#at one point after he started public school one of his teachers suggested talia have him tested and she just bluescreened

[wintermelonbear]

Artistry

Pairing: Damian Al-Ghul Wayne/Marinette Dupain-Cheng

Trope/s: Childhood Friends, No Powers AU

Summary: A story in which two seemingly dissimilar eight-year-olds build bonds through their love for martial arts. Written for the MGI Trope Tussle 2021.

Words: 4808

Damian and Marinette first met when they were 8 at his mother’s Wushu studio. At first glance they were an unlikely duo, before meeting in martial arts class their social circles ran entirely parallel with one another with Damian attending a private school that was a feeder for Gotham academy and Marinette attending a public elementary local to her, but they truly brought out the best in each other.

Damian had grown up inside his mother’s studio, working day in and day out from the tender age of 3 to improve his weaponry and martial arts skill. His mother and father, divorced but trying their best to co-parent for his sake, each preached to him about the importance of self-discipline and concentration. When his mother and her father, Ras himself a master martial artist, had competed in Wushu they were national champions. As a third-generation practitioner of Wushu, Damian had a lot riding on his shoulders.

Marinette’s mother had practiced Wushu as a child in China. When she first arrived in France she found herself disappointed that there were no local Chinese martial arts centers, let alone Wushu training centers. Sabine always thought it would be a passion she could pass down to her future child, but there was only so much she could teach on her own. However, as fate would have it, after a falling out with Tom’s father Roland the Dupain-Chengs found themselves in a city not too far from Gotham, New Jersey. Sabine was pleasantly surprised to find that the martial arts scene was much more alive there than it had been in Paris. However, between the bakery and her young daughter Sabine had little time to spend practicing martial arts. It wasn’t until Marinette’s kindergarten teacher suggested that Marinette be enrolled in a sport to better her hand-eye coordination that Sabine finally put her daughter into formal martial arts courses.

At first, everything was fine until it became apparent that Marinette was progressing much faster than her peers, despite her typical clumsiness she was surprisingly adept at martial arts. Sabine wasn’t entirely surprised as while Wushu was difficult to teach within the confined space they had at home, she still took the time to practice Tai Chi with her daughter on the weekends, providing Marinette with martial arts fundamentals and self-discipline. With Marinette’s slight inclination for martial arts paired with her hard work she was outperforming her classmates and even some of the older kids at the studio she went to. Eventually, Marinette found herself ostracized by her peers, but her teachers at the studio refused to advance her because they had an in-house rule where children could not be advanced more than two years past their age group. Tom and Sabine knew that pulling Marinette out of the sport entirely was off the table, the pure joy that spread across her face every time she mastered a new trick was proof enough that she was in love with the sport. So they set off to find a new studio to train at, where Marinette’s needs as a budding martial artist would be met. After looking around for a while, they decided to give Talia’s Wushu academy a try despite it being a little over a 30-minute drive from their house.

In regards to the first year of their friendship, Marinette would describe it as very professional, and almost nothing more. It took a while for Damian to become more cordial with her. When asked, Marinette would say “Damian didn’t like me, but he tolerated me enough as a partner because there was only so much practice he could have done alone.”

At first, Damian did not like Marinette at all, in fact, maybe he even hated her. When he first met her, Damian thought she was like every other “talented” kid that came into his mother’s studio, only to realize talent alone would get you nowhere in the sport of Wushu. On her first day, she immediately took up the spot next to him at the front and center of the class and offered him a warm smile, “Hello my name is Marinette, I’m new here.” Damian returned her greeting with a harsh tut of his tongue and the turn of his head, he was there to train, not to make friends. Marinette’s expression was aghast, but she quickly recovered and mumbled a soft “okay not talkative then…this is going great….” Damian suppressed an eye roll, simply because he knew his mother would not tolerate that in her classroom.

Against every one of Damian’s expectations, Marinette proved herself to be a hard-working individual. Eventually, after seeing her work on her technique and tricks after class during open gym hours, seeing that she wasn’t relying purely on natural ability and truly was putting in the effort to become a better martial artist, he began to tolerate her. The first time he returned her daily “Hello” with the nod of his head Marinette’s facial expression went from neutral to shocked to absolutely beaming. Damian simply raised his eyebrow and continued with his pre-class warmup.

Over time Marinette had grown a deep respect for Damian; she wished he was a bit friendlier, but despite their rough start Marinette realized early on that, while gruff and unfriendly, Damian was kind in his own way. He always pointed out when someone’s technique was wrong so that they wouldn’t hurt themselves, he always helped bandage someone up when they were hurt, and he always stayed after class to help his mom clean up. Most people would think he did it out of obligation or his mother’s demands, but Marinette loves people watching, and even after just a few months Marinette has observed that Talia would rather Damian use the time to better himself and will insist that she, or one of their workers, handle the menial tasks.

It was not until Damian saw Marinette work through her struggles that he gained respect for her. While Wushu is a largely performative sport where everyone’s moves are choreographed, Talia wanted to ensure everyone was also learning basic self-defense resulting in regularly held sparring sessions at the end of class. Marinette was a great performer, she was highly expressive and could easily recall choreography, but she had minimal exposure to actual sparring and her reflexes were not as sharp and trained like the others. She managed to win against her opponents in the first few classes by utilizing her creativity, but eventually, her lack of experience caught up with her and in her third month at the studio, she began her losing streak. Looking at her lose to her opponents time and time again he couldn’t help but wonder to himself, “will you still be here tomorrow?” Growing up in the studio, Damian knew that most of the people who were considered to be “gifted” had a tendency to drop out the moment things no longer came naturally to them, they grew frustrated with themselves and then with the sport. At this point, he figured he was just waiting for the other shoe to drop. Instead, the stage was set for her to become the most prevalent figure in his life.

Despite being in the same classes for over 3 months Damian and Marinette had never sparred. It was actually quite odd that they hadn’t yet sparred, the pairings for the most part were random. Talia reasoned that with the right circumstances even someone who seems weak could win; it was important to never underestimate an opponent and lower your guard. After bowing to one another their eyes met. If you asked them as adults they would unabashedly say that they love the other’s eyes, it was like staring at the calm before a storm. Their eyes were clear, fierce, and piercing. Despite being clearly disadvantaged Marinette showed no fear. She met his first few strikes blow for blow and even managed to evade a few of his strikes with a few unique tumbling passes – something Damian noted that she excelled in. He could tell she has been studying him, observing his strike patterns from his previous matches. Rather than reacting to his strikes, she was anticipating them – a smart move considering her reflexes were lacking. Unfortunately for Marinette, this meant that one unanticipated fake was all it took to defeat her.

