."

Doubts came in, maybe this was a bad idea...

"Can you find one here in Gotham?"

"Yes."

He shook his head.

"I've got it! It's-!" he knocked.

A moment passed before the door opened. Dick froze when he saw who was at the door.

"Bruce?" he said, baffled.

As soon as he said his name, Tim and Damian peeked to look at him, their eyes big. Bruce glanced at them, then back at the oldest.

"I've..." he cleared his throat. "come for dinner." he handed Dick a fancy gift basket. "...If you'll have me." he said more quietly.

Dick couldn't care less about the basket, he kept staring into his eyes.

"Of course!" he beamed. "Come in come in!" he wrapped an arm around his shoulders and led him to his table. "Boys, look who's here!"

"Bruce!" "Father!" the two youngest exclaimed in delight.

"Wait, where's Jason?"

"He took off as soon as you welcomed him in." Tim leaned back.

As he said that, they could hear shuffling in Dick's room.

"Oh boy..." he sighed.

Jason, in a slight panic, quickly put his gear and mask back on before opening the window. He managed to get on leg out when-

"Jason."

He froze, tense. He knew he should've just left, still he waited for the old man to say something. See what he had to say for himself.

"Jason? Look at me."

He huffed, giving orders already? Wanting to see where this was going, and knowing that the window was right there if he wanted to make a quick exit, Jason put his legs back inside and turned to look at Bruce.

Jason was glaring at him, which he found understandable. Bruce pursed his lips and slowly walked up to him. He raised his hands which made the young man flinch, but he became confused when Bruce grabbed his mask and lifted it up, while still looking into his eyes.

Bruce first saw his eyes, pale but both functioning, his black hair with a white streak, and his many many scars. But he was breathing correctly, he was okay. Bruce's eyes became glassy and he smiled with an exhale. He tossed the mask on the bed before hugging his son, squeezing him.

Jason was beyond confused. What the hell has gotten into him, he wondered.

"Merry Christmas, Jason." he muttered.

Jason's heart skipped a beat. He sniffed and lighted patted his back.

"Man..." Tim said as he, Dick and Damian watched from afar. "He sucks at hugging." his voice quivered as he and Dick were on the verge of tears.

"I think I can come in now." Alfred walked in, holding a bottle of wine.

"Alfred!" Dick wiped away his tears. "You were standing in the hallway this whole time!"

"Master Bruce just wanted to make sure your decision to welcome him in wouldn't be affected by my presence."

"Alfred's here?!" Jason shrugged Bruce's arms away and hurried out of the room to see the butler, taking off his jacket and gear as he did.

Bruce smiled and went to join the others.

Since the small table couldn't sit six people, a few chairs were moved to the living room area for half of them to sit while the other half sat on the couch.

"You're good with that?" Dick asked Bruce and Alfred with a smirk. "We know this isn't very proper or fancy but that's how we do things here."

"I shall overlook it for tonight." Alfred smiled.

"And don't worry about fancy, that's what I brought the wine and the basket for." Bruce smirked back.

They all laughed and started to eat.

"I know this is the Robins' dinner party but..." he spoke again. "Next year, why don't we have Christmas Eve dinner at the manor?"

The boys looked at him with big eyes, then at each-other. Silently wondering if he hit his head or something.

"How 'bout tomorrow at lunch instead?" Tim asked.

"Yeah this is still our thing." Jason added.

Bruce laughed.

"Understood." he nodded.

The small family had a delightful time chatting and bickering. Lot of Bruce being called out for all the anti-Christmas nonsense he put them through, and he made sure to sincerely apologize for them all.

Surprisingly, Bruce and Alfred didn't stay long.

"So much for getting the Christmas spirit back." Jason mumbled.

"Sorry, we just have a lot to do if we want everything to be ready tomorrow."

"What's happening tomorrow?" he raised an eyebrow.

Bruce just smiled and handed him, Dick and Tim envelopes. Tim gasped, knowing what was inside without even opening it.

"No way! This is-"

"I hope you'll join us. Damian, I'll see you tomorrow."

Damian pursed his lips, hesitating for a moment before he rushed to hug his dad.

"Thank you for coming, father." he quietly said.

Bruce hugged him back. Tim jumped on the occasion and joined in on the hug.

"A Christmas hug, now that's a first!"

Dick joined in. Bruce glanced at Jason, but quickly closed his eyes so that he doesn't feel pressured. But Bruce did feel another hand on his back.

The next evening, the Wayne Gala made a huge comeback! Everyone had something to say to Bruce about how it was 'about damn time', but the party was so grandiose and beautiful that these words couldn't help but be spoken with a laugh and a pat on the shoulder or back. He met (Y/n)'s parents, who couldn't thank him enough for the opportunity he gave to their daughter and for taking such good care of her. Speaking of which, she was chatting with Damian, Tim and Dick. Jason didn't show up, Bruce didn't expect him too.

'Make sure to invite him again next year.' he made a mental note.

While Bruce was being a good host, making sure his guests were having a good time and that everything was running smoothly. (Y/n) looked at him as he wished people a merry christmas, and started to get misty-eyed.

"What's wrong, Penny?" Damian asked, really to solve whatever issue she'll bring up.

"I'm alright." she shook her head. "I'm just so happy Santa got my letter."

"Huh?" Dick and Tim looked at her.

"All I asked for this year was for Master Bruce to like Christmas again." she sniffed. "I'll make sure to write a letter to say thank you."

"You write thank you letters to Santa?!" Tim tried not to laugh.

"Of course I do, it would be rude if I didn't."

"(Y/n)..." Dick sighed, also trying not to laugh. "There's really no need for that."

"They don't even believe Santa is real." Damian whispered to her.

"No adult believes in Santa, unfortunately." she nodded.

"Let me ask you this then." Tim leaned closer. "If he is real and he brings present to people, how come adults don't believe in him?"

"Because only children write him letters."

"How come everyone stops believing then?"

Dick nudged and glared at him, as if to say 'way to keep the magic alive'.

"Well, um..." she looked down, struggling to think of an answer.

"Obviously he uses his powers to make adults forget." Damian folded his arms. "Otherwise, someone with ill-intentions could try and get his powers for themselves. Or sabotage his yearly mission."

"Oh! I never thought about it!" she looked at him in awe. "Great observation, Damian."

He looked away while the two oldest sighed.

When the gala had ended – a major success that is sure to make headlines tomorrow – Bruce wandered through the ballroom alone while the servants and Alfred cleaned.

"Sir?" the butler came up to him. "It would seem we've overlooked something by the Christmas tree."

"What is it?"

"Go and see for yourself." he smiled.

Bruce narrowed his eyes before he went to it and crouched. He reached under the tree and pulled out two christmas presents. One rectangular and thin, the other almost a perfect cube, both neatly wrapped with a pretty bow, and both labeled 'to Master Bruce'. His eyes widened and he sat cross-legged on the floor.

He opened the cubic one first. It was a handmade mug with '#1 Best Boss' written on it. He chuckled and examined it further, taking his time to take in the details. He could easily picture her struggle as she tried to glue the handle. He then put it aside and opened the second one. He froze when he caught a glimpse of what was inside, then kept going with slower movement. Inside the box was a nutcracker, the same one his father gave him that night. But it was different. It was in one piece, the colors were brighter, with a paint gloss, the accessories looked brand new, it all looked brand new.

"She had asked me where she could find the best restoration workshop in the city." he heard Alfred say behind him. "She brought it there a week ago. You never noticed."

Bruce kept staring at the toy for a short while. Eventually, he wiped the tears from his eyes and stood up, his two presents in his arms. He and Alfred went to the room where the heirlooms and everything important to the Wayne family were. He carefully put the nutcracker back in its glass case. Alfred noticed the smile on Bruce's face.

"I'm glad you're happy with your presents, Sir." he said. "Apologies, I didn't get you anything."

"It's all right, Alfred. Christmas isn't about the present." he looked at his new favorite mug then to the side towards the wall. "I learned that, it's a lot more important."

On the wall was a polaroid picture, taken by Tim during the gala. Of him, three of his sons, Alfred and (Y/n), with a grumpy Jason drawn on it with red marker.

The kids put it here as a prank, but Bruce refused to take it off. He even planned on putting more each year.

Chapter Text

For a few weeks now, there's been an increase of criminal activities in Gotham. Some supervillains have teamed up to steal various pieces of technology. Since they were rivaling Black Mask's gang, the press figured this was a turf war. But Master Bruce knew there was something more going on. And he was keen on getting answers tonight, when this new team of villains kidnapped Mask's accountant and brought him to an old chemical facility.

But Batwoman was faster and got there before he did. The two of them fought together, though Batman kept preventing her from killing, which made things difficult.

Meanwhile, (Y/n) was with Alfred, by the batcomputer, listening to everything Batman was hearing and saying.

"They're working for someone." he told Batwoman.

"Who?"

"This is truly an honor, Batman." a new voice was heard.

(Y/n)'s and Alfred's eyes widened.

"I've waited so very long for this moment." the man continued. "Though, the circumstances are less than ideal."

"Do I know you?" Batman asked.

"Intimately. And not at all."

(Y/n) leaned closer, squinting her eyes.

"Something about his voice..." she mumbled. "It sounds familiar."

The three of them fought, it sounded intense. Batman got gravely injured but he still made sure Batwoman was safe, saving her life by throwing her out the window so she could get in the sea down below the factory while he stayed behind.

"Rest well, Batman."

Then, there was an explosion and the connection was cut. 'NO SIGNAL' started to flicker on the screen in big red letters.

(Y/n) and Alfred stood there stunned for a moment. They looked at each-other, not believing what just happened. Alfred called Nightwing urgently, asking him to check on the factory.

When he came back and said he didn't find anyone, that was when (Y/n) cried. She couldn't stop shaking her head.

Another long day of cleaning the floor of the temple for Damian. It was actually punishment, just because he wanted to keep up with his workout routine! Which was climbing the temple every morning and doing some shadow fighting while staying balanced on the roof.

Once he was done, he went to his small room and let himself fall on his bed before lazily pick up his tablet. He scrolled through social media. People were still wondering where Batman was. He watched a video that was posted by GCPD. Gordon was speaking at a press conference.

"It's not like he punched a time clock," he said. "but I assure you that the Gotham Police Force is more than capable of keeping this city safe. Even without a masked hero to back us up."

"You're a bad liar, Gordon." Damian mumbled as he closed the video.

He then checked his dms with Penny. She stopped her daily check-ins two weeks ago, that's how Damian knew something was wrong before anyone else in Gotham. He reread their last conversation a few days ago. He was checking on her and she apologized for being so busy, but she assured him that nothing was wrong.

Now that, that ticked him off. He's been waiting for her to tell him the news, to ask for his expertise as Robin and Batman's son. But he supposed that, knowing her, she didn't want to worry him.

He clicked his tongue and stood up to change and pack his things.

Another attempt at a normal date night for Dick Grayson! Sadly, he stumbled upon Blockbuster wreaking havoc in his city of Bludhaven. Of course, Dick suited up and began to fight him, thinking he could get this over quick and he could get back on his way to his beloved girlfriend! He was so confident that he was on the phone with her as he was fighting, saying he was stuck in traffic and that was why he was late. Although, his flirting would get interrupted sometimes.

"What's all that noise?" she asked.

"Constructions." he dodged an attack. "Hold on, I see an opening."

He threw a batarang up to cut a cable, dropping a boulder on Blockbuster. Which thankfully only knocked him out. Dick stretched and sighed audibly.

"Yep. All clear Kori." he smiled. "I'll be at the tower in-"

He was interrupted by an emergency signal coming from the batcave. He sighed and took out his phone.

'Your timing really sucks Alfred.' he thought.

"Babe. You have no idea how sorry I am, but..."

"But what about our date?"

The pleading in her voice broke his heart a little bit. But then, he received a text. From a contact named 'Precious Bean'.

'Master Richard, things are getting dire here. Please come by at your earliest convenience.'

His eyes widened. This was the push he needed.

"Got a family emergency. Nightwing out." he hung up before quickly getting on his bike and going to Gotham.

Batman's disappearance was one thing, Bruce Wayne's was another, a lot trickier than the first one. Bruce Wayne could not be missing. If he was, people might figure out that he was Batman. Thankfully, Bruce had a contingency plan for that. Using advanced technology, Alfred could pass as Bruce in video calls. He consulted with Lucius Fox – the man who made most of Batman's tech, working at Wayne Enterprise – to come up with a story explaining Bruce's absence: a trip to the Amazon to research rare herbs for medical purposes.

Still, the World Tech Summit was in a week, and the board of WE was getting impatient, especially Mrs. Bannister.

"This is all well and good." she said during a board meeting. "But why did you have to lead the team?"

"Because it's my company. And I can do whatever the bloody hell I want to."

'Master Bruce doesn't sound like that...' (Y/n) glanced at Alfred.

"I think we're done here." he continued. "If any of you have further concerns, bring them to Licius. He's more than capable of handling things while I'm gone."

He hung up and took off the gear that allowed him to control the virtual puppet. He leaned back in the chair, both he and (Y/n) sighing.

"I'd watch those 'bloody hell's, governah."

The two of them looked up to see Nightwing, smiling at them from another platform above.

"Don't wanna give yourself away." he smirked.

"Master Richard!" (Y/n) exclaimed.

"Master Dick." Alfred said. "It's bad manners to sneak up on a person like that."

"Sneaking up on people is kinda what we do around here, Alfred."

Alfred frowned while his apprentice furrowed her eyebrows.

"That was a joke."

"We are not amused." Alfred slowly said as (Y/n) tilted her head.

"I'm not exactly in a festive mood either." Dick turned around, his smile fading. "How long has he been gone?"

"Two weeks, one day, fifteen hours." he looked down.

"...Wouldn't be the first time." he folded his arms.

"But he's never been gone this long without notifying me in some way. Last night the signal was up for an hour. Third time this week. And if the police are aware of his absence, then you can be certain the criminal class are aware as well. There's already been a sharp uptick in underworld activities."

"Even the petty thieves are getting bolder." (Y/n) said, fiddling with her nails. "My parents had to install another lock at their door."

"If Batman doesn't return soon..."

"I know." Dick said with a grave voice. "All bloody hell's gonna break loose." he looked over at the Batman suit in one of the displays. "Even when you've disappeared I can't get away from you." he mumbled.

"Master Richard...?" (Y/n) called.

Without answering, Dick opened the glass case and took out the costume. The two servants gasped.

"Master Dick, are you thinking of-"

"Temporary replacement." he shrugged with a light-hearted tone. "Until we find him. Gotham needs Batman. Hey (Y/n)." he looked at her. "Would you mind tailoring it so it fits me?" he raised the costume with a smile.

"Won't people notice if you're smaller than Master Bruce?" she said as she went up to him and the two of them left the batcave together.

"Don't worry, the bad guys will be too busy getting beat up to notice." 

She pursed her lips. Once they got to the tailor room, she took his measurements. She glanced up at him and saw the displeased look on his face.

"...I know you don't want to do this."

"Whaaaat?" he gave her his classic charming smile. "Ditching my date for this? You sure are perceptive."

"Not that. I mean... Replacing Batman."

His smile faded.

"Like I said, it's only temporary." he patted her head. "Until we find him."

"Right." she nodded before going to tailor the suit.

Once she was done, Dick went behind a dressing room screen to try it on. When he came out, (Y/n) was flabbergasted.

"(Y/n)."

She felt a chill. He got the voice right too!

"Tell me something. And I need the absolute truth."

She nodded. Dick raised the cape and struck a girlish pose.

"Do I look fat in this outfit?"

She turned paler and visibly cringed. He burst out laughed.

"Only temporary, it's only temporary." she told herself.

"Is my impression that horrible, or that good?" he raised an eyebrow.

"It's uncanny to the point of discomfort."

"Always so blunt, huh?" he ruffled her hair.

The two of you went back to the batcave. While Nightwing geared up, (Y/n) walked up to him with something behind her back.

"I do know something that you really want from Batman."

"Oh really?" he raised an eyebrow, smiling. "And what is that?"

She handed him the keys to the batmobile. He gasped, looking like he was about to cry.

"Ohmygosh." he said with a small voice. "Best day ever."

She giggled. Her and Alfred waved goodbye as he drove away. The child's smile faded away.

"Please don't die." she whispered.

Alfred noticed the concern on her face and patted her shoulder. Then, the two of them went to the batcomputer. They reported to 'Batman' that Blackmask and his gang were to have a meeting in an abandoned storage building.

Meanwhile, Robin has finally reached Gotham. He stood on top of a skyscraper, overlooking the city. He took a moment to look at it, it looked so peaceful from up here. He put on his ear piece.

Now, if Penny wasn't wearing hers, it would be understandable. After all, it has been more than a year. However, there was no doubt in Damian's mind. He turned it on.

"Penny, come in."

"M-Master Damian?!"

He smirked.

"Yes, I'm back."

He heard her exhale.

"Welcome back, Sir." there was a quiver in her voice.

"Are you crying?" he raised an eyebrow.

"N-No! Ah! I'll send you a location, please go there as soon as you can. Blackmask is preparing for his next move in a gang war, Batman might need your help."

His eyes widened slightly. Was she hiding the truth again? Or has his father finally come back? He figured he'd get his answer soon enough.

When he arrived, 'Batman' was in the middle of fighting Blackmask's minions. It was painfully clear to Damian that this man wasn't his father. From the way he moved, he deduced this was Dick. While he fought off the henchmen, Damian went for the truck that was full of illegal weapons and was now fleeing the scene. In the end, the truck was stopped, crashed into containers and caught on fire. Seeing the results, Dick sighed and rubbed his eyes.

"Don't worry, Master Richard." he heard (Y/n) say. "Batman's missions would sometimes end with colladeral damages, at least the bad guys were stopped!"

He sighed again. Damian landed in front of him and the two of them stared at each-other. Damian could feel his judgement.

"What?" he asked in a dry tone.

"I could've handled this alone."

"If that's your best Batman, you're not gonna fool anyone. Grayson."

"...Maybe you'd like a microphone to announce that." he smiled.

The truck further caught on fire and there were police sirens approaching. The two young men looked at each-other and silently agreed to get out of here. They both hopped in the batmobile – Robin tried to get behind the wheel but 'Batman' beat him to it – and drove away.

"How did you know where I was?" Dick asked.

"Penny sent me your location." he said, looking out the window.

"Of course she did." he sighed, smiling. "Wait, so you guys still have your earpieces? Your little alliance, you're still at it?"

"I don't see why we'd stop. We'll still work together when we take after our respective mentors." he folded his arms. "I knew she'd give the quickest response out of all of you."

"Hear that, (Y/n)? You'll have to deal with this brat probably your whole life. How does that sound?"

"Logical and exciting." they both heard her say.

Damian let out an 'heh'. He then turned to Dick, looking him up and down. Seeing someone other than his father wearing that suit didn't sit right with him just yet.

"There's no way you're gonna pull this off without my help."

"Modest as ever, I see."

"I'm more Batman than you'll ever be." he smirked. "Just follow my lead."

Before Dick could say anything, there was an alarm flashing on the dashboard. They were being followed, by Batwoman of all people!

"Her!" they both flinched when (Y/n) shouted.

"Who is she?" Damian asked.

"I've been trying to track her for weeks!"

"And you haven't been able to?"

"She-!" she stopped, realizing that she sounded incompetent and didn't want to make excuses. "I'm no Batman, Sir."

"...She's here now, that's all that matters."

"Damian's right." Dick said, speeding up the car.

They went to a dark alley and quickly got out of the car to ambush Batwoman. Once she saw that the batmobile had stopped, she hopped off her motorcycles and went up to the car to investigate. Dick and Damian revealed themselves as soon as she did.

"You've been tailing me all night." Dick said in his Batman voice. "I wanna know why."

"First, tell me why you're running around Gotham playing dress-up." she went up to them. "I'm guessing Nightwing?"

He narrowed his eyes.

"Heh. Busted." Damian smirked.

"Actually, I think he's more than capable of fooling most people. And you certainly won't pass for Batman, short stack." she looked down at him.

Dick and Damian heard (Y/n) gasp and scoff. Damian wasn't pleased either.

"Who the hell are you?!"

"Easy, Robin." Dick lifted a hand in front of the boy before facing her. "Tell me what you want and why you've been following me."

"You should be asking more pressing questions!" (Y/n) exclaimed. "She was there when-"

"I just had to make sure. You see, I was there the night Batman died."

"That's what I was about to sa- Wait! No! He didn't die!"

Both Damian and Dick discreetly lowered the volume of their earpiece. Batwoman took them to the factory – what was left of it at least, with a third of the building gone – where Batman was last seen.

"He threw me clear and saved my life." she explained. "But before I could get back up here, it blew apart."

"And we're supposed to believe that?" Robin raised an eyebrow.

"Believe what you want."

"It does check out from what me and Aflred heard." (Y/n) said.

"I don't trust her." he looked at Nightwing.

"Oh, but you trusted Talon." he smirked.

"...Shut up."

"That was a completely different situation!" (Y/n) exclaimed. "You can't compare the two!"

"Who was it?" Damian turned to Batwoman. "Who were Tusk and Firefly working for?"

"I don't know. But when I find out, I'll drop a note in your lunchbox."

There was another scoff from (Y/n).

"If you're serious about hunting them down, then we should work together." Nightwing went up to her.

"Just because I wear this," she gestured to the bat symbol on her suit. "doesn't mean I'm a part of your little cult."

"Then maybe you should've chosen a different nocturnal animal! Batwoman!" (Y/n) exclaimed. "You're lucky Master Bruce isn't suing you for copyright infringement!"

'And you're lucky she can't hear you right now.' Dick thought.

Batwoman jumped off a platform and used her cape to glide back to the city.

"You really have a way with women, Grayson." Damian said. "And you certainly were heated, Penny."

"Apologies. She just...frustrates me. Master Bruce saved her life, but she's still adament of doing everything by herself. It's like she only does it to catch whoever's behind this, for the chase."

"Doesn't that remind you of someone?" Dick asked with a smirk.

"...Who?"

"Y'know, Bruce can be laser focused sometimes."

"Master Bruce?!" she exclaimed, shocked. "Sure, he can be too involved in a case sometimes, but he always makes time for people! He'd let the Joker himself go free if it means saving someone! That's what makes him a hero!"

Dick frowned.

"It's what happened here tonight, isn't it?" Damian looked around.

"Exactly!"

"...I guess we haven't known the same Bruce." Dick mumbled.

"What's that, Master Richard?"

"Nothin'. Let's go back to the manor." he walked away.

The ride home was quiet. At some point, Damian turned off his earpiece and nudged Dick, gesturing for him to do the same. Dick was a little confused, but he figured this was something he didn't want (Y/n) to hear. He turned off his earpiece.

"Yeah?"

"...Do you think he's really dead?"

'Oh.' he thought, keeping his eyes on the road. 'Of course, (Y/n) wouldn't want to even think about it.'

"I don't know..."

"You'd like it, wouldn't you, if he never came back?" he glared at him. "Then you'd get to keep that suit."

That struck a chord, Dick hit the brakes and drifted the car to the side of the road, making it spin around. Damian had to get a hold of the dashboard and his seat to steady himself. Once it stopped, Dick faced him.

"I've struggled for years to get out of Bruce's shadow." he spoke sternly. "To build a life for myself as far away from his world as possible. And the last thing I want is, to be wearing this damn thing!" he pointed at the symbol on his chest.

For a moment, the two of them just glared at each-other. Then, a call. Dick huffed and leaned back in his seat before answering. Aflred appeared on a hologram, with (Y/n) behind him.

Her and Damian locked eyes, and although his expression didn't change a bit, focused on the mission at hand, (Y/n) noticeably relaxed upon seeing him for the first time in so long, even if it was just on a screen. Alfred cleared his throat.

"Master Dick, Master Damian, welcome back. You wouldn't answer to either of your comm lines, so we've figured-"

"Out with it, Pennyworth." Damian folded his arms. "Anything new?"

"Yes. I've finally managed to locate Master Bruce's files on Batwoman."

"How come I've never heard of her?"

"She's kept a rather low profile."

"Not low enough for Batman, I'll bet." Dick commented.

"She's started making herself known in the last few months." (Y/n) added, for Damian to have more context (which he silently appreciated).

Alfred played the video. Seeing Bruce and hearing his voice was a hit to the heart to the small maid.

"Investigative report on Batwoman, aka Katherine Kane."

"Katey?" Dick's eyes widened.

"You know her?" bothe Damian and (Y/n) asked.

Bruce went on about how when Katherine was twelve, her, her twin sister and her mother were kidnapped for ransom. Her father, who was a colonel at the time, led a rescue mission to get them back, but in the end, Katherine's sister and mother lost their lives. Katherine later tried to join the military but was expelled. Two years later, she became Batwoman.

"She's impressive," Bruce said. "but her methods make her a danger to this city...and to herself. It's time for me to decide if I'm going to take her under my wing... Or take her down." and with that, the video ended.

'Master Bruce had faith in her...' (Y/n) clenched the fabric of her apron.

"Poor Katey." Dick said. "It always begins with death, doesn't it Alfred?"

"I'm as astonished as you are, Master Dick."

"Anyone mind filling me in?" Damian asked.

"I'm confused myself." (Y/n) said. "I've never heard of a Katherine Kane."

"How do you know her?"

"I just do." Dick started the car again and rolled away. "It's getting late, let's go back to the manor so you could finally put down your bags." he glanced back at Damian's bag in the backseat.

"Oh, Master Damian!" (Y/n) said. "Would you like anything in particular for dinner?"

"Surprise me."

"Very well, Sir!"

"You're not gonna ask me what I want?" Dick asked, sounding hurt.

"Well, Master Damian is back after so long, this calls for a celebration!"

"Exactly." the boy smirked.

Just as (Y/n) was about to leave for the kitchen, a big red message went off on the batcomputer. She gasped.

"Sirs! There's a security breach at Wayne Tower!" Alfred exclaimed.

As (Y/n) used her laptop to send them the quickest route to take, Alfred checked the security camera. She gasped again when she saw Lucius and his son Luke being attacked by a gang of villains, led by...

"I-It's him!" she pointed. "It's the man! He was there when Batman-" she stopped herself from saying something she refused to believe was true.

Both Damian's and Dick's hearts stopped for a moment.

"Please, Sirs, hurry!"

"Roger that." Dick said as he stepped on it.

"They're after the vault..." Alfred said as he watched Lucius being forced into opening it.

"How did they find its location?!" he asked, with no answer.

"I know there's a way to take the batmobile down there." (Y/n) exclaimed. "I'll send you the instructions."

"That's gonna be a killer entrance." Dick smirked. "Is there a way for you to cut the power inside the vault?"

"Uh..."

"I can take care of that." Alfred said as he began typing.

Inside the vault, the hacker of the team, Kuttler, located a specific item and brought it out from one of the many smaller vaults. It was a suitcase. Lucius' eyes widened in shock.

"How could you know...?" he looked at their leader, Heretic.

"This is the 21st century, Mr. Fox. There are no secrets in this world anymore..."

After he said that, he stabbed Lucius in the stomach.

"Dad!!!" Luke shouted, catching him before he could fall.

"Only the ones we take to our grave." Heretic continued, looking down at the two of them.

Just then, the lights went out. The large door opened again and the batmobile rolled in. It crushed the biggest guy, Tusk, into the wall before shooting flashbangs in the air just as 'Batman' jumped out along with Robin. With Batman going for the leader, who fought back with the assist of his right hand woman Onyx, Robin spotted the suitcase in Kuttler's hands and attacked him before he could escape. He knocked him out but then was attacked by another guy. As he fought him, Tusk pushed the batmobile aside and jumped on him.

"You dare wear the mantle of the Bat." Heretic told Dick as he kept attacking.

(Y/n) had her eyes fixed on this fight. Her heart was beating like crazy, she prayed he'd be okay...

At some point, Heretic snatched something from Batman's belt and threw it at him. It was a bomb batarang. Dick quickly jumped out of the way as it exploded.

"Get to the transport." Heretix told the rest of his team.

But then he noticed that Robin was still fighting Tusk. His eyes widened.

"The boy..."

Tusk tore a piece of the floor and knocked him out with him. Electrocutioner started to electrocute him to finish the job.

"Electrocutioner, stop!"

"Oh yeah you're gonna fry up real good," he said, not listening. "you stupid little-"

Heretic threw a knife directly into the back of his neck, killing him instantly. Damian quickly sat up and looked back at him. There was a small second during which they just looked at each-other.

"Did he just...save you?" (Y/n) asked, baffled.

"Don't be ridiculous." Damian quickly said before chasing them down. "Come back and fight, you cowards!"

But then, his vision became blurry and he almost lost consciousness.

"Robin!" Dick held him so he wouldn't fall.

"Master Damian?!" they both heard (Y/n).

"I'm fine..." the boy said weakly, holding his bleeding head.

"Damn it." Dick said as he watched the villains get away.

"Help! He needs an ambulance!"

He looked over to see Luke, holding up Lucius. Dick called one right away, then he left with Robin.

Somewhere in the dungeons of a monastery, Bruce was strapped to a machine, his eyes wide open as blue lasers were pointing at them. He was unresponsive, as if in a trance. Seated at the control panel, Mad Hatter giggled as he typed, his hat plugged into the machine.

"So much memory..." he said. "So much experience. It's a delicate job, threading my way through the layers. His trauma runs so deep. It's as if he defines himself by his pain." he giggled. "Such madness."

"You have to dig deeper." Talia said sternly. "Push past the trauma." she went up to Bruce and held his jaw. "To the child he was before he lost his precious parents. Then, you'll break him." he gripped his hair to raise his head before letting go and facing the Hatter. "And then, he'll be ours."

"You make it sound so easy, Talia."

"Easier than dying, Mr. Tetch."

The Hatter smiled before he frowned, looking over at Bruce.

"What is it?"

"I think... I've made a breakthrough."

"What did you find?"

"His innocence. But..." his smile widened. "It seems he's made an avatar."

"An avatar?"

"It happens often, when one wants to lock away memories or a part of themselves. They want to be so detached that they create a second party. Hold on..."

He typed for a moment before an image came up on screen. Talia leaned closer. It was a young child, a girl, smiling, wearing an oversized t-shirt and oversized cargo shorts. Talia frowned.

"Do you recognize that child?" Tetch asked. "Sometimes, avatars can be based on real people the person knows."

"...No."

"Are you certain?"

"I conduct regular investigations on him, I have informants spying on both him and Damian." she glared. "I've never seen her nor heard of her. She must be an avatar created from scratch."

"And despite being one, constructed to lock away his innocence, he still holds her dear. Right now," he looked at Bruce. "she's being attacked by demons and he is protecting her with his life. He's died five times now." he giggled. "Such delicious madness!"

As he kept giggling, Talia stared at the picture, her eyes narrowed.

Chapter Text

Heretic and his team came back to the stronghold. Kuttler took out a hardrive they've taken from the vault and plugged it into the machine.

"Still no progress?" Heretic asked Hatter, looking at the image of the child on the screen.

"Such a complex mind needs time. You on the other hand could be reprogrammed in an hour." he glanced at him. "YOu're like wet sand, compared to this concrete."

Heretic clicked his tongue then turned to Talia.

"We had the detonators, but the Bat was there." he reported.

"Grayson." she said.

"Not just him. The boy."

"Of course."

"He was nearly killed, but I saved him. I saved him."

"I would expect no less."

"We should capture Damian, bring him here." he held her arms.

She looked down at his hands then gave him a cold look. He let her go.

"I prefer to keep my son at arm's length. For now." she said. "For now."

"But if we remove him from the battle till it's over, then-"

"I've told you no." she walked past him and left.

He watched her leave in silence.

"I know why you want the boy, Heretic." Hatter said. "I'd stay away from that rabbit hole if I were you." he smirked.

"Mind your own business, Tetch." he glared at him before leaving.

Hatter looked at the arms soldiers in the corners of the room, ready to shoot him if he tried to escape.

"Nothing would give me more pleasure." he mumbled before going back inside Bruce's mind.

As soon as they were close enough, (Y/n) hurried to the secret door to the batcave and stood there, waiting in anticipation. She gasped when she saw the batmobile.