That night during open gym hours Marinette approached Damian on her own for the first time. “There is only so much I can practice on my own, please train with me.”

“Why would I do that?” Damian held his face firm, his mouth in a thin line and his eyebrow slightly quirked.

Marinette’s eyes steeled over with conviction. “Did you know that every time you get up from xie bu you duck your chin down in your struggle to regain balance? It’s obvious you’re trying to shift your center of gravity. Instead, try leaning on your front leg from the beginning. The first few times you try this method, you should put a ball between your chin and neck to keep your head held up until you get used to it.”

“How did you–?”

“Notice? I love observing others, I can help you. There’s only so much we can practice on our own. I need help with my reflexes and you need someone who can review your performances. We can’t do this alone. You don’t have to like me, you just have to work with me. What do you say? Deal?”

“Tch. Deal.”

At first, their conversations mainly consisted of Marinette’s one-sided chatter during their warm-up, breaks, and cool-down stretches. It took a while for Marinette to get Damian to open up, but once she found the right topics she found that he was strongly opinionated about almost everything and shared quite a few hobbies with her. While Wushu was the common interest that brought them together, they were much more alike than they thought. They both enjoyed art, video games, and superhero shows to name a few common interests. Damian would say he would want to be a hero without any powers, someone who relies on their own skill to punish evil-doers. Marinette on the other hand would love to be a magical girl who could save others without causing too much damage. After hotly debating the topic of normal heroes and powered heroes, Damian and Marinette came to an agreement that both sides had their own set of struggles and perks.

Damian and Marinette found themselves spending more time with each other both inside and outside of the studio. After arguing over which type of paint was superior, Marinette was team watercolor because of its varied use, relative cheapness to oil paints, and blendability where Damian was a more traditional artist who believed that the blending capabilities of oil paint were just as good, if not better, and their longevity was worth the cost, the two decided to settle it with a paint off. Art sessions quickly became a biweekly tradition between the two, whenever the Gotham botanical garden would have a new exhibit Marinette would insist they go to sketch the flora. Damian quickly found that Marinette was almost as passionate about plants as he was about animals, with the way she flitted about the garden he couldn’t help but wonder if she had been something like a ladybug in her past life. There were also plenty of weekends spent sketching Damian’s pets, though Marinette would note that no drawings could capture what good boys Titus, Alfred the Cat, Jerry the Turkey, and Bat Cow were.

Together they found new ways to integrate Wushu into their hobbies, Marinette had plenty of friends at school who loved art and plenty of friends who did Wushu at the same center, but Damian was the only one she shared nearly all her passions with.

With their art, they began making flyers and posters for the studio, and banners to cheer on their classmates at competitions – Damian would argue he only did this because it would increase morale, which in turn would produce better results for the studio. Marinette struggled with the posters at first as a lot of proposed designs incorporated traditional Chinese characters, she couldn’t even write in Pinyin! Tom and Sabine had prioritized teaching Marinette about her French roots, in the event that one day they decided to move back to France, and neglected teaching her much about Chinese heritage. Marinette still learned basic conversational phrases: yes, no, please, thank you, and familial titles, but she was nowhere near conversational or fluent. After realizing Marinette did not know how to speak Mandarin Damian made it his personal goal to make her at least conversational before they would begin to travel internationally for competitions. Many of the major Wushu competitions took place in China and if Marinette was going to be his partner in the couples division he was going to make sure she was able to converse with any interviewers they may meet, and that if she were to end up lost – he swears Marinette was born without a sense of direction – that she could find her way back to him or their hotel. He hoped that while working on the banners he could work in a few lessons on traditional Chinese characters and simplified Chinese characters so that Marinette could at least read signs. Apart from art, reenacting scenes from video game cutscenes and superhero movies became one of their favorite activities, it became a way to train while still having plenty of fun. Sometimes after mastering a new move-in Ultimate Mecha Strike, they would break out the crash mats to test if the moves in the game were actually physically possible.

Even the hobbies Damian didn’t share with Marinette he was willing to partake in, and the fact that he was trying meant the world to Marinette. Damian was rarely physically affectionate in the first few years of their friendship, and it was even rarer for him to vocalize his emotions, and so Marinette quickly learned that Damian had a tendency to express himself through his actions. A lot of people failed to see how warm and loving Damian truly was, but Marinette saw it in how he interacted with everyone. For example, when Damian’s eldest brother opened up an acrobatics and gymnastics center Damian immediately volunteered to design and paint a mural on the outside that would more easily catch attention, Marinette watched him alter the design day and night and sort through hundreds of color palettes to ensure the pairing was just right. She saw his kindness through his interactions with his family and hers, the painting of her mom and dad baking, a gift from Damian for their 20th anniversary, hung up in the living room was more physical proof of it. When Marinette began sewing he proudly wore her designs and when she began to take commissions, he always kept her business card on his body in the event someone asked about his apparel.

One of Marinette’s fondest memories with Damian was when they decided to host a bake sale to offset the cost of international travel for the competition team. It was near the Mid-Autumn festival so Marinette and her parents decided to make mooncakes. Damian had some experience in the kitchen helping his mother make baozi and baklava, but he definitely wasn’t as experienced as Marinette who grew up in a bakery, yet he still came over to help them with the first few test batches and to help design packaging. Watching him carefully weigh out the ingredients her parents listed and chat about his favorite flavors with her parents in French filled her with so much warmth. The kitchen was filled with banter as a discourse between traditional baked mooncakes and skin mooncakes arose. Marinette and Sabine preferred snow skin mooncakes, the chewiness pairs well with pastes like red bean and taro, where Damian and Tom were strongly on the side of the more traditionally baked mooncake, arguing that the crumble of the pastry paired with fillings like salted egg and lotus paste was clearly superior. Marinette was unsurprised that Damian was strongly advocating for traditional flavors, but her father? The same man who made mustard macarons? It wasn’t until Marinette suggested thousand-layer mooncakes were simply croissants with a pasty filling that everyone else was willing to set aside their different preferences to unite against her. While the thousand layer mooncakes and traditional mooncakes baked, and the snow skin mooncakes steamed Marinette and Damian got to work on the packaging. In order to reduce cost, they had ordered plain packaging and planned to carve potato stamps with Mid-Autumn festival motifs: the moon, rabbits, flowers, fans, and lanterns. Despite having seen how proficient Damian was with a blade in training, Marinette was pleasantly surprised, if not downright awed, by Damian’s precision with a knife. By the time Marinette had finished carving out one flower Damian had finished three lantern carvings. After finishing stamping the final package Marinette daringly pressed the still paint-laden potato stamp onto Damian’s cheek which quickly devolved into a paint fight. The picture of Damian and Marinette covered head to two in paint was proudly pinned at the top of her corkboard, Marinette would never forget the sound of the kitchen filled with laughter that day.