"Welcome back, Master Richard!" she said when Dick stepped out.

When Damian exited the car, their eyes locked almost immediately. She took a deep breath.

"Welcome back, Master Damian." she smiled.

He let out a 'heh' and went up to her. Mid-way there, he became dizzy and lost balance, Dick caught him just in time as (Y/n) gasped.

"Electrocutioner got him good." Dick picked him up. "I think he has a concussion. He'll need plenty of rest."

"Don't...insult me." Damian said through his teeth.

"At least twenty-four hours of rest."

"Very well." Alfred took Damian and left. "(Y/n), please patch up Master Dick."

"Yes, Alfred." she saluted.

Her and Dick sat by the computer and she treated the few cuts and bruises he had.

"Sorry your reunion was cut short." Dick smiled.

"It's alright. He's injured, after all." she said as she put the finishing touches.

Dick stood up and stretched to make sure nothing hurt anymore.

"You've gotten way better at this, you know?"

"Unfortunately." she chuckled.

"A'ight, I'm out." he went to put the Batman costume back on.

"Where are you going?"

"I want to talk to Katey again."

"Batwoman?" she frowned.

"I understand that you don't like her, but she can help."

"Help raise our blood pressure, maybe!"

He laughed.

"I see you've picked up on Alfred's old-man humor!" he sighed. "But seriously, could you locate her for me, pretty please?" he leaned closer, fluttering his lashes. "With a cherry on top."

She groaned.

"The faster I leave, the faster you can go see Damian."

"Why-?" her frown deepened. "Master Richard, as your servant, of course I will do it. No need to use arguments such as this." she turned to the keyboard and started typing.

"Suuure, sure." he nodded, noticing the pink on her cheeks.

She quickly found Batwoman's location and sent it to Dick's communicator. She was at a bar. It made (Y/n) huff and shook her head.

"We all need a break sometimes, (Y/n)." Dick ruffled her hair. "I'll be going now, thanks."

She accompanied him to the batmobile.

"One more thing." he opened the window to look at her. "Damian has a concussion, and it shouldn't be treated lightly. He needs to rest. Make sure he rests, even if he wants to leave."

She pursed her lips.

"...I'll do my best, Sir." she slowly nodded.

Dick sighed, knowing what that meant. That meant 'Damian is more of my boss than you'.

"Just make sure he doesn't do anything stupid, alright."

"Yes, Sir." she saluted as he left.

She sighed and hurried up to Damian's room. He was seated on his bed, his arms folded and not looking too pleased, while Alfred was bandaging his head. Damian glanced at her as she entered the room before addressing the butler.

"I don't have a concussion." he pressed.

"I wasn't aware you received a medical degree while you were in the Himalayas, Master Damian."

He picked up the roll and lifted the boy's arm so he could bandage it. (Y/n) joined them by the bed.

"I've been hurt worse than this sparring with my grandfather."

"I'd hardly hold Ra's Al Ghul up as an example of enlightened child-rearer."

As he talked, he raised a hand to (Y/n), who handed him the scissors. Alfred cut the bandage and made sure it would stay in place before putting everything back on the rolling cart.

"Master Dick was quite explicit." he said as he made his way out of the room. "At least twenty-four hours of observation."

Instinctively, (Y/n) started to follow him, but Damian silently grabbed her arm, preventing her from leaving. She felt her heart jump and looked back at him, surprised. There was a short moment of eye contact before Damian addressed Aflred.

"He's not my father. And neither are you." he let her arm go and folded his arms.

"And for that, young man," he looked back at him. "you should be entirely grateful."

Alfred looked at his apprentice, silently asking if she was coming. She pursed her lips and glanced at Damian. Alfred silently sighed and left the room. Once they were alone, the two kids looked at each-other. (Y/n) tried not to smile too much.

"Why didn't you tell me he was missing?" Damian asked with a frown.

Her expression fell. She looked down with a small 'oh' and began fiddling with her nails.

"I'm sorry, Sir. I didn't want to worry you." she said. "I thought... What if I told you, but by the time you came back, he'd reappear?" she gripped her dress. "I know the others think he's dead. I didn't want you to think that as well..."

Damian's eyes softened. He sighed.

"How have you been?" he asked quietly. "Ever since I left."

"...Okay."

"That's it?" he raised an eyebrow. "I thought you'd have gotten better at our job, Penny."

"Oh!" she looked at him. "No, no, I have! I've actually been operating the batcomputer whenever Alfred was busy."

"Good." he leaned back, smiling. "What else?"

And just like that, the two of them began to catch up. She told him about all the shenanigans that happens, her secret stash her gadget for him, and he told her about his training in the Himalayas and how he got in trouble for training.

"Alright." he said once they were done. "That's enough plesantries."

'You say this like it's a quota...' she thought, trying not to smile.

"Penny. Report the situation from the beginning."

"Huh? But, Batwoman-"

"Like I would trust anything coming out of her mouth. You were monitoring Batman that night, I want to hear it from you."

She felt her heart make a little jump and explained everything that happened.

"He sounded familiar?" Damian's eyes narrowed when she spoke about Heretic.

"I still can't put my finger on it, though." she said, her gaze distant. "It might have something to do with the fact that he saved you in the vault."

"He didn't 'save' me, Penny." he rolled his eyes. "Electrocutioner was probably dragging the team, since they were supposed to run away, and that's why he killed him."

"You... You make a good point." she nodded.

"Where's Grayson, by the way?"

She sighed and glanced to the side.

"He left to meet with Batwoman." she said with a clear lack of enthusiasm. "To ask for her help."

"Of course." he rolled his eyes.

"But I know that Master Bruce saw potential in her, and that her skills could be useful for her." she nodded to herself.

"...You don't like her."

"I don't." her shook her head. "Her and Batman have crossed paths multiple times before, and everytime she talked, it was to say something nasty. She doesn't know that being sarcastic doesn't necessarily mean you're clever!"

Damian laughed.

"I've never seen you angry before." he said.

"My apologies, Sir." she straightened her posture. "I shouldn't let you see me this way."

"Transparency is essential in an alliance, Penny." he smiled. "Especially when it comes to a mutual dislike of someone."

She smiled back.

Dick has revealed his identity to Kate. The two of them went from roof to roof, talking about their time together – being the only kids their ages at those fancy parties – before they stayed on a skyscraper. Kate talked about how she became Batwoman after being rejected from the military and after Batman saved her from common street thugs, which she actually found insulting. She then turned her attention to Dick.

"What was it like, growing up with him?" she asked him.

Dick's expression turned grave.

"...When I was a kid, I idolized him. Hell, I wanted to be him." he looked down at the city. "But the older I got, the more I realized that I didn't know him at all. How could I? Bruce Wayne is as much of a mask as Batman. And I think the only thing behind those masks is pain. A pain he refuses to share with anyone. So, what was it like?" he looked at her. "Lonely."

A moment passed. He sighed.

"I was the first Robin. It was only me and him. Then, Jason came in, and whenever Bruce was getting on his nerve, he could always turn to me for support, since I knew better than anyone what he was going through. Same with Tim. I didn't want the pressure of someone else's mission to get to them. Then, (Y/n) and Damian came in, and now they talk about him like he's the best man alive. He may have changed, became more open, less cold." he looked at his hands. "But it would be the result of every other Robin before them. The kids are enjoying the fruits of others' emotional labor..." he clenched his fists.

"And you don't think that's fair?"

"Honestly, I'm just worried." he looked at her. "When, not if, when something happens that'll make him revert back to the cold, calculated, tunnel-vision man he is, it'll destroy them... But I'll be sure to be there to pick up the pieces."

"Penny." Damian said with a grave voice.

"Y-Yes?"

"If we want to know what their plan is, our first lead is to know what they stole. Can you get the vault's inventory from the batcomputer."

"Yes but we wouldn't be able to know what they stole. Mister Fox's computer over at Wayne Tower has a special program for that though."

"I'll go there." he hopped out of bed.

"B-But Sir, your injuries-"

"I've had a lot worse. And there's no time to lose." he walked through the hallway, with her right behind him. "Don't think I haven't noticed the new bike with Robin's colors."

"...It's a surprise from Master Bruce."

"What better way to thank him than to use his gift to rescue him?" he smirked. "I go change, you get your laptop."

"Yes, Sir." she saluted before rushing away.

With her laptop in hand, (Y/n) rushed to the batcave. She paused at the platform and looked down to see Damian, his back to her, walking over to the bike. But then, she saw a large silhouette sneaking up on him. The leader of the villain team! 

Before she could warn Damian, Heretic shot a dart into the back of his neck. Damian quickly took the dart out, but his vision started to blur. He looked at the man.

"You made a big mistake coming here." he said through his teeth.

He ran towards him and started to attack. But because of the drug he was induced with, his depths perception wasn't working properly. He'd miss half of his attacks, and the others were easily dodged. Heretic grabbed his fist.

"I was trained to never make mistakes." he said. "Just like you."

A violent shock made him let go of the boy who quickly stepped out of reach. Heretic looked back and saw a young girl with a taser.

"You stay away from him!" she shouted, her voice shaking.

Not without effort, Heretic pulled out the probes from his back and threw them away. He faced the kid, getting a good look at her face. His eyes widened.

"Bruce's avatar."

(Y/n) frowned.

"What?"

"Don't touch her!!!" Damian shouted.

He jumped, wrapped his legs around Heretic's neck from behind, and started to hit his head as hard as he could. Heretic stumbled before he grabbed the kid's ankle and threw him away. (Y/n) took this opportunity to run and get more weapons, but Heretic caught her in a matter of seconds. He held her up by the back of the collar.

"Penny!" Damian called out for her.

"Interesting..." he faced him. "Try anything, and she dies."

"Don't listen to him! Run!" (Y/n) struggled.

The boy clenched his fists, glaring up at the man. He lost his balance and fell to the floor. He tried to stand, but he was losing consciousness.

"Don't fight it, Damian." he walked up to him. "I've had the flaws bred out of me. But you... You're just a boy."

Eventually, Damian passed out.

"No! Let me go!" (Y/n) kept struggling.

"Penny, huh?"

She froze. Her heart sank.

'The way he said it...'

"You-" she turned her head around, but the man knocked her out before she could look at him.

When she regained consciousness, she was being carried like a sack of potatoes. She opened her eyes and looked around while staying limp. A stoned hallway, with torches on the walls and wooden windows.

'A medieval castle...?'

She heard a door open and quickly closed her eyes. She was placed on a bed and heard footsteps leaving. She looked up and saw Heretic, with another woman, who must've been the one carrying her. They were leaving. (Y/n) panicked and quickly stood up.

"Master Damian!"

They stopped. Heretic turned around.

"Perceptive." he said with a smile.

"How...? Are you from the future?"

He puffed a chuckle and just left. The woman followed him and locked the door. (Y/n) climbed the door to get to the bars at the small window.

"Wait! Damian! Damian?!"

"His name is Heretic." the woman glared, walking back to her. "He's nothing like that brat."

"Don't call him a brat!" she glared back. "Where is he?! What are you planning to do with him?!"

"Enough." Heretic looked back at them. "It's like watching two dogs fight for their masters. Come on, Onyx."

The woman huffed and left with him. (Y/n) looked around the room and spotted the window. She looked out and gasped when she saw that she was indeed in some kind of castle, on one of the highest floors, on top of a cliff with the sea at the bottom of it. 

She sighed, filled with worry, wondering where Damian was and hoping he was okay...

When Damian regained consciousness, he was wearing a straight jacket and hanging upside down by the ankles. He groaned, his mind still foggy. He saw his father, strapped to a machine, awake but in a trance.

Mad Hatter went up to him and stuck electrodes to his temples.

"Where am I?" Damian mumbled before getting his bearing and glared at him. "What the hell are you doing?"

"Unfortunately, I have no more choice in this than you do."

Heretic and Onyx walked in, their backs to him.

"Where's Penny?!" he asked as soon as he saw him. "If you did anything to her, you will regret it-"

"Caring about a girl. What would Ra's al Ghul think." he shook his head.

The mention of this name took the boy by surprise.

"...Who are you?" he asked.

Heretic took off his mask and turned around.

"I'm you, Damian." he said. "All grown up."

"You're not me." his frown deepened. "You can't be."

"I'm a product of a program that your...Our grandfather initiated." he explained. "He wanted to create the perfect soldier. They used your DNA, and put it through a process of accelerated growth. Most of the prototypes died quickly. But I survived. I was the strongest of them all." he paused. "Still, I was an empty shell, till Mr. Tetch here brought me to full consciousness. But as good of a job as he did, there's always been something missing." he went up to him. "A void. And I'm going to fill that void..." he crouched. "With you." he grabbed his collar and pulled him closer. "Everything in there," he tapped his forehead. "is going in here." he tapped his own temple. "You, brother, will provide me with a soul."

"The hell, I am." Damian said before spitting on his face.

"...You know, Penny guessed who I was on her own. She's good, for a kid."

"Don't call her that!"

"A nickname? How cute."

"Where is she?!"

Heretic walked away.

"Get on with it, Tetch." he ordered.

"I don't understand why she doesn't grow another one of you." Hatter mumbled as he kept putting electrodes on Damian's forehead. "She's got a freezer full of-"

"Are you insane?!" the door slammed open.

Everyone looked over to see Talia.

"Mother." Damian said gravely.

Talia went up to Heretic and slapped him before he could say anything. Onyx was ready to grab her sword, but a glance from Heretic made her lower her hand.

"How dare you?!" she looked at Hatter.

"It wasn't my idea!" he shrugged and pointed at the man. "This lunatic said he'd kill me if-"

"Shut up!" she said before facing her 'son'. "You'll suffer for this."

This seemed to struck a chord. He began to shake in frustration.

"My entire life I've been suffering!!!" he shouted, his voice echoing throughout the monastery. "Tell me, what is a man without memories? I want to know you, love you, as he does." he gestured towards Damian. "I want to feel you in my heart. In my blood."

As he spoke, Onyx glanced away...

"I've always served you without question." he got on his knees. "I've never asked anything of you. Please." he hugged her waist, his eyes tightly shut. "Let me have this."

A moment passed.

"You poor tormented creature." Talia caressed his head. "How could I not have felt the depth of your pain? How could a mother have left her child so alone? In the dark..." she took out a gun and shot him in the head.

He fell down, dead.

"How could you just kill him like that?!" Damian exclaimed. "He was-"

"He was flawed." she said coldly. "Onyx, get this trash out of here."

Onyx glared at her, but she carefully picked up the body and walked out of the room.

"What about me? Am I flawed too?!"

"Remove all memories of this incident." she addressed Tetch. "And then make the other necessary adjustments."

"Adjustments?" Damian frowned.

"You're of no use to me like this." she looked at him. "Recalcitrant, emotional. Your father's influence no doubt." she looked at Bruce. "Along with this...Penny?" she glanced back at Damian.

At this moment, Damian felt something he's never felt before. Something that created a tight knot in his chest. It was fear, but not for himself.

"Want to hear the best part?" Tetch smirked. "That girl is Bruce's avatar."

Although Damian had no idea what he was talking about. Talia's shocked reaction was enough for him to understand that this was bad.

"...Remove all memories of her." she faced the machine. "When this is over, I'll go pay her a visit."

"If you touch her," Damian said in a grave voice. "I'll make you pay."

The two of them glared at each-other in cold silence. Just then, the door opened and Tusk came in in a panic.

"It's the Bats! Three of them!" he said.

"Three?" Talia raised her eyebrows.

Even Damian was confused. Two of those were definitely Dick and Kate, but the third...?

"We retreat." Talia began to pack up the machine.

"Why?" Tusk asked.

"The compound is expendable. We have more urgent matters to attend to. Come."

Both Tetch and Kuttler packed up the rest of the machine, turning it into multiple suitcases. One of them being from the vault at Wayne Tower. As soon as he was left alone with Bruce, Damian began to get himself out of the straight jacket. He then cut the rop on his ankles before rushing to Bruce. There was still one computer left. He quickly hacked it to free Bruce, and used a flashdrive to gather all of the information available, with the intention of reviewing everything once they get back. He heard an explosion in the distance, it must be a fierce battle out there.

Bruce's metal shackles opened and he fell but Damian caught him. His eyes looked empty.

"It's me." Damian said. "It's your son. Come on, father."

He tried to get him to stand but he just fell again, his back against the wall. Damian crouched and slapped him.

"Batman! We need you!"

Still unresponsive. Damian slapped him again, and again. By the third time, Bruce caught his wrist before he could hit him. Damian huffed a sigh of relief.

"Come on, father." he helped him up and the two of them stepped out.

"Onyx." Talia said when she saw her on the way out. "Get the girl."

Onyx obeyed, she herself didn't know why. Maybe Heretic's murder hasn't completely set in yet... When she opened the door, the little girl unexpectedly rushed up to her.

"What's happening?! Where's young Damian?! Is old Damian okay?!"

Her eyes widened.

"I heard him shout, then there was a gunshot... He sounded hurt too."

Onyx blinked twice. This child sounded more concerned for the man who kidnapped her than his own mother.

Without saying anything, Onyx ran away. (Y/n) watched her leave, even more confused. The entire castle shook as an explosion was heard.

It was thanks to the tracker on Robin's suit that Nightwing and Batwoman found The Sisters of Perpetual Grace, a religious order which was actually a front for their criminal activities. They raided the place which resulted in a massive battle. Thankfully, a new Bat came as back-up: Luke, Lucius' son who took the tech inside the vault for himself. More specifically, a metal armor. He called himself Batwing.

Dick went inside, fighting anyone who came in his way. He eventually found Damian, dragging Bruce with him.

"Bruce!"

"Grayson!" Damian exclaimed, relieved.

Dick rushed to Bruce's side, helping Damian in carrying him. The boy responded by letting go of Bruce.

"Take him out of here, I'll go get Penny!" then he ran upstairs, without waiting for an answer.

"How are you feeling?" Dick asked as he and Bruce walked out.

"In one piece," he said in a weak voice. "which is more than I can say for this place."

Damian ran as fast as he could across the hallways.

"Penny! Penny!!!"

"Damian?!"

He dashed to the direction of the voice. He stopped at the only room with an open door, but it was empty.

"Damian!"

He rushed to the window and leaned over. (Y/n) was standing on a narrow ledge on the wall, her hands close to her chest as she tightly gripped a brick. She was shaking like a leaf, turned away from Damian and standing about a meter away from the window. She sniffed and tried to contain her sobs. Still, she didn't look injured, he was glad.

"What are you doing?!" Damian asked, baffled.

"I... I don't know my way around this castle, and it's falling apart." she spoke with a stuffy nose. "I thought it'd be easier if I climbed out the window, to get a better visual but-" the wind blew and she tensed up, pressing her body against the wall. "I'm too scared, I can't move."

"You're not a vigilante, Penny! Let alone a climber-"

"I panicked, okay?!"

Damian was taken aback. She's never yelled like this before. She must be terrified...

"...Come on, Penny." he reached out a hand. "I'll get us out of here. Take my hand."

"I-I can't. I can't let go."

"Yes you can. You're close enough to the window."

"I can't!"

"(Y/n)!"

She finally turned her head, looking at him with big eyes, filled with tears.

"Do you trust me?" he asked, looking into her eyes, his hand still up for her to take.

She pursed her lips. She removed a trembling hand from the wall and reached out for him. Before he could take her hand though, the castle shook again and the wall began to collapse. (Y/n) fell, screaming. Damian didn't hesitate to jump out the window to get to her. He wrapped an arm around her waist and threw up a cable towards the parts of the wall that were still standing.

"Arms around my neck." he ordered and she immediately did so. "Don't let go."

"Never!" she shouted, her eyes tightly shut.

They kept falling for a while until the cable tensed. When it did, they swung in the air, once they were at the highest point, Damian caught a hold of another windowsill and went inside the room. Gently, he put her down.

"Hurry." he held her hand and the two of them ran out.

They stepped out through a side entrance, just as the castle crumbled down for the last time.

A moment passed. Damian then realized that he was still holding her hand, because she let go of his and turned away from him.

"I-" she sniffed, quickly wiping her tears away. "I'm sorry. It was..." she took a deep breath. "It was foolish of me."

Damian placed a hand on her shoulder and gently made her face him.

"I'm sorry." he said quietly. "You were alone and scared. I shouldn't have let them take you." he removed his hand, looking down.

"No! No..." she shook her head. "It's not your fault! It's theirs!" she pointed at the castle. "The...old you." her eyebrows furrowed.

"Yeah. Heretic." he glanced to the side. "Mother killed him."

"Your mother?!" her eyes widened.

"I'll explain everything when we get back. Let's go look for Grayson and father."

She nodded and the two of them walked away.

As soon as she saw Bruce alive and in one piece, (Y/n) began crying again.

"Master Bruce!!!" she ran towards him, giving him a big hug.

"(Y/n)?!" he blinked twice, shocked.

"Oh I knew you were alive! I knew it!" she looked up at him. "The others were believing the most gruesome things, but I didn't listen!"

"Another kid?" Kate asked.

(Y/n) looked at her and also noticed Batwing. She had a lot of questions, but for now, she faced them with perfect posture, and bowed.

"Thank you so much for your help." she smiled. "I'm forever grateful."

"You should take notes, kid." Kate glanced at Damian, who glared at her as a response.

"Yeah." Dick smiled at them. "Thanks for saving our butts back there, Luke."

'Lucius' son?!' she thought.

"Yeah, too bad they got away." Luke sighed. "Well, dad always wanted me to work with Bruce Wayne." he smiled. "I'm proud to be a part of your team."

(Y/n) tried not to frown at this sentence, Damian didn't restrain himself though and gave him a weird look.

"We can handle this on our own." Bruce said, walking towards the batmobile. "Nightwing, Robin, (Y/n). Back to Gotham."

"...You're welcome." Dick mumbled, frowning.

"...To be fair," (Y/n) looked at Luke. "you did kind of impose yourself, there."

"She's right." Damian folded his arms. "Pretty sure this armor does not belong to you."

"Excuse me?" he frowned. "My father built this thing!"

"Because Master Bruce commissioned him to..." (Y/n) said hesitantly before shaking her head. "I'm sorry. You just saved our lives, we shouldn't-"

"Once this is over, you better put this back where you found it." Damian pointed at him. "Let's go, Penny."

He walked away, with her not far behind.

"...I used to bully kids like him." Kate said as they watched them leave before looking at Dick. "Don't tell me these two are friends."

"Worse. They'll take after Batman and Alfred."

"...We're doomed."

"Don't talk about her like that."

Before entering the car, (Y/n) stopped and stared at it.

"What's wrong?" Bruce asked.

"...I've never been inside the batmobile." she said under her breath, with sparks in her eyes.

Her clear excitement made him chuckle. Damian sat on the driver seat.

"Master Richard, hurry!" (Y/n) called out "Damian's already started the car!"

"What?! Why isn't Bruce driving?!" he rushed up to them.

"He's still weak!"

"Then I'm driving. No way in hell am I letting you drive!" he glared at Damian.

"I know how!" he said.

"No!"

After a short scuffle, Damian sat on the front seat with a pout, his arms folded, while (Y/n) and Bruce were in the back. The car left, leaving Batwoman and Batwing alone...

"I can't tell if they forgot about us, or figure we'd get home ourselves." Luke broke the silence.

"Either way, dick move."

Chapter Text

(Y/n) hasn't left Bruce's side ever since they came back to the manor. Despite Talia still being out there, now that Bruce was back home, nothing could shake her happiness. The others were still looking for the gang of villains, and Damian would constantly ask for updates regarding his father's health.

"Stop smiling, Penny." he told her. "This whole thing is far from over. We still don't know what their goal was."

She nodded with a hum, yet she still had a smile so bright that Damian had to look away. He sighed. He couldn't blame her, though.

Alfred fabricated a story to explain Bruce's condition to the board at Wayne Enterprise: he was in the rainforest to research rare herbs for medical research. Sadly, he became sick during his stay there, but he should be fully recovered in time for the World Tech Summit. Which (Y/n) was really excited for. Ever since the date was set, Bruce promised he would bring her along. This would be her very first big event outside of the manor. Plus, he told her the new tower would fly up in the air as a surprise!

Every day, Bruce would go down to the batcave and workout, to test his strength and see if he was back to full capacity. (Y/n) checked her notes as he bench pressed twice his size.

"You're back to your usual numbers, sir!" she beamed.

"Still, you really should be resting." Dick said. "The summit's tomorrow."

"It's been a week. I'm fine." Bruce said.

"Like father, like son." Alfred glanced at Damian.

(Y/n) badly concealed a chuckle and turned away from the boy, who glared at her.

"All things considered, Master Bruce," he continued. "you're in surprisingly good condition."

"She treated you, treated us, like we were machines that she could just program." Damian folded his arms, glancing to the side. "That's all we were to her..."

(Y/n) gave him a sympathetic look. Her hand twitched, as if itching to grab his. She closed it into a fist.

"After Bruce Wayne completes his hosting duties at the summit, we'll gather any leads we can to find her." Bruce put down the barbell.

(Y/n) frowned for just a second. The implication of naming Bruce Wayne as if he were a different person was very unusual for him. To her at least, Dick saw nothing wrong with that.

"Why wait?" he said. "I'll call Kate and Luke and we'll-"

"No." he faced him. "You shouldn't have involved them in the first place."

"Batwing pretty much involved himself."

"And Batwoman?" he went up to him, speaking sternly. "Did she force you to reveal our secrets?"

There was a moment of tense silence. (Y/n) pursed her lips, thinking Bruce had a point, but it might be because she was biased...

"You weren't there, Sir." Alfred spoke. "Master Dick made a judgement call, and I think it was the right one."

"We needed all the help we could get..." (Y/n) said in a small voice.

Bruce looked at her for a moment.

"Maybe so." he started walking away. "But from here on, it's only family."

"Kate's going through the hard drive we pulled from the convent."

"Fine." he huffed. "But when she's done, that's it."

"But we have to-"

"You're not Batman anymore, Dick!" he glared at him. "I call the shots around here."

Dick glared back but said nothing. (Y/n) glanced at him before rushing to follow Bruce.

"M-Master Bruce! Are you going to prepare for the Summit?"

"Yes. Please call the driver."

"Very well!" she smiled. "I'll get ready too, then. I'm excited-"

"No. You're staying."

She froze. Her expression fell.

"What?"

"This is a very important event. All the leaders of the world will be there. This is no place for children."

"But you promised-" she shook her head. "I promise I won't be a bother. Please? I-"

"Since when do you question me, (Y/n)?" he turned around and looked down on her with a cold gaze.

She felt a chill.

"Don't talk to her like that!" both Damian and Dick exclaimed.

"You promised her!" Damian stood in between them. "Now you go back on it?! She just-"

"It's alright." she discreetly tugged on his sleeve.

He looked back at her. She moved to face Bruce and bowed.

"My apologies, Master Bruce, for speaking out of turn. I'll call the driver right away."

"Good." Bruce huffed and left.

"...He's been through an extraordinary ordeal." Alfred said softly.

"Yeah? Well so have we." Dick narrowed his eyes.

"Please, don't hold it against him."

"Something's wrong with him..." (Y/n) said under her breath.

In the end, Bruce left with Alfred. (Y/n) stayed by the batcomputer, to keep an eye on the city while Batman was busy, so she said. But she's been watching the live broadcast of the summit ever since it started. And she's been sighing a lot.

"Penny."

She flinched and yelped as she looked over to see Damian, who had just sneaked up on her.

"Master Damian!" she glared.

He chuckled. He missed doing that.

"You said something earlier," he leaned against the control panels, his arms folded. "about how something was wrong with father. Is it the first time he went back on a promise?"

"Yes..." she looked down. "But honestly, it's not just that. There was something else I thought was strange."

"What was it?"

"He didn't hug you."

"...What?" he frowned.

"You, his son, just came back after a year in the Himalayas, and you rescued him from a fortress!" she gestured towards Bruce on the screen. "I thought it was because he was tired from whatever torture he had to endure back there... But even now, he did nothing."

"Father isn't the hugging type."

"Sure he is."

"Not with me..." he looked away.

"...That's not true." she softly said.

"Things change in a year, Penny."

"He didn't change, per say." 

The two of them looked over to see Dick walking over to them.

"More like he went back to how he was before." he looked at Bruce on the screen. "Stern, cold, keeping everyone at arm's length. And when he's Bruce Wayne, he gets to enjoy the billionaire life... What am I saying?" he shook his head. "He can't even enjoy that. It's just another mask he puts on."

(Y/n) looked at him with a pained expression.

"...Is that how you think of him?" she asked.

"You weren't there, (Y/n), all those years ago." he looked at her, not enjoying this conversation either. "Trust me, the Bruce you know is a novelty."

She looked at Damian, silently asking him if he felt the same way. He got the message and pursed his lips. Before she could tell he wasn't going to answer, they received a call from Batwoman.

"My dad got fuckin' brainwashed!" was the first thing they heard as soon as they picked up the call.

Suddenly, everyone was focused. Damian and Dick quickly changed and left while (Y/n) monitored them, and glancing at the news feed from time to time.

As Nightwing and Robin followed Batwoman's signal, Bruce got to the part of his presentation where the tower started flying. (Y/n) couldn't help but sigh. It was really impressive, but it would have been greater if she had been in that tower!

The boys met Batwoman on a rooftop. She told them about how, all of a sudden, her father attacked her.

"He doesn't even remember doing it." she said. "He was programmed."

"But why?" Damian asked.

"Somehow, they knew I had that drive."

Nightwing frowned.

"...Like they knew about the vault at Wayne Enterprise." he said under his breath.

An answer to this mystery stared him right in the face. But he didn't want to see it. He knew he must, this was his duty as a superhero, after all. But it would invalidate a previous theory of his... And it wasn't something he wanted to think about.

But, (Y/n) heard what he said, and she gasped, jumping to this conclusion.

"Like they knew about the vault at Wayne Enterprise!" she repeated. "Only Master Bruce could've told them!"

"How could you say that, Penny?" Damian frowned. "Father would never."

"Not willingly, of course. He must've been programmed, just like Batwoman's father! I was right!"

She cleared her throat, thinking this wasn't cause for celebration.

"Talia had him in there for weeks," Batwoman said. "and he suddenly snaps out of it the moment we show up?"

"You're wrong." Damian pressed. "He's fine."

"Master Damian..."

(Y/n) didn't have to say anything else to make him look down. Dick clenched his fists.

"No he's not." he looked at the boy. "He's not fine. She got to him."

"...She's not finished, is she?"

"I had a feeling your mother wasn't the type to quit easily." (Y/n) said.

"Heh. You don't know the half of it."

'Wait.' (Y/n)'s eyes widened. 'Then...'

She turned her full attention to the news channel. Things were still going according to Bruce's original plan. Just as Batwing joined in on the others' conversation, something happened. The translator devices the guests were wearing all turned red, and the feed glitched and cut out. She gasped.

"They've taken over the Summit!" she exclaimed.

"We're on our way!" Nightwing said almost immediately.

"Can anyone patch Batwing through?"

A moment passed.

"Penny, right?" she heard Luke's voice.

"Don't call me that." she quickly clarified. "I'll send over the tower's schematics to your suit." she said as she typed at a rapid speed.

"Roger that."

"I can maybe try to connect the batcomputer to the tower's control room, but..."

'I've never tried it before. I've only seen Alfred and Master Drake do it.'

"...Got it." Luke nodded, hearing her distress. "I can jam their radar and shut down their alarm system from here."

"Thank you." she exhaled. "As for the others, I'm sending the Batwing right away!"

"Pfff. Hey Batwing." Batwoman said. "Need a ride in the...Batwing?"

(Y/n) groaned, wondering who put her in the call.

When the group infiltrated the tower, Penny only had one thing to say:

"Be careful. Please save him."

"I will." Damian said.

"Our first priority is getting those people out." Nightwing said.

"Not mine." he picked up the pace.

Just then, Firefly flew out of nowhere and took Batwing outside as the two of them engaged in a fight in the sky.

"We don't have time for this, Damian."

They looked over to see Talia, with Tusk by her side.

"Join us, or die." she said sternly.

Out of the shadow, Batman stepped out. Seeing this through Robin's and Nightwing's masks, (Y/n)'s heart twisted.