Damian’s parents were extremely supportive of this arrangement. Talia thought it was a great opportunity, open gym hours were busy and she couldn’t give all her attention to Damian, having a training partner could really help him grow. If they got along well they could even enter paired events together! Bruce was enthralled that his son found someone to spend time with other than his friend Clark’s son, Jon. Jon and Damian were great friends, but Jon lived in Metropolis and so the boys rarely saw each other outside of business galas and Skype calls. It was nice knowing his son had someone he could spend time with in person, Bruce was concerned that Damian’s interpersonal growth would be stunted by his lack of interaction with his classmates at school. To see his son being a kid, laughing freely, filled him with great joy, he knew that being the son of a billionaire and a top-notch martial artist had put a lot of pressure on Damian’s shoulders, but he never knew what he could do to help his son. Seeing the walls in Damian’s room at the manor fill up with pictures of him and Marinette smiling, Damian smiling, made Bruce figure that everything was going to be okay.

Sabine and Tom grew to love Damian like their own son with the more time he spent at each other’s houses. At first, they were a bit skeptical, they didn’t quite understand what their daughter saw in the boy, but they trusted her judgment and boy are they glad they did. Damian was like a missing piece of their family, despite his hard exterior, the boy was extremely loyal and caring, they could always count on him to have Marinette’s back. Sabine especially had a soft spot for him after watching him correct Marinette’s brush strokes on the banners, teaching her the differences between what she wrote and what he was writing. The two watched their daughter give herself wholly to this boy, and in return, he gave himself back to her and that was all they could’ve ever wanted for Marinette, to love and be loved.

As they grew older they shared more than just common interests: their dreams, their fears, and the pressure they faced from their families. Marinette knew what she wanted for herself – something Damian was envious of. When they were 11 to offset the competition costs, Marinette’s mother began designing and sewing their competition outfits. Once Marinette saw what her mother was doing she wanted to help, and she ended up falling in love with fashion design. From the age of 13 and onward Marinette designed all of her own stage wear, as well as Damian’s. Sabine would joke that with such a talented daughter it’s a shame they didn’t stay in Paris. Damian wouldn’t admit it – Marinette would – but the thought of possibly never meeting Marinette made him feel uncomfortably empty; he wonders how he bore with that feeling before becoming close with Marinette. Damian wasn’t sure what he wanted for himself, he would love to take over his mother’s Wushu studio, maybe even expand it, but he was always raised with the expectation that one day he would inherit his father’s corporation. Despite loving both options, loving both his parents, there was also a part of him that wanted something that was completely Damian, he had already spent so much of his life living in the shadow of his parents. It wasn’t until high school that Damian opened up to Marinette about this, as the time to make decisions grew closer Damian naturally grew more anxious about his future. Marinette rarely gets the chance to comfort Damian, oftentimes he bottles his emotions up until they’re ready to burst, and even then Marinette has to slowly coax him into talking about them, even if it is with his brothers and not her, she just wants him to feel safe with his own emotions. The first time Damian opened up to her about the pressure he felt as his parent’s only biological son she immediately swept him into her arms, stroking his hair she began to tell him about how loved he was. She told him “Damian I love you, your family loves you, my family loves you. I just want you to know how loved you are. I speak not only for myself, but for everyone who loves you when I say this, do what makes you happy. Your parents will be happy as long as you are, they trust that they raised you to make good decisions for yourself. Even if you don’t know what it is that makes you happy yet, don’t be afraid to explore your options; I’ll be right here by your side and I’m going to support you no matter what. You’ve told me before that even if you inherit the studio Maya would co-own it with you, or even if you inherit your father’s business you would be working alongside your brothers. You are not alone, the world is not riding on solely your shoulders.” Damian was completely silent, if not for the wetness on her shoulder and his grip tightening around her, Marinette would figure he was unphased. Marinette has known that she loves this boy, far past the platonic love she just expressed, but for Damian, it was at this moment that he realized that not only was he loved, but he was in love with Marinette.

“WELCOME TO THE WORLD WUSHU CHAMPIONSHIPS 2019 LIVE FROM GOTHAM, NEW JERSEY” roared overhead on the speakers.

Damian and Marinette were standing in a hall away from the main room where other contestants were preparing themselves both appearance-wise and physically. Marinette herself was fixing the crown braid in her hair. The women’s event would take place in the morning to late afternoon, where the men’s event in the evening giving Damian ample time before he needs to warm up to support Marinette. He gave Marinette’s ensemble a once over and with his cheeks tinged red he muttered “I like your costume, you look really cute”, quickly averting his gaze.

Marinette immediately flushed, almost as red as the silken top that adorned her torso, and brought the hands that were adjusting her braids down to her hips and leaned forward, exclaiming in a hushed shout as to not disturb the other competitors warming up, “Damian Al-Ghul Wayne, are you making fun of me? I just want to make sure that any pictures taken do not make me look like a hot mess. Could you imagine what could happen if Audrey Bourgeois sees pictures of me completely frumpled looking and cancels my apprenticeship?? Oh my God and then Parson’s will find out and rescind me and then I won’t be able to visit you at NYU!” Marinette’s hands now rested on her cheeks smearing away her perfectly placed blush. How Marinette managed to go from disgruntled to spiraling in less than a minute is still a mystery that still eludes Damian after years of friendship, but it was his duty to calm her down. He understands her nerves, they had spent the last few years dominating the juniors division and as they entered the senior division there was a lot of pressure for them to win there too. Unfortunately, for every person who wanted them to win, another five were praying for them to slip up, but now is not the time to be overcome by nerves, her turn would come soon and she cannot afford to be overwhelmed by nerves.

Damian fully grasped her wrists pulling her hands away from her face, “Marinette, genuinely you look stunning”. After that comment, Damian noted to himself that it seems like there was no more need for the blush she applied anyways. With the soft tut of his tongue, he smoothed out the harsh lines of her smeared blush using the pad of his thumb. He whispered, just loud enough for her to hear, “Don’t worry too much about your hair and makeup, the most important thing is your form”. Marinette leaned into his touch and gave a small nod, calming down from her spiraling thoughts, he always knew how to ground her.