"Father..." Damian muttered.

They all began to fight. (Y/n) focused on trying to hack into the cameras of the tower, which was easy enough, she's done that plenty of times now. She spotted Alfred navigating his way through the hallway with a gun and she breathed a sigh of relief.

"Batwing to ground control." she heard. "Uh... Got a situation."

She looked at the cameras outside and saw one of the tower's thrusters explode, making the building towards the city's skyscrapers.

"Oh my!" her eyes widened.

"Yeah. I need you to transfer power from the damaged thruster to the remaining two."

"Hack into the-?!" 

She looked at all of the screens of the batcomputer. So many things were happening at the same time, her mind couldn't keep up. 

"I... I-I can't." she shook her head. "I can't do it!"

"Penny." Damian spoke using their own earpiece.

She gasped, ashamed that he saw her panic. She looked over to one of the screens. He was still fighting Tusk...

"This is unbecoming of you! Keep a cool head!" he switched to the main comm line. "Tell her what to do, Batwing. She only needs to hear it once."

"You here, soldier?"

(Y/n) gulped and gave herself small slaps.

"What do I do?"

Luke gave her a quick lesson. She stopped him halfway.

"I remember Master Drake doing it, I can manage from here." 

Hearing this, Damian smirked.

With Batwing's help, she managed to stabilize the tower. Meanwhile, Damian defeated Tusk, Alfred managed to free everyone from their hypnotic states and Batwoman had to flee from Talia.

Nightwing and Batman's fight led them to an empty room. Dick's arm was broken and Bruce was ruthless. It was as if his programming prevented him from getting tired. Dick would be lying if he said some inner frustration didn't come out with some of his attacks.

In the end, Batman took a hold of Nightwing's baton and pinned him to the ground, pressing on his broken arm.

"Well done, Beloved." Talia said as she came in. "We will at least have this victory."

She tossed him a gun which he easily caught.

"Finish him."

He turned to Nightwing. Seeing him through Dick's mask, (Y/n) tried to hack his cowl, to talk to him or blind him, but Talia had all the technology removed from it. It was just a mask now.

"Dammit!" she slammed her fists on the keyboard and covered her mouth as she stared at the screen with tears in her eyes.

"That's what it's all about in the end, isn't it, Mother?"

Talia looked over to see Damian.

"Not the vision of a better world my grandfather had." he glared. "It's just about control."

"Start with the bastard. We could always make more."

Batman stood up and pointed the gun at Damian.

"Bruce!" Dick exclaimed. "You don't kill. You've never killed."

He tried to stand up, but Bruce hit him with the baton.

"Don't let her win." he continued in a dry voice. "Don't let her take your soul."

"If anything, I have cleansed it." Talia said. "I washed away his trauma. Finish them, Beloved."

"Bruce. You brought us all together because you understood our pain, our loneliness better than anyone could.

Batman's hand started to shake.

"Me, Damian, Jason, Tim, even (Y/n). We needed family. We needed you."

Small grunts escaped his lips.

"You can fight back. I know you can. You already did, when you forbade (Y/n) from coming here. You wanted to protect her."

"Shoot him!" Talia pressed.

"You're not just a mask. You're a man... The best man I've ever known."

Batman shut his eyes closed and put the gun under his head. 

"No!" Damian exclaimed while Talia gasped.

"Can't... fight it." he said as he stepped back.

"Yes you can, dammit!" Nightwing stood up. "For the little boy who lost his world in that alley." he paused. "You have four others and a little girl, who will lose theirs if you pull that trigger."

"Enough!" Talia took out a sword.

Bruce shot the blade, making it fly out of her grasp. The gun then slipped through his grasp as he stumbled and fell. Dick caught him before he could hit the ground. Bruce looked at Damian.

"I'm...I'm sorry." he said, sounding exhausted. "I'm so sorry."

"It's alright, Father." he pressed his ear piece. "Penny?"

He heard crying and incoherent words.

"...She's glad you're okay." he smiled.

While they were talking, Talia tried to sneak away but was stopped by Batwoman, who punched her in the face.

"That's for what you did to my father, bitch." she glared.

Talia turned around and was faced with Batwing. She was surrounded.

"It's over, Mother." Damian said.

"Your grand plan has ended." Bruce said as he managed to stand on his own. 

"How is it I ever loved either of you?" she asked.

"I don't think you ever did."

"Oh Beloved, you have no idea..." she shook her head. "I have thought of little else for the past twelve years. But nothing, not my passion, the death of my father, not even our child could bring you to my side." she looked away, her voice quivering in pain. "I know now, I will never have you in this life..." she took out a grenade. "But perhaps in death."

With that, she ran away and threw the grenade at the window. The other tried to get her, but they were slower because of their injuries. The grenade created an escape for Talia. She jumped out and fell through the air until she eventually landed on a small aircraft which she called. She deactivated the autopilot and flew away.

"She played us again." Nightwing said as they all watched her escape.

Unbeknownst to them and Talia, Onyx had infiltrated the aircraft and attacked Talia. Their fight resulted in the aircraft crashing.

Bruce placed a hand on Damian's shoulder as they watched the fire in the horizon.

The group made the tower land safely. Bruce got back in his casual clothes and joined Alfred to explain what happened to the rest of the summit. On the way back, he called the batcave.

"(Y/n), do you-"

"Master Bruuuuce!!!" she cried.

He couldn't help but chuckle. When they came back to Wayne Manor, she ran towards him and hugged him tightly.

"You're back! You're really back this time!" she sobbed. 

"I'm sorry for scaring you." he gently said and he patted her back.

"I'm just so happy this is over! I knew you'd win! You have the strongest mind ever!"

He chuckled. She sniffed and tried to wipe her tears away, even when she stepped back.

"Show some professionalism, Penny." Damian whispered.

"I'm sorry." 

He snickered at her stuffy-nosed voice.

"What?" she frowned.

"You sound ridiculous." 

"No I'm not." 

He snickered again.

After (Y/n) and Alfred patched everyone's wounds, they all had dinner together. After that, Bruce took Damian to sit outside.

"I'm heading to the tower." Dick went up to Alfred, with (Y/n) helping him put on his jacket.

They both noticed the butler was looking out the window.

"What's going on?" they stood beside him.

"Master Bruce is having a heart-to-heart with Damian. One can't help feeling bad." he sighed. "Despite her madness, Talia was still his mother."

(Y/n) felt her heart twist. But she felt glad when she saw Bruce's hand on his son's shoulder. She patiently waited for their conversation to be over and for the two of them to go back inside. Once they did, she went up to Damian.

"Master Damian. I'm sorry." she bowed. "I was so focused on the mission, and Master Bruce being safe, I didn't think of your mother."

"It's alright, Penny." he waved a hand. "She's not the easiest person to like."

"...I'm sorry for your loss."

His eyebrows furrowed and he said a quiet 'thank you'. She accompanied him to his room.

"You said you got better at monitoring missions." he said, going back to his usual stern demeanor. "Yet you were on the verge of a panic attack."

"I-I wasn't." she glanced away, flustered. "There was just...a lot happening. Because there were so many of you to keep an eye on. And I got a handle of the situation eventually!" she huffed.

"You did. You did good." he smiled. "For a first time, anyway." he shrugged.

She smiled. Soon after that, they reached his room.

"Goodnight, Master Damian." she bowed. "Hopefully, tomorrow, we'll get to properly celebrate your return to the manor."

"...I don't think you understand, Penny." he said in a grave voice. "I only came back because it was an emergency and you were all desperate for my help. I'm planning on leaving at dawn."

(Y/n)'s smile fell. She tried to not look sad.

"Oh... I see." she nodded, avoiding direct eye contact. "I shall book your flight right away, then." she bowed again.

"Penny, that was a joke."

She looked at him with big eyes. Despite saying that, he looked as serious as ever.

"O-Oh!" she forced a laugh. "Very funny, Sir!"

"You're lying."

"Goodnight, now." she bowed before quickly walking away.

He sighed, smiling.

(Y/n) had a few more chores to do in the manor, but Alfred allowed her to finish her day earlier, saying that everyone here deserved a good rest. She changed and let herself fall back on her bed. She closed her eyes and breathed a long sigh. Her heart felt lighter, now that everything was finally over.

She felt the cold night air brush against her cheek...

The window was open?

She looked over to the side. The dark silhouette of a woman cut through the moonlight.

Everyone in the manor sensed something was wrong the moment they woke up. (Y/n) was always the first one to wake up, yet they didn't hear the rustling of the broom nor the sound of expensive silverware. Bruce and Alfred figured that her lost hours of sleep have finally caught up to her. Damian, however, went straight to her room.

"Penny." he knocked.

No answer. This wasn't right, he thought, Penny always answered. He opened the door. His heart sank.

Her bed was a mess, the window was wide open. Damian started looking for clues right away.

He found mud on the windowsill, with part of a footprint, a very specific design that Damian recognized. There were also traces of ashes.

He ran out to the batcave. On the way there, he saw Bruce.

"Mother is alive!" he shouted, running past him without even slowing down. "She took Penny!"

Bruce didn't need any more explanation, he ran with his son.

(Y/n) woke up to the sound of swords clashing and people fighting in the distance. She was in a cell. She stood up from the cold stone floor and dusted off her pajamas. There was a small window, very high on the wall. That was where the noise came from.

She climbed up the wall to look outside. Seeing the unfamiliar mountains, she figured she wasn't in America anymore... Her eyes widened when she looked down to see a training ground. More than a hundred assassins. Some were sparring while others were practicing movements with incredible synchronisation.

'Kidnapped again...' she sighed. 'I just hope they didn't get Damian as well.'

"So. You're this... Penny."

(Y/n)'s first instinct was to correct whoever just spoke, but she kept her mouth shut when she turned her head and saw who was standing outside her cell. Tall, scary, beautiful Talia al Ghul. (Y/n) quickly climbed down and stood upright.

"Miss Al' Ghul." she bowed. "It's an honor. I'm sorry you have to see me in such a state."

She was tempted to try saying hello in Arabic – something she learned from Damian – but didn't want to risk embarrassing herself.

'Beside,' she thought. 'Talia Al' Ghul should not be used as a test subject for language-learning.'

The woman smiled at the polite little girl.

"Come closer, child."

(Y/n) was hesitant. She knew Talia was dangerous, especially after everything that just happened. Who knows what was on her mind at this point.

'Out of all the people in the manor, why take me?' she couldn't help but wonder. 'Leverage, perhaps?'

Still, she was no match to her in a fight. She had to be very careful. Not only that, but Talia was Damian's mother. She wanted to make a good impression, even under these strange circumstances. She stepped closer. A moment passed during which Talia just looked down at her... Then she grabbed her by the collar and pulled her up.

"Who are you?" she asked in a grave voice.

"I-I-" she tried to speak, but was struggling to do so.

Talia clicked her tongue and let her go. (Y/n) coughed a couple of times before standing up. She stood with perfect posture once again.

"My name is (Y/n) (L/n). I'm an apprentice maid at Wayne Manor."

Talia raised an eyebrow at the girl's cooperation.

"I'm eleven years old, I've been living in Gotham all my life. My family is very small and very poor, which is why I-" 

"I don't care for that."

"Apologies." she bowed her head.

"What I want to know..." she leaned closer. "Is what about you is so special?"

(Y/n) was silent for a moment. Her gaze wandered as she looked for an answer to give to Talia.

"...I'm a hard worker." she finally said.

"Are you taking me for a fool?" she frowned.

"N-No!" she shook her head. "I would never!"

"You're my Beloved's avatar. My son gave you a nickname." she glared. "And both of them turned their backs on me. What did you do to them?"

(Y/n) was still very much confused. But...

"Turn their backs on you?" her eyebrows furrowed. "Ma'am, you mean the world to them."

Tali let out a loud 'Ha!'.

"It's true." (Y/n) took a step further. "Master Damian would only say good things when he talks about you. And Master Bruce... On occasion, he'd ask for a glass of arak and to be left alone. He'd drink it while staring at pictures of you both, during the time when you were seeing each-other."

Talia's eyes widened as the girl talked.

"They just want what's best for you." (Y/n) pursed her lips, scared to speak further. "...Why can't you do the same for your son?"

"What?"

"When he realized who Heretic was, it really shook him. Now he thinks you don't care about him. But here you are, you have kidnapped me for him and his father. Or is it that...?" 

'Or do you think I took control over them?' was what she wanted to say, remembering Damian's words, but she didn't want to push her luck.

There was a moment of tense silence. (Y/n) could hear her own rapid heartbeat.

"...You're a maid, you say." Talia finally spoke, making the girl almost flinch. "You can make tea."

"Only the British kind. Apologies. B-But I'm willing to learn!"

"That will do." she opened the cell door and began walking away.

Hesitantly, (Y/n) followed her. The cold air of the dungeon was quickly replaced with the hot sunlight as they stepped outside. She flinched and shielded her eyes as she quickly blinked. Talia never once looked back to see if (Y/n) was following, walking with decisive steps. They walked by the training ground. A few assassins looked at the child following their leader. (Y/n) kept her gaze down, staring at Talia's feet. She could feel herself blushing in embarrassment.

'The ancient and infamous League of Assassins... And I'm in my nightgown!' she pursed her lips, gripping at the fabric of her dress. 'And barefoot too!'

Talia led her to another part of the fortress. Everything was much fancier there. (Y/n) didn't want to appear in awe, but she did glance around every direction possible whenever they'd step through a room. They eventually stopped by a small living room with a chimney. Talia instructed a servant something in Arabic as she sat down on the couch. (Y/n) stayed standing. After a short while, the servant came back with a tea set, some tea leaves and water. They set it all on the table before leaving. Talia gestured for (Y/n) to go ahead and the girl started making tea. 

"I'm sure you have questions, child." Talia broke the silence. "I'll allow only one."

"...Did you take anyone else from the manor?"

"No. Only you."

(Y/n) breathed a sigh of relief and kept working. She looked less tense now.

"I see. Good."

"Now tell me. What is your goal exactly?"

"My...?" she pursed her lips, remembering that she already asked her one question.

Talia chuckled and leaned closer.

"You amuse me. I can't help but think it's a facade."

"It's not. I try to be as genuine as I can be, always." she paused. "My goal, as a servant of the Wayne family, is to succeed in my apprenticeship so that I become a fully fledged maid. My goal as an (L/n), is to make enough money so that my parents won't have to work as much anymore... My goal as Master Damian's ally, is to be the best Penny I can be, so that he becomes the most efficient Batman possible."

Although she focused on brewing the tea, she could feel Talia's gaze on her. And, for once, it made her nervous.

"Damian is an Al Ghul. His rightful heritage is the League of Assassins."

"Oh... So you won't use the Lazarus pit, like your father did."

"Only when absolutely necessary. The more one use the Lazarus pit, the more the body becomes dependent of it. It's what happened with my father..." she looked down.

"I see... I'm sorry for your loss." she bowed her head.

Talia looked at her. Hearing these words, she realized that no one has ever said them to her. She frowned.

"You are aware I took you here to interrogate and kill you, correct?"

"...It had dawned on me as soon as I saw you in my room, yes."

"Don't you hate me? Need to remind you of everything that I've done?"

"Hate you? N-No, I couldn't." she shook her head. "You're Master Damian's mother. And Master Bruce...He loves you too."

"They both hate me now."

"They don't, I assure you. They are grieving you as we speak. And I know you love them. Or else you wouldn't have left Damian in his father's care." she paused. "And if it wasn't for you, I wouldn't have made my first friend." she went up to her and placed a cup of warm tea on the table. "Your tea, ma'am. I do hope you enjoy it."

Talia looked at the cup, a single string of steam emanating from it, then at the little girl in her nightgown with perfect posture.

Damian knew that Talia would've retreated back to the main fortress of the League of Assassins. He hasn't been there ever since Deathstroke attacked it and killed Ra's. In other circumstances, Damian would have been glad to see it restored. But right now, his mind was focused on one thing only.

"I'm going in." he left his seat.

"Damian, no. It's too soon." Batman said. "We don't know how-"

"I have lived in this fortress since I was born. I could walk through its halls with my eyes closed. I will bring Penny back."

He opened the latch and jumped out, using his cape to glide over to the nearest tower. As snipers began shooting at the batwing, Damian fought his way through the fortress.

"None of you are near strong enough to be here!" he shouted as he grabbed one assassin by the collar. "Where is she?!"

They pointed a shaky finger towards a direction. Damian clicked his tongue.

"A real assassin would die with that information!" he said before knocking them out.

Eventually, he reached the main courtyard and ran towards one of the buildings. He stopped when his mother jumped out a window and landed a few steps away from him, blocking his way.

"Welcome home, Damian." she smiled.

"Where is she?! What have you done with her?!"

"(Y/n)? Our talk was interrupted when you arrived. Don't worry, I left her in good hands. Now," she took out a sword. "show me what you've learned."

Damian's grip tightened. He dashed towards her and the two of them sparred. Neither of them showed any mercy.

"Why? Why take her?!" Damian asked. "She hasn't done anything! She's no threat!"

"She is, son, to you." Talia said as she kicked him in the stomach, making him fly through the air. "Look at what she made you. Rash, tense, emotional."

"Of course...you'd say that." he slowly stood up. "You have no heart. Or if you have one, then it's filled with hate. You want to control the world because you believe it's full of scum. And you made me believe that too." he spit out some blood. "Well, Penny isn't like that. She can't bring herself to hate anyone, even the filthiest of filth in Gotham. I bet she showed you the utmost respect, even after you kidnapped her. She showed me respect, even when I didn't deserve it." his fists clenched. "She's the first friend I've ever made. The only one I'll ever have. I won't let any harm come to her, even if it means..."

He looked at his sword. Talia readied herself. But then, he tossed his weapon aside.

"Even if it means leaving her behind."

"What?" Talia's eyes widened.

"If you let her go, if the League of Assassins never come near her ever again... I'll stay with you, by your side, and accept my birthright as Damian al Ghul." he removed his mask.

"You'd never see her again. And your father, you'd be his enemy."

"I know, and I accept these conditions." he bowed his head. "As long as mine are met in return."

Talia was stunned. This was what she wanted, partially at least. But she couldn't help but think back to when she left him to his father's care. She could've brought Damian back to the League with her, he was willing to listen. But the look on his face back then... It was the same one he had now. A deep sadness for what's to come.

Talia took a deep breath before putting her sword back in its sheath.

"Follow me." she walked towards the building.

"What about-"

"I'll take you to her."

Damian's eyes widened and he rushed to follow her.

He knew that they weren't going to the dungeons, yet he could feel his heart tightening, anxious about in what state he'll find Penny in. Sure, it hasn't been a day since she's been taken, but this was the League of Assassins, and Talia did make her intensions clear ever since she heard Damian's nickname for her...

Talia stopped at a door and opened it a crack to peel inside before opening it wide and walking in. Damian followed. Penny had just finished getting dressed up – a gold and emerald green kaftan dress – with the help of a servant, when she turned around. Her eyes met Damian's and she gasped.

"Master Damian!" she beamed.

"Penny."

She took half a step but stopped herself, glancing at Talia.

"Are you hurt?" he asked in a grave voice.

"No, I'm all right." she shook her head. "Your mother was kind enough to lend me some clothes." she opened her arms.

"I couldn't have her in her nightgown and barefoot." she smirked. "This is a sacred place."

"Come," Damian gestured her to follow him. "we're going home."

"R-Really? Is it okay?" she glanced at Talia again.

"Yes." he pressed. "Come on."

With one last glance at Talia, (Y/n) followed him and the three of them walked out, just as Batman reached them. (Y/n) gasped again.

"Master Bruce!" she rushed up to hug him.

He hugged her back.

"Wait." she stepped back. "You're still injured, you all are!" she looked back at Damian and Talia. "You should be resting!"

"We had other priorities." Damian said.

"Let's go, you two." Bruce told them, then looked at Talia. "Talia."

"...Beloved." she nodded.

"See? She's alive after all." (Y/n) smiled at him. "Aren't you glad, Sir?"

He looked at her, wondering what in the world happened while she was in there, before looking back at the woman.

"I am glad to see you're alive."

Talia blinked twice in surprise. She didn't expect him to actually say it.

"Sir." (Y/n) tugged on his cape. "Could Miss al Ghul come visit us some times?"

They all looked at her with big eyes.

"So that she could plant spy cameras and steal precious technology from us?" Damian frowned. "I'll pass."

"Maybe not every week. I was thinking more...once every few months perhaps." she shrugged. "I'm just saying, it'd be nice for Master Damian to see his mother."

"With the League suffering from another loss. I'll be very busy." Talia said.

"O-Of course, I understand."

"But I'm not against it." Talia said as she stepped closer to Bruce. "It could give us an opportunity to...catch up." she smirked.

"The last time we tried to do that, it didn't go so well."

She chuckled.

"I went easy on you, didn't I?"

"I suppose I should feel special then."

"Very. You, however, were as rough as ever."

(Y/n) watched as the two adults were partaking in kinda-flirting kinda-threatening and let out a sigh with a dreamy look. Before she could enjoy any more of the romance in front of her, Damian went up to her and looked deep into her eyes.

"S-Sir?" she blushed at how close he was.

"Were you hypnotized?" he inspected the rest of her.

"I wasn't." she shook her head.

He patted her arms, from her wrists to her shoulders. Then her back. Her eyes went big and she raised her hands, stopping him before he went any further.

"Master Damian. Do you really think I would've accepted wearing these clothes without making sure there wasn't a tracker on it or anything of the sort?" she asked with a frown.

"A double check never hurts." he folded his arms.

"It could, however, be uncomfortable." she folded her arms too.

"So your safety matters less than your comfort. That's rather unprofessional of you, Penny."

"I appreciate your priority of my safety. But there's also the importance of being a gentleman." she huffed.

"I don't care for gentle. I am an assassin."

"With all due respect, Sir, no you're not. You don't kill."

Before they could partake in any more kinda-bickering kinda-flirting, Batman had called on the batwing, which landed outside of the fortress. Before leaving, (Y/n) bowed to Talia, thanking her for the dress, and Damian just stood in front of his mother.

"...Goodbye, Mother." he nodded.

She smiled and crouched down to be at eye level. She cupped his face in her hand, then said something in Arabic. His eyes widened slightly and his eyebrows furrowed. He hugged her. She was shocked for a moment, but eventually hugged him back tightly.

"Aaaww." (Y/n) said quietly with a smile.

As soon as they left, (Y/n) was showered with questions. She answered them all with the best of her abilities.

"What did you two do?" Damian asked.

"We mostly just talked."

"About what?"

"She asked me questions, about you and Master Bruce. But it felt like every answer I gave, every move I made, was a test."

"Everything is a test with her... She didn't try to kill you?"

"She made it clear this was her plan, yes." she nodded. "But after a while, she offered to lend me some clothes, so I suppose she changed her mind about that."

"Are you okay?" Bruce asked.

"...It was really scary at first. But the more we talked, the less scared I was." she held her hands together. "Is that bad?"

"Not at all." he smiled.

"Maybe it's because I knew you were going to save me." she smiled.

Damian smiled too, faintly.

Both (Y/n) and Alfred told Bruce and Damian to get back to their room and rest as soon as they got back to the manor. 

"Penny, bring my dinner to my room." Damian said as he walked away. "The usual."

"Very well, Sir." she saluted.

She made dinner with ease and set it all on a trail. On her way to Damian's room, she wondered.

'Is it me, or is he colder than usual... Like when he first arrived here.'

Her heart tightened as she wondered what it could mean. Once she reached his room, she knocked by giving little kicks to the door (since her hands were full).

"Enter." Damian said.

She walked in. He was in his bed, reading a book, wearing his pajamas. His Robin suit was carefully set on a chair, it was in pretty bad shape. (Y/n) immediately understood. She picked it up as soon as she put the trail down.

"I'll make it as good as new." she made a small bow. "Now, goodnight Master Damian."

"Penny." his voice stopped her.

She turned around.

"Close the door."

"I will."

"No, close it."

She frowned, confused, but did as told. As soon as the door closed, Damian closed the book and stepped out of bed. He walked up to her.

"Master Damia-?"

She was cut off by him wrapping his arms around her and pulling her into a hug. He took a deep breath. (Y/n) was so caught off guard, she couldn't even move. Not like his embrace allowed her to, anyway...

"Don't do that again." he said under his breath.

"Okay." she said in a small voice, although she had no idea as to what he was referring to.

Another moment passed. Damian then cleared his throat and stepped back, the same stoic expression on his face.

"You're dismissed." he said, returning to his book.

"Okay." she said again before leaving.

(Y/n) – her expression unchanged – walked to her room, changed into her nightgown, brushed her teeth and went to bed. She stared at the ceiling for what felt like hours...

...She could still smell his scent. She could still feel his warmth.

(Y/n) grabbed her pillow and pressed it on her face as she groaned.

The next day, both of them acted as if nothing happened.

[I am excited for the next in-between chapter, cause oh boy! There’s a whole lil adventure featured in there with a new character 👏👀

To make up for the wait, here’s a few drawings! I made them a year ago but I still really like them 🥰 (yes the background is orange, it’s good for my eyes!)

Chapter Text

This story happened while Damian was away in the Himalayas.

The sky was cloudy, police sirens were ringing, you could hear people shout at each-other, just another day in Gotham City. Except for a certain class of middle school students, who came from all the way across the state. 

They came over for a school trip to the famous Wayne Enterprise. They had a private tour guide showing them around.

"Everyone, take note." their teacher said. "Remember, you'll have to do a presentation when we get back. So choose the department you want to work on.

Everyone groaned. Of course, they'd much rather admire the giant building and cool new tech.

When it was time for lunch, they all settled in the lobby, since it was big enough and everyone had their lunch with them.

Well...except for Jon. Not anymore at least.

"Give it back, Melvin!" he glared.

"Relaaaax, Kent." the bully smirked, holding the lunchbox out of the boy's reach. "I'm doing you a solid. I mean... A Batman lunchbox? Seriously?!" he and his minions cackled.

Jon clenched his fists. He knew something like this would happen. As soon as middle school started, he begged his mother for a new lunchbox. But she refused since it wasn't broken or anything.

To be clear, being a superhero fan in and of itself wasn't regarded as a loser thing, since superheroes were very real and very cool. However, it was customary to show your support for your local superhero, and not doing so was indeed regarded as uncool. 

"If you love him so much, why don't you just move to Gotham, eh?" Melvin smirked. "You'd fit right in with your stink!"

"You're just jealous because your mom didn't even make you lunch!" Jon snapped back.

Melvin's minions gasped as their leader's smile dropped.

"Sh-She picked up double shifts," his voice cracked. "that's why!" he looked around to make sure the teacher wasn't looking. "You've done it now, Kent."

He grabbed the boy by the collar and dragged him further into a corner, where none of their classmates could see. Jon was shaking like a leaf, but he still struggled.

"Let me go-!"

"You yell, and it's a punch to the face!"

"You're gonna punch me anyway!"

"Yeah? Well it'll be a double punch to the face. With that stupid box you love so much." he raised the lunchbox.

Jon closed his eyes and braced for impact.

'At least then I'd have a good excuse to get a new one, I guess...'

"Excuse me!"

The two boys tensed up. The way these words were spoken... They believed a teacher had spotted them. But then they looked over and their eyes became wide open when they saw a girl – around the same age as them but definitely smaller in size – dressed like a maid , with her hands on her hips and glaring at them, as if she did carry the authority of a teacher.

"Let that poor young man go." she said sternly. "Wayne Enterprises is no place for bullies."

Melvin burst out laughing.

"Did you get lost, weirdo? The weirdo convention's down the street!" he cackled.

"Let him go, I will not ask a third time."

Melvin pushed Jon to the wall before slowly approaching the girl, who kept glaring at him, unshaken by his intimidating size.

"The only thing you'll ask for is mercy, freak."

The girl said nothing, which, to the two boys, was a killer comeback! Just as he raised a fist-

"Woah there," a security guard walked towards them. "what's going on, kids?"

"Oh, hello Fredrick." the girl looked back at him while Melvin quickly stepped back. "Don't worry, I have the situation under control." she beamed as she raised a fist.

"Do you, now?" he glanced at the kid who was about to punch her. "Say, (Y/n)," he crouched down. "you left without finishing. So what do you season it with?"

"Ah, yes." she faced him. "Some paprika and tarragon."

"Aaaaah," he snapped his fingers and pointed at her. "I knew there was an aniseed taste to it! Thanks, I'll make sure to try." he stood up and addressed the other kids. "Play nice with this one, boys, or you could get in biiiig trouble."

She laughed and waved him goodbye as he left.

"Now." she faced Melvin, putting her hands back on her hips. "We'll just let you off with a warning, since nothing happened. But if I catch you bullying anyone again, I will have to notify your parents."

"I... You- Whatever, freak!" he dropped the lunchbox before stomping away.

"Wow..." Jon whispered in awe at the surreal nature of what just happened.

"Are you okay?" the girl asked.

"Yeah. Thanks. I'm sorry about this jerk."

"It's alright."

"Weren't you scared?"

"No. I was about to deflect his punch, anyway."

She picked up the lunchbox. Jon's eyes widened.

"Th-That's not- Uh..."

"A Batman lunchbox? How lovely!" she beamed. "I wish I had a lunchbox."

"Your mom doesn't make you lunch?"

"No. I make my own meals." she opened it and let out a relieved sigh. "Thank goodness, the sandwiches are intact." she handed it back to him. "There you go... I'm sorry, what is your name?"

"Oh yeah, sorry." he smiled, bashful. "I'm Jon."

"Nice to meet you, Jon. My name is (Y/n)." she bowed her head.

"So..." he looked at her maid outfit before slowly asking. "What are you doing here?"

"Master Bruce forgot some documents at home, so I came here to bring them to him. On the way out, I took the opportunity to have a little chat with some of the staff members. Then I saw this boy drag you away and I could tell he was up to no good." she shook her head.

"I see..." he chuckled. "Funny. You said 'Master Bruce', as if the billionaire Bruce Wayne was your boss." he chuckled again.

"He is." she nodded with a bright smile.

"What?!"

The two kids found somewhere to sit, somewhere on the side of the many staircases here, so that Jon could eat his lunch while (Y/n) explained her situation.

"You work for Bruce Wayne?" he looked at her in awe.

"Yes." she smiled. "It's an honor."

"But you're the same age as me! Don't you have school?"

"I don't go to school. I stopped going a long time ago."

"What?!" he leaned closer. "You are the luckiest person ever!"

"I do feel really lucky." she nodded.

"So does that mean you live in Wayne Manor?!"

"Yes. I only go home on Sundays, it's my day off."

"Maaan." he let out a heavy sigh as he sank down a little. "I wish I could stop going to school and work already."

"...Is middle school really that bad?" she asked. 

"It's the worst!" he shook his head. "It's so boring. You get homework everyday, and you get bullied. Even when cool stuff happens, like a field trip, then you have to make a stupid presentation." he huffed.

"Oh my... I'm sorry to hear this."

Jon opened his lunchbox and unwrapped one of his sandwiches. He looked at her and handed it to her.

"You wanna share?"

"Huh? Oh no no no." she raised her hands and shook her head. "It's your lunch. And I was going to make myself lunch once I get back-"

"Come on. I can't eat by myself. When was the last time someone else made you lunch, anyway?"

Her eyes widened. She felt her heart warm up as she pursed her lips, touched.

"Thank you, Jon." she said as she took the sandwich.

"No problem." he smiled and picked up the other one he had.

(Y/n) looked at it for a moment. She couldn't help but inspect it, like Alfred would always do with her food. But unlike her mentor, (Y/n) could only draw one conclusion:

'This was made with a lot of care.'

She took a bite – holding the triangle sandwich with her pinkies up – and her eyes widened.

"Mmh!" she looked at Jon with stars in her eyes. "It's delicious!" she said after swallowing.

"I'll tell my mom you liked it." he smiled.

She heard snickers and looked over to see some kids laughing at them. (Y/n) was used to it, but...

"Jon, it would seem that being with me is bringing you unwanted attention." she stood up. "I apologize. I can leave you alo-"

"Nah, don't worry." he waved a hand. "I get laughed at all the time."