“Contestant number 54 you’re up next!”

“That’s you; you might want to fix up your makeup real quick, but everything is going to be fine.” He handed her a bag with her cosmetics and a wipe and quickly clapped his hands around her shoulders to guide her to the main stage so she could focus on herself.

Fixing her makeup Marinette shot him a cheeky grin, “wish me luck?”

“You don’t need luck. Marinette you have the skill, you know that.”

“Next up is Marinette Dupain-Cheng from New Jersey, USA! She is definitely a fan favorite to win today on the Women’s Taolu floor. She is internationally known for competing not only in the women’s division but also in the couples’ scene. She’s been training for the individual event from the age of six and for the partner event from the age of nine with her studio mate Damian Al-Ghul Wayne, who is predicted to win the Men’s Taolu event. While we do not have a couples’ Wushu competition here, since turning 18 they have been dominating the senior international couples’ Wushu scene and have gone undefeated.”

Taking off her team jacket, with a quick nod to her parents, Talia, and of course, Damian Marinette strode to the center stage. Damian would never grow sick of watching her transform on stage, it was strikingly similar to the magical girl shows she had been obsessed with as a child. The moment Marinette stepped onto the mat her whole demeanor changed. Her back straightened up, her head would be held high, and most of all, the look in her eyes was filled with inextinguishable fire.

By the end of the event after getting changed Marinette and Damian were making their way to his car. Once Damian turned 16 and got his license, it became a tradition for them to go out for a celebratory meal together without their parents. “Marinette!” Damian heard a voice call out, Agreste he noted in his head. Marinette had met Agreste and Tsurugi while vacationing in Paris. While they weren’t the worst, in fact, Tsurugi was typically pleasant company, Damian was in no mood to socialize after the several rounds of interviews he had to endure after winning first place in Men’s Taolu. Many of the interviewers failed to understand that while yes, he had more opportunities to train as he is a third-generation Wushu champion, it was his hard work that got him to where he was, not his genetics.

Seeing Damian continue on to his car, not wanting to keep him waiting, Marinette quickly bid them farewell with a promise to see them tomorrow. “Hey wait for me!” Marinette called out, running after Damian. Despite his pride usually preventing him from heeding to his peers’ commands, Damian stopped in his tracks, his breath shallow and wondering why Marinette’s voice still makes his heartthrob despite having heard it call out to him for over 10 years. Feeling her hands latch around his arm gave him a sense of comfort. Her grip was strong and steady, yet still gentle. He couldn’t help but envision his hand in hers instead of his arm. The bouquet and hand-painted card in his car were waiting to see if she felt the same.

#Maribat #MGI Trope Tussle 2021 #Daminette #Damian x Marinette #please send help idk how to write #if by any chance Issa is reading this ILY #Team Childhood Friends

[creamywater13]

Bats Not Included #1

Written by @creamywater13

“Ah, to be young again. To not have to bear the burden that is public education.” Richard leaned around his seat to face his little siblings behind him, “Consider yourselves lucky.”

“I like school,” said Jason.

“Okay, nerd.”

“Is there nothing for you to look forward to, Master Richard,” Alfred, butler and chauffeur asked, “Will none of your old friends be attending the same middle school?”

“It’s not really a middle school, Alfred. It’s a fancy-pants academy that none of my friends got into, and you know what they say about first impressions! I’m a goner already, I know it.”

“Well, I’m sure you’ll at least make drama club.”

Richard slumped in his seat as Jason sat up in his, practically flattened against his window. “Alfred, are we almost there?” He inquired eagerly.

“That we are, Master Jason.” Jason gathered up his book bag and removed his seatbelt.

“Can I come with him?” Richard groaned.

“Are you going to find your friends still in elementary?”

“No.”

“Then please remain seated.” Alfred pulled up to the school, and got out of the car with Jason and Cassandra. Tim piped up from the back seat.

“Byeee!”

“Can I come to preschool with you, Timmy?” Richard turned back around.

“No!”

“Aww, why not?”

“You’re too big!”

“Yeah, you’re right. You will have to go without me.”

Alfred joined them back in the car, “I trust your seatbelt is still on, Master Richard?”

“Roger. Can I start riding in the front seat now that I’m in middle school and all? Don’t you have to be at least twelve?”

“If that’s what you would like, I suggest you consult your father.”

“He’ll say no…”

“Then I must do so as well.”

This is when Richard was finally quiet. That is, until reaching Gotham Academy.

“I do believe this is your stop, sir?”

“Yes. Thanks, Alfred. Love you, bye!” And with that, young Master Richard Thomas Wayne leapt into the brand new world that was the seventh grade. His little brother Jason Alfred Wayne was probably just as anxious about joining the second grade, but in a different way altogether. Timothy Lucius Wayne was becoming adjusted to preschool by now, and would do just fine. His sister Cassandra Martha Wayne would now begin kindergarten, finally an official elementary student. Damian Ibn al Xu'ffasch Wayne was still but an infant, and to remain at home with his mother.

***

Much to his surprise, there was somebody in Richard’s first class that he recognized. It was the pretty redhead girl he had mingled with at his father’s galas and other charity events-- the commissioner’s daughter. What was it? B… Barbara, maybe? Gordon, Barbara Gordon. He slid into the seat next to her.

“Hey, remember me? We’ve met before at--”

“Alright, class, the bell is going to ring in just a minute here, and then we’ll get started. I hope you’re ready.” Thanks a lot for the interruption, teach.

“We’ve met before at charity galas.”

“There was one just last month, of course I remember,” Barbara said, “You’re Bruce Wayne’s son, our parents make us talk all the time.”

“I know. But nobody’s forcing us to talk to each other now. Maybe if we try doing it for fun, we’ll end up liking it.”

“You’d better not be hitting on me, Wayne.” This caused Richard to lean away a little. He hadn’t even realized how close he’d gotten to her.

“What? No way, I just don’t know anybody else here. I’ve never been to a school like this.”

“Me neither.”

“See? We have something in common, we’re bonding already. Have you listened to Under My Skin? It just came out a few months ago.” This finally got Barbara to return a smile.

“Some of it.”

“Dude.”

Now the bell would ring and allow class to begin. Though he had finally said something that Barbara seemed to care for, Richard couldn’t help but to worry just a little. What if this was what it was like all day? What if he had to go home for break at the end of the week and had to tell his family that he hadn’t successfully made any friends. He caught himself thinking at one point; “I just miss my dad.”

***

“Okay, class, for this question I’d like to see if anyone other than Jason knows the answer. Got it?”

Jason dropped his aching arm and slumped in his seat. If anyone else cared to answer, wouldn’t they have volunteered already?

“Remember, it’s only the first day, this is just a review, you don’t need to worry about getting it wrong. In fact, if you share your thoughts, you might just find you’ve earned yourself a treat by the time it’s recess.” A few more hands finally made their way toward the ceiling. Jason hadn’t been promised a treat, but he didn’t need one, either. That’s not to say he wouldn’t like a treat, but the experience of learning alone was fun for him. In fact, he wasn’t even particularly looking forward to recess. According to the class schedule written on the board, the getting-to-know-you activities would begin after recess. Jason felt that the handful of students he knew from last year was plenty.

Alfred always encouraged Jason to be friendly with his fellow students, and his father had developed a habit of asking him to at least try and make friends. It never really worked out all that well for Jason. It wasn’t that he didn’t like the other kids, it’s just that making friends wasn’t what got him in the classroom. He wanted an education, he wanted to learn, he didn’t want to play outside with children that spent their lunchtime talking about how much money he had. He looked forward to the day that he’d be able to see Cass at combined lunchtimes and sit with her instead. Just because a butler made his pb and j instead of an older sibling or tired parent didn’t mean that he felt any different from the other children.

Jason remembered how Richard had asked to come with him to second grade earlier that morning. Jason wished it was the other way around, and he could follow his big brother to Gotham Academy. Everyone there was more like them. Nerd or not, was it too much to ask for Jason to feel like he was seen as normal? Bruce knew Jason was normal, but also acknowledged what made him special. Jason couldn’t help but to find himself thinking, “I just miss my dad.”

***

Kindergarten wasn’t all that bad at first. After all, it wasn’t very different from the preschool Cassandra had just graduated from. There was a little more order built into the function of the classroom, but it wasn’t even noticeable to her. The other difference, however, made things a little difficult. In this kindergarten class, there was nowhere near as much one on one time with instructors. For a child as intelligent as Cassandra to be so quiet was frustrating for the teacher. Mrs. Sandoval knew that little Miss Wayne would be one of her smartest students and was excited to have her in class, but upon discovering that Cassie wasn’t really one to share her thoughts and ideas out loud, she was a little disappointed. An entire room for learning set aside only to be filled with adorable little monkeys and a terrifically shy prodigy.

The truth was, Cassie loved her father. Being the man that raised her, played with her, taught her the basics, he was an absolute role model to her. It would be more than fair to say that she was trying to cope with a bit of attachment anxiety. She didn’t want to talk to her teacher, Mrs. Sandoval didn’t understand her. She wanted her dad, someone who did understand. Cassie had had a similar issue when beginning preschool, but eventually adjusted due to being able to learn one on one with instructors. This was different. This was a whole class with one shared subject at a time, and she didn’t really care for it. Of course she would do her best to carry on and participate, but the thought crossing her mind more than any other, was “I miss my dad.”

***

Although Timmy had been at preschool since the summer began, he was still adjusting. He didn’t really listen to the instructors when they were talking to each other, so he didn’t know that they were considering moving him up a class level. They hadn’t gone through with it yet, as Tim was still only three, and the pacing of a three year old’s development are very important.They were now discussing whether to leave Mr. Wayne an email about it, but what would the point be if Timmy actually was too young? They proceeded with their everyday assessment as usual in hopes to reach a consensus.

Tim also carried on with his usual daily activities, participating in simple crafts and games, having little conversations with instructors and so forth. His older brothers and sisters were all at school now, and it was a little different not having Cassie around during the day. It was his sister that he’d chatter to the most, but now that she was gone, he was quieter. He was playing by himself again now, which was a little worrying to a couple of the instructors. Timmy loved his sister and hadn’t really bothered with learning to connect with the other children his age. He missed having Cass around, but also missed being at home with his family. He could learn from his dad just fine at the manor. He didn’t entirely recognize what he was feeling, but little Tim missed his dad.

***

“Are you positively sure about this, Mistress Talia?”

“Have a little faith in me, Alfred. Just watch.”

…

“See? I told you. He’s fine. He’s extraordinary.”

“Yes, well, I must admit that I would appreciate you explaining to me what exactly is going on before you begin tossing infants in the pool next time.”

“If I had actually ‘tossed’ him, he would still be fine. A small child must be taught to swim, but babies at Damian’s age can manage already. It’s not just that either, but my son is an outstanding child. Born for greatness.”

“Yes, I, ah, believe you have mentioned as much, and I must once again concur. All of your children have shown to be fine examples and I couldn’t be more proud.”

Talia didn’t respond.

“Well, then. If I need not be worried, then I shall make my way to the kitchen to put a lunch together.”

“Very well.”

What a strange woman. The mother of Bruce Wayne’s children, Talia Al Ghul Wayne had not gone through this procedure with the other babies. Cassandra was only just improving her beginning swimming level, and Bruce himself may not have approved of this method. However, Bruce’s concerns could not stop Talia. Her only concerns were for Damian, her newest baby. It was clear to see from anyone’s perspective that he was special to her. Perhaps it was because he looked more like her than any of the other children? Maybe because her peculiar old father also had some sort of fixation on him. Damian’s siblings figured it was because he was the baby in the family. They couldn’t remember or process being that young, so they didn’t know any better. Those who were old enough did pick up on the fact that their mother was a little distant with them, even more so than their father, and tried not to let it bother them. If she would be like that with them anyways, why blame the innocent baby? It was easier to get along with dad anyway. Oh how his children missed their father, and how he missed them.

***

They’re already getting so big, Bruce thought, looking into that same strange glass as he did every night. Richard was in middle school now, and Cassie in kindergarten. How fast it all flew by. If he could only keep each and every one of them by his side forever. But the way things were going with Talia and her treatment of Damian, it seemed that Bruce would not quite earn that pleasure in the way that he was hoping for.

“Again, Bruce? Please come to bed, you have work tomorrow.”

“Wait.”

“For what, beloved?”

Bruce didn’t give her an answer. He simply stood there and watched the seconds ticking by on the old grandfather clock. Before Bruce could once again ask himself the question that had been plaguing him for years now, Talia beat him to it.

“What is it about that old clock, anyway? Has it not always been there?”

“I believe it has.”

“Then what is it we are waiting for?”