"Really?" she blinked twice, shocked. "But you're such a kind boy, how can that be?"

"W-Wow, thanks." he blushed and chuckled. "But back at school, everyone calls me a weird farmboy."

"You're from a farm?!" she leaned closer as she sat back down. "That's amazing!"

"Well, you're the only one who thinks that." he sighed. "Us weirdos gotta stick together, right?"

(Y/n) felt her heart squeeze. Did she just make a new friend?! She took a deep breath to stay calm.

The two of them kept talking, bonding over their shared love of Batman.

"Have you seen him?" Jon asked. "Like actually seen him?!"

"I have, yes!" she nodded. "Many times. He is as awesome and cool as you think he is! And much kinder than the press makes him out to be."

"Aw maaan! You really are so lucky." he let out a long sigh. "...Do you think I could get a job here too?"

(Y/n) gasped.

"I could ask Master Bruce if we could accept any more apprentices." she leaned closer, whispering harshly.

"Us? Working together?" he also whispered.

"Yeeees." they both said, containing their excitement, their child minds running wild about how their lives were about to get so much cooler.

"How long will your school trip last?" she asked.

"We're spending the night here, then we go visit the museum, then we leave in the afternoon."

"Tomorrow is my day off!" she stood up. "I'll ask Master Bruce as soon as he gets back to work later tonight."

"And you can even join us at the museum!" he stood up too. "This field trip just got a whole lot cooler!"

"If all goes well, it might be your last." she beamed.

He laughed.

"That would've sounded so creepy if it didn't come from you!"

"What do you mean?" 

"You're the least threatening person I've ever seen." he smirked.

"I can be threatening!" she frowned. "Did you not see how I handled that bully earlier?"

"He was about to punch you."

"I was going to deflect his attack!"

"Suuuure." he slowly nodded.

"It's true!" she huffed.

He laughed.

"Master Bruce?" (Y/n) called out as she approached him in the batcave later that evening.

"Yes, (Y/n)?" Bruce asked, his back to her as he finished putting on his costume.

"Um... I was wondering. The reason why Alfred wanted an apprentice was because he was old, correct?"

"That's right."

"So when he'll – god forbid – pass away, and when I'll get old, could I take an apprentice as well?"

Bruce paused, wondering where she was going with this.

"I suppose you could, yes." he turned to look at her.

"Wonderful." she nodded. "So, um, my question is..." she fiddled with her nails as her eyes avoided eye contact. "Would it be alright if we took a new servant earlier...?" she said that last word slowly.

Bruce said nothing, knowing she'd keep talking if he did.

"...And also, you know, the manor is very large. Me and Alfred can very well manage the workload such an estate provides. But, there are periods of time where Alfred is absent- for example, when you take him with you on your business trips! I-I'm not saying this job is getting too hard for me, no! But, a little help would be greatly appreciated..."

"...(Y/n), you've made a new friend?"

"I did, yes!" she beamed. "He was on a school trip at Wayne Tower! He's really nice, and we're the same age. He even shared his lunch with me!"

Bruce chuckled.

"And you want him to work here with you?"

"Can he, please?" she joined her hands and looked at him with puppy dog eyes. "He's really determined, and he's having a hard time at school."

"Who is this boy?"

"His name is Jon, and he's from Metropolis."

Bruce frowned for a brief moment.

"You didn't get his last name?"

"Oh!" she blinked twice. "I-I forgot to ask..."

'A kid named Jon from Metropolis...' he thought as he hummed.

"Well, either way, I doubt his parents would like it if this boy quit school." he tilted his head.

"When they find he'd be working for the Wayne familly though-!"

"(Y/n)." he crouched down to be at eye level. "I understand you're really excited about making a new friend. I'm happy for you. But you have to really think about this. Your friend Jon has a life of his own in Metropolis, he has a family and friends."

"No." she pointed. "He doesn't have any friends, he told me!"

'I bet he'd be offended if he heard that.' Bruce thought.

"If he stays here with us, he'd have to work as hard as you and Alfred."

"I'll teach him!"

"I don't think you've realized: not a lot of children your age can do the things you do." he ruffled her head. "You were a special case, that is why we took you in. Not just because we needed a maid." he stood up and put on his cowl. "I'll be going soon. You should too. Send my regards to your parents."

(Y/n) let out a long sigh.

"Yes, Master Bruce." she looked down with a pout.

She waved goodbye as the batmobile left. Although Alfred comforted her, (Y/n) still had a dejected look on her face as she packed her bag and left the manor to go home for her day off.

'The news will break Jon's heart... What if he doesn't want to be friends with me anymore?'

The thought of it made her heart ache. 

Jon was on cloud nine ever since his encounter with the maid girl. Not only did he make a new friend, but that friend could get him a job at Wayne Manor.

Unfortunately, Jon's happiness was short-lived. When his class went to the hotel they were staying at, everyone got ready for bed after eating dinner. He had just finished putting on his pyjamas when Melvin and two of his goons barged into his room. 

"Your weirdo girlfriend can't save you now, Kent." Melvin smirked as he approached Jon, while his two friends took care of his roommates. "We're gonna make you regret making me look stupid."

He and his friends snickered as they pulled out a box of sharpies. A feeling of dread rose inside Jon's chest.

They began drawing and writing on the kids' faces and necks. Although Jon couldn't see it, he knew it wasn't little flowers and hearts.

"If you even try to wash anything off, I'll kill you." Melvin whispered harshly.

Of course, he wasn't serious. But Jon truly feared for his life. His mind began racing. The teacher will notice and then she'll call his mom. His mom will then tell the whole family about it and his dad will want to spend even less time with him!

Jon closed his eyes shut, but he could clearly picture the look of disappointment on his parents' faces.

"Hey, farm-freak." he heard. "Look at me when I'm talking to you!"

He sniffed.

"Huh? Wow, are you crying?! Guys Kent's crying!"

The boys began to laugh and something else rose in Jon's chest. Anger.

"Open your eyes, Kent!"

And he did.

After (Y/n) said goodnight to her parents, she went on with her nightly routine. She got in her small bed and closed her eyes, trying to focus on the moment and not on the dreaded conversation she'll have tomorrow...

A frantic knock at her window made her sit up. She grabbed a bat she kept under her bed (her dad got her one for that exact occasion) and carefully approached the window. The curtains were closed but she could see a silhouette.

"Please wake up. Please, please. (Y/n)?"

"Jon?!" she lowered the bat and rushed to open the curtain.

Here was the young boy, in his pyjamas, grotesque drawings and words written on his face, his eyes closed, and in a panic. He was also hanging on to the wall of the building. Mind you, (Y/n)'s apartment is on the fifth floor.

"Jon!" (Y/n) whispered as she dropped the bat and opened the window. "How did you get up there? And how did you know where I live?!"

"I heard you." he said as he hopped into her room.

"You what?!"

He slammed his hands on his ears.

"Not so loud!" he said as he fell to his knees, groaning in pain. "Everything's...so loud!"

(Y/n) looked out the window. There were police sirens in the distance. Although she was still very confused, she began roaming through her closet and found noise-cancelling headphones her father gave her during the time she worked for him as a secretary.

"Here." she said as she put them on him. "Take a deep breath now. Breathe... Breathe..."

The two of them took a couple of deep breaths. She now noticed that Jon was crying. There were so many questions running through her mind.

"...Would you like a cup of hot cocoa?"

Jon sniffed and shook his head.

"Okay." she paused as she removed her hands and sat in front of him. "What... What happened, Jon?"

"I..." he covered his mouth. "I-I think I killed Melvin."

(Y/n)'s heart dropped. 

"O-Okay..." she forced out since he couldn't see her face, otherwise she would've been speechless. 

"It was an accident!" he frantically shook his head. "I got so angry and- a-and then my eyes did a thing and he crashed into the wall and-"

"You eyes? Is that why your eyes are closed?"

"Yes! These red lasers came out! And when I ran away i-it kept going!"

'Red lasers?'

"Jon." she held his hand, making him freeze. "You can open them now."

"N-No! You'll get blasted too!"

"Just stay calm. It'll be okay. Think happy thoughts."

"Sorry I'm not really in the mood to do that right now!" he whispered harshly.

"Just try it." she tugged on his hand before letting go.

"...Fine." he sighed.

He opened one eye a little bit, then blinked rapidly to make sure everything came back to normal. He let out a long heavy sigh and let himself fall back on the floor.

"Oh thank god!" he exclaimed before tensing up and looking at her bedroom door.

"Don't worry, my parents are heavy sleepers." (Y/n) said. "Now, an important question: Is Melvin really dead?"

"I didn't have time to make sure." he shook his head, looking down. "I just ran before anyone else could see."

"And then, what happened with your hearing?"

"I uh..." he cleared his throat and sat up, facing her. "I was running, I kept bumping into people because my eyes were closed. I wanted to call for help but I didn't know how, or even who to call. Next thing I know, I could hear all of Gotham! And I heard you talking to your parents, that's how I found you... Even with the headphones I can still hear the mouse in your wall."

"I have a mouse in my wall?" she looked around.

"Yeah."

"Well don't tell my parents that, they'll probably try to kill her."

"I promise I won't."

There was a moment of silence. While Jon was thinking about what the next step should be, now that he impulsively brought his first friend into this, (Y/n) was putting the pieces together.

'Laser eyes, superhuman hearing, from Metropolis...'

"...I'm sorry." she broke the silence. "I just realized I never got your last name."

"Seriously?" 

"Yes."

Jon sighed.

"It's Kent. Jon Kent."

(Y/n) slowly gasped, her mouth agape and her eyes wide open.

"Oh my god..." she said under her breath, then realized the situation she's in. "...You're Lois Lane's son."

Jon clicked his tongue and rolled his eyes. Clearly, this isn't the first time he's dealt with that reaction.

"Yes. Famous award-winning Daily Planet investigative reporter is my mom- Can we focus?!"

"Right." she closed her eyes and nodded. "Right, apologies."

Silence settled again. (Y/n)'s gaze wandered. This new information added a whole new layer to this. Jon was Superman's son, and he didn't even know it!

'I knew he had a son but...' she glanced at Jon. 'I didn't know he was born without powers. Is that why he doesn't know about his father...?' she frowned. 'I can't reveal Mr. Clack's identity without his consent, though! That's not right! And as for helping him with his newfound powers, I can't just contact Master Bruce, that would reveal his secret identity!' she let out a small groan and scratched her head. 'This is a tricky situation...'

"If only Master Damian was here."

"Who?"

"Master Bruce's son. He's very smart, he'd know what to do." she nodded. "Sadly, he went to the Himalayas to find himself."

"Like... Like a hermit?"

"No, he's in a Buddhist temple."

"Wayne's son, in a temple...?" he mumbled as he pictured a very inaccurate image of Damian.

"Alright." (Y/n) stood up. "If we do nothing, nothing will get done. First things first, you have to wash your face." she pointed at him.

They went to the bathroom as she kept brainstorming.

"Jon, there's no other way to say it. You have superpowers."

"What?!" his eyes widened. "I mean, I guess. But man," he looked at himself in the mirror. "I was already a freak before..."

"You're no freak, Jon. Don't even tell yourself that." she tapped his shoulder. "As for what happened with Melvin and you running away. There is a possibility that Melvin is still alive." she shrugged. "We could go back and-"

"Oh I am never going back there!" he shook his head. "I'll just become a runnaway superhero."

"Um... Are you sure you don't want to contact your parents?"

"My parents? Are you serious?!" he leaned closer to her. "I know you don't know so I'll tell you: my parents are the most normal people ever. They'd freak out if they heard their son could shoot lasers out of his eyes."

"Right..." she nodded, trying not to smile. "So, if you want to be a superhero, our best option is to contact Batman."

Jon gasped, stars in his eyes.

"I could be the next Robin. The first Robin with powers!"

'Master Damian is still Robin!' she frowned.

"I'm not sure about that, but he would be a great help."

"How do we meet him?"

"We have two options," she held two of her fingers. "We can cause havoc in the streets with your laser eyes, that'll attract him for sure."

"Uh... And the second one?" he asked in a little voice.

"We sneak into the GCPD and use the bat signal on the roof."

"Y-Yeah, that one." he pointed at her finger, nodding. "Let's do that one."

"Very well. Let's get dressed." she left the bathroom. "You can get some of my clothes."

"I'm not gonna wear girl's clothes!"

"No worries, those were my father's before they were mine."

"Oh. Cool."

"Alright, Jon." (Y/n) faced him before the two of them stepped out of the apartment complex. "Stay close to me, and make sure to keep looking ahead of you. Or else you'll look like a tourist, and tourists are an easy target."

Jon was shaking. He gulped and nodded, trying to look as calm as she was.

"Let's go then-"

"W-W-Wait!"

Too late, she stepped out. The boy hurried to catch up to her and almost fell, tripping on his own foot. (Y/n) paused to look back at him. He cleared his throat and silently told her that he was good. The two kids kept walking.

"Ayo is that Lil Maid?!"

"Oh. Good evening." 

Next thing Jon knew, they were surrounded by thugs.

"What are you doing out so late?" one of them asked. "You're finally snoopin' around?"

"If you mean crimes, not at all, no." (Y/n) shook her head. 

"Hey M, who's the new guy?" another one gestured towards Jon.

"H-Hi-" he cleared his throat and acted a little too nonchalant. "Yo. What'up."

"You don't have to do that." (Y/n) shook her head before turning to the group. "He's a friend-"

"Woaaah a friend?!" "A kid friend?!" "Let's fuckin' go M!" they dapped her up.

"Thank you." she beamed. "We've had an emergency, and we need to go take care of it."

"Woah." "Emergency?" "Want us to go get something done?"

"We're alright for now, thank you." she raised her hand. "But we do have to go before our parents realize we left."

"A'ight, you go." the group began to walk away. "Hey, if you need backup?!"

"I'll contact you." she nodded.

"Hell yeah! And if Wayne has too much money, we'd gladly take some off his hands!" they laughed. "A'ight, see ya later, M!"

"Goodnight Benjamin! We'll see you at the barbecue tomorrow!"

"That was the scariest situation I've ever been in." Jon said quietly.

"They're not bad." (Y/n) said. "They just don't have a lot of good options."

"You're friends with these guys?"

"I wouldn't use the term friends. They're always trying to get me to steal from Master Bruce, or to help them get into Wayne manor. But we all lived in this neighborhood since we were born, so we're 'tight', as they put it." she nodded with a smile.

"Wow." was the only thing he could say as he saw a whole other side to his friend.

Once they took the subway and left the inner-city slums, Jon was more comfortable, although still very nervous. He's never gone out this late before... Thankfully, (Y/n) knew Gotham like the back of her hand.

"I've been running errands since the day I could walk." she beamed.

The fact that she looked proud of herself was a little disturbing to Jon.

"Say... Do you ever take a break?"

"I have my days off."

"Right, that barbecue you mentioned, will you be cooking?"

"Of course!" she smiled. "I have a lot of recipes I want to share with the others!"

"Have you ever not worked?"

Her eyes squinted as she looked up.

"No." she looked back at him. "But it's fine, there's always something to do, and I like working!" she added once she saw the look on his face. "Especially when it's in service to others."

"You ever thought about taking a vacation?"

"...To be perfectly honest, I have." she looked ahead. "I sometimes wondered what I would do if there was no more things for me to do. I would go to the park and feed the squirrels-"

"Aw, that's cool."

"-to lure them closer to me so that I can pick out their ticks."

"Okay, that's very noble, but that's still working!"

"So?" she frowned. "What's wrong with that?!"

"...Oh my god you're like my dad!" he pointed at her.

"Pardon?!"

"He's always so absorbed with his work that he's almost never home!"

"I'm sure his work is very important!"

"Oh right." he nodded with a sarcastic smirk. "The behavior of ant collectives is sooo fascinating! Really worth missing your son's baseball game." 

(Y/n)'s expression fell as Jon turned his head away with a sigh.

Before she could say anything, the two of them went around a corner. As soon as (Y/n) saw what was ahead, she quickly stepped back, pulling Jon with her by the back of his collar. He let out a yelp as she did.

"What the-?" he dusted his wrinkled shirt and adjusted his headphones.

(Y/n) was still peeking around the corner. Jon leaned forward to see whatever was happening. An expensive-looking black car was parked in front of an apartment complex. A man was talking nervously to someone inside the car. The kids could see his sweat all the way over here.

"That...doesn't look good." Jon mumbled.

"It's the Penguin's car."

"Oh yeah." he nodded with big eyes. "That's reeeally bad."

"Can you hear what they're saying?"

Jon closed his eyes, trying to focus.

"...Something about money that he doesn't have."

"As it is often the case..." she slowly shook her head. "He takes advantage of those in need of money, like the loan shark that he is. You know," she glanced up at him. "a lot of people say that the Joker, or Poison Ivy, or even the Scarecrow are the worst villains here. But to me, it's the Penguin who does the most damage." she said with a grave expression. 

Jon gulped.

The sound of a car door brought their attention back to the scene in front of them. Three big and tall henchmen stepped out, surrounding the man. The poor soul made the mistake of looking up for just a moment. The henchmen and the two kids followed his gaze. There was a woman standing at one of the windows, looking down at them. She was gone a second later but it was too late. The henchmen 'escorted' the man back to his flat.

"There's a baby up there, too." Jon whispered in horror.

"Oh no..." (Y/n) faced him. "We must do something."

"Are you crazy?!" he harshly whispered. "We gotta call the police!"

"Jon, please." she rolled her eyes. "Statistically speaking, one of these henchmen is a policeman." she pointed at the car with her thumb.

"W-Well what about Batman?!"

"Unfortunately, he can't be everywhere at once." she glanced to the side.

'And I can't contact Master Damian...' she felt her heart twist.

"You have powers now, Jon." she looked back at him. "You must use them for good."

"I have super hearing, and heat vision that doesn't work. What can I do?!" 

"You must try!" she grabbed his shoulder. "If we can help in any way, we have to try. It's what Batman would do." she paused. "It's what Superman would do."

Jon pursed his lips. He could hear the commotion inside.

"Don't know why you're bringing him up but alright. Let's go."

The two kids sneaked out the back, with the intention of using the fire escape stairs. They were too small to reach the ladder and pull it down.

"You have to fly, Jon." (Y/n) looked at him with a grave expression.

"Fly?! I can't fly!"

"Yes you can!" she leaned closer. "Think happy thoughts!"

"That can't be the go-to solution-!" he cut himself off.

He could hear it. They've entered the flat.

"There's no time!" 

Without thinking, Jon wrapped his arms around (Y/n)'s thighs and lifted her up. She let out a yelp. She'd be flustered if it wasn't for the current circumstances.

'Has he awakened his super strength?!'

"Uuuurh hurry up!" he exclaimed between his teeth as he struggled to keep his balance, shaking.

'Nevermind!'

"Apologies!" she exclaimed before grabbing the ladder and pulling it down with all her weight.

(Y/n) led the way, mostly because she was faster than Jon, who wasn't really used to these tiny metal stairs, but he did his very best to keep up. They followed the crashing and screaming and stopped at a window which thankfully was open. The poor woman inside probably left it open on purpose.

They looked inside the small flat. The woman was curled up in a corner, clutching her baby while the henchmen were pillaging the place and shoving the woman's husband around like a ragdoll. The baby started crying, which angered one of the men.

"Shut that little shit up!" he grabbed the woman's arm. "Or I will!"

Jon felt a seizing feeling within him. He glared at the henchman and shot lasers at him right in his head. He yelled in pain as (Y/n) gasped, and he fell over, holding his head in pain and wiggling around, grunting. Everyone stared at the boy.

"Your heat vision is back!"

"Still don't know how it works though." he said under his breath only for her to hear.

The remaining two henchmen instinctively took a step back. Then, after a moment of silence, one of them tapped the other.

"It's just a kid, man."

"Robin's just a kid."

"Does he look like Robin to you?"

And with that, they began moving towards him. The husband wrapped his arms around the neck of one of them from behind, putting him in a chokehold. The other henchman lifted his fist to try and punch him but Jon jumped and held his arm tightly, hanging from it with his feet dangling in the air.

"Let go, brat!" he swung his arm around.

While they were distracted, the wife rushed up to (Y/n) and gave her the baby.

"Get her to safety." she quickly said.

"But what about-"

"Just do it!" she grabbed a glass bottle and went to smash it in the henchman's head that Jon was holding back.

Holding the baby close to her, (Y/n) turned to go down the fire escape, and that was when she realized how high they've climbed. She could feel her legs shaking, her breathing becoming shallow. Another crash from inside the flat snapped her out of it. Without thinking, she climbed up instead, eventually reaching the roof.

"There there..." she tried to calm the baby down. "It's alright."

Despite saying this, (Y/n) felt a heavy knot in her chest.

The door to the rooftop was kicked open, making her gasp. One of the henchmen approached her.

"I knew I recognized ya." he smirked.

With each step forward he took, she took a step back. She heard rapid footsteps from the fire escape, a couple of floors down but approaching.

"(Y/n)!" she heard Jon's voice.

"You're Wayne's little lackey." the gangster pointed. "Oh I can see it from here. Kidnap the girl, get ransom money from Wayne, then the boss saves ya at the last minute and gets prize money!"

He picked her up by the back of her collar with just one hand. She held the baby tighter. At this point, Jon reached the roof. When he saw the scene before him, he could feel his eyes getting warmer, but he tried to suppress his heat vision. This guy and (Y/n) were too close. He could hit her on accident.

"The boss' gonna promote me for sure!" the criminal cackled.

"Do whatever you want with me." (Y/n) glared. "Just please," she glanced at Jon. "let my friend take the baby to safety."

The man smirked, a nasty glimmer in his eyes.

"For this gift, kid, I'll give them back to their parents myself!"

He grabbed the cloth the baby was wrapped in and snatched it away from (Y/n). With the strength put into his arm swing, the baby slipped out and began to fall off the roof. (Y/n) felt like a punch in her stomach.

"Uh-oh." the man's expression fell.

Before either of them could do anything, Jon appeared in their sight and quickly disappeared as well. He has jumped off the roof.

"Jon!!!" (Y/n) shouted.

As he fell, the boy grabbed the baby, wrapped his arms around her to cover as much of her small body as possible, and turned his back towards the ground, his eyes shut tight...

The sound of impact was like a slap in the face to (Y/n). She started to cry, to struggled.

"Let me go! Let me go!!!" she scratched the criminal's arm and kicked his stomach.

"Shit." he stared blankly as he realized he indirectly killed a child. "Shit shit shi- Would you stop?!" he grabbed her ankle. "Or I'll throw you over too!"

She began screaming, as loud and as high-pitched as an eleven-year-old could. He tried covering her mouth, to no avail. Before he could resort to violence, he was knocked out cold by Batman with one powerful punch. (Y/n) rushed to the edge of the roof as soon as she could move.

She looked down. The tiles of the sidewalk were broken under Jon's motionless body. She sobbed.

"Master Bruce..." she looked back at him, standing beside her still staring at the boy. "Jon, h-he-"

In the empty street, the sound of moving rock and groans could clearly be heard. She looked back down, her eyes grew big as she watched  Jon sit up. 

His back hurt like hell and he felt a massive headache. But when he looked down and saw that the baby was unarmed, he smiled and breathed a long sigh of relief.

"Jon!!!"

He whined in pain when (Y/n) came out of nowhere and pulled him in a tight hug.

"How did you know you had super durability?"

"I uh... I didn't." he smiled awkwardly.

She just stared at him in silent awe. It made him flustered and he looked away. That was when he noticed Batman. Jon slowly gasped, his mouth and eyes wide open, and then he passed out. Bruce and (Y/n) exchanged a look.

"A long story?" he asked.

She could tell he was raising an eyebrow, and nervously chuckled.

After catching the Penguin and his goons, bringing the baby back to her parents, and calling the police, Batman could finally deal with (Y/n) and her new friend. Jon was still passed out. The first thing (Y/n) asked was to check on Melvin. He first brought them to the Batcave and she explained everything that happened.

"The first option was to make Jon a criminal?"

"I'd argue that breaking public property is hardly a crime..." she mumbled, avoiding eye contact. "Everyone does it. Even you."

Because Jon's heat vision just manifested, it wasn't that strong and Melvin didn't have any serious injury. And because everything happened so fast, he was very much confused. It was easy to make everyone believe Jon had been kidnapped by a supervillain and then rescued.

"Since he's Lois Lane's son, some madman must've seen him as a golden ticket."

Everyone agreed. He said Jon would come back soon, once he gets everything in order.

He came back in the batcave by the time Jon woke up.

"M-Mister Batman Sir!" the boy looked at him, his anxious voice cracking. "It's an honor!"

"Do you need new headphones?"

"Huh?"

"With all the bats and the computers." (Y/n) pointed. "The headphones I gave you broke when you jumped of the roof."

Jon frowned and looked around. He scratched the inside of his ear with his pinky.

"My hearing's normal again!"

"Huh?!"

"Did I just lose my powers?!" he panicked.

"Let's see." Batman said.

He led Jon to the meta-analyser and ran some tests on him to find out more about his newfound powers. From what the results said, Jon's powers are just starting to develop, so they will be unreliable for a while, working on and off. It was unclear if any new powers would manifest too. (Y/n) gasped.

"Does that mean... Jon is going through superhero puberty?"

"Noooo!!!" the boy leaned back, holding his head.

While the two kids were taking this very seriously, Bruce knew that his three eldest sons would've burst out laughing if they were here.

"Don't worry, Jon." (Y/n) tried to comfort him. "Think about it. If your powers are fluctuating, then maybe it would be safer if you were under the wings of someone with more experience." she smiled.

He seemed to pick up what she was putting down and the two of them slowly turned their heads to Batman.

"...I agree." Bruce said as he turned around. "I'm calling Superman."

'And give him my congratulations.'

The two kids sighed. Although meeting Superman would be the cherry on top of this already crazy evening, it wasn't the result they wanted.

"...Say, (Y/n)." Jon looked at her with a small frown. "How come Batman let you inside the Batcave?"

"Um..." she glanced away, quickly thinking of something. "I simply refused to leave your side. I couldn't leave you alone without making sure you were safe."

"Aw, thanks." he smiled.

Superman arrived rather quickly – there was a tsunami in Japan he had to take care of on the way here – he hugged Jon tightly as soon as he saw him. The boy felt awkward about this, but it all disappeared as soon as Clark revealed himself. He also revealed Bruce's identity (with his consent of course). Jon has been freaking out ever since.

"My dad is Superman?!" his shouts and squeals echoed throughout the cave. "And you!" he grabbed (Y/n)'s arms and leaned closer. "You live with Batman?!"

"I'm sorry I kept it from you, Jon. I didn't want to give out someone else's secret identity."

"Are you kidding?! This went from the scariest day of my life to the best day ever!" he gasped and stepped back.

"He is taking it a lot better than expected." Superman chuckled. "So, you're (Y/n)." he crouched in front of her.

"Good evening, Sir." she said with perfect posture, her hands gripping her oversized shorts betraying her excitement (and he could hear her fast heartbeat). "It's an honor."

"I've heard a lot about you."

"Y-You have?"

"I'm glad we're finally able to meet. What a coincidence that you and my son bumped into each-other. I'm happy he made friends with a nice girl like you."

"Daaaaad." Jon mumbled, embarrassed.

"Sir," she said with a more serious expression. "Master Bruce must've told you, but Jon's powers have stopped manifesting. And they may be inconsistent for the time being. But Jon is a good young man, with or without powers." she smiled. "I've seen it with my own eyes. "He's a hero in every sense of the word."

"I would've never doubted that for a second." Clark smiled back.

Jon turned away and scratched the back of his head, blushing.

"I know what you're going through, son." Clark went up to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "I went through the same thing myself with my powers."

"Really?!" he looked up at him.

"Well...I was five." he scratched his cheek with an awkward smile. "It must've been a slower process for you since you're half human. But don't worry, your powers will stabilize eventually. Me and your mother will make sure to support you throughout your growth."

"...I'm half alien." he said under his breath.

"Did you...hear what I said after that part?"

"I'm half alien?!" he pointed at himself with both hands.

"Kryptonian."

"I'm half alien!" he raised his fists in the air, turning towards (Y/n).

"Congratulations, Jon!" she clapped.

"Will I get to join the Justice League?!" he went up to her. "I-I-I gotta come up with a superhero name!"

(Y/n) giggled. His enthusiasm was certainly contagious.

Clark and Bruce watched the two kids.

"Another Superman/Batman duo, huh Bruce?" Clark smiled at him.

"I told you to stop with those."

"You can't deny it."

"...It is good that they found each-other. They both need more friends their own age."

"You're right. Although I was hoping that my son's first friendship experience wouldn't have him jump off a building."

"I'd say such things are included in a Batman/Superman duo."

"Ooooh now you- Hold on. Did you put your name first on purpose?" he pointed at him, raising an eyebrow.

"Let's get our story straight now. I told Jon's teacher he's been kidnapped."

Clark sighed, smiling.

After a while – during which the kids were brainstorming superhero names and (Y/n) gave Jon a tour of the batcave – the story was that after Jon was rescued by Batman, he called his father to tell him what happened and brought his son back to him safely. Clark then called his teacher to assure her that he wasn't mad, just glad that both Jon and Melvin were safe.

"Are we flying our way back home?!" Jon asked, with stars in his eyes.

"Yes we are." Clark chuckled. "It's very late and we all need a good night of sleep."

"After all of this, no way I'm tired!"

"Then you can work on that presentation?"

"Uh..." he yawned. "Now that you mention it..."

"I guess this is goodbye." (Y/n) went up to him.

"Oh." his expression softened. "I guess it is..." he shrugged.

"Oh! Maybe we could exchange numbers!"

"I...I don't have a phone."

"I see..."

The two kids instinctively turned to their respective adults. Bruce looked at Clark, who sighed.

"Your mother and I are waiting for your next birthday."

"My birthday was last week!"

"Next birthday. If you want to try and convince your mom, be my guest."

"Oh man..." his shoulders dropped.

"It's alright, Jon. Here." (Y/n) quickly fetched a pen and paper and wrote down her number. "As soon as you get your cellphone." she handed it to him with a smile.

"Thanks..." he took it but kept looking at her. "(Y/n)... I uh... This school trip was awesome, thanks to you."

"Oh not at all." she shook her head, flustered. "Have a safe trip back- Oh! I also have to get back home!"

"Wanna fly with us?!" he gestured towards his dad.

The thought of flying tied a knot in her stomach.

"Um... Maybe another time."

"We'll take the car." Bruce said.

"Oh, okay. Well..." he slowly stepped back. "I'll see...you... later." he shot finger guns at her before quickly turning around and leaving with his father.

"Smooth, son."

"Daaaad!" he said between his teeth.

After they left, a similar conversation occured on both sides.

"What you did back there, on Penguin's territory." Batman said. "You put yourselves at risk."

"We couldn't stand by and do nothing." 

"I have powers now- Well, at the time I did!" Jon said. "And I did help!"

"(Y/n) doesn't have powers. And she was almost kidnapped." Superman calmly explained. "You were both lucky Batman showed up."

The boy looked down, clenching his fists.

"You would've done the exact same thing, Sir. I know it."

"You say that, but you don't look so happy about this, either."

"...We came in to help." she looked down. "But in the end, the parents were the ones protecting us."

"It's what respectable adults do."

"In a way, both you kids and the parents were heros." Superman smiled. "I heard the mom talking to the police on my way here. She talked about a mysterious super boy who came to the rescue. She personally wanted to thank you for saving her baby."

"...I can't do any of that anymore."

"You will, eventually."

"What if my powers never come back though?! Since I'm half-human!"

"Son. It will sound silly coming from me, but: you don't need powers to be a hero. Take Batman, for example."

Upon hearing this, it wasn't Batman who came to Jon's mind. It was the girl who stood between him and his bully. The same girl who sneaked out and escorted him across Gotham City in the middle of the night to help him.

"... I think I see what you mean." he smiled.

Bruce had Alfred take (Y/n) home, using one of their most discreet cars. The girl was kicking her feet all the way home.

'His birthday was last week.' she thought. 'I just have to wait a year.'

While she could hardly sleep that night, Jon was unconscious as soon as his head met a pillow.