Bruce tried to remember. He came back here every night, staring that same face down from 10:30 to… Something. He was waiting for a specific minute, but he could never remember which one or why. 10:45 became 10:46 and the deja vu only grew stronger. All the other times that he had come down here and done this, he’d become satisfied upon seeing a certain minute pass and go to bed, but he didn’t ever know what it was until he saw it. 10:47… 10:48. There it was. Bedtime.

“Alright. I’m done now.” Bruce turned to his wife and gave her a soft smile.

“Finally. You need sleep.” She led him upstairs and they called it a night. As Bruce was drifting off, he came to the brutal realization that he couldn’t remember what number he had just waited for, and would surely end up waiting for again. Sometime after 10:30, but… The thought was gone, and slumber arrived in its place.

Elsewhere inside the manor, Richard thought to himself about the people he had met that day. The first day of seventh grade hadn’t been such a failure after all. If he could only keep it up and find a way to cope with several classes a day, he’d be just fine. He had gotten himself into an esteemed academy, after all. He wondered what his dad had done that day. Probably nothing as exciting. It seemed to Richard that the most exciting part of his dad’s daily schedule was that weird clock thing he would stay up to do some nights. Richard didn’t understand why he did it, but figured that he would know if it really mattered. Then his mind drifted and he thought maybe the family would go out for ice cream or something that weekend to celebrate going back to school. After all, they’d be able to afford it. Richard was then swept away into sleep as he dreamt of his frozen sweet treats.

Jason was having a hard time falling asleep that night. He was perfectly comfortable in his bed like always, but there would be a beginning of the year assessment in a week or so at school, new vocab and spelling words taught to the class the next day, not to mention the math facts routine. It was all a lot, and part of Jason wanted to do all of it that very second, but what he probably most looked forward to about being back at school was all of the reading time. He loved to allow himself to become engrossed in any sort of book he picked up and challenge his mind to adapt to new information. He got his imagination working, thinking about favorite stories of his, and let it all fade away into dreams.

Cass wasn’t struggling with sleep quite as much. At first, she didn’t feel very sleepy at all, she just felt anxious about going to school, but as everything came back to her, it all began to tire her out. She remembered what it was like when she learned things from playing with her dad, and how much she loved that time. Memories like this eased her mind and put her to rest.

Although Tim’s day had been a little tougher than average, this also only effectively tired him out more and he was right to sleep with dreams he wouldn’t ever be able to remember.

***

Richard’s 3rd period class had a seating chart, and although whoever sat to his left hadn’t attended the day before, he was here now. He answered to the name “Harper, Roy” during role call. Richard knew he had to introduce himself.

“Hi. Richard Wayne.” He extended a hand.

“Roy Harper.” Roy shook the hand.

“Is all this new to you too?”

“Pretty sure middle school’s new to everyone in this class.”

“I mean the fancy academy scene.”

“Oh, for sure. Bruce Wayne didn’t have you in a place like this for elementary?”

“No. He thought it would be a bit much for such a young child, but that I should start getting a little more ambitious at this age.”

“Fair enough.”

“You?”

“Was adopted into it. Oliver Queen.”

“Really? Have I seen you at any charity galas?”

“Probably not. Ollie doesn’t make me go.”

“Lucky.”

Day two didn’t seem like it would be so bad at all. Richard was already making new friends. He learned throughout 3rd and 4th period that Roy Harper was a loud, sort of cocky kid, but it was a nice change compared to the uptight quiet at home. Richard found Barbara Gordon again and shared lunch with her. She was still sarcastic with him, but it felt more like friendly banter than outright rejection. Barbara had finally listened to Avril Lavigne’s Under The Skin, which instantly got an excited conversation going. Barbara’s new friend Pam joined in the conversation and the warmth and comfort Richard felt surrounded by these fresh faces was something he hadn’t gotten in some time. He hadn’t even noticed how lonely it was at home, but the contrast was hard to miss.

***

Jason elected to spend another recess alone, reading in a corner against the school. It was incredibly hot outside, but the intense sunshine made it easier to see the words under the shade. Jason had found the perfect balance of light in his little hiding spot, and dreaded the ringing of the bell. Usually he didn’t care about recess coming to an end, but this chapter had captured his full attention and interest. The last thing he wanted was for his immersion to be interrupted. However, he heard someone approaching nearby, and looked up to see one of the recess aides eyeing him. What did she want? Did even the grown-ups here think Jason was weird? Could he not escape the prying eyes of criticism even at recess? He did his best to turn his focus back to his story, but couldn’t shake the feeling of eyes on him. Not until the bell finally rang.

***

Cassie and Tim both still missed their families, but were also still having their brains put to the test. Cassie couldn’t go quite as fast as was natural for her, thanks to being stuck at the same pace as the rest of the class, and remained the quiet kid. Timmy was still given slightly more challenging puzzles and activities, and took to them relatively well. Their father would be proud of both of them, though he’d also try and encourage them to cheer up. If Richard could only be with them, they probably wouldn’t get bored at lunch and naptime as they did, as he always had something to say. Alfred understood the two better than anyone else did, and they both preferred his teaching methods. They did their best to learn and grow and participate, but they still just wanted to go home.

***

At home, behind the scenes of all the others’ lives, Talia wasn’t quite as nurturing with Damian as everyone thought she was. Sure, she spent a lot of time babying and coddling him, but she also continued to challenge him. Damian was still but an infant, but to Talia, it was best to start shaping him for his future as early as possible. To Alfred, it seemed that it wasn’t possible to get a baby to be what she wanted, but there was something special about Damian. He hardly ever failed to surprise Alfred. Of course, the other Wayne children were all very fast developers, but none of them had been tested quite this early. Damian clearly meant more to Talia than anything, but more than her other children? Why? Would she continue to behave this way if Bruce was home? Were the other children aware of this special treatment, and how would they feel about it if they were? Alfred couldn’t help his concern. Of course he loved and believed in Damian, but he felt that way with every child. They were blossoming into individuals of their own, as Alfred was well aware of, but all of Damian’s blossoming seemed to come at Talia’s pace rather than his own.

“Ah, Mistress Talia…?”

“Yes, Alfred?”

“You have spent so much time with dear Damian, which I must admire you for, but might I also suggest that you take a break? Parenting is no easy task and you have been at it without rest for such a long time. Perhaps you deserve a day off?”

“I appreciate it, Alfred, but if I was interested in a day off, I would have taken it already. I enjoy nothing more than spending time with my baby.”

“Of course. I shall remind Master Bruce of this for you should he ever consider a date night.”

“Alfred.”

“My apologies.”

“I know you have served for this family for a very long time, Alfred. But that doesn’t make you family. You have no ties by blood. This child is mine, not yours.”

“Of course. If you’ll excuse me.”

“You are excused.”

“Thank you.”

***

10:40, 41, 42… What are you waiting for, Bruce? It’s just a clock, it’s always been there.

“What’s with the clock again?”

“Shouldn’t you be in bed, Richard?”

“I just wanna know.” So do I, thought Bruce.

“Well, see, it’s 10:43 now, which means it’s well past time for you to be in bed, falling asleep. Would you like some warm milk or something?”

“I’m not a baby anymore, dad. I wanna know what you’re doing.”

“Waiting for the right time, I suppose.”

“For what?”

“The right time to go on a hunt for any little nuisances out of bed and destroy them.”

“Oh no.” Sarcasm.

“Oh, yes. Any minute now… 30 seconds to get back in bed or else.”

“Or else you’ll destroy me?”

“27 seconds, 26, 25…” Bruce began wiggling his fingers slowly and menacingly.

“What are you doing?”

“22, 21, 20…”

“My room is all the way upstairs, down the hall…”

“Then you’d better start running before I get to ten.”

“Daaaaaaadd.”

“9, 8, 7…”

“No fair!”

“You’re only safe in your bed now, Richard.” Richard finally took off towards his room. “Not too loud, Richard. The little ones are sleeping.” Bruce pursued carefully, quietly, quickly. Richard leapt over a couple of stairs, only to fall to his knees.

“No!”

“Shhhh.”

“Ah!” He scrambled back to his feet and kept running, as quietly as he could manage. He darted into his room and shut the door. Bruce followed and tried the handle. Richard was holding it from the other side, but Bruce was stronger.

“You’re only safe if you’re in bed.”

“No! No…” After a moment or so, the doorknob went loose and Bruce opened it. Richard pulled the covers over his head.

“Goodnight, Richard.”

Richard peeked out from under the blankets. “Goodnight, dad.”

“I love you, son.”

“Love you too, dad.”

“Get a good sleep tonight.”

“Okay, dad.”

And with that, Bruce left the room, carefully and quietly, and went to bed. Richard giggled to himself as he pulled the blankets back over his head and listened for a moment. Once he determined that it was safe, he pulled them back down to his shoulders and went to sleep.

***

“Hey. Wayne.”

“Yeah, Roy?”

“Wanna sit with me at lunch?”

“Yeah, sure!”

“Sick. Follow me when the bell rings. I’m thinking we’ll go off campus.”

“Really?”

“Sure. There’s a little shop somewhere near here, like down the street. Shouldn’t be a bad walk, we can pick something up there.”

“Sounds great.”

“Cool. We’re totally gonna do it. You have cash, right?”

“Yup.”

“Okay, good. Don’t forget, you’ll follow me when the bell rings.”

***

Jason was almost alone at recess once again. Almost, because that recess aide was still there, practically breathing down his neck, even several feet away. Whenever he looked up, he caught her turning away, and whenever he looked down, he felt her gaze slide back over to him. Jason tried to carry on for another minute or so, but he started getting kind of creeped out. He sighed, closed his book, and finally got up to look for another place to try and read in peace. At first, he thought that he’d managed to properly slip away, as the recess aide now only looked lost. Jason turned back to his reading, but only got a couple pages in before he felt the eyes again. Jason was done. Two could play at that game. Jason closed his book, looked up from it, and met the aide’s eyes with his own. Now it was a staring contest, or, it was until the aide started walking toward him. Jason’s heart was pounding, but he didn’t break. He just sat and waited until she had approached him.

“Kid, what’s your name?” “I don’t have to tell you.”

“Yes you do. I work here and I’m looking for somebody. What’s your name?”

“Jason.”

“Jason Wayne?”

“Yes.”

“Good. Look, they need you for a special program for the school, but I don’t want to bother you all through recess anymore. Just follow me when the bell rings, kay?”

Jason couldn’t answer at first, he had to fight back the tears of fear climbing their way up into his throat and his eyes. Still, he didn’t break. “Kay.”

“Alright. That’s all. Enjoy your recess, Jason, but don’t forget. Follow me when the bell rings.”

***

“I can’t remember the last time I was in a place like this.”

“What, a grocery store?”

“Alfred, uh, the butler, does most of the shopping. I like to come along sometimes, but he usually takes care of it when I’m not around.

“Gotcha. Come on, let’s go see what kinds of snacks they’ve got. I’m thinking pizza, but we’d have to sneak into the place where they keep the ovens back at school.”

“Do you even know where that is?”

“Well, not yet.”

“Let’s do pizza next time, then. We’ve got all kinds of money available, right? We could probably pick up a whole barrel of corn or something.”

“What would we do with all that corn?”

“Dunno. Probably feed a small village.”

“Ha! I like your style, Wayne. Check it, candy bars are buy two get one free.”

“No way!”

“Like we need free.” Roy started scooping varies candies into the shopping cart.

“They’ve gotta have a sale on ice cream, too. Now that summer’s coming to an end.”

“Definitely gotta check that out, but later so that it doesn’t melt if we get any.”

“Duh.” Dick pushed the cart along the candy aisle as though it was a scooter he was riding.

“Whoa. Can I try?” Roy had caught sight of what was going on.

“Sure. Let’s see how fast you can go. I do currently hold the record for highest speed within my family, so we’ll have to see how you do.” Richard hopped off his ride and waited for Roy to get on. In truth, Richard was never allowed to do that, but here with nobody but Roy, he could do whatever he wanted.

“Alright. Check it.” Roy got himself pumping, and he was pretty speedy, but one of the wheels began to twist. “Mayday!” He crashed, and a wide variety of junk foods came raining down upon him like an avalanche. He quickly abandoned ship. “Oops.” The boys turned to each other, and cracked up.

“That was amazing! Look at how much stuff we got in the cart. Might as well just pay for it all.”

“Sure! That was awesome. Now it’s your turn.”

“Oh, yeah!” Richard pulled the cart out of the wall of goods and got it going at a pretty good speed again. The boys went back and forth taking turns and adding fallen items to their purchase. That is, until Richard was barreling straight toward another customer. “Uh oh.”

“Stop, stop, stop stop!” Roy dove for the cart and grabbed as tight as he could. Using his surprising strength, he was able to catch Richard and slow his ride to a stop before this random lady was in any way injured.

“Do you really think you should be doing that here?” She crabbed.

“No.

“Probably not.”

“Sorry,” Richard could feel his face turning red.

“How old are you boys,” the lady demanded, “and where are your parents?”

“Fifteen,” Roy lied.

“Sure you are. Shouldn’t you be at school?”

“No, ma’am. It’s our lunch break.”

“Why would we have our uniforms on if we were ditching?”

“Don’t backtalk me. Stay right there, I’m getting an employee,” The lady stormed off.

“We should go.”

“You think?”

“Quick, let’s check out. They’ll think we’re valued customers and won’t get us in trouble.”

Roy grabbed the cart and began hurrying to check out. “Make sure you’ve got your money ready!”

“Got it,” Richard followed close behind. They got to check out just before the stranger woman could come back with someone to get them in trouble. “I just realized we’re going to have to carry all this stuff back to school.”

“We can stick some of it in our backpacks. Here.” Roy removed his bag and opened it up. Richard helped load the goods into it. “Well, my bag’s all kinds of heavy now, so I think the mission was a success.”

“You said it.”

“Let’s get back to campus before it’s too late.”

***

Dong, dong, dong. There was the bell for the end of recess. If Jason didn’t go over to the aide on his own, she’d probably come find him and bring him in anyway. Was there really any special program being put together on only the third day? Jason continued on, carrying himself across the school yard. What if he just lined up with the rest of his class to go back inside and the aide just forgot about it? It was probably worth a shot. Even if Jason didn’t know exactly why he had such a bad feeling in his gut, he was going to go along with it. He made his way over to line, sweating even more than usual under the glaring heat. The aide followed. Jason got into line, and she came over to stand next to him. She leaned down to his level and spoke softly, “Remember what I said? Follow me.” She took Jason by the wrist, and led him away from what he knew.

“Alright, Jason. Sit tight while I find out where the administrators are that should have been here by now.”

Jason didn’t sit. Though he had been at this school since kindergarten, he wouldn’t say that he knew this woman. He didn’t even know her name, just that he was alone with her in the teacher’s lounge with the door shut for some reason. He had expected to be taken down the office with some other kids, but that hadn’t happened, and Jason’s fear only grew worse. I have to get out of here before I find out why she took me with her.

“I have to go to the bathroom.”

“Sorry, hold for a sec. Jason. I’m on the phone. Please wait a minute.”

“I said I gotta go to the bathroom. Please?”

“Why didn’t you go at recess?”

“I didn’t know I had to. But I really do.”

“Just hang on and read your book for a minute and then I’ll escort you to the bathroom.”

“How long is the phone call gonna be?”

“Look, your story distracted you before, right? Just keep reading and I’ll handle it in just a second.”

“I’ll try, I guess…” Jason finally sat down. His plan hadn’t worked. Now what?

“Yes, I have him with me. You do know how to get here, right?” Why wouldn’t people from the school know how to get there? “Yes, I’m sure. He told me himself. Yes! God, do you think I’m stupid? We’re not going to wait around forever, they’re going to want him back in class soon.” Back in class? Was she going to let him go back to class if this person didn’t show up? “Just get here asap, please. Poor kid doesn’t have all day.” She glanced in Jason’s direction as she said this, which allowed him to ease up a little. That was right, he didn’t have all day, he had classwork to do. He had no time for this stunt. “Got it. Later.” She hung up. “Okay. Let’s take you to the bathroom.”

Jason followed through with his bluff, but still didn’t know what to do. She couldn’t come into the boys’ bathroom, but was waiting just outside the entrance. He could try and just run, but that would be stupid if all of this was really nothing. Now he actually did have to go to the bathroom, so he finished up, washed his hands, and… Kept washing. Was it safe to go back out there? Of course it was, he’d go back to class if the “administrators” didn’t show, right? Right. And if they did show, they’d talk to him about some stupid program and he’d tell them he’d have to go home and ask his dad to join and they’d send him back to class and he’d go home. Right?

“You done?” The aide asked, and Jason responded with a nod. “Good, let’s get you back in the teacher’s lounge to wait for Mr. Steele, alright? He’s in charge of the program and shouldn’t take too much longer.” Jason just kept quiet and followed her. Back in the teacher’s lounge, he picked his book back up and tried to use it as a means of drowning out his worry. It felt like hours were slowly dragging themselves along as Jason waiting with the aide. He still didn’t know her name. She was still watching him. Then, finally…

“Hey, sorry I’m late. I’m Mr. Steele, nice to meet you, Jason.” Mr. Steele held out a hand, and tentatively, Jason took it. After the handshake, Steele continued, “You are Jason Wayne, son of Mr. Bruce Wayne, right?” Jason shook his head and Mr. Steele furrowed his brow.

“He is, don’t worry,” said the aide, “He’s just a little nervous.”

“Oh, I understand. Been through it many times before myself. Your mouth has probably gotten all kinds of dry, poor kid. Let’s get you a drink of water.” The aide went to the water dispenser and did just that. She gave it over to Jason after the briefest of pauses, and he didn’t drink it.

“So, Jason. Rumor has it you’re a clever kid. Is this right?” Steele had his eyes locked on Jason now, too, which made him all the more unsettled. To tell the truth, however, his mouth was getting a little dry.

“Well, I, uh, I like school,” Jason replied.

“Wow. Good kid. Most don’t, they’d rather slack off and have recess all day long.”

“Well. You’re keeping me out of class.”

“It won’t be long, don’t worry. We just want you to take a test. It’s an evaluation given only to smart kids like yourself to see if you need to receive your education differently. I will warn you that it’s sort of a long test, so if you want to go to the bathroom or get a drink or anything, you should take care of it now.”

“No thanks. I already went.”

“Good. Then let’s get started.” Steele pulled out a packet of papers and placed it on a table in front of Jason. “If you’ll sit here,” he also produced a pencil and set it next to the paper, “Then we can begin.”

Jason relaxed a little more and moved into the seat at the table. There was actually a test there, an actual pencil, and actual quiet in the room. That was all. Jason took a drink of his water and started on the test. Lucky for him, it began with a reading portion. Inattentively, he finished his water and proceeded with the test as confidence began to push anxiety aside. He could do evaluation just fine, except… It was more difficult this time around for some reason. Perhaps because Jason suddenly felt so inexplicably sleepy…

***

Bruce Wayne stood solemnly in his home, once again watching that same grandfather clock as the night around him deepened. It was late, but he stayed up… Waiting. This time, however, he knew why. He had something to wait for.

10:48 pm came and went, and there was still no word back from the police about the disappearance of Jason Wayne.

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